Dead to Alive, Brought Near, Sent Forward - Ephesians 2

I. Our Starting Point: Dead in Sin (Ephesians 2:1–3)

• Spiritually dead, not sick or confused

• Following the course of the world, not neutral

• Enslaved to passions and patterns

• Dead people cannot fix themselves

Key truth: Dead is dead, behavior does not create life

II. The Turning Point: But God (Ephesians 2:4–7)

• God initiates salvation

• Motivated by mercy and great love

• Makes us alive with Christ

• Resurrection, not rehabilitation

Key truth: Salvation is God’s interruption, not our response

III. The Foundation: Saved by Grace Alone (Ephesians 2:8–9)

• Salvation is a gift

• Not earned, not deserved

• No room for boasting

• Grace levels the ground

Key truth: What grace begins, grace sustains

IV. Identity Lag: Learning to Live Alive (Segment Two)

• Identity precedes behavior

• Grace changes how we fail

• Conviction vs condemnation

• Orphan thinking vs sonship

• Shame as false motivation

Step: Stop rehearsing your spiritual resume
Step: Return to who you are when you fall

V. Purpose Revealed: Created for Good Works (Ephesians 2:10)

• We are God’s workmanship

• Created intentionally, not accidentally

• Good works prepared beforehand

• Walking, not performing

Step: Stop chasing purpose, start walking in obedience
Step: Faithfulness over flashiness

VI. From Individual to Family: One New Humanity (Segment Three)

• Brought near by the blood of Christ

• Dividing wall of hostility destroyed

• Christ Himself is our peace

• Unity is evidence, not optional

Step: Identify walls Christ already tore down
Step: Choose reconciliation over being right

VII. The Church’s Calling: Built Together (Ephesians 2:11–22)

• No strangers or outsiders

• Members of God’s household

• Built on Christ as the cornerstone

• Growing together, not alone

Step: Move from curated community to covenant family
Step: Practice peace, not distance

VIII. A Dwelling Place for God (Segment Four)

• God lives in His people

• Faith expressed in ordinary obedience

• Life shaped by presence, not pressure

Step: Ask, what is fitting for someone God lives in
Step: Take the next faithful step today

IX. Redemptive Response: Come Alive

• Stop striving

• Stop hiding

• Stop negotiating

Response:

• Come alive

• Come near

• Trust Jesus

Final truth:
You were dead
God made you alive
Now walk in it