Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

TExt

Text

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

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

You were dead!

You were dead.

We are dead or alive before God.

No in-between state.

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.

.

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.

[no slides]

Dead in trespasses and sin.

but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God

Paul goes on to show the different manifestations of our sinful state.

THE WORLD SYSTEM

The World System

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.

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

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

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.