“Raising the Dead”
(Ephesians 2:1-10)
Series: Christ and the Church [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
January 24, 2021
The Passage
Ephesians 2:1-10
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Introductory Comments:
Welcome back to the book of Ephesians. Thus far, we have learned of the power of God in choosing, adopting, and sealing His children; we’ve learned about the power of God seen in the authority of Jesus over all things, including the Church; and today we will learn about the power and grace of God in our salvation.
If you haven’t already, find your way to Ephesians 2:1-10, which is page 1036 in the pew Bible. Let’s pray together before we begin.
(prayer)
In the next two passages that we study, Paul is going to remind the Ephesian believers who God is and what He has done.
In today’s passage, we will see discover three ways that mark the life of a follower of Jesus.
Are you ready? First, we see . . .
I. The way of sin (vv. 1-3) [on screen]
As we did the last couple of weeks, we’re going to take a few sneak peeks at a verse before we cover it in totality. Peek with me at the beginning of verse 1. Paul says, “And you were dead . . .”
Very simply, the way of sin leads to death.
As a pastor, I’ve seen a lot of dead bodies. I don’t mean to be too callous or light-hearted about this, but I can tell you very quickly that I’ve never seen a dead person do anything to help themselves. This truth is at the heart of what Paul is saying. As we study today’s passage, keep that in mind.
Let’s first look at verses 1-3:
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
Paul says that those of us who are followers of Jesus were once (in the past) dead. Why were we dead? Because of their trespasses and sins.
Rather than living as those who were in Christ, we were dead as those who were in sin.
The Apostle Paul says elsewhere in Romans 6:23, “For the wages [or payment] of sin is death . . .” [on screen]
The Old Testament proverbs teach us in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” [on screen]
So, the way of sin is death.
Paul goes on to describe the characteristics of being in sins and trespasses.
Paul says in verse 2 that we walked in these ways and that these ways were“according to the ways of this world . . .” These are not the ways of the heavenly kingdom; they are not the ways of God.
He says these ways are also “according to the ruler of the power of the air . . .” It is generally accepted that Paul is speaking here about Satan, the devil. Satan is not the ruler of all things, but he is given limited dominion and power for a limited amount of time. When we are in sin, we are in the ways of Satan, the ruler of the power of the air. It’s important to realize, church, that when we are living the way we did before Jesus changed us, we are living the way of death and the way of evil.
Finally, Paul says that when we were living the old way we were living in, “the spirit now working in the disobedient.” Rather than living with the seal and inheritance of the Holy Spirit, we were dead and led by the power of the spirit of disobedience, the spirit of evil, the spirit that is against God’s ways.
Now, Paul doesn’t want the Ephesians to think that he’s being too hard on them. He says in verse 3, “We too all previously lived among them . . .”
Paul is basically saying, “Hey, I was right there with you!”
Paul said in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” [on screen]
Jewish, Gentile, Israelite, Roman, slave, free, no matter your income level, no matter your ethnicity, no matter your background, we who are in Christ have all previously been in sin. We all walked according to the ways of this world. None of us can say, “I was pretty good before I met Jesus.” No! We were all dead and walking according to the way of evil!
Paul then characterizes the ways of this world in which we lived.
He says we lived in these ways, “ . . . in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts.” Paul didn’t say that we accidentally sinned, or even that we regretted our sin. Rather, these were ways that we desired and that we had inclinations to do in our bodies and in our minds. We wanted to sin!
He says further, “ . . . and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.” Our very nature was godlessness, sinfulness, and death. We were children under the wrath of God. We were on a straight path to judgment, wrath, and hell, as all the others who were like us were also.
You might say, “Come on, pastor, lighten up. Is it really that bad?” Yes! It is really that bad! God does not tolerate any of our deadness and evil. He judges sin and we are utterly hopeless without Jesus! Paul says in Romans 3:10, “. . . There is no one righteous, not even one.” [on screen] Without Jesus, we are dead!
This is the way of sin. It leads to death and the wrath of God poured out on our sin.
However, that was the past for those of us who are in Jesus, because we experienced . . .
II. The way of salvation (vv. 4-9) [on screen]
When we were following the way of sin and death, God brought us the way of salvation. Aren’t you glad?
