Ephesians 2:1-10 // Glorious Grace

INTRO

Miracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I’ll ask him.

Inigo Montoya: He’s dead. He can’t talk.

Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there’s usually only one thing you can do.

Inigo Montoya: What’s that?

Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

READ

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

By Grace Through Faith

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.

APART FROM CHRIST: SPIRITUAL DEATH

DEAD

EPHESIANS 2:1 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

Let’s say I took you to a mortuary and we went downstairs where they embalmed the bodies, and there were two tables there with two dead people on them, one on each table.

One had just died three hours before. The other had been there three months. In fact, the body had begun to decay. It had begun to stink. Rigor mortis had set in. The body was decaying.

Simple question. Which is the “deader” of the two bodies?

One can look good and be dead, and the other can look like a freak show and be dead, and yet one is not deader than the other.

The definition of death is the absence of life. The definition of death is not how ugly you look in the absence of life.

Without God we are dead. Some look good and are dead. Some look okay and are dead. Others are just ugly and are dead. But regardless of your state of decomposition, we were all dead before responding to Christ.

Ephesians for You Spiritual Diagnosis

Paul explains that this deadness is evident in behaviour characterised “in” lives full of

DISOBEDIENT

Paul goes on to describe how we disobeyed God… in stead of following God, we followed

FOLLOWED THE WORLD

The unsaved person is controlled by the world’s influences, the values of the age might be another way to say this—no matter if they are contrary to God’s values. Attitudes, habits, lifestyles all reflect the culture rather than the kingdom they were created for.

FOLLOWED SATAN

Satan is the lower-heavens ruler who exercises authority over those who are disobedient to God’s ways.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians We Were Disobedient (2:2–3a)

Ephesians speaks more about principalities and power than any other New Testament letter. And it draws attention to the power behind them: Satan (see 4:27; 6:11, 16).

A “ruler” or “price” on the Old Testament was a term used for a national, local, or tribal leader.

Whole not “possessed by Satan” those who are spiritually dead live in a world of darkness and chaos in which he holds sway. Bait is laid out, and taken, disobeying God.

We’ll see in Ephesians 5:6 that this bait are sins like sexual immorality, impurity, greed, foolish talk, etc.

FOLLOWED SINFUL DESIRES

The inclinations of our flesh and thoughts. Galatians 5:16-21 lists things like anger, idolatry, sorcery, jealousy, strife, dissension and drunkenness. and Romans gives us the end result of a lifestyle ruled by sinful desires: They cannot please God! (Romans 8:8)

WE WERE DOOMED

Look at Ephesians 2:3b - Paul’s not done quite yet with the bad news for us.

Because of our spiritual death and resulting following the World, satan and our own sinful desires—we rightly deserve punishment and wrath. God is holy and sin has no place in his presence. We are under the judgment of God and rightly so:

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience

In theological terms this is our “total depravity” - all aspects of our being having been infected with the deadly disease of sin.

Morally, we have a “total inability” to respond to God in and of ourselves

this leads to a “total dependency” on the glorious grace of God!

APPLICATION

[THOSE WHO’VE YET TO BELIEVE] Perhaps today is your day of realization that you are spiritually dead—there is a way for you to know life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10)

Acknowledge what your wrongs (transgressions/sins) and ask forgiveness.

Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as a payment for your sins.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Confess and choose to allow God to be in charge of your life

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

A Prayer for Salvation: Lord, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and recieve Your invitation to come to you, submitting to your lordship over my heart and life. I trust in you only as my Savior.

[BELIEVERS] Understanding our past condition helps us more fully grasp the depth of God's grace.

Have you recognized areas where you are still influenced by worldly patterns?

Ask the Spirit to renew your mind.

READ

Ephesians 2:4–7 (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— 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.

WITH CHRIST: SPIRITUAL LIFE

That’s the bad news. And then this good news: “But God!” We were dead, but God made us alive in Christ.

To be clear: We were not strugglers in need of a helping hand or sinking swimmers in need of a raft,

No, we were stone-cold dead—spiritually lifeless, without a religious pulse, without anything to please God.

But he loves the loveless, gives life to the lifeless, and is merciful to those deserving no mercy.

GOD’S CHARACTER

What a picture of his divine character—Paul, in the same sentence, affirms the wrath of God and the love of God.

God’s own people cannot fully understand his character if we try to separate out the two.

But what was it that prompted God’s provision of salvation? Paul is clear: God’s mercy, love, grace and kindness.

God:

Is rich in mercy

shows great love

glorious in grace

these are immeasurable: where we don’t measure up, God is immeasurable in his character toward us. Where we try to pile up good works that can never be enough, God is more than enough in is mercy, love and grace…

GOD’S WORK

As bad as the news is in truths like our total inability to respond to God in our own strength or accomplishments, there is good news in the regenerative power of God’s mercy, love and grace.

