YouTube video sermon
Ephesians 2:1-10
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Ephesians 2. As you’re finding your place, you might recall that on October 14, 1987 in Midland, TX a little 18-month old girl named Jessica McClure (widely known as “Baby Jessica”) fell into a well in her aunt’s backyard and got stuck. Over the next 56 hours, rescuers worked to successfully free her.
Firemen and police developed a plan to drill a parallel shaft to the well where Jessica was lodged (22 feet below the surface) and drill another horizontal cross-tunnel to rescue her. It seemed a fairly straightforward and simple solution, but they discovered that the well was surrounded by rock. The jackhammers they were using were inadequate, because they were designed for vertical rather than horizontal drilling.
Eventually, a mining engineer arrived to help supervise and coordinate the rescue effort, and he brought along a relatively new technology – waterjet cutting. Forty-five hours after Jessica fell into the well, the adjacent shaft and cross-tunnel were complete. During the drilling, rescuers could hear Jessica singing “Winnie the Pooh.”
Paramedic Robert O’Donnell was ultimately able to inch his way into the tunnel, wrestle Jessica free from her position pinned inside the well with one leg above her forehead – and hand her to a fellow paramedic, who carried her up to safety before giving her to another paramedic who carried her to a waiting ambulance.
And that’s not the only incident of this nature. Back in June/July 2018 (do you remember this?) a high school football team and their coach got trapped in an underground cave in Thailand when floodwaters blocked them inside. They were rescued after 18 days of being trapped. Thinking back over those events, and others like them, I’ve realized that the utter helplessness and hopelessness they felt is an excellent picture of our lost condition. As sinners – lost and alienated from God – we’re helpless and hopeless. There’s nothing we can do on our own to fix our situation. If we’re going to be rescued it will be completely the result of God’s effort – not our own.
That’s the message that Paul has for us today in Ephesians 2. In the first chapter, Paul talked about the riches of God’s blessing and the power of God that has been revealed in Christ (and in us, who believe). He prayed that the Ephesians (and you and me) would come to realize “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (1:19). In chapter 2, Paul’s going to continue illustrating Christ’s power to save, God’s power – through Jesus – to supernaturally transform hearts and lives for His glory, and we get this wonderful “before and after” picture of the Christian.
If you like watching DIY shows or renovation shows; maybe some of you are familiar with “Fixer Upper” starring Chip and Joanna Gaines, or maybe you’re like me and you prefer watching shows renovating cars, or maybe (ladies) you like watching those makeover shows… Whatever it is, when you get to the end of the episode they show the before images and then the after images. In some cases, you can’t even tell it’s the same house, or the same car, or even the same person. Well, when it comes to saving souls and ushering people into a right relationship with God, let’s just say Jesus knows what He’s doing. He has the power to save. Let’s read today’s passage:
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 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 – 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. 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 – 6 and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 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. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Father, thank You that we’re able to turn to the Bible – that we’re not left to modern notions of psychology or our own reasoning or science and medicine – but that together we bow underneath the dictates of Your most holy Word. We say together “Speak, Lord” in the stillness, while we wait on Thee, with hushed hearts, listening with expectancy – that You, O God, will speak. For we pray in Christ’s name, Amen.
This morning I want us to examine our salvation, which is God’s gift of grace and we’ll tackle it in three sections.
The Reason for Salvation: Past
First, the reason for our salvation. Why did we or why do you need to be saved in the first place? Verses 1-3 give us five reasons.
Number one: we were dead. Paul says we’re “dead in trespasses and sins.” Obviously, Paul isn’t talking about physical death. He’s talking about spiritual death. Nevertheless, it is actually helpful to think of a physically dead corpse. What’s a corpse actually able to do? Nothing. It can’t walk. It can’t talk. It can’t breathe or live. It just lays there. It’s dead. That’s exactly what Paul says is true of you and me spiritually . . . we’re dead. Spiritually speaking, we just lay there. Dead toward God. Unable to communicate with God. Unable to walk with God. Unable to live for God. Why? Because our spirits, our hearts, our souls are dead.
