Made Alive Together with Christ — Ephesians 1-5

0:00 Can you turn in your Bibles to Ephesians two? I'd like to get through verse 10, so we'll see how that works. We might even get a little bit farther. We'll see. So, Paul begins this chapter.

0:15 Chapter one, he he laid out some of the things that god has already done. Adoption, inheritance, redemption, forgiveness, and and whatnot and in chapter two, the the first three verses, he's going to remind them what they were. And there's a couple things I want you to pay attention to. I want you to pay attention to the pronouns. Paul switches his pronouns.

0:46 I also want you to pay attention to the tenses of his verbs. So, he begins, you were dead in your trespasses and sins. Now, what does he mean by death? There are really three types of death. We normally think of death as a physical thing.

1:10 Physical death is a type of death. But how do we define death? We need a definition that fits all three types and let me suggest that death like a good definition of death is separation. Okay? Turn to Psalm 146.

1:36 Here's one type of death. Psalm 146 verse four. He's talking about mortal man. Verse three, his spirit departs and he returns to the earth. So, the body and the spirit are separated.

2:06 The spirit goes wherever depending on if he's saved or lost and the body goes to the earth. They're separated. So physical death is a separation of the body and the spirit. Another type of death, Isaiah 59. Verses one and two.

2:36 Behold, the lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save nor is his ear so dull that it cannot hear. In other words, God is perfectly capable of reaching out and saving anyone. He is perfectly capable of hearing anyone. The problem is not on God's end. Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

3:12 That is spiritual death. The separation of an individual from God in the here and now. Now, if we were to take that one step further, in second Thessalonians chapter one verse eight, dealing out retribution to those who do not know god and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, so they're spiritually dead. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Eternal death is separation from God for all eternity.

4:29 So, he's writing this epistle to or he's he's talking about those who were spiritually dead. Those who were separated from god in the here and now because of their trespasses and sins. Later on in chapter four, he talks about those who are excluded from the life of god. They were spiritually dead. Jesus talks to the church in Sardis in Revelation three and he says, you have a name that you're alive but you're dead.

5:09 You think you're alive, but you're really separated from me. So, these are spiritually dead. And then he expands on this. What does he mean by you were dead in your trespasses and sins? Well, the trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked.

5:29 These are the things we did before we became believers, before we came to a relationship with Christ, we formally walked in these things. In chapter four, he talks about your former manner of life, the old self corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. In one Corinthians chapter six, he gives this whole list of sins and then he says, Such were some of you. You formerly walked this way. You formerly lived this way.

6:03 In Colossians, he talks about being formerly alienated, separated and hostile in mind engaged in evil deeds. We formerly walked this way. And I want you to notice that these things didn't happen to us. We did this. We walked this way.

6:36 We lived this way. These things didn't just happen. We chose this. So, we formerly walked according to the course of this world. So, the world has a course.

6:51 It has a path. And we chose to walk the world's path. And the world's path leads us away from god. It leads us to separation from god and we chose that. And then he explains, this course of the world is also according to the prince of the power of the air.

7:16 Who's the prince of the power of the air? Satan. And numerous places. First John five says, the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. Jesus calls him the ruler of this world a number of times.

7:40 Revelation says, he deceives the whole world. Paul says in second Corinthians four, he's the god of this world. He disguises himself as an angel of light. People think that they're walking according to this curse because the angel of light is illumining their way and they're really being separated from god and led into darkness. He is the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

8:12 What's interesting about the sons of disobedience, turn over to chapter five. Paul uses that phrase three times, sons of disobedience in his writings. Here's the one in chapter two, Satan is the one working in the sons of disobedience. In chapter five verse eight, he says, because of these things, and the things he's talking about is verse five and a little bit earlier, Because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. The sons of disobedience are recipients of God's wrath.

8:58 In Colossians chapter three, he uses the phrase again. In verses five and six, he again, verse five, he lists these sins and then he says in verse six, it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience. Now, when he talks about that, the wrath is a future thing. Okay? And there are different, there are different aspects to the wrath of god.

9:58 He was talking about you and now he's talking about we. He changes his pronouns and he does that a couple of times in this book. Go back to chapter one. Verse 12. To the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ.

