Our sermon text from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians, Ephesians 2. We have one verse this morning. Ephesians 2.10 found on page 1147. Hear God's word from Ephesians chapter two. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Amen. You may be seated. The sermon title this morning. Is works. Of grace, works of grace or grace on display, part two. We want to talk about is how God, in some sense, has repurposed us. For good works. Amen. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in him. Let's pray. Lord, we want to ask for your help, for your grace, for your mercy to help in our time of need. And we pray, Lord, that you would use this word in us, that we would use it lawfully, that the goal of our instruction would be love from a pure heart, a sincere faith, and a clear conscience. And so we pray, Holy Spirit, that you would use this word, this living and active word, to expose the sin that is in our lives, the bad works, the dead works, that we would repent of them, and then that we would believe the gospel and believe that we are yours, and that we are your workmanship. And then let us walk in those good works that you prepared long ago, that we would walk in them for your honor, for your glory, so that your grace would be on display in your church, the people of God. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. This is an interesting passage because the way it rolls out in your Bible is a little bit different than the way it comes in the Greek. The first word is his, his. So we could say his workmanship, you are. And I think that's a good thing to be reminded that we are His. Amen? And we're His twice. If you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you're His first of all because everyone in the world is created by God. So everyone is owned by God by virtue of His creation of them. If you create something, you're the owner of that thing that you create. Amen? And so God created us, we rebelled, and we went away from Him, and we needed to be redeemed. We needed to be brought back, we needed to be reconciled, and God did that, sending His Son as a sacrifice for sin, condemning our sin in the flesh. He condemned His Son instead of us. but then raised him up again. And when he raised him up, he raised us up as well to new life and to justification. And so if you trust in that sacrifice of Jesus in your place, then you have salvation. Now, our problem is we think of salvation as a small thing, but salvation is huge. We look at it from our perspective. Or even sometimes we present it this way that somehow salvation in Christ is like a get out of hell free card. And that's to shrink it down to where it's not even anything like the truth of what salvation is. Salvation is huge. It's radical. It should change us from the inside out. and make us totally different people because we are saved. And so a saved person is completely different from an unsaved person. Amen. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ is a new creation, a totally new creation. This is radical. And yet we make it smaller than it really is. We try to make it easy. So people can believe and be saved, but then we lose something. And so our attempt to speak the truth becomes untrue because we've shrunk it down. And so the salvation is not what it really is, according to the word of God. And so in our word this morning, first of all it says, We are His or His we are. His we are. You ever think about that? That you are not your own. You are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. Amen? We are twice owned by God. Once by creation, second by recreation. Now our problem is this. We think we are our own. We do. That's a problem. Because we think we can do whatever we want, whenever we want, however we want. We're self-determinate. We think we're masters of our own life and future. But what's that? That's a lie. How able are you to continue your existence for one second? Not. God is the one who holds the whole universe together by a word of his power. If he were to take away his word of power a second, we would cease to be. If he took the next breath away from me, or the next heartbeat, I would cease to be. And so the Lord is in control. We are His. Do you not know? It says in 1 Corinthians 6, 19. In other words, we should know this or we might not know it because we show whether we know it or not by the way we live. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body. We're to glorify God in our body. We're to be obedient to his word. And so we, that's why we read the Ten Commandments, because this is God's standard of how we ought to live in the body. We ought not worship other things. as if they're God, or we ought not worship with graven images. Now, probably few of us go home and worship idols, but we do worship material things sometimes when we make them more important or more of a priority than we ought. But the scriptures are clear, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Or in the area of our sexuality, we all hear, you shall not commit adultery, but we seldom think to unpack what that means. It's God's plan for one man to have one woman as in marriage, and that it's not right for unmarried people to have sex. That's called fornication, but that's a subset of adultery. God says don't do it. Now if there's someone you love, then you make the commitment. You make the commitment that says, I will For example, I will be your husband, you'll be my wife. We're ready to receive children from the Lord because that's what the Lord uses for procreation. Now this is, of course, very politically incorrect, but that's too bad. This is what God says, amen? But we need to unpack it because you talk to people and they say, yeah, I believe in the Lord. And then they'll say, well, I'm living with my girlfriend or I'm living with my boyfriend. Well, God wants us to be obedient to his word. And he provides a way for us to be obedient. And he gives us time to get our lives in line to repent. But the question is, am I interested, am I desirous of being obedient? And am I willing to say, Lord, I've gone my own way, I've gone contrary to your word, please show me the way back. Now, we can be hard on those who are sleeping together, but what about thoughts? If I look at a woman with lust in my eyes, then in my heart, then I've committed adultery as well, Jesus says. And so we need to confess our sin and then pray for the Lord to provide repentance, to provide his spirit so that we can be obedient, amen? We are his, his we are. And that's the first