SAVED BY GRACE
Ephesians 2:1-10
WHAT WE USED TO BE
V:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
The Greek word for dead is nekros, a corpse, meaning separated from God. Transgression is a side step, an unintentional error. Sin is an offense against God
Our original state was separation from God because of our unintentional errors and
willful offenses. We were nothing more than dead men walking, a corpse.
The ruler of the kingdom of the air is Satan. He was an arch angel, a spirit
created by God until sin was found in him. Satan’s objective is our disobedience.
Satan is constantly working to keep us disobedient.
All of us have a past where we did what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it,
and how we wanted to do it. Most of what we did opposed God and did not
give Him glory. We were in a terrible state because we were under the influence
of Satan, controlled by the lust of the flesh and the desire to be like the world.
We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity and knew no better way to live. Satan took
full advantage of our ignorance and drove us deeper into sin. And we enjoyed every
minute of our disobedient behavior. As I recall, I was having so much fun that heaven
or hell was not a thought.
OBJECTS OF GOD’S WRATH
V:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Notice the Lord identifies two groups or classes of people; the church and the world.
Every Christian has a history in the world. We were born in the world and naturally
influenced by the world. Our sinful nature led us down a path of unrighteousness.
We were ignorant of the wrath of God and not able to consider the burning hell
that awaited our unchanged nature.
The Greek word for wrath is orge which means anger, vengeance. Our disobedient
behavior makes us an object of God’s anger or vengeance. Our unregenerate state
was one of hopelessness.
GOD’S GREAT LOVE
V: 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
The conjunction “but” introduces another state for the unregenerate person. God
opens up doors that are closed to us. : But God's great love. The word love is agape
is a noun. But it comes from the verb form agapao which means to seek the the highest
good for a person. God chose us to bestow His highest good. His highest good
is rich in mercy. We don't deserve His highest good, but mercy shows up.
Mercy shows up and considers our depraved state. Mercy shows up and
considers our hopeless state. Mercy shows up for our highest good. Love
forgets the past and starts fresh. His love is great because it has no limits. His love
is great because it is the foundation of human creation.
Love changes things. Love revives things. Love restores things. Love calls on
mercy. Love and mercy go together. You can't have love without mercy and
you can’t have mercy without love.
Were dead, headed to hell. But love and mercy made us alive in Jesus Christ.
Were dead and deserved God’s wrath. But God’s great love showered us mercy which overlooked our fault and made us alive. We didn't do it. We could
not do it because knew nothing but sin.
Not only did love and mercy show up, but grace showed up and provided
salvation. God's grace and His favor were working for us before the foundation
of the world (Ephesians 1:4). God's love, mercy, and grace continue to operate
in our lives. Our highest good is a relationship with Jesus Christ.
GOD’S INCOMPARABLE RICHES
V:6 And God raised us with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
God's love, grace, and mercy continue to operate beyond our comprehension.
God gave undeserving us a new dimension. We have a presence beyond this
earth, but also in heavenly places. He seated us with Christ and with Him in heaven. We have a new life, power, and position in heaven.
This new position in heaven requires a new attitude of obedience and righteousness
on earth. God's love, grace, and mercy raised us from the dead, made us alive in
Jesus Christ, and seated us with Him and Jesus in heaven. He saved us from ourselves
and gave us a clean state free from sin. God put in us a heart with a desire to please
Him
The Greek word for kindness is chrestotes which means moral excellence. God
made us suitable to Christ's moral excellence. In Christ, there is a transformation
of our character, attitude, and life to role model Christ.
SALVATION, OUR UNDESERVED GIFT.
V:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
God now introduces faith as operating in us. Hebrews 11 says faith is the substance
of things hoped for and evidence of things unseen. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 12:3 says that each is given a measure of faith.
Where did this faith come from since we were dead and not privileged to faith?
Jesus said, no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him.
We were saved because God elected us to be in Jesus before the foundation of
the earth.
Maybe the answer is found in verse 10. We are God’s workmanship.
God's work includes our election, making us alive in Christ, and seating
us in heaven with Him and Jesus. Making us privileged to Christ's excellence
and giving us a measure of faith to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The question becomes if faith comes by hearing, when did we hear the
Word of God?
Something must have happened when God was drawing us to Jesus.
The drawing included mamma taking us to church. The drawing includes
the testimony of friends, relatives, and family. The drawing includes a
picture of a cross as we drove by churches. Somewhere in our lives the Word
came to us and did not return void. Seeds were planted and watered that grew
into a measure of faith.
God's kindness was shown to us when were dead in our sins undeserving
of His love, grace, and mercy and He raise us from the dead in Jesus Christ.
We were created in Christ to do good works. What is this good work?
John 6:29
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Belief has its evidence in obedience to God’s commands.
Jesus summed up God's commands with two;
Love the Lord your God with all your mind heart and soul. And love your
neighbor as yourself.
The question is what does love look like?
Jesus showed us and Paul summarized it in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
We were prepared to love one another before the foundation of the earth.
My brothers and sisters in Christ pursue the GOOD WORKS FOR THE LORD.
Rev. M. Mitchell
For more lessons visit revmmitchell.com
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