Ephesians 2:1-7 - Bad News vs. Good News

Ephesians 2:1-10

We all hate to hear bad news. We dislike being told something is wrong. At times we try to amend the bad with good. Like all of us, pastors have to deal with conflicting good and bad news, too.

Good News: You baptized seven people today in the river.

Bad News:    You lost two of them in the swift current.

Good News: The church elders voted to send you a get-well card.
Bad News:    The vote passed by 7-6.

Good News: The church elders accepted your job description the way you wrote it.
Bad News:    They were so inspired by the job description; they also formed a search committee to find somebody capable of filling the position.

Good News: Mrs. Jones is wild about your sermons.
Bad News:   Mrs. Jones is also wild about Paulie Shore, Adam Sandler and everything on Fox network.

Good News: Church attendance rose dramatically the last three weeks.
Bad News:    You were on vacation.

In Ephesians chapter two, we will read some bad news and then some good news.  For example:

Bad News:  And you were dead in your trespasses and sin.  2:1

Good News: But made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.  2:5

Bad News:  You followed the ways of this world.  2:2

Good News:  But God raised us up with Christ. 2:6

Bad News:  We gratified the cravings of our sinful nature.  2:3

Good News:  But by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.  2:8

In the next 10 verses you will learn some wonderful Biblical truths as to how a person becomes a Christian.  We will look at what the Bible says about our past, what is happening to you and what will happen to you.

FIRST – the past - What You Were Before You Became a Christian   Ephesians 2:1-3

1. We Were Dead. 

Ephesians 2:1
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

That describes the condition of everyone.  If you are a Christian this is your past.  But if you are not a Christian this is your present situation. 

Now notice that verse 1 says “YOU WERE DEAD...”  Does anyone here look dead?  What does it mean by says “YOU WERE DEAD?”  It is referring not to physical death.  It is referring to spiritual death. 

Spiritual death is similar to physical death, except the person who is spiritually dead they do not respond to God.  All the love of God does absolutely nothing to them. 

If you are spiritually dead; you are unable to understand and appreciate spiritual things.  If you are spiritually dead; you possesses no spiritual appetite, and can do nothing of your self to please God.  

Just as a person who is physically dead does not respond to physical stimuli, so a person spiritually dead is unable to respond to spiritual things.  A corpse does not hear the conversation going on in the funeral parlor.  A corpse has no appetite for food or drink; feels no pain; a corpse is physically dead.  So it is with the person who is unsaved.  An unsaved person spiritual faculties are not functioning, and they cannot function until God gives him life.

Everyone without Christ is dead. Most people do not want to hear this today, and many pulpits are silent about this doctrine. But it is a crucial truth because Christ’s atoning death does not make any sense without it.

I want you to notice something in verse 1.  Verse one does not say we were dead “because of sin.”  Notice we were “DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS.”  Mankind is spiritually dead not because mankind commits sin.  Mankind commits sin because he is born sinful.  For example, A man is not a liar because he lies; he lies because he is a liar.  A man does not kill and then becomes a murderer; he kills because he is a murderer.      

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

While there are different levels of morality and different degrees of decadence, but everyone has sinned. 

FIRST – What You Were Before You Became a Christian   Ephesians 2:1-3

1. We Were Dead.

1. We were Devilish.  Ephesians 2:2

Ephesians 2:2
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Did you know that the unsaved are walking under the direction of Devil?  People without Jesus Christ talk about how free they are.  They are not free.  They are salves.  They are free to do what they want, but they are not free to do as they ought. 

The word translated “world” (kosmos) is used 186 times in the Greek New Testament, and virtually every instance has an evil connotation.

FIRST – What You Were Before You Became a Christian   Ephesians 2:1-3

1. We Were Dead. 
2. We were Devilish.  Ephesians 2:2

1. We Were Disobedient.  Ephesians 2:2

Ephesians 2:2
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Notice at the end of verse how we are described.   ...”sons of disobedience.”

Mankind is inherently disobedient. 

All you need to do is put up a sign that says, “Wet Paint, Do Not Touch.”  And what will we want to do?  People will want to touch it.  That’s in every one of us. 

Have you ever noticed that you don’t have to teach a little child to lie?  And you don’t have to teach a little child to steal.  The Bible says we are all disobedience. 

You might ask, “Who’s behind it all?”  Look at verse 2.

