Man's Natural Inability

Ephesians 2 and the Natural Condition of Man

Let's begin with a word of prayer. Father thank you for this opportunity that we have to study your word. I pray that you would help us to better understand what your word has to tell us about this very important subject the very nature of man and Our sinfulness and what we can learn from not only the second chapter of Ephesians But from other places in Scripture which tell us about our fallen condition.

We thank you for your truth. We pray that we would be faithful to it. I pray that you would keep me from error and Just help us all to be focused on it in Christ's name. We pray Amen. All right. Well today we are in the second chapter of the book of Ephesians.

We have been looking through Ephesians chapter 1 we have seen Paul giving his great Explanation about the work of God in salvation God being the Sovereign One Who has worked out all things according to his will and has established his blessing on believers in Christ and Today, we're going to look at Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1.

So if you want to open up your Bibles to Ephesians and Go to chapter 2 With me We're going to be focusing on one verse. Really? We're going to be focusing on one word in the verse, but we're going to actually read a few verses to get started.

We're going to read verses 1 through 10 of Ephesians chapter 2 and then we're going to go back and focus on verse 1 and As I said one word of verse 1. But we'll begin with reading chapter 2 verse 1 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 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and Were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

But God being rich in mercy because of the 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 and Raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

So that in the coming ages, he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not 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. May God add his blessing to the reading of his word. All right. Today we are going to be examining Ephesians chapter 2 and Paul's powerful explanation of the natural condition of the human heart.

I Remember a few years ago in this very room. We used to have a stage area that was right over in that corner before the door was there. And we used to have a Sunday evening service. Which was only attended by relative handful of people.

I mean it was maybe 10 12 people would come. It was very very small service and I remember Talking about the nature of man. And talking about sin and how we are sinners. Not only by choice but we are also sinners by nature and There was a woman who was in that particular meeting who was not akin to hearing that she was a sinner by nature and she was displeased to hear that.

Anyone would challenge and say that she was a nature a sin that she had a sin nature. And she challenged me from the from the audience and she said she said I don't think that I was born a sinner. So at that moment I said well I'm going to take you in the scripture and I'm going to show you what the Apostle Paul says in response to your statement.

I took her to Ephesians chapter 2. And I took her to the passage. We just read and in verse 3 it says we were by nature children of wrath. And I said that phrase by nature. Says something about the very fact of who we are and who we always have been as sons and daughters of Adam we come into this world with a nature of Sin.

We come into this world not as children of God. We come into this world as children of wrath. The Bible says the Bible teaches that we are not God's children by birth. We are God's children by what? Rebirth or what Jesus said having been born again.

He says it says in John chapter 1 that Jesus came to his own and his own received him not. But as many as received him he gave them the power to become children of God. And that's an important statement because it's saying that they weren't that before.

Because if they were already children of God by nature then the power that Jesus gave them was meaningless. But if they weren't children of God by nature then that power that Jesus gave them was infinitely valuable.

Because he's saying that he gave them something that they didn't have before. So we come to Ephesians chapter 2 and we come to verse 1 and the word that we're going to look at today is The word dead it says in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1 and you were Dead and that's the word.

We're going to begin with today the word dead. In your Greek I hand I gave everyone a handout of the Greek New Testament. And if you want to look at that very quickly I know we've been studying Greek in this course, and I wanted to make sure that you have that it says Kai Humas Hantas necros the word necros is The word for death or dead if you want to underline that it's the it's the fourth word there I whom us on toss necros and that it's Right there.

It looks like it starts with a V. But as we know that is the Greek new. And just underline that word. It's interesting that the word prior to that is on toss. We talked about last week ontological what you remember what ontological meant.

Ontological has to do with being. We said that there was two ways that we look at the Trinity. We said in the Trinity we'd look at the economic Trinity. Meaning the relationship between father son and spirit that the father elects the son redeems and the spirit regenerates.

That's the economic Trinity the work that each one of the persons of the Trinity does in the in the act of redemption. And then we have the ontological Trinity that God is one in essence or one in being.

He is one Ontologically and and at the same time he's three persons. So that's the ontological Trinity a very important concept to be able to differentiate Between those two things the economic and ontological Trinity.

Well, this word on toss here is talking about being. That's in the grit in the English it's were and You were dead. So the word on toss there the word were is indicating the state of being. It's indicating how you were Prior to Regeneration, so that's just an important little Side.

I wanted to add there so that you would understand how those things work. It says and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked. We talked about the word dead being dead in sin.