10:22 Who were the first to hope in Christ? Okay, the apostles be more general. Okay. Yeah. I'm looking at more of what he says in Romans chapter one.

10:45 The gospel went out to the Jew first and then to the Greek. And he says that a couple of times in Romans. We is a reference to the Jew. They were the first to hope in Christ. They were the ones to whom the gospel went out first.

11:04 Jesus in his ministry makes that point. Paul makes that point. The the beginning of the books of book of Acts makes that point. We are the Jews. In him, verse 13, you also, we were the first to hope in Christ to the praise of his glory.

11:24 In him, you also, you Gentiles, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed. With the Holy Spirit of promise, sealed in him. And in fact, in chapter two, after going through what he what we're going to talk about in verses one to 10, look at verse 11. Therefore, remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by the so called circumcision, remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope without god in the world but now, in Christ Jesus, you who were formerly far off had been brought near by the blood of Christ. So, there's this Jew, Gentile distinction that Paul eradicates.

12:29 You walk this way among them, we too, we weren't any different. Even though we had the law of god and the oracles of god and and the temple service and what he says in in the beginning of Romans nine, we had all of these benefits. We were no different than you Gentiles. We too, all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh. And when I think of that verse, we live in houses.

13:01 Where I live is where I dwell. That's my habitation. And Paul is essentially saying, we lived in the lust of our flesh. That's where we dwelt. That was our habitation.

13:18 You Gentiles did some horrific things. We Jews were no different. We lived that way. We walked that way. Indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

13:33 They weren't just casual things. We indulged ourselves. We filled ourselves with all of these things. And when he talks about the flesh and of the mind, take a look at Romans chapter eight. Here he brings those two thoughts out again and he tells us how bad those things really are.

14:03 Romans chapter eight verse five, he says, Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. Our minds are set on those things. Those who are according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. The mindset on the flesh is death. It's separation from God.

14:30 If my mind is set on the flesh, there's a separation there. The mindset on the spirit is life and peace. The mindset on the flesh is hostile toward God. It does not subject itself to the law of God. It is not even able to do so.

14:48 And those who are in the flesh cannot please God. And, he says, we Jews set our minds on the desires of the flesh. We were hostile toward God, we were not subject to the law of God, we could not please God, even though we were his chosen people. We were by nature children of wrath. And I suppose you could look at it, that verse, that statement a couple of ways.

15:45 The pre flood world, there was not a single good thought or intent in anyone's mind except Noah. Every intent, only evil continually. That was their nature. In Genesis eight, the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth. That's his nature.

16:10 You can also look at it in the sense that we were by nature children of wrath. In other words, wrath was the present and abiding condition under which we found ourselves. Take a look at John chapter three. We always think of wrath as something that's going to happen. And there there is a sense to that wrath is going to happen.

16:42 But we can't limit wrath to that. In John chapter three verse 36, he who believes in the son has eternal life. Plain and simple. And depending on your translation, the next statement, he who does not obey or he who does not believe in the son will not see life. But the wrath of God abides.

17:06 That's a present tense on him. He's not talking about something that's going to happen. He says, he's talking about something that is happening. God's wrath is already abiding on those who have rejected the son. It's already here.

17:28 In Romans chapter one, he brings out the same idea. Verse 18, the wrath of God is revealed, not will be. I mean, it will be revealed, but it's here already. It is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. In order to suppress something, what do I have to have?

17:59 Or what do I... What has to happen first? If I'm going to suppress the truth, I have to know the truth. I can't suppress something I don't know. So, people who are suppressing the truth, they know the truth.

18:17 They're just suppressing it, holding it down. They don't want to accept it. They don't want anybody else to accept it And Paul is saying that the wrath of God is revealed. How is it revealed? Verse 24, God gave them over.

18:34 Verse 26, God gave them over. Verse 28, God gave them over. God's wrath is already here. It's going to happen in the future. Yes.

18:48 But it's already here in the sense that God gave them over. So by nature, children of wrath. That's the we, that's the you. He reminds them of their past. And then he gives them the enormous contrast, but God.

19:54 Okay? So, if God is rich in mercy, what did he withhold in this context that we deserved? The end of verse three, wrath. We deserved wrath. God withheld it in mercy.

