06-07-2026 The Past Present and Future of Every Christian

Text: Ephesians 2:1-7

                   Today is the first Sunday of the month and shortly we will be remembering the death of Jesus on the Cross.  With that in mind, we are going to look at the past, present, and future of every Christian.  Our text is found in Ephesians 2:1-7 where Paul writes:  “ (1) And you has He quickened, [which means made alive] who were dead in trespasses and sins.  (2) Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience; (3) among 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.  (4) But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ [this is how we are saved by grace]; (6) and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus; (7) that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

                    The communion service requires us to look in three directions.  We look backwards to remember the death of Jesus on the Cross.  Then we look inward to face up to the sin that is within us; and finally, we look forward to the day that Jesus will return for us.  But there are three other important looks we need to take as well.  We need to look at the past so we can be humble in the present and future.  We need to look at the present so we can be grateful for all that we have, and we need to look to the future so we can be full of joy at what’s yet to come which is eternity in Heaven with Jesus.

                   Verses 1, 2, and 3 tell us that every Christian has a past and we are being honest, it doesn’t present a pleasant picture when we look back.  We were all dead in the trespasses and darkness of sin.  We all walked according to the course of this sinful world as we are told in I John 2:15-17.  We were living to get the lust of the flesh, meaning we only lived for our own satisfaction; and only saw life through sinful eyes.  Our pride in ourselves always came first.  We were ruled by Satan who is the prince of the power of the air.  Our lives were centered only on lust or what we could get for ourselves.  Our minds were captivated by greed.  And, as John 3:36 reminds us, we deserved the wrath of God.

                   Verses 4, 5, and 6 show us that every Christian has a present.  It is where we are blessed with salvation because God is rich in mercy.  Our God is the architect of everything having to do with our salvation.  When we accept Jesus as Lord, His love enters our lives and we become changed people.  Before that we were dead to God, but because of Jesus’ work on the Cross, He has made us alive.  Our sin made it impossible to return to Him and only guaranteed our eternal death. As Christians, we are alive in Jesus Christ resulting in our new life because of God’s grace.  The death of Jesus on the Cross now makes it possible for us to be seated in heavenly places with Jesus.  Instead of being cut off from the God our Father, we are now near to Him and able to enjoy His grace and blessings every day.

                   Finally in verse 7 we see that as a Christian we have a future.  And it’s in that future where the best is yet to come.  The future ages hold untold blessing for all who believe and live for Jesus.  We will witness firsthand the riches of God’s grace to us and experience proof of His kindness and love for us.  The grace of God wasn’t used up in salvation.  That is just the beginning of His many kindnesses to be shown to us from the moment we are saved and continuing through all of eternity.  It’s no wonder that we will sing of the grace of God for 10,000 years and more when we get to Heaven.

                   So, this morning as you prepare yourself to participate in the remembrance of the death of Jesus on the Cross, think about your past, present, and future that you have and allow it to be the motivator to serve Jesus and to serve others as He did while He walked this earth.  And take the time often to ask yourself what you are doing for the Savior that suffered so much so that we could be together with Him in eternity.  If you haven’t yet committed your life to Jesus, don’t wait any longer because we don’t know when Jesus will return and it will be too late.

                   Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.