We Who Believe Are Freed From Sin And Enslaved To God

Actually comes out of Romans chapter 6 verse 22, but we're going to be spending our time

mostly today in Ephesians chapter 2.

So if you have your Bible or and nowadays I have to say if you have your copy

of God's Word, open that to Ephesians chapter 2.

It's going to be a familiar chapter, especially some of it, and

it's a very interesting chapter to preach.

So we'll start with prayer.

O Lord, we thank you.

We thank you for our time this morning.

We thank you for Ephesians chapter 2, which gives us such a clear image of

justification and how, Lord, we are made blameless before you.

We thank you for the atoning death of your Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross, which gives us

the opportunity to share a life with Christ and to be

spotless before you when we stand before you at the judgment seat of

the judgment seat of Christ.

So this morning, Lord, bless your church, sharpen our minds, and

soften our hearts to your Word as we study, as we engage

in knowing you and knowing your Son better and better.

Amen.

Okay, now before we get there, I want to look briefly at what Paul

writes to the Ephesian believers at the end of chapter 1.

If you look in chapter 1, beginning at verse 18, we find Paul praying that

each believer would be enlightened, and so I'm going to emphasize that word,

enlightened.

He wants each believer to be enlightened to the hope of Christ's calling, to the riches

of the glory of Christ's inheritance in the saints, and to the surpassing greatness of his

power toward us who believe.

Now, what is Paul talking about?

What is the surpassing greatness of the power of Christ toward us who believe?

Paul examines this question and he indicates the strength of God's might was

demonstrated in Christ when, in fact, God raised Christ from the dead

and seated him at the right hand in heavenly places, far above all rule

and far above all authority and power and dominion.

This was the greatness of God's power toward us because God put

all things in subjection under his feet and made him, that

is Christ, the head of the church.

So what does that mean for us as the church?

And Paul goes on to explore this in chapter 2 of Ephesians.

So if we look at chapter 2, I'm going to read the first couple of verses here and

we'll carefully kind of look at what Paul is saying.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formally walked according to the

course of this world, according to the prince of the power of air of the spirit that is now

working in the sons of disobedience.

Among them we too all formally lived in the lusts of our flesh,

indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature

children of wrath even as the rest.

So as we begin here in chapter 2, we have to take a step back

before we can move forward.

Paul begins chapter 2 by reminding us of where we were before

our conversion.

We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

We were physically alive, but we were spiritually dead.

Now the Bible describes our dead spiritual condition in many ways.

We were blind to the gospel, that's 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 3 and 4.

We were a slave to sin, that's Romans chapter 6 verse 17.

We were a lover of darkness, that's John chapter 3 verses 19 and 20.

We were even physically sick as a result of sin, that's Mark

chapter 2 verse 17.

We were spiritually lost, that's Luke chapter 15.

We were aliens, we were strangers, we were foreigners to God, that's

Ephesians chapter 2 12 and 19.

And we were children of wrath, that was Ephesians which we read already chapter 2

verse 3.

And we were under the power of darkness, that's Colossians chapter 1 verse 13.

We were dead in our trespasses, which speaks of our rebellion against God, and we were

dead in our sin, which speaks of our failures, which are sinful, falling

short of God's holiness and his sinless nature.

But at one time we lived and we walked in sin, according to Satan,

who Paul identifies as the prince of the power of the air.

In short, Satan had influence over us when we formerly walked and lived according to the

lusts of the flesh.

We are reminded here by Paul that our enemies are the flesh,

the devil, and the world.

And by our nature, Paul declares that we are children of wrath,

not children of God, but children of wrath before we came to know the Lord.

All of this he speaks to the believers at the church of Ephesus.

He's not speaking this to the unbelievers, he's speaking this to the believers, reminding them of

where they were.

Now if we look at Ephesians chapter 4, or chapter 2 verse 4,

but God being rich in mercy, here Paul turns the corner,

and it's a big corner to turn, but God being rich in mercy, because of his great love

with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions,

made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him, and seated us with

Christ in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he

might show the surpassing riches of his grace in the

kindness, and in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Oh wow, that's much easier to preach, isn't it?

