3rd Sermon on Ephesians 2:1-9 for 4/5/2009
Dead or Alive?
Introduction:
The story is told about a little boy who found a rat in his back yard. He jumped on it. He stomped on it. And he killed it. He was so proud of himself, and he ran to show it to his mother. But he didn’t realize that the preacher had come to call. So the excited boy ran into the house, carrying the rat by the tail, hollering to his mom, “Mom, look what I found. I jumped on it, I stomped on it, and…” Just then he noticed the preacher and he finished his sentence by saying, “And then the Lord called him home.”
WBTU:
A. Ephesians 2:1 says that we were dead in our transgressions and sins. The King James here says that we were quickened or made alive in spite of our deadness. The NIV says the same thing in vs. 5- made us alive (quickened) with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.
B. Funerals are serious things. We avoid talking about death and are uncomfortable with anything associated with death, especially the death of a human being.
C. I know this is Palm Sunday and that was a joyous occasion. However, just a few days after this we have Jesus being arrested, taken to his trials, flogged, mocked, nailed to a cross and then on Good Friday he died.
Thesis: This morning let’s talk about death from these verses.
For instances:
I. Physical death compared to spiritual death
A. What is death?
1. Natural or physical death- The separation of the soul from the body. The result to the body is malfunction and turning back to dust.
2. Spiritual death- The separation of man from God.
3. Both of these are a result of the Fall- Genesis 3.
B. Those physically dead have the organs for all 5 senses, but no ability to have them function. Without the soul the body ceases to function. (Psa 135:15 NIV) The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. (Psa 135:16 NIV) They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;(Psa 135:17 NIV) they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.
C. So the spiritually dead have no ability to function or respond to spiritual things. They have lost their spiritual senses. They do not see the beauties of God; they see not God or Christ. (Mat 13:14 NIV) In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "’You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. (Mat 13:15 NIV) For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’(Mat 13:16 NIV) But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
D. The physically dead have all the parts to create motion, but the parts are at rest. They cannot walk or sit up or do anything that causes the body to move.
E. The spiritually dead have all the parts to create motion, but the parts are at rest. (2 John 1:6 NIV) And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
F. The physically dead are cold to the touch. Many a person has gone into a room to find the body cold to the touch. I clear sign that there is no life. A living body retains its heat very much in the same manner as a fire retains its heat. As long as the Lord tarries, our body will consume energy and remain warm until we run out of fuel and our body will then turn cold and die. The dead are as cold as the grave that covers them.
G. The spiritually dead have no warmth of Christian love going out either to God or man. (1 John 3:14 NIV) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
H. Those physically dead, the body goes on to corruption, goes back to dust. We can halt the process for a while with preserving techniques but eventually that dead body is going to decay and go back to dust. (Eccl 12:7 NIV) and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
I. Those spiritually dead are going onto corruption and even more corruption. We see it in their morals, in their attitudes, in their actions. The stench of death is all around them and if unchecked by God will continue to get worse. How could someone do something so terrible? Spiritual death gets worse and worse. (Rom 1:28 NIV) he (God) gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
II. The Cancerous Tissues of Spiritual Death
A. Think of it this way: After examining all of the tests, the doctor comes in and says, “I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that there are some cancerous tissues in your body. If left there, the cancer will spread to your whole body. It is terminal.”
B. What are some of those cancerous tissues that lead to spiritual death:
1. Following the ways of this world (Vs. 2)
a) Our former life was influenced and guided by the fads and fashions of this world. It is amazing to me how that even the little children in school know which jeans are in, which shoes, their lives are controlled by the fashions of this world. They are devastated if they have to wear the wrong labels to school.
b) Am I saying that all fads and fashions are wrong? No, but when it goes against God’s word, then it is wrong. Some things that are fashionable today are not condoned in the Bible.
c) Promiscuous sex, live in mates, babies without wedlock, these are all things that have been promoted by the Hollywood set. When we look at the life and times of people on TV, watch out, much of it leads to spiritual death.
2. Following the ruler of the kingdom of the air. (vs. 2)
a) This is talking about the devil.
b) Satan is behind the world’s fashions, he guides the "in crowd." He used to seek to be more subtle, but now he has been emboldened to openly come out and advocate his life of rebellion against that which is of God. When we let our children watch the filth that is on T.V. today, we are allowing their minds to be programmed by Satan. A lot of music is the same way.
c) (1 John 5:19 NIV) We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
3. Gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature (vs. 3)
a) They live to fulfill the desires of their flesh. Their minds are filled with fantasies that they are trying to fulfill. “If it feels good, do it.”
b) Think about the little boy who was disciplined by his mother for kicking his sister in the shins and then pulling her hair. His mother said, “Sam, why did you let the devil make you kick your little sister and pull her hair?” He said, “Well mother, the devil made me kick her, but pulling her hair was my idea.”
c) (Rom 8:13 NIV) For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die
So What?
1. Good news
Hey, the doctor gave us the bad news, what about the good news. “I can perform a surgery that will remove the cancerous tissue,” he says. “Once it is removed, you will be fine, even better than before. Please let me perform this surgery so that you can live.” We have a choice to make. We can stay the way we are and die or we can let the doctor perform the surgery and live. Which do we want, dead or alive? Unfortunately many choose death over surgery spiritually speaking.
(Col 2:11) In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,
Circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes some tissue from a male’s body. Jesus Christ wants to do something similar spiritually speaking. He wants to remove these cancerous tissues (Ephesians 2:2-3) so that we will not die.
(Col 2:12 NIV) having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
This is how the surgical procedure is done. Give plan of salvation.
We don’t have to be terminal. (John 11:25 NIV) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;(John 11:26 NIV) and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
(Col 2:13 NIV) When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins
Uncircumcision- cancerous tissues still remained, but through the surgery (circumcision).
Ephesians 2:5- Made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.
Vs 5- It is by grace you have been saved. He forgave us all our sins.
2. What should we do for those spiritually dead?
A. We ought to mourn for the dead, as we mourn for our loved ones who have died.
B. We ought to pray for the dead, that God will make them alive (vs. 5)
C. We ought to warn the dead, that if they don’t come to Christ, they will die in their sins. (John 8:24 NIV) I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."