This is understood differently by different people, but I want to make sure that you understand at least how we understand this in our church and why this particular phrase is so Important to our understanding of the gospel we believe that prior to regeneration.

That let me say prior to someone receiving God's grace and regeneration. That it is absolutely impossible For anyone to do anything good toward God. In fact, I'll show you if you would like to look at a few verses with me.

Turn first with me to Romans chapter 8 you can Leave Ephesians for now we may go back, but I want to we're going to be going around a few verses. Go to Romans chapter 8 and in Romans chapter 8 it says in verse 7 for the mind that is set on the flesh is Hostile to God.

For it does not submit to God's law. Indeed it cannot. And then in verse 8 it says those who are in the flesh cannot please God. We need to Express something here about the language and this this is true in the Greek as much as it is in the English when we say the word can.

We know that typically in English we can have that have two different meanings can can be permission and Can can mean Ability. For instance if you stand up and say Pastor Keith, can I go to your office?

What would be my response. I Would say can can you go to my office? Well, I would say I think that you have the ability to go to my office. You certainly you certainly have the strength to stand and walk into my office.

You certainly have the ability but when you use the word can in that particular way, what way are you using the word can? Permission. Right you're saying can I in the sense of do I have permission. And Typically if you were in an English classroom the English teacher would say certainly you can but that's not really what you're asking.

You're really asking may I and really may is the better? Expression of the idea of permission can denotes ability. May denotes permission. I'm understand so when Romans chapter 8 tells us For the mind that is set on the flesh is Hostile to God by the way that word hostile there indicates that it is at war with God.

This is something else the Apostle Paul says elsewhere that we are at enmity with God that we're actually at war with God. It says that the the mind that is set on the flesh and what is the mind that is set on the flesh the mind?

That is set on the flesh is the unregenerate Mind. If you go back up to verse 1 and read down to verse 8 You'll notice that the Apostle Paul is making a distinction between the mind that has been Regenerated by the Spirit the one who is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8 1 there's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus for the law of the Spirit of life to set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death and It goes on to talk about the fact that the flesh was weak.

But the Spirit has given us strength to live for Christ. There's this distinction between the mind that's on the flesh and the mind that's on the Spirit and the mind that's on the flesh is The unregenerated mind.

I want to make sure you understand that the mind on the flesh is the Unregenerate mind. The mind that is still yet unsaved. Because it goes on to say in verse 7 for the mind that is set on the flesh is at war with God.

To God this is something from Romans 5 1 he says that Therefore we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ having been justified by faith the peace. That is there is not there for this person because this person is still hostile towards God.

This is a unsaved person. I think that the Apostle Paul is defining his own terms here. Romans 5 tells us that we who are of faith or at peace With God, but this person who is in the flesh is still at hostile towards God and that's an important Thing to distinct to make distinguish here.

It says for the mind that some flesh is hostile to God for it does not submit to God's law. That's obvious the person who has said on the flesh doesn't submit to God's law. That's pretty obvious, but he said something else.

He said indeed that mind Cannot and when it says cannot it is speaking of ability that mind Which is hostile to God that mind Which is at enmity with God that mind which is at war with God? Cannot submit to God's law.

That's important because he goes on to say in verse 8. Those who are in the flesh Cannot same word. He says first they cannot submit to God's law they cannot submit. Neither can they what they cannot please God.

One of the things that I think is most offensive in the scripture. But yet it's so clearly taught in the scripture is that the person who is outside of Christ Can do nothing that is pleasing to God. I Hear people say all the time they they say I know a person who's not saved, but he's a really good person.

My response to that is he does no good toward God. Because the person who is outside of Christ cannot do good towards God. He cannot please God in anything that he does no matter how many soup kitchens He feeds no matter how many how much money he gives away no matter how many times he helps an old lady across the street.

No matter how many things that he does in this world if he does it outside of Christ. It is impossible that that work please God. The Bible says in Romans 14 apart from faith or it says without faith.

Everything that we do is sin. That which is not a faith is sin. You mean good works that unbelievers do is sin. Yes. That's hard to hear and that's hard to believe but that is what the Bible teaches. That which is not a faith is sin.

So you tell me how the unbeliever can please God. Convince me how the unbeliever can please God. Because the text tells us it cannot please God tells it cannot submit to God and tells me that everything that's done outside of faith.

It's sin. This is what the Apostle means. When he says you were dead and your trespasses and sins how many of you have ever seen the show shark tank. I Know my kids have how many of you don't know what I'm talking about.

