Saved FOR Relationship

INTRODUCTION

I hope you guys had a great afternoon in all your breakout sessions. Have you had a good day?

We need one another. That’s the theme of the day. Relationship. Community. Created for a relationship with God. Created for a relationship with one another.

One of my favorite books in the New Testament is Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus. One of—if not THE—predominant themes in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is what the new life in Christ looks like—what we receive/become when we get saved.

So…he begins the letter by describing/explaining…

A) WHO WE ARE BEFORE JESUS SAVES US

Ephesians 2:1–3 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 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— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Dead. Not bad people who need to be better people. No. DEAD. Spiritually lifeless. Walking in sin. Following the course of the world and following Satan, himself…and…under God’s wrath…cut off from the life and love of a relationship with God.

Before Jesus saves us. This is who/what we are.

Then…the rest of Ephesians is all about HOW Jesus saves us and changes us. The gospel/Jesus changes everything.

1) WE ARE SAVED BY GOD FOR A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

This is beautiful…such good news, guys.

1:4—God has chosen you, in Christ, before the foundation of the world…he has loved you from eternity past.

1:5—predestined, by the love of God, to be adopted as sons.

1:7—redeemed & forgiven of our sins by the blood of Christ.

2:5-8—raised from death and given life by the grace of God alone.

1:11—we have received an inheritance and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.

1:3—Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

Remember—we are dead in our trespasses and sins BUT GOD…rich in mercy, full of grace, steadfast love, breathes into us His life and raises us. Paul describes it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

STOP—INVITATION