1. Symptoms of death
a.The first symptom is a dead nature (2:1)
b.The second symptom is a dead walk (2:2)
c.The third symptom is dead conduct (2:3)
2. Qualities of life
a.The first quality is living hope (2:4-7)
b.The second quality is living grace (2:8-9)
c.The third quality is living works (2:10)
EPHESIANS 2:1-10
Back in the fall we began to notice something about our house. Not the whole house, just the upstairs part. It started off just barely noticeable. Then it got worse and worse. Until finally we could hardly stand it. There was no denying it. Our house stunk. More specifically, our upstairs stunk and it was beginning to drift downstairs. So my wife went on patrol. She traced the stench to a closet upstairs—and then hollered for me. It turned out to be a little tiny mouse that was dead underneath some things in that closet. I have no idea how so much stink could come out of something that small, but it did. It did because it was dead. And dead things stink. Death produces an odor that is like nothing else in this world. In our text today, Paul starts by describing the way the Ephesian Christians were before they were saved. He said they were dead. They were dead, but Paul rejoiced in the fact they had turned from death to life. Just like the stench of death sticks in our nostrils and makes us turn away, I want us to turn away from death this morning. I want each of us to smell that stench of death and allow Christ to bring us to new life in Him. In order to do that we’re going to first look at three symptoms of death, and then we’ll look at three qualities of life. The first symptom of death is a dead nature. Look with me in verse 1
EPHESIANS 2:1
A dead nature. Notice that the words, “hath He quickened” are in italics in the King James. That means that they were added by the translators. Look at the force of the verse without those words added: “And you, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Paul isn’t mincing words here. He’s telling these people exactly how it is. Before Christ had saved them, they had a dead nature. Notice that he says, “you who were dead IN trespasses and sins.” He didn’t say they were dead BECAUSE of trespasses and sins. Now, I’m very sure that they had committed sin. Everyone commits sin. We have all told a lie at one time or another in our lives. Oh, you don’t remember? Here let me remind you—“Honey do I look fat in these pants?” The bottom line is we have all committed sin. But that’s not what Paul is talking about here. Yes, committing sin is a bad thing. But that’s not the heart of the problem. The heart of the problem goes much deeper than our actions. The heart of the problem is that we have a sin nature. We are IN trespasses and sins. We are in trespasses and sins from birth, because we are born with a sin nature. A person lies because in his heart he is a liar—not the other way around. A person steals because in his heart he is a thief. And we sin because in our very nature, we are sinners. Dead in trespasses and sins. By using the words trespasses and sins, Paul wasn’t marking off two distinct categories. He was using two words that mean nearly the same thing. And he’s using them together to point out the total scope of our depraved and wretched nature. Totally depraved from birth. Before Christ, our lives reek with the stench of a dead nature. That is the first symptom of death—a dead nature. The second symptom of death is a dead walk. Look in verse 2.
