Who We Used to Be

Introduction

Today, we are going to be finishing up a series of messages we’ve been looking at over the last 6 weeks or so now. Throughout this series we’ve looked at Who Jesus Is, Who We Are to Be, Who We Are and today, we’re going to look at Who We Used to Be.

The reason we need to understand Who We Used to Be is so that when God opens a door for us to share our testimony with a lost person, we can relate to them about the state they are in!

We can say, “hey, I know what you’re going through because I’ve been there! I’ve went through that exact same thing! Let me tell you how God brought me through my situation and how he can do the same for you!”

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We need to understand Who

And this ought to be a subject that is familiar to everyone sitting here today because at one point or another, we’ve all found ourselves in that same situation, haven’t we? At one point in our lives we were all lost and undone in our sins with no hope of being saved in and of ourselves!

For some here today, it’s been a long time since you realized that you were lost and trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. For others, it might not have been that long. It may have only been recently, within the last year or two, that you understood your lost condition and did something about it!

And for some sitting here today, you may not have made the move to trust in Christ yet. You may have never realized before today that you are lost and in need of a Savior!

Well the thing to know is this…the problem is not with being lost and not knowing it but rather the problem begins when God opens your eyes to the fact that you’re lost and you don’t do anything about it!

That’s when it becomes an issue! And my prayer here today, is that if there is someone here who is lost, that God would speak to your heart through the message today and that you would see your lost condition and do something about it!

Today, I want us to start in Ephesians Chapter 2 and we’re going to begin by looking at verses 1-3 and then we’re going to look at a couple other passages to try and bring to completion who exactly we used to be. Ephesians Chapter 2, if you have it would you say, Amen.

We Were Dead

Paul begins here by saying, “And you hath he quickened,”. The word “quickened” means “to make alive w/Christ.” He begins by referring to them as being made alive in order to remind them that they were once

We used to be dead “in” our sins but now we are to be dead “to” sin!

The word “dead” in Greek is (nekros) and it means “spiritually dead, destitute of life & power.”

— 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

— 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

— Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

— For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

— 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

— Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

— For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

— Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

— For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

— Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

— 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

We used to be dead “in” our sins but now we are to be dead “to” sin!

We Were Detoured

— 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

— 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

— 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

The word “unprofitable” used here in Verse 12 means useless. Now think about this for a second…a sheep with a spot or blemish was useless when it came to the temple sacrifice!

We Were Doomed

— 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

We Are Delivered

— 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

— Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

— 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

— For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. — 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

— 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

—  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Goodbye