You know what I am? A sucker. I am a sucker for punishment. I tell myself over and over again that I am going to stop watching these HGTV home transformation shows. I tell myself they are not good for me. I tell myself I can do something better with my time. Yet, they suck me in!.
These shows are the WORST. Each time I watch a magical home be turned into something breathtaking, my heart fills with jealousy and envy. I wished I lived in Texas where houses cost a penny. I wish I had that kind of yard and that kind of whitewashed brick. I want that cool sectional. Oh, if I had that office or that open concept floor plan. Or that. Or this. Or that. Oooooo, what if we had that?
Maybe you're like me in that way. You have a love-hate relationship with these shows. You hate them because they created something in you that you want; but you love them because the transformation is truly breathtaking. I recently watched one in which the team transformed someone's house in less than 24 hours. Unreal.
In almost every show, there is the before, the middle, and the after. This is part of the hook. They get the audience to see just how bad things are and what they can do to transform it. I think this is what keeps me watching. I hate the bad so much that I have to watch the whole thing to see the good.
I think this is what Paul was doing when he wrote Ephesians 2. He wanted his audience to see and recognize where they had come from. Just like him, he must have never forgotten his past and the things he did against Christ followers. He seems to be trying to bring up the reality of the bad. The broken part and not yet done parts. The parts that are under construction and messed up. He writes in Ephesians 2:
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind”.
Dead.
Following the course of this world.
Following the prince and power of the air.
Living by the passion and desire of the flesh.
Becoming a child of wrath.
If your life was HGTV, according to Paul, you're in shambles. You are a total fixer-upper and it’s demo day.
We are broken. We are torn down. The walls are not up. The new construction has not started. It's all nasty inside that house. There are cobwebs and mold growing. There is sin, brokenness, dirty walls, and stinky socks on the ground. There is no order or peace. It is chaotic. Everything is a mess. All is lost. Everything is in shambles.
This is our existence before Christ.
Before Christ, we are lost and destroyed.
Before Christ, we are like that house on the street that is abandoned and covered with blackberries and garbage.
Before Christ, darkness covers our eyes and hearts.
Before Christ. there is no light, love, peace, or hope. Just chaos.
Before Christ, the house is not in order.
Before Christ, there is an enemy and ruler of our souls that is trying to take us out.
This is our reality prior to knowing Christ. Scripture teaches this over and over again.
Dead in sin. The house lights are off. There is no power. There is no life. There is nothing good that happens before Christ.
I like how Paul says we are dead in our trespasses because it helps me remember the point of salvation. Dead people are what? DEAD. Dead people cannot wake themselves back up. They need help. They need a rescue. They need aid. They need someone else to carry them to safety and security. I cannot save myself. I cannot earn God's love. I cannot do enough good works or attend enough church meetings to earn God's grace and favor. I am dead in my sin. I need a savior. I need a healer. I need a builder.
Timothy Keller was a pastor and great contributor to the Christian faith. Prior to his passing, he wrote:
"You are more sinful than you could ever dare imagine and you are more loved and accepted than you could ever dare hope-at the same time."
I think that's it right there. You are more sinful than you could ever dare imagine.
To appreciate the rebuild, I have to first see the before.
See the mess.
See the brokenness. See the sin.
It's from there, the rebuild can start.
It's from there, I can keep watching to see how the transformation will begin.
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