Alive in Christ: The Transformative Power of Grace
Summary
Summary:
Today, we delved into Ephesians 2, a passage that profoundly captures the essence of the gospel and God's grace. We began by reflecting on the futility of trying to fix ourselves, much like my first car, a 95 Ford Escort, which was beyond repair. This analogy illustrates our spiritual condition without Christ—we are dead in our trespasses and sins, unable to save ourselves. Ephesians 2 reminds us that it is only through God's grace that we are made alive in Christ. This grace is unmerited and undeserved, a gift from God that transforms our past, redefines our identity, and gives us purpose.
The city of Ephesus, despite its worldly success, was spiritually dead. Yet, through God's grace, a thriving church was born there. This grace is not just a churchy word; it is the unmerited favor of God that saves us. We explored the two types of grace: common grace, which allows everyone to experience the beauty of creation, and saving grace, which reconciles us to God through Jesus Christ. Grace overcomes our past, redefines who we are, and gives us a new identity as loved and alive in Christ. It is not by our works but by faith that we are saved, and this salvation calls us to action.
We are God's workmanship, created for good works that He prepared in advance for us. Our purpose is to live out this grace by sharing the gospel, caring for others, and embodying Christ's love in our daily lives. We are called to get to work, to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that desperately needs Him. Let us remember the miracle of our salvation and commit to living out the good works God has placed before us.
Key Takeaways:
1. Understanding Our Spiritual Condition: Just as my first car was beyond repair, our spiritual condition without Christ is one of death. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, unable to save ourselves. It is only through God's grace that we are made alive in Christ, highlighting the futility of self-reliance and the necessity of divine intervention. [30:28]
2. The Gift of Grace: Grace is God's unmerited favor, a gift that we do not deserve. It is through this grace that we are saved, not by our works. This grace redefines our identity, making us loved and alive in Christ. It is a reminder that our salvation is not based on our efforts but on God's love and mercy. [32:38]
3. Redefining Our Identity: Grace redefines who we are, transforming us from being spiritually dead to being alive in Christ. We are loved by God, and this love is the foundation of our new identity. This transformation is the greatest miracle, as our souls are brought from death to life through faith in Jesus. [42:27]
4. Our Purpose in Christ: We are created for good works, which God prepared in advance for us. Our salvation calls us to action, to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. We are called to share the gospel, care for others, and live out the love of Christ in our daily lives. [49:01]
5. Living Out Our Faith: We are reminded to remember the miracle of our salvation and to commit to living out the good works God has placed before us. Our purpose is not to remain in a Christian bubble but to actively engage with the world, sharing the hope and love of Christ with those around us. [51:16]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[30:28] - Understanding Our Spiritual Condition
[32:38] - The Gift of Grace
[34:07] - Redefining Our Identity
[40:41] - Spiritual Realities and Death
[42:27] - Grace Redefines Who We Are
[44:27] - Loved and Alive in Christ
[45:17] - The Greatest Miracle
[46:27] - Opportunity for Salvation
[49:01] - Our Purpose in Christ
[51:16] - Living Out Our Faith
[52:22] - Good Works Prepared for Us
[53:02] - Reminding Ourselves of the Miracle
[54:01] - Committing to Live
[54:56] - Invitation to Know Jesus
[55:27] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Ephesians 2:1-10
#### Observation Questions
1. What analogy did the pastor use to describe our spiritual condition without Christ, and how does it relate to Ephesians 2? [30:28]
2. How does the sermon describe the city of Ephesus in terms of its spiritual state despite its worldly success? [32:38]
3. What are the two types of grace mentioned in the sermon, and how are they defined? [34:07]
4. According to the sermon, what does it mean to be "God's workmanship," and what are we created for? [49:01]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the analogy of the 95 Ford Escort help us understand the concept of being spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins? [30:28]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that grace redefines our identity, and why is this transformation considered the greatest miracle? [42:27]
3. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between grace and good works, and how should this influence a believer's life? [49:01]
4. How does the sermon describe the role of faith in receiving God's grace, and what does this mean for our understanding of salvation? [45:17]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on the analogy of the 95 Ford Escort. Are there areas in your life where you are trying to "fix" yourself without relying on God's grace? How can you shift your focus to rely more on divine intervention? [30:28]
