Ephesians 2:1-10
2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
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Illustration:
Getting What We Don’t Deserve
It was the first night of camp, and a group of tough kids from the city had hardly unpacked when the leaders received word about a theft. A work crew kid was missing a wallet, $35, and a watch. The next morning, Kirk, the intern from the city, found the empty wallet in his cabin. He immediately called his guys together and hit them with the hard facts.
“Man, you guys did exactly what society expected you to do. You just proved them right. And it’s a shame. Now you’ve got 20 minutes to produce that money and the watch, or we’re all going home.” Kirk walked out and shut the door. He could hear the guys shouting at one another and scrambling around inside the cabin. In a moment, the door opened again, and the toughest kid in the crowd presented Kirk with the $35 and the watch. The money was already spent, but the kids had emptied their pockets and pooled their cash.
When the staff person came to pick up the stolen goods, someone asked, “Who did it?” Kirk replied, “We all did it. We’re all guilty. We’re in this together.” The kids were shocked by Kirk’s display of solidarity. Then he shut the cabin door and started to preach.
“Let’s talk about grace,” he said to the silent cabin. “Grace is getting something you don’t deserve. God is going to correct you, but he’s going to forgive you. Jesus is going to break you, but he’s going to remake you. We all deserve to go home, but we’re going to get to stay.” It was only the first morning of camp, but God already had the undivided attention of 17 tough guys from the city.
A few nights later, Kirk invited the work crew kid who had been robbed to come to his cabin and to share his own experience of God’s grace with the guys. After the young man left that night, Kirk said, “Now I’m going to say a prayer, and if any of you want to pray with me and give your lives to God, then just do it.” By the end of the prayer, 17 baritone voices had cried out to Jesus Christ.
—Rydberg, Denny. Ministry Letter, October 1999, quoted in Leadership Journal, Spring 2000, Vol. 21, No. 2, p. 69.
1. Condition of Man
Ephesians 2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
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a. Dead in trespasses and sins
Spiritually Man Is: The Bible teaches that man is in a period of spiritual blackout. Spiritually, he is blind. (He cited Isaiah 59:10 and 2 Corinthians 4:4)
Spiritually, man is also deaf. “They have ears to hear, and hear not” (Ezekiel 12:2). Jesus went so far as to say: ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).
Spiritually, man is even dead. “Who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).
All of this means that the communication between God and man is broken. There is a wonderful world of joy, light, harmony, peace, and satisfaction to which millions of persons are blind and deaf, and even dead.
—Billy Graham, World Aflame, p. 82.
Gen 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Gen 6:5 Then the LORD* saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Matt 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Rom 3:10 As it is written:
"There is none righteous, no, not one; NKJV
b. Walked according to the world
Jer 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers;
For because of a curse the land mourns.
The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up.
Their course of life is evil,
And their might is not right. NKJV
John 8:23 And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. NKJV
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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2. God’s Mercy
Illustration:
Christ Is Our Mercy Seat
In the Tabernacle Holy of Holies, the light of God’s glory was present between the cherubim, telling Israel that God was in her midst. The mercy seat was the place appointed where God met once a year the blood of the sacrifice of atonement. The blood of atonement was sprinkled there. It was not an appeasement. God does not have to be appeased. He is merciful, compassionate, and full of loving kindness, but He will not hold man guiltless without an atonement. When the blood was sprinkled, there was satisfaction. Sin was covered. The offering for sin was made.
The One whose soul was made an offering for sin is Messiah Jesus. He is the Mercy Seat where the justice of God and the satisfying sacrifice meet, bringing peace to all who believe.
Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, NKJV
Ps 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
Ps 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
3. God’s Mercy and Grace Only Come Through Jesus Christ
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
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Rom 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
2 Thess 1:9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
Acts 16:31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Rom 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all* who believe. For there is no difference;
Rom 4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Gal 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
First Step Toward New Life
Quite a few years ago, Governor Neff of the State of Texas received an invitation to speak at one of the penitentiaries in that state. He spoke to the assembled prisoners, and afterward said that he would be around for a while to listen to anything any of the convicts might wish to tell him. He would take as much time as they wanted, and anything they would tell him would be kept in confidence.
The convicts began to come, one at a time. One after another told him a story of how they had been unjustly sentenced, were innocent, and wished to get out. Finally one man came through who said to him, “Governor Neff, I do not want to take much of your time. I only want to say that I really did what they convicted me of. But I have been here a number of years. I believe I have paid my debt to society, and that, if I were to be released, I would be able to live an upright life and show myself worthy of your mercy.”
This was the man whom Governor Neff pardoned. (Source unknown)
