to listen to me or listen to
you, I'd rather listen to you. Ephesians chapter 2. I had a
dear friend who passed away several years ago and every time he got
into the pulpit, every time, he would say with his Yankee
accent, it's good being the house of the Lord and You know, it
really is. It really is. It's a privilege
to be able to come and worship and be with believers. And it's
good. Ephesians chapter two. I'm going
to begin reading in verse one. And you hath he quickened. who were dead in trespasses and
sins, where in times past ye walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince, the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you
saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. In the ages to come, he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness
towards us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through
faith. That not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. I
heard a story many years ago, I don't even know if the story
is true, but I heard it and I'm not sure where it took place.
But the story went like this, is that there was a boy in his
early teens who was found in the streets of some big city
and he was half starved, half clothed in cold. So somebody
saw him and they took him to the local hospital where the
nurses bathed him, and they clothed him, and they put him in the
room. And as the evening came, they
brought in the dinner table, the dinner tray. And on the dinner
tray was a tall glass of water, or glass of milk, rather. And
when the boy saw it, his eyes lit up, and he asked a question
that made the nurses broke their hearts. As he reached for the
glass, he said, Do I get to drink all of it? And it was obvious
to them that he had never really had enough of anything in his
life. And I say that because it's really
a picture of the entire book of Ephesians in that Paul is
talking about the things that we have in Christ. And I think
that often we can forget that Christ is all we need. Everything
that we could possibly have comes from our Savior. That we don't
have to live like spiritual paupers because Christ has given us all. In chapter one, in the previous
chapter, Paul reminds the believers at Ephesus of the spiritual possessions
that they have in Christ. And Paul knew As human beings,
it's our nature to take things for granted. I mean, you think
about all of the blessings that we have, you think about our
cars, we take our cars for granted. When the car doesn't start, all
of a sudden we're in trouble. But when it does run well, we
don't think much about it. So it's easy for us as human
beings to take things for granted. And Paul knew this, which is
why he's reminding the believers at Ephesus of their possessions
that they have in Christ. You know, and you think about
when you think about all that Christ has done for us. And we
hear it in Sunday school. We hear it preached every Sunday,
all that he's done. Sometimes I think we could hear
it so much, it might lose its meaning. And I know that that's
not true for everybody, but you think about what he's done. He
left heaven and took on the form of a man. That's huge. because he was in a complete,
and he will remain in that form. Now his body's glorified, but
that was huge in and of itself. And then he came to his creation, his world that he designed and
spoke into existence, spoke man into existence only to be mocked
beaten, ridiculed, and crucified by His very creation. He redeemed
us. He saved us. He sanctified us. All of these things, and I could
go on and on with the list. So important for us not to take
those things for granted. This was Veterans Day was on
Tuesday. My mother, who's 90, called me
and said, I need to remind you, I don't want you to take for
granted, no matter how old the parents get, they're still your
mother. But her point to me was don't take it for granted. And
we as believers don't want to take for granted what Christ
did. And you know, Again, Paul is reminding them of our spiritual
possessions in Christ. And then in chapter two, he reminds
us of our spiritual position in Christ. The sinner who God
saves in the scripture tells us was dead in trespasses and
sins. Before Christ saved us, we were
in the spiritual graveyard. And God made us alive in Christ. And not only that, he seats us
with Christ, the Bible says, in heavenly places. And what
a blessing, what a miracle of God's grace. And so this morning,
I want us to look at two separate works that we see in these verses. The first is that sin works against
us. Look at verse one. And you hath
he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein
in time past he walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince, power of the air and the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience. In these verses,
Paul gives us a full, the full picture of a person's condition
before God saves them. The full picture. Remember when
the VHS came out and you'd rent a movie with the VHS, and before
the movie started, you had a whole bunch of trailers that came in
before you actually got to see the movie. You'd fast forward
so you could get through the trailer. Well, the trailer is
really just a glimpse of what movie it is that they want you
to watch. Paul's not giving us a trailer. He's giving us the
full picture of our spiritual condition before God saves us. And there are several things
I want to point out. Number one, a lost person, they're dead. They're dead, spiritually dead.
Verse one tells us they're dead. They're unable to comprehend
or appreciate or understand in any way, shape or form the things
of God. They cannot see Christ. And I
think that this is evident in the Pharisees back in Jesus'
time. Because you think about the Pharisees,
they spent their whole lives studying the scriptures. They
looked at it. They picked it apart. They looked
at every jot, every tittle. They read it over and over again.
The scribes wrote it over and over again. And there, right
in front of their eyes, was the Lord Jesus Christ, and they rejected
him. Why? Because they were dead.
