I AM SAVED

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

And you were dead in your trespasses andsins 2 in which you previously walkedaccording to the ways of this world,according to the ruler who exercisesauthority over the lower heavens, thespirit now working in the disobedient.

EPHESIANS 2:1-103 We too all previously lived among themin our fleshly desires, carrying out theinclinations of our flesh and thoughts, andwe were by nature children underwrath as the others were also.

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

4 But God, who is rich inmercy, because of His great love thatHe had for us, 5 made us alive withthe Messiah even though we weredead in trespasses. You are saved bygrace!

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

6 Together with Christ Jesus He also raised

us up and seated us in the heavens, 7 so

that in the coming ages He might display

the immeasurable riches of His grace

through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and

this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—

9 not from works, so that no one can

boast. 10 For we are His creation, created in

Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared

ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

THERE ARE TWO BASIC CATEGORIES

VIEWING SALVATION.

OPTION #1

WORKS

In Catholicism, doing good works and

faith in God.

In Buddhism, ceasing desires saves you.

In Confucianism, education, self-reflection, self-

cultivation, and living a moral life saves you.

In Hinduism, detaching from your separated ego

and making an effort to live in unity with the

divine saves you.

In Islam, living a holy life of good deeds saves

you.

In Orthodox Judaism, repentance, prayer, and

working hard to obey the law saves you.

In New Ageism, gaining a new perspective

through which you now see that you’re

connected to all things as a divine oneness

saves you.

In Daoism, aligning yourself with the

Dao to have peace and harmony saves

you.

OPTION #2

GRACE

The other option is Christianity, and that is

that we are not saved by our works, we’re

saved by Jesus’ works.

EPHESIANS 2:5

“By,“Grace, “you have been saved.”

EPHESIANS 2:8

“By grace, “you have been saved through faith.”

Now, faith is trusting in Jesus’ work, not your own.

That means unmerited favor, undeserved love. This means that God

pours out his affection not just on the undeserving, but the ill-

deserving, in fact those who were previously his enemies.

SAVED IN THE PAST,

IN THE PRESENT, AND

IN THE FUTURE

So, in the past, we’re saved from the

penalty of sin.

In the present, we’re saved from the

power of sin.

And then thirdly, in the future, we’ll be saved

forever from the presence of sin.

SAVED FROM

WHAT?

EPHESIANS 1:4

4 For He chose us in Him before thecreation of the world to be holy andblameless in His sight. In love

#1, death.

#2 , trespasses and sins.

# 3, “In which you once walked, following the

course of this world.”

#4, “Following the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that is now at work in the sons of

disobedience.”

#5, “Among whom we all once lived in the

passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of

the body and the mind.”

The non-Christian’s deepest desire is for self and sin. The

Christian’s deepest desire is for Jesus and holiness, Jesus

and holiness.

PSALM 37:4“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he’ll give

you the desires of your heart.”

# 6 “And we were by nature children of

wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

ROMANS 2:5Paul says it this way, “You are storing up wrath for

the day of judgment,” which means you’re not

getting away with anything, that you’re simply piling

up everything.

SAVED BY WHAT?

EPHESIANS 2:4-54 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His

great love that He had for us, 5 made us alive with

the Messiah even though we were dead in

trespasses. You are saved by grace!

SAVED FOR WHAT?

EPHESIANS 2:6-10

6 Together with Christ Jesus He also raised

us up and seated us in the heavens, 7 so

that in the coming ages He might display

the immeasurable riches of His grace

through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

EPHESIANS 2:6-10

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and

this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—

9 not from works, so that no one can

boast. 10 For we are His creation, created in

Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared

ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

GOOD WORKS

1. All works by God’s grace for God’s

glory are good works.

2. Most of Jesus’ good works were

as a carpenter, not a preacher.

3. There’s no such thing as sacred and

secular work for Christians.

That’s a good work then.

1 COR. 10:31

“Whatever you do, do it all for the

glory of God.”

4. Some of you need to discover the

good works God has set before you.

5. Some of you don’t need new works—you’ve

got way too much to do—but to infuse your

current works with grace.

6. We are not saved by our works,

but we are saved to our works.

They’re not the root of our faith, they’re

the fruit of our faith.

7. God does not need our works, but

our neighbor does.