Spiritual Zombies
A Halloween theme look at Ephesians 2:1–5
Halloween is normally a time for candy, dressing up, and traditionally for scary things. This is the time of the year in which movie companies release scary movies.
When I was younger, I used to watch a lot scary movies but now, I don’t like watching them… except for zombie movies, TV-Shows, and books.
I remember watching the 1990’s Night of the Living Dead when I was a teenager. And then the original 1968 version. I have watched most of The Walking Dead TV series and its spin-off Fear of The Walking Dead.
So I consider myself an expert, and if we ever have a Zombie situation around my town, I am ready for it. LOL
NOW, since I am an “expert” let me define what I think a Zombie is:
A Zombie is a person that is dead who is acting alive hungry for living things.
This idea of a ZOMBIE got me thinking about how spiritually we can be like a zombie, spiritually dead, acting alive, wanting to fill a hunger for life.
And it got me thinking about what the Apostle Paul wrote in the opening verses of his letter to the Ephesians, in chapter 2:
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:1–5 (NIV)
Now, when we take a look at the verses, 3 main ideas come to mind:
The First thing we learn is that:
1. Sin makes us spiritually dead
In verses 1–2, we read that our sin makes us spiritually dead
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 2:1–2 (NIV)
It is important for us to remember what is the background information the apostle Paul is talking about:
God created everything and gave it live. He sustains that life. He created us and invite us to be part of His plan. A plan for more life, a good life.
BUT we decided to make our own plans, to sin. We decide to separate ourselves from God, who gives and sustains life, and since our sin could not sustain life, we died.
Like zombies, we look alive, but we are dead in sin. Like Zombies, we develop a hunger to feel alive, so we start to consume things that we think will bring us life, but THEY DON’T SATISFY OUR HUNGER TO FEEL ALIVE.
Money doesn’t satisfy. Success doesn’t satisfy. Drugs, alcohol, sex don’t satisfy. Knowledge, Therapy, Relationships don’t satisfy.
SEE many people lie to themselves and try to convince themselves that they are alive. They create systems, programs, routines, religion to help them feel and act like they are alive. They try to earn a way back to life, but they can’t because life is only found in Jesus.
Trying to earn your way back to life is called: self-righteousness.
2. Self-righteousness makes us look alive.
Self-righteousness makes us feel alive, but do not give life.
Let’s read Ephesians 2:3:
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Ephesians 2:3 (NIV)
Notice the change in pronoun. The last to verses said “You” and now it says “us” and “we”.
The Apostle Paul, a man that followed the Jewish religion all his life, recognizes that when he followed religion, and not God, he was also dead and “by nature deserving of wrath.”
Self-righteousness is when we try to satisfy our cravings, our desires, our thoughts with the hope that it will bring us life. But it doesn’t.
The Pharisees thought that they were bringing life themselves and followers, but they were not.
In Matthew 23, Jesus confronts the Pharisees about their religious practices:
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Matthew 23:27–28 (NIV)
They were acting alive, but they were dead inside because of pride and self-righteousness. And we do the same, sometimes we rely so much in our rituals, routines, or religion to keep us alive and connected to God.
We spend so much energy trying to create life, prosperity, opportunities outside of God, that we end up tired, broke, and dead inside.
Now, there are Good news for you and me in this passage:
3. Jesus’ loving grace makes us alive
Let’s read verses 4–5:
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:4–5 (NIV)
Because of His great love, we can have life.
Because of His great love, God the Father sent His only son to take our place and suffer the dead that we deserved and Because of His great grace, now offers us life.
He offer us life, IF we put our faith in Jesus.
What does it mean to put our faith in Jesus?
It means that we give up our ways and we trust in His ways, even when we don’t know how that may look like.
We forgive, just because He forgave us, even when we don’t know if that person is sorry.
We welcome those who are rejected, just because the father welcomed us, even when we don’t know if they deserve it our not.
We give, just because the Father gave, even when we won’t receive something back from them.
We trust in the works of Jesus and we let the Holy Spirit give us life.
IF you are still trusting your sin or your own ways to bring you life, but you want to start trusting Jesus, I encourage you to reach out to a local church or send me a message and let me talk to you more about that.
