Connected By God's Grace

My Life in the Church  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  44:45
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Intro; [Put up a picture of a diamond necklace {cross} on a black background. Then put up the same on a white background].
When a jeweler displays diamonds, he places them against a black cloth because diamonds shine more brilliantly against a dark backdrop. In the same manner, before Paul reminds the church at Ephesus of God’s grace, he wants the Ephesians to remember how dark things were without Him. So Paul places the diamond of God’s Grace against the backdrop of our Sin so that grace will be even more beautiful.
This morning as we continue the series “My Life In the Church”, I want us to see how we are “Connected By God’s Grace.”
Text; Eph. 2:1-8
Ephesians 2:1–8 NKJV
1 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,
Remember that Paul is writing from a Roman prison, a place of bondage and darkness. But even in the darkness of life, God’s grace shines in us and through us to give hope and help in a time of need. Paul wants the church to reflect on our past and never forget where we’ve come from, but never to turn back from where we are headed because of Grace!

1. Dead in Trespasses and Sin; 1

Before any of us was saved, we were connected by death! Did you realize that the world is one big cemetery, filled with people who are spiritually dead even though they exist day after day after day. Those without Christ are the “walking dead.”
1 Timothy 5:6 NKJV
6 But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.
Trespass - is formed from the word paraptoma {pa-rap-to-ma}. It means “to deviate or stray from the right path; to wander, stumble, or to fall away from the truth.” When we trespass, we stray from the truth we should have known. [This is what happened to Eve in the Garden]
Genesis 3:6 NKJV
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Sin- is from the word hamartia {ham-a-teeʹ-ah}. It was a word used to describe a hunter that missed hitting a deer, rabbit, or an animal that he was hunting with his spear, or his bow and arrow. It has the idea of missing the mark.
Genesis 3:9–11 NKJV
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
We all are born with the sin nature of Adam. We have all strayed from the truth and missed the mark of God of which He created us. And unless there is a change by God’s Grace we will continue walk in that nature to a devil’s hell.

2. Course of this World; 2-3

The course of this world is the path of the “walking dead”.
Course- [aion/age] the culture, ways and time in which one lives and conducts himself.
The course of “Satan”, a course of lies and death!
John 8:44 NKJV
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
A course of “disobedience”. The world presents sin as fun and thrilling but fails to reveal the cost of sin which soon sours and leads to death.
R Zaccharias — 'Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. –'
Colossians 3:6 NKJV
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
A course of the “lust of the flesh”. A sensual appetite for sexual sin, vile passions!
Romans 1:24 NKJV
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
A course of the “lust of the mind”. The world is confused and contradicting what is normal/appropriate in the eyes of God. Trees and animals are considered more important than the lives of people. Rights of murderers are defended and promoted over the rights of the unborn. Men declare themselves to be women and women declare themselves to be men.
Romans 1:21–23 NKJV
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
A course of wrath. By nature the world is like an airplane in a death spiral unable to pull itself out because of the downward drag of sin. And that drag of sin leads to the wrath of God!
Romans 2:5 NKJV
5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
As sinners we were as Paul puts it “alienated from the life of God” because we were dead and following the course of this world, we were not connected to the Vine/In Christ.

3. But God; 4-8

If Paul were to stop at verse 3, life would be a tragedy of darkness and death for all mankind. “But God” places the diamond of His Amazing Grace on the background of our sin and that changes everything!
God is Rich in Mercy- compassion, pities those in need
Psalm 103:8–11 NKJV
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
God’s Great Love- [agape] charity, a giving love, willful love
1 John 4:9–10 NKJV
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
These two words consummate the definition of Grace!
Grace is God’s undeserved favor and undeniable commitment to man. For some unfathomable reason except for His mercy and love, God gives himself to us, attaches himself to us and acts to rescue us when all we deserve is His wrath!
Let me show you 5 areas of God’s grace in action;
[5] God’s Grace makes one alive in Christ [salvation/we are no longer separated from God]
Romans 5:6–9 NKJV
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
[6a] God’s Grace raises one up together in Christ. When Christ rose from the dead, so did all who will believe in Him. We are “synced” with Christ.
John 6:39 NKJV
39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
Romans 6:5 NKJV
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Colossians 2:12 NKJV
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
[6b] God’s Grace seats one in Christ in heaven. Believers have a position of “power and authority” over evil spirits and works, in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:4 NKJV
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
[7] God’s Grace completes us. The believer goes through 3 stages of grace in his life.
The believer is “justified” by grace; found not guilty!
Romans 5:9 NKJV
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
The believer is “sanctified” by grace [set aside by God, always maturing in faith unto holiness];
1 Thessalonians 4:3–7 NKJV
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
The believer is “glorified” by grace;
Philippians 3:20–21 NKJV
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
[8] God’s Grace gives us faith. God not only gives us faith to be saved;
Romans 10:17 NKJV
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Grace gives faith to trust and walk with Him every day.
2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Acts 16:5 NKJV
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Close; Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin
Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see
My chains are gone, I've been set free, My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns, Unending love, Amazing grace!
Have you placed the Diamond of God’s Grace on the black nature of your sin?
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