2015.10.25 Ephesians 2
How Great is our Salvation
Past present and future Grace
There is a lot of confusion today about what it means to
be a Christian…
The letter to the Ephesians is concerned first… With what
it means to be in Christ… And very
importantly… How does the great theological truth that we are in Christ... Affect the way we live and
treat others… God has redeemed us… He has transformed our lives…. He has poured
His unbelieveable grace out on us in a never ending flood…
It is only Because
of His work in transforming us… We
are new creatures… But what are the practical ways that we are different than
before we were born again…
In Ephesians… Paul
clearly explains what it means to be in
Christ… What it means to Born again… It affects everything…. God´s grace affects our past present and
our future… We have been forgiven…. We now live for the Lord Jesus … We will
continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him and we will be with Him
forever!...
Most of this letter is teaching us how we should live our
lives… Paul focuses on our Christian walk… Everything about us is…. or at least
should be different… We are part of
His body… We are His representatives in this world… People need to see Jesus in
us…. The world needs us to be a reflection of God´s Grace and Mercy… We are
saved so that we can Graciously proclaim
the truth to a lost and dying world… Just like Jesus… John 1…
To review… In chapter 1 Paul presented the master plan of
God´s salvation in eternity past… Then in verses 15 to 23 Paul prays that we
would understand it… that we would really get a grip on the power and meaning
of being in Christ… That we would
understand What it means to be a part of God's eternal plan… That we would know
what it means to have been elected and redeemed…
Turn with me to the second chapter of the letter to the
Ephesians… Our text for today is Ephesians 2:1 to 10… It should clear up the question of what it
means to be Born Again…
In chapter 2 we find Paul describing the process of
salvation… Paul presents God´s Gracious salvation
in three time frames…
The
Fullness of God´s Grace
1 past
grace… v1 to 3…
2 present
grace… v 4 to 6 and 8 and 9… and
3 future
grace… v 7 and 10…
In verses 1-3… We see clearly what we were…. It wasn´t
pretty…. In verses v 4 to 6 and 8 and 9…
What we are…. And in verses 7 and 10… what we will become… We can also discover
from these 10 verses this morning some of the Characteristics of our Salvation… Now as we examine these
verses 1 to 10… I want us to see six characteristics of our salvation…
Characteristics
of our Salvation
1 We
are saved from sin and it´s penalty…
2 We
are saved because of The Fathers unfailing love…
3 We
saved into a new life in Christ…
4 we
are saved for a divine purpose…
5 We
are saved through faith…
6 We
are saved to do Good works…
Let´s look at those in the text…. Ephesians 2… v1-3…
Ephesians 2: 1- 3 NLT
1 Once you were dead because of your
disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest
of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen
world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and
inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s
anger, just like everyone else.
1
Auch ihr wart früher tot aufgrund eurer Sünden.
2
Ihr habt genauso in der Sünde gelebt wie der Rest der Welt, beherrscht von
Satan, der im Machtbereich der Luft regiert. Er ist der Geist, der in den
Herzen derer wirkt, die Gott nicht gehorchen wollen.
3
Wir alle haben früher so gelebt und uns von den Leidenschaften und Begierden
unserer alten Natur beherrschen lassen. Wir wurden mit dieser Natur geboren und
waren Gottes Zorn ausgeliefert wie alle anderen Menschen auch.
First, salvation is from sin...
v1…
And you who were dead…This describes the condition of every
individual… We were dead in sin and rebellion…
If you're a Christian this is your past condition… If
you're not a Christian this is your present... You know we can often see the
lostness all around us…
Sometimes I look around
at the bus stop and am amazed at what I see... Many
look miserable and lost....
Hopelessness is everywhere
we look... It´s in the eyes of even the young people...
The very ones among us
who should be full of hope... looking at a bright future... They are often the
most pitiful ... why?..
Because they have no
hope.... they see no future.....they look at the world.... and see misery and
sorrow....death and destruction everywhere.....even at their school.... and at
their parties... sex… drugs… alcohol and rock and roll... let´s party... that´s
the motto of this generation... like many in the last fifty years... but it is
a recipe for disaster... for broken hearts... destroyed lives… hopelessness…
and sometimes even worse...
They think of their own
life... they try to drown out the misery
and sorrow... where will they find the love.... The peace and the joy that they seek... more
and bigger parties... stronger drugs..? that´s no answer...
