We're looking today at Ephesians
chapter 2. I'm taking the title for the
message from verse 4. God who is rich in mercy, but
God who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved
us even, even when we were unlovely. When we were dead in sin, He
quickened us together. That word quickened, it means
to make alive. The Word of God is quick and
powerful. Remember Hebrews 4 verse 12,
the Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged
sword. That word quick means living. Even when we were dead in sin,
He quickened us. He's made us alive together with
Christ, by whose grace you are saved, and has raised us up together,
made us sit together in heavenly places in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer right now, because
the Lord Jesus Christ is our representative man, and because
He is delivered for our faces and raised again for our justification,
where is the Lord Jesus Christ right now? Seated in the heavenlies,
when He by Himself purged our sin, He sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God, where are believers right now? In Him,
seated in the heavenlies, in Christ, that in the ages to come
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness
toward us through the Lord Jesus Christ. By grace are you saved. Now, two things are most evident
when we look at this portion of God's Word. Ephesians 2 verse
1 down through verse 10 at least, or really the whole chapter or
the whole book, all the Bible. We see two things clearly set
forth. Our own sin The exceeding sinfulness
of our sin, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
We all know that, don't we? And the second thing we see,
God's grace in Christ and the exceeding riches of His grace
in His kindness toward us. the exceeding riches of His grace. The grace of God called us out
of darkness into His marvelous light. Now in verse 1, verse
2, verse 3, we see something of what we are by nature. Something of what we are by birth,
practice and choice. And you who were dead in sin. I'm going to leave that you Hathe
quickened and save it for verse 5. And you who were dead in trespasses. That is, we have violated the
law of God and we are sinners. Wherein, verse 2, in time past
you walked according to the course of this world. How is that? Away from God, according to the
prince of the power of the air, influenced by Satan and satanic
forces, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom also we all had our, we all, you, me, everybody, we
all had our conduct in time past, living for the flesh, the lust
of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind. And we're by nature children,
by nature children of wrath, children of condemnation, even
as others. So here's a vivid description
of what we are by nature. in sin, dead in offenses against
God. Oh, physically alive in the flesh,
but spiritually dead in sin. How did we get that way? Remember,
by one man, sin entered into this world, and death by sin. So death passed upon all men. All men are sinners. Everybody
that has been born of a woman, born in sin, shapen in iniquity,
your children, my children, everybody, born in sin, dead in Adam, dead
and separated from God. He says down here in verse 12,
he said, you were aliens, strangers, having no hope and without God
in this world. Now that's us by nature. Separated
from God. You remember Isaiah 59? That
your iniquities have separated between you and your God. Dead
without God. Dead without spiritual life.
Dead without Christ. How dead? Ferociously so. Graveyard dead. Dead. dead and rotten, dead and smelly,
dead like Lazarus who'd been in the grave for four days and
they said, don't remove the stone. That man, his corpse is nothing
but smelly, rotting flesh. That's exactly what we are before
God. Dead, rotten, smelly, guilty
before God. Dead in sin and therefore guilty
before God. There is none righteous, no,
not one. Remember, turn to Romans chapter
3. Romans chapter 3 says this, as
it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one, verse
10, Romans 3. We have before proved Jew, Gentile,
they're all under sin. There's none righteous, no, not
one. There's none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. They're all gone out of the way. They're together become
unprofitable. There is none that doeth good.
Okay, she missed it. No, not one. You see that? Therefore, by the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified. You see verse 20? By the law
is the knowledge of sin. Look down at verse 23, but for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everybody
is a sinner. There is none righteous, no,
not one. Completely unable to produce
anything good. The only thing we can produce
naturally is S-I-N. Sin. It started way back. Genesis chapter 6, the Lord said,
God saw that the wickedness of man was greater than the earth,
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually. The reason of the spiritual deadness
in sin is because of Adam's fall. When Adam sinned, we sinned in
him. When Adam fell, we fell in him. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinner, and Adam all died. He was a representative
man. When He lived, we lived. When
He fell, we fell. When God drove Him out of the
garden, He put us out too. There's no way back in except
in Christ. No man can come to me except
the Father which sent me. Draw him. We are sinners by representation
in Adam. We're sinners by imputation.
His sin was charged to you. To me. Guilty as charged. We're also sinners not only by
original sin, but also we're sinners by actual sins against
God. You have sinned against God.
I have sinned against God. This corrupt state of sin and
guilt and spiritual deadness is passed from one generation
to another. Sinners can only produce sinners. Cows and horses Cows produce
cows. Horses produce horses. Sinners only produce sinners. That's what we are. Born in sin,
shaping in iniquity, born totally dead with a depraved dead heart. The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Dead so much
so that our understanding is darkened. Our will is perverted
in rebellion against God. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. Our affection is void of true
love. We love darkness instead of light.
