EPHESIANS WEEK 03: ALIVE IN CHRIST
Ephesians 2:1-10 Alive In Christ!
Good morning, everyone and welcome to Holy Trinity Church! My name is Michele, and I am one of the pastors here at the church. We are in the middle of a series on the New Testament book of Ephesians written by the apostle Paul. And we are doing an “expository” series which is a form of preaching that details the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. I’m so excited about what I get to teach today, you may want to take some notes.
Ephesians is one of those books that can be neatly divided into sections. There are 6 chapters in the book, and we are covering a half chapter every week for 12 weeks. The first three chapters contain profound theological truths on who we are as the people of God both personally and corporately. The last three chapters cover how we should live in light of or “in a manner worthy” of these truths. First three chapters, great theology and inspiration, last three chapters, praxis and what to do with this inspiration.
Of course, there is the famous section in chapter 6 on the armor of God. As a result, the book can be divided into 3 sections: chapters 1 to 3; sit (seated in heavenly places as children of light), chapters 4 and 5; walk, (living as children of light), and chapter 6: stand, (fighting as children of light). It will be helpful to keep this context in your mind as we work through the book. Brian covered chapter 1 in his last two sermons, and I have the privilege of covering Chapter 2 verses 1 to 10 today. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament, containing a brilliant presentation of the gospel, many movements from darkness to light, and an understanding of the intentionalality with which God created us. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s begin…
Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV)
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 flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Kind of a bummer, huh? Not exactly an uplifting set of verses. There are some big concepts in these verses. Paul is describing our condition, everyone’s condition, before we were believers. He talks about transgressions and sins, and he talks about the wrath of God. Not a topic we talk about often. But it is important to understand the truth of these concepts.
Paul’s theology only allows for two kinds of people, you will find it all over his epistles, those in Christ, and those not in Christ. (SLIDE 2) His famous verse, from Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” There it is, “in Christ Jesus.” If you would like to do a great word study, look up how often Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” or “in Him” meaning Jesus in the New Testament. In these first verses of Ephesians Chapter 2, we learn what it means to be “not in Christ.” Paul describes three conditions: death, slavery, and condemned to wrath. This is the condition of a humanity without Christ. He doesn’t mince his words and he says to his audience, this was you, this was all of us.
Let’s talk about these three conditions.
DEAD – from verse 1 “dead in transgressions and sins”
The word used here for transgression can mean a false step or a deviation from the right path. The word for sin can mean missing the mark or falling short of a standard. Put together, the words cover the active and passive aspects of human wrongdoing, or to put it another way, sins of omission (when we fail to do the right thing) and commission (when we do the wrong thing.) As a result of this, we are dead or “separated from the life of God.”
ENSLAVED – from verse 2 “when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air”
And verse 3 “gratifying the cravings of our flesh”
They are three things in the passage relating to our bondage: ways of the world, ruler of the kingdom of the air, and the cravings of our flesh. You may have heard this as the WORLD (external cultural tyranny), FLESH (internal compulsive tyranny) and the DEVIL (hostile supernatural tyranny). (words from Stott) The passage is saying that before we know Christ, we are enslaved to oppressive influences from both within ourselves and without.
The third condition is…
CONDEMNED/OBJECTS OF WRATH – from verse 3 “deserving of wrath”
Before we became believers, because of our sinful condition, we were objects of the wrath of God. It’s important to understand that God’s anger is not like human anger. It is not capricious, spiteful, malicious, or hostile. We as humans tend to view anger and judgment themselves as evil things, because that is how we tend to use them.
But God’s anger is righteous and good. John Stott, a 20th century theologian, says it this way, “God’s anger is a divine reaction to evil, a refusal to compromise with evil, and a resolve to condemn evil. God always reacts to evil in the same unchanging, predictable, and uncompromising way because His righteousness is perfect.” (Stott page 52-53)
There is evil and sin and we have all fallen short. We have all been rightly subjects of wrath and in need of a savior and these verses acutely describe this state. It is helpful to be reminded of this or we may lose sight of just how good the good news is.
Let’s see how the tension resolves in the next set of verses…
Ephesians 2:4-9 (NIV)
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, 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 is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
There it is, we can breathe a sigh of relief. A God-sized problem of sin and death solved by a God who is rich in mercy. The 3rd century advisor to Emperor Constantine, Lactantius, wrote, “he who does not get angry, does not care.” The God of the Bible is not some unmovable, unfeeling force, He is a God who cares deeply. The story of the Bible is of a God who cares so deeply that He worked out how to give mercy and not wrath.