20:15 We'll look at grace in a minute. And Paul doesn't just say, but God being merciful. It is rich in mercy. Why? Because of his great love with which he loved us.

20:37 Love is an attribute of deity. First John chapter four, god is love Because God is love, therefore God loves. Grace and mercy are not attributes of deity. Grace and mercy are expressions of the attribute of love. God is rich in mercy because of his love.

21:07 And so Paul is giving us this contrast, but god, because of his great love, is rich in mercy. And when you look at God's love, God doesn't just talk about love. God doesn't just say, I love you. It's really a shame you're going to be separated from me forever in hell. He does something about it.

21:34 Romans chapter five verse eight, god demonstrates his love And and if you look at verses six, eight, and 10 in in Romans chapter five, he talks about you were helpless. You were ungodly. You were sinners. You were enemies. But God demonstrates his love for that type of person.

22:03 Christ died for us. And he says that three times. Christ died for us. And there's that idea of substitution that we looked at this morning during the lord's supper in Isaiah 53. Christ died for us, for the helpless, ungodly sinner who was his enemy.

22:23 God demonstrates his love. In first John chapter four, the love of god was manifested. God doesn't just talk about love. God demonstrates it. He manifests it.

22:40 God is rich in mercy because of his love. Mercy is an expression of that love. And then, notice verse five. Even when we were dead in our transgressions. He didn't wait for us to get our lives together, get our acts together, even when we were dead in our transgressions.

23:09 He loved us. He showed us mercy. He showed us grace. He made us alive together with Christ. Notice the tense of the verb.

23:26 He made us alive. That makes sense. When I was born again, I was made alive. I was given new life. I'm no longer separated from God.

23:38 I'm no longer dead in trespasses and sins. I'm made alive with Christ. The life that Christ has is the life that I have. I am made alive together with Him. And then, notice what he puts in there parenthetically.

23:56 By grace you have been saved. Mercy withheld the wrath that I deserved. Grace made me alive and saved me. Something I didn't deserve. So, you got those two concepts here.

24:13 If you go back to chapter one, he says in verse six, to the praise of the glory of his grace, and he's he's talking about the adoption of verse five. To the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished on us. He talks about the riches of His mercy, the riches of His grace, freely bestowed and lavish. It's not just, here's a little bit and hopefully it will tide you over.

25:34 You know, this isn't a spirit being. I'm still flesh and blood but we've been raised up from god's perspective not only are we made alive with Christ, we have been raised up with him. We will share in his resurrection. We will be raised up. At the rapture, the dead in Christ will rise first and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them.

26:10 But from god's perspective, it's already done. And then he goes on and he says, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Past tense. From god's perspective, we are already seated with Christ in heaven. We are already raised up with him.

26:46 Paul in in Romans chapter eight talks about being justified and glorified. Past tense. From god's perspective, that's already done. We're already raised up, seated, and glorified with Christ. I mean, I don't I don't think there's a better picture of our security.

27:13 I mean, who's going to rip us from our seat with Christ and unresurrect us, unraise us up, unmake us alive. I mean, really? And it's in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus and and just as as an aside, Paul uses that phrase five times in this epistle, the heavenly places or the heavenlies. That's his point of reference. In this epistle, that's his starting point.

27:49 Okay? And and that is extremely important when you attempt to interpret chapter four verse nine. If you get your starting point wrong, you're going to get your interpretation of that verse wrong. Which is unfortunately what the Athanasian creed and the apostle creed did. They got the verse wrong.

28:15 My starting point is not earth. My starting point is heaven. I descended from or he descended from heaven to earth and ascended back. He didn't descend to some lower point. The lower point was Earth.

28:34 Not some place below it. Because his starting point is the heavenly places. Five times he says that in this book. Now, why did he do all of this? Why was he rich in mercy and rich in grace?

29:48 To who? To whom? Sorry. Who's going to see it? Well, we'll be seeing each other.

