Alive in Christ, 21 June 2026
22 06 26 Filed in: Sermons | Ephesians: Our True Identity
Alive in Christ
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 21, 2026
Ephesians 2:1-10
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: People can change, but first they must die…to be made alive in Jesus.
One of the radical foundations of our faith is the belief that dead things can come alive. We are reminded of this each Easter Sunday when I say…He is risen! He is risen indeed! Don’t ever forget that!
Our text from today addresses our journey from death to life. It’s not describing a physical resurrection, but a resurrection, nonetheless.
As we continue or identity series on the book of Ephesians, Paul the Jew is writing to Gentile believers, reminding them of their past…which is just like ours. Like the last two weeks, this text—at least the first seven verses—was originally one, long sentence in Greek! He begins chapter two…
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 2:1-2)
That’s a picture of every human before they encounter Jesus. Dead! This is obviously not a physical state, but spiritually dead…until God gives them life. It is not true that God helps those who help themselves. He helps the helpless! He helps the dead! Amazingly, He helps His enemies—sinners, the disobedient, rebels.
The Greek word for sin, hamarita, means to miss the mark. We often compare ourselves to others, which is dangerous. “Well, I’m not a murderer” someone might say, but God doesn’t grade on a curve. If you miss the target by a little or a lot, it’s still a miss.
I love how Paul speaks in the past tense: you used to live. This is our story, too. We followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the space between heaven and earth where it was believed the evil spirits lived.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)
Us may refer to Paul and Judean people. That was us. Today, that describes most people on the planet. In a sense, our world is a spiritual graveyard. People are not sick, but dead. Not ready for a remodel but a resurrection!
There are three reasons people are dead: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world says, “Keep up with the Jones’ and conform.” The flesh doesn’t mean our bodies are evil, but rather our natural, fallen nature wants our mind and body to disobey God. The devil refers not to satan proper, but demonic forces who lie. They are real. If you believe in angels, you better believe in demons!
News flash: Sinners sin! It’s their nature. They can never earn their salvation. They are hopeless on their own goodness.
As a result of our sin, we are deserving of God’s wrath. The only thing I deserve is eternal separation from God. Without Christ, we have no purpose. We are filled with sin, selfishness, pride, and deception.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
This is a wonderful “but!” It has been called this the most vital moment in world history. “But God!” The Roman world at the time of this writing was filled with gods—Zeus, Mercury, Poseidon, Artemis—but they had no imagination for being loved by them.
But because of his great love for us. John says God is love (1 John 4:8). His love is expressed to sinners as mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting the punishment deserved. Grace is unmerited favor, God’s undeserved generosity toward us. It’s not transactional. It’s an invitation.
We were dead, but God made us alive with Christ! We used to be enemies of God (Colossians 1:21), but now we are His adopted children, His friends.
Imagine it’s Judgment Day and you’re standing before God. He asks, “Why should I let you into heaven and the new earth?” How would you respond?
If you begin in the first-person by saying, “I,” you’ve got it all wrong. Religion is spelled D-O, what we do, but our faith is spelled D-O-N-E. It’s about what Jesus has done for us. In a word, it’s grace. You can’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. You simply say, “Yes” and receive it.
One of the best stories in the Bible illustrates this wonderfully. It’s about two criminals crucified beside Jesus. We don’t know what they did, but it took more than a speeding ticket to receive the death penalty!
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41)
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The man said “yes” to Jesus. He didn’t go to seminary, take a mission trip, give money, or even attend Sunday School! That’s grace…unmerited favor. We are saved by grace. It’s amazing!
While the thief on the cross is an individual example, Paul is writing to a community of people. We’ve been made alive with Christ.
Now back to Paul’s letter:
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7)
We were dead. We were made alive. There’s more to come. Much more. Incomparable riches of his grace! We are given new life now, known as regeneration. We will be given new bodies later, known as resurrection. But today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and if we are in Christ, we are there with him. Amazing!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
There it is again…grace! A Gift. Not by works. You’re not good enough. Saved from what? God’s wrath for our sins. Notice it is in the past tense. It is done. As I said earlier, Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people come to life. We all need help. We all need Jesus. It begins on our knees. Surrender. “Jesus, I give you my life.” All of it. Our salvation is not the result of our works…but works are the result of our salvation and relationship with God that is the result of faith, belief, trust, loyalty (Greek word pistis).
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Works are the result of God’s grace penetrating our hearts. We don’t strive to be good. We simply know Jesus and the good works come naturally. Good fruit comes when our branches are connected to his vine. Gratitude follows an encounter with God. Obeying God is the natural result of experiencing His love. We are not saved by good works but for good works. What are those good works? They’re representing the love, grace, kindness, mercy, creativity, beauty, peace, and justice of Jesus to the world.
This was illustrated recently when Oxford professor and Christian apologist John Lennox was interviewed on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast. After a conversation on historical proofs for the Christian faith, agnostic host Steven Bartlett said,
“One of the most compelling arguments for God that you’ve presented…is not actually necessarily anything you’ve written in your books, or not necessarily anything you’ve said…it is actually you. And you have a certain peace and contentment that I rarely see in people that I interview but I often see, and I’ve almost always seen, in the Christians that I’ve interviewed, and this is a interesting phenomenon for me.”
This is an interesting phenomenon for me.” That is an example of shining the light of Jesus in our dark world.
But I don’t want you to miss one important word. Here it is handiwork. I prefer the New Living Translation of this verse:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
You are a masterpiece! God knew you before the creation of the universe (Ephesians 1:4)! He knew you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
That word “masterpiece” in the original Greek is “poiema,” like poem. You are a one-of-a-kind work of art, created to do good works, created to worship, created to love.
So What?