It is truly a great salvation. Remember the three main things from verses 1 to 3? Death, Slavery and Wrath? In these verses we see…
Death --> Life
Slavery -> Freedom
Wrath --> Mercy
The first and last ones, death to life, wrath to mercy, it is finished!! But there is a caveat for the one in the middle, slavery. We still live in a world where we battle the world, flesh, and the enemy. That is why we have courses like the Freedom Course to help us walk in the freedom Jesus won for us.
Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. It is possible to be enslaved again and not walk in freedom. We need to be taught to stand firm against worldly desires, our own cravings, and an enemy who lies to us. But the really great news is that “in Christ” we have the HOLY SPIRIT inside of us who helps us and leads us into all truth. The Holy Spirit helps us to stay free.
In these verses we see powerful words appear in order: love, mercy, grace and kindness – these are words we are familiar with and comfort us. But let’s not forget that there was a tremendous price to be paid to move from death to life, from wrath to mercy. Jesus’ death on the cross was like a cosmic reset button for humanity, everything changed when He, who was without sin, perfect in every way and NOT an object of wrath, became sin, became the object of wrath so that all of the wrath and punishment was poured out on Him. The beautiful movements we see in this passage would not be possible without the sacrifice Jesus made out of love for us.
Movements in Ephesians 2
“dead in transgressions” to “alive in Christ”
“gratifying the cravings of our flesh” to “in Christ”
“objects of wrath” to “objects of mercy”
“by nature” to “by grace”
“following the ways of the world” to “seated in heavenly places”
“In Christ” to Paul means more than a one-time decision, or the teachings we affirm. “In Christ” means attachment, unity and solidarity with Christ; being joined to Christ in a way that affects the whole reality of our lives. Being “in Christ” does not mean an assent to ideas, it means we are “bound to God and live in response to Him.” NIV page105
There is a progression of verbs here, we have been “made alive” with Christ, “raised up” with Christ and finally “seated in heavenly places” in Christ. The concept of being “seated in heavenly places” can be especially hard to understand when coming from the place of having been “an object of wrath.” This is a gift God gives us and refers to our position in Christ once we believe. It does not mean we become perfect and like Jesus overnight, but it does mean we have a position and authority in Christ that is unaffected by how a particular day may have gone. Maybe you had a day where you kicked the dog and yelled at your kids. We definitely need to repent of these things and ask God to change us, but it does not disqualify you or make you lose your position of authority in Christ. We should be convicted when we sin, but not condemned. I like to think of “being seated in heavenly places” as seated at the banqueting table of God. As believers, we have a seat at the table, there’s even a place card with our name on it, and even when we behave badly, we still have a place at the table.
In verses 5 and 8, we see the same words, “it is by grace you have been saved.” Not by our own effort, a gift of God, even the ability to believe, a measure of faith, was given to us by God. We are not saved by our own works. There is nothing to boast about, but everything to be thankful for. And even the ability to repent and change are gifts from God. As objects of wrath, we had nothing in ourselves to effect change. It was impossible to change within our own nature, only by grace.
[In verse 7, God explains His plan for evangelism.
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.
He is kind to us so that others will see “the incomparable riches of His grace.” Like Paul says in 2 Corinthians, we are all meant to be living epistles, known and read by all mankind.]
Let’s look at the last verse, which has been a significant verse in my own life.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The beautiful thing we see in this verse is that we weren’t created to be objects of wrath, we were created for good things. God’s intention for us has always been good, that we would be His handiwork, some versions use the word masterpiece. The Greek word here is “poiema” likely where we get our word for poem. Back then it referred to all kinds of art: statues, songs, paintings, architecture, or poems. Here we have one final movement, from the beginning of the passage to the end, all the way from verse 3 to verse 10, from “object of wrath” to “masterpiece,” and it only happens “in Christ.” Put up SLIDE 7.
We’re going to leave exposition now to get into a bit of application because the Lord used this one verse to absolutely change my life. One of the definitions I found years ago for the word “Poiema” is “a one-of-a-kind, thing of beauty with a purpose.” There is a level of intentionality and purpose here which is stunning.
Some of you know parts of my story. My mom and dad got pregnant with me outside marriage and then got married. I was about 5 or 6 years old when my mom was so mentally ill (back then they called it manic depression, now we call it bipolar) that she needed to be put into a hospital. My dad was so overwhelmed by the situation, maybe because his own mom was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and hospitalized, that he just left and told them to put my sister and me in an orphanage. That’s when a great aunt and uncle stepped in and took us in.
