Amazing Grace (Preaching Manuscript)

“Amazing Grace” (Ephesians 2:1–7)

MIS: We were dead, but God made us alive, so that grace would be seen as amazing.

Introduction

Most of us use “grace” the way we use “nice.”

gentle, polite, decent-people-on-a-good-day kind of word

But Paul will not let us keep grace small.

Because he will not let our condition be described with soft language

Ephesians 2 doesn’t open with:

“You were struggling.”

“You were broken.”

“You needed direction.”

It opens with a verdict:

“You were dead in trespasses and sins.”

If we won’t receive God’s truth about what we were,

grace becomes an accessory—helpful, encouraging, but never amazing

We sing “Amazing Grace” not because grace helps good people get better,

but because grace raises dead people to life

Paul’s “holy logic” in this passage:

What we were (dead)

What God did (“But God…”)

Why he did it (to display grace forever)

Here’s the main idea of the sermon:

We were dead, but God made us alive, so that grace would be seen as amazing.

So first, Paul forces us to look honestly at life before Christ.

1) Before Christ: Dead in Sin (v1–3)

“You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…”

Notice with me: dead people can still walk

spiritual death = life on the outside, but no pulse toward God

you can be:

active, productive, successful

disciplined, moral, religious, church-familiar

and still spiritually dead

Illustration: Titanic

lights shining, music playing, formalwear, laughter, dancing

then reality strikes—quietly at first—the ship is sinking

many kept living in the illusion until the illusion was swallowed whole

That’s what sin does:

sin lets you keep dancing while you’re sinking

Here’s how this applies you: my friend,

Your biggest problem isn’t your circumstances; it’s your spiritual condition apart from Christ.

Don’t measure life by “I’m doing fine.”

deadness can look like:

success and morality

church familiarity

private rebellion

either way: deadness toward God

The shape of deadness: what we do + what we follow

Deadness shows up:

in what we do: notice Paul’s description in verse 1 “trespasses and sins”

explain what a trespass is, what sin is

in what we follow: the unholy three—world, devil, flesh

The unholy three: world, devil, flesh (v2–3)

1) The world

“the course of this world”

not creation (trees/sunsets/neighborhoods)

This is referring to a system—a pattern of values pressing you into its mold

This is why Paul says elsewhere (Romans 12)…

Illustration: social media algorithm

an algorithm is a discipleship machine

catechizes you into what to love, fear, envy, worship

shapes appetites, reflexes, instincts

Beloved, either the Word is shaping you, or the world is shaping you

that’s “the world” at work—often unnoticed

But there’s also,

2) The devil

Who Paul here calls “the prince of the power of the air”

A very unusual description

Remember, Paul’s readers had a past that was heavily involved in Magic. this was also a common conception for any who had participated in magical practices,

in magic the notion of “aerial spirits” and “aerial powers” was common. One ancient magical text has the petition, “protect me from every demon in the air”

It’s very metaphysical - but know this:

The devil is not a cartoon character, not merely a symbol

He is a very real deceiver, a very real accuser

Devil means adversary

working to keep people blind, asleep, dead

3) The flesh

not merely the body, the body is good

the inner bent of fallen desire

the traitor within

Notice the language of verse 3, the passions, the desires - sinful urges

From this we learn: Sin is bigger than “my choices”

It’s more than just the behavior.

No, we see bad fruit because deep down inside there’s a bad root.

Didn’t Jesus say that a tree is known by the fruit it bears?

If you only talk about “my choices,” or fruit you’ll miss:

sin is a current you swim in (world)

a deceiver you’re targeted by (devil)

a traitor inside you (flesh)

Practical diagnostic questions

“What voices disciple me most?”

“What lies do I keep believing?”

“What cravings do I excuse as ‘just who I am’?”

“Children of wrath” (v3): guilt + judgment

Paul lands with a sentence modern people resist:

“by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind”

Our problem is not merely “brokenness”

it is guilt before a holy God

Scripture: Romans 3:19

“every mouth may be stopped”

“the whole world held accountable”

courtroom language

Pop culture connection: courtroom scenes

they work because we intuit justice:

evidence → verdict → sentencing

Paul says: left to ourselves, we stand condemned

Applications

If you soften wrath, you shrink mercy.

If you deny guilt, you turn grace into self-help.

This humbles moral people and awakens complacent people:

“I’m not basically fine. I’m under judgment unless God intervenes.”

Friends, this is us BC..

THIS IS EVERYONE WE KNOW AND LOVE WHO IS LOST,

every unbelieving neighbor, coworker, and family member is this: dead in sin, under the control of the devil, and condemned by God with his wrath upon them.

Jesus says this in John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36, ESV)

Transition to Point 2

We are doomed if the passage ended at v3:

truth, but not gospel

diagnosis, but no cure

verdict, but no rescue

Then these two words that change everything:

“But God…”

2) But God: Resurrected by Love (v4–6)

Pick up the reading with me at verse 4

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us…”

God is not stingy with mercy—he is rich in mercy

God’s love is not mild or tame or lackluster—it is great

Join me in: Exodus 34:6–7

God reveals himself as merciful and gracious

mercy is not God’s reluctance to punish

Ezekiel 16 says God takes NO delight in the death of the wicked

Rather, he wants all to repent.

it is his delight to save

not God saying to guilty people, “Fine…”

but God moving toward guilty people: “I will rescue.”

