Welcome!
Today: Because He came!
Passage: Eph 2, Prov 5
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 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. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Eph 2, NIV 84)-emphasis added
The letter to the Ephesians has six chapters-the first three basically doctrinal and the last three mostly about practical aspects
Paul does not want to “exclude” anybody when he says that without Christ, we were dead! He starts saying “you”, but in verse 3, he says “all of us”
There are people who say and believe they are “special” because they were born in a “Christian family” or so. Salvation is personal. In a ship-wreck, if half of the family got on a life-boat, only those will be saved; others will “sink” with the ship! Jesus Christ is our life-boat, in this “sinking” world
Paul speaks about “trespasses” and sins; trespass is when someone violates the rules/crosses the boundary; the word sin refers to “hamartia” or missing the mark. The sins of commission (doing the wrong thing) and sins of omission (not doing the right thing) were both our problems when we were “dead” in our sins
Verse 2: Three areas of life of sin : the world, the flesh and the devil
The world is about the system in which we live. The world puts pressure on us from the outside through media, music and lot of other things. The flesh is about the powers within us-the desire for pleasure in our own mind and body. The Devil works in both of this, and on his own; basically all three are from him
Devil (ruler of the air): A person committed to violence may not be spending much time in fleshly or worldly activities, but their mind will be focused on “destruction”-an example of how the devil works in a person
The world: People committed to “the god of this age”, or “the world”, want to live up to the fashion and style of people around them. They want to dress, speak and act in a way that please/”makes sense” to their friends
Flesh (the spirit that works from within): People living in the flesh may not be engaged in “destructive” activities or living in a certain style of the world, but they struggle within their heart, with lust or greed or gluttony, things like that.
Jesus knew we could not save ourselves from this depraved situation
So He came down to save us. After being saved, the struggle is still there; but the difference is-we are in Christ. We are “connected” with the savior! We are in the world, but not of the world.
There is hope-in Jesus. We have the inheritance and the power of Jesus
Have a blessed day! Pray for the nation where God has put you
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I need your help to overcome the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. Thank you, for accepting me as your friend. Amen
Proverbs 5 (verses from NIV 84)
11 At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble in the assembly of God’s people.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.