Winter message series called “Christian Living Explained”
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The Bible paints a stark contrast between our spiritual condition before we open our hearts to Jesus and after we allow God’s Spirit to be at work in us. In his second message from the winter sermon series based in the book of Ephesians, Pastor Kelvin Jones helped us to understand the big difference that Jesus makes.
Rev. Jones reminded us first that we are often unaware of our true situation when it has become the norm for us, even if that situation is not good or very deficient in something. That is why we are tempted to ignore or even to reject Paul’s frightening description of our pre-Jesus spiritual condition in Ephesians Chapter two. It includes such glaring depictions as “dead in transgressions” and “without hope and without God in the world.” Paul says we were in the habit of “gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature.” Even worse, in behaving in these ways, we were unwittingly following the ways of the enemy of our souls.
But God intervened!
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
Ephesians 2:4-5
God sent his Son Jesus to make a path for us. Then he sent his Holy Spirit into our lives to awaken us to the amazing grace that God was offering to us. Through Jesus, God makes it possible for Christ-followers to come alive. Just as Jesus came alive on Easter morning physically, we come alive spiritually when we become his followers. And now Christians have a new heavenly allegiance and focus. We eagerly await a Savior from there (Phil. 3:20). Rather than fixating on pleasures and fleshly desires, we pursue the holy purposes, the good works that God has prepared for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
What a difference Jesus makes
All that God asks of us in order for this transformation to get underway in our lives is that we would say a big wholehearted “yes” to Jesus. “Yes, I admit that I need you as my Savior. Yes, I am willing to learn your righteous ways and turn away from those of mine which are unholy. Yes, I want to learn to love others as you did, Jesus.”
Dear Jesus, thank you for nudging me to say yes to you. I admit that my spiritual condition is more of a mess than I pretend. Please forgive me! I want to follow you, Jesus, and learn to live as your disciple. Amen
Suggested prayer by Pastor Kelvin Jones