Gentle Reminders

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"Before Salvation…"

Paul reminds us we were…

Spiritually Dead…"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins".

Slaves to Satan…"you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience".

Slaves to Sin… "we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others".

"Salvation…"

Paul reminds us that…

God Loves Us…"God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us".

God Made Us Alive… " made us alive together with Christ".

God Raised Us…"raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus".

"Reminder…"

Paul reminds us that we were saved…

For God’s Glory…"that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus".

By God’s Grace…"by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God".

As God’s Workmanship…"not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works".

Once I was lost…Now I am found

Once I was dead…Now I am alive

Once I lived to satisfy self…Now I live to satisfy Christ

Once I was Slave to Satan…Now I am a Servant to Christ

Once I was a son of disobedience…Now I am an adopted son of God

©TFarley 2001

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TITLE: Gentle Reminders…

FOCUS: God’s Amazing Grace

FUNCTION: Reminder of God’s Amazing Grace!

TEXT: Ephesians 2:1-10 (NKJV)

I. Before Salvation…

A. Spiritually Dead

B. Slave to Satan

C. Slave to Sin

II. Salvation…

A. God Loved Us

B. God Made Us Alive

C. God Raised Us

III. Reminder…

A. God’s Glory

B. God’s Grace

C. God’s Workmanship

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Good morning!

I trust that as you sang your praise and worship this morning and approached the Lord in your prayers that you were preparing your hearts to hear what God has for you today...for it is there that He will meet you…

…in your heart!

In studying for today’s sermon, the word "Reminder" continued to pop up. Everything I read and thought about seemed to point towards our need to be reminded of different things. It seems that we are a forgetful people. We have a tendency to forget to do things like take the suit to the cleaners, or forget important dates like our wedding anniversary, or forget where we put something like our car keys. We need reminders.

There are different kinds of reminders and ways to remind us of things. Some use a calendar to remind themselves of important dates. Some use to-do lists to remind them of what they are supposed to do. Some use a grocery list to remind themselves what to get at the store. Some use other people to remind them of certain things they don’t want to forget.

Reminders…they are necessary…we need them because we are a forgetful people.

You may not believe this…but some people forget what God has done for them…CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? As surprising as that may seem, it happens…because humans are a forgetful and prideful people. In fact, humanity has had the problem of forgetfulness many times in Biblical history. Here are a few:

Jud 3:7 - The Israelites did what was evil in the LORD’s sight. They forgot about the LORD their God, and they worshiped the images of Baal and the Asherah poles.

Jud 8:34 - They forgot the LORD their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.

1Sa 12:9 - But the people soon forgot about the LORD their God, so he let them be conquered by Sisera, the general of Hazor’s army, and by the Philistines and the king of Moab.

1Ki 9:9 - And the answer will be, ’Because his people forgot the LORD their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead. That is why the LORD has brought all these disasters upon them.’"

Job 22:18 - But they forgot that he had filled their homes with good things,

Ps 78:11 - They forgot what he had done – the wonderful miracles he had shown them,

Ps 78:42 - They forgot about his power and how he rescued them from their enemies.

Ps 78:43 - They forgot his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders on the plain of Zoan.

Ps 106:7 - Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the LORD’s miracles. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.