There was a movie in the 80s called “Weekend at Bernie’s”. The plot was about a man who was the key person for a deal, and he was to have a party at his house this weekend. His name was Bernie. Before the weekend, Bernie died. Some decided to have a party at Bernie’s house anyway and pretend Bernie was “alive” when he was dead. They would prop Bernie up and pretend to wave. Bernie was dead all along, but he looked alive.  

Ephesians 2:1 And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.  

We are not talking about physical death but spiritual death. Our spirit is what should be able to connect with God. But if that spirit is dead, it cannot become alive on its own. Only God can breathe life into something dead. God is life. All living things come from the original life source, God.   

People who are dead cannot connect with God. That does not mean they don’t go to church. It does not mean there is no desire to live a righteous life. On the contrary, they are constantly seeking something to bring peace and hope. But since they have no communication with God, they search for hope through self accomplishments, money, addiction, pleasure, and escape. These people always ask the pastor or someone else to pray for them. They cannot pray for themselves. Their spirit cannot connect with God because they are dead. What can the dead do? Nothing. There is no power to change their path in life. They have no defense to the forces of temptation and the demonic powers of Satan.  They have no control over the desires of their heart. They follow them to their harm.  

Trespasses and sin

Remember what God told Adam in Genesis about eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; Genesis 2:17 NKJV “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Adam and Eve did eat, and the spirit that communicated with God died as God cast them out of the garden. From that time, everyone was born with a dead soul. It is sometimes called ‘original sin.’ Psalm 51:5 NIV Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. We start with sin, and the sins accumulate. The only way to get rid of sin is through faith and repentance to Jesus Christ.

Trespasses are the choices we made that we know are sinful. Our own decisions to steal, hate, hurt, cheat. These are our own choices against what we know is right. We trespass over God’s laws that we know are true. The Bible says we were dead in our trespasses and sins.

You do not have to teach babies to be selfish or to say no. They were born in sin. One illustration I found of a dead spirit. A man was walking through the forest in the fall. He came upon a stream. In the stream were dead leaves floating down the river. The leaves could not choose where to go. The dead leaves were at the mercy of the river. Also in the river were fish that were swimming upstream. They were looking for food. So they could choose their course. The leaves were dead, but the fish were alive.

Ephesians 2:2 NIV “in which 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,

The people with a dead spirit follow the ways of the world. They follow the darkened Godless beliefs of a lost world. They also are ruled by the “Prince of the power of the air!” Where ever there is air, Satan’s kingdom is there. Air is everywhere! You cannot get away from the enemy’s influence. The dead find themselves more and more resistant to following God. Instead, they become hardened, rebellious, and disobedient.

Ephesians 2:3 “among whom also 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.”

The influence of Satan’s kingdom is to have people focus on their lust and desires. As a result, they are developing an emotion of wrath and violence.

Ephesians 2:4-10 But God…

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the 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 in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Call upon Christ.

So, are you dead? Do you identify with the poor souls who cannot talk with God? Are you following the ways of the world and cannot stop seeking your lusts. Do you feel controlled by evil forces that are everywhere? There is a way out.  Call upon Christ to save you. Tell him you repent of your sins. Tell Him you will follow Him and begin to go to a passionate church. The most excellent words listed in the first ten verses of Ephesians chapter two are “He made alive., you once walked, But God., made us alive together with Christ, by grace, and ‘it is the gift of God.’

Allow the truth of Ephesians to brighten your lightnside as you become more and more alive in Christ.