Our mind is corrupted. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. That word enmity means hatred.
The natural man is at war with God. And not the God of his imagination,
but the true and living God. That's what the Scriptures teach.
We call that, there's a theological term for that, and we call that
being totally depraved. Totally depraved. The only way
you know that you are totally depraved is that God teaches
you what you are. We think too highly of ourselves
and too low about God. If we deny this, that we are
sinners through and through, if we deny this, if we say we
have no sin, 1 John 1.7, if we say we have no sin, singular,
Sin nature. Principle. If we say we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in it. If
we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar. You know, salvation
is for sinners. You'll never know anything about
salvation unless God teaches you you're a sinner. You'll never
know anything about regeneration unless God teaches you are totally
ruined in Adam. You'll never know anything about
salvation unless God teaches you what you are. You'll see
no need of the Savior. If you think you're not a sinner,
you won't seek salvation in Christ. If you deny this truth, that
you are a sinner before God, is to call God a liar because
he says you are sin. Sin is what we are. Sin's iniquity
and trespasses is what we do because of what we are. We are
sin, S-I-N. I'm a sinner in need of salvation. Now, if God ever teaches you
that, you'll seek mercy in Christ. Look at verse 2. He describes
this here, where in time past, you walked according to the course
of this world, this ungodly world. You walked according to the prince
of the power of the air. You were influenced by satanic
influences, which are usually influences of self-righteousness. He parades as an angel of light. He preaches righteousness by
the deeds of the law. The spirit that now worketh,
worketh in children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our
conversation. our conduct in times past, in
the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others."
Now, that's a gruesome list, is it not? That's just God being
brutally honest, describing us as we really are in this flesh. The course of this world We walked
according to the course of this ungodly world, unbelieving world,
and it's a course away from God. All we like sheep have gone astray. We walked according to the prince
of the power of the air, the devil himself, having a great
influence over us. Unbelievers walk after Him in
rebellion and pride and seek to do His will because Satan
reigns in the heart of unbelievers. Our Lord said, you are of your
father the devil, and the lust of your father will you do. It
is the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience
in rebellion against God. Verse 3 says, we all had our
conduct, our conversation, before we met the Savior in time past. This is how we walk. This is
the condition of walk and life before we believe the gospel.
Paul said, among whom also we all had our conversation in time
past. We talked about this morning
Saul of Tarsus, very, very zealous and religious, but lost. We know
this was his story. And this is our story, too. It's
true. In the lust of the flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and mind, and we're by nature children
of wrath. The wages of sin is death, right? But to the elect of God, He's
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by His grace. Much more than being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. There
is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord
Jesus Christ. You see, He came to set us free.
We were in bondage to our sin, under the curse of the law, being
influenced by satanic influences, the lust of the flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and the mind, and we're by nature
the children of wrath, even as others. But God, you see that
verse 4? A big stop sign. Hold on. As they used to say years ago,
hold the phone. Hold the phone. But God. But
God. Thank God He didn't leave us
there. We didn't deserve to be called. The wages of sin is death, but
God. But God who is rich in mercy.
He's rich in mercy. For His great love wherewith
He loved us. When we were dead, he still loved
us. You see, God has loved his people
with an everlasting love in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we see
God's glorious invention, intervention. The only reason for salvation
is the Lord's purpose and grace in Christ Jesus, in his rich
mercy toward us. Look what it says across the
page in Ephesians chapter 1. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, verse 3, who had blessed us with all
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, according as
he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy, without blame, before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. But God, who is rich in his mercy. He's rich in mercy. He is merciful. God delights to show mercy. He
said, I will have mercy on whom I will. I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it's not of him that
willeth or of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. You cannot exhaust the storehouse
of his mercy. His mercy is plenteous, free,
and infinite. We take our place before His
throne of grace as mercy beggars. I had a man tell me one time,
he said, Preacher, I just don't know how to pray. I don't know
what to pray for. I don't know how to pray. I don't know anything
about it. I said, pray this way. Seven words. Seven words. Lord, be merciful to me, the
sinner. That's my constant plea. Have
mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness, according
to the multitude of Thy tender mercy. Lord, blot out my sin. Mercy. He said, come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy and grace to
help. in time of need. Remember what
we read in Titus chapter 3 verse 5, not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy. He saved us. Who needs mercy? The miserable. Who needs grace? those who are
sinners, but God who is rich in mercy for His great love with
which He loved us. You see, it is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed. His great love. What would you
say about the love of God? His love is great love. His love
is holy love. His great love were with He loved
us even when we were unlovely. His great love. God is love. God committed His love toward
us and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans chapter
5 said, when we're yet without strength, the Lord Jesus Christ
died for the ungodly. We only love him because he first
loved us and gave himself for us. His great love is an everlasting
love. His great love is an electing
love. He chose us because he elected
us in love. His great love is sacrificial
love. He loved us so much that he gave
himself for our sins. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the sacrifice for
our sin. His great love is saving love.
