Delta Church of Christ Family Night Bible Study

It’s time for de-zombification!

Opening Questions

So, what are zombies?

What do zombies have to do with the Bible?

In Ephesians, Paul writes to the church and says that without God, we are what?

So, what does it mean that we are spiritually dead?

Do you consider yourself a pretty good person? What is the view of yourself based on?

What are "big sins" to you? Little sins? Which category (big or little) do you think most of your sins fall under?

What about those who commit “little sins” and not the “big sins?”

Unpack the Text

Here's the tough part. And any sin, no matter how small it seems, has inserted a barrier between us and God. Once you have sinned (and don't know Jesus as your Savior), you are the walking dead. How does that feel? Fair? Unfair?

It goes all the way back to Genesis when God created the first two humans (Adam and Eve), and they ate some fruit:

Eating fruit is a sin? Why? What does this say about what we think are “little” sins?

When it comes down to it, what is the root of most (almost all) sin?

From the moment we “fake cry” as a child to get attention to the moment when we score the winning three point basket and take all of the glory for ourselves, PRIDE is the issue.

The Bible mentions pride frequently, with counts of words like "pride," "proud," and "haughty" exceeding 100 times across various translations. Pride is sin associated with arrogance, self-worship, and self-exaltation. Where is the pride in what Adam and Eve did in the Garden?

What did Adam and Eve become when they ate the fruit? (hint: name of our series) Why?
God wasn't happy…

Notice: eating the fruit was a sin. Murder is a sin. Lying is a sin. Stealing is a sin. Pride is a sin. Which sound big? Which sound small? Which do we need to worry about?

What was life like before eating the fruit? What about after?

Adam and Eve were the first spiritual zombies. And we're zombies too. Look at Ephesians 2:11-12:

How did you become de-zombified in the Old Testament?

How is this proof that God’s chosen people were not an exclusive people?

Paul explained here that we are like the Gentiles from the Old Testament (and New!). We were outsiders. We were the walking dead. Why?


Enough bad news! ZOMBIE ALERT: God created a cure for your zombie-ness.

Our study continues in the book of Ephesians. Have you ever heard of Philippi? Galatia? Corinth? Rome? Colossae? Thessalonica? Ephesus? Crete? Laodicea? What do these cities have in common?

Where is the New Testament book of “Laodiceasians?”

So, what do we know about the Apostle Paul and how his life began? What was Paul trying to do before he became a Believer in Christ?

Would you trust Paul after his past history? Why or why not?

Well, shortly after Jesus ascended back into heaven 2,000 years ago, Paul became a Christian and a missionary and started a bunch of churches. One of those churches was in Ephesus. We call him Apostle Paul because he was "one who was sent out" by Jesus to tell everyone about Him. Could you be called an "apostle?" Why or why not?

Many of Paul's letters were read in church (like a sermon) and then passed to another church and then read again. It is possible that the name on the New Testament book might be where the first reading took place.

One of those things Paul reminded ALL Believers was their former Zombie-ness. What does that mean?

Ok, he didn't say zombies. Zombies aren't real. But what he did say we can find in Ephesians 2:1-3. Let's look:

What was Paul's message to the Believers? About their past? How they used to live?

Why do you think Paul wanted to remind them of who they were?

There is another purpose we learned last week about why Paul reminded them of this and it is about the word "all." Do you remember what was Paul's other purpose?

Who thought they were the chosen people? Why do you think they thought they didn't have to worry about being a zombie?

Paul told them ALL, "You were dead!" The Ephesian people (and all people) were the living dead. So, basically zombies, right?

Why were they dead? Why were WE dead?

We rebelled against God's authority (even if we were a child), sinned against His laws, and sought to do things our own way, we were stuck in spiritual deadness, separated from our Creator. And... pride. Where does that leave us?

Let's keep reading the next verses in Ephesians:

You were a zombie... and then Paul uses my favorite word in the Bible... do you know what that word is? Why is that word such a big deal?

I like big “buts” and I cannot lie... and the Bible is full of big “buts.” Some are positive and some are negative. Moses had a big but. What was his big but?

What does this verse say to you? What does it say ABOUT you?

What does mercy mean? How does it apply to you? When a judge grants "mercy," what does it mean?

How does knowing how God views US make you feel? If you were to guess, how do you think God is going to solve the zombie problem?

This is an important and ongoing theme with Paul. Here is what he says to the church at Colossae:

Wait! How do we live after being dead? How did we avoid being zombies forever?

What happens to bring us out of our zombie state?

What do we know about our "nature?" Are we doomed to sin? Why?

Our "very nature" IS sinful. Is our de-zombification due to anything we can do on our own? Based on verse 5, how do you know the answer to this question?

Another important word: GRACE. What does grace mean? Why is it so important in our lives?

