FROM DEATH TO LIFE
Essential Elements of the Christian Life • Sermon • Submitted
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Dismiss kids, phone.
Pray!
Intro
Bag, New life
Many people would like to have a new life, a new start, life make-over
Many are dissatisfied with their lives
Some feel they are not truly alive, not “living the dream’
Have a feeling of merely existing, not truly living.
“Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.” (Viktor Frankl)
Like the show “The Walking Dead.”
Our text today actually addresses this life of death and offers a way out.
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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 body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
This portion of Scripture from God’s Word describes for us a life transformation, from death to life by an intervention of God’s Marvelous Grace.
It also dispels a dominant religious myth that exists in all world religions and even among many who name the name of Jesus. I’ll come to that.
Sermon: From death to life!
Main point: We can move from death to life by the grace of God.
Paul makes three important declarations in the passage.
WE WERE DEAD IN SIN
WE WERE DEAD IN SIN
English Standard Version Chapter 2
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
You were dead!
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
You were dead.
We are dead or alive before God. No in-between state.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter to the Ephesians 1. Dead in Transgressions and Sins, 2:1–3
These included their environment (the ways of this world, v.2), an inner inclination towards evil (the cravings of our sinful nature, v. 3), and a supernaturally powerful opponent (the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient, v.2)
God told Adam and Eve - the day you eat the forbidden fruit, you shall surely die.
God told Adam and Eve - the day you eat the forbidden fruit, you shall surely die.
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They did not physically die that day but they died spiritually. They were cut off from God until He intervened to correct the situation.
God told Adam and Eve - the day you eat the forbidden fruit, you shall surely die.
‘When we choose to disobey God, we move from life to death.”
As a sign of their estrangement from God, they were displaced from the Garden of Eden. NO more at home in God’s presence.
“Transgressions” (paraptōmasin, “false steps”; cf. Eph. 1:7; 2:5) and “sins” (hamartia is, “acts of missing the mark”), though slightly different in their root meanings, are basically synonymous. Both suggest deliberate acts against God and His righteousness and thus failure to live as one should.
What are Transgressions? - an offense, going against the law; “false steps”
Sin - “missing the mark”
“Transgressions” - “false steps” and “sins” “acts of missing the mark”
Both of these words suggest deliberate acts against God and His righteousness.
We fail to live as we should.
Dead - dead to God, a spiritual state of no connection with God, no desire for God, no relationship with Him.
Hoehner, H. W. (1985). Ephesians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 622). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Dead - dead to God, a spiritual state of no connection with God, no desire for God, no relationship with Him.
No interest in God.
Look around the world today and we see the Walking Dead, the Living Dead. A world full of people with no interest in God. They go about their lives with little contemplation/consideration of God.
In fact, if anyone does, that’s weird.
They go so far as to deny His very existence.
They want to maintain a secular society. Leave God out of your public life.
Let’s get prayer, the Bible, the mention of Jesus out of schools and society.
Let’s eradicate God and every semblance of faith. Let’s bury God. “God is dead” movement all over again.
The fool has said in his heart there is no God.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
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Dead in trespasses and sin.
Dead in trespasses and sin.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God
but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul goes on to show the different manifestations of our sinful state.
THE WORLD SYSTEM
THE WORLD SYSTEM
The World System
The World System
English Standard Version Chapter 2
following the course of this world
This is the environment in which we live, the ways of the world, an ungodly world system
JC: You are not of the world but I chose you out of the world.
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul: Do not be conformed to this world.
In our state of death, we were following the ways of the world. But we were also following something or someone more dangerous -
SATAN
SATAN
English Standard Version Chapter 2
following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
But we are not only living in a corrupt world system. There is a corrupt world leader.
Ill: Do you have relatives in Venezuela? They should get out. 3M have left. >7% of the population.
There are leaders who have led their nations into poverty, war, disarray, oppression. Created a reign of terror.
Likewise the world system is under a tyrannical leader, the evil one, Satan.
He is the god of this world who leads people astray, deceives them; he comes to steal, kill and destroy.
He is the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
Sons of disobedience - referring to our innate predisposition to disobey God. Also the individual who has made the conscious decision to disobey the God of heaven.
In Paul refers to Satan as the
When people say I don’t believe in God or I will not serve God, they are oblivious to the fact they are serving a god, the god of this world.
What else were we following:
SINFUL LIFESTYLE
SINFUL LIFESTYLE
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
How did we live?
Don’t forget that.