Fantastic. Okay half the half the room. So I'm gonna I'm gonna. One of the guys on shark tank they call him by the way shark tank is a show people bring on these Things that they're trying to sell or businesses that they're trying to get investments for and there are five People who sit on a panel and all these people are multi-millionaire some billionaires and they sit there offering investment capital.

They'll be talking to this person and the person says, you know I've got this brand new widget and this widgets the best widget in the world and you need to invest in my widget and you'll Make millions of dollars if you invest with my widget is a it's a it's it's nothing.

It's a non. It's it doesn't exist. It's my it's. It doesn't matter but there's I invest in my widget. Well, mr. Wonderful is is is one of the guys that's his nickname. Because he says all of his deals are wonderful and it's kind of a joke because he's sort of he's very ego driven one of the things he'll say at some point.

If a person's deal is off the table for him, he'll say you're dead to me. All right, he'll say you're dead to me. Yeah, it's over. We're no longer doing business together. We're no longer in a relationship.

We're not. I'm not giving you another ounce of my attention. You're dead to me. It's become sort of a haha catchphrase. One interesting is when you go to Scripture. That term is also used in a parable by Jesus.

Jesus said there was a man who had two sons and one of those sons Decided that he wanted all of his inheritance early. Yes, it's the story of the prodigal son. So he took all of his inheritance early and He went out and he squandered all of his inheritance and he ended up working as a pig farmer.

Which for a Jewish person is the lowest of the low to touch the pig is a is a terrible Terribly bad thing. It's it's it's unclean. It's sinful and yet he ended up working as a pig farmer. And he was he was ostracized from his family because of what he had done.

But yet he said in his mind that if I go back to my father and I work as my father's servant Then I will at least be able To live more comfortably than I do as a pig farmer because even my father's servants are better off than I am as a pig farmer.

So he went back home. The parable tells us that the father looked and saw him from afar off and He ran to him something that noble men did not do but he ran to him. He put his arms around his neck and he hugged him and he welcomed him back into the family.

Even though the son had ran away. He ran out got the son. He brought him back and He said these words this is important. This my son was dead, but now he is alive. What did he mean by that we talked about death.

He meant that the relationship had been severed. He meant that there was no good that the son Could do because he had taken everything and squandered it. Right, he said this this guy he was gone the relationship was over.

There was no good that this young man could do to win his father's favor. But yet the father Loved him still and the father gave him the blessing even though The son was dead right. So when we talk about our being dead This is the condition that we are in prior to our salvation.

We are dead in our sins. Don't worry about it. The building is is It's safe. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were dead until God Worked a miracle in our hearts. We call that miracle Regeneration.

The miracle is regeneration. Think about just what regenerate means. Means to make alive. Something is dead. What is dead in us? Our spirit right we are spiritually Dead. We are in spiritual death. We are regenerated and now we are born again.

Jesus talks about our being born again. John chapter 3. The Pharisee came to Jesus at night. Nicodemus came to Jesus. I call him old Nick at night. That's an old joke used to those TV show called Nick at night.

That's our it's a it's no longer relevant. But Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and Jesus told him unless a man be born again He will not see the kingdom of heaven. So we realize that this regeneration is Something that must occur to take a person from spiritual life to from spiritual death to spiritual life.

Regeneration is the key. Being born again is the key. Now we're going to step a bit further. We've already dealt with the word cannot the person who is dead in their sin cannot please God. Now a big question and that is the question of faith and I just want you to answer yes or no.

This is a simple question. It's faith. Pleasing to God. It's it's not a trick question. It's faith pleasing to God. Yes, okay. Thank you. All right faith pleases God. Faith pleases God, okay. What does Romans 8 8 tell us the person in the flesh cannot do what?

Cannot please God. So what does that tell us about the person in the flesh? They cannot exercise faith. Here's where things are going to start getting kind of heavy. Because the person in the flesh not only doesn't have faith.

They cannot exercise faith because if they could. Then they could please God the person the flesh cannot exercise saving faith. You want to hear from the words from the mouth of Jesus turn in John chapter 6.

John chapter 6. We're going to start we're going to go first to verse 65 close to the end. John 6 65. Jesus is actually repeating himself. We're going to go backward because we're going to start at verse 65 and work our way backward.

Because he says and he said. This is why I told you so he's already said this once. But I want to start at verse 65 for a reason. You'll see why in a moment and. And he said this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted Him by my father.

All right, Jesus says right here. No one Can come to me. All right right away. We have to go ahead and make some definitions. What does it mean to come to Christ? It's not a hard question. I'm not trying to trick anyone.

