I See Raised People
Ephesians: You are Richer than You Think • Sermon • Submitted
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· 15 viewsCIT: Paul described Christians as those who were spiritually dead but brought to life by God in Christ. Prop: Christians are those who were spiritually dead but brought to life by God in Christ.
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If there was one massive misunderstanding I had about Christianity growing up as child and then a teenager was this. I thought Christianity was about teaching you to be good.
I’m not saying that is what was taught in my church, but it is the attitude that people had about Christ. Oh sure, I knew that Christ had come and died on the cross and rose again so that I could be saved. But that was so that I would be good.
If I was asked what the goal of following Jesus was I’d probably said something like “so that I can keep the 10 commandments.”
Keep the 10 commandments and make God happy.
My life changed when I learned the reality that following Christ is not primarily about being good, and not bad. It’s about finding life in Christ and living in the life he gives.
Part of the problem may come from how we do evangelism or share the gospel.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We tend to think that sin produces death. And, therefore, righteousness must produces life. The point is really just the opposite. His point in context is this: death produces sin and life produces righteousness. That’s the point that Paul is wanting the Ephesians and us to understand about where we are with God.
So a couple of weeks ago, we started this text and I’ll review what we talked about.
I. Everyone without Christ is spiritually dead. ()
I. Everyone without Christ is spiritually dead. ()
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
Why are we dead? We were born dead. This goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Their sin did bring them death. But what many don’t realize is that is that their sin brought death to all humanity. That means our natural state is dead. That means separated from God.
English Standard Version Chapter 3
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
So
What Jesus is saying is that humanity only hope is the hope that God has sent us to save us. There is no other hope, for a number of reasons.
A. They have no ability to change their condition.
A. They have no ability to change their condition.
Spiritual dead in that we can do nothing about the condition that we are in.
B. They live in active disobedience.
B. They live in active disobedience.
2 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—
Our actions don’t please God.
C. They face eternal punishment for their disobedience.
C. They face eternal punishment for their disobedience.
C. They face eternal punishment for their disobedience.
C. They face eternal punishment for their disobedience.
3 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.
The natural condition of man is to live in deadness, which means living in rebellion and sin as children of wrath, deserving punishment from God.
II. God saves by giving spiritual life to the spiritually dead. ()
II. God saves by giving spiritual life to the spiritually dead. ()
But God has sent us a savior in Jesus Christ. Our problem is not our sinful actions. The problem is our spiritual deadness which produces our spiritual actions. The fruit is bad because the root is bad.
So Jesus didn’t come to make you good. Jesus came to make you alive. He came to restore you back to a living God. And just like death produces sin. Life in Christ produces the righteousness of Christ in our actions. You change the root, you change the fruit.
That is what vv. 4-5 are saying. It’s the gospel. We were in a place of no hope.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
What does God do to bring us the the gospel.
A. God loves sinners. (v. 4)
A. God loves sinners. (v. 4)
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God is love. That attribute has crucial implication for sinners. Who God is impacts his relationship with mankind. We know that God is truth. So when God relates to us that truth becomes faithfulness. When God speaks to us, he is true to his word. God doesn’t change his mind. You can’t absolutely count on him.
We know that God is holy. So when God relates to us that holiness is translates into justice. God doesn’t sweep unrighteousness, sin, and evil under the rug. And you wouldn’t want him to.
When Paul speaks of Gods great love and John says that God is love realize that when that love is related to us, it becomes mercy (v.4) and grace (v.7).
Yes, God judges sin because he is holy, but he also saves sinners because he is love.
You are heard is said rightly, in Christ, God didn’t give us what we deserved (eternal punishment), but he gave us what we didn’t deserve (eternal life).
This is what God accomplished for those who would put faith in him at the cross.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
B. God resurrects sinners from the dead and makes them saints. (v. 5)
B. God resurrects sinners from the dead and makes them saints. (v. 5)
B. God resurrects sinners from the dead and makes them saints. (v. 5)
B. God resurrects sinners from the dead and makes them saints. (v. 5)
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
E
Eph. 5:
“Made us alive”… that’s the good news of the gospel! That spiritually dead people separated from God and under judgment can live in forgiveness and live for the glory of the one who gives us life.
In the gospels Jesus raised 3 people from the dead: the widow of Nain’s son (), Jairus’ daughter (), and Lazarus ().
Have you ever thought, “what was really the point? They all still died later.” The point is to display that Jesus has power of death. And that Jesus is a life giver.
Yes they eventually died. The reason is that Jesus didn’t come to give us physical life forever. This world is full of sin and heartache and suffering. Jesus came to give us life forever with God. Did you catch the way v.5 was worded, “made us alive together with Christ.” (v.5)
Those resurrections where to point us to the ultimate resurrection anyone can have that puts faith in Christ. This resurrection is to restore us to God forever.