But we don´t want
anyone to tell us what to do… We want to be free...... I´m free... free to be
me... I want ....I need... I deserve.....
That is deception… It
is a false freedom... It´s not freedom at all... Bob Dylan said it generations
ago......He agreed with Paul as he wrote in Ephesians 2....... way back in
1979....Bob Dylan wrote.... Gotta Serve Somebody
You´re gonna serve
somebody......
You might be a rock ’n’
roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at
your command, women in a cage
You may be a
businessman or some high-degree thief
They may call you
Doctor or they may call you Chief…
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes
indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the
devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have
to serve somebody........
That was the 60´s and
70´s… My Generation… But Generations later our youth are still running after
the world... where else can they look....They are desperate for peace and joy
and true love... where is it?... It is not found in anything that this world
offers… Where can they look?...
Can they look to
us… are we the salt and light that Jesus
called us to be...?
They are running off a
cliff... or they are standing on the edge of destruction... thinking every day
about taking their own life... thinking of killing themselves because they have
lost all hope...
Who will stop them...
who will say wait... don´t give up... there is Hope... His name is Jesus...
Are we making a difference in our families?... Are we making a difference in
this city?
The world needs a savior... We...
need a Savior... a redeemer... Jesus is our only hope...
Ephesians 2: 1–3
clearly shows us about our need for a Savior...There is a downward spiral:
The Threefold Need for
a Savior
v1... we need a Savior
because of our corruption in sin.
v 2... we need a Savior
because of our captivity to Satan…
v 3..... we need a
Savior because of our condemnation… We are Dead in sin… captive to an alien power… children of wrath…
Imagine yourself in any crisis in the world—whatever crisis you could
imagine yourself in..... the worst imaginable situation..... That´s the real
situation right now for millions..... in many places around the world... Hopelessness...
tragedy... The fear of death... it rules and terrorizes hearts... for most there is no hope...
Let´s get closer to
home... here in Wiesbaden... Refugees are coming here from Eastewrn Europe and all over the Middle east…
They are desperate for a better life… Their only hope is Jesus… Who will
tell them ?
This city is full of
lost and dying people... there may be some in this room
right now... If you have not repented of your sins and cried out to the Lord
Jesus…. You are still dead in you sins…
We have a message.... we have a redeemer... a savior...
His Name is Jesus…. Do
you know Him?!!!!
If not today may be your last chance… The Bible says that tomorrow
is promised to no man...
No one out in the world
is going to tell you this...
The Good News is that God
sent his Prophets to us… To warn us to repent and escape the wrath to come when
Jesus returns...
Why Wrath? Because the
wages of sin and rebellion against God… is death… Romans 6:23…
You say... but God is a
God of Love... yes he is... Thank God that it is so… Otherwise no one would have any hope at all…
But GOD... let´s read the next section.....it´s good news...
Good News
Ephesians 2: 4- 7 NLT
Neues Leben
4 But God is so rich in
mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our
sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s
grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with
Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with
Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the
incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has
done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
4
Doch Gott ist so barmherzig und liebte uns so sehr,
5
dass er uns, die wir durch unsere Sünden tot waren, mit Christus neues Leben
schenkte, als er ihn von den Toten auferweckte. Nur durch die Gnade Gottes seid
ihr gerettet worden!
6
Denn er hat uns zusammen mit Christus von den Toten auferweckt und wir gehören
nun mit Jesus zu seinem himmlischen Reich.
7
So wird er für alle Zeiten an uns seine Güte und den Reichtum seiner Gnade
sichtbar machen, die sich in allem zeigt, was er durch Christus Jesus für uns
getan hat.
v4… But GOD is so rich in mercy… And He
loved us so very much…
v5… We were dead in sin…
BUT GOD gave us life… He made us
alive with Christ… We were captive to the prince of the power of the air and
enslaved to the course of this world...
Here we see our Present Grace… we are alive…. We are seated in Christ
Jesus in the heavenlies…
v6... BUT GOD raised
us with Christ and made us sit with him in the heavenly places…
v7... We were children
of wrath… v3… BUT GOD......... instead
of pouring out wrath on us... will spend eternity showing the immeasurable
riches of his kindness to us in our redeemer...... Jesus......