Paul starts off the next section with these words, “But God.” Church, the “But God,” makes all the difference in the world! We were dead and totally unable to help ourselves. Dead people cannot become undead. But God can raise the dead!
Let’s look at the passage. Look at verses 4-9:
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
Paul makes it very clear that God intervened. There was nothing we could do to save ourselves.
Paul then tells us why God intervened. Look at verse 4 again. God intervened because He, “ . . . is rich in mercy . . .” and “. . . because of his great love that he had for us.”
When we were in sin, we deserved God’s wrath, we deserved death, and we deserved separation from God. However, God is rich in mercy and He has great love towards us! Because of God, even though, “ . . . we were dead in trespasses . . .” we can be made alive to live in Christ!
This is all because of God’s great love and mercy. Paul says at the end of verse 5, “You are saved by grace!” We don’t deserve it and we couldn’t earn it. This is a theme which Paul will come back to in just a moment.
Church, pay attention to this. Look at verse 6. We were not only made alive by the work of Jesus, but we were also, “ . . . raised . . . up with him and seated . . . with him in the heavens.”
You talk about grace? We not only do not deserve new life, but we certainly don’t deserve to be raised up to the heavens with Jesus. However, God is not doing this because we deserve it. He is doing this because of His great mercy, love, and grace! He is doing this for His glory! He is doing this by the work of Jesus!
As we are raised up by the work of Jesus, we see a long-term reason why God does this. Look at verse 7. We are raised up, “ . . . so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Immeasurable riches of His grace! How wonderful and beautiful is the grace of God! God wants to continue to show us the riches of His grace and His wonderful kindness!
Paul then returns to this theme of grace. Look at verses 8 and 9.
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
This is a very famous passage, and rightly so. This is the essence of the method by which we are saved from our sins. We are saved by grace, through faith, and we didn’t make it happen. God made it happen. There is nothing we can do to earn it so we have no reason to take any credit for it.
Grace is unmerited, or unearned, favor. Again, we didn’t work or earn God’s favor in any way. It is God’s gift. God was the One who initiated. God was the One who chose us. God was the One who predestined us. God was the One who adopted us. God was the One who sent His Son, Jesus. God was the One who called us by His Spirit. God was the One who forgave us. God is the One who makes us new. God is the One who raises us up. God is the One who sanctifies us, or makes us holy. God is the One who keeps us. God is the One who will one day glorify us. It is all God!
We have no reason to take any credit! God deserves all the glory. You and I were dead in our sin! But God made us alive because of His grace!
The average person in America who believes in heaven thinks that if you do more good than bad then God will create some space for you in heaven. Most other religions teach that you can work or earn your way to heaven.
Paul wants to clear up this wrong idea. He’s very straightforward. He says our salvation is, “ . . . not from works, so that no one can boast.”
Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” [on screen]
It’s only by God’s grace, through the work of Jesus!
Now, what of faith? Church, faith is also a gift from God!
Grace is the work of God, faith is God giving us the ability to see the work, believe it, and receive it.
Faith can be explained by talking about skydiving. When I was about twenty-two years old, my brother and I went skydiving. Here’s the deal, it was my first time skydiving. Now, I had some reservations about jumping out of a plane, but I definitely was not going to jump out of a plane by myself. I did what they call a tandem jump. Meaning, I was tethered to an experienced skydiver with all kinds of straps and contraptions. [show picture on screen] For the sake of explaining faith, that contraption that attached me to the experienced skydiver was like faith. I believed that the experience of that skydiver would keep me alive. I didn’t provide the attachment device, he did. I didn’t strap it on myself, he did. I didn’t even know how it worked, but I believed that what he was doing for me and providing for me was good for me and would keep me alive. So also, faith is not of ourselves, it is from God. When we welcome and receive that faith, we demonstrate that we trust and believe in the grace of God and the work of Jesus.
So, both grace and faith are gifts from God. We have no reason to boast!
Paul said elsewhere in Galatians 6:14, “But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .” [on screen] May that be true for us as well.
Well, what happens after we are saved from our sin? I’m glad that you asked. Let’s look at our last section:
III. The way of service (v. 10) [on screen]
Thankfully, Paul tells us what happens after we experience and are changed by the grace of God. We live a life of service to God and to others through good works.