We like to think of tiny newborns as sweet and innocent babies, totally removed from the concept of sin and death. But spiritually speaking, a brand new, first-breath-out-of-the-womb baby, is no different than the vilest sinful adult. Now I know that’s hard to wrap your mind around, but according to the Bible it’s true. King David wrote these words in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” And don’t be misled; David isn’t saying that the sexual act that led to his conception was sinful. He’s saying that when he was conceived and born, he was born into the realm of sin. We were dead; that’s the first reason.
Number two: we were deceived. Because we were dead in our sins and trespasses, we were deceived into walking “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” The prince is, of course, Satan, who exercises control over this world.
That’s another reality that’s difficult to fully appreciate and grasp. We know that God is ultimately in control of everything. He’s sovereign. Nothing is outside of His rule and reign, but He’s temporarily allowed Satan to exercise a measure of control over this world. All we have to do is look around at the violence and destruction to know that Satan is at work. And when we’re spiritually dead, without discernment, we’re deceived by what Satan does – deceived into walking “according to the course of this world.”
Number three: we’re disobedient. Every person in the world is disobedient – including Christians (most of the time). Hopefully and prayerfully, as believers in Jesus, we’re more obedient than before; but nobody is perfectly obedient toward God. Think about how often you live up to your own moral and ethical standards, much less the moral and ethical purity and holiness and righteousness that God requires.
Do you see that phrase “sons of disobedience” at the end of verse 2? That’s referring to Satan’s family. There are two families according to the Bible: God’s and Satan’s. When Jesus was speaking with the Pharisees, in John 8, they’re having this conversation about ancestry. Jesus is trying to get them to understand who He is (i.e. God) and why He came, and yet the Pharisees are wanting to kill Him and Jesus says this: “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires” (John 8:43-44). Again, if this language is offensive, please understand that I’m just telling us what the Bible says.
Number four: we were defiled. Look at verse 3 again, “we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind…” This isn’t just referring to sexual temptation, although that’s clearly in view. No, this is referring to unbridled desires of all kinds; doing what we want, when we want, where we want, with whomever we want, however we want. This is Paul’s way of describing self-centeredness.
And finally, number five: we’re doomed. This is the natural outcome of the first four: we’re doomed. Paul says we were “by nature children of wrath,” meaning that we were those who justly deserved God’s wrath for our sinful disobedience against Him.
Now remember, Paul is delivering this message in a letter to folks that have accepted the Good News of Jesus and are, in fact, Christians. And he’s reminding them of the reasons for their salvation. Had it not been for the power of God, they would’ve remained in their sins and trespasses and so would we. Go back to my opening stories – trapped, cut off, alienated. No Christian can take any personal pride in having somehow solved his/her sin problem apart from God. We were doomed to receive His judgment.
Ahh, but notice these next two precious words, “but God…” Those two words are the theme of the entire Bible. Think about it.
- Adam and Eve were lost forever because of their sin, but God…
- Noah would’ve drowned with the rest of humanity, but God…
- Abraham would’ve sacrificed Isaac, but God…
- Moses and the Israelites faced the Red Sea, but God…
- Jonah would’ve been fish poop instead of a prophet, but God…
Larnelle Harris sings a song titled: But God. And the chorus of that song (maybe I’ll sing it sometime) goes like this:
But God sees a way, when miracles are well beyond our view.
His love saves the day, when fear would tell us there is just no use.
You can look the whole world over for the meaning of it all –
For the purpose that mankind has always sought.
In the end you’ll discover, there is no other answer: But God.
Folks, God always makes the difference in situations where man is hopeless and helpless. We were dead in trespasses and sin, but God…
The Remedy of Salvation: Present
Paul now turns to the remedy for our alienation from God, and he uses a series of rich terms (five, in fact) to describe what God did.
Number one: rich mercy. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. There’s a lot of talk these days about justice, and to be sure there are plenty of issues that our country (and our church) needs to work on, but I always get a little nervous when people start demanding justice because justice means getting what we deserve. And according to the Bible, what you and I deserve is eternal punishment, God’s judgment, and wrath. Listen to these words from Psalm 103:8-12:
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.”
God is rich in mercy, which is exactly what sinners need. And because God is rich in mercy, there’s no sin so deep and ugly that God’s mercy can’t cover it. He has more mercy than we have guilt and shame.
