8_13_2023 - Ephesians 2:4-10 - But God

(Opening Prayer)

(Sermon Introduction)

Today we continue our “Ephesians” series.

(AG Reminder)

Central is an Assembly of God church. For more information on our AG beliefs and positions feel free to check out the “What We Believe” link on the Central App, visit the website, or stop by the office.

(Ephesians Context)

The books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are what we call the “Prison Epistles.”

Paul is writing Ephesians during his first imprisonment in Rome around 60 AD (recorded in Acts 28).

Like Colossians, this letter was carried to the province of Asia by Tychicus (Eph. 6:20-21).

This explains the similarity of doctrinal content, the same ideas being fresh in the apostle’s mind as he wrote these letters.

On Paul’s second missionary journey he planted the church of Ephesus (Acts 18:19).

On his third missionary journey Paul pastored the church of Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31).

Paul finishes his third missionary journey and stops in Ephesus to say goodbye as he made his way to Jerusalem and ultimately to prison in Rome where he is writing this letter to them.

(Series Recap and Sermon Title)

We began our series focusing our attention on Ephesians 1:1-2 and “God’s Desire,” described by Paul as “The Will of God.”

Pastor Robby followed the next week with “God’s Choice” and Ephesians 1:3-7.

A month ago we focused on Ephesians 1:7-10 and “God’s Plan.”

Three weeks ago we talked about Ephesians 1:11-14 and “God’s Promise.”

Two weeks ago, Pastor Robby, spoke from Ephesians 1:15-23 and “???”

Last week we talked about Ephesians 2:1-3 and “The Walking Dead.”

Today we are in Ephesians 2:4-10 and are talking about “But God.”

Ephesians 2:4–10 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Listen to those verses again from the New Living Translation.

Ephesians 2:4–10 (NLT)

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,

5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Last week we spent a considerable amount of time talking about the state of the world, the unbeliever.

We focused on four things that we learned from Ephesians 2:1-3.

Those things were:

The World is Dead-Walking

The World is Devil-Following

The World is Flesh-Desiring

The World is Wrath-Bound

All of these things were true of all of us who are now believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

Paul told the Ephesians that “we all once lived” that way (Eph. 2:3).

All of those things are true of the world.

All of those were true of you and me.

1. BUT GOD WHO LOVED US GAVE US MERCY

Ephesians 2:4 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

The conjunction but introduces God’s actions toward sinners, in contrast with their plight in verses 1–3.

In the Greek text God immediately follows “but,” thus placing it in an emphatic position.

“God” is the subject of the whole passage. Great differences are suggested by the words “But God!”

He is described as “rich in mercy” (v. 4).

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (2:4–5)

In the Septuagint “mercy” (eleos) translates the Hebrew ḥesed (“loyal love”).

In the New Testament eleos means “undeserved kindness” toward sinners.

Thus God, who is rich in exhibiting this undeserved kindness, acts on behalf of sinners because of His great love for us.

The noun for “love” (agapē) comes from the verb agapaō that means “to seek the highest good in the one loved.”

Since sinners are spiritually dead toward God, they have nothing to commend them to God.

This is why Paul described this love as being “great.”

(Mercy Definition)

Mercy is not receiving what you do deserve.

We deserved all the wrath that was coming to us.

We were all criminals and enemies of God that should not expect to receive any mercy from God.

But God gave His mercy to us…anyway.

(Nuremberg Story)

At the age 50, Henry Gerecke, volunteered to serve as a World War II chaplain. His most challenging assignment came after the war ended. Sent to Nuremberg, Gerecke was asked to minister to the twenty-one imprisoned Nazi leaders awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. In the book, Mission At Nuremberg, Tim Townsend records how Henry Gerecke led many of them to the Lord before their executions. This story is a great picture of God’s mercy. His mercy doesn’t make any human sense. Here is a quote from the book:

For Gerecke, the decision to accept the assignment wasn’t easy.

He wondered how a preacher from St. Louis could make any impression on the disciples of Adolf Hitler.

Would his considerable faith in the core principles of Christianity sustain him as he ministered to monsters?

During his months stationed in Munich after the war, Gerecke had taken several trips to Dachau.