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
Jesus is alive, and if we are in Christ, we are alive, too! We have been born again to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves for His glory! Amen!
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 21, 2026
Ephesians 2:1-10
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: People can change, but first they must die…to be made alive in Jesus.
One of the radical foundations of our faith is the belief that dead things can come alive. We are reminded of this each Easter Sunday when I say…He is risen! He is risen indeed! Don’t ever forget that!
Our text from today addresses our journey from death to life. It’s not describing a physical resurrection, but a resurrection, nonetheless.
As we continue or identity series on the book of Ephesians, Paul the Jew is writing to Gentile believers, reminding them of their past…which is just like ours. Like the last two weeks, this text—at least the first seven verses—was originally one, long sentence in Greek! He begins chapter two…
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 2:1-2)
That’s a picture of every human before they encounter Jesus. Dead! This is obviously not a physical state, but spiritually dead…until God gives them life. It is not true that God helps those who help themselves. He helps the helpless! He helps the dead! Amazingly, He helps His enemies—sinners, the disobedient, rebels.
The Greek word for sin, hamarita, means to miss the mark. We often compare ourselves to others, which is dangerous. “Well, I’m not a murderer” someone might say, but God doesn’t grade on a curve. If you miss the target by a little or a lot, it’s still a miss.
I love how Paul speaks in the past tense: you used to live. This is our story, too. We followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the space between heaven and earth where it was believed the evil spirits lived.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)
Us may refer to Paul and Judean people. That was us. Today, that describes most people on the planet. In a sense, our world is a spiritual graveyard. People are not sick, but dead. Not ready for a remodel but a resurrection!
There are three reasons people are dead: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world says, “Keep up with the Jones’ and conform.” The flesh doesn’t mean our bodies are evil, but rather our natural, fallen nature wants our mind and body to disobey God. The devil refers not to satan proper, but demonic forces who lie. They are real. If you believe in angels, you better believe in demons!
News flash: Sinners sin! It’s their nature. They can never earn their salvation. They are hopeless on their own goodness.
As a result of our sin, we are deserving of God’s wrath. The only thing I deserve is eternal separation from God. Without Christ, we have no purpose. We are filled with sin, selfishness, pride, and deception.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
This is a wonderful “but!” It has been called this the most vital moment in world history. “But God!” The Roman world at the time of this writing was filled with gods—Zeus, Mercury, Poseidon, Artemis—but they had no imagination for being loved by them.
But because of his great love for us. John says God is love (1 John 4:8). His love is expressed to sinners as mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting the punishment deserved. Grace is unmerited favor, God’s undeserved generosity toward us. It’s not transactional. It’s an invitation.
We were dead, but God made us alive with Christ! We used to be enemies of God (Colossians 1:21), but now we are His adopted children, His friends.
Imagine it’s Judgment Day and you’re standing before God. He asks, “Why should I let you into heaven and the new earth?” How would you respond?
If you begin in the first-person by saying, “I,” you’ve got it all wrong. Religion is spelled D-O, what we do, but our faith is spelled D-O-N-E. It’s about what Jesus has done for us. In a word, it’s grace. You can’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. You simply say, “Yes” and receive it.
One of the best stories in the Bible illustrates this wonderfully. It’s about two criminals crucified beside Jesus. We don’t know what they did, but it took more than a speeding ticket to receive the death penalty!
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41)
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The man said “yes” to Jesus. He didn’t go to seminary, take a mission trip, give money, or even attend Sunday School! That’s grace…unmerited favor. We are saved by grace. It’s amazing!
While the thief on the cross is an individual example, Paul is writing to a community of people. We’ve been made alive with Christ.
Now back to Paul’s letter:
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7)
We were dead. We were made alive. There’s more to come. Much more. Incomparable riches of his grace! We are given new life now, known as regeneration. We will be given new bodies later, known as resurrection. But today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and if we are in Christ, we are there with him. Amazing!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
There it is again…grace! A Gift. Not by works. You’re not good enough. Saved from what? God’s wrath for our sins. Notice it is in the past tense. It is done. As I said earlier, Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people come to life. We all need help. We all need Jesus. It begins on our knees. Surrender. “Jesus, I give you my life.” All of it. Our salvation is not the result of our works…but works are the result of our salvation and relationship with God that is the result of faith, belief, trust, loyalty (Greek word pistis).
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Works are the result of God’s grace penetrating our hearts. We don’t strive to be good. We simply know Jesus and the good works come naturally. Good fruit comes when our branches are connected to his vine. Gratitude follows an encounter with God. Obeying God is the natural result of experiencing His love. We are not saved by good works but for good works. What are those good works? They’re representing the love, grace, kindness, mercy, creativity, beauty, peace, and justice of Jesus to the world.
This was illustrated recently when Oxford professor and Christian apologist John Lennox was interviewed on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast. After a conversation on historical proofs for the Christian faith, agnostic host Steven Bartlett said,
“One of the most compelling arguments for God that you’ve presented…is not actually necessarily anything you’ve written in your books, or not necessarily anything you’ve said…it is actually you. And you have a certain peace and contentment that I rarely see in people that I interview but I often see, and I’ve almost always seen, in the Christians that I’ve interviewed, and this is a interesting phenomenon for me.”
This is an interesting phenomenon for me.” That is an example of shining the light of Jesus in our dark world.
But I don’t want you to miss one important word. Here it is handiwork. I prefer the New Living Translation of this verse:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
You are a masterpiece! God knew you before the creation of the universe (Ephesians 1:4)! He knew you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
That word “masterpiece” in the original Greek is “poiema,” like poem. You are a one-of-a-kind work of art, created to do good works, created to worship, created to love.
So What?
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
Jesus is alive, and if we are in Christ, we are alive, too! We have been born again to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves for His glory! Amen!