Let’s read through Eph 2:1-10.
You want to know how God sees you – verse 10 says, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
You are God’s workmanship (literally perfect workmanship). NLT: You are God’s masterpiece!
• I’ll use MASTERPIECE because that’s the word we are more familiar with.
• We are God’s MASTERPIECE, made in Christ Jesus to do what God created me to do.
Previously, this masterpiece is marred by sin. I was made good but then sin destroyed that.
According to God’s Word, apart from Christ, something was not right about us. Something was missing from our lives.
• I put it this way: Without Christ, there is something wrong with you.
Paul was very frank in Eph 2. He says there were at least 3 aspects that were wrong:
• (1) You are dead in your transgressions and sins – spiritually dead. (2) You have a sinful nature – you are sinner. (3) And you are the object of God’s wrath.
• That was verse 1 to 3. You WERE like that… BUT (in verse 4), he says God changed that.
This BUT was important. God showed up; and because He came, everything changes.
• “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive” – we did nothing; God started it all.
• He MADE US ALIVE with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions...
Previously dead but now made alive; the old was removed, the new came.
• God did a transformation when He removed sin from our life, through His Son Jesus. You are not restored, but BORN AGAIN into a new life.
• That’s our IDENTITY in Christ. Now, not just creation of God but children of God.
God did that because that was man’s problem. God has to do that because that was the only way to make us right.
• We were marred by sin and the effects of sin. We “follow the ways of this world and Satan”, Paul says in verse 2.
• BUT that was the past. God changed all of that through Christ.
Therefore our perspective of ourselves MUST change.
• Many suffer from low self-esteem today. They feel lousy about themselves – that they are not good enough, smart enough, fast enough, nice enough, capable enough, good-looking enough, and on and on and on.
• I think everyone battles with feelings of insecurity at one time or another, including myself.
In the early years of my ministry, I often felt like I am not measuring up, that I am not qualified, and that I am not good enough to teach.
• More so because I did not have any working experience; I made the decision to serve God full-time at the end of my NS, and then the next thing was my study at the seminary.
• Beside a short attachment during my Poly years, I have not worked in the marketplace. So no working experience, no knowledge in the marketplace, know little about the corporate world.
• That was how I felt. “You lack the working experience, you are young, and you are inadequate…” That was my handicap. I don’t feel good about myself.
Do you sometimes feel that way? That you don’t measure up, that you are not good enough?
• Let me tell you this – you are right! You will never be good enough. There will always be someone better than you.
• But why must you be good enough? The Bible says even “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” to God (Isaiah 64:6).
Let me rephrase this question again, why must you be good enough, when you are already good in Christ?!
• Our confidence is not in ourselves. Our confidence is in Christ.
• Paul says “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor 1:31). “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phil 4:13
So WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
• With Christ, you are God’s MASTERPIECE. You are cleansed by the blood of Christ to be holy and righteous.
• You are fashioned by God, in Christ Jesus. Let this truth sinks in for a moment.
• That’s how priceless you are to God.
I remembered Max Lucado shared this story:
Some pranks broke into a department store in the middle of the night. They were not there to steal, but just to have some fun. They swapped the price tags. The values were exchanged. The tag on a handbag costing $40 was swop with a dress costing $60. They prowled the store and switched price tags randomly. Almost everything in the store was repriced!
But the more amazing thing happened the next morning. The store opened as usual. Employees went to work. Customers began to shop. The place functioned as normal for four hours before anyone noticed what had happened.
Four hours! Some people got some great bargains. Others got cheated. For 4 solid hours no one noticed that the values had been swopped.
We live in a very confused world, and people do not always know the true value of things.
• Life is precious and yet we’ve seen people ending it prematurely, carelessly.
• We need to ponder and re-establish the real value of our lives in Christ.
• If you are in Christ, it doesn't matter how you feel about yourself. You are a MASTERPIECE of God. Tell yourself that right now.
• Never mind how the world sees you, or how the person sitting beside you sees you; YOU ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE.
And it is not a piece of art you hang on the wall for viewing. “Nice, nice, beautiful picture…”
• Or something you put in the museums; and people fly thousands of miles just to take a look at it (for that few minutes).
• But you are different.
You are a masterpiece created for the Master’s PURPOSE.
• You are not saved BY good works; you are saved FOR good works.
• You are fashioned to do the good things God has planned for you to do, right from the beginning.
• You are saved to make a difference and to bring glory to God in this world.
There is a bumper sticker that says, “God don't make no junk!” You have to believe this!
• You look at yourself and you find it hard to believe this, but you’ve got to.
• You are the masterpiece of God created for the Master's purpose and the Master wants you to believe this, because when you know who you are, you'll know what to do.
You are special. I like the way King David expresses it in Psalm 139:13-16
13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. 15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Even without the body – you are beautiful. The world goes for looks, but the Lord makes you beautiful, even without the fully formed look.
• Have you seen, like in Discovery Channel, a child in the womb? Scary right? Looks like some kind of an alien, right?
• “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)
You are special in Christ. You are fashioned by the Master for His purpose. As His masterpiece, you exist to bring glory to Him.
• In order words, in this continuum of time, God has decided that this slice of 70-80 years that I have on earth, will be used to do His good works and glorify Him.
• That I am to be born with my gifts, my personality, my make-up, and my ‘everything’ – to be placed in this generation - to serve His purpose and glorify His Name.
Don’t you think I am really important??
• Isn’t that beautiful, when you understand the purpose of your life?
• Look at this big picture of life – you exist not to accumulate more things in this tiny slice of eternity; you exist to bring glory to God.
Lastly, God uses everything in your life to bring about His purpose.
Rom 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
• He is the potter, you are the clay. He shapes you and forms you, into an instrument fit for His use, to serve His purposes.
Let me ask you a question, does ‘all things’ include the good things? Yes!
• Does ‘all things’ include the bad things? Yes!
• Does ‘all things’ include the things that you are thankful that happened? Yes!
• Does ‘all things’ include the things that you wished had never happened? Yes!
• Think about the things in your life right now that you wished had never happened.
Scripture says: And we know that in ALL THINGS God works together for good...
• For everybody? No. Got to be honest with you, He works in all things to bring about good to those who love Him and who have been called according to… HIS PURPOSE.
• You don’t have to be too worried. Unless you do not love Him, unless you are not willing to serve Him, then you can be rest assured; God is doing everything just right.
• Joseph in the OT will tell you, you can trust Him. He was betrayed by his brothers, sold as slave into Egypt, wrongly accused and thrown into prison, and forgotten by his friend. God wasn’t finished with him yet; He gave him the gift to interpret dreams, he was promoted to the second-in-charge over all Egypt, led the nation through a big famine, and saved his own family too. “God intended it for good.” (Gen 50:19)
• God took all of that and shaped me. I couldn't do what I'm doing today had God not taken me through that and prepared me for this. God used it for good.
If you are going through a tough time, understand this:
• If you are in Christ, if you love Him, if you are living for His purpose, He works in all things to bring about good. That’s how good God is!
• He is the Potter, we are the clay. Leave it to Him. He will surely make it right.
PRAYER: Lord, I pray for everyone here who are struggling with insecurity that this world has thrown upon us; help us recognize that in Christ Jesus we are new, we are a new creation with a new purpose, we are your masterpiece, created to bring glory to you. Lord, we will glorify you in all that we do. For those who are going through situations that they do not like, help us remember that you are our sovereign and good God. You are working in all things to bring about the good in our lives. We would step into your purpose and be fulfilled. We have confidence in you. Thank you, dear Lord; and this we pray in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
