WE ARE ALIVE (QUICKENED) WITH CHRIST #434

SURFING WITH JESUS #434072606
Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.
2355 Parkway Dr. SE
Cleveland, TN 37323
gene@SurfingwithJesus.com
www.SurfingwithJesus.com

WE ARE ALIVE (QUICKENED) WITH CHRIST

Ephesians 2
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Paul is talking about our old sinful nature. Here he emphasizes that we do not need to live any longer under sin's power. The penalty of sin and its power over us was destroyed by Christ on the cross. Through faith in Christ we stand acquitted, "not guilty" before God. God does not make us slaves or robots or someone that can't think on their own. We will still be tempted to sin and return to our old ways. The difference is that before we became Christians we were dead in sin and slaves to our sinful nature, but now we are alive (quickened) with Christ. Praise the Lord! Jesus paid this price for anyone who will call upon him and receive this wonderful gift of Salvation.

When someone gives you a gift you don't say, "How much do I owe you," the appropriate response to a gift is "thank you." Yet how often do Christians, even after they have been given the gift of Salvation, feel obligated to try to work their own way to God. Our Salvation is a gift, we should respond with gratitude, praise, and joy.

We become Christians through God's unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, or act of service on our part. However, when we are quickened and become alive in Christ, I believe we will desire to serve Christ and share our knowledge of his love with others and lead them to this same life we have in Jesus. We are not saved merely to sit and enjoy our gift but to rejoice even as the angels do when someone else has returned to God and received his son Jesus as their Lord, Savior, and Master. Herein, the spiritually dead are made alive and become a new creation desiring to share and receive the goodness of God.

1John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

To join us weekly or stop receiving Surfing with Jesus, please send your request to gene@SurfingwithJesus.com. Please continue to pray with us for the request we receive each day.

My sole desire as I share is to uplift Christ, fellow Christians, and share the love of Jesus with others.