Number two: great love. God’s love for us is great. In fact, it’s His great love that motivated Him to pout out His mercy on us in the first place. One of the first verses that every Christian (and even non-Christians) learn is this, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. 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” (John 3:16-18).
As radical as it is to think about, listen to this. If you were the only human being on the face of the earth, His love would still be directed toward you because that’s just who He is. God is love. It’s in His very nature to love and to save.
Number three: rich grace. Three times in these 10 verses we encounter the word “grace” (vss. 5, 7, 8). If mercy is not getting what we do deserve, then grace is getting what we don’t deserve. It’s the best deal going, and it’s on offer in Jesus Christ. Just let this sink in. Not only do we not get what we deserve – eternal punishment – and that would’ve been awesome by itself, but God also gives us the gift of Christ’s righteousness. And all of this is our because Jesus paid the price. Grace is often explained using the acronym:
God’s | Riches | At | Christ’s | Expense
Paul knows what he’s talking about here. He refers to himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:13-15). Not only did he blaspheme Jesus, he persecuted and killed Christians, but God… rich in mercy, great in love, and rich in grace, saved Paul (and He stands ready to do the same for you).
Number four: free gift. The fourth word that Paul uses to describe the remedy of salvation is gift. It’s probably the best known and most loved verse in the entire letter, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8). The irony of this verse is this: if your heart has been captivated by the magnificent love and mercy and grace of God, then this verse is like heaven. On the other hand, if your heart hasn’t been captivated by the magnificent love and mercy and grace of God, then this verse is burdensome.
“What do you mean, pastor?” Listen to me, brothers and sister, I’m convinced that one of the main reasons more people haven’t had their heart, soul, mind, spirit, and body redeemed by God through Jesus Christ is because it’s FREE. While the average American might not have a problem taking monetary handouts from the government, they stop short of taking one from God. Nope, when it comes to salvation, I gotta do my part. I gotta clean up my act. I gotta love my neighbor more, and serve the poor, and give more money to the church, and memorize more Bible verses, and on and on it goes. Listen, there’s NO COST to you. Jesus bore the price. And that leads me to the last description…
Number five: by faith. So, the gift of salvation, the gift of my rescue is free, but I only get the gift if and when I receive it. If I pay for, it’s not a gift. If I try to earn it, it’s not a gift. If I put off receiving it, then it’s not a free gift to me. The apostle Paul says that we’ve been saved by grace, “through faith.” I mentioned the little helpful acronym for G.R.A.C.E. just a minute ago. Do you know the acronym for F.A.I.T.H.?
Forsaking | All | I | Trust | Him
We receive the free gift of salvation by trusting God at His word. You have to believe that Jesus Christ is your only hope of forgiveness and salvation – and when He’s your only hope, you put your faith and trust in Him. We can have an intellectual and academic understanding of grace, and love, and mercy, and the freeness of the gift of salvation, but until we receive it by faith we’re not saved.
And finally, that brings us to…
The Result of Salvation: Future
And thankfully there are only two results of our salvation.
Number one: for God. Simply put, the result of God’s saving us is that “in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Every believer is a trophy of God’s grace, and heaven is going to be filled with them. God gets an eternity with His redeemed children, as a result of saving us through Jesus.
Number two: for others. This seems contrary to everything else we’ve seen this morning, but one of the results of our salvation is that we might do the “good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Let’s be clear. We aren’t saved BY good works, but we are most certainly saved FOR good works. Works aren’t the CAUSE of our salvation, but they are an EVIDENCE of it.
Diane Disney was Walt Disney’s daughter. When she was 6 years old she came up to her dad and tugged on his coat and asked, “Daddy, are you Walt Disney?” Walt laughed and replied, “Yes, honey, I’m Walt Disney.” She then clarified her question, “No, are you the Walt Disney that makes movies? Some of the kids at school say you’re the Walt Disney that makes movies.” Walt responded, “Yes, dear, I’m that Walt Disney.” Diane found a sheet of paper and a pen and asked for her dad’s autograph, and he kindly obliged and returned the autographed piece of paper to his daughter. Nothing changed that day for Diane Disney, except that she had a new appreciation and understanding of who her dad was. I pray the same is true for you and me because of Ephesians 2:1-10.