NAMB Message - Ephesians 2:1-8

Introduction

The Book of Ephesians

Written to Believers in Ephesus

Ephesus was a center of education and philosophy

Paul wrote it under house arrest while in Rome

Paul

Often called the “Apostle to the Gentiles”

Former persecutor of the church turned Apostle who wrote roughly half the books in the New Testament.

This Text

My favorite text in all of Scripture

Shows the wonderful transformation that Jesus Christ and the Gospel brings

The Text (Read Text)

Dead in Sin - The Problem of Sin (v.1-3)

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 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— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Before we can truly know how good something can be we must first grasp the depths of the bad.

Steven Lawson gives a wonderful illustration of this point:

Jewelers put diamonds on black velvet mats and backdrops so that the beauty of the diamond stands out all the greater! The same is true with the gospel.

We cannot truly grasp the wonderful beauty of the gospel unless we first grasp the depth of our sin.

These three verses teach us three things about the state of all people who do not know Christ:

They are (and believers were) spiritually dead in our sins.

They are (and believers were) by their very nature following Satan and the evil ways of the world.

They are (and believers were) under the wrath of God.

Why are all these things true about people who are unsaved or unregenerate?

We have inherited the guilt of our forefather Adam - who was our federal head representative.

[Elaborate on the original sin of Adam in the Garden]

This Inherited Sin has left us corrupted and makes it where we cannot commend ourselves to God.

Sin is anything that breaks God’s law - the literal meaning of the word is to “miss the mark”

The Consequence of this sinful inheritance - God’s Divine Wrath

We cannot work or will ourselves to God

Scripture even tells us that our good works are like “filthy rags before him”

Our sin is cosmic treason against a Holy God!

Those who die in their sins will go to a very real place called hell where they will experience God’s holy wrath.

This is BAD NEWS

But God… The Good News (v.4-7)

Ephesians 2:4–7 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.

The two greatest words in all of Scripture: “But God...”

God saw our helpless estate and he had mercy!

Mercy: withholding judgement from ones who greatly deserve it.

Though we had only done things to earn wrath - God has withheld his judgement from us!

These Scriptures tell us a few things:

God loved us even though we were dead in our sins and trespasses (which is why we should also love those who are lost)

We were “made alive with Christ”

We have been saved by grace (unmerited favor; we did not earn it)

We have been “raised in seated with Christ in the heavenly places”

He did this so that he could show the immeasurable riches of his grace through Christ

He did this for his glory.

How could God show us mercy even though we earned wrath?

The answer is simple: His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Share the gospel

How does one receive this? By Grace through Faith (v.8)

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

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.

We are saved by grace - there was nothing we did to earn it - it was God’s gift.

Faith is the vessel by which we receive God’s saving grace

Faith is when we look to Christ for salvation rather than ourselves.

It’s acknowledging the repenting of your sins and acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

If you are a believer...

Let this be a humbling reminder of the amazing grace that you have received - that though you did nothing that made you worthy of saving, God by His grace, saved you.

For the unbeliever...

I implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!

Stop looking to yourself and look to God for salvation!

Cry out to Christ and put your faith in Him.