WE WERE MADE FOR THIS

EPHESIANS 2:1-9

Here we go! We are starting our study of the Holy Spirit! Are you excited? Are you holding on to your socks?

Last week, we started the series by talking about what the Word of God says that should be available to us and recognized that there is a gap between what the Word says and what we see in our lives and in our churches.

We talked about Jesus saying that we can expect to do greater works than He did on Earth.

We talked about the fruit of the Spirit should be a list of things we look at in recognition of what we have and not a list of things we wished we had.

I send you home with homework to read Acts 1-2 with flesh eyes like you were 10 years old. Did you see how we in our day looks completely different? Did you see how we could be able to expect more?

These are truths in God’s Word that we are going to explore and hopefully see the Holy Spirit be given the freedom to do what the Spirit does.

This week, I want to go over an example or illustration of the Holy Spirit and how He is supposed to interact with our lives. We are going to hopefully see a visual at what it looks like to have the Holy Spirit.

This is a teaching that Pastor Eric first taught at Wayne St, 3 years ago and really has become one of the foundational teachings at our church. So, I want to walk us through it and hopefully it helps your understanding and doesn’t complicate it.

The illustration is that of cylinders in an engine.

So, here is a picture.

(explain engine basics)

Pistons, cylinders, fire, sequencing.

So, the example is this, we were created like this 3 cylinder engine.

Let me explain.

We have been talking about the trinity all year. We have been talking about the Father, the Son Jesus, and now we are talking about the Holy Spirit. How they are 3 in 1. All operating indivisibly and together. But differently.

Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

So, God is saying let US make man in OUR imagine, we can believe that He made us different than the rest of the animal kingdom. We were made in the imagine of God.

And I believe that the way we are different is that we were made like God, 3 in 1.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can see in this passage that we were created like a 3 cylinder engine, in the image of God. We a body, soul and spirit.

So, just like God we have a body, like Jesus. We have a soul, like the Father. And we have a spirit, like the Holy Spirit.

We were created to operate with all three cylinders firing together to operate a smooth engine.

That make sense? You with me so far?

Good!

But there is a problem. Because of sin and before we come to Christ, we aren’t firing on all cylinders.

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 body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

So, this passage is not talking about us being physically dead, its talking about us being spiritually dead. Before coming to Christ, you and I are spiritually dead because of sin.

When an engine isn’t firing in one cylinder when its supposed it, its calling “missing”. The engine is missing. Its not going to run properly. Its obvious when a motor is missing. You can’t miss it. Its going to struggle to drive. Its going to be mission power. Its going to really really struggle.

So, just like this engine, we were made to be firing on all three cylinders but without the Holy Spirit, we are missing. We are not going to be running smoothly and we are going to be missing power and its going to be obvious.

This passage tells us 4 things about what that looks like.

It says that we all have don’t this. We have all been spiritually dead before. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Its says that people that are missing follow the things of the world. They look like the rest of the world. Their direction is following that things that the world says will make them fire on all cylinders.

People who are spiritually dead know that something is missing and they strive to fill it with the things of this world.

Or passions of the flesh. (point to the body). This cylinder and trying to drive and make up for the missing spirit. This cylinder says, let me handle that you are missing. And people who are spiritually dead follow that.

Or they pursue the desires of the mind. (point to the soul) This cylinder says, let me figure it out. Surely, I can handle things. Surely, we are smart enough to figure out what we really need. Our minds set our desires on things that are not the spirit to try and figure out what’s missing.

Paul talks about the same thing in Romans 7:21-8:2. Go check that out. See if you can find the body, soul and spirit in that passage. Its pretty fun.

But God!! Two of the greatest words! Vs 4 starts with “But God”. There is good news. There is a solution! verses 4-9 is that solution.

I’m going to break it down into 3 parts.

The why, the what and the how.

THE WHY EPHESIANS 2:4

Ephesians 2:4 ESV

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

God knows this about problem! God knows that we are not firing on all the cylinders that He made us to!

He knows that we are searching the world trying to fill that void. He knows that there are temptations out there and passions and desires that are going to try and convince us to search else where. He knows that we are more than likely going to try a lot of those things.

But God is rich, not poor, not lacking, but rich in mercy!

Our God is rich in mercy for our situation and what we have tried to filled that void.

He is full of mercy and grace towards us in our missing and broken situation.

He has a great and amazing love for us even as we search the world and our passions to try and fill that void.

