Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• To expand 10 verses from Eph 2
• Expository teaching with three verbs:
• Read, explain, apply
• Three readings also
• 2:1-10
• Theme: Life without Christ and the grace of God
• It is concerning when we look at man today
• Sin is throughout the whole word
• Lack of truth, honesty and justice
• Eph 2 is very relevant for us today
• Comparison: man by nature and man in Christ
• From death/the grave to the throne
• From spiritual death to spiritual life
• Before Christ and once changed in God/Christ
• Salvation in free in Jesus Christ and has nothing to do with merit

Reading v1-3

• Shows what man in by nature
• v1 – man in dead spiritually
• Explanation - comparison between being physically and spiritually dead
• Nicodemus - John 3
• We are spiritually dead because of our sin - "the wages of sin is death"
• Isa 59:2 - the unbeliever is spiritually dead, he needs spiritual resurrection
• John 11 - example of Lazarus
• It is only the power of God that brings a person from death to life
• v2/3 – Man is disobedient
• A person lives to please the desires of his flesh and mind
• His actions are sinful because his desires are sinful
• Paul:
• "There is not one righteousness, no not one"
• "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" - Rom 3:23
• David, Solomon, God in Genesis 6
• Three powers that lead a person to disobedience: the world, the devil, the flesh
• The world
• The devil is in the prince of the world - 1 John 5:29
• The lost belong to this system and called children of the world
• The world first hated Christ and then hated the Church
• A friend of the world is an enemy of God
• The devil
• Has evil spirits that demons that influence the world
• Eph 6:11-12
• The flesh
• Not our body but rather our fallen sinful nature
• This nature controls our minds and bodies to disobey God
• An impulse within us to disobey God
• Jesus said from the heart comes sin
• Matt 15:29
• The problem is not outside but inside man
• No spiritual good in our nature
• The apostle Paul knew this - Rom 7:28
• John 6:24
• v3 – Man is condemned
• He is a man of wrath
• John 3:28 - the unbeliever is already condemned
• Outside of man Christ is totally dead, enslaved by the world, the devil, the flesh; and condemned by God
• Quote: John Packer

Reading v4-9

• In these verse Paul shows what man is in Christ
• Contrast v1-3 in nature and now in grace
• v7 - the supreme richness of His grace
• Four key words: love, mercy, grace and kindness
• These riches make our salvation possible
• This is a gift that we do not deserve
• Mercy and grace comes through the cross of Jesus Christ
• God demonstrated His hatred of sin but His love for His people
• v5 - we were raised in Christ - we cannot make ourselves better
• We did not participate in our own birth
• Regeneration is an exclusive work of God
• A supernatural work of the Holy Spirit brings us to Christ
• Brings us out of spiritual death to spiritual death
• John 6:24
• 1 John 5:1
• The Spirit of God changes the soul of man
• Explanation
• Raised in Christ and made to sit in heavenly places in Christ
• The narrative of Christ's life
• We died with Him, we are raised with Him, we are taken up with Him
• We are exalted in Christ
• v5 - God has given us life, v6 - He raised and regenerated us, He has taken us to heavenly places
• The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed - The Holy Spirit who gives us life
• The work of Salvation is of God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
• v5-7 show the supreme wonder and grandeur of this grace
• He illuminated us to see the wonder of this
• The final purpose of our salvation is to magnify the grace of God
• The real purpose of our salvation is the glory of God
• A grace/present from God - a gift from God, both faith and salvation
• We cannot add anything to the complete work of Christ
• Solar grace - all of grace
• The only merit we have is the merit of Christ

Reading v10

• Quote: 'We are a wonderful artwork of God'
• Jonah 2:9 - "Salvation is from the Lord"
• Predestined to be conformed to Christ's image
• Conversion is not the end of the work but the beginning
• Matt 5:26
• We are created anew in Christ Jesus for good works (not by good works)
• We are saved by faith that produces works
• The question is about the nature of saving faith
• Good works that come from our salvation
• In contrast to the works inspired by the devil, the flesh and the world
• The start and end of the text has similar thoughts
• Evil works at the start - by the devil
• Good works at the end - in Christ
• These good works need to be seen in us for the glory of God