EPHESIANS 2:1-10

1 As for you, you were dead in your

transgressions and sins, 2 in which you

used to live when you followed the ways

of this world and of the ruler of the

kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now

at work in those who are disobedient.

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

3 All of us also lived among them at onetime, gratifying the cravings of our fleshand following its desires and thoughts.Like the rest, we were by naturedeserving of wrath. 4 But because of hisgreat love for us, God, who is rich inmercy

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

5 made us alive with Christ even when we

were dead in transgressions—it is by

grace you have been saved. 6 And God

raised us up with Christ and seated us

with him in the heavenly realms in Christ

Jesus,

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

7 in order that in the coming ages hemight show the incomparable riches ofhis grace, expressed in his kindness tous in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace youhave been saved, through faith—and thisis not from yourselves, it is the gift ofGod—

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in

Christ Jesus to do good works, which

God prepared in advance for us to do.

SERVICE

Andreas Lubitz, the Germanwings co-pilot

believed to have deliberately crashed flight

4U9525 last week, did online research into cockpit doors and suicide methods

in the days leading up to the crash, according to Düsseldorf prosecutors.

(http://www.theguardian.com/)

As French investigators announced they had found

the second black box recorder from the wrecked plane, Ralf Herrenbrück, the German prosecutors’

press spokesman, said the a tablet computer found in the co-pilot’s flat had been

analysed.(http://www.theguardian.com/)

It strengthens investigators’ initial suspicions that co-

pilot Andreas Lubitzintentionally destroyed the plane, though prosecutors are still trying to figure out why. All 150 people on board flight 9525 from

Barcelona to Düsseldorf were killed in the crash

on 24 March.(http://www.theguardian.com/)

None of the 150 passengers and crew are thought to have

survived the Germanwings A320 crash into a steep hillside in the French Alps. “The plane is disintegrated. The largest debris is the size of a car,”

Gilbert Sauvan, president of the general council of the

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, told France’s Les Echos

newspaper, adding in a separate comment to AP:

“Everything is pulverized.”

The largest group of victims on Flight 4U9525,

which was flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, is

feared to comprise 16 teenagers from a school

near Dusseldorf, who were in Barcelona on a

weeklong exchange trip.

HOW CAN YOU BE SAVED?

OPTION #1

WORKS

RELIGION BELIEF

Buddhism Ceasing desires saves you

Confucianism Education, self-reflection, self-cultivation, and living

a moral life saves you

Hinduism Detaching from your separated ego and making an

effort to live in unity with the divine saves you

Islam Living a holy life of good deeds saves you.

Orthodox Judaism Repentance, prayer, and working hard to obey the

law saves you.

New Ageism Gaining a new perspective through which you now

see that you’re connected to all things as a divine

oneness saves you.

Daoism Aligning yourself with the dao to have peace and

harmony saves you.

You are SAVEDby YOU.

OPTION #2

GRACE

You are SAVEDby JESUS.

Those of you who have trusted in your own works, it is not the faith that saves you, it’s the object of faith that saves you, and you may be

trusting in a false religious system, a false moral system, or a false spiritual system. You’re not saved just by having faith in

someone or something, that object needs to actually be a Savior who can save.

JESUS alone is worthy of our faith, JESUS alone is our Savior, and if anyone

is trusting in anyone or anything other than him or in addition to him, they’re

trusting in the wrong thing, and they will not experience salvation.

EPHESIANS 2:5

5 made us alive with Christ even when we

were dead in transgressions—it is by

grace you have been saved.

We’re not saved by what we do or who we are, we’re saved by who he is and what he does, and that’s grace. That

means unmerited favor, undeserved love.

This means that God pours out his affection not just on the undeserving, but the ill-deserving, in fact those who were

previously his enemies.

SAVED IN THE PAST, IN THE PRESENT, AND IN THE FUTURE

IN THE PAST, WE’RE SAVED FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN

If you are in Christ, if you are a Christian, if you belong to Jesus, there is no penalty of sin

for you, meaning God does not punish you when you sin. There may be consequence for your sin, but he’s not punishing you,

because Jesus has already been punished in your place for your sins.

It also means if you are in Christ, once you die, you will not suffer an eternal penalty for your sin, because Jesus already paid

for it at the cross. It’s what it means in saying it’s grace.

IN THE PRESENT, WE’RE SAVED FROM THE POWER OF SIN

The moment you meet Jesus that’s the beginning of your eternal life, you’re saved in the present from the power of sin, and that

Jesus doesn’t just change you when you die, he changes you the moment you

become one of his.

IN THE FUTURE, WE’RE SAVED FROM THE PRESENCE OF SIN

And there will be a day, just as Jesus rose, we too shall rise. And the Bible says that we’ll be totally new, thoroughly new, and that sin will be no more.