He’d seen the raw aftermath of the Holocaust. He’d touched the inside of the camp’s walls, and his hands had come away smeared with blood.

The U.S. Army was asking one of its chaplains to kneel down with the architects of the Holocaust and calm their spirits as they answered for their crimes in front of the world.

With those images of Dachau fresh in his memory, Gerecke had to decide if he could share his faith, the thing he held most dear in life, with the men who had given the orders to construct such a place.

Mission At Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis, Tim Townsend ©2014, pg. 14-15.

Your accumulated offenses do not surpass the multitude of God’s mercies; your wounds do not surpass the great physician’s skill.

2. BUT GOD WHO LOVED US GAVE US GRACE

Ephesians 2:5–10 (ESV)

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

(Grace Definition)

Grace is receiving what you do not deserve.

BUT BY GOD’S LOVE, MERCY, AND GRACE…

HE MADE US ALIVE (V. 5).

The only way a spiritually dead person can communicate with God is to be made alive, and that must be done by the One who is Himself alive.

He is the living God, “who gives life to the dead” (Rom. 4:17).

This act of God in making the unregenerate alive is an act of grace: it is by grace you have been saved.

The verb “have been saved” is in the perfect tense which expresses the present permanent state as a result of a past action.

Because believers have been “made alive” spiritually with Christ, they have been and are saved.

HE RAISED US UP (V. 6).

This speaks of their being positionally resurrected. Christ’s post-resurrection state was new, powerful, and unique.

So too Christians, in whom Christ dwells, have a new, powerful, and unique life and position.

This new life, power, and position demand that believers have a new set of values, as Paul stated in his companion letter to the Colossian believers:

Colossians 3:1–2 (ESV)

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

HE SEATED US WITH CHRIST IN HEAVENLY PLACES (V. 6).

Believers are positioned spiritually in heaven, where Christ is.

They are no longer mere earthlings; their citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).

This divine power that can make an unbeliever have life, be raised, and exalted with Christ is the same power that presently operates in believers.

HE SAVED US THROUGH FAITH (V. 8).

Hence the basis is grace and the means is faith alone (Rom. 3:22, 25; Gal. 2:16; 1 Peter 1:5).

Faith is not a “work.”

It does not merit salvation; it is only the means by which one accepts God’s free salvation.

This salvation does not have its source in man (it is “not from yourselves”), but rather, its source is God’s grace for “it is the gift of God.”

HE PREPARED US FOR GOOD WORKS (V. 10).

The purpose of this creation is that believers will do good works.

God’s workmanship is not achieved by good works, but it is to result in good works (Titus 2:14; 3:8).

Ephesians 2:1–10 demonstrates that though people were spiritually dead and deserving only God’s wrath, God, in His marvelous love, mercy, and grace, has provided salvation through faith.

Believers are God’s workmanship in whom and through whom He performs good works.

Faith and Grace Article / ESV Fire Bible

Faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition or requirement for receiving God’s free gift of salvation.

Faith is not only a matter of what a person believes about Christ; it is also an active response from the heart of a person who truly desires to accept Christ as Savior (i.e. the Forgiver of his or her sins) and to follow Him as Lord (i.e. the Leader of his or her life).

This means that faith is more than intellectual acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is God’s Son who died to pay for our sins.

True Biblical faith—the kind that brings spiritual salvation—involves an active trust by which a person surrenders complete control of his or her life to Christ and commits to following His purposes.

Fire Bible: English Standard Version 2001 Crossway pg. 1894-1895.

(Instrumental)

(Instrumental Music)

(Sermon Recap)

“BUT GOD”

BUT GOD WHO LOVED US GAVE US MERCY

BUT GOD WHO LOVED US GAVE US GRACE

(Challenge)

Will you receive the mercy and grace of God that He gave to you out of His love for you?

Will you come alive in Christ?

Will you be raised up by Him?

Will you take your seat with Christ?

Will you receive, through faith, who He is and what He has done for you?

Will you do the good works He has placed before you?

(Response Card)

(Response)

(Invite Prayer Team)

(Closing Blessing)

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

24 The Lord bless you and keep you.

25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.