for reminding us of the hope we have of one day being on that land that is prepared for us. Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise of Beutoland, that glorious home where you dwell and our Savior dwells and all the other saints that have gone before us. Father, As we keep our eyes looking up, longing for that day, Father, help us to be faithful until Jesus returns, faithful in obedience to your word, and to live in such a way, Lord, that we might extend your grace and love. And Father, that we be more Christ-like in all we say and do. And we ask now your blessing and give us understanding upon your word as we look into it. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Well, if you'll take your Bibles, let's turn to the book of Ephesians here this morning. We continue our series in this tremendous letter to the Ephesian church. Apostle Paul. And we're going to be picking up at chapter 2 now, Ephesians 2. But as we are about to go into chapter 2, I just want to look back at verses 22 and 23 of chapter 1, the last two verses there. Because again, this kind of sets up what Paul is now going to express in chapter 2. So if you look at Ephesians 1 verse 22, And he, God, put all things in subjection under his feet, Jesus' feet, and gave him, Jesus, as head over all things, to the church, which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills, and there's that phrase, all in all. We just sang about it. You are my all in all. Paul is reminding the church that all things are subject to Jesus Christ, which speaks about everything. All of creation, all of the heavenly realms, the earthly realms, are subject to Christ. and under his feet. And he gave, God gave Christ to be head over the church. This is the first time, verse 22, first time in this letter so far that Paul has actually used the word church. But now he's talking about the church as a whole, as believers. And that Christ is the head, just like a physical body. He's using, you know, this term to give application and symbolize what Christ is to us, just as the human body. Without this head, this body does nothing. can do nothing. And so Christ is the head of the church, you and I, the body of Christ, and we must understand that He is over all things concerning the church, as we are considered spiritually His body. And then the fullness, end of verse 23, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. The Lord Jesus Christ as a head, than has filled the body, you and me, with himself. He is our all in all. And so with that in mind, then Paul goes in to how we are saved in chapter two. So let's look together at chapter two, verses one through three. And you were dead, your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them, we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging in the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." Suddenly Paul makes clear, reminds the church of where they were before they became the body of Christ, before they became part of the church, before they were saved. Where did they come from? What condition were they in? And he plainly says it there, you were dead. You were dead in trespasses, your trespasses and sins. You and I, he's talking to the church that remember you were completely dead. Can a dead person do anything? No, a dead person is lifeless. And then he speaks about the way they formerly walked. Because of those trespasses and sins, you walked in them, formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. Who's that speaking up? It's Satan. Yes, he is considered the prince of the power of the air. And so, Those who are in darkness, as we came into this world with sinful nature, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Satan was basically, you might say, our parent. Because usually kids will emulate their parents and their parents' character. And when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, That is the point where Satan had his hands around us. He had control because of our sin and Satan's sin. And he, because of course we know the whole story in Genesis of how Satan tempted Adam and Eve and drew them into sinning against God. And therefore the Prince of the power of the air is at work in the hearts of the... And notice what we were called before we knew Christ. End of verse 2. Working in the sons of disobedience. Working in the sons of disobedience. And then Paul puts himself there, verse 3. Among them, we too all formerly lived in the loss of our flesh before we were ever saved. indulging in the desires of the flesh, and notice the next part, and of the mind, the desires of the mind, the lusts of the mind, and were by nature, we were born this way, because of the sinful nature, we were born children of wrath, even as the rest. There is that children, that phrase, children we have the children of wrath, and that lines up perfectly with the prince of the power of the air. That if he is the one that is controlling my life, being part of my life before I was saved, then I am condemned already. Spiritually, I am condemned by my sin, and so I am a child of wrath, the wrath of God that is one day going to come and is going to judge every soul, every soul that will one day stand before Him. But then we come to verse 4, and I love the first two verses, two words of verse 4. Look at the first two words. Okay, there's the bad news. He just shares all the bad news. This is the way you were, this is the way you lived. Then he says, but God. But God. Suddenly, he says, this was your condition, church. But suddenly something happened. But God stepped in. God moved on your behalf, on our behalf. He says, but God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sin, our transgressions. He made us, what, alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved through faith. raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And there's a purpose for it all. Verse 7, in order