BUT GOD!!!

Ephesians 2:1-10 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

WE WERE DEAD (Vss. 1-3)

Death refers to the separation from God

Subject to the powers of the air and the spirit working in the disobedient (The devil and his )

Carrying out the desires of our flesh (sinful desires)

slaves to our sin nature and children under wrath, We cannot defeat our nature on our own, we are innately sinful and will always revert back to self serving sinful ways without Christ living inside our hearts

BUT GOD (Vss. 4-10)

God is LOVE and from an outpouring of his abundantly rich grace and mercy, he provided a way for us to know him, a pure gift.

We are made a new creation when we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior and accept him into our hearts 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

Saved by Grace through Faith, not earned or deserved, but strictly a gift and Paul is excited about it, he mentions it in verse 5 and again in verse 8.

The good works, that he has for us to do have nothing to do with us earning our salvation, they are strictly a byproduct of the new creation that we are in Christ once he lives in pour hearts.

Ephesians 2:11–22 “So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.”

IN CHRIST AND THROUGH HIM THE CHURCH WAS CREATED AND WE AS NEW CREATIONS HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN HIS CHURCH.

It’s all about him (Jesus) in the first two chapters of Ephesians the phrase, “IN HIM,” or “IN THE LORD,” or “In CHRIST” is mentioned over 15 times. they say that if something is repeated in scripture, then you should pay attention to it.

A new covenant established on the Cross by Jesus Christ brought all jews and gentiles together as fellow heirs of the inheritance of Christ, talk about a culture shock for these two vastly different people

How does this apply to us? First of all, it should provide some excellent perspective… We often like to compare ourselves to other Christians or people groups, or like I’ve talked about in the past here, we are so foolishly entitled to our relationship with God as if it is something that we deserve somehow.

We were DEAD, Like lost puppies eternally separated from God and we still deserve to be, BUT by the grace of GOD through the Gift of Jesus, we are allowed to KNOW GOD, and when we truly KNOW GOD we are A NEW CREATION and we are part of THE CHURCH a living Temple for the HOLY SPIRIT and a vessel for the ultimate Power to be used to bring GLORY, HONOR and PRAISE to the one and only GOD Called to live our lives for GOD and his Will in our lives, that does not mean that we get to hold on to the parts of our old life… That Life is over, you are a new creation in CHRIST Saved from yourself by grace through FAITH. That means that every part of you is new, you can’t proclaim Christ as King of your life and still hold onto some parts of it… IT’S ALL HIS!!! AND IT’S THE BEST DECISION THAT YOU WILL EVER MAKE. ACCESS TO THE ULTIMATE POWER, OPPORTUNITY TO BE USED BY THE KING OF KINGS TO DO HIS WILL. AND FULFILLMENT KNOWING GOD CAN AND WILL DO EXCEEDINGLY MORE WITH YOUR YES THAN WHAT YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE. LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE DO HIS WILL, WALK A NEW LIFE.