Series: Ephesians: How To Walk God’s Trail
Text: Ephesians 2:1-7
Title: “Made Alive In Christ”
I. What We Were (1-3)
• “And you...who were dead”
o What does it mean when the Bible says we were dead?
o Dead is an interesting word, while it does mean “without life” it also means “useless,” “ineffective,” or “powerless.”
o What Paul is saying is that apart from Christ, which is living for ourselves, we are of no use to God and we are powerless to do anything about it which is much like being dead.
• However Paul goes on to tell us why we are spiritually dead.
• “in trespasses and sins,”
o Trespasses and sins, Paul is not just saying the same thing in two different ways.
o Trespasses has to do with our actions (our disobedience to God), while sin refers to our condition or state of being; by nature we are sinners.
o The question has been asked do we sin because we are sinners or are we sinners because we sin. The answer in short is yes!
Romans 5:12 -- 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
• Have you heard the term “Dead Man Walking”? because of our sin we are physically alive but spiritually dead to God.
Vv. 2-3
• Our state of being spiritually dead to God resulted in living a life of disobedience that was offensive to God but pleasing to Satan.
• All this is rooted in a single cause “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”
o Another way to say it is we do what is right in our own eyes, which the Bible clearly speaks out against.
Deuteronomy 12:8 -- 8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes;
Judges 17:6 -- 6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
Proverbs 12:15 -- 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
• We are guilty of this all the time with how we raise our kids, how we treat our spouse, our commitment to church, even in our worship of God; we just kind of do things our own way, mixing a little of biblical truth, with worldly wisdom and our own motivations.
• By that Paul says we are “by nature children of wrath.”
II. What We Are (What We Could Be) (4-5)
• “But God” we were dead, living a life only to please ourselves and our own desires, unwilling and unable to save ourselves.
Vv. 4-5
1. God’s Motivation (4)
• His mercy and His great love, and where God’s mercy and love come together we find God’s grace.
• It’s important to note that God does not just turn a blind eye to our sin; He can’t because He is a God of justice and righteousness.
• It is only because He found a suitable substitute who took our place and the punishment we deserved, that is His Son Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 53:6, 11-12 -- 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
• However it was God’s mercy and great love that compelled Him to do this, and it was nothing on our part or because goodness was found in us, John 3:16-17 tells us about that love.
John 3:16-17 -- 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
• While God loves all His creation that does not mean that all will receive mercy and grace only those who come to God with repentance, receiving the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s shed blood.
2. God’s Miracle (5)
• “even when we were dead in trespasses.”
• Now I am not a doctor but even I know that someone who is dead can do nothing to save themselves.
• The Bible makes it clear that apart from God we can do nothing to save ourselves.
• But God “made us alive together with Christ.” we are born again.
• Not only has God made us alive but God continues to work in us to live a life that is pleasing and glorifying to Him, if we would only have the faith to let Him.
Galatians 2:20 -- “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
• That is the miracle of God, He calls us, He saves us, He keeps us, and He transforms us.
III. What We Will Be (6-7)
Vs. 6
• Once again the word of God speaks of a future event in the past tense because of God’s faithfulness to keep His promises.
• “in Christ Jesus” is the key to this entire verse, the previous statements depend on this fact.
o Our being raised up and our sitting in the heavenly places are only made possible if we are found to be in Christ Jesus.
o And if we are then all that belongs to Christ, everything He has accomplished and been given now belong to us.
Romans 8:15-18 -- For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
o When Paul thought about the glory that will be revealed to us he said I will go through anything in this life, even suffering, knowing the inheritance that is waiting for me in Heaven.
o That should be our attitude, so often we are not even willing to “suffer” past 12:15, or a Wednesday or Sunday night service, or serving in any of the areas of great need in the church.
o Why is that? Because we fail to see what Christ has done for us and what we will be given because of Him, and because of that we end up with a heart of ingratitude.
Vs. 7
• In other words Paul is saying “you haven’t seen anything yet.”
o If you think you have been blessed, if you think you have seen God’s hand at work, that you have caught glimpses of His glory; just wait.
• I know this is nothing new for many of you, but the question we must ask ourselves is how have I been changed by this?? God promises that if these truths are found to be in your heart that He will change you.
• Have we been changed or are we still living a life to please ourselves, sure we go to church, pray, read our Bible, but at the end of the day are we living a life that has been changed by the redeeming power of the cross.
• Will you meet Jesus at the cross of Calvary? For us it is the only place to start and the only place to return.