that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. Here we see God stepped in to time, and God stepped into your dead life and mine as we were dead in our trespasses and sin. The only way you and I could be brought out and be given new life, everlasting life, is if God would do something. And so but God, and then what does he do? Paul describes these two tremendous attributes of God. But God being, first of all, verse four, rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us. There they are, mercy and love. Because of God's rich mercy and love, and then notice the love. the great love with which He loved us. When did He love us? After we were saved and we were cleansed and had the righteousness of Christ? No. He loved you. He loved me when we were dirty, dead, and gone, and living in our trespasses and sins. God the Father looked down and loved you. He loves you. He loved you before you were saved and after, and he wanted to demonstrate his love to you and to me. And Paul is saying this to the church. He's trying to convey to the church, I want you to understand what the grace of God really is. That you are now saved and given everlasting life because of the grace of God. The grace of God was shown because of His mercy and love that He then bestowed His grace to save us. Notice what happens here. He mentions there at the end of verse 5, even though we're dead in trespasses and sins and transgressions. He made us alive together with Christ, and then he adds, by grace you have been saved. Key word here is grace. Grace is the favor of God extended to those who don't deserve it. And so by the grace of God, what took place? Through faith in Jesus Christ, something happened. God made us, first of all, verse five, made us alive together with Christ. He made us alive. In other words, there was a resurrection one day. When you trusted Christ for salvation, God brought you this free gift of his son. And he said, if you accept my son, I will give you by grace, through your faith, but by grace, you will be raised from the dead spiritually. That the moment you and I were saved, suddenly our spirit, our dead spirit within me, had a resurrection. I was resurrected unto new life. And so my soul was resurrected, and I became a child of God. I became part of the family of God. And notice, He raised me up there, made us alive together with Christ. Christ rose from the dead, and He's able to give eternal life to all those who would put faith in Him, and therefore, He made all of us, the church, the body of Christ, alive together with Christ. So now we have this spiritual life, eternal life we've never had before. So once we were raised spiritually in Christ by grace through faith, then verse six, what took place next? He raised us up with him. As Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and he ascended to the Father, we too were raised up with him. And then what took place? What did God do next? Verse six, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Look at what has taken place and notice the past tense that we read here. Verse five, He made us alive. It's already done together with Christ. He made us alive. We were resurrected spiritually. from the dead, from our trespasses and sins. Verse six, he raised us up with him, past tense, already done. Now, I'm not with the Lord yet physically, but spiritually I've been raised up with him into heaven. The moment I was saved, I have a seat next to the Son and the Father in heaven. He says it right there. He raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God raised us up and seated us with him. There again, past tense. We were seated with him. Now I look out here and you're all seated. here on earth, there you are. We're seated here, and I'm sure we don't think too much about what actually happened the moment we were saved by grace. That that moment, spiritually, you were raised to life, And the Lord spiritually set you on high right now, spiritually speaking, sitting with him there. It's as if you're already in heaven, but he's saying that we're already seated there. This is the position God has raised us to through Christ. And we have this position and we are saved by grace through faith. Turn with me to Romans chapter five. you go over to the book of Romans, see what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church here. Romans chapter 5, and we'll pick it up at verse 14. Romans 5, 14. Paul writes, nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of him who was to come." Adam was a type of Christ, except he was fallen. But Jesus came as a second Adam and brought life. Verse 15, but the free gift, there it is, the free gift, that's grace. Grace is the free gift of God. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died. That's through Adam. Much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many. Here, Paul makes it clear, saying that you were once dead because of Adam's sin. We've all sinned. Sin was passed on. But in a greater way, Now, did God bestow His grace and the gift of grace through one man, Jesus Christ? And look at verse 16. And the gift is not like that which came to the one who sinned, Adam. For on the one hand, the judgment arose from one transgression, resulting in condemnation. Again, Adam and Eve in the garden. But on the other hand, The free gift—there it is again, the grace—the free gift arose from many transgressions, resulting in justification. For by the transgression of one, Adam, death reigned through the one. Much more, those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will—what? reign in life through the one Christ Jesus. We will reign through the life. And you and I, though we are not physically in heaven yet and Jesus has not returned yet to physically reign on earth, we are actually reigning with him now spiritually because we are seated with him in heaven. And so we are part of his righteous kingdom, the spiritual kingdom of Lord Jesus through