EPHESIANS 2:2
A dead walk. That sounds like it doesn’t make sense. It sounds like I’m talking about one of those old black and white zombie movies. Well, I’m not. A lot of times when we think about what the Bible means by a person’s walk, we think it’s only talking about the things we do. Do this and do that, and you’re walking with Christ. On the other hand, do this and do that, and you’re walking with the devil. But when the Bible talks about our walk, it speaks of more than just what we do or don’t do. It speaks of our entire being—our thoughts and mindsets. Our worldview. The way we think about things that allows or causes us to act the way we do. Think about it—before your feet take you in a certain direction, your brain had to tell them which way to go. And your brain told them which way to go based on a whole set of different variables. Your decision to move in that direction was shaped by your personal experiences, desires, and motivations. That’s what the Bible means by your walk. All of those experiences, desires and motivations. All of those ways of thinking. All of those things that drive you. And Paul is reminding these Christians he’s writing to that before Jesus saved them, their walk was dead. They walked according to the course of the world. They looked at things the same way the cruel world around them did. That meant a lot to them because they were being persecuted by that cruel world. And Paul told them that’s the same way they used to think. And then he takes it one step further. He tells them that they used to walk according to the prince of the power of the air. And, just in case there was any confusion as to who that was, he clarified it by saying the prince of the power of the air is the spirit who works in the sons of disobedience. In other words, Paul is telling them that their mindset used to be the same as Satan’s. Well, what is Satan’s mindset? What is his walk? His walk is that he wants to be like the Most High. Ever since right before he fell, Satan wanted to be God. He wanted to be the one seated on the throne—not God. His walk was a walk of pride. A walk of self-sufficiency. A walk that says, “I can do it myself—I don’t need you God.” Before Christ, our lives reek with the stench of a dead walk. A walk that elevates our selves to the throne of our lives. A walk that shakes our fist at God and said, I will not have this man rule over me. A walk that we shared with Satan himself. Dead nature, dead walk. The third symptom of death is dead conduct. Look in verse 3:
EPHESIANS 2:3
A dead conduct. I like how the King James puts it here when it says, “we all had our conversation in times past.” Many years ago when the King James was translated, conversation meant more than it does to us today. Today, it means simply having a discussion. Talking back and forth. But back then it meant all of your actions. Your behavior. Your conduct. What a way to describe our conduct! In Luke 6:45 Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good and an evil man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” The way that we use the word today, dead conversation is a part of dead conduct. But here in verse 3, it really means the totality of our conduct. All of our actions. Most of you know that we homeschool our kids, so I don’t know if they still do this now or not. But when I was in grade school, they used to give out conduct grades. I hated conduct grades. You see, I had these mean teachers who didn’t appreciate the importance of having well-developed social skills. I don’t know why I got bad conduct grades. I practiced conduct all the time—out loud. In a King James way—as conversation. Well, Paul is giving out another kind of conduct grade here. He grades their conduct before Christ saved them. And they clearly get an “F”. Even I never got an “F” in conduct from my teachers. But that’s because they weren’t grading my real conduct. They would mark me down for talking in class and things like that. If they had graded me on my real conduct, I would have failed just like the Christians Paul’s writing to. So would have each of us. Because, verse 3 says, we conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh. There’s another word we misunderstand the meaning of. When we think of lust, we limit it to sexual sins. Well, sexual sins certainly are a part of it. But they’re only a part of it. Lust is really an unholy desire—a craving. So when Paul talks about the lust of the flesh, he is talking about anything unholy that we crave in our flesh. Overeating and eating the wrong things can be lust of the flesh. Of course, he’s not focusing on eating here any more that he’s focusing on sexual lust. What he’s focusing on is that before these people were saved, they lived for themselves. Their number one priority in life was to do whatever it took to make themselves feel good. Whatever made them comfortable. Whatever made them happy. Without Christ, all we exist for is to fulfill the desires of our flesh and mind. You see, it didn’t just have to be stuff we physically do. Our dead conduct includes stuff we even think about. Before Christ, the priority in our thought life was fulfilling our own desires. Every thought and action was focused on our personal needs. Our wants. Our desires. What makes us comfortable. Before Christ, our lives reek with the stench of a dead conduct.
