S216 Seeing Our Spiritual Progress Clearly (Ephesians 2.1-10)

INTRODUCTION

A. Have you ever taken those “before” and “after” photos?

1. Usually we take them prior to a diet or workout regime

2. For me, I find my “before” pictures tend to be the ones where I look the best

3. After a lot of stress, men like our Presidents often look much worse for the wear in their “after” photos

4. The goal: to see the progress and growth (usually, positive) over a time

B. As we seek to see more clearly with spiritual vision, we want to see our progress in spiritual growth

1. It is a part of our reality

2. It helps us gain perspective (the whole point of “seeing clearly with 20/20 spiritual vision)

C. What better way to see our progress than to look at the “before” and “after” pictures God has of our spiritual growth?

1. It is a helpful reminder to see where we came from in our “before” photos

To see how far we have come.

As a warning not to be sucked back into that lifestyle and reality.

2. It is encouraging to see the “after” photos

To see all the hard work and what it has accomplished.

To be reminded of the progress and remember the value of that progress.

Ephesians 2:1–10 NASB95

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, 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 ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as 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 so that we would walk in them.

D. PRAYER

BODY

I. The “Before” Spiritual Pictures (Ephesians 2.1-3)

A. All of us have a “before” picture

1. Not the pictures we might have in our albums or our phones

2. The image of what we once were…spiritually destitute and broken

3. The state of being we had to recognize in ourselves before we could humble ourselves before God

B. Before was death (Ephesians 2.1)

1. We were dead in our trespasses and sins...

2. Death = separation

Body / / Spirit = physical death (James 2.26)

Me / / God = spiritual death

3. We WERE dead…past tense (this is the “before” picture)

4. What made us dead?

C. Before was sin (Ephesians 2.2-3a)

1. We walked according to the course of this world...

Walking = living (also note, in Ep 2.3a, how Paul says, Among them we TOO all formerly LIVED…)

The way the world lives…that is the way we lived.

2. We walked…according to the prince of the power of the air...

This is Satan. We lived according to Satan’s desires, goals, and methods.

He is the prince of the power of the air: Satan is called...

…the god of this world… (2 Corinthians 4.4)

…the ruler of this world… (John 12.31)

Satan has power and authority (of a sort) over the hearts/minds/flesh of this world. When we were in this image, we were under his influence.

3. We lived in the lusts of our flesh…and mind...

4. Summary: we indulged in sin…just like everyone else (in varying degrees)

Looking around us at the world…we see the sin in that world.

Looking around, we see sinners.

Even when they are “good people” or if we were “good people,” we were just living in our own versions of darkness and sin.

5. Result?

D. Before was wrath (Ephesians 2.3b)

1. We were children of wrath...

To be a child of something means you are like that thing…and that you are an inheritor of that thing.

What wrath? God’s wrath.

2. God’s wrath was our destination (our “before” picture)

3. God’s wrath is the world’s destination (the sad “current” picture of many)

E. Before was depressing and hopeless…but God began to work on us

II. The “After” Spiritual Pictures (Ephesians 2.4-10)

A. The goal is to get to the “after” pictures

1. You don’t take and look at the “before” picture without a desire to improve

2. We need to move beyond the weakness and problems of the “before” if we want to get to the “after”

3. We cannot stop in the midst of the efforts if we want a true “after” picture

B. Motivated by God’s character (Ephesians 2.4)

1. The change is started by God (He had to start the work, since we couldn’t do it on our own)

2. God’s character is the motivating factor behind any of these spiritual changes

3. God’s character:

…rich in mercy...

…great love...

4. His character shines in that His love and compassion were while we were in our “before” state

We were dead in our transgressions...

Yet, during this time, during the time when we were sinful, God took steps to help us because He was so fond of us, even then.

C. A new spiritual reality (Ephesians 2.5-7)

1. We were …made alive...

This is the opposite of our old situation…while we were dead in our transgressions...

God wanted something better, He wanted us to have life.

If spiritual death = God / / Me

Spiritual life = God/Me

2. We were …raised up…and seated…in the heavenlies...

Glorified.

Not JUST alive, but brought to a higher position.

We have a current reality, in a spiritual sense, that connects us to heaven, already

3. This spiritual reality is made possible by Jesus

We are made…alive together with Christ… (Just as Jesus was resurrected, we are spiritually resurrected in our baptism and unity to Christ)

We are raised up with Him, and seated…with Him in the heavenlies… (this glory is a connection to Christ’s glory, and this spiritual position is connected to Christ’s spiritual position).

D. Not our efforts (Ephesians 2.8-10a)

1. Through grace

Grace = unearned gift (not of yourselves, the GIFT of God)

While we were dead, we couldn’t DO anything (dead) to reverse the situation (back to life), so we needed a living person (Christ) to do something.

Grace is what saves us (…by grace you have been saved…)

2. There is a “salvation” equation here:

I bring faith…God brings grace...

My Faith + God’s Grace = Salvation

God cannot bring faith (otherwise, it would not be faith, but forced obedience), and I cannot bring grace (I cannot do it on my own).

3. The grace is important to see as beyond my own abilities

…not of yourselves, it is the gift of God

…not as a result of works (doesn’t mean I don’t do anything, but works = something I can “boast” about because I’ve earned it, I’ve done it)

4. Not MY work, but God’s workmanship

Not only are we NOT bragging about some works I have accomplished that make me righteous or save me, but I am, in fact, the very work of God.

E. God’s expectations (Ephesians 2.10b)

1. We haven’t been brought to life to sit around (we were doing a good enough job “sitting around” spiritually when we were dead)

2. God created [us] in Christ Jesus for good works...

God wants us busy.

God wants us working (not lounging around)

3. This is the walk God desired for us

Not the walk of the sinful world.

The walk of the good deeds God has.

4. This was always His plan: He prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them

F. Does our physical reflect our spiritual reality?

CONCLUSION

A. There was a change in our lives when we came to Christ

B. There should be spiritual progress in our lives

C. Are we growing in our spiritual efforts?