App: This is the reason why we must extend love and grace to everyone, to those who do not know Christ. They live the way they do because that’s all they know. Don’t wait for people to be good before you reach out to them. God reached out to us when we were dead in sin.
How did we live?
in the passions of the flesh
desires of the body
desires of the mind
children of wrath
We were following our sinful desires - greed, covetousness, envy, jealousy, unforgiveness, bitterness, malice, gossip, slander, rebellion, own-way, lust, sex, pornography, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine.
Today, the world wants to normalize many of these and give them sophisticated names. make them acceptable. Excuse them.
But people don’t realize they have become slaves to sin and Satan.
But God is a holy God and He desires holy living.
Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.
Jesus is able to set us free from addictions and the things that enslave us.
We were living among the sons of disobedience, we were one of the sons of disobedience.
Don’t forget that.
App: This is the reason why we must extend love and grace to everyone, to those who do not know Christ. They live the way they do because that’s all they know. Don’t wait for people to be good before you reach out to them. God reached out to us when we were dead in sin.
So what did God do when we dead in sin? Did He leave us there?
WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE
WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE
Epeh. 2.4
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
God’s love propelled Him to do something.
His love manifested itself in mercy and grace
Mercy -
Grace -
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
When we were dead in our sins, He made us alive. He brought us back to life.
I say to anyone today - The Lord Jesus Christ is able to bring new life.
You may just be existing, a walking dead, empty on the inside, not knowing where you are heading in life, just going through the motions, no meaning or purpose in life, no life.
I know He brought life to me.
Our message: “Come, find abundant life and hope in Jesus Christ.”
You don’t know what you are missing until you know the Lord.
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
He took us from the grave, made us alive, raised us up to the heavenly place
-
We are heavenly citizens. We have dual citizenship.
This entire operation, I don’t know if God has a code-name
Operation Planet Earth.
is to reveal to the universe, the hosts of heaven, the angels, how immeasurable His grace is.
Can His grace reach the drug addict, the prostitute , murderers, serial killers?
Memory verse:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Memory verse:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. : 8-9
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
I want us to read and understand these two verses. It completely demolishes the predominant concept that is present in all major religions, including nominal Christianity.
AS a Christian, you need to learn this verse and be able to point it to those you share the gospel with.
EE:
Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die tonight you will go to heaven?
If you were to die tonight and stand before God, and HE were to say to you, “Why should I let you into my heaven, what would you say?”
most answer - good person
We are saved by grace through faith.
God’s grace is extended to us.
My faith is in response to Him.
Salvation is a gift - not earned by works of righteousness.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Some say but that’s not fair. How can God just forgive people that easily? Then an evil person can say I believe and be saved? There are several responses to this accusation.
Remember ALL have sinned, whether big or little. We all need forgiveness. That includes the person making the objection
An individual has to respond to God.
God knows those who genuinely come to Him. The acts of confession done without true repentance will be judged by God.
Like the thief on the cross.
Every person has the opportunity to respond, not only the horrible sinner
This is to subvert self-righteousness and boasting.
The Pharisee and tax collector
Do not mix up the means of salvation with the results of salvation.
Righteousness and good works do not save you but they follow your salvation.
So we were dead in sin
We are saved by grace
WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP
WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We now become the workmanship of God, the handiwork of God.
God is making a masterpiece out of you but you have to submit, surrender to Him.
You and I have to open our lives, confess our sins, leave them behind, learn His ways and follow them.
He is the potter, we are clay.
Created for good works which God prepared beforehand - God’s original plan.
Good works do not save you but they show you are saved.
Good works do not make you a child of God but they show you are a child of God.
Don’t continue to live the old lifestyle - when we were dead, following the desires of the flesh of the mind, following the ways of the world, following Satan in disobedience
Don’t bring shame to the name of Jesus, don’t make a mockery of God
God expects better, God deserves better.
There are times we just have to stop making excuses for the wrong we do, confess our sins and forsake them.
Live right. Be holy as He is holy.
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Conc.
Look at what God has done for us. His goodness in saving us.
Now from being a child of disobedience, under His eternal wrath, I am now His handiwork, masterpiece.
This is Amazing Grace.
Broken Vessel.
Summary:
succinctly describes for us the transformation God does for us as people estranged from Him. We were dead to Him because of our sinful state, following the corrupt world system, the evil one and our own sinful desires. But God reached to us in love, mercy and grace and makes us alive. We wake up to the reality of life, its meaning and purpose. We who respond to His grace now become His masterpiece as we follow Him in obedience.