point. The second point is this, we are his workmanship. Literally, his workmanship we are, or his doing we are, or his working we are. And this answers the whole question about faith and works, and whether works can save us. No, I can't earn my salvation. And we saw that last week, and I can bring it into the discussion because our verse begins with the word for. And so for means that we're part of, we are in an ongoing argument or ongoing discussion, and that ongoing discussion is about salvation. So if we can go back to verse eight, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one, no one should boast. And so if someone were to ask you, well, how do you know that you're saved. And how do you know that God will receive you in heaven? In other words, if someone were to ask the question, or if God were to ask the question, why should I let you into my heaven, what would you say? And I want to encourage you never to say, well, it's because I was a good person. Please don't say that. Please don't say that. Or it was because I tried to be good to people and help and do good works. Please don't say that. Not for my sake. Yeah, it reflects poorly on the preacher because we're trying to teach you that it's by grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one will boast. But in the end, it's not about me. It's about your standing before the Lord in his judgment. Your works are not good enough. Are your works pricked? Are they spotless? Are they without blemish? They're not, but I know someone whose works are. Amen? Our Lord Jesus, His works were perfect. He was like us in all things, yet without sin. And so He was the perfect Lamb of God who came into the world to take away our sin. my sin and your sin? And so the answer is not the works that I did. I'm not trusting in those, Lord God. I'm trusting in the works that your son, whom you sent into the world because there was no other way for me to be saved except by his blood poured out on the cross of Calvary. Amen? So salvation is by grace, not by works. We have nothing to boast about except about Him. He did it. He's the Savior. Amen? And we're His workmanship. Now, this further solidifies the argument that God's the one who saves us. It's his working, not our working, that we're focusing on. So we're continuing to focus on the work of God to save sinners. We are the result of his working and his doing, thus further establishing the argument, what argument? That salvation is entirely of God and not of us, amen? You ever think of that? We are his workmanship. We are his handiwork. You ever think that? I'm God's workmanship. I'm his handiwork, twice over. He's done his work of creation, and he's doing his work of recreation after the pattern of the Lord Jesus. You won't recognize yourself, because you will look like Jesus if you recognize Jesus. You'll recognize what you are becoming, amen? It does not yet appear what we shall be, but when he appears, we shall be like him. 1 John chapter 3, verses 1 through 3. What an awesome thing. And that should affect our identity. I'm not what I was, but I am His and His workmanship. Amen? And this fits right in with all the scriptures. This is who I am. His handiwork. And as one preacher used to say, and God don't make no junk. Amen? He's good. And he creates good things. And when he created the world, he said, it is good. After he created man, he said, it is very good. Now if only we could have kept in that state. We didn't. We fell. We sinned. We all fell in Adam. Sinned in Adam. But God didn't leave us there. He sent a Redeemer. The Lord Jesus Christ. And now we are being recreated after his image. And so our passage says that We are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before, and that we should walk in them. So we have a new purpose, a new purpose. So we can't just throw good works out. We're not trusting in them for salvation, but now we are walking in them because God predestined and prepared us to do them. Now, I said that we're repurposed. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works. What was our old purpose? Romans 3 tells us what our old purpose was, 3.10. And this is all of us were in this state coming into the world. There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good. No, not one. That's who we were. before we were in Christ. And so that's another reason why we can't trust in our works. We had none. We had no true good works in the sense of that would be pleasing to God. And I can go on. It gets worse. It says, their throat is an open tomb. Their tongues have practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. The way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now if you don't believe that this is the state of man without God, then let me give you a newspaper. Let me show you the evening news. And you will know that this is man without God. And it's sad because we try in our modern society to live life without God. And that's what secular society is. We've taken God out of the public sphere. And if anyone tries to bring God back in, they get in trouble. For example, in our schools, We're teaching our children how to live life, how to manage life without God. And if you try to bring God into the conversation, you get lots of cautions about that. Ask me how I know this. I've taught in the public schools and I know, and I've seen it. And so I need to encourage parents, as you have your children in the schools, Debrief with them. What happened in school today? How was God at work in your life? Because at school, they're not going to ask your children that. You need to ask them that. And you need to shepherd them through that school situation and show them that, yes, God is active in the school, whether they acknowledge it or not. And then how to live in a way that's pleasing to the Lord in a place where people don't believe. But really that's, we see that in the scriptures. How did Joseph live in Pharaoh's house and in the dungeon and in the world there where they didn't believe? Well, he trusted in God and God was with him. And we need to encourage our children to trust in God and to remind them that God is with them. Same thing with Daniel. Daniel in Babylon and then later Persia. They didn't believe in God, but Daniel did. And he kept serving God and following God faithfully and living by faith in a world that was faithless. We need to do the same thing. And that's part of what it means to be his workmanship and to walk in those works that God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them. And so the question I ask you this morning is, have you been born again? Have you become that new creation? Have you acknowledged that you're a sinner and that you can't save yourself? Have you believed in Christ's sacrifice alone to redeem you and to reconcile you with God? Have you confessed Christ as your Savior and Lord? Because the word says if we confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord. And believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved, Romans 10. And so I want to encourage you that if you have trusted in Christ, then God has done a miracle, a creative miracle in your heart and in your mind, in your body, in your will. Because our wills need to be changed from being self-focused to being God-focused. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen? So we are His. We are His workmanship. We have a new purpose. Our new purpose is good works. And we're predestined. to that purpose. God prepared beforehand, long before the world was made, that we would walk in good works. Isn't that awesome? This is bigger than you. This is bigger than me. And God wants us to walk just as Jesus walked. And God says, you can because I will put my spirit in you so that you can do it. That's huge. There's no other religion. There's no other religion that says God will come and dwell in you so that you will be able to walk in my ways. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Does anybody ever say hallelujah? Hallelujah. That's the gospel. That God can walk in us and through us. It's awesome. And so I ask you, do you know that Christ was sacrificed for you and that he took the eternal death that you deserved, but he also makes it so you can walk in new life and good works. Do you know that you are not your own but his? Do you know that you are his workmanship? Do you know that you are created in Christ Jesus for good works? Do you have good works as your purpose? What good works, dear brother, dear sister, will you do today? What good works will you do now? What good works will you do in his church? Take a look around you. Nothing is here by accident. As God's people, each one of us have been given gifts and abilities and talents and resources for the building up and service of the body of Christ, the church. All of us, all of us have been given gifts for the building up of the body. Are you handy? We can use your help. Are you good with children? We can use your help. Are you good at finances or budgeting? Some of us aren't so good with budgeting. But some of you are quick studies, you're awesome at it. Well, we can learn from you and we can use your help. Are you good in the kitchen? We can use your help. Can you sing or play an instrument? We can use your help. What should you do? Don't ask me. Well, you could ask me, but I'm going to ask the Lord with you. And that's what I would tell you. Ask the Lord. Lord Jesus, what would you have me do in your church? What would you have me do in my home? Anybody here know how to wash dishes? Or toilets? Or take out the trash? Those are good works. Now don't do it to say, okay, I did good works, I'm a wonderful person, but I did it because I love Jesus. Amen? What have you done lately just because you love Jesus? And that you didn't tell anyone. Only Jesus knows. Only Him who sees in secret will be able to reward you in secret. Wow. Because I tend to want everybody to know. Even when I try not to let people know, I'll let people know. And that's how deceitful our hearts can be sometimes. But try it. I love you, Lord Jesus, and I'm going to do this. And please help me not to tell a soul, but know that you know. Amen? Because what you do to the least of these brethren, you do to Jesus. you do to Jesus. And so husbands, do you treat your wife like you would treat Jesus? And wives, do you treat your husbands like you would treat Jesus? Oh boy. Lord have mercy on me too, and my wife too. We can laugh because we know it's hard sometimes, but we have his spirit. And we need to rely on the working of God's spirit to enable us to be like Jesus. And in your neighborhood, same thing. Do you know who your neighbors are? What is your goal? Are you trying to shine light in the neighborhood? eventually to introduce them to Jesus, right? Because we're called to be salt and light where we are. I think I've heard that preached before. I want to do better, too. Amen? So part of the reason why we gather here Fridays, we gather here to practice. We have a a outreach discipleship group. We go across the street and tell people about Jesus. That's open to the church. If you want to get practice in sharing your faith, 10 o'clock, Friday morning, if you're able to come, that would be awesome. If you're not able to come, if you think about it, pray for us. We need prayer. It's a spiritual battle. You know that. Amen? It's all about loving Jesus. The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart. And when you love someone, you want to do good things for that someone. Amen? You want to bless them. And so that's my prayer, that we would seek to bless the Lord and to bless one another with the works that we do. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Amen. Let's pray. Thank you, Lord God, for this so great salvation you have given us in Christ. And I pray, Lord, that our understanding of it and appreciation of it would grow and that we would see it as the huge thing that it is. Not a small thing that you would save us. It's a huge thing. How is God able to justify The ungodly to be just and the justifier of those faith in Christ Jesus. The only way was to send his only begotten son. To the cross. To take away our sin. And to raise them up again. It's a new life. And for Him to be ascended into heaven, far above every rule and authority, and then to send forth His Holy Spirit to come and dwell in our hearts. So thank you for this salvation, Lord. And thank you that we're yours, we're your workmanship, and that you have predestined prepared beforehand good works for us to walk in. Lord, I pray you would reveal those to us, that we would look for them, that you who began a good work in us will complete it to the great day of Christ Jesus, and that we would see that it is you who are at work in us to will and to work for your good pleasure and that we should work out our salvation. Fear and trembling. Thank you for these blessings and these words. I pray that we would have the fruit of them for your honor and your glory, that your grace would be on display in your glorious church. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Amen.