A Marvelous Work Series

A Marvelous Work

Ephesians 4:7-16

Intro: During our vacation 2 weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit the Creation Museum in Northern KY, just outside of Cincinnati.

If you are not familiar with this facility, it is nearly 2 years old now and the brain child of Ken Hamm and the Answers in Genesis ministry.

As the name suggests, the theme of this museum experience is Creation Science, or what has been called intelligent design over recent years.

It is an interesting presentation that begins with a comparison between the theory of evolution and creation science and then moves on into an explanation of the Biblical account of creation.

And if we are to take the Scriptures as the Word of God, and accept them as true…then the creation story is truly an amazing miracle.

We are told that God created something out of nothing…a feat that has never been repeated and is thoroughly impossible for man.

Probably because we fall into this same creation story as Scripture teaches us that God took the dust of the earth and breathed the breath of life into the Hebrew word “adam”…the name of the first man, as well as the word that can be translated as “mankind”.

I’ll be honest I’m blown away and fascinated by the creation story, and seeing it illustrated was amazing…but I don’t think it is God’s greatest miracle.

You see the Creation Museum illustrated the creation story for us, and then showed us the corruption that also took place there in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit…and opened the door for the chaos of Babel and the catastrophe of the flood.

But the Scriptures didn’t end there…and that is where that greater miracle than creation comes in.

The door was opened in Eden for the Christ who would come to redeem mankind and pay the price of our sins on the cross and in Him we find forgiveness.

The greatest miracle I believe to be greater than even creation is the redemption of men and women, boys and girls, the “whosoever” of John 3:16 by grace through faith.

Did he say salvation is a greater miracle than creation?

Yes.

At creation God created something from nothing…but at salvation he changes the nature of man from sinner to saint.

He brings life into us though we were dead, and turns a goats into sheep.

I can’t help but believe that this is an incredible act that God performs in the life of the born again believer by His grace, and all it takes is a faith that leads to repentance.

And that faith and repentance should result in life change…a change from the inside out.

Transition: We began studying Ephesians 4 last week in a series I’m calling “Change from the Inside Out”.

Last week we mentioned that our salvation should result in our walk being different, we should be taking steps of faith that are defined by the work that God has done.

If you remember I said that God didn’t save us just so we can have fire insurance…He saved us to change us and to use us as agents of change in our community and our world.

It is truly a marvelous work that God performs…and that is what I want us to consider this morning.

Read Ephesians 4:7-16 and pray.

Salvation means a life that has been changed, and when we consider what kind of gift we truly receive from God…we should strive to live out that life change.

God truly does a Marvelous Work in our lives!

I want us to notice 3 keys to that marvelous work this morning and how it can and should change our lives.

First of all notice…

1. The Grace – Saved

Read vs. 7-9

Just curious, do we have any Charismatics here this morning?

I know…this is a Baptist church, and a First Baptist Church at that…of course not; right?

Wrong!

The Greek word for grace here is “Charis”…as in charismatic.

We often use that term to refer to our Pentecostal brethren…but the fact is we should all be Charismatic because it literally means “grace gifted”.

God offers us His grace, and it is by that grace we are saved.

Turn to Eph. 2:8-9.

I realize that these are verses that we all know, and many of us have memorized…but I feel that we need to revisit them this morning.

Also, listen to it in a couple of our modern translations:

In the God’s Word Translation it says, “God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it.”

And in the Contemporary English Version it reads, “You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.”