Now, we are talking zombies!!! So, from a zombie perspective, what is God going to do with us?

He “raised us up with Him!” We move from dead to be made alive! How?

We can be made alive because of Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection (which we believe actually happened) that God gives us new life. It is a “spiritual resurrection.”

There is nothing we could do about it. But God did something about it because He loves us. What did He do?

Again… does God do it or do you do it? Can you save yourself from your zombie life?

Someone is going to get the credit for the zombie removal effort. Who?

Paul answers:

Whose grace? Whose kindness? How much grace and kindness?

A commentator called this verse “God’s PR plan.” Why?

Why do you think Paul is makes a big deal about “how” this happens?
So… again, what about the credit? Who gets it?

Say you are on a basketball team. You score the winning three-point basket. Who will likely credit for the win? Why?

What happens if you score the winning basket but aren't the top scorer in the game? At the end of the game, who will get more credit after you make the winning three pointer?

What about in a football game when the kicker scores the field goal to win? Who is carried off the field in triumph?

If our faith was based on what we do or the number of rules we can follow, who will get the credit?

This is a faith based on works. What is the danger of this kind of faith?

If Christianity was a works-based faith, what would we do when we see someone else not doing as much to follow the rules as we are?

How important would it be in a works-based faith to be flashy about our faith (hitting the final three-point shot)?

Paul worried about these zombie three-pointers and final kicks. He says salvation is not a reward for what we have done:

Salvation isn't a reward for what? Three-pointers? Final kicks?

How much would we have to work to be saved in a works-based faith?

Let's ask it another way: which of the Ten Commandments have you broken in the last six months? When has pride crept into your life? Will you ever be able to follow EVERY rule God has established for us? Why or why not?

So… is a works-based faith even possible?

Our rebellion (pride, not following God) and sin had to be paid for somehow. It was a debt we could never pay by "good things we have done." That's why Paul clarified here that "salvation is not a reward for" good behavior or religiousness. Does that make you feel good? Bad? Why?

How big is the debt we owe? Why did God pay off this debt?

We are created in Christ for what? But wait... didn’t we say works don’t matter? How do we solve this?

It is my opinion that Paul focused on faith vs works because our humanness wants to believe we can “achieve” salvation. We know the Jews believed this. He continues:

Reminder: Who are the Gentiles? What were they called? (hint: verse 12)

How did the Gentiles used to live? What changed?

When we are united in Jesus, we are alive, not because we deserved it or earned it. We deserved to stay dead. But now? Zombies no more!

Paul was so excited about this. That's why he was filled with thankfulness and praise to God in the beginning of his letter back in Ephesians 1:

Paul continued saying God "chose us" and "adopted us into his own family through Jesus." But, the Jews still might have questioned God’s plan. Paul makes it clear that this was the plan from the beginning:

Did you hear how many times Paul said it was God's kindness and love for us that made us alive? We didn't deserve this kind of redemption because we were zombies "dead in our sins."

We were dead. If we are in Christ, we are alive. And not only alive, but adopted as sons and daughters. What does this mean to you?

Boldly and confidently. Because of what Jesus has done, we are God's masterpiece. He is the artist. We are His creation. And He has made us to display His glory to the world.

We were dead. Now we are alive. We are de-zombified!

How did the Jews (before Jesus) receive forgiveness for their sins? What did they have to do?

So, why did Jesus have to die? What was Jesus replacing? Who really should be "dead"?
How does Jesus change this for us?

And a big one: why don't we have to go to the Temple and sacrifice animals?

How did Jesus do it? When Jesus came, He fulfilled the Jewish laws perfectly. He tore down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles with His blood shed on the cross.

We were dead. Now we are alive if we accept Jesus as the only Savior and Lord! Everyone is invited into God's family if they believe in Jesus' death and resurrection, no matter what bad things they have done.

De-Zombification Instructions:

1. Believe in our heart
2. Repent
3. Confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord.
4. Follow Jesus in baptism.

What does this mean to you?

If you want to make that decision, talk to someone! Don't keep it to yourself!

Your Story

What were you like before you became a Christian?

What areas of sin in your life have made you dead and separated from God?

Recognizing your condition before knowing God (zombie!), how can you use that knowledge to reach other zombies?

How have the sins of others hurt you and broken the world?

Why was your position hopeless before becoming a Christian?

When did you receive the gift of new life?

How would you describe God’s grace to you?

Why hasn’t anyone deserved God’s grace, mercy, or riches?

Apply it to Your Life

With whom can you share the news of God’s mercy? How?

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, what good work for the kingdom of God can you do this week

How can you say thank you to God this week for what He has done for you?

What do you need to do differently to live for the praise of God’s glory this week?

In the days ahead, how can you share with other people those blessings God has given you?