Ephesians 2:1-10 - God’s grace leads to our salvation

I do not like cold weather. I do not like the winter time change. Sun rises later/sets earlier. I don’t know which one we’re on, but it’s the wrong one.

90% of my drive to work is pitch black, the air hurts my face, and no amount of clothes can stop it.

I was in a mood on my way to work this week, not able to get over it.

Then the most beautiful sunrise came and lit up the beautiful trees that had snow.

I was overlooking a valley, and it was absolutely amazing.

It was one of those scenes where if we were in Pigeon Forge, we would say, “Look at that.”

That sunset reminded me that the world is not as bad as it should be.

It was a picture of God’s grace.

Context

What is grace?

Common grace

This is God’s general favor that all human life can enjoy.

Everyone can enjoy a nice medium rare steak.

Everyone can smell fresh cut grass

Everyone can get their nose licked by a puppy.

The world isn’t as bad as it should be.

Saving grace

Grace is the unmerited/undeserved favor and love of God.

Being made right with God.

Having a pure relationship with God.

The grace that gives us hope of eternal life.

Big Idea: God’s grace leads to our salvation

Stand to read

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

1 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.

Leader: This is God’s Word.

Everyone: Thanks be to God.

Hilary and I went to a Christmas outing for my dad’s work this week.

Both of our phones had died and we were about an hour and 15 minutes away from home.

We knew we were going to be fine, but there was an glare between us of “what if we need something?”

There were times where Hilary didn’t know what time it was, so she checked her phone, dead.

I started to go to the GPS, dead.

Silas wanted a specific song in the car, dead.

There was nothing that was going to bring this phone to life except a charger, which we left at home.

We were hopeless.

Paul tells us that at one time, we were all dead in our sins.

There was nothing we could do to bring ourselves back to life.

There was no self-help books

No religious experiences

Nothing we could do was going to bring us to life, because we were dead.

We had lived the forbidden life and absolute rebellion to God.

We had followed the world (v. 2)

People who don’t know Jesus are controlled by the world’s influence.

Attitudes, lifestyles, and opinions

We had followed Satan

We had given ourselves over to what is evil.

We hated everything that was pure and holy.

We had followed our sinful desires (v. 3).

We were evil and guilty of sin.

We were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind (v. 3)

This means there is no one innocent.

“Well not me.” No. You too.

Apart from Jesus, we are spiritually dead.

Verse 1 cannot be more clear.

We were not sin sick—floating out in the ocean waiting for a lifeboat.

We were dead—Sunken to the dark parts of the ocean

We were cut off from true, spiritual life with God.

We have tendency to compare ourselves.

“At least I’m not like that guy”

We compare someone else’s worst with our best.

Our best on one side/their worst on the other.

We want to compare other people’s sins with our little personality quirks.

The reality is we all have a past that we don’t bring up at dinner parties.

There are things that we carry around that we are profoundly ashamed of and move to a different country if anyone found out about.

What we don’t like about this reality is that it lays us bear before the Lord.

We don’t like to think about the depths of our depravity.

There is no hope in us to fix it, because we’re dead.

The most striking thing to me in the Bible are the hinges.

If we were to stop the sermon at verse 3, we’re all going home without hope, desolate.

Paul gives the sweetest words in the Bible that should lift our chins.

“But God.”

Look at your neighbor and say “But God”

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

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—

While we were dead/enemies/sinners

God acted toward mercy and saved us by His grace!

We needed God’s saving grace!

Saving grace is where God comes to us and gives us faith to trust in Jesus for eternal life.

Humanity is divided into two groups

Those who have been made alive with Christ

Those who are dead in their sins.

No one has ever crawled from a casket

But Jesus has raised the dead.

There are some who don’t believe you can be forgiven for your past.

What you have done is unredeemable.

That’s such a low view of God’s grace.

Church,

God’s grace overcomes our past.

There is nothing in your past that is too powerful for God’s grace.

Jesus isn’t afraid of the dark.

He gives light to the darkness.

God moved into the darkest part of us—Our sin and death

God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us.

Then God raised Jesus from the dead, so that we can be forgiven and made alive with Him!

There is nothing that God can’t overcome!

Look at what God’s saving grace is capable of!

Ephesians 2:6–7 ESV

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.

God’s grace raises us to life

If you are a Christian, you were once dead in your sins.

But you experienced God when He raised you to life and gave you faith in Christ!

God’s grace brings God glory (v. 7)

Picture of wedding

My favorite picture of our wedding.

Me: Presentation hand Hilary: Fist pump.

This was right after the kiss and my friend Martin declaring us husband and wife.

We turned around and celebrated with our dearest friends.

In that moment, I wanted to show off my bride.

“Behold! Here is my bride!”

In that moment, she was my glory.

God raised you from your spiritual dead to show His unrelenting and powerful love!

We had given God ever reason not to love us, but it never changed His mind!

God overcame your past and used it to demonstrate His immeasurable kindness!

God will show His glory by raising you and your past up and declaring to all creation: “Look how great my grace is! Look what I’ve done! Look at this absolute trophy of my grace!”

God overcomes your past and turns it into a trophy of grace!

These next few verses are crucial for you to know.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

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.

Paul gives the answer to how God did it.

It is not by works.

If we are saved by our works, then we have no need of grace.

If just needed a little help, there’s still a possibility that we’d brag about it.

“I saved myself by being a good person.”

God saved you in such a way that you have nothing to brag about, dead man!

Our problem is that we were dead in our sins and hopeless.

We are saved by grace through faith.

Everyone say “GRACE”

God looked at us in mercy and love.

Not because you’re awesome.

God is generous and gave you a gift.

A gift is something you didn’t earn and don’t deserve.

A gift is free, and you don’t owe it back.

God doesn’t deal in loans.

He pours out His mercy, grace, and love freely on all who believe!

To demonstrate His wonderful mercy, God gave up His Son to forgive you of your sins and give you new life in Christ.

You can be saved by believing that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and rose again three days later so that you can have eternal life.

Do you believe in Jesus?

If you’re not a Christian, you can be saved by God’s grace today!

God’s saving grace is free.

I want to know about it.

God’s grace is the identity of the Christian.

It’s all we have and it’s all we are.

And God has saved us for a purpose.

Church,

God’s grace gives us life

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

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

Workmanship means masterpiece/mastercraft

Grace makes what is broken and dead into a beautiful work of art.

The ultimate masterpiece of God’s grace is a person who, despite being dead in their sins, have been MADE NEW IN CHRIST.

God’s grace is to be made known to the world.

God is not only working on you but through you to make this grace known!

By the way you live, you display the glory of God!

By the way you interact with other people, you can display God’s grace to the world!

People should see your life and say, “That is a work of God!”

Does your life draw people to Jesus?

Can people tell that your life has been changed by God’s grace?

We get to take our past and celebrate that God has overcome it.

We get to celebrate “Look at the grace of Jesus in my life!”

Take the Next Step

Read Ephesians 2:1-10 everyday.

You need to know this passage.

This is the gospel in 10 verses.

Receive God’s grace

Non Christians

Be saved by grace.

Christians

Christians live in daily repentance and faith in Christ.

Invite someone to share God’s grace

We are addicted to life change.

Next week we get to celebrate a baptism.

A man wants to take the next step of faith toward Jesus because Jesus has saved Him from His sins.

God’s grace leads to our salvation by overcoming our past and giving us life.