Ephesians 2:1-10 • Rags To Riches
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HOOK:
HOOK:
You weren’t just broken—you were dead.
Not limping, not lost—lifeless in sin, blind to it, and loving it.
But then came two words that split the grave wide open: But God.
And in that moment, mercy outran judgment, and grace rewrote your story.
Review & Overview
Review & Overview
1. Ephesians’ Overview
1. Ephesians’ Overview
Paul wrote Ephesians to remind believers of who they are in Christ and to encourage them to live like it.
The first half of the letter (chapters 1–3) focuses on what God has given us—adoption, redemption, inheritance, power, grace, and His incredible love.
It’s all about our identity in Christ. Interestingly, there are no commands in these chapters, just reminders of what God has done and who we are in Christ.
So Chapters 1-3 deals with the Christian’s Position Spiritually.
Then, in chapters 4–6, Paul shifts gears. He lays out what it looks like to live out our faith, with 35 specific instructions on how to walk worthy of our calling.
He moves from big spiritual truths to practical, everyday life—how we relate to others, live in unity, and even fight spiritual battles.
Ephesians starts in the spiritual but ends in the physical regarding relationships, and in the real world.
So Chapters 4-6 deals with the Christian’s Position Physically.
2. Previous Study’s Review
2. Previous Study’s Review
In Eyes Wide Open, we walked through Ephesians 1:15–23 and saw Paul praying, not for better circumstances, but for clearer vision.
We saw that spiritual maturity begins when our hearts are lit up with God's truth:
In Part 1, Paul prayed for wisdom and revelation—that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened to see who we are in Christ.
In Part 2, we discovered the reward of that vision: our calling, our value as God’s inheritance, and the unstoppable power of Christ that now lives in us.
When your eyes are wide open to the gospel, you stop striving… and start seeing. You stop guessing who you are… and start walking in who He says you are.
3. Current Study’s Overview
3. Current Study’s Overview
That brings us to Chp. 2 and our portion of Scripture. Read…
The Title of Today’s Sermon is: Rags To Riches
Because… imagine standing at the edge of a vast canyon—you on one side, life and light on the other.
No bridge, no boat, no rope, no way across. Just an aching gap of hopelessness.
That, my friends, is the human condition apart from God. And the only sound echoing through that canyon is not the cry of the lost—but the call of God’s grace.
You see, we live in a world that tells us we’re basically good, just a little bruised. That all we need is a little guidance, a little self-love, a little pep talk.
But the Word of God doesn’t flatter. It doesn’t coddle. It tells it like it is. The truth? We weren't just sick—we were dead.
Morally bankrupt. Spiritually lifeless. The walking dead, nodding politely at funerals, while living in our own graves.
And yet, while we were still rotting in our rebellion… God moved.
This portion of scripture is the spiritual rags-to-riches story no Hollywood writer could script.
It takes us from the gutters of sin to the throne room of glory—not because we climbed the ladder, but because Christ descended into our pit.
This is not a self-help manual. It’s a resurrection report.
You want to know who you were? Look at verses 1–3. You want to know who God is? Look at verses 4–7. You want to know what God’s done in you? Look at verses 8–10.
And by the end of it all, you won’t be boasting in your goodness… you'll be worshipping in His grace.
If your taking notes today, we’ll be looking at 3 things that involves God’s Grace:
1. The Depth of Desperation Vs. 1-3
2. The Riches of His Redemption Vs. 4-7
3. The Purpose of our Position Vs. 8-10
1. The Depth of our Desperation Vs. 1-3
1. The Depth of our Desperation Vs. 1-3
1. We Were Dead Before Christ Vs. 1
1. We Were Dead Before Christ Vs. 1
The moment we are born we are spiritually dead…
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
I know when babies are born they are so cute and sweet… but the truth is, their no good rotten sinners… the first thing we do is spank them…
Because we are spiritually dead, we are separated from God…
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.
Thus in and of ourselves we can’t respond to God because we are dead…
2. We Were Disobedient Before Christ Vs. 2
2. We Were Disobedient Before Christ Vs. 2
Satan is the prince of the power of the air…
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe…
Since the fall of man in the garden Gen.3 man has lived in a state of disobedience to God… and are being ruled or governed by the spirit of disobedience, the devil.