Look at verse 10:
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
First of all, notice that we are God’s workmanship. By God’s grace and God’s work (not our own), we are like a skillfully-built craft or an exquisite work of art.
Those of us in Christ are special, significant, valuable, beautiful, admirable, lovely, and priceless because of the work of God. We are created in Christ!
Paul then says what God has made us to be, in Christ, and that is someone who does good works.
Now, you might say, “Wait a minute! I just heard you and Paul both say that we were not saved by works! Why is Paul talking about good works now?” Well, understand this, church: we are not saved by good works but we are saved for good works.
Part of God’s saving us is that we might live as changed people with new life. That new life is demonstrated by a changed life. That new life is seen in our good works. If a dead person comes back to life, you’re going to know it! If a spiritually dead person is made alive in Christ, you’ll see it because they will live a life of good and godly works.
Remember, James said in James 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” [on screen]
The life of the follower of Jesus Christ is the way of service; serving God and serving others.
A follower of Jesus without service or good works is like roller skates with wheels that don’t turn, or like a Dorito without crunch, or like a preacher who doesn’t use the Bible, or like a house with doors that don’t open, or like a savings account that yields no interest, or like a hospital that merely houses patients. It is pointless!
We were created for these good works. Paul even says these are good works, “ . . . which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
Remember, in chapter 1, Paul says that wheels were in motion for our salvation before the foundation of the world. Well, part of that plan includes us doing good works.
These good works are not optional. These are an essential result of us being changed by Jesus.
You might ask, “Pastor, where do I start with good works? What can I start doing?” Well, I’m glad that you asked. Here’s a short list of suggestions:
We can be sacrificial with our time. Help someone in need. Mow a yard. Serve in the food pantry. Clean someone’s house.
We can be sacrificially generous. Give towards the work of our church or the need of someone else. Spend less on yourself and more on others.
We can be sacrificial with our possessions. Let someone in need stay in your home. Take in a foster child. Let someone borrow your car or lawnmower.
We can be sacrificial with our devotions. Devote yourself to pray for someone. Devote yourself to encourage someone. Devote yourself to visit someone who is hurting. Devote yourself to listen to someone over the phone.
We can be sacrificial in our behavior. Be patient with the server at the restaurant. Be kind to the gas station attendant. Be forgiving to the neighbor that you don’t get along with. Be understanding with the person with whom you disagree.
We can be sacrificially Gospel-minded. Be humble. Be merciful. Be loving. Be graceful.
Be like Jesus! Live a life of good works.
Remember, these good works don’t cause us to be saved, but they demonstrate that we have been saved by the work of Jesus.
This is the way of service.
Concluding Thoughts:
The way of sin is gone, the way of salvation has changed us, and we are now in the way of service to our God and to others.
This is the way of our new life.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Sin brings death. Jesus brings life. [on screen]
(repeat)
It’s a very simple concept. We can have one of two existences: death or life; the way of the world or the way of God; in sin or in Christ. There is no neutral position; there is no middle ground. So, where are you? Are you in sin or are you in Christ?
As I said a couple weeks ago, that’s the most important question for you to ask in all your life:
Challenge yourself this week with this one weekly challenge:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Check your pulse. [on screen]
What does someone do to check to see that someone is alive if they appear to perhaps not be alive? They check their pulse.
Well, are you spiritually dead or alive? Check your pulse! Ask the hard questions! Examine yourself! Examine your life, your motivations, your desires, your behavior. Are you alive?
Illustration: I’m a regular blood donor and a few weeks ago I went to give blood but there was a problem. The problem was that my pulse was too high and they wouldn’t let me give blood. I think it may have been because it was a Sunday afternoon and I had just preached that morning. Here’s the point: I had no idea that there was a problem. I felt great. It wasn’t until my pulse was checked that I knew there was a problem. Well, folks, check your spiritual pulse. Perhaps there’s a problem and you have no idea. Take some time this week to examine yourself.
Are you in Christ? Are you thriving in Christ, not simply surviving?
Closing:
If we’re the same with Jesus in our lives as we were without Jesus in our lives, what’s the point? Where’s the change? Where is the power of the Gospel?
Come to God by His grace and be changed. One of the commentaries that I read said this: “Other religions tell you what you must do to get to God. Christianity tells you what God has done to get to you.”
He will rescue us from death and give us life.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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