God didn’t rescue the deserving

he rescued the guilty

It’s one thing for a fireman to run into a burning home to save a 7 year old child

But can you imagine a fireman running into a burning building to save a murderer?

What if the murderer killed the fireman’s only son?

This is what makes God’s grace so amazing

We are not just undeserving, we are ill-deserving, HELL DESERVING

and with all his might he runs to us and saves us

What God does: makes alive, raises, seats (v5–6)

“even when we were dead… made us alive together with Christ…”

“raised us up with him…”

“seated us with him…”

Regeneration: resurrection, not self-improvement

Paul doesn’t talk like a life coach

he talks like a resurrection

Scripture: John 11 (Lazarus)

Lazarus doesn’t assist Jesus

doesn’t meet him halfway

Christ commands life: “Come out.”

the dead man lives because Christ speaks

Illustration: defibrillator scene

when there’s no pulse, you don’t offer tips—you need power

but even that is smaller than God’s work:

God doesn’t just restart a heart that wants him

he gives a heart that can want him

We were dead, but God made us alive, so that grace would be seen as amazing.

Here’s how this applies to you:

Stop thinking: “I improved.”

Start confessing: “God made me alive.”

This fuels prayer and evangelism:

The best prayer is not “help them choose better”

but no, we pray “God, do what only you can do—raise the dead.”

And we share with confidence

God alone can save because it requires a genuine resurrection

this leads to a theme we have seen almost every single week

Union with Christ: sharing Christ’s story (2:6 ↔ 1:20–21)

Scripture: Ephesians 1:20–21

the Father raises and seats Christ far above every rule and authority

Then: Ephesians 2:6

believers share that story in him

We are made alive with him

We are raised with him

We are seated with him

This has huge implications for you!

Your identity is not:

your past, shame, or even current struggles, fears

In Christ you are not merely forgiven (though that’s glorious)

you are raised and seated

When Satan accuses:

don’t answer with your record

answer with Christ’s position:

“Seated with him—in the heavenly places.”

Transition to Point 3

We’ve seen:

what we were: dead

what God did: made us alive in Christ

Now Paul tells us why God did it:

not only rescue from wrath

but display of amazing grace forever

We were dead, but God made us alive, so that grace would be seen as amazing.

3) Bountiful Kindness: Grace on Display (v7)

Look at verse 7

“so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”

God saves sinners to put grace on display—forever

The Bible is God “showing” himself:

creation shows power

Sinai shows holiness

the cross shows justice and love

salvation shows grace

Illustration: museum display

the lighting, framing, placement all say: “Look at this.”

Paul says: your salvation is God’s gallery

grace put under glass so the universe says:

“Only God could do that.”

At Cornerstone, we recognize that only God can save.

Your life is not mainly about your success

it’s about God’s display

As we draw to a close today,

Ask yourself: “Does my life make grace look amazing?”

you may say, absolutely not - I’m in a pit of suffering,

Suffering and the display of grace

Beloved, suffering doesn’t cancel God’s purpose (remember Joseph)

pit to Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s house to prison…

All because of the sin of others against him

But he went from prison to the palace, to the presidency

How? Because for the Christian, suffering is the black velvet that makes the diamond sparkle

Pastoral illustration (no names)

funeral on Friday: newborn suffered and died after 114 days

what stood out:

not denial, not numbness

real grief + real courage

unrelenting faith and steadiness

peace and focus on the Lord and his grace

takeaway:

grace isn’t a theory or slogan

grace holds people up when life is too heavy

Grace shows us the God who is amazing

We were dead, but God made us alive, so that grace would be seen as amazing.

Amazing grace requires an amazing God who pours it out to undeserving people.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

so what do we now..

The summons: repent and believe

grace is not merely to be admired

it is to be received

Scripture: Mark 1:15

The Word isn’t to just for us to HEAR, but for us to HEED.

“Repent and believe.”

not “try harder”

turn and trust

Scripture: Acts 16:30–31

“What must I do to be saved?”

“Believe in the Lord Jesus.”

Illustration: receiving a gift

you don’t pay it back to make it real

you don’t earn it to make it yours

you simply receive it

faith is the open hand that receives, not the hand that works to earn it

Applications

To the unbeliever:

you are not being asked to clean yourself up to come to Christ

dead people don’t clean themselves

come empty: repent (turn) and believe (trust)

COME TODAY!

To the believer:

stop living like grace got you started but your effort keeps you

the Christian life is lived the same way it began:

by grace, through faith

Conclusion

Paul’s journey in seven verses:

You were dead—no pulse toward God

following world, devil, flesh

guilty, under wrath

But God—rich in mercy—great love

made you alive with Christ

raised you, seated you with him

And he did it for a purpose:

so grace would be displayed forever as immeasurable kindness in Christ

That’s why grace is amazing:

not because it helps nice people become nicer

but because it raises the dead

rescues the guilty

seats the condemned with the Son

Hear the message again:

We were dead, but God made us alive, so that grace would be seen as amazing.

If you are in Christ:

rejoice—God has done it by his grace

If you are not:

don’t admire grace from a distance

receive it—repent and believe

This is the Word of God for the people of God; glory be to our God.

Amen.