The Blessing of
Salvation
Book of Ephesians
2:1-10
What is a blessing?
The average person
equates blessings to this physical world as material gain. Nothing is
wrong with these blessings if they are obtained legally and according
to the Word of God.
In truth the
greatest blessings are not physical but spiritual!
The greatest
blessing of all is to become a citizen of Heaven!
There are so many
today who threaten to forsake their USA citizenship and move to
another nation when they need to be forsaking sin and gaining a
citizenship in Heaven.
The child of God is
a stranger visiting this world, just a pilgrim passing through.
1Pe_2:11 Dearly
beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
There is no greater
blessing than salvation!
*****Eph 2:1 And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in
time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience:
The first thing we
should notice is that Paul is speaking to the Church.
The Church consists
of those "Born Again" Christians saved by the same almighty
power whereby God raised Christ Jesus from the dead!
We, who were dead,
"void of all spiritual life", now have life and life
eternal by the same power that raised the Lord Jesus Christ from His
physical death!
How can there be a
blessing as great as this one?
**We were dead
because of sin.
Rom 6:23 For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
**We were in the
family of Satan.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh
of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
**We walked
according to the course of this world.
1Jn_2:16 For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.
**We did not know
our true enemy.
Eph 6:12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
**We did not
understand just how cruel the Devil truly is!
Job 1:7 And the
LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the
LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking
up and down in it.
Job 1:16 While he
was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God
is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the
servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell
thee.
God did not cause
this but, Satan did.
Job 1:19 And,
behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the
four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they
are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
Satan holds not only
his "limited" power of the air but also a "limited"
power of the airwaves. What are your children listening to and
watching?
1Pe_5:8 Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Just as we did not
know all these things, "those who are lost are unaware of all
these things today", just as they were in the day of the Apostle
Paul.
**There can be no
doubt that we all will face death!
Heb 9:27 And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
There is also
"Spiritual Death". A separation from God's presence
forever!
The Scriptures call
this the "second death". The eternal state of being dead to
God!
But we can defeat
this spiritual death by the salvation that comes by "Faith"
in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Heb 9:28 So Christ
was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look
for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
**To be saved is to
repent, bringing a complete change in the whole human character!
The lost do not
realize that everything that occupies their time, is sin!
Mar_10:18 And Jesus
said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good "but
one", that is, God.
Rom 3:23 For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Spiritual death is
the separation of any human being from God while they are still
living and walking upon this earth and then after a physical death,
forever!
The truth:
**A person who walks
in life without God and rejecting Jesus Christ, this person is
already dead in the eyes of God!
**A person may walk
in this life as a religious person, worshipping his own god, of his
own thoughts, or his own notions and rejecting Jesus Christ and this
person is also dead in the eyes of God!
1Ti 5:6 But she
that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
**All persons who
reject the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He has done for salvation,
are dead in the eyes of God!
1Jn 5:12 He that
hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life.
1Jn 2:22 Who is a
liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist,
that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 Whosoever
denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that
acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
**Remember Satan is
the father of all liars even if this is your pastor or your teacher!
*****Eph 2:3 "Among
whom" also we all had our conversation in times past in the
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, "even as
others".
What is the real
truth? All humans by nature are just alike! We all have a sin nature!
Even as babies we are sinners!
It is only by the
"Grace" of God that the Christian differs from those who
reject Christ!
As Christians we
must never be ashamed to confess ourselves to be sinners with the
worst!
This is the first
step toward salvation, knowing we are sinners by nature.
We are not sinners
because we sin.
We sin because we
are sinners. (We are born separated from God)
There is no one upon
the face of this earth that does not have a sin nature! Everyone
lives to fulfill the desires of the flesh!
Psa 51:5 Behold, I
was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Does anyone teach
the baby to lie?
Psa 58:3 The wicked
are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born,
speaking lies.
Jesus Christ is the
only perfect One to walk upon this earth and it is because He was God
in the flesh and not born into sin!
It is only Jesus
Christ who can restore us to be in harmony with God!
