He Got Up. Now get Up.

Context of the book of Ephesians

Paul is writing to Christians in Ephesus, a major city in Asia Minor.

This book is not mainly written to fix one crisis like Galatians or Corinth. Instead, it is written to ground believers in:

who they are in Christ, what God has done for them, and how they must live because of it.

That is the heartbeat of the book.

Chapters 1 to 3 Show What God has done for us in Christ

Chapters 4 to 6 Show How we are to live in response that

So the book begins with doctrine, then moves to duty. It begins with identity, then moves to conduct. It begins with God’s work, then moves to our walk in Christ

That matters because Paul does not start with this book with , “Do better.” He starts with, “See and understand clearly what God has done.”

Ephesians is a book about God’s eternal purpose in Christ, the salvation He accomplished through Christ, the people He formed in Christ, and the kind of life those people are now called to live.

Before Paul ever tells them how to walk, he tells them what God has done. Before duty, he gives doctrine. Before conduct, he gives calling. Before he talks about the believer’s walk in chapters 4 through 6, he lays the foundation of the believer’s wealth in chapters 1 through 3. That matters because Christian living is never supposed to be detached from Christian truth. We do not live for God in order to become blessed. We live for God because in Christ we already have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).

Several major themes run throughout the book of Ephesians.

First, God’s eternal plan in Christ. Paul makes it plain that salvation was not an afterthought. God was not reacting to man’s sin as though He had been caught off guard. He “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” and “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself” (Ephesians 1:4–5). This lines up with what Peter says about Christ being “foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20). So from the very beginning, Paul wants the church to see that redemption is rooted in the eternal purpose of God.

Second, union with Christ. One of the key ideas in Ephesians is that every blessing is found in Christ. Paul keeps using language like “in Christ,” “in Him,” or “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13). That is important because it shows that salvation is not found in human effort, ethnic identity, religious tradition, or moral achievement. It is found in Christ alone. Compare that with Romans 6:3–5 and Galatians 3:26–27, where being brought into Christ changes everything.

Third, the church as Christ’s body. The church is not some side issue in God’s plan. It is central. Christ is “head over all things to the church, which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22–23). Later Paul says there is “one body” (Ephesians 4:4), and that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). So Ephesians does not allow us to treat the church lightly. The church is the redeemed community formed by the blood and authority of Christ.

Fourth, unity in Christ, especially between Jew and Gentile. Ephesians shows that God is making one new people through Jesus. Christ “hath made both one” and broke down “the middle wall of partition” (Ephesians 2:14). Through the cross, He reconciled both unto God in one body (Ephesians 2:16). That means the gospel is not merely about individual forgiveness. It is also about God creating a unified people for His name.

Fifth, a worthy walk. The second half of the book presses practical response. Paul says believers are to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1). Then he describes that walk as different from the world (Ephesians 4:17), characterized by love (Ephesians 5:2), light (Ephesians 5:8), wisdom (Ephesians 5:15), and spiritual warfare readiness (Ephesians 6:10–18). So Ephesians is not just deep theology. It is theology that demands transformation.

Ephesians Chapter one

So when we get to chapter one, Paul starts by praising God for every spiritual blessing that is found in Christ. He tells us we have been chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed. He is unfolding the riches of what God has done for us in His Son. But then Paul keeps building until he arrives at one of the greatest truths in the chapter, the resurrection power of God. In Ephesians 1:19 and 20, he says that the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward us who believe is the very same power God worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. That matters because the resurrection is not just one more event in the life of Jesus. The resurrection is heaven’s declaration that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be. Romans 1:4 says He was “declared to be the Son of God with power... by the resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection is God’s public vindication of His Son.

And the resurrection also matters because without it our faith collapses. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” Go down to verse 17 and he says, “if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” In other words, if Jesus stayed in the grave, there is no victory, no hope, no gospel, and no salvation. The cross shows us the price of redemption, but the resurrection shows us the triumph of redemption. The cross shows that He died for sin. The resurrection shows that death could not hold Him and the sacrifice was accepted. That is why Romans 4:25 says He “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

The resurrection is also important because it proves that Jesus has all authority. In Ephesians 1:20 and 21, Paul says God not only raised Him from the dead, but seated Him at His own right hand, “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion.” Peter says in Acts 2:24 that it was not possible for death to hold Him. Then in Acts 2:32 through 36, Peter shows that the risen Jesus is now both Lord and Christ. So the resurrection is not just about Jesus coming back to life. It is about Jesus being enthroned, exalted, and reigning right now.