Wow, all of Paul's discouraging remarks in verses 1 through

3 are now in stark contrast with the encouragement that he gives us in

verses 4 through 7.

God turns his attention on us.

He does this because of who he is.

His character defines him as being rich in mercy.

He demonstrates unmerited favor toward us, that even when we were dead in our

transgressions, he made us alive with his son Jesus Christ.

He raised us up with Christ, and he seated us with Christ in heavenly places.

What great news is that?

In other words, he declared us as righteous, holy, and blameless.

He justified each of us who call upon his name solely on the basis

of the obedience and death of his son on the cross.

The righteousness of Christ is written on our side of the ledger as a

legal declaration that we are righteous before a holy God.

God erases our sin.

He separates our sin as far as the east is from the west, and he separates

our failures and places the righteousness of his son in

the sinner's account.

Paul gives us an example of this in Romans chapter 4, where we are told that

the faith of Abraham, our father, was credited to him as righteousness.

And it says there in Romans 4, not only for Abraham's sake only

was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also to whom

it will be credited.

As those as those who believe in him, that is God the father, who

raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, he who was delivered to

he who was delivered over because of our transgressions was raised because of

our justification.

And that's Romans chapter 4 verses 22 through 25.

I love to think of being raised with him, that is being raised with Christ,

and seated in heavenly places.

Wow, isn't that a great thought?

We don't sit with Christ Jesus in heavenly places quite yet, but we live with him

and we are identified with him.

So as he sits in heavenly places, so do we even now.

Wow, that's amazing.

That's what Paul is telling us here.

Why does God do this for us?

Because of his great love for which he loves each of us.

Is this because we are so lovable?

I think I can safely say no.

It isn't because we are so lovable, but because his character is love.

We are his creation and in his sovereign plan he demonstrates his love

toward us.

All of this so that in ages to come he might show the surpassing richness of his

grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

It is for his exceeding glory that for ages to come his grace and

kindness will be evident through his church.

For as Paul includes in verse 5, by grace we have been saved.

We are saved by grace through faith alone which is God's

unmerited favor toward us.

And it brings us to some of the most familiar passages in the Bible

and that is Ephesians 2 8 through 10.

For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of

yourselves it is a gift of God not as a result of works that

so so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God

prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

These three verses are among the most, among

my most favorite verses in the entire Bible.

They are so clear like looking into a crystal clear pool of water

all the way to the bottom.

Paul wants us to know exactly how we are saved.

He wants us to be enlightened.

We go back to that verse in in chapter 1 where he said I wish that all of you were

enlightened.

He wants us to be enlightened.

The gospel is not some murky doctrine that cannot be seen or understood

and in no way do we contribute to it.

Paul cannot speak of the richness and the extravagance of God's grace

without declaring that his grace not without declaring that all of this

is a gift of God.

In the original Greek the word it when it says it is a gift

from God the word it refers to salvation not not to

faith that is salvation is a gift of God and faith is

true but here it's a direct reference to salvation.

It is clear that salvation comes by grace given to an

undeserving people.

Paul declares that the power of that grace is capable of saving those who believe and

trust in his son Jesus Christ.

Faith is not a work but it is also a gift given by God

and therefore one cannot deny that salvation comes completely

from God and in no way from ourselves.

There is no work that can or will lead us to heaven and if by

grace we are joined with Christ and we are identified with him

there is nothing that can separate us from his love and redemption.

We are saved not merely as a way to avoid God's wrath but rather

as a beautiful work of God.

The word here workmanship translates in the Greek from the word poema

which literally means beautiful poem or work of art.

God's love meets us right where we are at but at the same time it's a

transforming love that takes us where we should go.

We are a new life in Christ a new creation a work of art in

God's hands.

Spurgeon the famous British preacher said the spiritual life

cannot come to us from development of the old nature.

I've heard a great deal about development and evolution but I am afraid that if any

one of us were to be developed to our utmost apart from the grace of God

we should come out worse than before the development began.

I love that quote evolution is not going to lead us to being

any it's not going to lead us to be greater or better for apart from the grace of God we're

Spurgeon says we're only going to get worse.