Please just answer. What does it mean to come to Christ? Means to exercise saving faith, would you would you agree? That's what you were going to say, right? You were saying what now you said to. You say it was fine.

What would you say? Accept him as Savior. That's fine. Same thing. Exercise saving faith, right? That's okay. He says no one can come to me the phrase come to me. This is indisputable. No one is no one argues this the phrase come to me means to exercise saving faith.

That's exactly what it means. And he says No one can. Didn't we already distinguish the word can? Where did we distinguish can? That's why I have love having a whiteboard because I can bring your attention to something we've already dealt with can is what?

Ability. Thank you. That's right. Jesus says who can he says who can you don't sound convinced. Jesus says who can thank you. All right, that's very good. That's important. See people ask me all the time.

Why are you a reformed theologian because of John 6? Because Jesus convinces me of reformed theology because Jesus was convinced of it. As he teaches something about the nature of man, the Apostle Paul reiterates later, which is to me undoubtful.

Or undoubtable and that is that no one can come to me unless and that's the key. Is the word unless. No one can come to me unless just stop right there. Imagine if the word unless wasn't there imagine if it just said no one can come to me period.

What would that mean? Mean no one can be saved right? It would mean no one can be saved. No one can come to me. By the way, this is what we call in language. Love having all these colored markers. This is what we call the universal Negative.

The Bible uses a lot of language to express groups. Sometimes we think the word all Always means every single person in the world. It doesn't. The Bible says all Judea came out and was baptized by John that doesn't mean every single person.

It means the large majority or group. It means sort of like if I were to say all Jacksonville turned out for the for the for the Suns game or whatever. You know, it's it's it's it's something it's an expression but The word all is is always built into a context all the Bible says.

The the love of money is the root of all evil. Well, that's not true. The love of money is not the root of rape. The love of money is not the root of child abuse necessarily. That's why in most modern Translations it says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil because the word all can mean all kinds.

That's an important distinction but when the Bible authors Wanted to ensure that there was no doubt that they are limiting or making a universal statement rather than saying all. They would say no one because they would make the universal negative if I said Someone can ride a bike.

All right. I said someone can ride a bike. What do I got to do to prove that? Hey, it's got to get a bike somebody who can ride it. Somebody go ride a bike. We have no problem with that. But if I said no one can ride a bike What would you have to do to prove me wrong?

Ching-ching come riding up on a bike right that was all it would take to prove me wrong if I said no one can Ride a bike or no one can drive a tractor or or no one can swim. You know this fast or run this fast if I said no one can.

I'm making a statement of universality. I'm saying there is no one who can do this, right? And the only thing that would take to prove that wrong would be one person to be able to do it. This is why I think that this is such an important truth when Jesus says no one can come to me.

He's making a statement of universality he's taking he's making the universal negative if there were one person who could. If there were one person who can muster up the intestinal fortitude to come to Christ on his own Then Jesus would be wrong.

Yeah, it's thought-provoking, huh? If one person could muster up the ability and Jesus would be wrong. I Don't believe Jesus was wrong. I take him at his word when he says no one can come to me unless I Want to know what the unless is.

And he goes on to say unless The father who sent me and the word is grants it To him the only way anyone Can ever break the barrier of their own sinful rejection of God is That God give them the ability we call this doctrine total depravity total depravity.

Some people call it radical fallenness some people call it The necessity of grace or sufficiency of grace all kinds of different words for it, but In essence what we are saying is that man is so sinful That he cannot come to Christ Unless God does a work previously in his heart For him to be able to express faith.

This is clearly what is being taught by Jesus. It's clearly what it's taught in Scripture. We call this total depravity now. We see this in John 65. John 6 65. This is no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my father earlier.

He says it in verse 44 pretty much the exact same way. By the way the context people might argue well. What's the context the context of this is Jesus is at the synagogue in Capernaum? Jesus is Dealing with a group of people who he had just fed.

He had fed them. The feeding of the 5 ,000 were familiar with that story. He had just fed these people. They followed him because they wanted to continue to be fed. I mean if somebody fed you five loaves and two fish and it fed 5 ,000 people you'd dig that you'd say hey.

You know what? I think I'm gonna hang with this guy. This guy's this guy's got something good to continue giving. I'm going to stay with him until the fish run out. Jesus earlier says in this particular text.

Earlier in this he tells them That basically that they don't believe in him. He says go up to verse 36, but I said to you that you have seen me and yet you do not believe. That's an important verse because basically what he's saying is you've seen the miracles, but you still don't believe.