29:57 You know, we'll be seeing each other as objects of the mercy and grace of God. But I think there's another element there. And I'd like you to look at chapter three because we're not going to be the only ones with him in eternity. In chapter three verse eight, he he's talking about the church in the here and now And he says, to me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things. So, he is talking about the administration of the mystery in the here and now, so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

31:07 The rulers and authority in the heavenlies are angelic. And so he's saying the manifold wisdom of god is made known through the church to angelic beings looking on. They're seeing in us as we meet the manifold wisdom of god. Take a look at first Peter chapter one Verse 10, as to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries. So, put yourself in Isaiah's shoes.

31:55 Here he is writing about the servant, the substitute, seeking to know what person. So he is writing about this individual and he really doesn't quite get who it is yet or time or when that's going to happen. The spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves. So, as Isaiah pondered these things and he inquired of these things, the lord said, this isn't about you, Isaiah.

32:32 It's not even about your time. But you in these things which now have been announced to you by those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Things in which angels long to look. Take a look at Revelation chapter five. Verse eight talks about the four living creatures and the 24 elders.

33:09 And they sang a new song, saying, worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God and they will reign on the earth. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands Saying, worthy is the lamb that was slain. To receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. In all of these cases, angels are involved.

33:54 Looking at the manifold wisdom of god in the church. Wondering about the gospel and the salvation that god has offered us. Singing the praise of the lamb that was slain. And so when Paul is talking about so that in the ages to come, he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. I don't think it's limited to us seeing it in one another.

34:21 I think it's also including the angelic beings who were watching us here seeing the manifold wisdom of God and now are looking at us up there and seeing us as the recipients of mercy and grace, something that they would never personally understand. But they would see it. They would observe it. We're not going to be on display. And then Paul goes on and he says, by grace, you've been saved through faith.

35:05 That statement right there has caused theological problems for centuries. What is the that? What is... It is the gift of God. It's either grace or salvation or faith.

35:27 It can't be more than one. Why? Because Paul says that, not these. And he says it is the gift of God. Gift is singular.

35:43 So only one of those is the gift of God. And I would suggest that it, the gift is salvation. Grace is how the gift is given. Faith is how the gift is received. The gift is salvation.

36:11 For example, in Romans chapter three, we are justified. Justification is in one of many aspects or elements of salvation. We are justified as a gift by his grace. Romans chapter six, the gift of God is eternal life. God bestows the gift by grace.

36:39 We receive the gift by faith. So, only one of those is the gift, dramatically. You can't have more than one here. And he says, it is not the result of works. Works and faith are always contrasted.

36:58 And the reason it's not the result of works, the reason we are not saved by works is because if we were, you can rest assured that we would all be in heaven patting ourselves on the back and trying to compare ourselves with somebody else. Oh, I did more than you did. I don't know what you're doing here. It is not the result of works so that no one will boast. We would all be boasting.

37:29 No one is going to boast. It is not the result of works. And Romans and Galatians, know, man is not justified by the works of the law. Period. It's not going to happen.

37:45 So, we are not saved by works, but works or our salvation should result in works. We are his workmanship. So, we are saved by faith and that faith should result in some evidence. Take a look at Philippians chapter two. Verse 12.

38:22 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation. He's not saying work for it. You can't. It's by faith. It's a gift.

38:41 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is at work in you. We are his workmanship. Both to will and to work for his good pleasure. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works.

39:06 Our good works don't save us, our good works are the evidence that we are saved. Which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. And that last statement brings us right back to verse two. You've got the course of this world and you've got the path that God has set out. The world has its path, God has his path.

39:36 He has prepared certain things for us to do that we should walk in them. And you can rest assured that God has prepared so many good works for us to do that we could not possibly even come close to doing everything that he set before us. So there is never an excuse, well I just didn't know what to do. There are so many things that god has put sprinkled in our path. Just pick something and do it.

40:07 I I like what what Jesus says, go into all the world and preach. Well, where am I supposed to go? Just go. He didn't say where? Just go.

40:19 He's put before us good works that he wants us to walk in. Start walking. We've been created in Christ Jesus for good works. We've been saved by grace. We are recipients of his mercy, of his love.

41:06 We thank you that you see us as those who have been made alive, raised up, and seated with your son in the heavenlies. And we thank you father that you have created us in him for good works. And we pray, Father, that we would put into practice the things that we've learned and that we would walk in a manner worthy of you and pleasing to you and bearing fruit in every good work. And we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.