BUT GOD (MERCY)

When we talk about sin, we often refer to it as an action. Gossiping, lying, and cheating—murdering, coveting, and disobeying. It’s the evil things we do, the mistakes we make, and the crimes we commit.

Because in our hearts, we’re basically good people who occasionally do bad things, right?

Not so much. When Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, he made it clear that sin goes far deeper and embodies much more than simply our behavior. Sin is actually an incurable disease that monopolizes the spirit of every single person, and tragically, there’s nothing we can do to heal ourselves or change this reality. Sin has killed us all equally.

Thankfully we serve a God that loves us equally as well. Ephesians 2: 4-5 says: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

But God, so rich in mercy and full of unconditional love, looked at our disobedience and decided to save us. He saw the dead state of our hearts and gave up everything to revive life back into them. God gave up the One He held dear—His one and only Son—and sent Him to the cross to put an end to the punishment of sin, so we could all become His sons and daughters if we believe.

Another translation reads:

The corruption that was in us from birth was expressed through the deeds and desires of our self - life. We lived by whatever natural cravings and thoughts our minds dictated, living as rebellious children subject to God’s wrath like everyone else. But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy. Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace!

It’s nothing we did. It’s nothing we earned. It’s only by God’s grace that we have been saved. In Him and through Him, we are healed and cured forevermore.

When we worship - we worship from this place. We are whole in Christ. Amen!