welcome back to our study in the book of
Ephesians
the author titled this lesson how God
rescues us but you know as I was
thinking about it you might take the how
off and just simply say God rescues us
in other words we were dead in sin lost
without Christ
and God took the initiative through his
love and mercy to rescue us
one of my favorite verses in the Bible
is the memory verse for this week
in Ephesians 2 verse 4 and 5 but God
being rich in Mercy was God rich in
Mercy
because of the great love which he loved
us what was the motivation of Christ's
reaching out in Salvation for us it was
his love for us
which when we were dead in our
trespasses made us alive together with
Christ
so really you have three things you have
God who loves us who's rich in Mercy
you have us who are dead in sin
separated from God
and you have God who loves us reaching
out to those of us who are dead in sin
to make us what alive together
in Sunday's lesson it points out that
when we were once dead we were deceived
by Satan but saved by Christ
the text is Ephesians 2 verse 1 to 10.
let's take a look at it and then we'll
summarize it and you he made alive who
are dead and trespasses and sins
think about it what if there was a loved
one of yours that died
and Jesus were here any miraculously
resurrected that loved one wouldn't that
bring a thrill to your heart but the
truth of the matter is Christ is
performing resurrections on a daily
basis in our world people that were dead
in sin people that were lost without
Christ people that were doomed for
eternity coming to Jesus they have new
life they're alive together in which you
once walked according to the course of
this world according to the prince of
the power of the air who's the prince of
the power of the air that's Satan right
the spirit that now works in the sons of
Disobedience so it is Satan's spirit
that works in us when we rebel against
God among all whom also you were once
conducted yourselves in the lust of the
flesh fulfilling the desires of the
Flesh and of the mind and where by
Nature the children of Wrath just as
others so by Nature we're children of
Wrath what does it mean children of
Wrath God's Wrath is God's judgment so
by Nature because we're all Sinners
we're under the Judgment of God but
don't you like that butt that's a Divine
but God who is rich in Mercy what's he
rich in Mercy because of his great love
with which he loved us even we are dead
and trespasses and sins made us alive
together with Christ by Grace you have
been saved and raised and he's raised us
up together
made us sit together in the Heavenly
places in Christ Jesus that in the ages
to come
he might show the exceeding Riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us in
Christ Jesus for by Grace you've been
saved through faith that's not
yourselves it's the gift of God not of
Works lest any 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
so what Paul is saying here is that
without Christ
by Nature we are children of Wrath by
we're alienated from the love and grace
of God that without Christ we are dead
in trespasses and sins without Christ
we're doomed to Eternal loss
but because Jesus is rich in Mercy
and love he has redeemed us
but the purpose of his Redemption is
both to save us
but in the light of the great
controversy between good and evil to
reveal before the whole universe his
kindness so that Angelic beings and
cherubims and cerebrums recognize the
kindness of God the goodness of God the
mercy of God the grace of God
and here
it says we grasp that
by faith by faith we grasp the reality
of what Christ has done for us and we
are saved by grace that we receive by
faith but will receive Grace by faith
that Grace begins to be operative in us
it is a dynamic power within us that
produces in our lives good works it's
not except Jesus Believe In Christ and
do whatever you want it's except Jesus
Believe In Christ and do what he wants
and when we make that commitment to
receive his salvation by Grave by faith
through Grace
and we're saved by grace through faith
rather when we make that decision his
power enters into our life and it
dramatically changes us
there are
there's a wonderful statement in our
quarterly
under Sunday's lesson that says these
three sections of the passage are
summarized neatly in the phrases in
Ephesians 2 5. in other words the entire
passage of Ephesians 2 1-10 is
summarizing this one verse one we're
dead in trespasses two God made us alive
together with Christ three by Grace
you've been saved if I would add number
four in verse 10 and because it says
here in verse 10 for we are his
workmanship created in Christ Jesus for
good works
so the grace
that justifies us is also the grace that
sanctifies us the we are we receive
by faith his salvation but by faith we
also receive his power to transformed
Our Lives now according to Monday's
lesson we were once deluded by our own
desires that's Ephesians 2 3 it says all
of us who lived among them that's the
disobedient at one time gratified the
Cravings of our flesh following its
desires and thoughts like the rest we
were by Nature deserving Wrath
the paragraph under the question for the
day
says the present reality of a lost life
is distressing enough
but its last implications are more
frightening still human beings being by
Nature the children of Wrath like the
rest of mankind standard of the threat
of God's Judgment at end time
the phrase by Nature children of Wrath
points to another daunting reality as
well
while still bearers of the image of God
we have come to understand that there's
something deeply awry in US
so we understand
that rather than going
down the right path we veered off we're
on the wrong path we understand the
truth of Jeremiah 17 9. where it says
the heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked
we understand Isaiah 53 everyone has
turned to his own way in Psalm 51 where
David says that in sin my my mother did
conceive me so left to ourselves
there is no possibility of salvation
that's why Tuesday's lesson becomes so
vital titled now resurrected ascended
and exalted with Jesus
but God who is rich in Mercy because of
his great love has loved us
so you notice the contrast where Paul
actually pivots from the lostness of
humanity from being separated from God
being by Nature that is the inherent
nature the way we were born children of
Wrath now he pivots
to God's grace God's goodness God's love
God's God's mercy and
the author makes an interesting point Dr
John McVay says Believers are are one
co-resurected with Christ so when we
accept the grace of Christ just as Jesus
was resurrected from the dead we are
resurrected from spiritual dead we're
co-resurected we are co-raised up with
Christ just as Christ ascended to heaven
so by faith we are raised up to sit in
Heavenly places so we're no longer
Children of the evil one we sit in
Heavenly places where children of God we
no longer subject to the flesh we are
now born again in the spirit
it says and we are co-seated with Christ
in Heavenly places meaning that
Believers participate in Christ seating
on the throne of the cosmos they are
co-exalted with Jesus
so Paul takes us from what one writer
says from the gutter most to the
uttermost it takes us from the depths of
Despair to the Delights of discipleship
we are blessed forever as it says in
Wednesday's Lesson by Grace God's
planning for salvation in Ephesians 1
verse 3 and 4 with the Eternal results
of that plan
described in Ephesians 2 7 what are the
essential elements and goals of God's
Plan of Salvation well here they are
Ephesians 1 verse 3 verse 4 puts it this
way blessed be the God and father of our
Lord Jesus Christ who's blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in Heavenly
place in Christ there is not a spiritual
blessing that we need that's not
provided in Christ just as he chose us
so he chose us when before the
foundation of the world
so before you ever conceived in your
mother's womb God knew you and he chose
you for salvation he had a pre-designed
plan that you'd be saved that we should
be holy Without Blame before him in love
so Christ chose us that we should live
righteous Godly lives and he from the
time we are born began to work in our
lives to transform Us by his grace to
lead us totally to himself
then if we compare that passage with
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 7 Ephesians 2
7 puts it this way that in the ages to
come he might show the exceeding Riches
of his grace and his kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus so we become exhibits in
the entire universe of the grace the
love the goodness of God
Ellen White makes a remarkable statement
in Desire of Ages Pages 19 and 20.