They were dead in trespasses and sins and they could not see
Him. A dead person can't see, they can't hear. Also a person
who's spiritually dead cannot in any way, anyhow, please God. Hebrews 11 says, but without
faith, it is impossible. Not that it's hardly likely,
not that it's difficult. Without faith, it is impossible
to please God. So a lost person, spiritually
dead, cannot please God in any way. Now the reason for this
condition, the reason for this spiritually dead position that
they're in is simply sin. The Bible says, for the wages
of sin is death. So when Adam sinned, he brought
sin into the world. Now, I just want you to know,
I'm not going to be bringing you any new revelation as I'm speaking to
you, but I'm just encouraging you from what you already know.
It's like we like to eat the same meals over and over again
sometimes. So again, the reason is sin. And when Adam sinned, he brought
sin into the world. For by one man, sin entered into
the world and death by sin. So all of those who are the descendants
of Adam carry that sin. So is there anybody here who's
not a descendant of Adam? I think we all are, right? I
remember, that kind of reminds me of a story that somebody said. It was a long time ago. He said
there was a visitor who was sitting like in the front row. I probably
told you the story before. So the pastor is preaching about
just really going at it, really. And he said, every single member
of this church will one day die. And he made that point over and
over. And the guy sitting in the front row was chuckling.
The pastor was frustrated. He said, why are you chuckling?
He said, I'm not a member of this church. But every person who is the descendant
of Adam carries with us that sin nature. Now, in scripture,
death means separation. So when a person dies physically,
the spirit and the soul separate from the body. Now for the believer,
that's a good thing, because the Bible says to be absent from
the body is to be present with the Lord. So when we die physically,
our soul and spirit are separated from the body, but in spiritual
death, it is a separation as well, and in spiritual death,
it is the separation from God's presence. So when I was thinking
about this week, this thought this week, I don't think any
of us can really imagine what it would be like to be separated
from God's presence. And I even think that's true
for the unbeliever, because from the day that we're born on this
earth, we're surrounded by God's presence. I mean, he makes the
sun come up, he makes the sun go down. He sends the rain that
waters the flowers and trees. He sends the wind. He gives us
the oxygen that we breathe. Literally, there is not one good
thing, not one blessing that you have ever experienced in
your whole life, not one that did not come from God himself.
So we're experiencing his blessings day in and day out. Spiritual
death is separation from God's presence. What a horrible thing. And when a person dies in their
sin, they're going to be separated from God for all eternity. So a lost person is dead. Number
two, they're disobedient. You read that in verses two and
three. When Adam and Eve were in the
garden, they had everything they could possibly want, everything. And the expression that's used
is it was paradise. All of their needs were met.
They could eat of anything that they wanted in the garden. And
God said, anything you can eat except for the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. Don't eat that because in the
day that you do, you will surely die. And what did they do? They ate. And in that instance,
everything changed. They changed, the earth changed,
everything changed. And since that day, mankind really
has lived in a constant state of disobedience towards God.
You think about where we are right now in 2021, it's crazy. You hear the things in the news
and, I've been asked this question. I'm sure you have been asked
this question. How did we get here? I mean, how did we get
here to where we are right now in 2021? How? Well, the answer
is simple. Disobedience towards God. That's
how we got here. I mean, I think you would all
agree that we live in a world where what God said is evil,
men say is good. on so many different things.
Disobedience towards God. Think for a minute. What would
it be like if every person on this planet obeyed God? I don't know why I would think
that, because it's not going to happen until Christ comes.
But imagine it. Imagine the problems that it
would solve. So the unrepentant, the unsaved, They're not only
dead, they're disobedient. And then number three, they're
depraved and they're doomed. Look at verse three. Among whom
we also had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. A lost person. is depraved, which
means that there is nothing, they're totally incapable of
doing anything within themselves to meet God's perfect law. And because of that, they're
doomed. Because a lost person is depraved,
they're doomed because without Christ, They're doomed to spend
eternity separated from God's presence in outer darkness and
torment and where the Bible says there's weeping and wailing and
gnashing of teeth. I also believe that they'll have
the memory of the times that they heard the gospel and rejected
it for all eternity, separated from God. So lost person is dead. They're disobedient. They're
depraved. They're doomed. And that is not
a pretty picture. However, I'm thankful that that paragraph, because
literally this is like one long paragraph, it doesn't stop there. Because the second work is God's
work. Sin works against us, but God
works for us. God, who is rich in mercy, loves
us, his children, his elect. And in loving us, he provided
a way of redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ. God provided
himself a lamb, the lamb. I was listening to a song I hadn't
heard in a long time on the radio, and it was a song about Abraham
and Isaac. You remember the account of Abraham
and Isaac when God asked Abraham to take his son, the son that
he'd promised, the son that took 90 years to come, the one who
would be the beginning of a great nation that God promised him,
his only son, and sacrifice him on the mountain. I can imagine
that he did not understand why, but he was going to do that. And as they're walking up the
mountain and they get there, Isaac says to his father, father,
I see the wood, see the fire, where is the sacrifice? And Abraham
said, God will provide himself. sacrifice. That's exactly what
he did in Christ Jesus, provide his sacrifice. The focus in chapter
two now turns to God and the work that he does in the sinner,
what he does in his elect. And Paul reminds us of four things
that God has done on behalf of his elect. Number one, in verse
four, he loved us. by nature, I mean, before I go
any further, that's amazing. When you think about who we are,
you know, because we're not necessarily the same
in front of everybody else as we are when we're all by ourselves,
in our thoughts and in our mind and in our nature. And there's
that battle that goes on even in the believer between the flesh
and the spirit. So in spite of God knowing exactly
what you're like, exactly what I'm like, knowing our hearts,
He still loved us. You talk about grace and mercy. So He loved us. And you know,
by nature, God is love. First John 4.8 says, he that
loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Now theologians, people who are
much smarter than I am, call this one of God's attributes. But God has two kinds of attributes. He has those that he possesses
within himself, and those are called his intrinsic attributes.
