Ephesians 2:1-10 Raised to life and put to work

 Chapter 1 ends with Jesus is so good. He is given rule and dominion over all. Christ is the head of the church...his body.

Chapter 2 is the truth about you and more about the Gospel.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV) "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by the nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."

I. You were dead.

You weren't sick/sleeping/misguided, you were dead, you were not sensitive to, not responsive, cannot be resuscitated, without hope

Jonathan Edwards quote "You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary"

You were following the ways of the world...going with the flow. You went along to get along.

James 4:4 (ESV) "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

Romans 8:7 (ESV) "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot."

Who controls you? Flip Wilson use to say "the Devil made me do it." Not really true. The Devil tempts/entices you. He is happy to draw you away from God and godly things. Your outward and inward sin will separate you from God. If you are being convicted, don't waste it!

Matthew 15:8 (ESV) "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;"

George Whitefield quote "You may have orthodox heads, and yet you may have the devil in your hearts."

II. You were running with the Devil.

Running from God? Living for yourself? Satan is not your friend.

John 10:10 (ESV) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

You are not just having fun, you are destroying yourself, your life, future, family and your eternity. 

III. You were destined for wrath.

Matthew 25:41 (ESV) "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

John 3:36 (ESV) "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."

Outside of Christ you are destined for wrath.

Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV) "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

IV. But God loves you.

God stepped in!

Romans 5:8 (ESV) "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 3:16-17 (ESV) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

Although we did not deserve it, God sent His son to die in our place. We know He loves us because of Jesus. We know who God is because of Jesus.

V. God is merciful to you.

Grace is all of the good stuff God gives you that you don't deserve. Mercy is everything that you do deserve, but God keeps you from it. God is rich in mercy

Colossians 2:13-14 (ESV) "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

Psalms 103:8 (ESV) " The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

That is who God is...He is merciful.

VI. God raised you to life.

You were dead and now you are alive/responsive/sensitive to things of God.

Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV) "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

John 6:44 (ESV) "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."

If God is calling you...respond!

VII. God gave you a future hope.

Immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward un in Christ Jesus. When this life is over we have hope that this not all there is. God will show us the immeasurable grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

VIII. God saves you by grace.

Romans 3:23-24 (ESV) "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"

Romans 11:6 (ESV) "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace."

Grace is the unmerited favor that God gives you that you do not deserve.

IX. God saves you through faith.

Romans 3:28 (ESV) "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."

Romans 4:3 (ESV) "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

Romans 5:1 (ESV) "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Galatians 2:16 (ESV) "yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law no one will be justified."

John 3:16 (ESV) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

There are 74 explicit verses that say we are saved by faith and 55 that imply that we are saved by faith.

X. God saves you to do good works.

Jesus' blood is too precious for us to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. We are God's workmanship. He does not want you to sit on the sidelines...Get in the game!