Saturday, October 28, 2006

Alive in Christ

Ephesians 2:1-7

Introduction

When I was in the Navy, we called the captain of our ship "the Old Man." Our Old Man was tough and crusty and nobody liked him. He used to go out drinking with all his chiefs while belittling and harassing his junior officers and making life miserable for the rest of us. He was not a good example of a naval officer. So when our Old Man got transferred to another ship, we all rejoiced. It was a great day for our ship.

Then we got a new skipper--a new Old Man. The old Old Man no longer had any authority over us; he was gone--completely out of the picture. But I was trained under that Old Man. So how do you think I related to the new Old Man? At first I responded to him just like I had been conditioned to respond to the old skipper. I tiptoed around him expecting him to bite my head off. That's how I had lived for two years around my first skipper.

But as I got to know the new skipper, I realized that he wasn't a crusty old tyrant like my old Old Man. He wasn't out to harass his crew; he was a good guy, really concerned about us. But I had been programmed for two years to react a certain way when I saw a captain's braids. I didn't need to react that way any longer, but it took several months to recondition myself to the new skipper.

You also once served under a cruel, self-serving skipper: your old sinful self with its sinful nature. The admiral of that fleet is Satan himself, the prince of darkness. But by God's grace you have been transferred into Christ's kingdom (Colossians
1:13). You now have a new skipper: your new self which is infused with the divine nature of Jesus Christ, your new admiral. As a child of God, a saint, you are no longer under the authority of your old Old Man. He is dead, buried, gone forever.

What is in a man’s heart? Have you ever carefully and quietly contemplated what is in your heart? Even today maybe as a believer you search your heart and you realize how far removed from the will of God you are. Maybe you look in your heart and you recognize the vast pride that resides within. Maybe you look in your heart and you recognize that you are not submitted to the will of God but to the will of the flesh.

When Christ became your Savior He made you alive in Him. Your spirit was made alive so that you may have fellowship with Him. He is your Lord and Master the one who commands you. You were dead and if He is your Savior you are a recipient of His mercy and grace and now you are alive.

Do you know who you are? Do you know whose you are? May you know today if you do not know already. May you know today who is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Creator and the Redeemer. In our text today we see three truths progressing from death to life in Christ.

The first truth we see today is that the flesh rules all who live upon this earth. To be ruled by the flesh is to be dead. There is no life in those who are submissive to the flesh. Paul begins with you were dead in your trespasses and sins. This could be rendered dead in as my translation has it or it could be dead because of. As you look to the next verse Paul says in which you formerly walked. Our trespasses and sins should be how we formerly walked, and because we walked in trespasses and sins. Because we walked in disobedience and according to the flesh which is sin we were dead. As we live in this manner we are dead. Then he says according to the course of this world which is ruled by the flesh. When you ask the average person what is most important to them in life, the answer usually is a successful career, a good family, a nice home, and to be a good person. Which one of those is a bad desire for their life? Not a single one, but when they are separated from an attempt to please the Lord by living in faith in Him then all of these are lived and sought in the flesh which is contrary to the will of God. It is not having a successful career that is in the flesh it having a successful career apart from the faith and will of God. It is not that God desires that we not have a successful career it is that in our faith in Him we have life that gives true meaning and perfection that the Lord desires for us in our career. When our career, family life, and personal lives are lived apart from the faith in God that brings new life they are merely acts in the flesh that cannot please God. Apart from Him they are merely dead actions that are meaningless. Because without faith it is impossible to please God.

Slavery in the United States was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment on December 18, 1865. How many slaves were there on December 19? In reality, none, but many still lived like slaves. They did because they never learned the truth. Others knew and even believed that they were free, but chose to continue living as they had always been taught.

Many plantation owners were devastated by this proclamation of emancipation. "We're ruined! Slavery has been abolished. We've lost the battle to keep our slaves." But their chief spokesman slyly responded, "Not necessarily. As long as these people think they're still slaves, the proclamation of emancipation will have no practical effect. You don't have a legal right over them anymore, but many of them don't know it. Keep your slaves from learning the truth, and your control over them will not even be challenged."

"But what if the news spreads?"

"Don't panic. We have another barrel on our gun. We may not be able to keep them from hearing the news, but we can still keep them from understanding it. They don't call me the father of lies for nothing. We still have the potential to deceive the whole world. Just tell them that they misunderstood the Thirteenth Amendment. Tell them that they are going to be free, not that they are free already. The truth they heard is just positional truth, not actual truth. Someday they may receive the benefits, but not now."

"But, they'll expect me to say that. They won't believe me."

"Then pick out a few persuasive ones who are convinced that they're still slaves and let them do the talking for you. Remember, most of these newly freed people were born as slaves and have lived like slaves all their lives. All we have to do is to deceive them so that they still think like slaves. As long as they continue to do what slaves do, it will not be hard to convince them that they must still be slaves. They will maintain their slave identity because of the things they do. The moment they try to profess that they are no longer slaves, just whisper in their ear, `How can you even think you are no longer a slave when you are still doing things that slaves do?' After all, we have the capacity to accuse the brethren day and night."

