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visitor: These are Pastor Paul’s sermon notes from Sunday
Morning. They probably won’t make
much sense if you weren’t in the service. Feel free to contact
Pastor Paul if you’d like more detailed information.
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Ephesians:
Our Riches in Christ
IV Past,
Present, and Future (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Review:
1. Assets
and Liabilities
Action:
repent of self-indulgence, failing to make a difference, unable
to defend and live out our faith
2. Deposits
and withdrawals
HS as
comforter, witness, judge, guide, intercessor. Our actions to
ignore, quench, grieve, and resist)
3. Goals and
Objectives
Spirit of
wisdom and revelation; Eyes of your heart…; Know Jesus, Know
hope, know rich community: FOLLOW, LOVE PEOPLE, ENJOY
4. An
Untapped Resource - One simple problem: we don’t recognize the
power…Like planting a garden not flipping a switch; Fake it or
Faith it!
Introduction:
Gentiles, no
history w/Torah, multiple, competing “gods”
Like us:
Hard to understand, get our minds around where we are and what
we need
Heavy
theology but basic to understanding God’s purposes, plans and
actions: detailed description of what was, what is, and what is
to come
Compare to
Romans;
PAST (vss.
1-3)
1. INTERNAL
STATE (What we are inside)
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…
Dead –
“absence of spiritual life: principles, powers, cut off from
God”
“Dead Man
Walking”
…in
trespasses and sins: habitual, actual, original, sins of heart
and sins of life, “sin is the death of the soul” (MH)
Bart Starr: “Either the man who wrote all those things is a
great liar, or I’m in the wrong grave”
2.
EXTERNAL STATE (How we behave outside)
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this
world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who
is now at work in those who are disobedient.
“ways
of/course of this world – literally, age
The age =
something internal and ethical
This world
(cosmos) = regulated by the age
“walked,
lived, behaved yourself like everyone else”
Describes the basis for making choices
Isa 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned.
3. NATURE
(Why we are what we are and do what we do)
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Bondslaves
to Sin and Satan (the prince of the power of the air)
The “air” is
his kingdom.
Both Jews
and Gentiles believed that the air was full of spirits.
“Children of
wrath” (even as others) – “original” sin
…In trespasses and sins…
“Trespasses”
= intentional, rebellious disobedience (Jews w/the law)
“Sins” =
ignorance, not knowing right from wrong, Gentiles w/o law)
PRESENT
(vss. 4-6) BUT GOD…
1.
We who were dead are made alive:
like Christ (resurrection)
“Because I live, you will live also”
2.
We who were buried are raised to
“heavenly realms in Christ”
What
is to come is spoken of as of as having already happened
Every day is
a gift; that's why they call it the present.
FUTURE (vss.
7-10)
“That in the ages to come…”
PAST:
“It
is by grace you have been saved…”
PRESENT:
“WE ARE God’s workmanship…”
Rom 8:33-34 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has
chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ
Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-IS
at the right hand of God and IS also interceding for us.
FUTURE:
“Created in Christ Jesus to do good
works…”
Acts
26:15-18 (Paul before Agrippa)"Then
I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?'
"'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 'Now
get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint
you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me
and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people
and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their
eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a
place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
Ladainian Thomlinson: “What have you done with the name?”