Before our
conversion, (our salvation), we lived a life with those who are the
disobedient of this world. (among whom)
Isa 53:6 All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The "children
of disobedience" are all those who have rejected the Word of God
and the works of His Son, Jesus Christ. (Jesus the Messiah)
We live in world
that is self-centered and not God-centered!
1Jn_2:16 For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.
Before our
conversion we all lived under the wrath of God!
And as sinners we
will reap what we have sown!
Joh 3:36 He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not
the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
As sinners, we will
die the second death unless we receive a pardon from God.
There is absolutely
no fellowship with God without this pardon!
1Jn 1:6 If we say
that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and
do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.
1Jn 1:8 If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us.
1Jn 1:9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say
that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in
us.
Death to the sinner
means God requires his soul for the second death!
Luk 12:20 But God
said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of
thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
We can spend all our
lives providing for the flesh but, if we do not take the time to
provide for the soul, we will certainly see the wrath of God!
Thank goodness for
the God who is so full of mercy and love.
*****Eph 2:4 But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;)
We are born so full
of sin that it spews out of our mouths even when we are babes, but
God is so full of mercy because of His great love that He is willing
to forgive us of our sin.
To doubt God's mercy
is to dishonor Him!
If we have received
the mercy of God, then we are to show God's mercy to all others. God
is no respecter of persons and neither are we to be!
When we understand
God's love for all that is good, we will then understand God's hatred
of all that is bad including all immorality!
The Love of our
Father is for His Son Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ has
purchased and redeemed us by His death!
Every soul is a dear
property to God and if we have not considered our soul and it is lost
due to our rejection of Christ, God has lost something that is very
dear to Him.
Be sure to remember,
this is our choice and not God's choice!
God will save all
that come to Him in faith!
The mercy of God is
our greatest need as sinners!
It is by the mercy
of God we have an opportunity to know the "goodness" of
God! In fact, the name God is derived from the word "good"!
It is instilled in
us to long for power.
It is instilled in
us to long for fame.
It is instilled in
us to long for immortality.
It is instilled in
us to long for riches.
It is instilled in
us to long for glory, but we can get none of these things without the
mercy and the love of God!
Php 4:19 But my God
shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus.
We might ask, just
what does it take to get God to love us? Well this is really simple
for God has always loved us!
1Jn_4:19 We love
him, because he first loved us.
Joh 3:16 For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Even when we were
dead in sins, God loved us enough to send us all a means to get back
in harmony with Him.
Jesus Christ died to
save His enemies!
Notice that we were
already dead in sin before the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth.
Had He not come, all the world would end up in the Burning Lake that
was created for Lucifer and those angels that followed him.
The word Quicken
means to make alive. To revive from that death!
How does God make
this happen?
Rom 8:11 But if the
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he
that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
It is by the "grace"
of God through "faith"!
**The cause of
salvation is God's amazing "Grace".
We all know a dead
body cannot walk but, nor can a dead soul move of its own free will.
**The means of
salvation is by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each sinner, by the
"Grace" of God, transferring all their sin to the Lord
Jesus Christ just before His death.
By faith, the sinner
can transfer all his guilt, all his misery, and his curse, to Jesus
Christ and therefore each sinner becomes "a use to be",
receiving all the riches of God by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
**The effects of
salvation. God has raised all believers up together and made us to
sit in heavenly places with the Lord Jesus Christ!
Every believer
becomes a child of God!
*****Eph 2:6 And
hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus:
It is because of
God's mercy that we will sit together with Jesus Christ!
It was the power of
God that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead and that same power
will raise every believer up sit with Him!
God raised up Jesus
Christ for many reasons:
**Jesus Christ led a
sin free life upon this earth.
Mankind had already
sinned from birth. Righteousness and perfection had already been lost
from the time of Adam.
It is only those who
are perfect who can stand before God!
**Jesus Christ
secured righteousness for us all!
Gal 3:6 Even as
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye
therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham.
Since by the Lord
Jesus Christ we are righteous, then even though we are still upon
this earth, if we have the faith of Abraham, we have a place reserved
for us in the heavenlies!
**The Lord Jesus
Christ has already died and been raised from the dead, so God sees
all believers as already been raised from the dead, exalted to live
with Him forever in Jesus Christ.
