Invited In

Notes: Invited In

Ephesians 2

Pastor Doug Sauder

Calvary Chapel Ft Lauderdale

October 24, 2015

Can you understand the power that God has?

Ephesians 1:22-23 NKJV

[22] And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, [23] which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 2:1-3 NKJV

[1] And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, [2] in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, [3] among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Paul is talking about our past here. We were once dead in trespasses and sins.

When you think about the fact that you are alive as a Christian, it is so much better when you compare it to when you were dead in your trespasses.

God told Adam and Eve they would die on the day they ate the fruit. They died spiritually not physically.

Romans 5:12 NKJV

[12] Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-

You were born spiritually dead.

You sin because you are a sinner. That is the bad news. We were born an enemy of God, that is what we once were.

Do you get a sense of awe to know that God saved you in the first place?

Do you remember what it was like to be driven by lust and desire?

Jesus made us alive! God quickens dead people and makes them alive.

As the Bible says so often "but God"

Ephesians 2:4-9 NKJV

[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast.

One of the most important truths of all the Bible is that salvation is a gift, not a reward. That is the Good News of the Gospel.

Other religions base being saved on works. Nothing we do can get us to Heaven. We had to be rescued.

The object of your faith is what saves you.

Faith in Jesus is what saves you!

He doesn't just save you... he raises you up.

Like David did for Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 9:1,3-4,6-7 NKJV

[1] Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" [3] Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." [4] So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar." [6] Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he answered, "Here is your servant!" [7] So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually."

We were in deadness, Jesus came and found us.

2 Samuel 9:13 NKJV

[13] So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

We are forgiven, raised up, and sitting at Gods table.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

[10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

You work from approval, not for it.

We don't live to impress God. We don't have to prove that God made the right decision. We should walk in the grace of unconditional acceptance.

This is the scandal of grace. We don't have to work hard or more.

This is not fire insurance.

Your good deeds are not for God, He doesn't need your good works.

The hard work we do for others is a blessing for us. It's us conforming to the image of Jesus.

Ephesians 2:11-13 NKJV

[11] Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands- [12] that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

In Christ you have access.

The Jews usually looked at circumcision as making them better than others.

Some Christians that have been saved for a long time sometimes feel higher than new believers.

Ephesians 2:14-18 NKJV

[14] For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, [15] having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, [16] and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. [17] And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. [18] For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Paul is talking to Greeks and Jews, these groups had centuries of hatred towards each other. There was a deep prejudice between these people.

There were signs in the Temple back then that archaeologist have found that said strangers were not welcome and could be killed.

Jesus came and made these people one. Jesus made these groups into a new group, a Christian.

Jesus put prejudice to death. He set an example with Saul, The Ethiopian and Cornelius.

In Christ, we have a new identity.

We were a child of wrath and separated, now we are found and saved.

Jesus said I will die so you can live.