“YOU WERE DEAD!”

 

Ephesians 2:1-10                       (ESV)

By Grace Through Faith

[1] And “YOU WERE DEAD” in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, LIKE THE REST OF MANKIND. [4] But GOD, being RICH IN MERCY, because of the GREAT LOVE with which HE LOVED US, [5] even when WE WERE DEAD in our trespasses, MADE US ALIVE together with CHRIST—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in CHRIST JESUS. [8] For BY GRACE by grace you have been saved THROUGH FAITH. And this is NOT YOUR OWN DOING; it is the GIFT OF GOD, [9] NOT A RESULT OF WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST. [10] For we are HIS workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Recently at the fellowship I attend we were watching a video of Dr. R.C. Sproul, a man who has since graduated to Glory!  Dr. Sproul was commenting about how GOD saves us, ALL BY HIMSELF, SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST about his so that NO ONE might be able to brag about his conversion.  This caused me to recall fifteen years ago this July when I experienced the Brain Hemorrhage.  Although I imagine that every “medically induced coma” can have differing characteristics, seventeen days of being “out-of-it” didn’t cause me to desire to be brought back to normalcy.  Quite the opposite, my initial recollection was similar to what I imagine a person awaking in a drunken stupor, kind of “out-of-control” of ANYTHING!  I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!  

Similarly, we DO NOT have ANYTHING to do with our salvation.  We were CHOSEN “in HIM before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4) by JESUS to serve HIS PURPOSE for our lives!  The world was “founded” so long before I was physically born that there is NO WAY that I could say that I had ANYTHING to do with my salvation!  GOD CHOSE ME is the ONLY THING that I can profess regarding my “worthiness” of salvation!  

Why did HE CHOOSE me?  Outside of HIS PLAN, I have NO WORTH whatsoever!  “YOU WERE DEAD” is what should have been said about me, that is until HOLY SPIRIT regenerated my SPIRIT and made me a NEW MAN!  

While I do not remember much about the the time following the Brain Hemorrhage, I DO KNOW that I HAVE BEEN RESTORED tremendously!  It is NOT coincidence that my medical records from September 2007 say "However, he has had a remarkable recovery that could only be described as a MIRACLE FROM GOD"!  Needless to say, I did not die from the Brain Hemorrhage in 2007, but for almost three weeks I was in a “precarious situation”!  Before GOD transformed me in January 1977, I was however SPIRITUALLY DEAD.  “YOU WERE DEAD” was my Spiritual status, but JESUS gave me a NEW LIFE, a second BIRTH!  FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause me to never lose sight of being a part of the “YOU WERE DEAD” crowd…….until I was TRANSFORMED BY JESUS!!!