Oh that's great.

Maybe that was a little cynical but I think it probably was true.

God is doing a beautiful thing with us through his good works which he prepared beforehand.

These works are also a part of his predestined plan and they define

us as belonging to him.

For here Paul joins with James in declaring the validity of these good works.

James says that faith without works is dead.

That's James chapter 2 verse 26.

For how can we be his workmanship without walking in the works that were prepared

for us by God himself.

You ask that question how can we how can we be his workmanship if we don't walk in the works that were

prepared for us by himself as Jesus declared in John 15.

I am the vine you are the branches.

He who abides in me and I in and I in him he bears much fruit

from apart from me you can do nothing.

Ephesians chapter or verse 11 follow with me there.

Therefore remember that formerly.

Well maybe I should introduce this.

Paul takes us back.

He starts us with where we were before we were converted.

Then he gives us glorious passage and now he takes us back again.

So we have to kind of prepare mentally for that now.

Remember that formerly you the gentiles in the flesh who are called

uncircumcision by the so -called circumcision which is performed in the flesh by human hands.

Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ.

You were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and you were strangers to the cut to the

covenants of the promise having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near

by the blood of Christ for he himself is our peace who made both groups

into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing

in his flesh the the enmity which is the law of the commandments contained in

the ordinances so that in himself he might make the two into one

new man thus establishing peace and might reconcile

them both in one body to God through the cross by having it

put to by having put to death the the enmity.

Interesting passage there isn't it.

After all of this glorious teaching Paul once again goes back

to remind us of our previous state.

He reminds us of our previous position before Christ.

We were formerly gentiles apart from the commonwealth of Israel but more

importantly we were separated from our savior Jesus Christ.

At that time we had no hope and we were without God in the world.

To be without Christ means to be without spiritual blessing to be without

light to be without peace to be without rest to

be without safety to be without hope to be without a prophet

to be without a priest to breathe to be without a king.

But in Christ we are no longer far off.

But we're brought near.

For he is our peace he is our hope he is

our safety he is our comfort he is our salvation.

He is capable of reconciling both the Jew and the Gentile to himself

and to make them into one people.

I remember talking to one of my shirt sleeve relatives who likes to

emphasize that there is over 2 ,000 denominations among the

Christians and nobody agrees on anything.

And I said to him God is bringing his people into

one people under one spirit under one Lord under one Jesus

Christ who died and was resurrected for all the saints.

How can that be.

He said.

Well our conversation kind of ended right there.

But oh I didn't know quite where to go from from there.

Uh Paul quotes Isaiah 57 verse 19.

And that verse says.

And he came.

That is Christ he came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace

to those who were near.

For through Christ we have access in one spirit to the father.

This is a beautiful scriptural depiction of the holy trinity.

All three persons of the trinity are clearly at work to bring peace and

unity and reconciliation to God's people.

That is through Jesus the son we have access to one spirit that is the

holy spirit.

And through the holy spirit we have access to one father that is God the father.

Through one God both Jews and Gentiles are brought into one body

where we have unity in Christ.

And that's what Paul is talking about here those who truly have given their

life to Christ Jesus our Lord whether they be Jew or Gentile

Ephesians uh verse 17.

And we talked a bit about that.

And he came and preached peace to you who are far away and peace to those who were near

for through him Christ Jesus we both have access our access in one spirit

to the father.

Verse 19.

So then you were no longer strangers and aliens but you were fellow citizens

with the saints and you were of God's household having been built on the foundation

of the apostles and the prophets Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone

in whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in

the Lord in whom you are also being fitted together into a

dwelling of God.

In the spirit we have looked at

justification by grace alone through faith alone through the atoning work of Christ

who became sin so that we might be freed from sin.

But now that we've looked at justification I want to spend a little time on

sanctification.

But what.

What happens after we are justified.

Do we cease to sin.

Well no we don't stop sinning.

But John writes my little children I am writing these things to you

that you may not sin.

And if anyone sins we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous one.

He himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for those

of the whole world.

By this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments

that's from first John.

