Ephesians 2:1-7 / Prep

Preparation

Pray

Lord, let them be gripped by the weight of the bad news and the wonder of the good news. Grip them. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Just Meditate

Questions for the passage / first illumination

Dead cannot make themselves alive / 1

Non-Christians are also followers. / 2

We all once… no one was born a Christian / 3

Children of wrath

Hope begins with God’s involvement / 4

Union with Christ

What does it mean to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places?

Immeasurable

We are trophies of grace

Mood/Emotion of the Passage

The ultimate contrast

heavenly

Hopeful

Word-studies

Dead

Immeasurable

But God

Cross References / Passages that illustrate

None for now

Commentary

Context / Overview

Versus

1

“Paul’s use of the metaphor of death is significant, as it allows for no middle ground; a person is either dead or alive.” John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Eph 2:1.

“Apart from Christ, people are without authentic spiritual life. In this state the most vital part of the human personality is dead;” David S. Dockery, “Ephesians,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1873.

“The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He does not need resuscitation; he needs resurrection” Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 18.

“Trespasses speaks of man as a rebel, sins speaks of man as a failure. “Before God we are both rebels and failures.” (Stott)” - guzik

2

“we lived according to the non-Christian value system. This value system is created and energized by Satan” Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 110.

3

“The unredeemed person is completely at the mercy of the tyrannical self and its lustful impulses.”David S. Dockery, “Ephesians,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1873.

4

“Mercy means that God does not give me what I do deserve; grace means that He gives me what I don’t deserve.”Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 542.

“The focus of attention now is on God, not on sinful man.” Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 19.

5

“Since we have not been saved by our good works, we cannot be lost by our bad works. Grace means salvation completely apart from any merit or works on our part. Grace means that God does it all for Jesus’ sake! Our salvation is the gift of God” - Wiersbe

6

“God has allowed his people even now to share in a measure of the authority that Christ has, seated at the right hand of God, a truth that would be especially important in Ephesus with all of its occult practices.” - esv study

7

“The word show actually means “display.” In the same sense that an artist might display his canvasses to reveal his skill, so God displays his redeemed children to the universe to demonstrate his grace.” Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 112.

Application

Relational application (love your neighbor)

Thinking application (mind)

Unbelievers are followers. They are not charting their own course. / 2

We are not born children of God / 2

Feeling application (heart, soul)

Action application (strength)

Illustration

Verbal Illustrations

“Satan’s kingdom encourages us to have ungodly values, attitudes, and actions, much the same way a spirit of enthusiasm at a ball game might encourage us to embrace the attitudes and actions of a sports fan. We cheer, yell, jump up and down, and otherwise act in ways that we would not if we were not under the influence of the spirit of enthusiasm. Under the spirit of Satan’s kingdom we act in disobedient ways we would not normally follow.’ Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 110.

“Once walked means it should be different for those who are made alive by Jesus Christ. A dead man feels comfortable in his coffin; but if he were to be made alive again, he would instantly feel suffocated and uncomfortable. There would be a strong urge to escape the coffin and leave it behind. In the same way, when we were spiritually dead we felt comfortable in trespasses and sins; but having come to new life we feel we must escape that coffin and leave it behind.” Guzik / 2-3

Visual Illustrations

Contrast

Airplane - connect being “in Christ” to being “in an airplane”

“When displaying diamonds, a jeweler places them against a black cloth because diamonds shine more brilliantly against a dark backdrop.” Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible, 2019), 1393.

Restoring a rusty dirty item / 7

Audience

pains/problems

Some are exhausted by trying t be good enough

Some think that God could never love someone like them

Some think that God enters to bring judgement instead of mercy

passions/purposes

God is rich in mercy

God has great love for dead rebellious people

Questions/arguments they may have for the text

In what way are we dead

who is the prince of the power of the air

how are we seated with Christ?

Pre outline

Main Ideas of the text

You were dead

But God raised us from spiritual death

God did this because of rich mercy and boundless love. It will take eternity to fully appreciate who he is.

So what?

Without God, all of us are spiritually dead.

God is so gracious that he is willing and able to save the disobedient.

What would this look like lived out?

Greater clarity about the human condition apart from God.

Greater gratitude about salvation.

Title ideas

But God

Bad News, Best News

Potential Outlines

Bad News, Best News