And here is where it gets even more important for where Paul is going in chapter two. The resurrection is not only proof of Christ’s power, it is the pattern of our salvation. Paul says in Ephesians 2:1 that we were “dead in trespasses and sins.” That means before grace reached us, we were not merely weak people needing advice. We were dead people needing life. That is why Paul wants chapter one to end with resurrection power, because chapter two is going to open with spiritual death. He is showing us that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same God who can raise the sinner out of sin. Ephesians 2:4 through 6 says that God “made us alive together with Christ” and “raised us up together.” So before Paul ever shows us the graveyard of our condition, he first shows us the power of our God.

That is why the resurrection cannot be treated like a seasonal truth we dust off once a year. It is central. It is foundational. It is the heartbeat of Christian hope. In 1 Peter 1:3, Peter says we are “begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Because He got up, hope got up. Because He lives, our faith is not empty, our sins do not have the last word, and death is not the end of the story. Jesus said in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” Revelation 1:18 says, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.” That means the resurrection is not just a past event to admire. It is a present reality with present power.

So when Paul gets to chapter one, he is not simply giving us theology to study. He is building toward a truth that changes everything. He wants us to see that the power that raised Christ is the very power that reaches sinners, changes lives, and creates a new people for God. Chapter one ends at the empty tomb so that chapter two can show us what that empty tomb means for spiritually dead men and women. Before Paul tells us how bad our condition was, he shows us how great God’s power is. Before he says, “you were dead,” he says, “look at the Christ who got up.” And that is the point. If God can raise His Son from the grave, then He can raise the sinner from sin, the broken from despair, and the hopeless into newness of life.

Chapter 2

So when we get to chapter 2, Paul now shows us why the resurrection matters so much. At the end of chapter 1, he has already pointed us to the mighty power of God, the very power that raised Jesus from the dead. But now in chapter 2, Paul turns and shows us exactly why that kind of power was necessary. He says in verse 1, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Notice Paul does not begin with man at his best. He begins with man in his worst condition. He does not say we were weak. He does not say we were struggling. He says we were dead. Spiritually dead. Cut off from the life of God because of sin. And that is important because dead people do not need advice. Dead people do not need motivation. Dead people need life. That is why the resurrection is so important. Resurrection only means something when death is real. And in chapter 2, the dead thing is us.

Then Paul keeps walking us deeper into that condition in verse 2. He says, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world.” In other words, before Christ, our lives were shaped by the pattern of this world. Our thinking was worldly. Our values were worldly. Our direction was worldly. We were moving with the flow of a fallen system. Then he says, “according to the prince of the power of the air.” Now Paul pulls the curtain back even further. He shows us that behind the world’s system is Satan himself. So this is not just about bad habits. This is not just about poor choices. This is spiritual bondage. This is why 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls Satan “the god of this world,” and why 1 John 5:19 says the whole world lies in wickedness. Paul is saying that outside of Christ, man is not nearly as free as he thinks he is.

Then he says, “the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” That means rebellion against God is not random. There is a spirit of disobedience at work in the lives of those who reject Him. Sin is deeper than outward actions. It is a condition of the heart, a disposition of rebellion, a life out of step with God.

Then when you get to verse 3, Paul makes it even more personal. He says, “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past.” I love that Paul changes from “you” to “we.” Because now he includes himself. He includes everybody. Jew and Gentile. Moral man and immoral man. Religious man and irreligious man. Paul is saying this is not just their story. This is our story apart from Christ. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Nobody gets to stand off to the side and act like this text is about somebody else.

Then Paul says, “in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” That means sin worked from the inside out. Our desires were corrupted and our thinking was corrupted. We did not just do wrong. We wanted wrong. We justified wrong. We followed the cravings of the flesh and the impulses of the mind. That is why Jesus says in Mark 7 that sinful actions come from within, out of the heart of man. That is why Jeremiah said the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Paul wants us to see how deep the problem really goes.

And then he ends verse 3 with a crushing statement. He says we “were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” That means apart from Christ, we were under the righteous judgment of God. Not neutral. Not safe. Not basically okay. Under wrath. John 3:36 says, “he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” So verses 1 through 3 leave us in a terrible place. Dead in sin. Directed by the world. Influenced by Satan. Driven by the flesh. Deserving wrath.

And if the text stopped there, that would be the end of us.

But then verse 4 breaks in with two of the sweetest words in all the Bible: “But God.”