by coming to dwell with us Jesus was to
reveal God both to men and to Angels but
not alone for this earthborn his
earthborn children was this Revelation
given Our Little World is the lesson
book of the universe God's wonderful
purpose of Grace the mystery of
redeeming love is the theme which the
Angels desire to look and it will be
their study throughout the endless ages
both the redeemed and the unfallen
beings will find in the Cross of Christ
their science and their song It'll be
seen that the glory shining in the face
of Jesus is the Glory of
self-sacrificing Love
what did the devil charge
regarding Christ and his leader
rulership in heaven the devil said God
is unfair God's unjust the devil said
that Jesus wants to get worship but
doesn't give love the devil said that um
Christ himself was not willing to
sacrifice for the good of his creatures
so the devil charged that God was a
vindictive judge a wrathful tyrant he
charged that Jesus was selfish and
wanted only adoration and worship
the cross of Calvary reveals before a
waiting World in a watching universe
that God is love and that Jesus would do
everything he could possible to save
Humanity so the death of Christ on the
cross
is not simply as important as that is to
redeem Sinners but it's to reveal God's
love before the whole universe we see in
the cross of Calvary the science of
Salvation the mystery that's been kept
hidden from the ages the mystery of
God's love
and as the result of that we are now
saved by God we come to Thursday's
lesson
and what conclusion does Paul come to in
verses 8 to 10
so you look at that's in Chapter 2 you
look at Ephesians 2 verse 8 to 10.
for by Grace you've been saved through
faith and not of yourselves the first
conclusion that Paul comes to is there's
no way we can save ourself
if you think you're going to be saved by
your good works you will never have the
Assurance of Salvation because your good
works are never good enough and you'll
always feel this sense of inadequacy and
failure and you always have this sense
of guilt so it's not of yourselves it is
the gift of God so salvation is a gift
it's the gift of God I remember once I
was trying to explain this to a group of
Native children way back in the jungles
of the Philippines we had hiked back in
there we're on a dirt road not far from
the village we set up a table and a
lantern and as we did that children and
adults came to around to listen to the
word of God and as I talked about
salvation I wanted to make it plain that
salvation comes by grace through faith
that it was a gift not something we
could earn and I had a comb in my pocket
and I took it out it was a nice girl
Nuka it wasn't some dirty old comb of
course so I took out this new comb and I
and I held it out and I said to the
children because I knew these kids you
know far back in the jungle they didn't
they didn't have coal so I went to the
first job said hey would you like this
here take it it's a gift and the kid got
so scared probably because I was a tall
skinny American he jumped up and ran
into the jungle I came to the second kid
would you like this comb jumps up runs
into the jungle third came finally I
come to the fourth kid I said would you
like this comb he grabs it out of my
hand ran into the jungle all the adults
began you know and come back come back
come back so finally the four kids came
back and as they did I said to the one
boy that had to come you can keep it and
the other boy stare miles drop we can't
have the comb I said I said to the boys
why don't you have the comb and one
little boy spoke up because we didn't
take it
taking the comb was a gift
but every child had the choice to take
it
taking God's Grace by faith is a gift
and every single one of us have that
choice to take it and when we receive
salvation by a gift
not something that we've earned not
something that we have worked to achieve
it says lest anyone should boast
for we are his workmanship created in
Christ Jesus for good works which God
prepared before him
that we should walk in them
we are created for good works when we
receive the gift of salvation by faith
we work our faith is so good it works
faith is not a dead principle it's not a
dead letter but it's a living Dynamic
experience of trust what is faith faith
is trusting God as a friend well known
knowing that he'll never do us any harm
knowing that we can place our lives in
his hands and that he will work within
us to accomplish his purposes let's pray
Father in Heaven we're thankful
that you are rich in Mercy
we're thankful that you redeemed us
by your love and grace
we're thankful that you've taken us
from the gutter most to the uttermost
you've taken us
from the depths of despair
lost to the Delights of discipleship
saved we're thankful that by faith
we can receive your grace
to Pardon our past and to empower our
present we accept your grace and your
love just now
to be saved in your kingdom in Christ's
name amen