Brothers and sisters,
this is good news! It was The Father´s plan all along… To send His Son… The
Lord Jesus… to redeem us…
There is more to this
plan just forgiveness and mercy for our sins… God´s plan is for us to be living breathing examples of HIS
grace and mercy... The unfailing
love of God is shown in his mercy to us... In us exactly because we don´t
deserve it... We can and should be salt and light to the people around us...
Shining into the
Darkness of the world…. Shining into the
darkness of rebellious hearts is A flash of hope… light... love…
You know something?...
The Love of God is real to the people around us when they see our changed
lives... When we tell others what Jesus has done for us...
Once we were lost and
hopeless… dead...
now we are alive… we have been redeemed... we have been forgiven... Why don´t
we open our mouths?!!!! We can and should…. We must proclaim the Good News to
them…
O that people would
turn to the Lord God when their life is
hopeless!..
They try for everything
the world offers and come up empty… But there is Hope! It´s not out there….
It´s in this book… Who will tell them the GOOD NEWS....
Jesus Himself warned that all evildoers will be thrown into a
furnace of fire… Matthew 13:42... that
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth… Matthew 8:12....... Again and again he warned that it is appointed
unto man once to die and after that comes judgment… Hebrews 9:37... And these are all merciful warnings— They
are followed by God's Merciful Promise
But God… in His mercy
and unfailing love God…. He warns and pleads with us to turn from our sin and
pride and rebellion and repent from our hearts… Then after every merciful
warning comes the merciful promise in verse 7........ For those who trust
Christ, God commits himself to the following purpose... Here we see are future…
Our grace filled future… back to eph 2… v7…
Ephesians
2: 7 NLT Neues Leben
v7…
So
God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of
his grace in kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are
united with Christ Jesus.
7
So wird er für alle Zeiten an uns seine Güte und den Reichtum seiner Gnade
sichtbar machen, die sich in allem zeigt, was er durch Christus Jesus für uns
getan hat.
Paul piles up words to grab
hold of our hearts… God the Father offers grace and mercy to a lost and
sinfilled world…
God's perfect plan and purpose
is to be gracious to those of us who repent and believe… And to make sure that we do not miss the sweetness and gentleness of His
grace to us… Paul adds the words… in kindness toward us…
Remember now this is
not because we are good people… It is not because we are special… It all began
when we were dead... v1… and then... Paul reminds us that every good thing that
happens to us is God´s grace… He also shows us that God has a great purpose in
our salvation… verse 8-10... These are Awesome verses…. You Should memorize
them!...
Ephesians 2: 8- 10 NLT
Neues leben
8 God saved you by his
grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from
God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of
us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew
in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
8
Weil Gott so gnädig ist, hat er euch durch den Glauben gerettet. Und das ist
nicht euer eigenes Verdienst; es ist ein Geschenk Gottes.
9
Ihr werdet also nicht aufgrund eurer guten Taten gerettet, damit sich niemand
etwas darauf einbilden kann.
10
Denn wir sind Gottes Schöpfung. Er hat uns in Christus Jesus neu geschaffen,
damit wir zu guten Taten fähig sind, wie er es für unser Leben schon immer
vorgesehen hat.
Christ came into the
world to die for sinners so that God would have a people who are spiritually
alive and holy..... making a difference in this wicked and lost world....
God´s Gift… to all who
repent and Believe
Once we were dead in sin… BUT GOD made us alive!
Once we were captive to Satan… BUT GOD made us free!
Once we were children of wrath… deserving the wrath of God
because of our sin and rebellion.....
It alls goes back to V
4… BUT GOD has promised to pour out
the riches of his grace in kindness toward us forever…
How Can We Have These
Riches? V8…
v8,9…
We were saved when we believed… That´s
awesome… Incredible… No hoops to jump through? No obstacle courses… We are
saved by By grace through faith! Plus nothing… nada..
If, and it is so......
life from the dead is given to you and me by grace... and freedom from Satan is
given by God´s free gift of grace... Then we are safe and sercure in the Lord
our savior… If fact… Romans 8 tells us that nothing can ever separate us from
the Love of God… We have the promise and hope of eternal kindness from God… And
the Good news is that it is all given by
grace...
Since it is all grace…
Past present and future… Then there is only one possible way to receive these
things
By grace are you saved
through faith...... So I urge you all to trust JESUS for everything…
Trust Jesus
Trust Him with your
past and your present and your future…
Trust him with your sin...
Trust him with your relationships.....