There was a point at which my father told me I was a mistake. Looking back, I’m convinced he was completely overwhelmed and was probably just sharing how he felt about the situation. I don’t think he was intentionally trying to harm me. But as a young child, I took on the label of “mistake.” I realize now that I started to live my life in such a way to prove that was not true. I became a perfectionist to prove that I had worth and value. But of course, nothing is ever really enough, and I lived under that label.
When I discovered this verse, I realized that even if my father said I was a mistake, the truth is I am a “one-of-a-kind, thing of beauty, with a purpose.”
Psalm 139 says in verses 13 and 14…
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
And then goes on to say in verses 15 and 16 …
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
All my days were ordained. I was created for a purpose. I am one-of-a-kind. Even all the things I hated about myself. If you haven’t noticed, I am unusually tall for a woman and, if you’ve met me, I have a strong personality. These verses are saying that God made me that way for a reason. There was INTENTIONALITY in how I was created because I was created for specific purposes. There are good works prepared in advance for me to do. Every way I was created, my personality, my physical attributes, my gender, where I was born, my ethnicity, were intentionally planned by a loving Father and are needed for me to fulfill my purpose. I was created this way for a REASON. And, of course, I need to be sanctified just like everyone else, but I need to embrace the way God has made me.
There is a reason why we’re always hearing “you’re too this”, “you’re not enough that”, there is a reason the enemy fights so hard to get us to hate ourselves, because then he wins! We’re so busy navel gazing that we don’t focus on the good works prepared in advance for us to do. Our culture is crying out for meaning and purpose. In the recent Barbie movie, there is a song “What was I made for?” I haven’t seen the movie, but I’ve been hearing a lot about it. If you listen to the song, it has a haunting melody and it is the heart-cry of a generation, “What was I made for?” And the answer is right here in the verse. God has intentionally created us all a certain way to perform specific good works He prepared in advance for us to do.
And these good works can surely be things like feeding the homeless and daily kindnesses. But we can think bigger than that. Some of us were created to form companies with good leadership that solve world needs and treat employees well and enable them to do the things they were created for. Some of us were created to lead initiatives that change the way a generation thinks so that we preserve and care for the world the Lord has given us. Some of us are called to teach and raise children who will bring their generation back to God. Some of us are called to help others find homes where they can flourish and grow and do the things they are called to do. I could go on…
Or we can think smaller. Remember Brian’s testimony from week 1 after he became a Christian, he wanted to do everything for God, even making his bed, studying at school? What if making our bed, or cleaning up after ourselves in the kitchen so our roommates don’t have to (anyone?), means they can spend more time on the good works ordained for them to do? When we look at the big picture and the small picture, no part of our role is insignificant in the bigger thing God is doing and we can find meaning and purpose when we do the things prepared in advance for us to do.
Can the worship team please come up? There may be some of you in this room that were called way worse than a “mistake.” I’m sorry if that was you, and as a pastor it breaks my heart, but we need to move past that and embrace the truth. We cannot allow ourselves to be defined by circumstances or words spoken by other people. The truth is, before we knew Christ, were objects of wrath but “in Christ” we are “one of a kind, things of beauty, with a purpose.” That is our new identity, and we must embrace it. Because of the price paid for us, we are of inestimable value and worth and we have specific work to do in this world. We are all called to different things, but all the work God gives us to do has meaning and purpose and advances His kingdom. We have been created with intentionality and purpose by a loving Father.
We are going to celebrate communion now, first time in Haith Hall! We will figure this out even though today may be a learning exercise. If you are seated in the back, you will come into the center aisle to receive communion and return down the side aisles, just like we did in the sanctuary. If you are in the front, there will be two stations. Please come to the station closest to you and return to your seat down the same aisle. We practice open communion here at HTC, if you are “in Christ,” you are welcome to receive. You will receive a cracker, they are all gluten free, and will then dip it into the cup of grape juice.
Jesus told His disciples to remember Him when they broke bread and drank the wine. Today, how about we remember how great a salvation has been given to us? We were objects of wrath, with no way of changing that, and Jesus decided to do it for us. He took on all the wrath and punishment that was rightly ours, a complete innocent, even as they crucified and spit on Him, His prayer was, “Father, forgive them.” When we really remember what Jesus did, it is mind blowing. Let’s also remember that we were saved for a purpose, that we are “one of a kind, things of beauty, with purpose.” Let’s resolve today to run in that purpose. That we will not shrink back but we will do all the good things prepared in advance for us to do.
Let’s pray together…