Ephesians 2:2
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

The prince is none other than Satan, The Devil.  Verse 2 describes the Devil as “prince of the power of the air, , of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.   

The devil is described in Scripture as “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), “the prince of demons” (Matthew 9:34), and, a sobering title, “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

As “the prince of the kingdom of the air,” he commands innumerable hosts in the unseen world and thus creates a spirit of the age, a cosmos diabolicus in which he knits just enough good with evil to achieve his purposes. This Devil dominates and energizes the spiritually dead.

Notice the word “AIR” in verse 2.  What dies that refer to?  It refers to two things.  It refers that devil, Satan and his demons that occupy the space around us but it also refers to the demonic realm of ideas. 

For example, when we say, “There is a certain air in the room,” we’re referring to an attitude.  You see not only is Satan functioning in the physical atmosphere, also he is functioning in promoting his ideology. 

FIRST – The Past - What You Were Before You Became a Christian   Ephesians 2:1-3

A.  We Were Dead. 

B.  We were Devilish.  Ephesians 2:2

C.  We Were Disobedient.  Ephesians 2:2

1. WE WERE DEPRAVED.   Ephesians 2:3

Ephesians 2:3
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

The dead person lives life by functioning in the flesh.  Look at the word “LUST” or “gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature” NIV. 

What is Paul saying?  That everyone in this building was born a sinner.  It is born in you to sin.

Psalm 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Psalm 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.

Eph 2:3 Children of wrath.

FIRST – The Past - What You Were Before You Became a Christian   Ephesians 2:1-3

SECOND – the PRESENT – NOW THAT YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN - Ephesians 2:4-10

A chess master student was walking through an art museum when he came upon a painting entitled, "Checkmate." It depicted a cowering man playing a game of chess against a looming figure who represented Satan. The chess master stopped and gazed for some time at the painting, noting the terror of the man and the smug satisfaction of his opponent.  And then his gaze move down to the chessboard and he examined the artist’s rendition of the pieces on the board.  And suddenly, the master cried out, "Wait, there is one more move!  Satan can be defeated."

So it is with us.  In the first three verses of this chapter, God shows us the hopelessness of our former condition. We were dead, devilish, disobedient, and depraved.  But then God points out that there is still one more move.  And it is one that makes all the difference in the world.

This section is introduced with the conjunction, "BUT."  

Ephesians 2:4
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

We were dead, BUT God made us alive. We were devilish, BUT God raised us out of the world and out of the domain of the devil. We were depraved, BUT God seated us with Christ and gave us a new nature. We were doomed, BUT God showed us the surpassing riches of His grace.

Ephesians 2:4
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

| Walked... (v.2)* according to the course of this world (v.2)

• according to the prince of the power of the air (v.2)
•  according to the spirit that is now at work (v.2)

| Raised us up with Him (v.6) |

What was the power that God used to transform us from the dead to a new creation? 

2 THINGS are listed in verse 4

Notice in verse 4

Ephesians 2:4
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

A. Your Salvation is caused by God’s MERCY.

MERCY is God holding back from me what I really deserve.

God is rich overabounding in mercy for people who admit they have sinned.  Have you come to that point in your life where you can sin, I have sinned, I need God’s mercy?

If we received what we deserve, we would all be in trouble.  We all deserve the wrath of God. 

Napoleon was riding his horse through the streets of Paris, France when a lady ran up to him and asked if he would spare the life of her son.  Napoleon asked for the name her son.  When she gave the name of her son, Napoleon said, “Don’t realize that your son is a traitor deserving death.”  But the lady said, “Sir, I am not asking for justice.  I’m asking for mercy.”

But have you come to that place in your life where you see yourself as God sees you?  Do you see yourself as a sinner in need of God’s mercy? 

Psalm 86:5
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

A.   Your Salvation is caused by God’s Mercy.

1. The Motive For Your Salvation is God’s LOVE.  2:4

Ephesians 2:4
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

God doesn’t look down from heaven and say, “There is a good person, I’ll let that one into heaven.”  God doesn’t do that because salvation has nothing to do with our worthiness. 

Instead God reaches out of heaven with His mercy because of His great love.  And what is amazing is that He reaches down to all of us who are dead in sins and exenteds His forgiveness. 

So God reaches to those who are vile, sinful, godless, ungrateful, unworthy, unholy, degraded and deprived; and offers his mercy and love.  The only question I have for you is, do you see yourself in need of God’s mercy and love?

