God’s Masterpiece
Eph. 2:1-10
5-24-09
Intro
This morning I want to speak with you about God’s Masterpiece. You may be surprise what it is. We take our text from Ephesians 2:1-10. I am reading from the N.L. Translation.
Look at the amazing statement about you in verse 10, “...we are God’s masterpiece.” None of us would dare call ourselves “God’s Masterpiece” were it not clearly stated that way in the Bible. I don’t know about you, but there are plenty of times I don’t feel like I’m a masterpiece. There times when I feel more like a mess than a masterpiece. I look at my blunders and my mind tells me I’m not a masterpiece. So what are we to believe? “Let God be true and every man a liar.” God has declared in His word that you and I are His masterpiece. If my mind tells me otherwise, my mind is lying. God never lies. You are God’s masterpiece. Turn to your neighbor and tell him “You’re God’s masterpiece.”
The Greek word Paul used for masterpiece is poiema. We get our English word “poem” from it. A poem is something of symmetry and beauty. Poems are an expression of the author. The heart of the author is reflected in the poem. And God is expressing Himself through you as He does His work of art. You are a work of art.
In 1501 Michelangelo began working on his masterpiece named “David.” He began that work with a piece of marble so flawed that no one thought it could be used. Out of it he carved a masterpiece. The beauty of the statue is not because of the original marble but because of the enormous ability of the sculptor. You are a masterpiece not because of what you were but because of who God is and His ability to shape you into the image of Christ.
Following the pattern of our text, I want us to first look at what we were—our past, then what we are—our present, and finally, what we shall be—our future. If this doesn’t encourage you, nothing will.
I. Our Past is described in verses 1-3.
A. We were dead in sin.
1. Our condition was hopeless. What can a dead man do to help himself? Can he repent and change his ways? No, he is powerless to do anything. He certainly cannot resurrect himself.
In physical death, there has been a dramatic separation. The person’s spirit has been separated from his body. In spiritual death, separation is the issue as well. God is the life-giving source. In spiritual death, the person is separated from God.
2. In verse 3 Paul says, “By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger....” KJV says we were “...by nature the children of wrath....” We were born into the precarious condition. When confessing his sin before God in Ps 51:5, David said, “For I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (NLT). He’s not saying that the act of conception made him a sinner. He’s saying he inherited a sinful nature. Nobody has to teach a baby to be selfish. He does that with no training at all. Sin comes natural for everybody.
Rom 5:12 says, “...just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men....” It wasn’t just that we did some things wrong. Our sinful behavior was just a fruit of what we were. The very core of our being was corrupted through the Fall of Adam.
B. Notice in Eph. 2:3 Paul adds the words, “...just like everyone else.”
1. Everybody comes into this world a born sinner. There are no exceptions except Christ Himself. Everybody without Christ is dead in trespasses and sins. Some sinners are more sophisticated than others. Some sinners sin in ways that are more socially acceptable than others. But there is no one—absolutely no one on the face of this earth that does not need a Savior. There is no one who can save himself.
2. This revelation in our text stands in direct contradiction to the humanistic message of our society. The popular message is “You can do it; Yes we can.” The politically correct view of people is not to see them as sinners. The world does not want to think of themselves as “children of wrath.” They justify any expression of wickedness by simply saying the person was just born that way. Well, in a sense I agree. The homosexual was born with a propensity toward sin. The fornicator was born with a desire for sin. The liar was born with a tendency to conceal the truth. The thief was born with a covetous heart. In fact, the first part of verse 3 says this, “All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.” Just because a person has an inclination toward homosexuality, does not mean it’s not a sin. Just because a heterosexual wants to play around with multiple partners, does not mean it’s not sin. A thief can’t defend himself in court by simply saying, “I was born with a desire for things I didn’t work for.” Not all sinners have the same drive toward the same sin. The point Paul is making is this: sinners follow, give vent to, pursue the passionate desires and inclinations of their sinful nature. Sin has many ways of expressing itself.