C. God exalts saints to a new spiritual position. (v.6)
C. God exalts saints to a new spiritual position. (v.6)
Warren Wiersbie said it like this, “We are not raised from the dead and left in the graveyard.
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
When you put faith in Christ, you don’t have to wait until you die to be resurrected. When Jesus was resurrected, believers were resurrected. Spiritually we get resurrected immediately when we have faith.
We have a physical position and we have a spiritual position. Outside of Christ they are both in the same place. They are both bound in the flesh. They are both corrupted.
But when we put faith in Christ, our physical position stays in the flesh. And the flesh still struggles with sin. But, our spiritual position rests in Christ. Christ is seated in the heavenly places. And, we are seated in Christ, in our spiritual position, in the heavenly places.
Lazarus was raised physically from the dead with the call to “come forth.” You were also raised from the dead. Spiritually now, but the physical is coming.
D. God puts his grace on display through his saints. (vv.7-9)
D. God puts his grace on display through his saints. (vv.7-9)
Have you ever wondered why it is that God would save sinners at all?
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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.
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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.
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
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.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
God’s purpose for saving sinners is not simply to rescue us from hell. That’s great, but there’s something that is even greater. God saved us so that his grace might be glorified for all of eternity.
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
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.
God saves in a way that you can’t take any glory for it. He get’s it all. That’s why it was by grace and not works. You didn’t share in your salvation. God did all of it. So God gets all the glory for it.
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Our salvation is a display of who he is forever. God is greater than anyone else. Christ is worthy of praise. That is seen in salvation.
There’s this great T-Shirt that I’m going to have to get since my kids and I watch superhero movies all the time. The T-Shirt is Jesus sitting around with Thor, Spiderman, Captain America, and the Hulk sitting around with Jesus. And Jesus says, “And that is how I saved the world.”
Our salvation is a display of who he is forever. There
We wouldn’t think Spiderman is that great if he didn’t save anyone. Jesus is great rather or not he chose to save anyone. But is greatness is greater by displaying grace.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus was God before he came, but he was not Lord. He earned his Lordship through the cross. The Lordship of Christ displays the incredible grace of God. He will be glorified for his display of glory.
III. Good works in saints are a byproduct of God’s saving grace. ()
III. Good works in saints are a byproduct of God’s saving grace. ()
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: Get out of the Graveyard (Ephesians 2:1–10)
“For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated “workmanship” is poiema, from which we derive our English word “poem.” It means “that which is made, a manufactured product.” In other words, our conversion is not the end; it is the beginning.
We are not saved by our works, but we are saved for works.
Paul says that you are God’s workmanship. What that means is that God has been working on you and created you exactly in what he wanted you to be for the work he has prepared you to do.
When you saved, you are a creation of God. We are his workmanship. The Greek word translated “workmanship” is poiema. It’s the word that we get the English word “poem. It means the product that is manufactured.
What is it that he has created you to be? He has created you to be Christlike.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Now that you are made in the image of Christ, God has prepared some specific works for you to do.
Think about that. As a Christian, your life has purpose. God planned to save your soul in eternity past, then as a part of your salvation he was going to put you to work. He has you on assignment.
That’’s great but how do I know what they are. He didn’t send me a to-do list. Who else did he treat like this? Jesus. Before the beginning of time, God the Father agreed with God the Son to send him to live, die, and be risen again in our place that we might be saved. Before the beginning of time, the crossed was planned for Christ.
It is not wonder then why Jesus says:
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
The work that God calls us to do is to die daily and do whatever God shows us to do, whenever he shows us to do it.
I will call it purpose lived sanctification. It may mean you do what you are doing now. You just do it like Jesus would do it. Now that you are saved, You go to work. But you work like Jesus would work. You love your spouse and your children, but you love them like Jesus would love them. It means you look for the things that pop up in your life that Jesus would be engaged in and you engage in it even though before you would just pass it by. It means life becomes much less self centered and much more for the glory of God.
It means that raised people live differently than dead people.
I want you to remember what Jesus told Lazarus when was resurrected and walked out of the grave.
44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
In other words, he is alive now, take those grave clothes off of him. An alive person shouldn’t walk in dead man’s clothes. And believers are no longer dead, we shouldn’t dress our lives like we are.
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Spurgeon said this in his sermon “The Necessity of Faith.”
A wheel will remain erect as long as it moves, but when it begins to stand still it falls.
Spurgeon, C. H. (1855). The Necessity of Increased Faith. In The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 1, p. 249). London: Passmore & Alabaster.
1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 19). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
When you look at pastors and other believers that have affairs or somehow stop walking a life of faith. Why is that? They stopped moving, so they fell.
Believer, don’t stand still. God knows that is dangerous and he’s got things for you to do. You are alive in Christ, live like it.
