Eph. 2:1-10,19-21

Ephesians 2:1-10
“And you have been made alive, [you] who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [the Devil], the spirit who now works on the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others (or like the rest of mankind).
But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show His exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
I.We are all the same according to sin
A.Vs. 3, “among whom we all also once conducted ourselves fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath just as the others.”
A. “We are all by nature children of wrath.” Because of our rejection of Jesus, we are the children of wrath, just like the rest of mankind even the murders and the liars. And this is our main fault. We are walk according to the course of this world. Therefore we sin, because the will of Satan is for us to reject God, and to not obey Him in every part of our lives. And because of the fall we are born that way and we like it. “We were shattered by the fall.” Because we are so occupied with ourselves that we reject the only thing that can save us.
II. We are all helpless to save ourselves from sin
A.Vs 8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any many should boast.”
1. Thank of it in the terms of Noah’s ark. The ark was the only way to be saved from the flood, but the people ran to the hills, and to the mountains, but when the hills were consumed, and the mountains were lost under the depths of the sea, the only thing that saved was the ark.
2. Just as Jesus is the only way to God. Man tries to build hills, and mountains to Heaven, but when the fires of God’s wrath are poured out upon us, the only people that will be saved are the people that are found in Christ Jesus.
3. Look at the thief on the cross next to Jesus, he was literally a few hours from his death, but when he said to Christ, “Lord remember me when You come into your kingdom.” He was saved. “Today you will be with Me in Paradise,” came the His Saviors reply. Today, not tomorrow, but today, this was a man known for being a thief, but as he hung on that cross, receiving the just penalty for his actions he was saved
III.We have all come to the same Savior
A.Vs. 10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ…”
A.John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father by me.”
1. O it is grace! Sheer grace! That we are saved. It is by the sheer grace of God that mankind was not destroyed after the fall, it is by that same grace that mankind was allowed to live on through the flood. It is by His sheer grace that Christ was even sent to die for our sins. It is by His sheer grace that you were born in a free country, into a Christian family, and are able to worship freely. It is by that same grace that you woke up this morning and that you have lived this long to hear this message, and it is still by that same grace that you take breath this very moment. In fact it is the sheer grace of God that allows you every breath you breathe.
IV.We all have the same Father
A.Vs. 4-5, “But God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive in Christ (by grace you have been saved…”
B.Vs. 1a, “And you He made alive…”
1.We all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, and of our mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. BUT GOD!
a.I once walked according to the course of this world, But God, who is rich in mercy saved me. I once conducted myself in the lust of my flesh and of my mind, But God, whose love is great saved me. I once was a child of wrath, But God, poured out His grace on me. I was once in the dead in the morgue because of my trespasses, But God has made me alive, through His Son Jesus Christ. This is the Father we share, His love is unending, His riches incomparable, His grace deeper than the oceans, and His mercy Higher than the heavens. This is the great God we share.
V.We are all going to the same destination
A.This is found near the end of the chapter, in verses 19-21, “Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
1.We are, if the Spirit of God lives within you, no longer strangers or foreigners, but we are apart of the Church Being built together in Christ, that we might be a place of dwelling for God in the Spirit. This is what you are if you have come to the realization that you are consumed by sin, and unable to save yourself from that sin. If you have come to salvation by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, by Christ alone, for there is no other way to come into the adoption of the Father. As the hills and mountains were consumed in the days of Noah, so will the works of man come to destruction. Let me leave you with these words of encouragement found in Ehp. 2:13, “But now in Christ Jesus you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” You who walked according to the course of this world, has been saved by the blood of Christ. You who conducted yourself according to the lust of the flesh and of your mind, has been saved by the blood of Christ. You who were once a child of wrath, the blood of Christ has saved you. You who were dead and in the morgue have been made alive by the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ has saved you.

If you are unsure of your salvation then please feel free to ask me questions about this Jesus. We are told in Philippians's 2 to, "Work out your own salvation with fear ad trembling." In my mind when it says to "work out" I think of a debate. To sit down and debate your salvation with God. So, if you don't know Him, please ask.

O God these words are true that you have saved us by the blood of Your Son. All we have to do is, as told in Isaiah, to Look to you and be saved. It is as simple as looking to Christ for the forgiveness of my sins, and they are gone, no works must be done, all that has to be done is Christ death, and it is finished. Be with us as we leave here tonight, and as we go to school tomorrow, that others may know that you are our God, and you are our Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.