When we do get to
Heaven, we will not be a stranger who just got home, we will be as a
son or a daughter who just left heaven to visit earth and are
returning home!
*****Eph 2:7 That
in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace
in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Some say God was
just talking to these Ephesians, but the truth is God is talking to
all His Church!
We were all born
without a purpose but after our salvation God extends His purpose to
all His children.
God intends to show
the true church the riches of His "Grace" toward through
Jesus Christ!
God's riches can
only flow through the Lord Jesus Christ!
We could say that
God will do so much for us by His Son Jesus, that it will take an
eternity to see and live it all! Amen.
The Lord God is
truly King of all Ages!
1Ti 1:17 Now unto
the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour
and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Psa 90:2 Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Many of us can
sometimes think worldly about the wonders of Heaven and it is true
that it will be lovely, but we sometimes forget the riches of God's
"Grace" He has given us and will continue to give us by and
through the Lord Jesus Christ!
Without God's
amazing "Grace" we could never know the salvation plan of
God!
*****Eph 2:8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of
works, lest any man should boast.
This may be one of
the most quoted Scriptures in all the Bible.
The one thing that
stands out in this Scripture is that, "salvation comes by
faith"!
By definition the
meaning of faith is: the settling of the mind to the truth.
So those who are
lost have faith in a lie and do not know God's truth!
What is God's
unchanging truth?
2Th 2:13 But we are
bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
2Th 2:14 Whereunto
he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
What is the truth?
1) Only Jehovah God
can save and He alone!
It is the gift of
God!
2) Faith in the
truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, is necessary for God to be willing to
save!
Rom 3:24 Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God
hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26 To
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be
just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
3) All who have
faith will be saved. But remember, faith is not a mere assent to or a
profession of the truth; but such a belief as purifies the heart and
governs the life.
Heb 11:1 Now faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen.
Faith is firmly
setting the mind on the truth of God!
For those who refuse
to believe, God says this: Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe?
shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Rom 3:4 God forbid:
yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That
thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when
thou art judged.
There is no amount
of works we can do before salvation by which we can be saved!
There is no amount
of works after salvation that can keep us saved!
But after salvation
we will be known by our works because we will begin to look more and
more like Jesus Christ, becoming Christians, becoming the Saints of
God.
1Pe_2:12 Having
your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak
against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they
shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Jas_2:26 For as the
body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Our salvation flows
by the ""grace" of God!
Our salvation is
obtained by faith and by faith only!
Our salvation is a
very precious "gift" from God!
2Ti 1:9 Who hath
saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2Ti 1:10 But is now
made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel:
This thing is so
simple that many just cannot fathom such a great gift of God to be so
simple.
This salvation means
we are saved from the coming wrath of God.
So how can these
things be so true?
*****Eph 2:10 For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
To be saved means we
were first born of our parents but we are now born of God. We are
God's workmanship, not our parents workmanship!
We had a natural
birth but salvation is by a spiritual birth.
Our own spirit which
was once dead to God, has been quickened (made alive by God the Holy
Spirit) and made alive to God!
Remember verse 1:
Eph 2:1 And you
hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
We have been "born
again" to new life!
Jesus said:
Joh 3:3 Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit.
We have been made a
totally new creation in the eyes of God! (let that sink in)
The saving of the
soul is a creation event!
In fact the only new
creations since the time of Genesis are those newly born children of
the God of creation!
2Co 5:17 Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.
God has made each
Christian to be new, by the Holy Spirit!
Tit 3:5 Not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he
shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being
justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.
**Our new creation
could not come about by works or any goodness.
**Our new creation
could not be sustained by any works or goodness.
**Our new creation
was created to be known by our good works after being made new.
These good works are
an evidence of our salvation not a reason for our salvation!
God builds a
masterpiece with every "Born Again" child of God but, this
is a continuous work till the day He takes us home to be with Him!
Tit 3:8 This is a
faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly,
that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain
good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
The strength to
fulfill the purpose God has for His church, must come from Him and
not from the world!
1Jn 1:7 But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.
Amen
