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You Are Saved (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Scott Kercheville
09/20/15 - Sun PM

Series: Ephesians (Your Identity in Christ)

The first word of Ephesians 2 is “And.” After praising God for giving us every spiritual blessing, Paul says he does not cease praying that their hearts would be enlightened to know how greatly they have been blessed. God wants us to know the hope we have been called to, what are the riches of God’s inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward we who believe. The first word of Ephesians 2 is “And” because Paul has not described what the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward believers is. Paul has only described how God demonstrated this power when he raised Christ from the dead to sit in the heavenly places above all rulers in all ages.

Before we see the greatness of God’s power toward believers and why he used this power toward us, we need to ask why we need heaven’s blessings and God’s power in the first place. The answer to this question is seen in Ephesians 2:1-3 when Paul tells us who and what we once were. Once we see this, it becomes clear why our only hope is belief in God’s power. Notice Ephesians 2:1-3.

• You Were Dead (2:1-3)​

  • … because we followed the world (2:2).
  • … because we followed our passions/desires (2:3).
  • … because we were actually following Satan (2:2).
    • Let’s not forget that WE were dead.
    • Let’s not forget that everyone else follows Satan.
    • Let’s stop living to carry out our passions.

• You Are Saved (2:4-9)​

  • … not a result of works, but by grace (2:5, 8, 9).
  • … because of God’s great love (2:4).
  • … by grace through faith (1:19, 2:8)
    • Faith does not follow what is natural; faith follows the one we do not see even when we do not agree.
    • Faith does not pridefully receive grace with a casual attitude or with intent to “earn it.”

• Why God Saved You (2:7-10)​

  1. “So that in the coming ages, he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (2:7).
  2. “So that no one may boast” (2:9).
  3. So we could be “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (2:10).