grace. Through grace we have been saved. Now turn with me to Colossians chapter three. If you now go over to Colossians three. And Paul speaks in a similar way. to the church in Colossae. Colossians 3, and look at verse 1. He says to them what he's saying to the church in Ephesus. Colossians 3, 1. If then you have been raised up with Christ, there's that spiritual resurrection when you were saved, then something is now supposed to happen. When you and I have received the grace of God, and we are forgiven our sins, we are cleansed by the blood of Christ, and we have been seated on high, and we are now children of God, is that it? I'm saved, going to heaven. Done deal, okay, now I'm gonna go enjoy life. I'm gonna live the way I want to. No, look what he says. He encourages him, since you then were raised up with Christ, something ought to happen. Keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the hand of God. You and I were saved by grace for a purpose. And it wasn't just to get to heaven. But it's that I would represent Christ now here on earth in this body. By the way I act, the way I think, the way I live. Verse two, set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died. and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. That is when we will have our ultimate justification, I'm sorry, our ultimate glorification. Suddenly we will have our resurrected bodies, and you will look different. You will have an eternal body that is raised from the dead, and you will be transformed, and you and I will one day be like Christ, once the resurrection occurs. But look what he says in verse 5. Therefore, because of who you are in Christ, being saved and raised, therefore consider the members of your body, your earthly body, as dead. to immorality, impurity, passion, evil, desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked when you were living in them. Just like he said to the Ephesians, he said, you used to be this way. This is the way you used to live and walk when you were under the wrath of God, before you were saved, before God bestowed his grace upon you. So then he goes further. If I am saved by his grace, And I have been transformed on the inside. I've been raised from the dead spiritually. I have a new spirit within me through Christ. And I have been justified by Him. I am robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ the moment I am saved and trust in Him. Then that demands that I live in a way where I make sure that this old man, because I still have the old nature in there, he's still running around, he still wants to control this body and this mind, but I now have a new nature which, through the help of the Holy Spirit, can keep that old nature that's been crucified with Christ dead, so that he cannot act up in my body and take control of me in my behavior, because we still have that old flesh. But look at verse 8. But now you also put them all aside. Put what aside? All those fleshly desires and sin. Put them all aside. So now, you're raised with Christ, you and I are set up on high. What are we to do? Set these things aside. He lists them. One, anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to the true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. A renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free man, but Christ is... Do you see that again? Look what it says. But Christ is all in all. If He's all in all, I should live that way, that He is my all in all, so that I, with His help, will lay aside the old nature, the old clothes I used to wear, the slander, wrath, lying, and all these things, And then look at verse 12. And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, were to put on these new clothes. Look on this. Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bearing with one another. Verse 13. And forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Then verse 14, beyond all, beyond all these things, Put on love. Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity, forgiveness. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body to be thankful. Beyond all these things put on love. Here is the answer. This is what Christ desires of you and me. that I would allow Christ to produce in me through His Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, so that He can be my all in all. And here we are as the members of the body of Christ, Georgetown Bible Church. And I have to ask myself, Am I putting on love, His love? Am I forgiving as He forgave me on that cross? Or am I still holding, all because of my flesh, I'm holding on to something that somebody hurt me with, wronged me, or said something against me, and I'm gonna hold something against them until I die? And then what happens? The body of Christ is torn apart. Because I'm not willing to forgive. It doesn't mean that all is gonna be perfect. It doesn't mean that the other person who I choose to forgive may change. But I have to look into the mirror And I have to look in and say, what is going on in my heart that is not pleasing to God, that is not honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ, that is not bringing unity so that the body of Christ can continue to grow in love and unity, and it will only happen when I lay aside the old clothes of the flesh, and I let go, I say, okay, Lord, I want to love like you loved me. I want to forgive like you forgave me. And if I don't do that, if I do not do that, God is gonna hold me accountable. And God, in his own way, is gonna have to discipline me, and I will live a miserable life if I continue to hold on to my bitterness, my anger, and ill feelings towards somebody else. I'm gonna be miserable myself. How can God use me if I don't make sure this heart is right? and that I'm allowing the Spirit, because I have been saved by grace, allow the Spirit to control me, my mind, my thinking, my actions. This is a reminder. Paul's been trying to get this across to the