There’ll be no suffering, no sickness, no sin. There’ll be no death, there’ll be no devastation, there’ll be no

destruction. It will be the world as God created it before sin corrupted it. It’ll be the world as Jesus

remakes it by his own glory, and that’s called the kingdom of God.

ARE YOU SAVED?

SAVED FROM WHAT?

EPHESIANS 2:1-3

1 As for you, you were dead in your

transgressions and sins, 2 in which you

used to live when you followed the ways

of this world and of the ruler of the

kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now

at work in those who are disobedient.

EPHESIANS 2:1-3

3 All of us also lived among them at onetime, gratifying the cravings of our fleshand following its desires and thoughts.Like the rest, we were by naturedeserving of wrath.

DEATH

EPHESIANS 2:1

1 As for you, you were dead in your

transgressions and sins, 2 in which you

used to live when you followed the ways

of this world and of the ruler of the

kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now

at work in those who are disobedient.

Death is the result of sin. Where there is no sin, there is no death. That’s why in

the kingdom of God, we will not die because we’ll be saved from the

presence of sin and death will be no more.

You can be living, physically,

while yet dead spiritually.

You don’t love Jesus, you don’t hate

sin, and you’re going to die and taste

eternal death forever.

TRESPASSES AND SINS

EPHESIANS 2:1

1 As for you, you were dead in your

transgressions and sins, 2 in which you

used to live when you followed the ways

of this world and of the ruler of the

kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now

at work in those who are disobedient.

God’s Word is filled with laws, boundary markers, and when we cross one, we’ve

trespassed. We’ve crossed a line. We’re in a place we’re not supposed to be, doing a thing we ought not do, and

there’s consequence for that.

WORLDLY LIVING

EPHESIANS 2:2

1 As for you, you were dead in your

transgressions and sins, 2 in which you

used to live when you followed the

ways of this world and of the ruler of the

kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now

at work in those who are disobedient.

This is how everybody thinks, this is how they act, this is what they do, and it

seems normal because that’s what the majority is doing, that’s where the

majority is going. But morality is not determined by the majority.

SATAN’S PEOPLE

EPHESIANS 2:2

1 As for you, you were dead in your

transgressions and sins, 2 in which you

used to live when you followed the ways

of this world and of the ruler of the

kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now

at work in those who are disobedient.

Not only are there God’s people, there are Satan’s people. Not only are there those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit, but those who are empowered by

demons.

Maybe he is empowering their life so that others would be enticed toward a life of

sin, and folly, and rebellion, so that others would see that he is willing to give them what they want as long as he gets

what he wants: their soul.

PASSIONS OF FLESH

EPHESIANS 2:3

3 All of us also lived among them at onetime, gratifying the cravings of ourflesh and following its desires andthoughts. Like the rest, we were bynature deserving of wrath.

You’re born with an old nature, you’re born again with a new nature. Part of what it means to become a Christian is

not just to become a better you but a new you with a new nature. The old you with the old nature, he marks it by our mind

and our desires.

PSALM 37:4

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will giveyou the desires of your heart.

NATURAL TENDENCIES

EPHESIANS 2:3

3 All of us also lived among them at onetime, gratifying the cravings of our fleshand following its desires and thoughts.Like the rest, we were by naturedeserving of wrath.

The wrath of God is to create in us a sense of urgency that we’re under a death

sentence, that the clock is ticking, that after this life there is no second chance, that we better get this thing straightened out with

Jesus right now while there’s still time because it’s a fearful thing to fall into the

hands of the living God.

SAVED BY WHAT?

GRACE

EPHESIANS 2:4-5

4 But because of his great love for us,God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made usalive with Christ even when we weredead in transgressions—it is by graceyou have been saved.

Dead people don’t make decisions. Apart from Jesus, you’re spiritually dead, but God

makes us alive in Christ, God puts life into us, God brings us from separation to

reconciliation. That’s what God does, and then we respond with faith, but the faith is in

evidence of our salvation.

EPHESIANS 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have beensaved, through faith—and this is notfrom yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9

not by works, so that no one canboast.

SAVED FOR WHAT?

TO DO GOOD WORKS

EPHESIANS 2:6-10

6 And God raised us up with Christ andseated us with him in the heavenlyrealms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that inthe coming ages he might show theincomparable riches of his grace,expressed in his kindness to us in ChristJesus.

EPHESIANS 2:6-10

8 For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not fromyourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not byworks, so that no one can boast. 10 Forwe are God’s handiwork, created inChrist Jesus to do good works, whichGod prepared in advance for us to do.

SEVEN THINGS ABOUT GOOD WORKS

All works by God’s grace for God’s glory are good works.

Most of Jesus’ good works were as a carpenter, not a preacher.

There’s no such thing as sacred and secular work for Christians.

Discover the good works God has set before you.

You don’t need new works—you’ve got way too much to do—but to infuse your current works with grace.

We are not saved by our works, but we are saved to our works.

God does not need our works, but our neighbor does.