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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.
Intro: You’ve heard it before…
Instructions you are already familiar with
This is a sermon we’ve probably heard a million times
Salvation 101
Because of God’s love, mercy, kindness and grace, he has made a way for his enemies to be reconciled to him and enjoy him forever!
Preview
This text explains what we have....
When we are without Jesus
When we are with Jesus
When we are found in Jesus
Always Remember Where You Were Without Jesus
Always Remember Where You Were Without Jesus
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.
These verses detail what we were without Jesus, what we did without Jesus, and what we deserve for all of this.
What were we? (2:1)
“And you were Dead
In the trespasses
and sins in which you once walked...”
It’s impossible for a dead person to do anything to make themselves alive.
What did we do?
We followed...
“the course of this world” (2:2a)
What the world said was normal, we agreed and embraced it.
We looked like everyone else.
World’s morality, the world’s ideals, the world’s treasures, the world’s priorities.
“following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (2:2b)
We followed the one who leads this world - Satan.
Our commanding officer was the one who declared cosmic rebellion against God.
We became cosmic rebels.
Committed cosmic high treason.
With the rest of humanity.
We also followed our own sinful desires.
“among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind”
It’s not like Satan or anyone else in the world forced us to be cosmic rebels.
We did it gladly! We enjoyed it! It came naturally to us because we loved our sin.
We’ve seen what we were and what we did without Jesus. Now look at what the text says we deserve and what we would get without Jesus.
What do we deserve? (2:3b)
“and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Children of wrath.
Deserving of God’s justice.
We tend to not talk about Hell.
Can a cancer survivor appreciate being cancer free without first knowing he had cancer?
Application: Be sobered by what you deserve! Let it humble you!
Test yourself:
Do you treasure what the world treasures?
Do you prioritizes what the world prioritizes?
Do you embrace what the world embraces?
Remember, this is supposed to be where we were. Not where we are now.
Always Remember What You Receive With Jesus (2:4-7)
Always Remember What You Receive With Jesus (2:4-7)
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.
Who is this God?!
Rich in mercy (2:4a)
Possesses great love towards us (his enemies) (2:4b)
Exhibits grace (2:4c)
Kind (2:5a)
What did God do?!
He has given us something amazing that we don’t deserve. We are now recipients of His...
Mercy
Love
Grace
And Kindness
We see here how we benefit tremendously by the fact that God is who He is!
These things manifest by God...
Making us spiritually alive.
No longer a corpse. (2:5b)
Raising us up with Jesus! (2:6a)
Lifting us from where we were before.
Seating us with Jesus in the heavens! (2:6b)
No longer enemies, but now coheirs with Christ.
You think this is good! Look what the text says! It only gets better as eternity continues...
“so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Application: Appreciate what you have been given and what is prepared for you!
Ask yourself...
Do I have a right view of God?
Do I see God as infinitely holy while also being infinitely gracious?
Always Remember What God Is Doing With You In Jesus.
Always Remember What God Is Doing With You In 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.
a. Salvation is a gift. He get’s all the credit! (2:8-9)
i. Grace – unmerited undeserved favor
ii. Faith – Not just in the head, but transforms the heart!
iii. Gift – Gift extended. Reject or accept.
iv. Not by works – trying to be good enough is rejecting the free gift.
v. You cannot take away God’s bragging right!
b. Your works belong to God (2:10)
i. You were created for a purpose. Workmanship.
ii. Christ is working in you and through you! Ambassadors for Christ!
iii. This was all planned before you were born!
iv. Walk in them
Application: Do not walk with your grave clothes on! Spurgeon: “Why should souls who are quickened with Jesus, wear the grave clothes of worldliness and unbelief?”
Summation: Without Jesus we were spiritually dead & without hope. With Jesus, we are made spiritually alive & have infinite hope! In Jesus, God is showing off his glory through us!
Invitation: Have you placed your faith in the free gift God has offered you through Jesus?