In short John pleads with us to be sanctified.

This process of sanctification addresses the dominion and the corruption of

sin in our lives.

Justification is God declaring the sinner as righteous.

Sanctification is God's renewing and transforming work in us

until we die.

This transformation of the whole person our mind our will our

affections our behaviors.

And in this process of sanctification we are united to Jesus Christ.

We are in him and he in us.

Our identity is united with his.

Our work if you will is to obey Christ to walk by the spirit and not by

the flesh and to yield good fruit by good works which were created in

Christ Jesus so that we might walk in them.

By all of this we can say because you are sons God has sent

forth the spirit of his son into your heart crying Abba father.

Therefore you are no longer a slave but you are a son.

And if you are a son then you are an heir through God.

That's Galatians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7.

So what can we say then how does all of this work itself out in the real life

of the believer.

Paul looks at this in earnest in these last verses of Ephesians chapter 2.

First of all we can say that we are no longer strangers and aliens.

We are no longer foreigners but we're members of God's kingdom.

We are in fact fellow citizens with the saints.

We are of God's household.

We're not second -class citizens in any way but citizens with equal access

to God compared even to the Israelites who were God's chosen people.

Because we are all of one body with access to one spirit.

It also fits that we have been built on one common foundation and that

foundation is the original foundation laid by the apostles and the prophets

and is firmly set in the new testament.

And Christ Jesus is the cornerstone literally the capstone or the

stone in the corner which binds all of the stones together

the one which cements the entire building into one stable unit.

The most important stone in the structure that articulates with all the other stones and

holds them all together.

The church then is a quote building unquote.

I put that in quotes and in it's it's a building in process whose

architect is God.

God is building his church for his glory and for his purposes.

It's not a random pile of stones but it's a precise collection of

saints being fitted together for God's glory.

It is not a church building at all but it's a precise collection of committed

saints being placed together to serve a gracious God.

The church is a dwelling place where God lives.

It's not an empty house or a museum but it's a place for the living God

with each believer in dwelt with the spirit of the living God.

And Paul tells us the church is a holy temple in the Lord holy and

set apart by God.

We are as Peter declares a royal priesthood.

We are a holy nation.

We are a nation for God's own possession.

And as such we are to offer ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice

and as the author of Hebrews declares through him Christ Jesus then let us

continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the

fruit of lips that gives thanks to his name.

That's Hebrews 13 15.

Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters by the mercy of God to

present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God

which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the

renewing of your mind so that you might prove what the will of God is

that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

That's Romans 12 verses 1 and 2.

When Solomon's temple was built it said that the stones were quarried and they were

cut far from the temple site.

They were then carried and fitted in and built into the final structure of the temple.

And so it is with us.

God is chiseling us from his quarry and he's fitting us perfectly to build

his church.

There are many depictions of the church in the new testament.

But if you look here in Ephesians 19 through 22 this is really my

favorite.

Now I want to end with a parallel passage in Romans chapter 3 where Paul

talks about again justification and sanctification.

And there Paul says this he says.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been manifested

being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of God through faith

in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction for all have sinned and all have fallen short of the glory

of God being justified as a gift by his grace through

redemption which is in Christ Jesus whom God displayed publicly

as a propitiation in his blood through faith.

All of this was to demonstrate his righteousness.

God justifies justifies us.

Once we declare Christ as our savior.

That genuine faith is just justifies us before

God just as if we had never sinned.

He paid the price through the death of his son who completely erased the

debt on our account so that we might stand holy and blameless

before him.

And now he sanctifies us he prunes us he disciplines us

he chisels us he shapes each of us into a precious stone to be fitted

perfectly into his temple which we call the church.

He he performs his workmanship toward us that we might be

a great work of art in his hands that we might

in a humble way thank him and serve him and glorify him

forever and ever.

And to that I say amen.

Pray with me.

Now glorious God and father we

gather before you this morning with glad hearts.

We count ourselves blessed to be your people enlightened to your truth.

We count each believer here as justified by the blood of your son who died for us

that we might live and we exalt in the gift of our salvation by

grace through faith alone.

We.