God’s Mercy and Love deals with what God has done for you.  What did God do for you when God saved you?

(1)   HE RESTORED YOU.  2:5

Let me ask you a question.  What is the one thing a dead man needs the most?  He needs life.  A dead man does not need a good meal, or music, or charming words.  A dead man needs life. 

So how is God going to bring back to life a dead man full of sin?  V.5

Ephesians 2:5
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Paul is saying, “You were dead in your sins, but now God has made you alive. 

Look if you are worried about getting into heaven, worry no longer.  God has extended to you His mercy and love.  The same power that God raised Jesus from the grave is the same power that has raised you from the dead.  Get a grip!  You have been raised with Jesus Christ. 

As a result, we have a new life.  And all of a sudden when we pick up the Bible it now starts to make sense.  Because the Spirit of God is teaching us.  We now have a reason to live. 

What has happened is this.  When God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he made us alive with Him. 

The archives of the Billy Graham Center contain a letter which the soon-to-be-great evangelist Charles Fuller wrote to his wife the night of his conversion, July 16, 1916:

There has been a complete change in my life. Sunday I went up to Los Angeles and heard Paul Rader preach.  I never heard such a sermon in all my life.  Now my whole life and aims and ambitions are changed.  I feel now that I want to serve God if he can use me instead of making the goal of life the making of money.

Charles Fuller experienced a spiritual resurrection that warm July night, and the change was so radical that he became a mighty instrument of God.

Grace is:

God’s

Riches

At

Christ

Expense

He gave you life.  You were dead, but the Bible says, Ep 2:5

When God saves us, When He gives us life.

(1)  HE RESTORED YOU.  2:5

(2)   HE HAS RAISED YOU.

Ephesians 2:6
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

What is that all about?   It means that your Salvation is COMPLETE.

When God raised us from the dead, He didn’t leave us in the cemetery. 

Illustration:  Lazarus  John 11:44

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Lazarus was still in his grave clothes.  Jesus couldn’t leave Lazarus in grave close so he said, Unbind him and let him go.” 

Well Jesus raised us from the dead,  He couldn’t leave us to roam around in our grave clothes, so he raised up with Him the he heavenly places.

Phill 3:20

God did not raise us from the dead and leave us in the graveyard; He exalted us, and took us into the heavenlies.

Eph 1:3

(1)  HE RESTORED YOU. 

(2) HE HAS RAISED YOU.

(3)   HE HAS YOU RESTING.

Ephesians 2:6

and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Now what a difference between a person who doesn’t understand grace and the person who does understand grace.  Those who don’t understand grace are working feverously to get into heaven.  And the person who understands grace is trusting in Jesus Christ that they are in heaven.

The Bible says, “Seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

You don’t have to wait till you die to know your going to heaven.  Right now spiritually we are in the heavenlies.  Now the heavenlies is not a place to visit from time to time.  It is our present dwelling place. 

What are the heavenlies?  The heavenlies are the sphere of victory where every Christian lives day by day. 

When Jesus Christ died, we died with him.

And when He was raised from the dead, we were raised with Him spiritually.

And where Jesus is seated, we are seated. 

And do you know what Jesus Christ is doing right now?  He is resting in his finished work.  And do you know what I’m doing?  I’m resting in His finished work. 

Have you learned to rest in the finished work of Jesus?   

It is to just simply rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. 

Do you know where Paul was when he wrote this book?  He was in prison.  This is a prison.  But when you open this book you do not smell the air of a prison.  There is no musty smell.  There is no foul smell.  There is only joy.  Instead you smell the air of heaven.  Here is the apostle Paul full of peace and joy.  Because he is seated in the heavenlies. 

FIRST – The Past - What You Were Before You Became a Christian   Ephesians 2:1-3

SECOND – the Present – Now That You Are a Christian - Ephesians 2:4-10

THIRD – PROSPECTIVE GLORY  Speaks of eternity.

Eph 2:7-10.

Now Paul talks about the ages to come. 

Your Salvation has a PURPOSE.

1. GOD’S PURPOSE. 

Paul talks about the purpose for us in the ages to come.

God is going to use you as a trophy of His grace.

1. GOD’S PLAN  2:8-9

What is God’s plan?  God’s plan is to display God’s grace.  God’s plan is to save us by grace and to display his grace.