A life without Christ is no life at all. As a matter of fact, that’s what Paul has pointed out in these first three verses. He pointed out that we are dead. Dead in trespasses and sins. Dead in our thinking. Our mindsets. Our worldview. Dead in our actions. Our desires. Our lusts. Just like that dead mouse in my closet, spiritual death has an overwhelming stench. Nothing else smells that bad. There’s no mistaking it. It carries the stench of a dead nature. The stench of a dead walk. And the stench of a dead conduct. If that was where we are left, we would wonder with Paul in Romans 7:24: “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” But Paul didn’t leave us off there. He gives us two of the most beautiful three letter words in the Bible. He tells us “But God.” He spent the first three verses telling us of the hopelessly lost condition we were in. Of our dead condition. Then he tells us what happens when we let God step in and bring us to new life in Christ. We’ve seen the three symptoms of death. Now Paul shows us three qualities of life. The first quality of life is living hope. Look with me in verses 4-7:
EPHESIANS 2:4-7
Living hope. This time, notice in verse 5 that “hath quickened” is NOT in italics. This time it was there in the original. God, out of His infinite mercy. Out of His infinite grace. Because of his infinite love. Gave us a living hope in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ lived a life that we couldn’t live. And He died a death that He didn’t deserve. And He did it because of His great love wherewith He loved us. And after Jesus spent three days dead in the grave, He came out—alive. He emerged victorious from the tomb. He is the victor over sin and Satan and Hell and death and the grave. And just like He raised His only begotten Son from the grave, God raises us from our spiritual death. When we trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, He raises us together with Him. We are alive with Him and will live forever with Him. God seats us together with Christ. Of course, today Jesus is positionally seated at the right hand of the Father. But John 14 says that He is preparing a place for us there with Him. We have hope that we will be seated together with Him in heaven—forever. Not hope like making a wish kind of hope. Hope like expectant confidence. Confidence that we know it’s going to happen and we can’t wait for it to happen. We have hope that in the ages to come, He will be continually lavishing us with the exceeding riches of His grace. If He has raised you from death unto life, His goodness will pour out on you for all eternity. This morning, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have a living hope. Your hope is alive because He is alive. And He has made you alive. The first quality of life is living hope. The second quality of life is living grace. Look at verses 8-9:
EPHESIANS 2:8-9
Living grace. When Jesus brings us to life from the dead, He does it by grace alone through faith alone. Now, don’t get those two prepositions confused. Salvation is by the grace of God. You and I don’t bring anything to the table. Remember, we’re dead. Dead men don’t work. Dead men can’t earn anything. If a dead man gets anything, it’s because somebody else did all the work. But as dead men, God extends His grace in two ways. First, He graciously provides the gift of salvation. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He sacrificed His only Son on the cruel cross of Calvary to die as the one perfect, complete blood sacrifice. Sufficient for all. His blood is sufficient for whosoever will. That is the gift of salvation God has provided. But He extends His grace in a second way. He graciously provides us with the choice of faith. You see, Jesus’ blood is a sacrifice that is sufficient to cover the sin of all mankind. It is sufficient to cover my sin. It is sufficient to cover your sin. It is sufficient to raise you from spiritual deadness to new life in Him. But it is only efficient when it is applied through your faith in Him. God, out of His infinite wisdom, power and grace provides dead men with the choice of whether or not they want to live. But in order to live, Jesus’ blood has to be applied in faith believing. Believing that God is God and you’re not. Believing that Jesus is who He said He is. Believing that He did what He said He did. And believing that He is going to do what He said He will. It’s free—all it costs is your corpse. Living hope, Living grace. After—and only after—these come the third quality of life—living works. Look at verse 10:
EPHESIANS 2:10
Living works. Salvation is by grace through faith. There is nothing we could ever possibly do to earn our salvation. By the same token, there is nothing we could ever possibly do to keep our salvation. Works have nothing to do with earning or keeping salvation. But they have everything to do WITH our salvation. When the grace of God and the blood of Jesus saves us, our works are of God. We are His workmanship. He created us to do His works. Just like in Genesis, God made man to have dominion over the earth—He brings us to life in salvation to have dominion through His church. That dominion isn’t a rulership. It’s not some sort of a plot to take over the world. It is a responsibility to reach the lost and dying world for Jesus. It’s a responsibility to talk to our family about Jesus. It’s a responsibility to talk to our friends about Jesus. It’s a responsibility to talk to our neighbors about Jesus. It’s a responsibility to help others reach those that we will never be able to reach ourselves. That’s what God has brought us back to life to do. He has created us in Jesus Christ for that purpose. And it’s a purpose He’s planned since before the foundations of the world. The works don’t save you. The works don’t keep you saved. But know this. Dead people don’t work. And according to this verse, all living people work. So, I want you to take a deep breath. What do you smell? Do you smell the unmistakable odor of death? Do you catch the stench of a dead nature? Of a dead walk? Of a dead conduct? Do you produce any good works that show you are created in Christ Jesus? Or are you showing the works of a dead man? If you are, this morning you can trade that corpse in for a living hope.
