Dead People Made Alive

In one paragraph

Todd Lampa covered for Pastor Ray while he and others were in Guatemala. He preached from Ephesians 2:1-10, walking through what Paul says about where humanity stands before God, what God does about it, and why that matters for how Christians live and talk to the people around them. Todd opened by asking whether people have a worldview, explaining that everyone answers four basic questions whether...

Read together

1. Ephesians 2:1-10 main passage read in full and expounded throughout the sermon
2. Ephesians 1:13 cited to show believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit at salvation
3. John 15:18-19 quoted to show the world hates believers as it hated Jesus
4. 1 John 5:19 cited to show the whole world is under control of the evil one
5. Galatians 5 referenced for its list of the works of the flesh
6. John 3:36 quoted to show the wrath of God remains on those who reject the Son

Talk about it

1. Todd described a worldview as how a person answers four big questions: where did we come from, what is the purpose of life, what is right and wrong, and what happens after we die. Before today, had you ever consciously worked through your own answers to those questions? How did becoming a Christian shape those answers for you?
2. Todd shared responses from Facebook friends who said life has no inherent meaning and that morals are simply a product of evolution. How would you respond to someone who holds that view, and what would you want them to understand about the Christian alternative?
3. Todd said a common misperception is that God wants to make bad people good, when really He wants to make dead people alive. What is the difference, and why does that distinction matter for how we talk about the gospel with people around us?
4. Todd asked whether the world hates our lives, meaning whether we are living in a way that is noticeably different from the course of this world. How do you personally feel about that question, and where do you sense the tension most?
5. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared beforehand. Todd said the specific shape of those works will look different for each person, but the general directives in Scripture apply to all of us. What do you think those prepared works look like in your own daily life right now?