Trust him with your job....
Trust him with your health....
Trust him with your money and Christian service… And Trust him
with your future… all the way to eternity...
Once we were dead......
now we are alive... He sets the captive free… How great is our God! look at verse 10…
Ephesians 2: 10
NLT Neues leben
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in
Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
10 Denn wir sind
Gottes Schöpfung. Er hat uns in Christus Jesus neu geschaffen, damit wir zu
guten Taten fähig sind, wie er es für unser Leben schon immer vorgesehen hat.
v 10... we have been saved for the very purposes that God
planned long ago...
What is God´s purpose
for us... for me...?
God´s Plan and Purpose
1 that we would
be the salt and light that stops the
works of darkness…
2 that the dead and dying would here about Jesus from us.....
3 that they would see Jesus in us...
But we need to
Remember…
The Good things that we
do are not part of our earning our salvation… We are not saved by what we do…
The good things that we now do Is God´s
grace in action in our lives…
This new Grace-driven
effort comes from a new heart…
It is very important that we understand what the gospel is… and why
it is the good news it is… We have been saved by grace ALONE through faith
ALONE so that no one can boast!..
We as genuine believers have trusted in Christ as our Lord and Savior….. We heard the Word of
truth…. The Good News of the Gospel…
And since we have believed and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ…. He has sealed us and
redeemed us…. It is all to the praise of His Glory!..
And
so we proclaim Jesus to our family and friends…. We have the answer to the
cries of their hearts…. and to the refugees that we find all around us… Turn
with me to Colossians… ch1… v… 28…
Colossians
1: 28,29 NKJV slt 2000
28
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we
may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor,
striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
28 Ihn verkündigen wir, indem wir jeden Menschen ermahnen
und jeden Menschen lehren in aller Weisheit, um jeden Menschen vollkommen in
Christus Jesus darzustellen.
29 Dafür arbeite und ringe ich auch gemäß seiner
wirksamen Kraft, die in mir wirkt mit Macht.
Communion
Warning!
Danger! Search your hearts….
1
Corinthians 11: 27-32
NKJV
27
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For
he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to
himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and
sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would
not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we
may not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11: 27-32
slt 2000
27 Wer also unwürdig dieses Brot ißt oder den Kelch des
Herrn trinkt, der ist schuldig am Leib und Blut des Herrn.
28 Der Mensch prüfe aber sich selbst, und so soll er von
dem Brot essen und aus dem Kelch trinken;
29 denn wer unwürdig ißt und trinkt, der ißt und trinkt
sich selbst ein Gericht, weil er den Leib des Herrn nicht unterscheidet.
30 Deshalb sind unter euch viele Schwache und Kranke, und
eine beträchtliche Zahl sind entschlafen.
31 Denn wenn wir uns selbst richteten, würden wir nicht
gerichtet werden;
32 wenn wir aber gerichtet werden, so werden wir vom
Herrn gezüchtigt, damit wir nicht samt der Welt verurteilt werden.
Every time that we take communion…. We take in our hands
the proof that God loves us….. We see HIs unfailing love in Jesus´ sacrifice
for our sins….. Jesus purchased our
redemption…
1
Corinthians 11: 23-26
NKJV
23
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord
Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had
given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken
for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the
cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death till He comes.
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 slt 2000
23 Denn ich habe von dem Herrn empfangen, was ich auch
euch überliefert habe, nämlich daß der Herr Jesus in der Nacht, als er verraten
wurde, Brot nahm,
24 und dankte, es brach und sprach: Nehmt, eßt! Das ist
mein Leib, der für euch gebrochen wird; dies tut zu meinem Gedächtnis!
25 Desgleichen auch den Kelch, nach dem Mahl, indem er
sprach: Dieser Kelch ist der neue Bund in meinem Blut; dies tut, so oft ihr ihn
trinkt, zu meinem Gedächtnis!
26 Denn so oft ihr dieses Brot eßt und diesen Kelch
trinkt, verkündigt ihr den Tod des Herrn, bis er kommt.
The
Lord´s Supper has a past reference to The Passover and of course….. Jesus´ sacrificial death on the cross….
It
has a present reference to the fact that we belong to one another here in the Body of Christ… It also has a
future reference…. Because it points us
to our future Gathering together at the end of time… He will return for us…..
We will be with the Lord forever….. We
will celebrate with Him….
Let´s
pray….