Church, if there were no “but God,” there would be no gospel. If there were no “but God,” there would be no hope for dead sinners. If there were no “but God,” chapter 2 would end in the cemetery. But Paul says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.” Notice where Paul puts the emphasis. He does not point to our improvement. He does not point to our goodness. He does not say God moved because we finally got ourselves together. He points to the character of God. Rich in mercy. Great in love. Our rescue is not rooted in our worth. It is rooted in His mercy. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.”

Then verse 5 says, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved.” That is the shout right there. God did not wait until we got better. He acted when we were dead. God did not respond to our strength. He stepped into our helplessness. God did not meet us halfway. He came all the way to where we were. Paul says He “quickened us together with Christ.” That means He made us alive. That is resurrection language. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same God who gives life to the dead sinner. That is why chapter 1 had to end with resurrection power, because chapter 2 opens with spiritual death. Paul is saying the power that raised Christ is the very power that reached us.

So the movement of the text is powerful. Verse 1 says we were dead. Verse 2 says we were deceived. Verse 3 says we were doomed. Verse 4 says, “But God.” Verse 5 says He made us alive together with Christ.

That is the gospel.

Not that man climbed up to God. But that God came down to man. Not that dead sinners found life on their own. But that God, rich in mercy and great in love, raised them up by His grace.

You could land that section like this:

Paul is telling us that the resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus. It is the power by which God changes us. He raised Christ from the grave, and He raises sinners from spiritual death. So chapter 2 is not just about how bad we were. It is about how great God is. It is not just about the depth of our sin. It is about the greatness of His mercy. And the same power that brought Jesus out of the tomb is the same power that can bring a sinner out of sin.

Invitation

So here is the question this morning.

If the same God who raised Jesus from the dead has power to raise dead sinners, then what are you going to do with that truth?

Because this is bigger than Easter clothes. This is bigger than tradition. This is bigger than coming to church one Sunday out of the year.

Paul has shown us in Ephesians 2 that we were dead in trespasses and sins. Dead in our past. Dead in our choices. Dead in our rebellion. Dead under the weight of sin. But then came those two words that changed everything, “But God.” God, who is rich in mercy. God, who loved us with a great love. God, who when we were dead, made us alive together with Christ.

Church, that is the gospel. That is the good news. That is the hope of the resurrection.

The resurrection is not just proof that Jesus got up. It is proof that sin does not have the last word. It is proof that death does not have the last word. It is proof that the devil does not have the last word. It is proof that there is life available in Jesus Christ.

But hear me clearly. You cannot celebrate resurrection power while refusing resurrection life.

You cannot shout over an empty tomb and keep living in the grave of sin. You cannot praise a risen Savior and still hold on to a dead lifestyle. You cannot talk about Him getting up if you have no desire to rise out of what has been killing you.

That is Paul’s point. The same power that raised Christ is the same power that makes us alive. And if God has made you alive, then it ought to show up in how you walk, how you think, how you live, and how you respond to Him.

So now the question is not just, do you believe Jesus rose? The question is, have you responded to the power of His resurrection?

Because the resurrection is not just something to admire. It is something to obey.

If you are here this morning and you are outside of Christ, you are still where Ephesians 2 begins. Dead in trespasses and sins. And no amount of self-help, morality, or good intentions can fix spiritual death. You need what only God can give. You need life in Christ.

The good news is that life is available. Jesus died for your sins. He was buried. He rose again the third day. And now He calls you to respond in obedient faith. 1 Corinthians 15:1–4; Romans 10:17; John 8:24.

If you are willing to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, repent of your sins, confess His name, and be baptized for the remission of your sins, God will do what you could never do for yourself. He will wash you. He will forgive you. He will add you to Christ. He will raise you to walk in newness of life. Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12–13.

And if you are a Christian, but somewhere along the way you have gone back to dead things, dead thinking, dead habits, dead priorities, this is your moment too. Why would you keep lying down in a grave Christ died to bring you out of? Why would you keep wearing grave clothes when Jesus has called you into life?

This morning, the invitation is simple.

Come to the One who got up. Come to the One who conquered death. Come to the One who can make you alive.

Do not just celebrate the resurrection. Live in it.

Do not just remember the empty tomb. Respond to it.

Do not leave here still dead in what Christ has power to deliver you from.

If you need to come in faith, come. If you need to come in repentance, come. If you need to come for prayer, come. If you need to come in obedience to the gospel, come right now.