Being dead and being alive

(The following is an extract from the message that was preached on August 26, 2018.)

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 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. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1-7)

The bible tells us what it means to be alive, and what it means to be dead. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul is writing to Christian people who love and follow Christ. But they didn’t always used to be like that. Paul writes, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” (2:1)

Paul says, “You were dead.” You didn’t think you were dead at the time. You were walking around, going to work, eating dinner, talking with people, and doing all of that. But you were dead. You were dead because, it says here, “… you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air.”

The ruler of the kingdom of the air refers to Satan, or the devil. Satan has a way that he wants you to live. It’s a way that might give you a very brief feeling of happiness or pleasure, or it might just make you very miserable. But regardless of whether it makes you happy or miserable for a moment, it will ultimately destroy you. And the ways of Satan are the ways of this world.

You can see the ways of the world all around you. On TV, on the internet. You can hear the ways of the world in conversations around you. And that is how dead people live.

Let me put it like this. Perhaps the single most important question you can ask yourself is: How should I live? In what way should I live? And that big main questions gets broken down into little sub-questions. How should I speak to people? How should I approach my work? In what way should I use my time and my money?

Many people get the answers to these questions from the world. They watch a TV show, they do an internet search, they read a book by a famous self-help psychotherapist, or listen to a popular motivational speaker. And then they follow the ways of the world.

They don’t look to God. They don’t read the bible. They’re not interested in hearing the words of Christ. They would rather pick and choose what sounds good, and then follow that way.

And when we choose to live that way, ultimately, we are “gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.” (2:3).

We all have a sinful nature, and that nature desires material wealth, or success, or popularity. It’s full of pride.

Before you and I met Christ, we also lived like that. We followed the ways of the world, which means that “… we were by nature objects of wrath.” We deserved God’s wrath, and his anger.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ.”

And here we can see how the message in the bible is completely different to what the world tells us. The world is always trying to make you feel good about yourself. There are so many self-help books out there, which are all about trying to help you overcome a low self-esteem. Schools are trying so hard to help kids have a high self-esteem. You hear things like, “You’re a wonderful person.” “You deserve the best.”

I remember, when I was a little kid, there was this ad on TV. It was an ad for a bank. And there were images of two old people walking along a beach, smiling and enjoying life. And the voice over the ad said something like, “We provide financial planning and peace of mind for the most important person in the world … You.”

And that’s one of the dominant messages in the media still today. You are the most important person in the world. You deserve the best. You’re a great person, you’re a good person, you’re a nice person. So you deserve a new Toyota, or a holiday in Hawaii, or a new pair of shoes.

So, imagine the situation where there is a person who sees all her failings, she sees all her weaknesses, and the sin that is in her own heart. She thinks, “I am such a terrible person.” And then she turns on the TV, or looks at the Internet, or reads a book, and she gets the message, “No, you’re not! You’re a good person. You deserve to be happy.” But deep down inside, she knows that’s not true.

Then, she opens the bible. And what does the bible say? “You are spot on. That is exactly right. You are a terrible, evil person. In fact, your heart is even more wicked than you think it is. You don’t deserve happiness. You deserve the wrath of God. And not only you, but everyone else on earth too.”

And then there is this awesome word: “But!”

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ.” (2:4)

But … even though your heart is evil, even though you are dead in your sin, you can be made alive again. You can be changed. 

May the Lord help us to understand this wonderful truth more and more, and may we all know what it means to truly be alive.