To accept the Bible’s teaching that salvation is “not by works” means to go against the notions of our culture. I recall hearing an unbelieving preacher illustrate his philosophy by telling of a frog which fell into a large milk can. Try as it would, it could not get out. There was nothing to do but keep paddling, which it did until it churned a pad of butter and presto! Saved itself by leaping from its self-made launching pad. Personally, if I fell into a pail of milk I would keep paddling as long as I could too, but I would not make that my philosophy of achieving eternal salvation. To think like that is to fall into the ancient Pelagian heresy which St. Augustine fought so passionately.

The sad truth is, the frog is an apt symbol of American folk religion. “Just keep on keeping on and you’ll be all right” — “I’m a good person, not perfect, but there are a whole lot of people worse than I” — “God knows I’m not perfect, but I’m doing my best.” That may be okay for Kermit the Frog, but it is not the language of salvation.

Our text gives us one reason salvation is not by works — “so that no one can boast.”

There are even deeper reasons why salvation is not by works — namely, the utter sinfulness of humanity contrasted with God’s transcending standard of righteousness. God is radically righteous (Romans 1:17; 3:21). His righteousness of being is his standard, and no human can attain this because we are all radically sinful beings.

Now God said He would not share His glory with another.  If you could be saved by good works, then you could boast about it.  But if you are saved by God’s grace, they you have to give God all the glory. 

Suppose I went to a close personal friend and said, “You are a terrific person, but I don’t believe a thing you say.” How would he feel? Yet this is the way some people treat God. “God, I believe you are great. I believe that Jesus is real. I simply can’t believe your Word that salvation is not by works.”

The grave is saving grace. 

The grace is sanctifying grace.

Some people think that if we are saved by grace, it doesn’t matter how we live. 

That is not true.  Eph 2:10 says,

Titus 2:11-12

Now what verse 7 says?

Song Amazing Grace stanza 4

How did I get salvation?  By grace.

How do I keep it?  By grace.

The grace that saved me is the grace that keeps me.

If I received salvation by works and my works fail, I’ll lose it.

If I received salvation by grace, I’m kept by grace.

If you were to ask me, Are you sure you are saved?  I would say, Yes.  Now you might say to me that must have a lot of confidence in me.  I don’t have any confidence in me. 

The bible says,

In me and my flesh is no good thing.

When I say I know that I’m saved, my confidence is in God’s grace.  If any part of salvation depended upon me, than I would have to say, I think I’m saved.  Maybe I’m saved.  I’m doing the best that I can.

But when I know it’s by grace, I can say, Yes I know that I’m saved.

It is by grace through faith.  People sometimes say, Saving faith.  It is not saving faith; it is grace that saves you. 

Faith is the handle that get hold of salvation. 

Faith is the hand that reaches out and takes hold of salvation.

It is faith that enables us to be saved.  Bit is grace that saves through faith.  Faith just simply reaches up and takes hold of God’s grace. 

Grace is God reaching down from heaven saying, I love you and I want to save you.

Faith is your hand reaching up and saying, I believe and I want to be saved. 

And when God’s hand of grace reaches your hand of faith, that’s salvation.

I want to tell you something else.  Even our faith is a gift of God.  Where did our faith come from?  God put that faith into your heart. 

Don’t tell me I can’t be saved, or I don’t have what it takes.  Your problem is your stubborn will.  You say you need faith; God will give you the faith. 

Eph 2:8-9

What is the gift of God?  The grace and the faith. 

There will be no boasting in heaven. 

Now why did God save me and you?  What was God’s plan?

A large prestigious church had three mission churches under its care. On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches came to the big city church for a combined Communion service. In those mission churches, which were located in the slums of the city, were some outstanding cases of conversions — thieves, burglars, and so on — but all knelt side by side at the Communion rail.

On one such occasion the pastor saw a former burglar kneeling beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England — the very judge who had sent him to jail where he had served seven years. After his release this burglar had been converted and become a Christian worker. Yet, as they knelt there, the judge and the former convict, neither one seemed to be aware of the other.

After the service, the judge was walking out with the pastor and said to him, “Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail this morning?” The pastor replied, “Yes, but I didn’t know that you noticed.” The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, and then the judge said, “What a miracle of grace.” The pastor nodded in agreement. “Yes, what a marvelous miracle of grace.” Then the judge said, “But to whom do you refer?” And the pastor said, “Why, to the conversion of that convict.” The judge said, “But I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself.” The pastor, surprised, replied: “You were thinking of yourself? I don’t understand.” “Yes,” the judge replied, “it was natural for the burglar to receive God’s grace when he came out of jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help.