2. The sermon describes Ephesus as a city that appeared alive but was spiritually dead. Are there aspects of your life that seem successful outwardly but lack spiritual vitality? How can you address this disparity? [32:38]
3. Consider the two types of grace mentioned: common grace and saving grace. How have you experienced each in your life, and how can recognizing these graces change your perspective on daily blessings? [34:07]
4. The sermon emphasizes that we are created for good works. What specific good works do you feel God has prepared for you, and how can you actively pursue them this week? [49:01]
5. The pastor mentioned the importance of remembering the miracle of our salvation. How can you remind yourself of this miracle daily, and what impact might this have on your actions and attitudes? [53:02]
6. The sermon calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Identify one person or group in your community who needs to experience Christ's love. What practical steps can you take to serve them this week? [51:16]
7. Reflect on the idea of being "alive in Christ." How does this new identity influence your decisions and interactions with others? What changes might you need to make to align more closely with this identity? [45:17]
Devotional
I'm ready to provide the 5-day devotional based on the steps outlined. Here it is:
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Day 1: The Reality of Our Spiritual Helplessness
Our spiritual condition without Christ is akin to being beyond repair, much like a broken-down car. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, unable to save ourselves through our own efforts. This realization highlights the futility of self-reliance and the necessity of divine intervention. It is only through God's grace that we are made alive in Christ, transforming our state from death to life. This understanding calls us to acknowledge our need for a Savior and to embrace the grace that God freely offers. [30:28]
Ephesians 2:1-2 (ESV): "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience."
Reflection: In what areas of your life are you still trying to rely on your own strength instead of God's grace? How can you surrender these areas to Him today?
Day 2: Embracing the Gift of Grace
Grace is the unmerited favor of God, a gift that we do not deserve and cannot earn. It is through this grace that we are saved, not by our works or efforts. This grace redefines our identity, making us loved and alive in Christ. It serves as a powerful reminder that our salvation is based on God's love and mercy, not on our own achievements. Embracing this gift of grace calls us to live in gratitude and humility, recognizing that our worth is found in Christ alone. [32:38]
Titus 3:5-6 (ESV): "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior."
Reflection: How does understanding grace as a gift change the way you view your relationship with God? What steps can you take to live more fully in this grace today?
Day 3: Our New Identity in Christ
Grace transforms us from being spiritually dead to being alive in Christ, redefining who we are. We are loved by God, and this love forms the foundation of our new identity. This transformation is the greatest miracle, as our souls are brought from death to life through faith in Jesus. Understanding our new identity in Christ empowers us to live with purpose and confidence, knowing that we are cherished and valued by our Creator. [42:27]
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Reflection: What aspects of your old identity do you struggle to let go of? How can you embrace your new identity in Christ more fully today?
Day 4: Living Out Our Purpose in Christ
We are created for good works, which God prepared in advance for us. Our salvation calls us to action, to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. We are called to share the gospel, care for others, and live out the love of Christ in our daily lives. This purpose is not just a task but a calling to embody Christ's love and grace in every interaction and situation. [49:01]
James 2:17 (ESV): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Reflection: What specific good work has God placed before you that you can act on today? How can you be the hands and feet of Jesus in your community?
Day 5: Committing to Live Out Our Faith
We are reminded to remember the miracle of our salvation and to commit to living out the good works God has placed before us. Our purpose is not to remain in a Christian bubble but to actively engage with the world, sharing the hope and love of Christ with those around us. This commitment requires intentionality and courage, as we seek to make a difference in the lives of others through the power of the gospel. [51:16]
Matthew 5:16 (ESV): "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Reflection: How can you intentionally let your light shine in your daily interactions? What steps can you take to share the hope and love of Christ with someone today?
