IN CHRIST: Alive!

Ephesians 2:1 CSB

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins

INTRO—

Well…we have arrived! Today we look at my favorite passage—especially the final three verses of today’s passage.

QUESTION: “How serious is sin (our sin problem)?”

Paul addresses this question—and God’s AMAZING (Grace) answer for it!

DEAD. [EPHESIANS 2.1-3]

Hopeless & Helpless

“How serious is our sin?” — DEAD SERIOUS!

How dead is dead? [The Princess Bride… ‘only mostly dead.’]

Helpless — stuck in a rut (2.2)

Hopeless — under God’s wrath (2.3)

Who is hopeless & helpless? [WE ALL ARE…WERE (2.3)]

Colossians 2:13 “And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.”

ALIVE! [EPHESIANS 2.4-7]

HOPE

[The ‘who & what’ (now & forever!)]

What two words bring us the greatest HOPE we could ever find?

“BUT GOD” [We all need a ‘but God’ moment in our life. (2.4)]

Made us alive…mercy &great love—SAVED BY GRACE! (2.5)

So that…God could be made much of—in Christ! (2.7)

1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

ACCOMPLISHED. [EPHESIANS 2.8-10]

HELP

[The ‘how & who’ of our salvation.]

SAVED…BY Grace, THROUGH Faith—all of this is a gift from God! (2.8)

SAVED…Done & NOT Do!

So that…in Christ we beautifully, craft-fully ‘live out’ the good works—he’s already prepared for us to do.

NOW SAVED…Do, Be, Do, Be, Do! (To quote the esteemed theologian, Frank Sinatra)

Titus 2:14 “He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.”

Titus 3.18

CONCL—

HOW GREAT IS THIS TRUTH TODAY??

We were dead. God made us alive—IN CHRIST. Now we can live for him, be blessed by him, be a blessing to each other because of him, be a blessing to many, many others because of him...

ALL FOR GOD’S GLORY!

INVITATION:

Salvation

Grace

Good Works

Ephesians 2:10 CSB

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.