“But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that my word was to be my bond; that I was to say my prayers, to go to church, take Communion and so on. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. Pastor, it was God’s grace that drew me; it was God’s grace that opened my heart to receive it. I’m a greater miracle of his grace.”

Rom 11:6

A story which comes from the last century makes this clear. During the 1900s Jean Francois Gravalet, better known by his stage name, Blondin, was a world-famous acrobat. Born in France in 1824, Blondin became well-known while still a child. As he grew older, his skill and showmanship brought him fame throughout Europe and America. Once in London he played the violin on a tightrope 170 feet off the ground and then did a somersault wearing stilts. His most spectacular feats were the crossings of Niagara Falls on a tightrope 1,100 feet long and 160 feet above the water. On one occasion he took a stove onto the tightrope and cooked an omelette above the roaring falls. “Bon appétit!” On another occasion he pushed a wheelbarrow across while blindfolded. On still another he stood on his head on the precarious wire. That is why today in London there are Niagara and Blondin Avenues.

Once, in an unusual demonstration of skill, Blondin carried a man across Niagara Falls on his back. After putting his rider down he turned to the large crowd and asked a man close by, “Do you believe I could do that with you?” “Of course,” the man answered, “I’ve just seen you do it.” “Hop on,” said Blondin, “I’ll carry you across.” “Not on your life!” the man called back. There is no real faith without trust.

To be truthful, I would not have hopped onto Blondin’s back either. In fact, I would not do it if the rope was more than ten feet off the ground, for three reasons: There is the me factor. What if I “lost it”? Down we would go. There is the chance factor. What if the rope broke? There is the Blondin factor. What if the only time he made a mistake in his whole life was with me? I believe with all my heart he could do it, but I just would not trust him with my life!

But it is a universe of difference between the tightrope walker and Jesus! He cannot drop me. I cannot even drop myself. And there is no such thing as chance. Do we believe Jesus is who he says he is? Do we believe he died for our sins? Do we believe he was resurrected and lives today? Have we trusted him to save us?

The only way to go from the Death Valley of the Soul to the highest heavens of spiritual life is to be carried there by Jesus. And for this to happen there are some things we must understand and believe, for they are the gospel in a nutshell.

First, salvation is not “by works.” Do we believe that what the Bible says is true? Do we see that our best will never get us there because we are radically sinful and God is radically righteous? Do we see that our works are nothing more than rearranging the chairs on a sinking ship or a frog paddling in a sea of infinity?

Second, we must see and believe that salvation is only “by grace” — it is a completely free gift. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (v. 8). We must understand and believe that we cannot mix works and grace in respect to eternal salvation.

Where meek souls will

Receive Him still

The dear Christ enters in.

Third, we must understand that salvation is “through faith” and must trust him alone for our salvation. Have we stepped out onto Jesus and received the gift of eternal life? Can we trust him now? The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Eph 2:10

Why do we do good works?  Not in order to be saved.  But because we are saved. 

You’re not saved by faith and works.  You’re saved by faith that worked. 

James 2:18

You could not have faith without good works anymore than you can have a fire without heat.

If you will keep 3 prepositions in mind, it will help you to understand that you are saved by grace.

By

Through

Unto

You are saved By the grace of God

Through faith

Unto good works

a.  God’s purpose

b.  God plan

C.  GOD’S PRAISE  Ephesians 2:9

Now that is your spiritual biography.

What you were – Past guilt

What you are – Present grace

What you shall be – Prospective glory

That’s what makes Christianity different from any religion.  Thank God for the grace of God.

How did I get salvation?  By grace.  How do I keep salvation?  By grace.

The grace that saves me is the grace that keeps me.

If I get salvation by works and my works fail, I’ll lose salvation.

But if I get salvation by grace, I’m dept by grace.

You might ask me, Tom are you sure you are born again?  I would answer, Yes I’m sure.

You might say, You sure have a lost of confidence in yourself. 

I don’t have any confidence in me.

In me and my flesh is no good thing.

My confidence is in God’s grace.  If any part of my salvation depended upon me, then I will have to say, I think I am saved.  Maybe I am saved.  I’m doing the best that I can. 

But when it is by grace, I can say, I know that I’m saved. 

It is by grace through faith.