Regeneration takes place at the beginning of the Christian life and is the miraculous transformation, or the new birth, that takes place within an individual through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5).

It is the divine side of conversion (a person turning to Christ in repentance and faith)

the work of God within a person’s life that causes him or her to be born again, a work that human effort is unable to produce.

Paul is going to underscore our union with Christ in his language in a unique way - highlighting the blessings that come through salvation.

MADE US ALIVE WITH CHRIST (co-alive)

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians God’s Work (2:5–7)

There is sort of a parenthesis in verse 5—“You are saved by grace!” Paul repeats this again in verse 8: “For you are saved by grace through faith.” Being raised from the dead is all of grace. Both phrases are in the perfect tense emphasizing the abiding consequences of conversion. To capture what Paul is saying we could put it like this: You have been saved (past tense), you are being saved (present tense), and you will be saved (future tense).

RAISED US UP WITH CHRIST (co-raised)

A clear allusion to the resurrection of Jesus

Paul’s language is clear here - we are synced with Christ.

In the same way that we might sync our phones to our computers to transfer music on the computer to the phone - we’re synced with Christ. God raised Christ, God rased us!

What God did for Christ, He did at the same time for those who believe.

SEATED US WITH CHRIST (co-seated)

Paul praised God for exalting Jesus above all powers and forces, now he says that we’re seated with him. This means we have a postition of superiority and authority over the evil powers.

this does not mean that we’re divine, there is only one seated on the throne

this does mean we are seated with him and have the power to overcome. No need to give in to the dark world and satan’s schemes.

we are raised with him, and seated with him, but we are still waiting for the full completion of our salvation in the age to come.

DISPENSE GRACE FOREVER TO US IN CHRIST

the reason that God has showed us grace is so that we might be a demonstration of his Grace today, and forever! We will be his trophies of grace.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians God’s Work (2:5–7)

God says in effect, “Look what I can do with such a mess.” Ponder the idea of grace for “ages” to come. Instead of wrath, we have everlasting grace!

APPLICATION

Consider the areas in your life where you need to experience this grace anew.

Is there guilt or shame you're holding onto?

Embrace the mercy of God; it has the power to transform you daily.

READ

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.

IN CHRIST: GOD’S WORKMANSHIP

Paul elaborates on God’s gracious gift of salvation by bringing “faith and works” into the discussion.

Note the order: salvation is a gift of grace, that then results in good works.

THE GIFT OF SALVATION

Starting with God’s grace - his great rescue of us is all of grace. Note the reversal of verses 1-3 and 4-7

Dead in trespasses and sins—co-alive with Christ!

children of disobedience—co-raised with Christ!

Children of wrath—co-seated with Christ!

Children of wrath—recipients of generous mercy

Children of wrath—recipients of great love

Children of wrath—recipients of rich grace

Children of wrath—recipients of God’s kindness

Children of wrath—trophies of God’s grace

Paul says that grace comes to us by way of faith… it is the instrument by which we take hold of Christ. Even faith is not a work, though - it is also all of grace.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Salvation Is a Gift (2:8–9)

We should never think of salvation as a transaction in which God provides grace and we provide faith (Stott, Ephesians, 83). No. It is all grace. We were dead and had to be awakened to believe.

NO ONE CAN BOAST

There is only one who can be exalted for our salvation and that is God himself! We have not worked for it or earned it in any way, so there’s no room for bragging about anything.

SALVATION’S FRUIT IN OUR LIVES

What is the fruitfulness that happens in our lives as a result of all of this grace lavished upon us? Paul says that it’s good works.

Now that we belong to god, he is working on us and in us so that he might work through us.

Good works are not the root of our salvation but they are the fruit of our salvation.

We have a living, functioning faith.

The use of the word ‘workmanship’ here points to a master artist at work - the foundation of this word is where we get the word in the english language poem from. The word could have referred to any work of art: statue, sculpture, a song, architecture, a painting or a poem.

APPLICATION

What are the good works that God has called you to?

Not to earn favor but to reflect who you are in Christ.

Perhaps a helpful next step would be to engage in prayerful exploration of your gifts and talents, and use them to serve others lovingly.

Talk with those in your community group about these gifts and how God is showing you to put them to use.

CLOSE

Paul says “can do” is not the gospel at all— instead “is finished” by Christ.

We are saved by faith alone, not because of any works.

What’s more, faith itself is a gift. Faith is not the ultimate good deed that saves us but the instrumental cause of our salvation—grace flows through the channel of faith, but the channel is itself of God’s construction.

We are saved by Christ; faith simply acknowledges and rests upon who he is and what he provides.

My prayer for us today is that we not only rejoice in what we’ve been saved from, but we a fruitful in what we’ve been saved for. Thus, bringing glory to God in thanksgiving for his glorious grace with our very lives.