People say all the time. I hear atheists say I believe in God if I could just see a miracle. No, you wouldn't you will not believe in Christ. You will not come to Christ without it without God opening your heart.

You won't I don't care how many miracles you see. Jesus fed 5 ,000 people and he tells them yet. You still don't believe you're following me, but you don't really believe. That's important. He goes on we'll go back to verse 44 very quickly.

It says no one can come to me. Where do we hear that? Same thing in verse 44 same construction is used in verse 44 is in 65. No one can come to me. But this time he uses a different verb on behalf of the father.

He says in verse 65 He said unless the father grants it to him this one. He says no one can come unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day. So this says that the father does a work.

The first one we read was grants. This one is draws so. And the word draw there does not mean to woo. I've heard people say well that just means God is wooing the spirit. He's he's encouraging the spirit to come.

That's not what the word draw there means. It's a miscommunication of the use of that term. The word draw there is similar to the same way water is drawn up in a bucket. It means to be drug or to be lifted out of something.

The Bible says that Paul was was drawn into court. Does not mean that he was wooed in the court. The the man in the court didn't stand there and say come on in Paul. Come on in. No, he drug him into court.

It's the same use there. So we see. The father who sent me grants it to him. No one can come unless the father draws him again. This makes a Important distinction between what man can do and what man cannot do and what cannot man do.

Man cannot exercise saving faith apart from God's Gifting him with the ability to do so it is not possible that a person muster up within himself saving faith. Saving faith is a gift from God. That is an important reality that we must understand faith itself the very thing by which we are Saved by grace you are saved through faith.

The very thing through which we are saved is a gift from God. In fact Ephesians 2 8 says for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of you. It is a gift of God not of works and The phrase that says it is a gift from God is referring to everything that came before.

The grace and the faith all of it that came about and our salvation is a gift from God. I Want to finally? Make a last point. One of my favorite passages of scripture is John 6 and I wish I had time to just go every verse with you and show You how this plays out on a grand scale, but I want to take you back up to verse 36.

Well, actually, let's go to verse 35 and we'll start there. Verse 35 Jesus said to them. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. That's an important truth.

That's just just verse 35 in and of itself. People ask me all the time. Well, if it is God who gives faith and if it's God who draws and grants. How can we know that we are saved and the answer is if you have faith?

It is because God has given you that gift and as a result you are saved. Your faith is testimony of your salvation. Jesus said whoever comes to me shall never hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

And verse 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Remember He's attacking those who have followed after him and yet have not believed in him. And then he says in verse 37 one of the most powerful verses in Scripture all that the Father gives me Will come to me and.

And whoever comes to me I will never cast out. This tells us something it tells us that the drawing and the granting Precede the coming. You might say well, we already knew that. Yeah, I know but this is prior.

So what I'm saying is this is something that Jesus this follows a flow of thought. We started at the end of the thought and work our way back up. My point is that this is the context of the whole passage.

Jesus says all the Father gives me will come to me. You know what that means? That means if you come to Christ in faith. That means if you follow after Jesus by faith. You are a gift from the Father To the Son because the Bible says in verse 37 all the Father gives Will come.

It's a powerful thought. You are a gift from the Father to the Son. This is why you're called the Bride of Christ if you're a believer. Because the Bride was given the Father would go out and find the Bride for the Son and give the Bride to the Son.

So that the Son Would have that relationship we are given from the Father to the Son. And this is the promise Jesus says he says all the Father gives me will come so that means if you come God has given you to the Son and what it means.

He's given you the gift of faith. He's given you the ability to come and Jesus says and to the one who comes to me I Will no way cast away. I will no way cast out. I will never cast out. See, that's the promise that we call the perseverance of the Saints that Jesus When he receives us.

Because of the faith that has been given to us by God. Because we've been born again. We believe as a result of that regeneration. We face God when we face God. Or we face Christ and he receives us. He says I will never cast you out.

Why is it that we believe that we can never be cast out? Because the work is not ours. See there's a lot of people who believe that they can never lose their salvation. But they don't believe that their salvation was a gift from God they believe it's something they did.

They believe they came up with it on their own. They they mustered it up out of their own heart and I challenge them to think this if you mustered up your own faith. And it was not a gift from God. How then can you have any confidence that you will maintain the faith?

You can't you see the reality is the reason why we have confidence that we will continue that we will Persevere that we will not be cast out is because we know that salvation began and ended With God and not ourselves.

We were dead. We contributed nothing. We were like Lazarus in the tomb. You think Lazarus was in the tomb helping Jesus bring him back to life he was dead. Four days dead by now. He's thinking That's what his sister said.