Ephesians 2 - Was that, Am this, and will be....

Did you know there is another letter the Ephesians other then the one we have been reading?

Rev 2:

Dead in Transgressions and Sins (Ephesians 2:1-3): Paul begins by describing the state of people before they come to faith in Christ. They are spiritually dead, following the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air. This past self is characterized by disobedience and living according to the desires of the flesh.

Made Alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7): God, rich in mercy and love, makes believers alive with Christ even when they were dead in transgressions. This transformation is entirely by grace and not by works. The future self is one who has been raised up with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms.

Saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9): Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of human effort. This underscores the idea that the future self is shaped by God's grace and not by personal merit.

Created for Good Works (Ephesians 2:10): Believers are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for them to do. This speaks to the purpose and mission of the future self, which is to live out the good works that God has planned.

Brought Near by the Blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:11-13): Paul reminds Gentile believers that they were once far away from God but have now been brought near through the blood of Christ. This new identity as part of God's family is a key aspect of the future self.

Reconciliation and Peace (Ephesians 2:14-18): Christ has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, creating one new humanity out of Jews and Gentiles. This new, united community is a picture of the future self, living in peace and reconciliation with others.

Citizens and Members of God's Household (Ephesians 2:19-22): Believers are no longer foreigners and strangers but fellow citizens with God's people and members of His household. This new status involves being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

2 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. 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. 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. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Pastor Fenn last week at our WEST location and summarised this passage so well I am going to say it exactly how he did in describing what this passage is showing us - IT IS THE JOURNEY OF A BELIEVER.

He stated this: It tells us what we were, what we are, and what we are becoming

My message title today is: Was that, Am this, and will be ....

YOU WERE: DEAD!

Cutting antlers off the dead animal....

Colossians 2:13

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins."

Romans 6:23 (NIV):"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

No connection with God. Seperated.

Something Dead is unalbe to respond

EACH PERSON ON THE PLANET IS CONTROLLED BY SOMETHING.

IF ITS NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT, IT IS SOMETHING HARMING YOU...

Out of control is still

you were under control world, culture, values,

controlled by the devil … prince of the power of the air.

I ve never been bad like that...

Controlled by flesh

Gal 5

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

Do dead things know their not alive?

Every single one of us need a spiritual awakening.

If you are a follower of Christ… YOU WERE THESE THINGS… WERE...

Do you ever find yourself still acting this way?

Heres the deal …

We as Christians can still fall into acting like we were once were.

Here is how I think you know if you are still dead, or if you are following Christ as an imperfect one struggling with SIN.

the wrestle…

You feel it.

But God.....

NOW: ALIVE WITH CHRIST

- The last kiss goodnight...

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—

You and I were dead. Gone. Out of it. No hope. No desire.

But because of his LOVE …

He made us alive....

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. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

GRACE

The unmerited favor, kindness, and mercy of God

Receiving what we don’t deserve

Titus 2:11-12 (NIV):"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."

Have you ever recieved a gift or something that you didnt actually deserve in anyway?

SAVED

-We are saved from seperation from God

- from Hell.

-Saved from being given over to SIN....

-saved from self

FAITH -

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

EVERYTHING could crumble and

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

One of my boys, well actually both of them love butterflys...

I am raising some sensitive modern boys… but dont worry they also like to fight and wrestle and do boy things. We had a one hour wrestling match yesterday where we set up the cushions in our living room and had WRESTLEMANIA in our living room … while mom sat out at the table rolling her eyes…

but they love butterflies too ...

I figure DAVID wrote poetry, songs, played the harp, and also the said of him he was so tough he killed tens of thousands so its all good my boys like butterflies at the moments.

Imagine a caterpillar crawling along the ground, living its life in the dirt and confined to a limited perspective. This caterpillar represents our past selves before we knew Christ. We were bound by our sins and limited by our earthly nature.

One day, the caterpillar begins to spin a cocoon around itself. Inside this cocoon, an extraordinary transformation occurs. This stage represents the moment of accepting Christ, where the old self begins to change. Though the process is hidden and might seem mysterious, significant changes are taking place within.

When the time is right, the cocoon opens, and out emerges a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly no longer crawls on the ground but soars through the sky, experiencing life from a completely new perspective. This butterfly represents our new identity in Christ. The old caterpillar life is gone, and a new creation has emerged.

But the journey doesn't end there. The butterfly now has a new purpose—to pollinate flowers and contribute to the beauty and growth of the world around it. This ongoing role reflects our future hope and calling in Christ. As new creations, we are called to be ambassadors of Christ, spreading His love and message to others, and growing in righteousness.

PAST SELF, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

You were That … Dont act like something you are not anymore. Stop acting DEAD.

You are ALIVE IN CHRIST.

YOU WILL BE

We have so much to look forward to…