Fairy Tales - Part 2

Intro

Recap: If you were with us last week, we started a new series called “Fairy Tales.” What we said was this, that we love fairy tales, because they are true. Not that fairy’s or pixie dust exist, but that these stories are telling us something. Something about our experience as human beings. Something about the world. Something about God. Last week, we used the idea of Beauty and Beast. We said that sin has scarred all of us and turned us into something beastly. Not just us, but it has distorted and transformed our world into something broken. We said that there is coming a day when God is going to make all things new. We said that he’s on a mission to restore creation. We said that this mission has started and that you and who are “in Christ” are already a part of it. We are part of God’s grand mission to reconnect the world to himself and make all things new. This was our take away from Last week: GOD MAKES ALL THINGS NEW!

Something about our experience as human beings.

Something about our experience as human beings. Something

Something about the world.

Opening Story/Illustration: In the process of making things new, God does something else. God pulls a classic fairy tale plot line out. Or, perhaps, we should say, the stories echo a truth from God. Let’s check out a couple of these plot lines tonight

Something about God.

Deep down, we

In both sleeping beauty and snow white, you have a princess who is under a curse. Basically she’s dead. There is no hope. If you watch it for the first time, you’re kind of on the edge of your seat. What’s going to happen? Is there hope?

Opening Story/Illustration:

In the end of both of these movies, a prince comes, battles with the dark powers, wins, and then, through an act of love (a kiss), he revives the princess.

Isn’t this true in our lives? We are all dead and broken inside, but Something that seems impossible. God not only makes all things new, but he brings dead things to life.

Transition to the text: I want us to look at this idea tonight in light of scripture. Paul is going to lay out an idea for us that is very similar.

Text:

Transition to the text:

Ephesians 2:1–10 NLT

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Text:

Transition to points: I want to take a moment and break some of this passage down for us.

Transition to points:

Points

Paul is writing to the Ephesians and reminding them of the Change God had brought about in their lives

They were dead in their sins

They used to walk in the ways of the world

They used to worship idols and practice magic ()

Acts 19:18–20 NLT

18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

Because of God’s love, they were now made alive in Christ

This was not something they had done, it was a result of God’s grace and mercy in their lives.

God had saved them and made them alive!

Now they were able to walk in good works.

God had saved them so they could walk in good works.

God had prepared this plan before they were even saved!

God brings dead things to life!

You may not have realized it, but before Jesus you were dead on the inside!

Illustration: Much like snow white or sleeping beauty, the curse of sin had lulled you to sleep. It brought death in your life.

My wife is a deep sleeper. Like a deep sleeper. On top of that, she is deaf in her left ear. So when she sleeps she sleeps on her right ear, so that she can’t hear the world. When she’s asleep, she can’t hear, respond, react, etc. to what might be going on.

Dead people

When we don’t have Jesus working on the inside of us, there’s this inability to see, hear, experience the world correctly. I’m reading a book right now called “The God-shaped brain.” The premise of the book is this - Research shows that your view of God actually affects your brain. When you view God the wrong way, when you view life the wrong way, it causes the neurons and synapses in your brain to fire and develop in an unhealthy way. You want to know the correct way to view God? the Biblical View - God is Love. Research is showing that when people see and understand that God loves them, something in their brains starts to fire correctly.

Isn’t that what this passage says? “God is rich in mercy and loved us so much...”

We serve a God who loved us so much that he gave himself for us, fought off the dark powers that had us under a curse, and brought us back to life again!

Conclusion

Restate the Main Idea: Jesus brings dead things back to to life.

Now what? Even as Christians we can have areas in our lives that need “reviving.” Is there an area you need Jesus to touch and bring his resurrection power to? Jesus loves you so much and he wants to bring life and peace and wholeness to every area of your life!