Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Saved by Grace Ephesians 2:1-10

Alex Bainton 27th December, 2020

As today is my last sermon with you, I want to end on the note of grace -

God’s grace, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I guess we have all been to the doctor at some time because we were sick. The doctor examined us to see what was wrong with us, then told us whether or not it was serious, and whether or not there was a treatment or perhaps a cure.

Well, people everywhere are sick, spiritually sick. What’s the nature of this spiritual sickness? Is it serious? And is there a cure?

Today’s Bible reading, from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, deals with these three important questions.

Evangelist John Wesley had a favourite saying, ‘know your disease, know your cure’. With that in mind, let’s see what this teaching in Ephesians tells us.

We read, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live.”

And so we see that the spiritual sickness, the disease, the problem, is called “transgressions and sins”.

If a person transgresses or trespasses, he/she goes somewhere that is out of bounds. When it comes to God’s boundaries, all have trespassed, gone where we shouldn’t have gone, so far as God is concerned. And to sin is to disobey God, to disobey his law and one’s conscience.

As a result, all have fallen short of God’s target for human life.

How did we pick up this disease, how did we get this “spiritual infection”?

Three sources are mentioned here -

the world, the devil, and the flesh.

We read “you followed the ways of this world.” That means conforming to its viewpoint, standards, beliefs. ‘Peer group’ pressure is a common experience. None of us want to be ‘the odd one out’, but accepted.

Then there’s the strong influence of social media. The world is infected, and so we got infected.

Another source of infection mentioned here is the devil.

It says, “following the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

The devil is working against God and is trying to ‘infect’ as many as he can; and he’s deceitful and cunning.

And there’s a third source of infection - “the flesh”, or “sinful nature.”

“Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind……”

“the flesh” mentioned here isn’t just the body, but includes the mind and a nature that was passed onto us when born.

A mother asked her friend, ‘Does your little boy say anything yet?’ ‘Yes, he has learnt to say ‘No!’. Self-will appears very early.

So there are the three sources of this ‘spiritual infection.’ Now, how serious is it? Is it like a cancer or Covid 19, or is it just like a common cold?

Let’s listen again to these words, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…..”

Clearly then, this is a deadly disease and not merely a minor ailment!

“dead” means no life, a corpse, spiritually speaking.

Alive to the world, but not alive to God.

The seriousness of this condition is highlighted by the words that come next in our Bible passage.

“And so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind”.

Or reading those words in the New Living Translation, “By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”

In the letter to the Romans, the Bible also talks about a coming “day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed”. Rom. 2:5

In John Bunyan’s book ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’, Mr Evangelist gave Pilgrim a slip of paper with the Bible verse “Flee from the wrath to come” , written on it. In other words, accept God’s salvation now before God’s anger comes.

Friends, I know it is not comforting to draw all that to our attention, but it is the backdrop or canvas to the gospel or good news.

Just as at Victor the stars shine brightly when the sky is dark, so the gospel of God’s grace shines brightly against this dark background we have just heard.

‘know your disease, know your cure’ !

Supposing your doctor were to say to you, ‘I’m really sorry to have to tell you this, you have a deadly condition…… but, the good news is I know a cure!’

The little word ‘but’ would in that case make all the difference!

And there’s a ‘but’ in today’s passage too!

“But God, who is rich in mercy….”

Psychologist James Dodson reports seeing a sign on a convent reading, ‘Absolutely no trespassing - violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.’ Signed, the ‘Sisters of mercy’!

Well, the Sisters of Mercy, in that instance, may not have actually been “rich in mercy”, but God is!

Although we deserved to be prosecuted to the full extent of God’s law, yet God who is rich in mercy gave his only begotten Son to die for our sins in our place!

Let’s read on - “but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

We were dead to God, but now are alive to God. How can this be?

Only God can raise the dead, and he did it with Christ, and with ourselves, “with Christ”. “made us alive with Christ”. “and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Christ’s resurrection is reckoned to be our resurrection. And so the resurrection of Christ is not only a past historical event, it is also a personal event, something in which you share, participate, by virtue of your union with Christ. God has put us in Christ; what happened to him, happened also to we who have faith in him.