We sing unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sin in
His own blood. His great love is sovereign love.
It's a hail sovereign love that first began a scheme to rescue
fallen men. Sovereign love, Jacob I have
loved, Esau have I hated. His great love is unconditional
love. His great love is never-ending love. Nothing can separate us
from the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. God
is love in Christ. Look at verse 5, Ephesians 2.
Verse 5, Even when we were so dead in our sins, spiritually
dead, in our sin. He died for our sins according
to the scripture, put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself,
and because he finished salvation for us and putting away our sin,
he quickened us, he made us alive. You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sin. He has quickened us together
with Christ. And I like the marginal reference
on the word, by grace are you saved. By whose grace you are
saved. We're saved by the grace of God.
It says that down here in verse 8. For by grace are you saved. Whose grace is it? It's God's
grace. God's grace through faith. Where'd
you get that faith? Faith is a gift of God, is it
not? It's not of yourself. It's a gift of God. It's certainly
not of works, lest any man should boast. He quickened us who were
dead. His sovereign love reached down
to us when we were in a vilest condition. Our sin and our depravity
was no hindrance to His love and mercy toward us. For He came
to save..." Who did He come to save? This is a faithful saying,
worthy of all acceptation, that the Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. And I can say with Paul, I'm
the chief one. He came to seek and to save the
lost. The Lord, by his mighty power,
has raised us up from the spiritual grave of death, dead in sin,
and quickened us together with Christ. Notice that. Hath quickened
us together with Christ. when God raised him up from the
dead. You see, he came as a representative man. Adam was a representative
man. For by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. Romans 5, 19. But it goes on
to say, by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. quickened us together with Christ
by His grace. We are saved by God's grace and
His grace alone. Look at verse 6. He raised us
up together. The Lord Jesus Christ came as
a representative man. He lived honoring the law of
God in every precept. The Lord is well pleased for
His righteousness sake. In His life, He honored every
precept. In His death, He satisfied the penalty of that law. He was
buried because He died for our sin. On the third day, God raised
Him up. Forty days later, He ascended
to glory and He's seated in the heavenlies. What's true of Him? What's true of the head? It's
true of the body. Where He is, we are in Him. See what he says there? Raised
us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places
in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is called
in the book of Hebrews our forerunner. Our forerunner has entered in
to the very presence of God, occupies the throne of God for
us, and we're seated in Him right now. In Him. In Christ. God's grace alone. Verse 6, raised us up together,
made us sit together, notice together, raised us up together,
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Everything
God has for sinners is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're quickened
together with Christ, raised up together with Christ, made
to sit in the heavenlies together with the Lord Jesus Christ alone. One God, one mediator between
God and men. That's why He ever lived to make
intercession for us. Seated at the right hand of God.
Wherefore, He's able to save them to the uttermost that come
to God by Him, seeing what? He ever lives right now to intercede
for us. That's the good news of the Gospel.
That, verse 7, in the ages to come, He's going to show the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are going to be rewarded
Because Christ is our exceeding great reward. And in ages to
come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace. God's going
to show off His elect, His bride. He's able to keep us from falling
and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with
exceeding joy to the only wise God our Savior be glory both
now and forever. And then He says, Amen. Amen. For by grace are you saved
through faith. And that not of yourselves, it
is a gift of God. When God grants faith, He grants
repentance. Both faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ and repentance toward God, they both come together
at the same time. When God grants repentance, He
grants faith. When He grants faith, He grants
repentance. Both faith and repentance. Do you want to know if you can
tell? You can tell this. How can I
tell if my faith is genuine? How can I tell if my repentance
is genuine? Well, the Scripture says in Titus
and in 2 Timothy that both faith, that's a gift of God, that's
called the precious gift of God, both faith and repentance acknowledge
salvations of the Lord. Does your faith acknowledge that
salvation is of the Lord? Does your repentance say in your
heart, salvation is of the Lord? Then you have the repentance.
It's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. They both acknowledge that salvation
is of the Lord. Look at verse 4 one more time.
But God. Boy, just think about that. But
God. Who made you to differ from another? What do you have that
you didn't receive? Why would you boast but God who
is rich in mercy? For his great love were with,
he loved us even when we were dead in sin. Have quickened us together with
Christ by whose grace you are saved. We are saved by the grace
of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.