But God has a gift! He has good news! He desires to give you something that will fulfill what He created you to have. He wants to make you spiritually alive!

THE WHAT EPHESIANS 2:5-7; 1:13-14; 2:18

Ephesians 2:5–7 ESV

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.

Did you hear that? Even though we had been searching everywhere else to be fulfilled and fill in the missing. Even though we were spiritually dead, God wanted to make us spiritually alive! He wants to give you LIFE!

John 6:63 ESV

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

The gift is the Holy Spirit and it is life!

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

When we heard this good news and read the rest of the passage, we will see that God gives us a guarantee or deposit, or that word actually means first installment of the Holy Spirit. It is a promise of eternity but it is the fulfillment today of what He created us to be.

When we receive the Holy Spirit, we begin firing on all cylinders! We are fully functional! We have power and life. We can feel fulfilled in the Holy Spirit.

It begins to affect all of the other cylinders and they start running smoothly as well.

But look at this, He doesn’t just give us life and the Holy Spirit, He gives us life with Christ!

We are raised up with Christ and seated us with Him in heavenly places....

When was the last time you thought about that? You are filled with the Holy Spirit and because He indwells you, you are united and seated with Jesus at the right hand of the Father...

Why? This keeps getting better!!

Verse 7, so that in the coming ages, He might show us immeasurable riches of His grace towards in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.

That word immeasurable means there is no unit of measurement, ruler, scale or yardstick that can put a size, dimension, weight or volume on the richness of His grace for you.

Can you just sit in that for a minute?

How can someone hear this and think that the things of this world could be better than this gift that He is offering?

Many of us have tried many things of the world, our fleshly pursuits or our desires and we have seen that the promise of God, the life given by the Holy Spirit is greater than everything else!

If you are here today and you know that this passage has been describing you. You know that you have been following the world, the pursuits of your fleshly desires and doing whatever you want. But you know that it is not filling the void. You know that you are “missing”. You know that this feeling inside of you is meant for something more.

Then I pray that this good news of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit, would show you that you were created to be filled by Him! You were created to be in union with God!

Sin created the void but God created the solution!

Now, we get to

THE HOW EPHESIANS 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8–9 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.

Here is the things, God is offering a gift of His grace, mercy, Holy Spirit and unity with Christ.

Our souls, this cylinder, must decide to put our faith in our eternal salvation, for our life, not in this cylinder, the flesh.

There is nothing that we can do to receive this gift of life. There is nothing that this cylinder can do to make you feel fulfilled or even make this cylinder start firing!

If we can do something than it will give us the ability to brag about it!

But we must in our mind and in our soul decide to put our faith in Jesus Christ and this gift of the Holy Spirit at a deposit of you eternal inheritance.

That is the how. How can you receive this gift? Its not by works but its by putting your faith in the free gift of eternal life.

This is the only way you can fire on all cylinders. This is the only way that you can be fulfilled. This is the only way that “missing” thing inside of you will be filled.

When we receive the Holy Spirit, if changes how the other cylinders operate. The Word says that we will be a new creation. Our hearts of flesh will be changed to a heart of stone. We will be given a new heart that will beat with a love for our Father’s great gift.

We will seek to show Him that love through our body. We will be willing to sacrifice our body’s desires and will to follow the Holy Spirit as we walk through life and get to know Him more.

The more we surrender these cylinders to the Holy Spirit, the more we will experience and receive of Him. The more He will take control and fill us. The more fruit we will see in our lives. And if we aren’t seeing fruit, we should be convicted that we aren’t.

With every head bowed and every eye closed.

Invitation for those who know they have never received Him.

Acknowledge: you have followed the world, pursued your passions and desires of your heart.

Acknowledge: that you are spiritually “missing”.

Admit: that you can not do it yourself.

Admit: that you need Jesus to show you the mercy and grace that God promises.

Believe that He wants to.

Put your faith in the truth that He is. That He is removing the punishment for your sin. That He is showing you mercy and grace for you mistakes. That He loves you with a great love.

Believe that if you put your faith in those truths, then He will give you His Holy Spirit. And you can be fulfilled. You can be made new and receive the promised Helper, Comforter.

If you have done that with me as I explained it, you have done all that scripture says to receive this gift!

If you just did that, will you look up at me now? Just make eye contact with me. I’m not going to call you out, I just want to see you, so that I can pray for you.

Pray thanking the Lord for those who have just put their faith in Him.