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Quotes
"Much like that car, we may want to fix ourselves. We may think that we can fix ourselves, but we can't. It's only through God's grace that we are saved. So if you'll stand with me in Ephesians 2, 1 through 10, if you're able to, we'd love for you to, in reverence of God's word, we're going to read this together and then pick it apart a little bit further in the coming minutes. God's word through the hand of Paul says this, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. But God, amen, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved. Amen." [00:30:34] (72 seconds)
"And this is not of your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of work, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. This is the word of the Lord, church. And we said together, we love the word." [00:31:47] (22 seconds)
"This, or excuse me, in this city, in this church, the city had everything. It was probably second to Rome, had all the commerce. Everybody wanted to go through there. It had the largest temple in all of the Roman colonies, the Temple of Artemis. People would come from all over the world to worship there, come all over the world to do commerce there. In every way, the world would look at Ephesus and say, you are winning. You are a city that is alive. It's like when people come back from New York and, like, man, that city's alive. This is what they say about Ephesus. But in reality, it was a city of dead people. It was dead men and women walking. So much so that when Paul planted this church, well before he wrote this letter, he started a riot, and they took him, and they beat him." [00:32:46] (47 seconds)
"Grace can sound like a churchy word. It sounds like a churchy word. like something we hear a lot but can sometimes lose the meaning sometimes we say like let's say grace before dinner right some of you might have said that or man that dancer or that person sings gracefully or dances gracefully we attribute to it and we get confused on what is grace what is the thing that saves us so here's a quick definition of what grace is God's grace is the unmerited or undeserved favor that he shows us this is it's unmerited undeserved Ephesus the church in Ephesus did not deserve to get saved followers of Jesus at Graceland you don't deserve it this is an unmerited gift from God that you are saved and when we look at and when we look at grace there's actually two types of grace that we see in scripture and really in reality there's what we call common grace and saving grace common grace is this that the world isn't as bad as it should be we rebelled against God he gave us everything in Eden and Adam and Eve sinned and were kicked out they brought sin death and destruction in the world at that point forward God had no responsibility to save this world he could have let us just rot and that's what it should have done but you know what it doesn't we see destruction we see that the world is continually kind of decomposing you but the reality is is tonight to this morning I drove to church and I saw a sunrise and it doesn't matter if you're a Christian or a non -Christian guess what you can say that that sunrise was beautiful why because the common grace of God it serves both Christians and non -Christians it's the way that we can go and see a mountain or a canyon or an ocean or a sunrise or something enjoyable happens we get the the bonus or we get the car we get the house whatever it is and we say this is good that is the common grace of God but that's the common grace of God it's the common grace of God that common grace doesn't save you the good things that God has given you does not save you Jesus Christ saves you and in his giving of himself and this is what we call saving grace it's being made right with God it's being made right because we are not right but through God's grace we are saved through God's grace he sent Paul to speak about Jesus to this town and salvation came through God's grace we have people in this building who are saving than know Jesus and are saved it's all through God's grace it's the gift of God's grace amen church so let's dig into Ephesus a little bit or excuse me Ephesians a little bit further we're going to see three really qualities of what grace does for us God's grace does for us and the first one is this that grace overcomes our past we have to understand how bad our past actually is and church it's rough because the severity of our past is that we are dead my daughter loves animals I don't like animals I don't all I think of animals is work and dirt right that's all they do they just get dirty and they make me do more things at home but my daughter loves animals and so when she was five years old she said I want an animal I want an animal I want an animal so we said okay we'll get you a fish and when we got her a fish we quickly learned she learns one life lesson with the fish and that's this she learns what death is because what our fish created to do they're created to die that's their only purpose and so we bought her this little translucent fish which should have showed us that it's only going to last three days and we bought the bowl we put the water in it and within three days my daughter comes downstairs and she is crying she's devastated and I sat with her and I had to explain to her what death is and it was the first time as a parent I realized I couldn't do anything sure I wanted to go buy a fish that looked exactly the same as I did already got fish of course but I didn't realize I couldn't do anything sure I wanted to go buy a fish that looked exactly the same I wanted to go buy the fish that was exactly the same the same put it in the bowl and trick her but that's not what I should have done and I didn't do it because I love Jesus