Unfortunately many people today think that just because they have a great job, good health, wonderful family… their OK…
NO their dead and being controlled by Satan… and don’t even know it…
17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
3. We Were Lustful Before Christ Vs .3
3. We Were Lustful Before Christ Vs .3
We need God’s Grace because of our desires in our “actions” & “attitudes”…
When we were dead spiritually we are living only for our own desires, pleasures & lusts… thus we were children of wrath…
Because we will always reap what we sow… Gal.6:7.
What a huge contrast beginning in vs.4. BUT GOD!
2. The Riches of His Redemption Vs. 4-7
2. The Riches of His Redemption Vs. 4-7
Here in Vs. 4-6 we see God’s Grace & Mercy working together.
Mercy is not getting what you do deserve - Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.
So this section shows us how God does not give us what we deserve and gives us what we don’t deserve.
2.1 God Gives Mercy Vs. 4a
2.1 God Gives Mercy Vs. 4a
Even though we were dead to God, we were disobedient to God, we were lustful over all the wrong things…
But God… Is rich in Mercy…
Talk about spiritual bank account - Rich in Mercy - Draw from it! - APPLICATIONAL POINT REGARDING SOME ALWAYS THINKING THEY DESERVE THE WORST…
Mercy is having held back that which we deserve, wrath… what a picture of God’s Love…
But notice here in the middle of Vs. 4 why God is merciful…
Why is God merciful? Look…
2.2 God is Merciful because He Loves Us Vs. 4b
2.2 God is Merciful because He Loves Us Vs. 4b
The word “loved” is aorist tense, (past), when did God love us… At the Cross…
John 15:13 “13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
1 John 4:10 “10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
I’m not saved because of my love for God, but God’s love for me…
John 3:16 “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.”
Romans 5:8 “8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
2.3 God is Merciful because He Made Us Alive Vs. 5-6a
2.3 God is Merciful because He Made Us Alive Vs. 5-6a
God’s Grace has made us alive, God’s Grace has given us life… not my goodness or faithfulness…
It’s God’s Grace that has resurrected us from the dead and has given us life…
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
It’s not about Man’s Works… but God’s Grace…
Colossians 3:4 “…Christ is our life…
John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”
Turn w/me to…
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
This is speaks of our new life in Christ…
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God…
2.4 God is Merciful because He Exalted Us Vs. 6b-7
2.4 God is Merciful because He Exalted Us Vs. 6b-7
We saw back in Paul’s prayer in…
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
So we see, that Jesus has been seated in a place of exaltation a place of high authority.
and because God is Merciful, He made US sit together with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ.
What a position to have… practically we are in this world… but positionally we are seated in the heavenly places in Christ… not with Christ, but IN Christ…
This is how we need to live our lives, in light of where God sees us… in Christ… In His Power, His Might, His Victory…
And notice here in Vs. 7 why He exalts us…
When we all go to eternity in the future, God plans to showcase the wealth of His grace by demonstrating His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
The word "show" is the Greek word "endeixētai," meaning to display or demonstrate
(see Romans 2:15; 9:17, 22; 2 Corinthians 8:24; Titus 2:10; 3:2).
This means that God's grace will be evident in our lives as believers.
Earlier, in Ephesians 1:7, Paul talks about the "riches of His grace" in the context of our redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
Now, these riches are expressed through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus, referring to our salvation.
The word "kindness" (chrēstotēti) essentially means what is "appropriate" or "suitable."
It's also used in passages like Romans 2:4; 3:12 ("good"); 11:22; 2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:2; and Titus 3:4.
So, the most fitting expression of God's love for those who are spiritually dead is to give them life and exaltation—this is the "incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness."
APPLICATION: We think of God’s Grace and we say… Man! amazing… incredible… but after a few years of being saved we think we got a handle on it, we know about it, we’ve learned of it
But friends for all of time & eternity we will be Learning of God’s Grace…
After a few zillion years we’re just going to be getting started…
3. The Purpose of our Position Vs. 8-10
3. The Purpose of our Position Vs. 8-10
3.1 We Are Not Saved By Works Vs. 8-9
3.1 We Are Not Saved By Works Vs. 8-9
Throughout church history, people have really wrestled with how faith and works fit together.