Years later, many slaves have still not heard the wonderful news that they have been freed, so naturally they continue to live the way they have always lived. Some slaves have heard the good news, but they evaluate it by what they are presently doing and feeling. They reason, "I'm still living in bondage, doing the same things I have always done. My experience tells me that I must not be free. I'm feeling the same way I was before the proclamation, so it must not be true. After all, your feelings always tell the truth." So they continue to live according to how they feel, not wanting to be hypocrites!

One former slave, however, hears the good news, and receives it with great joy. He checks out the validity of the proclamation, and finds out that the highest of all authorities originated the decree. Not only that, but it personally cost that authority a tremendous price, which he willingly paid so that the slave could be free. As a result, the slave's life is transformed. He correctly reasons that it would be hypocritical to believe his feelings and not the truth. Determined to live by what he knows to be true, his experiences began to change rather dramatically. He realizes that his old master has no authority over him and does not need to be obeyed. He gladly serves the one who set him free.'

The gospel is the "proclamation of emancipation" for every sinner who is sold into the slavery of sin. Every person that comes into this world is born dead in his or her trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), and is by nature a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). The good news is that we who are Christians are no longer slaves to sin. We are now alive in Christ and dead to sin (Romans
6:11). We have been set free in Christ. We are no longer sinners in the hands of an angry God. We are saints in the hands of a loving God. We are forgiven, justified, redeemed, and born-again children of God. We may not feel like it, we may not act like it, and others may tell us that we are not, but we have been sanctified in Christ and are being sanctified in Him.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 says,

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.

The next verse says that all these things are from God. “These” things are the new things. What new things are in our lives because of Christ? There should definitely be faith. There should be a love for God and things that concern him. There should be a desire for holiness and righteousness. There should be new desires and passions that replace the old desires of the flesh. But all of this is because we are reconciled to God. Now according to verse 19 this work is now ours. Our job, our responsibility is to bring others into reconciliation with the Lord. Everything we do should be to bring people into the path that will lead them to reconciliation with God.

The second truth that we see today is we received God’s mercy while we were still rebelling against Him. Paul continues in verse 3 with the depths of rebellion and separation from the things of God by saying, “we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires. . . and were by nature children of wrath.” Then he says, but God. Paul is saying look at how self-centered and prideful you were and you were missing God but God sought to reconcile you to himself. Verse 4 says being rich in mercy. He did not possess a little mercy but vast quantities of mercy. Then he says His great love with which He loved us. What are actions that demonstrate God’s great love and vast mercy? He never destroyed the Israelites despite their tremendous rebellion. He disciplined them but He never destroyed them. To this day the Jews are still a distinct people apart from all other people. When we offended God He sought to redeem us. When we offended God He sought on our behalf to appease His wrath toward sin. While we were still rebelling He sought to make amends for our sin. Verse 5 says, “Even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” In the midst of our rebelling against God He demonstrated His vast mercy toward us. Imagine that on September 11 2001 that one of the terrorists had survived their plane hitting the towers. He is badly injured from the impact and a lady finds him, and she helps him find his way out of the building and to a hospital. She pays his hospital bill, and then pays for him to have therapy to recover from his injuries. He then is to full health and leaves the country and returns to his old ways despite seeing the vast grace of the one he was trying to harm. We are the same. Even as God was seeking to reconcile us to himself His own people destroyed the life of the one sent to rescue them.

When I visited Jim Bakker in prison, he shared with me how the heat of prison had caused him to experience a complete change of heart. He experienced Jesus as the Master for the first time. He shared how he had lost his family, ministry, everything he owned, and then found Jesus.

I remember his words distinctly: "John, this prison is not God's judgment on my life but His mercy. I believe if I had continued on the path I was on, I would have ended up in hell!"

Then Jim Bakker shared this warning for all of us: "John, I always loved Jesus, yet He was not my Lord, and there are millions of Americans just like me!" Jim loved the image of Jesus that had been revealed to him. His love had been immature for it lacked the fear of the Lord. Today Jim Bakker is a man who fears God. When I asked him what he would do when he got out of prison, he quickly replied, "If I go back to the way I was, I will be judged!"

Romans 5:8-9

“Bur God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

God’s love is demonstrated in the sacrifice of Christ. How great is the love of God in that He sent His son to die that we might live knowing He would be rejected? He did not wait for man to get it right, but He proceeded with redemption while we were in the midst of our rebellion, and the work of Jesus provided our reconciliation and rescue from the wrath of God. What are we doing to demonstrate our reconciliation with God? Are we still living in our strength and desires? Are we still ignoring God and seeking our wisdom? Do we live by the wisdom of experience or do we live according to the wisdom that God has given us?