and I'm not that much of a sinner but I had to sit with my daughter and explain what death is I'd explain that it was irreversible that I couldn't change it but that fish is gone for all eternity she came to the knowledge of what death is the reality of it the conversation none of us want to have with anybody let alone our five -year -olds and church our conversation needs to start that our past the thing that grace overcomes is death it's nothing less it's nothing less God's words puts it this way in Ephesians it says this and you were dead stop in your trespasses and sins now you may be saying I'm breathing I'm walking I'm not dead this is lying the reality is there's a duality of man that we are a body and a soul some of us say this that I am a body and a soul and I am a soul and I am a soul and I am a soul and I am a soul a body and I have a soul. C .S. Lewis says this, I am a soul and I have a body. The reality is that we are both equally." [00:34:07] (0 seconds)
"And if you don't know Jesus, your soul is dead and your body is dying. You may say, well, what does that look like? What does that mean? Is this a turn of phrase? No. Verse two says this, in which you once walked following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of our body and our mind. And we were children, by nature, children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Or here's what it looks like. This is what spiritual death looks like. One, you follow a dying world. Church, the world's dying." [00:39:25] (42 seconds)
"And sooner or later, it will end with God recreating it all. Not saving it all, just destroying the world and recreating it. This world is dying. We see it in the news, we feel it, and we say we want what the world has to offer, that we want a dying world. Dead people seek the dying world and the riches and the fame and all the things that come with us. And the reality is, when we follow a dying world, it's very clear what Paul says, the prince of the power of this age, this is following Satan." [00:40:41] (35 seconds)
"And it says two of the greatest words we see in scripture, but God. Say it with me. But God. Look at your neighbor. Say it to them. They need to hear it. But God. The thing that changes everything. The thing that changes life from death to life. This is what it says. But God, being rich in mercy. Why would God do this? Why would he kill his son to take the death that we deserve and destroy death three days later in the resurrection? Why would he do it? Because of his mercy. Because of his mercy. Because of his mercy. Because of his mercy. Because of his mercy, which shows up in his grace." [00:42:27] (36 seconds)
"Because of his great love with which he loved us. We're going to take some time here, because this is what we see in the second part, is that grace redefines who we are. Changes our past and tells us we are different. It says we are different. Let's look through some of these redefinitions in Ephesians 2. First, that we are loved. That we are loved. Why would he send his son? Because through his mercy, it produces grace. And we are loved. That we are redefined. We are loved. And I think the screen is going to catch up to us here so we can get to the redefined part. He makes a point." [00:43:54] (41 seconds)
"This is what God is doing to us through the hand of Paul. He's saying, you're saved. Why? Because I love you. He's grabbing you, looking at you. We need to hear this, do we not? That we're loved. That the creator of the universe loves us. And not only that, that we are redefined because we are alive. We are loved and we are alive. Alive, even when we are dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together by Christ. By grace, church, you have been saved." [00:44:41] (34 seconds)
"And there's some people in here, a church, a room this size. We know that that's the case. That today's. Today's the day that you need to follow Jesus. We're going to pray counselors up in a little bit. And if that's what you want, if you feel the Holy Spirit tugging at you saying, I want to change you. I want to make you alive. I just, and you need to confess Christ. Just come to us to the front and say, Hey, I want to be alive. And we'll walk you through what that looks like. But not only are we alive." [00:46:27] (26 seconds)
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which he prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. You're saved. You're redeemed. You're alive. Now get to work. I. One of my first jobs when I was 18 was I got a job painting buildings, construction painting buildings. And I was very excited about this job. I thought I'm going to be a painter for the rest of my life. So I bought boots, steel -toed boots, spent a lot of money on my steel -toed boots. And I showed up. But the issue is when you buy new boots, what don't you want on your new boots? Paint. And so I just would hide my new boots. I would barely touch the paint. I'd kind of slip away. I'd walk away. I didn't want my new boots to get dirty. And finally, the person that owned the company took a paintbrush, dipped it in the paint, walked up to my new boots, and sprayed my new boots. And then he said this, now get to work." [00:49:01] (54 seconds)
"Church, so oftentimes when we get saved, we say, man, I am a follower of Jesus. I'm saved. My sin is gone. I am redeemed. I am just going to live in my little Christian community. I got my bubble. And I'm just going to be here. I'm going to be good. Nobody has to bother me. And what is Jesus telling you? He's saying, go to work. Get to work. Get out there. Get out there. There's lost that are dying and going to hell. There's dead in this world. They need me. Go. You are my hands and feet. Now get to work." [00:50:36] (34 seconds)
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