Masterpieces
in the Working
Text: Ephesians 2:1-10
In English we have a saying … “masterpieces in the workings.” When we use this saying we are trying to say
that we are creating something very wonderful but it is not finished yet. We are still creating it. When we tell this to people we are asking
them to not judge our work because it is incomplete.
You might say that my sermon title sounds a little Konglish. Perhaps it would have been better said; “masterpiece
in there working.” The main point of
the verse that I have chosen to share with you is that God’s purpose for you as
a believer is to do good works.
Jn. 10:10. A thief comes to steal and kill and
destroy. But I came to give life-life
in all its fullness. NCV.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV
God has made us what we are. In
Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would do good works. God had planned in advance those good works
for us. He had planned for us to live
our lives doing them. NCV
No, we neither make nor save ourselves.
God does both the making and saving.
He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does,
the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be
doing. MESSAGE
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. NASB
For we are God’s masterpiece. He
has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he
planned for us long ago. NLB
From John 10:10, we understand that God’s plan and purpose for us who are
believers is a rich and full life. Well
what does that really mean? How can we
believers experience LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS!
Today you can go into the theatres and watch two movies where the
characters are experiencing god. They
are great stories. They are great
adventures with god. In Sinbad
we experience a great adventure as he fights against the god of chaos. It is exciting to watch the sailor Sinbad
and his young female adventurer work together to overcome all the difficulties
that the god of chaos can throw at them.
In Bruce Almighty, we laugh with a man who is given God’s powers
for a time and uses them to fix his own problems.
LIFE IN ALL ITS FULNESS MEANS YOU AND I EXPERIENCING GOD!
Masterpiece in there working
YOU ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE in there working .
The first thing we must
realize is that we are God’s masterpiece.
Have you ever done some work for a person? Perhaps for a friend or maybe for your
parents. You go away from your work
quite pleased with your accomplishment.
Not long afterwards you find that they have gone out and re-did the work
you did. How do you feel?
When we who are Christians are living our lives
doing all weeeee can to please God we are acting like the person who goes out
and re-does the work someone has done for them.
Weeeee tell God that his work was not good
enough!
Weeeee are thus trying to deserve God’s gift,
which he meant to freely give.
When weeeee do these things, I tell you the
Christian life is no joy-ride. We can’t
shout “weeeeee!”
This is all part of God’s design. God does not any one of us to claim bragging
rights. As it suggests in the “Message”
We don’t play the major role. If we did
we, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing!
Now God has us where he wants us… MESS.
God has made us what we are. 2:10a. NCV
The second thing we must realize is that we are
in Christ Jesus.
It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that
old stagnant life of sin. You let the
world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live.
2:1 MESS
The picture of a stagnant life is a pond of water
that is without a flowing stream. It is
dead water that is usually smelly and unpleasant.
We lived trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds
wanted. 2:3 NCV
But God gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace. And he raised us up with Christ and gave us
a seat with him in the heavens. He did
this so that for all future time he could show the very great riches of his
grace. He shows that grace by being
kind to us in Christ Jesus. 2:5,6,7. NCV
He HAS RAISED us up with Christ Jesus! His kindness is TO US IN Christ.
It is God’s bragging rights… And so God can always point to us as
examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown
in all he has done for us through Christ.
You are GOD’S masterpiece IN THERE WORKING!
No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to
join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do,
work we had better be doing. MESS.
Notice it says “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the
work he does.”
It does not say he creates a few us as missionaries and pastors to join him in
the work he does.
I am doing a study called Knowing and Experiencing
God. The whole point of the study
is that the abundant and full life that God intends for every believer will
only become ours as we enter into a relationship with God discovering how we as
individuals can join him in the work he is doing around us.
When I consider this I am reminded of when I was
a youngster. My parents had a
garden. They often wanted us, their
children, to work in the garden. One of
the things I remember best about it is that when we did it as a family project;
it was actually fun to go and work together in the garden. There were times
when we were sent into the garden to do the work by ourselves. In those times I often felt like I was doing
their work. I felt abandoned and alone
and I really did not enjoy the garden in these times.
Because of the promised Holy Spirit it is never
like that for us in God’s work. We are
always joining him. It is work that he
has gotten ready for us to do. This is
extremely relational.
I am also reminded of an Ann Landers letter. This woman was writing to thank her father
for the special memories she had with him.
In her memory she thanked her father who would when her brothers were
away would ask her to hold this, and get that, or would ask her to step on the
gas peddle while he was balancing the tires.
She was grateful because the relationship they developed together and
because of the confidence he helped her develop in the process.
We are to join Him in the work he does. It is part of our experiencing Him.
We also experience him in the fact that the work
he gives us is work he has planned for us.
Like the art instructor who gets all the things together so her students
can have the best art experience.
God has planned good work for each of us to
do. He has planned in advance.
… work we had better be doing. MESSAGE.
He had planned for us to live our lives doing
them. NCV.
… that we should walk in them. NASB.
Are you a believer?
THEN YOU ARE HIS MASTERPIECE
A COMPLETED WORKMANSHIP OF CHRIST.
A MASTERPIECE IN THERE WORKING.
IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD HELPING YOU
DISCOVER THE GOOD WORKS HE HAS PLANNED FOR YOU?
ARE YOU JUST VERY BUSY TRING TO PLEASE HIM IN
WAYS THAT HAVE YOU ACTUALLY REDOING THE WORK HE DID FOR YOU IN CHRIST?
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