Saved to Serve - Ephesians 2:1-10

Saved to Serve

This morning we are looking at Ephesians 2:1-10 where Paul addresses the Ephesians believers about their salvation.

In these ten verse Paul explains how we were dead to our sins, before salvation.

Without Christ we have no hope.

Our hope is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we must believe and have faith in both.

We cannot just believe Jesus died, for without the resurrection, Jesus’ death is just the same as any other persons.

And without death there could be no resurrection.

The resurrection not only won victory, but it gives us a promise that Christ will be back for us one day.

In our text Paul begins by pointing out how were dead in our trespasses or sins.

He then shows how God poured out His mercy for us, and mercy is withholding actions generally of punishment even though we deserve it.

Through salvation God has withheld or given us mercy in place of the consequences of our sins.

Paul then shows us that it is by grace that we are saved.

Grace being that we receive something even though we do not deserve it.

As we do not and cannot earn or deserve salvation and therefore it is by grace.

When displaying diamonds, a jeweler places them against a black cloth because diamonds shine more brilliantly against a dark backdrop.

Before he describes God’s grace, Paul wants the Ephesian Christians to know how dark things were without it.

Paul thus places the diamond of grace against the backdrop of sin so that grace will glitter even more.

We are going to see three things this morning from our text, first how we are dead in trespass, then deep mercy and finally by grace.

Look with me at our text in Ephesians 2:1-10.

Pray

I. Dead in Trespasses

Ephesians 2:1–3 NASB95

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Paul begins here talking about how every person outside of Jesus Christ is spiritually dead- that is they are separated from God.

If they do not change that before their last breath they will be eternally separated from God in the lake of fire which we call hell.

We see three issues that cause a person to remain spiritually dead.

First we see that they are walking according to the course or ways of this world.

The unbeliever is caught up in the pleasures and riches of this world.

That is they are following the lust of this world.

The course or ways of this world signifies the tendencies, thoughts, pursuits, deeds, and the things that characterize the present period of history.

The second issue is the prince of the power of the air.

This is the devil, or satan.

That is the unsaved are being lead by Satan.

The third issue that causes people to remain spiritually dead is lusts of our flesh.

People tend to want to do what they want to do, they indulge themselves in the flesh.

They do not stop and seek God on the was they should go but only their own desires.

Why are people affected by these three traps or issues.

Because before salvation we were children under wrath.

That is those who are lost are being controlled by Satan.

It does not matter what your background is, or how you were raised.

If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus then you are by default on Satan’s side.

II. Deep Mercy

Ephesians 2:4–7 NASB95

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, 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 ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Here Paul introduces two words that change everything: “But God.’

They remind us that salvation came at God’s initiative.

And why did He act?

Because He is rich in mercy and because of His great love that he has for us.

What did God do?

He made us alive with Christ; He gave us spiritual life.

When we are dead, only a resurrection can help.

We are saved by grace!

Grace is the unmerited favor of God.

It is the inexhaustible supply of God’s goodness, based on the work of Christ, whereby He does for us what we do not deserve, could never earn, and would never be able to repay.

When God saved us, He relocated us.

That is He changed our citizenship.

Philippians 3:20 NASB95

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

As believers we are participants with Christ in this spiritual realm.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

We are to put away our old ways and follow the ways of Christ.

It is the grace of God that makes Christianity different from every other religion.

For all eternity God will display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Eternity with God will be a nonstop, never-ending, blow-your-mind experience.

III. By Grace

Ephesians 2:8–10 NASB95

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as 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 so that we would walk in them.

This grace is only available through faith.

IF grace is what God deposited for you, faith is the way we make a withdraw.

Grace is God’s gift - that can only be received, not earned.

We will only be able to brag about the magnificent grace of God.

As we are saved by grace.

We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works.

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

When it comes to our salvation, God is crafting our life into a piece of art.

God is working on us and doing something with us.

We are being re-created to do good works.

A good work is a divinely prescribed action that benefits others in such a way that God is glorified.

Matthew 5:16 NASB95

16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

God saved us for His purpose and pleasure.

Many Christians are unfulfilled and miserable because they are never gotten around to the work God has for them.

When we understand the grace with which God saved us, gratitude should drive our response to it.

The purpose of our life has already been designed.

We do not have to come up with it.

God prepared ahead of time for us to do good works.

He will give us the desire for them and the ability to pull them off, but we must live them out.

Remember, the canvas does not dictate to the painter; the painter dictates to the canvas.