Ephesians 2:4a "But God…" What does that mean? The flip-side, we’re no longer in the desires of the old Adam. It’s a whole new world for us, but not because of what we’ve done, not because of what you’ve done, but what God did. We could stand here by the hour and enlarge on those two words, "But God", not but we, not but you, But God. He did it! We're always referring to "Lord give us Lydias today," because what did the Lord do with Lydia? Opened her heart, her understanding so that she would listen to what the Apostle Paul had to say. But God opened her heart. But God formed the plan of redemption leading to salvation, man didn’t. But God can go on and say I’ve done it all so that you can be saved by simply trusting Me in My Faith plus Nothing. Now let’s read on.
Ephesians 2:4 "But God, who is rich in mercy, (He doesn’t deal with us according to what we deserve) for His great love wherewith He loved us," (sounds like John 3:16 doesn't it! But God!) Now, back in the chapter in John’s gospel where we have the account of Lazarus dying. Mary and Martha were rather shook up with the Lord that He hadn’t been there to heal him and spare his demise.
But, us, the important part of that chapter is not even so much that He had the power to raise Lazarus from the dead, for we know what that chapter says over and over? How Jesus loved them! Not how much they loved Him, but how He loved them. And, consequently, we ended up with the shortest verse in scripture. "Jesus wept." Why did He weep? He loved them. And He saw their heartache, He saw their sorrow, and because He loved them, He could weep with them. And above all He knew their unbelief.
So here, Paul says the same thing. That that great love wherewith He loves us. We didn’t come into this place of redemption and salvation and the hope of Glory because we loved Him. We’re just like everybody else. What does it say in John’s gospel? They hate the light. Why? Because their deeds are evil. Are we any different? Can we remember as a kid, in fact, we can go back to when we were small enough to lie on our mom and dad’s lap and we can remember in my mind that just as soon as that preacher got up in the pulpit to preach my brother and sister would just stretch out so they along with Dad and grandpa would go to sleep. And tell you what, they're little rebellious minds didn’t change for a long time. We didn’t want to hear it. Leave me alone. And listen, that’s typical. That’s most people. We don’t want to hear it. Our deeds are evil, But God! He loves us!! Alright, verse 5. When did He love us?
Ephesians 2:5a "Even when we were dead in sins,..." That’s a spiritual position, but nevertheless, we’ll just make the point - how lovely are dead things? Now most of us don’t have an appreciation for it like we do. Death is not pretty. We hate it. We’ll admit it. We hate it. It just drives us up the wall because we hate death. Many of us have lost a pet and it just tears us apart. Why? Because death is not pretty. For many its the final state, with the animal kingdom it is but with humanity there yet remains more to the story.
Now we can bring that same analogy when God looks at sinful men - are we pretty? No! Sin is a dilemma, but God loves us anyway. Look at all of the ramifications of sin in the world today. It’s at the root of all our social problems. Sin, it’s at the root of everything. But in spite of it, God loves us. Even when we were dead in sin, we were separated from God, now reading on.
Ephesians 2:5b-8 "...he has quickened us (or made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace you are saved); (or redeemed, when He saved us by His Grace, He didn’t just leave us and say, oh well, I’ve done all that needs to be done. No, He continues with us.) 6. And has raised us up together, (out of our spiritual deadness and separation from God) and made us sit together in (what? The heavenlies! Not the Lincoln bedroom and we guess that must be a pretty nice place to spend the night. But listen, that is a pigpen by comparison and He has placed us in the heavenlies already. That’s our position and He has made us sit together in the) heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7: that in the ages (ions is the Greek word, which is beyond our human comprehension) to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Now here’s the verse!). 8. For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" Ephesians 2:8. Because when you read that, that’s what it is. For by Grace are we saved through faith. Plus anything? No! So then it’s plus what? Nothing. It’s the gift of God. How long is it a gift? As long as we don’t pay for it. The minute we contribute to the cost of our gift, it is no longer a gift and the same thing holds true in the plan of redemption and salvation. Just as soon as people think they have to work for it, then they have canceled the gift aspect and it now becomes something that puts God in their debt. That He will not have! For with as any other gift we're required to do our part but we ask what is our part? We have to receive the gift, how and then when. We receive the gift by way of a personal revelation or inspiration from within us a knowing which is beyond our human understanding or knowledge. The seed that is within all of us has to become alive or re-birthed or born again from above. This is then when and the how we're receptive and now as the old prophet heard God's voice through the Spirit of Christ from within. The seed now alive that had been hidden as a secret of God.
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