May 3 2026

Series in Ephesians                      

May 3, 2026

Havasu Christian Church       

Ephesians 2:1-22

“Change, change and more change!”

INTRO: As we study Ephesians today, I want us to be mindful that this letter was written to them, but it was meant to be shared. And shared it was.

        It was shared all around among the churches of the first century and beyond.

        It was carefully copied countless times, and kept by people who were afraid for their lives because of what they believed.

        Later on, Monks in Monasteries continued to create copies so God’s Word would not be lost!

        Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press, and the first book he printed was the Bible.

        Translators have worked diligently, to make sure that you and others can read the Word of God in their own languages, often at great risk of injury or even death, to themselves.

        Later still, Archeologists have worked diligently to find even more manuscripts, and to preserve those that have been found. 

        God worked through all these people to make make sure that we, and future generations would have access to His Word!

        All this, so that when we “read someone else’s mail,” we can learn from it as well!

1. Who were these Christians in Ephesus?

Ephesians 2:1-3   And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

1. They were dead in our trespasses and sins.
2. Dead. Obviously, this isn’t speaking of physical death.
3. This is the death of being “dead in your sins.”
4. Being dead to what God wants for you.
5. Trespasses. To fall aside, to deviate from the truth.
6. Even as gentiles, folks knew they weren’t living as they should!
7. They, like us, deliberately did what was wrong.

Even the “g” gods that they served were terrible! They simply did what pleased them, and whatever they could get away with.

1. With “gods” like that, how could you be expected to do any better?
2. Sins
3. “To miss the mark.”
4. This is what happens when we are trying to do right, and fail anyway.
5. They were walking “according to the course of this world.”
6. They thought that they were “living their own lives.”
7. They thought they were in charge!
8. Actually, they were walking (living) in a way that had them following Satan.
9. Their rebellious attitude was right in line with the rebellious attitude of Satan.
10. This left them “living in the lusts of their flesh.”
11. Indulging whatever desire of the moment happened to come out of their heads.
12. This left them as “children of Wrath!”
13. “Play stupid games, get stupid prizes.”

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The second half of this verse leads us to our next point.

1. What happened to change things?

Ephesians 2:4-9 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in 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 as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

1. GOD LOVED US!... But WHY?
2. He is “Rich in Mercy!”
3. Mercy: “Doing good for someone who doesn’t truly deserve it!”
4. God loved us before we were even interested in having Him in our lives.
5. He made sure there would be a way for us to become His Children.
6. God has made us alive together with Christ!
7. Jesus died – We die to sin.
8. Jesus rose – We rise to live a new life.
9. Jesus lives to die no more – although our earthly body will die, it will rise to never die again!
10. Jesus is at God’s right hand – We will join Him!
11. God does all this so He can continue to show us His grace forever!
12. All this happens in a way that reminds us that we don’t deserve it and we didn’t earn it. It is a gift from God.
13. We submit to God in Faith, and He does the rest!

1. Who are we now?

Ephesians 2:10-22 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

1. We are His workmanship!
2. God created us initially!
3. When we sinned, we messed all that up!
4. Adam’s sin brought death into the world.
5. Adam’s sin changed a perfect world into one that, although it is amazing, it has,
6. Disease
7. Death
8. Injury
9. Pain
10. He creates us new in Jesus.
11. He has already been planning the things that He will give us to do!
12. God erased the “Jew, Gentile” distinction!

11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 

     17   AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 

     18   for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 

     19   So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 

     20   having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 

     21   in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 

     22   in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

1. This was a HUGE division!
2. The Jewish people had been chosen by God to be the people that would bring Jesus into the world.
3. The rest… not so much.
4. The Jewish people had more knowledge of what God expected than anyone else.
5. Because of this knowledge, they had the opportunity to turn to God in Faith and follow Him!
6. The rest… not so much.
7. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice and His Resurrection, EVERYONE is given the opportunity to Know and Love God!
8. We are “brought near” by Jesus’ sacrifice.
9. Jesus brought Jews and Gentiles together!
10. He “Broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.”
11. Jesus made these two groups one people!
12. CHRISTIANS!
13. Being a Jew or being a Gentile no longer matters!
14. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we all have equal access to God!
15. This comes through the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us!
16. Jesus makes us “fellow citizens” with “the Saints.”
17. We (living now) are fellow citizens with the saints (of the past).
18. Those who come after us will be fellow citizens with US too.
19. Paul then speaks of all of us, being built into a building together.
20. That building is God’s Temple!

Dad and Uncle Bob… Tore down two houses and saved the materials… they even straightened and reused the nails.

        From those materials, they built a new house!

1. God takes the various groups, and repurposes them to be His people… His House!
2. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE GIFT!
3. Our world struggles to bring people together.
4. Sometimes, Churches struggles too.
5. But we are expected by God to overcome our differences and grow together into the family God wants!
6. This “house” isn’t all about us.
7. God’s word, given by His Apostles and Prophets are the foundation!
8. Inspiration!
9. God made sure His writers told us what He wanted us to know!
10. God has preserved what He wanted us to know as well.
11. SO, we have HIS Word, as the foundation for how to live together as His people!
12. JESUS IS THE CORNERSTONE!
13. It all depends on Him!
14. If He’s “just some guy with a few good ideas,” Why would we be CHRISTIANS?
15. If He isn’t “God in a body” why bother?
16. If He didn’t live a sinless life and die a death that paid the price for our sins, WHY WOULD ANYONE CARE ABOUT HIM?
17. But Jesus IS the cornerstone!
18. Allow yourself to be built into The Temple of God!
19. Shaped and fashioned to fit where we belong.
20. To be together in Eternity!