3. Look again at verse 2, “You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world....” The Apostle John said, “...the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). If we are still just like the rest of the world, we should probably ask ourselves why? God’s people do not pursue the same things the world pursues. God’s people do not do the same things the world does—not because they have a set of rules they have to go by—but because their nature has changed. 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” What a contrast. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life: that pretty well sums up the world’s activity. All that stands in contrast to the will of the Father. We don’t live for the same things the world around us lives for—we live to do the will of the Father. And might I just add; we will never fit in with the world when we’re doing the will of the Father. Phil. 2:13 “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure...” Vs 15 “...that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world....”
C. So Paul has shown us ourselves before Christ. We were no better than anybody else. We were utterly unable to fix ourselves. We were nothing but a raw piece of discarded marble with no real potential in that state.
Now Paul turns to
II. Our Present condition.
A. In verse 4, we come to a pivotal point in the text. Here is the turning point.
Two words that change everything: “But God...”
We were trapped by the devil. We were deceived. We were by nature children of wrath. And here come two of the most beautiful words in the English language, “But God...” How many times have you been at the end of yourself? “But God...” How many times have you made a mess of things, “But God....” Imagine if the story ended at verse 3 with you and me subject to God’s anger, just like everybody else. What a horrible ending that would have been. “But God...”
B. Paul says 3 things about God in verses 4 & 5.
(1) God is rich in mercy. Mercy means: I don’t get what I deserve. I deserve punishment because of my rebellion against God. I deserve to be eternally excluded from the presence of my Maker because of my unwillingness to do His will. I deserve Hell as the Bible defines it. But God is merciful. That mercy is an awesome cause for praise and worship. The ongoing refrain in Ps 136 is “For His mercy endures forever.” You are saved and remain saved, “For His mercy endures forever.” You are destined for eternal glory, “For His mercy endures forever.” You are God’s Masterpiece, “For His mercy endures forever.” It wasn’t that you were special by nature. By nature you were a child of wrath. He saved you, not because of any goodness in you. He saved you because of His own mercy toward you.
(2) He loved you so much. Love does not have to have a reason. Love is reason enough in itself. It is the ultimate reason. You are God’s Masterpiece because He set His love on you. Listen to what God said to the nation of Israel when He brought them out of slavery. Deut 7:7-8 “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers....” In the same way, the Lord says to you and me, “You’re not my Masterpiece because of anything particularly worthy in you. You’re not My Masterpiece because you were especially good. You were, in fact, just like everybody else: a child of wrath. But (Jerm. 31:3) “...I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”
Notice in our text (vs 5) “that even though you were dead because of your sins.” “It wasn’t that you started trying to be good. It wasn’t that you repented that made Me love you. You couldn’t repent without Me working that in you.” Repentance itself is a gift from God. The beginning point wasn’t your faith—for that too is a gift from God. The beginning point of your salvation, says God, is that I set My love upon you. I called you by name. I said in my own council, “...you are Mine.”
(3) He gave us life (vs 5).
You were dead. What you needed was life—God’s life.
When did God give you His life? Experientially it happened when you were born again. But provisionally it happened when God raised Jesus from the dead. In verse 6 he explains that when he says, “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ....” That’s the wonderful truth being displayed at water baptism. We go down into the water in recognition that we were dead in trespasses and sin. We come up out of the water in recognition that we have been spiritually risen from the dead with Christ—joined with Him in resurrection life, even though our physical bodies have not yet been resurrected.
C. Here is the message we must not miss, stated plainly in verse 5. “It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved.”
1. That is a bedrock revelation that we must get. Otherwise we will be striving all our Christian lives to earn something God has already given us. Otherwise we will misinterpret the exhortations in the New Testament toward holiness. Beginning in chapter 4 of this letter, Paul is going to call these Christians to holy living. He’s not trying to get them to earn their salvation. He’s not even trying to get them to keep their salvation. He’s simply telling them to live in their salvation. You are a child of the king, live like it. You are no longer a child of wrath, so don’t behave like one. That’s the message of the second half of this book.
