Yesterday as I was ending service I didn't get the chance to finish up with my last point and I think it is important that you have the opportunity to put it into perspective. Paul says:
“The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:6-9 (NIV)
Our sin nature is kind of like a worm in an apple. Do you know how a worm gets into an apple? I always assumed that it ate itself into the apple from the outside. But what I discovered is that the worm actually comes from the inside of the apple. What happens is that an insect lays an egg in the apple blossom. Sometime later the egg hatches in the middle of the apple and the worm eats itself out. We’re born with that sin nature inside of us and it continues to make its way out day after day. That's why we need Jesus and God's Spirit inside us.
Because “Apart
from God, I was dead and I was dominated. And also…”
3. I was doomed
“…Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”
The result of my spiritual death and my domination by the world, Satan, and the flesh is that I was under the wrath of God. That’s why the question “Why do we need a savior” is so critical.
Frankly, most of us don’t like to think about the wrath of God a whole lot. And so I think we often get a wrong picture of what that wrath is like. We tend to picture it as God getting angry from time to time, lashing out in anger and then forgetting it. But when we look at what the Bible teaches about His wrath, we find that His wrath is consistent, controlled and judicial. God’s wrath is an inevitable response to all that stands in opposition to His righteousness and holiness. God’s wrath has both a present and future element to it. Jesus Himself spoke of the present aspect of God’s wrath:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him." John 3:36 (NIV)
Paul writes about that in Romans:
“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:5 (NIV)
For those who do not respond to the grace and mercy of God, there is a future judgment to be faced. And at that time, those people will experience the wrath of God and be separated from Him for eternity in a place of eternal torment. That's why we need a Savior! Paul was reminding the Ephesians what they had been saved from so he could show them what they received. As we look forward to next weeks message we look at God's Love, Grace, and Mercy...it's going to be awesome.
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Forgiver and you’re Master, then you are exactly as Paul describes you in these verses – someone who needs a savior. Don’t leave this blog until you respond to what you now realize. You can do that right there where you sit by praying to God and thanking Him for drawing you to Him, telling Him you’re sorry for your sins and asking Him to forgive you, and placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone as the payment for your sins. You don’t have to use fancy words. Just speak to God as a friend and tell Him what’s on your heart. Or call me right now and I’ll pray for you! 509-967-2447...you are loved.
3. I was doomed
“…Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”
The result of my spiritual death and my domination by the world, Satan, and the flesh is that I was under the wrath of God. That’s why the question “Why do we need a savior” is so critical.
Frankly, most of us don’t like to think about the wrath of God a whole lot. And so I think we often get a wrong picture of what that wrath is like. We tend to picture it as God getting angry from time to time, lashing out in anger and then forgetting it. But when we look at what the Bible teaches about His wrath, we find that His wrath is consistent, controlled and judicial. God’s wrath is an inevitable response to all that stands in opposition to His righteousness and holiness. God’s wrath has both a present and future element to it. Jesus Himself spoke of the present aspect of God’s wrath:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him." John 3:36 (NIV)
Paul writes about that in Romans:
“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:5 (NIV)
For those who do not respond to the grace and mercy of God, there is a future judgment to be faced. And at that time, those people will experience the wrath of God and be separated from Him for eternity in a place of eternal torment. That's why we need a Savior! Paul was reminding the Ephesians what they had been saved from so he could show them what they received. As we look forward to next weeks message we look at God's Love, Grace, and Mercy...it's going to be awesome.
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Forgiver and you’re Master, then you are exactly as Paul describes you in these verses – someone who needs a savior. Don’t leave this blog until you respond to what you now realize. You can do that right there where you sit by praying to God and thanking Him for drawing you to Him, telling Him you’re sorry for your sins and asking Him to forgive you, and placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone as the payment for your sins. You don’t have to use fancy words. Just speak to God as a friend and tell Him what’s on your heart. Or call me right now and I’ll pray for you! 509-967-2447...you are loved.
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