In the early days, Jewish Christians were trying to figure out how to fit the observance of the Mosaic Law with the fresh message of the Gospel.
And you can see that tension through out the Bible especially in Paul's letter to the Galatians—Where he says in…
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Fast forward to the medieval period, and the Roman Catholic Church was saying that you needed both faith and works—Including sacraments and doing acts of penance—was necessary for salvation.
This idea eventually sparked the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
Leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin stood up and said, "Sola Fide” (faith alone).
They argued that our righteousness before God comes solely from faith, not from any human effort or deed.
So, all that to say, there has been much dispute over how one can be saved.
Some say that we are saved by works, by what we do.
They say that because they say that true saving faith requires obedience. They use scripture like…
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Emphasizing that true genuine faith manifests actions.
The people that hold to this view have a misunderstanding of scriptures like that especially…
28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
But if you are taking notes, I want to give you 4 reasons why we are saved by Faith Alone.
1. The Bible Clearly Separates Faith & Works - The Bible repeatedly makes a contrast between faith and works, emphasizing the fact that salvation is attained through faith apart from works:
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
If faith was a work why does the Bible repeatedly make a distinction between the two?
If faith is a work, why does the bible teach that faith and works have distinct roles regarding justification?
2. Faith is About Receiving not Earning - Faith functions as the means by which individuals receive God's grace, faith is not an action that earns Gos’s grace.
Faith simply acknowledges a dependence on God rather than working to achieve righteousness. For instance…
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness
This verse explicitly tells us that believing is different from working, indicating that faith is not a work but a trust in God's grace.
3. Faith is our Response to God’s Call - Even our ability to have faith is a gift from God.
It's important to recognize that even our ability to have faith comes from God.
We looked at John 6:28-29 where the people asked Jesus what work must we do - Jesus said to believe. But later in the chapter he said…
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…
This means our faith isn't a personal achievement; it's a response to God's invitation, made possible by His grace.
4. Is a Logical Argument - Logically speaking, faith is about trust.
When we have faith, we're admitting that we can't achieve righteousness on our own and are relying on what Jesus has done for us.
This reliance is the opposite of trying to earn salvation through our efforts.
It's like leaning on a sturdy bridge to cross a chasm; we're depending on something strong and reliable, not on our ability to jump the gap.
So the only way we can be saved is by God’s Grace… I’m not saved by good works or even my faith…
Faith is the vehicle by which I believe in God’s Grace…
And notice the reason we must be saved by Grace and not our good works is to keep us from boasting, vs.9.
3.2 We Are Saved For Good Works Vs. 10
3.2 We Are Saved For Good Works Vs. 10
Workmanship: poiema, poem, its only used in one other place in the N.T. in Rom.1:20 speaking of God’s creation of the earth…
The word poiēma (ποίημα) comes from the verb poieō, meaning "to make" or "to create."
Think "poetry" (the crafted work of art) or (the act of creation).
So the word poiēma is translated as "workmanship" or "masterpiece."
It conveys the idea that we are not random or accidental; rather, we are carefully crafted by God, created for a specific purpose—to do good works that reflect His glory.
ILLUSTRATION: I heard of a poet named Sarah who poured her heart into writing.
Despite her talent, she often doubted the value of her work, feeling that her words were never perfect.
One evening, she gathered the courage to share one of her poems at a local coffeehouse. As she read, the room fell silent—the words resonated deeply with everyone present.
After the reading, a listener approached her and said, "Your poem touched my soul. Every line felt like it was crafted with divine intent."
That moment was a turning point for Sarah. She realized that, like the verses of a beautiful poem, her life was also being shaped by a Creator who sees beauty and purpose in every imperfect detail.
In Ephesians 2:10, Paul uses the Greek word poiēma, which is the root for our word "poetry."
Just as a poem is not merely a string of words but a carefully crafted work of art, God has written our lives with intention and care.
Even when we feel raw or flawed, He is composing something beautiful—a unique masterpiece that only He could create.
This story reminds us that our lives, like a heartfelt poem, are works of art, shaped by God's loving hands.
So, we are something Christ has Created, we are His artwork, His handiwork... WHY,
For Good Works… the byproduct of salvation should be good works…
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
ENDING…