“By grace you have been saved.” Someone has said, ‘Grace is everything for nothing, to those who don’t deserve anything.’

And that’s the special thing about grace.

Some boys broke panes of glass in a man’s green house, and he was able to speak to the culprits. He explained that he could deal with them by law or by grace.

To deal with them by law would mean taking them to the Police Station, to be prosecuted and punished; but he had decided against that. They deserved punishment, but they wouldn’t be getting it.

Instead, they would receive from him what they did not deserve.

He would treat them with kindness, give them his friendship, and pay for the glass himself. ‘That’, he said, ‘was grace.’

“By grace you have been saved”. God’s anger against sin fell on his Son Jesus at the cross when he bore our sins and died for our sins, died in our place, bearing the just judgment sinners deserve.

God now offers his total forgiveness and acceptance to those who will receive his grace.

So why don’t some people receive his grace? What could block God’s grace getting through to a person’s heart?

One blockage can be a person feeling ‘too good’ for grace; while another person might feel ‘too bad’ for grace. Let’s take them in turn.

‘Too good for grace’. In other words, thinking ‘Jesus might need to die for others’ sins, but I’m good enough for God.’

But what is good enough for God? - my standard……or God’s? Clearly it would have to be God’s standard, which in one word, is ‘Jesus’. And if I compare myself with Jesus instead of other people, then I should come to see that I do need God’s grace.

Paul, in his letter to the Galations, put it like this: “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.”

In other words, if I’m alright, in right standing with God, by my own efforts and works, then there was no point to Christ dying on the cross!

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But there’s another attitude that could block God’s grace getting through to a person, and that’s to say, ‘I’m too bad for grace, I’m not worthy of it; I don’t deserve it because my sins are too many and too bad.’

Again, what really matters is what God says. One thing God’s word says, is -

“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1Timothy 1:15

Do I think that I am a sinner? Then Christ Jesus came into the world to save me!

Paul went on to add these words about himself - “I am the foremost of sinners, but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” 1 Tim 1:15,16

Paul knew what he had done and been; I remind us of this, by reading from Acts, “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem; I not only shut up many saints in prison, by authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme; and in raging fury against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Acts 26: 9-11

And so, what grace God had shown to Paul, the totally undeserving! And that’s the meaning of “Grace”. Grace is not only offered to people who don’t deserve it, it is offered to people who have done everything not to deserve it.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is offered to those who are his enemies. It was while we were his enemies that Christ died for us. Rom.5.8

And so, “saved by grace” means I am to stop thinking , ’I’m good enough not to need grace’; and I’m to stop thinking, ‘I’m too bad and not worthy to receive grace.’

None of us deserve grace, none of us are worthy of grace; or else it wouldn’t be grace!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith…”

An old hymn expresses that truth in the words,

‘nothing in my hand I bring,

simply to thy cross I cling.’

To cling to Christ’s cross is to go to him for mercy, and to receive his grace.

Perhaps you have had an operation at some time. You couldn’t save yourself, but you put yourself into the hands of the surgeon, trusting in him to save you.

Faith in the Lord Jesus who died and rose for us is to put yourself in his hands to save you - ‘Jesus you died for my sins; Jesus you rose for me’. ‘Lord Jesus, save me.’

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; it is the gift of God - not by (not because of) works so that no one can boast”.

And so, in heaven no one will be strutting proudly around like a peacock as if they got there under their own merits. No one will even be able to say, ‘I half - saved myself’!

And now, reading on to the end of the passage, we hear these words,

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Eph 2:10

And so we are not saved by good works, but for good works. Good works are the fruit of our salvation, not the root of our salvation.

God has put each of us in situations where good acts can be done. And in another letter Paul writes - “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’ Galatians 6: 9,10

Your new pastor David, and Margie will start their ministry among you in the new year. “doing good” to the family of believers here will include doing good to David and Margie, that is loving, encouraging, supporting, and praying for them, as you have to Cheryl and myself.

It has been a great privilege for me and Cheryl to have been able to have a share in the fellowship and ministry of this church; and now I commend you all to the pastoral care and shepherding of your new minister David, and Margie.