Ephesians 2:1-10 - Amazing Grace

Belonging to God’s Family
Amazing Grace
Ephesians 2:1-10
Jeff Garrett

Special thanks to Grady for preaching for me last week

Claudia Berlin Reads Ephesians 2:1-10

I want to show you two things from these ten verses:
1) What we were by nature (2:1-3)
2) What we have become by grace (2:4-10).

What we are by nature (2:1-3)

2: 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins – Paul does not say you were suffering from low self-esteem or a psychological disorder or that you were sick or dying. Paul said you were dead. You can be physically fit, mentally alert, socially connected but spiritually dead in your transgressions and sins. We were as responsive as a corpse.

The word “transgression” means to trespass, to cross a boundary or deviate from the right path. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark” or “to fall short of the standard.” Both words are plural and indicate our natural tendency to continue to sin. The reason we continue to sin is because we are enslaved to three things.

2: 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.

We were dead in our transgressions and sins because we were enslaved by the world, the devil, and our own sinful nature.

The world – 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world …The Bible uses the word “world” two basic ways. Positively, “For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son …” (John 3:16-17). Negatively, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world … (1 John 2:15-17). In Ephesians 2:2 Paul used the negative form – “you followed the ways of this world” i.e. the world system (cf. Rom 12:1-2).

The Devil – 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. Paul is referring to the Devil.

He has many names. The Bible calls him …

The names of Satan
Beelzebub (Mark 3:22), the prince of demons (Matt 12:24), the Devil (Matt 4:1), the dragon (Rev 12:7), the enemy (Matt 13:39), the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), a murderer (John 8:44) and the father of all lies (John 8:44), Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), the old serpent (Rev. 12:8; 20:2), the power of darkness (Col. 1:13), the prince of this world (John 12:31), the tempter (Matt 4:3), and the wicked one (Matt 13:19, 38).

Here (Eph 2:2) Paul called him … the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. Satan is not “a ruler”, he is “the ruler” of the kingdom of the air because he commands principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places (which we will study in chapter 6). The word “air” could be translated “foggy atmosphere” indicating darkness which is what Satan prefers. The “air” is the air the surrounds the earth. In Job 1:6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the spirit at work in those who are disobedient. The defiant disposition is energized and maintained by the devil. When Satan and the spirit or mood (i.e. the mental disposition) that he inspires is at work in us we are enslaved and Jesus is our only hope for freedom.

Our sinful nature - 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts – “All of us” – not “some of us” or “the worst of us” but “all of us”. Paul is not giving us a portrait of some degraded segment of society. This is the Biblical diagnosis of fallen humanity. It is a description of everybody, including Paul himself. “All of us” lived among them at one time … gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts…. Paul personifies out sinful nature
in three ways – he said: 1) our sinful nature has cravings, 2) our sinful nature has desires, and 3) our sinful nature has thoughts. The Bible says a lot about our sinful nature.

Sinful Nature (Flesh = “Sarx”)
• Controlled by the sinful nature (Rom 7:5).
• The law aroused sinful passions (Rom 7:5).
• Nothing good lives my sinful nature (Rom 7:18).
• A slave to the law of sin (Rom 7:25).
• Minds set on what that nature desires (Rom 8:5).
• Hostile to God (Rom 8:7).
• Cannot submit to God’s law (Rom 8:7).
• The sinful nature cannot please God (Rom 8:8).
• According to the sinful nature, you will die (Rom 8:13).
• the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit (Gal 5:17).
• The acts of the sinful nature are obvious (Gal 5:19).

Paul’s diagnosis – Here’s what we were by nature. We were dead in trespasses and sins. We were enslaved by this world, the devil and our flesh and then Paul said

2:3b … Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. God’s wrath is not like man’s – it’s not a bad temper so that he may fly off the handle at any moment – its not spite or malice – it is his righteous reaction and hostility to evil which he cannot compromise – his resolve is to condemn it.

God’s wrath is not incompatible with his love. Paul moves from talking about the wrath of God in v.3 to the mercy and love of God in v.4 without any problem. Paul held them all together in his mind because they are held together in God’s character. But Paul draws a deliberate contrast between what we were `by nature' (2:3) and what we have become “by grace” (2:5).

What we have become by grace (2:4-10)

2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

What did God the Father do for Jesus when he was dead?

Eph 1 - As for Jesus … 1:20 he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms

What did God do for us when we were dead?
Eph 2 - As for you … 2: 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

1. God made us alive and raised us up with Christ (2:5-6a)
2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ

These two verses remind me of an Old Testament story where Ezekiel said …
Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "

That’s what God did for us. He made us alive and raised us up and put his Spirit in us. But that’s not all he did for us. God also …

2. God seated us with Christ (2:6b)

2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

We are like a “post turtle”. Do you know what a post turtle is? It’s when you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top of the fence post. That's a post turtle. You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there and you just want to help him down.

We were dead but God made us alive and raised us up and seated us with Christ – enthroned in the heavenly realms! I love the way Watchman Nee outlined Ephesians.

Sit with Jesus (Ephesians 1-3) - 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms

Walk with Jesus (Ephesians 4:1-6:9) 4:1 I, … beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ... 4:17 … you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, ... 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us … 5:8 Walk as children of light …

Stand with Jesus (Ephesians 6:10ff) - Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. …13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, …

But right now all we’re doing is sitting. Thus far (1:1-2:10) there is not command for us to obey. God has done everything!

A couple of weeks ago Mike and Becky Shepherd invited the ministry leaders to their house for a fellowship. I called Mike and ask if he needed any help and he said “No we’ve got everything ready. That’s what God has done for us. He has done all the work and you don’t need to bring anything. Why did he do this for us?

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The words “God’s workmanship” means “God’s work of art, his masterpiece – and we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Good works are the ground of our salvation – they are the consequence and evidence of our salvation.

Prayer Time