The third truth we see today is that there are great rewards in receiving God’s grace. In verse 5 we are told that we are saved by grace. The fact of our salvation is a great reward. Then in verse 6 Paul tells us that God raised us up with Him. And we are seated with Him in heavenly places. Wow, I must have missed something because I am still here in this poor dying and wretched earth. No, God sees the work of Christ as fully completed. From the perspective of God with eternity in view all things have been completed. For us, there is still fulfillment to come for us. God sees that we will be raised up in Christ. It is fact. There is no question. The same is said concerning being seated with Him in heavenly places. The reward of Christ is ours as well. We will be resurrected and seated in the heavenly places. Our presence with Christ is promised here. Our dwelling for eternity where there is no sickness or sorrow is promised here. This is not promised in the works of the flesh but in the promise and foundation of Christ’s work. The foundation is perfect and promises our perfection. Verse 7 tells us that this will take place in the ages to come. Not the here and now but in the life to come. Throughout eternity we will see and experience the riches of God’s grace; the surpassing riches of His grace toward us in Christ Jesus. Without Christ there would be no grace, no promise of hope, there would be nothing to hope in. God’s grace will be demonstrated for eternity but has most notably been demonstrated in Christ who was sacrificed for us.

Perhaps you have heard of Rembrandt (1606-1669), one of the greatest Dutch painters. Rembrandt, in a unique manner, was able to combine the skill of art and poetry to create a type of portraiture which had been untried. He gave his painting an air of mystery while combining action, drama and violent contrasts of light and dark. This is quite evident in "The Night Watch," painted in 1642, and possibly the climax of his work. With dramatic light affects, it is regarded as one of the world's finest paintings-- unified, unsurpassed and truly a great visual experience. Other etchings of his are Jesus Christ and the Samaritan. In 1961 Rembrandt's "Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer" was sold for $2.3 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting at that time.

Yet, there were days when Rembrandt wished he was never born. Yes, he did marry a prominent Dutch girl and became wealthy as he built up a large art portfolio. But tragedy struck as his 3 young children died and his wife died 8 years after their marriage. Rembrandt withdrew from society and his popularity diminished. He made some poor financial decisions and could not pay his debtors. He married his housekeeper who helped protect his works from creditors. Alas, she died soon after, along with his son, Titus. When Rembrandt died, people had almost entirely forgotten him.

However, his last painting, The Prodigal Son, depicts the true Rembrandt. It reveals a son, kneeling at the feet of the Father, crushed and repentant, seeking pardon for the life he had squandered. The Father extends a hand of love and forgiveness, while offering hope and consolation. Rembrandt was this son. He realized he was the lost son who had recklessly lavished the family fortunes away. The scene is sad, melancholy - yet tinged with an enigmatic aura of expectant hopefulness. Though considering himself a failure, Rembrandt sensed the Father's arm of mercy and grace embracing him.

This story of the Prodigal Son, taken from Luke Chapter 15 in the Bible, draws to a climax in verse 24, "This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! So they began to celebrate." This verse is not limited to Rembrandt; it is open for fugitives like you and me, who come to a pointing life where there is no other choice but to go Home and ask Father for acceptance and renewal. Do you get the picture?

The parable gives the sense that the Father almost looks through binoculars, attempting to locate you, me, that son/daughter, wearily trudging forward, pondering what home would be like. God desires to show us a wonderful plan in store along with ample celebration. This image is so vivid and real.

Matthew 5:32

“But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.”

This verse reminds us that we have been given much and squander the blessings of being made in the image of God, but through Christ we are made alive. We were dead in our sins as we sat in the mire of the pigs and ate their food when we were promised more, but in Christ, we are made alive and eat at the banquet table of the King of kings. Do we rejoice in the life we are given or do we still eat at the trough of the pigs? To not live as we were created is to eat with the pigs. Have you turned from the old life of filth and turned to the new life in Christ that promises the eternal riches of God’s grace?

It was Easter Day, 1973. Pastor Kefa Sempangi bravely and openly preached on the risen Lord in his Ugandan town's football stadium to over 7,000 people. After the service, five of Idi Amin's Secret Police followed Sempangi back to his little church and closed the door behind them. Five rifles pointed at Sempangi's face. "We are going to kill you for disobeying Amin's orders" said the captain. "If you have something to say, say it before you die."

Sempangi, thinking of his beautiful wife and lovely little girl, began to shake. But the risen Lord living in his heart gave him the courage to speak. "Do what you must," he said. "The Word of God says that in Christ I am already dead, and that my real life is hidden with Him in God. It is not my life that is in danger, but yours. I am alive in the risen Lord but you are still dead in your sins. May He spare you from eternal destruction." The leader looked at Sempangi for a long time. Then he lowered his gun and said, "Will you pray for us?" Sempangi did, and from that day those five officers, now converted through the witness of Sempangi's bravery, protected the pastor with their very lives.

Jesus Christ has risen from the grave and because He lives, we have eternal life. Today in prayer, praise Christ that He conquered death to give you life.

  1. Have you died to self and accepted the true life of Christ?
  2. Have you recognized that you had nothing to do with your salvation?
  3. Have you embraced the rewards that God promises and denied the pleasures of the world?

Our salvation is about Christ and His work. God owes us nothing, but yet He chose to make a way for us to be reconciled with Him. We were in rebellion and yet He redeemed us.

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