2. Has God called us to good works? Absolutely.
Verse 10 “For we are God’s Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Underline “so we can.” It’s a statement of purpose, a result or fruit of what God has done. The issue is not whether we should do good instead of evil. The issue is HOW that gets done. The good works are not the head but the tail. The head wags the tail—not other way around. The changes He makes in our hearts affect our behavior. The fruit of Spirit is not something we make happen. It’s produced by the Spirit through us.
3. When we’re firmly grounded in this revelation of grace, we don’t freak out at the call to holy living. We welcome the invitation to purity. Our spirit leaps at the opportunity. We know that the same grace that brought us into this great salvation is the grace that will complete our salvation. Phil 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Just to be clear, whose work is it? It’s the Master’s work. We cooperate with it; but He does the work; He makes the necessary changes. Too many Christians think salvation is just a second chance to get it right. We could be given a thousand second chances and we wouldn’t get it right. Salvation is not a second chance for us to impress God with our performance. Salvation is all about God’s performance on us! You are God’s masterpiece.
4. Let me tell you what happens in a Christian who is not established in salvation by grace. He hears the high calling to holiness in the Bible. And he says in his heart, “I can’t do that. I can’t pray like I should. I can’t think only pure thoughts. I can’t love God like I ought to.” It’s down right depressing because it’s all true. You can’t. But He can do it in you! You are “seated with Christ in heavenly places” (vs 6). Have a seat and let the Master do His work. When Jeanie cuts my hair she does all the work. I just sit there and when she tells me to turn my head this way, I cooperate. When she tells me to lift my head, I lift my head. I simply do what she says; and she does the rest. And when she’s finished, I’m Jeanie’s masterpiece. The corrections in the Bible are overwhelming if I think it’s all up to me. I have to know that God is the one actually getting all this accomplished.
5. Now let’s read again the two verses just before God calls us His masterpiece. Eph. 2:8-9 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” In heaven, every crown will be laid at Jesus feet. Nobody will be boasting about his faithfulness. Everybody will thoroughly understand how we got there. And all the glory will go to God.
This brings me to:
III. Our Future which is a glorious continuation of what we already are as sons of God.
A. But when Jesus returns, there will then be a full manifestation of who we are in Christ.
Rom 8:18-19 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Have you ever seen an art show where they have the statue or the painting covered until the artist is ready to reveal his work? He pulls off the tarp and everyone gasps at the beauty being displayed.
There’s coming a day when God is going to pull the veil off His Masterpiece. There in a glorified body—freed from even the slightest taint of sin—free from mortality—you will stand for the glory of God. When the artist unveils his masterpiece, nobody gives credit to the canvas for what they see. They know it was the artist’s ability that produced the beautiful result. Oh, imagine the glory of that day. Imagine your Heavenly Father with a big smile on His face pointing at you and saying, “Look what I made.” Can you imagine the joy of such a moment? “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). God is bringing many sons unto glory.
B. Now look at verse 7.
“So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace (everyone say incredible wealth of his grace) and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.” There is the theme of His masterpiece: grace.
“Grace, grace God’s grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, Grace God’s grace.
Grace that is greater than all my sin."
Instead of trying harder, why don’t we just celebrate His love toward us? Just thank Him for the work He is doing in you. Just rest in His all sufficiency. Nothing is more motivating than the message we have talked about here this morning. Nothing will move your heart to please God like knowing how committed He already is to you.
It is no secret what God can do
What He’s done for others
He’ll do for you
With arms wide open
He’ll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do.
Invitation
For FOOTNOTES/SOURCES go to www.GatewayNixa.org
TEXT: Eph 2:1-11 (New Living Translation)
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By or very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved- 6 For he raised us up from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are untied with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
For FOOTNOTES/SOURCES go to www.GatewayNixa.org
Richard Tow
Gateway Church
Nixa, Missouri
