Alive in Christ

Introduction: Identity theft is a pretty big problem in our world today. People try to get our identity so they can take our money and build their own new identities and things like this. So they steal someone’s identity. But what is our identity? Is it our Social Security Number? Is it our Driver’s licence number? Is it that card you carry with your picture on it?

Our identity goes much deeper than a number or a picture on a card or our bank account information. Our identity is who we are on the inside. It is more than a name, it is what we are like, what we like and do. During the teenage years, it is often said that you are trying to figure out who you are. You are figuring out your place in the world. This is important but even more important is our identity spiritually. Those of us who are saved, have an identity in Christ. The Bible says we are a new creation, a new person in Christ.

Over the next couple weeks we will be looking at just a couple of areas of our identity in Christ. The Bible has a lot to say about who we are in Christ. In just a couple weeks we cannot cover it all.

For more information there are some great books out there on this subject. The first is ID by Natalie Durso. This is written for girls primarily and is a great book to learn about who you are in Christ.

Another is “Who Am I?” by Jerry Bridges

Both of these books explore this idea of identity in Christ at a much deeper level.

As we consider the idea of our identity in Christ, we need to focus more on those last two words “in Christ”. This is one of Paul’s favorite phrases, it comes up so many time in his letters. So it is fitting that we will look at Paul’s letters to see what our identity in Christ is.

Tonight we will look at Ephesians 2:1-10.

Proposition: God did all the work in saving us from our condition of spiritual death and made us alive in Christ.

I. Our Condition Without Christ

(Ephesians 2:1-3)

A. Dead in Sin

We are spiritually dead. We are without Christ and without hope. We cannot respond our own.

Dead means not responding. I once had the opportunity to help my father-in-law move a body.

We are dead IN sins and trespasses. Because of sin we are spiritually dead.

Sin=breaking God’s law

Trespasses= taking a misstep, not following the right path

GPS- Do you ever not follow your GPS? Sometimes it gives directions and you say, “No, I’m going this way”

B. Following the Course of the World

Our GPS is following the path of the World and Satan, not the way of God.

C. Slaves to Satan

The Bible says that we are servants of someone. We are either servants of Satan or servants of God. Whoever is a servant of Satan is against God. We were God’s enemies. We served Satan and his evil ways.

D. Following the Lusts of our Flesh

We did what we wanted. We sinned. We did things against the Law of God. Even our “good works” were evil. Nothing we did was good enough to satisfy God’s standard.

E. Children of Wrath

We were under the death sentence of sin. We were destined for eternal wrath of God. God has to punish sin. We were destined for hell, to experience the wrath of God as punishment for our sin.

If we have accepted Christ as our Savior, this is our former condition. This is what we were saved out of. This is what we were before God stepped in and saved us.

If you have not accepted Christ, this is your current condition. You are dead in your trespasses and sins. You are a slave to Satan. You are a child of wrath, destined for eternal punishment for your sin in hell.

II. Our Condition With Christ

(Ephesians 2:4-10)

A. Alive in Christ

B. Raised up with Christ

C. Seated in Heavenly Places

We are taken from following the course of this world to being seated in heavenly places. This world is no longer our home but we are citizens of Heaven.

Our position is changed drastically. It is like if we were a homeless child, starving, and dirty on the streets and the President of the United States came by and decided to adopt us. We then move to the white house and are treated as one of his children and enjoy those privileges of the president’s child.

D. The Why and How of our New Condition

1. Why: To show the riches of his grace

Verse 4 talked about God being rich in mercy and grace

We are the display of the riches of God’s grace

2. How: We are saved by Grace through faith

It is a gift of God

It is not by works—not by anything we have done or can do

It is not by our work but God’s

Because in salvation, we are God’s workmanship/creation. It is not through any merit of our own or anything we do but all of what God does in making us a new creation in Christ.

God saved us so that we would walk in good works instead of according to the course of the world

Application: Salvation is not just fire-insurance. We are not just saved to not go to hell. Though this is a benefit, this verse says we are saved to walk in obedience to God. God has revealed these good works in the Bible. If we are saved, we are supposed to live a life obeying God. We are to do what He commands us to do in His Word. He says to honor your father and mother, to love your neighbor as yourself, to love God with all your heart. We are told not to worship any god other than God alone. We are told not to lie, to steal, to murder, to hate, to look in lust at someone of the opposite gender. All these things are things we are supposed to do if we are saved. God has saved us to do these good works, to obey him. Our salvation is not based on these good works but rather these works are a result of our salvation. We cannot earn our way to heaven through these good works but instead, since we are on our way to heaven, we should obey God and live like a citizen of heaven.

Conclusion: So we have looked at this passage tonight to discover what our identity in Christ is. In this passage we learn that we are Alive in Christ.

Paul teaches us that:

Proposition:

God did all the work in saving us from our condition of spiritual death and made us alive in Christ.

We are alive in Christ. We once faced a hopeless situation. We were dead, unresponsive to anything good and godly. We were slaves to sin and Satan. But God in His mercy and grace stepped in and made us alive. He did this so that we would point to Him and that we would live lives that are pleasing to Him. This is who we are in Christ. We are part of God’s family. We are spiritually alive, citizens of heaven. And as those things, God wants us to obey Him.