churches here. You've been saved by faith. There's a reason why you got saved, that you could produce the fruits of the Spirit. And that takes us back to Ephesians, and let's close it up back in Ephesians 2. And verse 7, let's go back to verse 7. Ephesians 2, 7. In order that this has all happened, we have been saved, and given the grace of God, set up in heavenly places for a reason, in order that in the ages to come, which is eternity, he, God, might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. What's Paul saying in that verse? He's basically saying, for all of eternity, you know why, one of the reasons you were saved? because God wants to display you forever and ever to all creation, heavenly, earthly, whatever it is. He wants to hold you up as a trophy of grace forever and ever. God wants to show for all of eternity the riches of His grace by pointing to us in heaven and saying, you want to see my grace? There it is, that body of Christ, the bride. That is my grace. And then we come to 8, 9, and 10. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works that no man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." That we should walk in them. There he says in verse 8, For by grace you have been saved through faith. As you put your trust in Christ to save you, you've been saved by grace. Grace alone. Again, a reminder, this word for grace in the Greek is charis. Charis. And basically, one of the best definitions of grace is unmerited favor and kindness of God toward humanity. And in the Greek Roman culture, That word was commonly understood as a favor or a gift given to somebody without expectation of any return. I give it, but I don't want anything back. That's what God's grace was. He gave His Son. All He wants you and I to do is to trust Him by faith, and He forgives us and cleanses us. from all unrighteousness. And we can't boast because we haven't earned our salvation. Verse 9, there are no works involved. And here's the purpose again for your salvation and mine. Verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. you and I were created in Christ for this purpose, that you and I might walk in our good works, which would bring glory and honor to him and please him. And that again goes back to the fruits of the Spirit. My good works to God. He's not caring. If we go to 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter of love, you know, Paul says, oh yeah, you can give your life as a martyr, you can do all these things, give to the poor, you can be faithful in church, you can do all these things, but if you don't have the love, God says, your stuff means nothing. Your service, your outward works, if you don't have love, the love of Christ working in and through you, then God's not, God's saying, that's worthless. So when you get to heaven, don't expect any rewards for it, unless you're doing it out of love. And one of the greatest things, these good works, I think one of the greatest things as we close here, The greatest things I can give while I am on earth to you is grace. God wants me, as he did to me, he wants me to show you grace when you have maybe wronged me. Maybe you have something against me. Maybe whatever it is, I need to extend the grace of God to others, for he did it for me. And that means I'm not expecting anything back. But Lord, you know my heart, and so I'm coming to you, and Lord, help me to give your grace out to others that maybe don't deserve it. But I have to ask myself, Am I a grace giver? Am I a grace giver? That's what he wants. Let's pray together. As we bow before the Lord, dear Christian this morning, perhaps the Lord It's speaking to your heart, and you realize that you're wearing the old clothes, and you need to change. And you desire to put on the new clothes of the fruits of the Spirit. and be able to love with His love, and bestow grace on those who don't deserve it, and forgive them as God and Christ Jesus forgave you. Would you make that decision to do that right now, dear Christian? Just lay it at the foot of the cross, If it's bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, malice, revenge, the anger, which he laid at the cross, where he took all that upon himself, and he died for those sins. Would you do that, Christian? If you're here without Christ this morning, I invite you to open your heart to the Savior who died for you on that cross. He took the punishment for your sin, for all your transgressions, and He paid the price that God required, the shedding of blood, and He shed the blood for you. If you've never accepted Jesus as your Savior, but you want Him to save you now, you want to make sure that your sins are forgiven, and you have a home in heaven, and you want to begin to live a life where Christ is your Lord and Savior, then would you give your heart to Him right now? You can pray a simple prayer like this. Say, dear Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, and I'm sorry for my sin. I believe you died on that cross for me and took the punishment for my sin. Come into my heart right now and wash my sins away. I receive you today as my very own Savior. Thank you for dying for me and rising from the dead, Lord Jesus. with head still bowed, if you gave your heart to Christ, you have been born again spiritually. You're now a child of God. You belong to him and he lives inside you and he is now transformed you and now you can live a life that is different, a life that is full, a life that will produce those fruits of the Spirit. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for any decisions that have been made. We entrust them to you now. And Father, we pray, Lord, that you would help us, Lord, to take inventory of our hearts each and every day to see if there be any wicked way in me and any sin that needs to be confessed. And Father, we know that we will receive your blessing because of it. We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.