Prayer: 

Father, Without you our position is one of nothingness, yet with you, we are seated in heavenly places with our savior. How glorious when we commune with you and see your glory day by day. To feel your presence leading and guiding us is an advantage over the unsaved people around us that we wish to share with them, so we may all enjoy the manifest bounty of your presence.

Key Word:

 "Quickened"

Outline:

Position of the Christian

1. Old Condition: Dead to God 2:1-3

2. New Condition: Alive to God 2:4-10

Ephesians 2:1-3

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. KJV

Have you ever been dead before? The Scriptures say right here that you were! Have you ever seen a dead person in a casket and felt the shiver up your spine as you realize that that which you saw before you was a mere shell of the person or loved one that you knew when they were alive? Imagine if you will, that person suddenly being made alive right before your eyes!

That’s the definition of the Greek word used for "quickened" in this verse. How marvelous 
is the clarity of this word picture. We were as dead as a doornail and suddenly started to breathe a life that was made to glorify God. How exciting!

Verse 2 describes how we used to be a child of disobedience, living with an adoptive father who controlled us and is now controlling others who have not been quickened. It is a spiritual condition that we were in and it still exists for others until we tell them the "good news"

Verse 3 describes what we were like before the quickening. Ugly! Have you ever seen bath tub faucets that have had water sediment built up? It appears that they are encrusted with barnacles. Even touching them can give us the feeling that we are being contaminated with a wretched disease.  

In studying the word ‘conversation" we discover that the Greek definition of the word, carried with it a sense of being busy in the process of promoting selfish lusts and wanton pleasures. Therefore we not only were led by the enemy we delighted in the idea.

Ephesians 2:4-7

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. KJV

One of the hardest lessons to learn in life is that God initiates all the actions that happen in our lives, in order to bring glory to himself. Here is one of many examples that Scriptures give us to drive home this point. Even as dead men and women blinded by our death-father the devil, and actively satisfying the lusts of our flesh - GOD LOVED US!

He quickens us, and in the process, the old nature is dissipated as a by-product of the new indwelling of Jesus. It splinters off into nothingness as if it never existed. The critical aspect of this process is that we were quickened with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that Easter morning, and our position now is at the right hand of Him who saved us. This whole activity by our heavenly Father is for one reason, and that is to show the exceeding richness of His grace to us in Christ Jesus.

In studying for this lesson did we notice the end of verse 5 stated that it was by grace that we are 
saved. This is repeated in verse eight and we need to pay close attention to this phrase. There is an unwritten law among scholars that whenever something is mentioned twice in the Scriptures we should look at it very carefully. Just what is "grace" anyway?

Grace, by classic definition, is favor from God for something you do not deserve. Why does God do this grace thing? The only clue we have is that He loves us, and wants to bring glory to himself. After all when He made us it was for fellowship, was it not? 

When He does something for us, we alone of all God’s creation, have the ability to say thanks and to give Him praise. If that’s all He wants then it makes sense to give Him that praise whether He does anything for us or not! Why not get on the good side of the Father? 

Ephesians 2:8-10

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. KJV

These next two verses are generally given to new believers when they are first saved to memorize, because they are important for our salvation. God initiates everything in our lives, and it is not "our doing". Verse 10 describes that AFTER we are saved, THEN we start doing good works. Until that time we only know selfishness, and we are depraved.

Verses 11-22 of this chapter are very exciting because. as we shall see, we stand with others who believe. With each new inclusion of other people the variables showing God’s glory are amplified.