MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST JESUS
Ephesians 2:1-10
PAST STATE: DEAD
V:1-2. " And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the
sons of disobedience."
A. We were born in sin, therefore dead to eternal Life.
1. Because Adam
sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin became universal in all mankind.
2. The author of
sin and the originator of sin is Satan.
3. Satan is the hidden force in the nature of
man. John 8:44
4. The
unregenerate man has no power over Satan.
5. Under Satan,
sin and disobedience is the order of our lives.
B. Satan came to steal, kill and destroy.
1. Since Satan is
against God, under his control, we are against God.
2. Satan is the
evil spirit that operates in us.
3. Satan knows our
lust, our desires and our weak areas.
4. He operates on
the areas that leads us into sin.
5. Satan's job is
to temp us into sinful behavior.
LUST OF THE FLESH A KEY TO SIN
V:3 "Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts
of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest."
A. Before we were called out, we were involved in all the
worlds activities.
1. We were
controlled by the spirit of Satan.
2. We had no
control over our lust or fleshly desires.
3. We were not
aware of the devastating effects of our sins.
4. We were not
concerned about heaven or hell.
5. We enjoyed the
moment without regard to our to our eternal state.
B. The world is corrupt, and having been influence by the
world, we were
corrupt.
1. The world
exists in darkness.
2. Evil exists in
the cover of darkness
3. Jesus is the
light of the world which the world rejects.
MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST BY HIS MERCY
V:4-5. " But God, being rich in mercy, because of His
great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our
transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved)."
A. God does not look at our history to determine what He
will do for us.
1. God loves us
regardless of our history and our present conditions.
2. God's love for
us did not originate with us.
3. God's love for us is from everlasting to
everlasting.
B. Before the foundation of the world we were chosen in
Christ.
1. Christ death
on the cross covered our sins past, present and future.
2. We were
baptized in his death and resurrected into the newness of life.
3. Before our
relationship with Christ we were dead in our sin.
4. But because of
God's mercy were made alive in Christ Jesus.
C. God's mercy covered us in our sins
1. God's love is
the motivation for His mercy.
2. God's mercy
covered us in our sins until He called us out of
the world.
3. His mercy is
boundless
4. God's mercy is
directed at us.
5. If it were not
for God's mercy, from the cradle to the grave we
would remain
unsaved, condemned in our sins.
RAISED UP WITH JESUS
V:6-7. " And raised us up with Him, and seated us with
Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He
might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus."
A. Before Christ, we were in the world condemned to an
eternal hell.
1. Because of His great
love, the Father drew us to Jesus. John
6:44
2. God raised us
up out of our sins and cleanse us with His Word. John 15:3.
3. The Lord gave
each believer a measure of faith so we could accept
Christ as our
personal savior. Romans 12:3
B. Christ changed our position from the world to heaven
1. Not only that,
but He prepared a place for us in
heavenly places.
2. Christ assumed
total responsibility for us with His blood on the cross.
3. God made us one
with Christ in His body. Romans 12:5
C. Christ death on the cross has secured our future.
1. God mercy and
kindness covers us from day to day.
2. God is rich in
mercy and generous in kindness.
3. What does all
this mean to me today?
a. I can move
through life with confidence that God is on my side.
b. When
trouble show up at my door, I can smile because God promised
to make
it work out for my good. Romans 8:28
c. I have been
equipped with spiritual gifts to the do the work that
he has
assigned to me. Romans 12:6
SAVED BY GRACE
V:8-9. " For by grace you have been saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of
works, so that no one may boast."
A. This is the evidence of God's love for us.
1. First, He
predestined us before the foundation of the world to be in Christ. Eph 4:1
2. Second, He
protected us in our sins while we were in the world. Romans 5:8
3. He called us
out of the World. Romans 8:30
4. Forth, He drew
us to Himself. John 6:44
5. Fifth, He gave
us a measure of faith as He was drawing us to Himself.
Romans 12:3
6. Sixth, He
baptized us in to Christ death and made us alive in
the
resurrection of Christ.
7. Seventh, He
made us a new creation in Christ Jesus.
2 Cor 5:17
8. He continues
to regenerate us to be more like His
Son. Titus 3:5
B. You cannot be good enough to deserve God's mercy.
1. No one can
claim because of their good works they earned salvation.
2. It is not about
you, but about the Love of God for you.
3. We ought to
raise up and shout that God called us out of the world.
4. The Lord mercy
for us endures forever. Psalms 106:1
WE ARE THE WORK OF CHRIST
V:10. " For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in
them."
A. Every believer was called with a purpose; for good works.
1. The work that
God has for us was prepared before we were called out of the world.
2. We were call to
serve so that we could grow spiritually as we serve.
B. We are the work of Christ.
1. Christ died on
the cross to make atonement for our sins.
2. Christ will
complete the work He has begun in us.
Phil 1:6
3. The work of God
is that we confess Jesus Christ to others so that
they might
believe in Him. John 6:29
4. Believers are
the light of the world through which Jesus should be made known.
THANK GOD FOR HIS GRACE AND MERCY
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
For more lessons follow me on facebook and visit my
blogs;
www.revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
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