attributes and you know God is holy, God is just, God is righteous,
God is love and then there are those attributes to which he
relates to his creation. You and I as human beings and
those are called his relative attributes. God is truth and
yet he relates that truth to us by his faithfulness. God is
holy. When it relates to mankind, it
becomes justice. God is love. But as it relates
to you and I, it becomes grace and mercy. And verse 4 tells
us that God is rich in grace and mercy. So God, in his mercy
through Christ, does not give us what we deserve, which is
judgment and punishment. And in His grace, He gives us
what we don't deserve, and that is forgiveness and eternal life. God loves us. And then number
two, He quickened us. Verse 5 tells us that He quickens
us. And as you know, the word quicken
in Scripture means made alive. It's like I said, the lost person
is dead. We were dead in trespasses and
sins, and then through the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching
of the Word of God, He made us alive. Now, when Dr. Frankenstein made the monster
alive through the lightning, it didn't turn out so good. But
when God, through the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God,
brings somebody alive, it is amazing. It is glorious. In the four Gospels, it records
three instances of when Christ raised somebody from the dead,
and that's not including when he raised himself from the dead. In Luke 7, he raises the widow's
son. In Luke 8, he raises Jairus'
daughter. And in John 11, he raises Lazarus
from the dead. And you'll notice that in each
case, he spoke the word. And that what was dead became
alive. Hebrews 4.12 says the word of
God is quick and powerful, which is why the Bible says it's the
preaching of the word brings them to believe. And then number
three, he exalts us. Verse six. So in verse six, it
says, and he hath raised us up together and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So not only does God make
us alive, and He forgives us, and He justifies us, and He saves
us from punishment, if that were not enough, He puts us into an
intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. God did not
raise us from the dead to keep us in the spiritual graveyard. We are exalted, we are adopted
into the family of God, and just like Lazarus, He raised Lazarus
from the dead, and then They had fellowship together and ate. And that's the picture that we're
looking at. He exalts us. He raised us from the dead to
have a relationship with him and the Lord Jesus Christ. And
then lastly, he keeps us. He keeps us. didn't make salvation possible.
You've heard this so many times, but it's true. He made salvation
sure. When he was on the cross and
he said, it is finished, it was, that was it. It was complete. Nothing else could be added and
absolutely nothing else could be taken away. So when you think
about that, since Christ had already done the work and that
man is incapable of doing anything to earn salvation and the work
is complete, how could there be anything that man could do
to lose his salvation if it wasn't his to make in the first place. And if we could lose our salvation,
then what Christ did on the cross would not have been complete,
and He could not have said, it is finished. Amen? So we know
not only does He love us, not only did He quicken us, but He keeps us. He paid for all of the sins of
all of His people. He paid for all of the past sins.
He paid for all present sins. And He paid for all the future
sins. Then what sin is there out there that could condemn
me? Because Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left
a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. So
to summarize, sin works against us, but God works for us. And all those who have been born
again have everything that we could possibly need in Christ. And then one day when it's all
over, and one day it will be all over, If that's inevitable,
we will be with Him. And you know, that's amazing. But not only will we be with
Him, we'll be with all of the saints who've gone on before. We'll be with Moses. We'll know
Moses and Joshua and Abraham. John, Peter, I have some questions
I want to ask. I don't know if I'll have to
ask them. I may know them already when I get there. I'm not sure. But
not only will we be with those saints, we'll be with other saints
too. Parents, wives, husbands, children who've gone on before.
will be with through all eternity. I want to close the message by
having you turn to John 14. God works for us. Sin works against us, but God
works for us. John 14, Christ here speaking. He says, let not your heart be
troubled. Do you believe in God? Believe also in me. In my Father's
house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.
Whether I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas said unto
him, Lord, we know not whether thou goest, and how can we know
the way? Jesus said unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Sin works against us, but God
works for us. Lord bless this word.