HIS WORKMANSHIP-II—Eph. 2:10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Attention:
Christians are the very workmanship of God Almighty in Christ Jesus!
Need:
Why are you here?; Who am I?; How do I find my way?
Most people seem to think Christians are a little wacky, right?
We will answer that statement/question with a resounding “Yes,” but also offer you great reasons as to why you may think them to be so wacky. And by removing your own ignorance may even be inclined to accept such seeming 'wackiness' as something to be embraced!
The apostle Paul related that the intent of Jesus’ sacrifice was to release man to affect God’s purposes.
Christians are & exemplify the purposeful workmanship of God.
How/Why are Christians identified with the purposeful workmanship of God?
This morning we found that Christian workmanship entails a hallmark...
1. BELONGING(:10a)His workmanship
2. AGENT(:10b)Created in Christ Jesus
Tonight we will examine 3 remaining hallmarks of Christian workmanship.
3—Christian workmanship entails a hallmark...
PRODUCT(:10c)
Explanation:(:10c)For good works
“...created...for good works,...”
People generally have false ideas of what is indeed “good”(Mat. 19:16-17, 18-26), not realizing such a determination derives from God alone.
Things that may be considered intrinsically ‘good’ in-&-of themselves:
Civic concerns
The arts
The sciences
The humanities
Business
Judges
Leaders
Legislature & legislators
Educators & the educated
Household concerns
Care Givers
Sports heroes
Military heroes & endeavors
All these things(& many more) have ‘good’ aspects to them, which entail some aspect of ‘sacrifice’ or hold potential for being “good.” However their actual “goodness” is attained only when God is given free reign in them. Then these “works” are transformed into “good works.”
Mat. 19:16-22—“Now behold, one came & said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father & your mother,’ &, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have & give to the poor, & you will have treasure in heaven; & come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Jesus is more than just a teacher or preacher of “good,” He Himself is “good”!
*If the “works” of Christians are expected to be ‘good’, then God will also see fit to equip His workers toward that fulfillment!
“For”—epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—a primary preposition; properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution [with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc..
“Good”—agayov—Adj.—1) Of good constitution or nature; 2) Useful, salutary; 3) Good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; 4) Excellent, distinguished; 5) Upright, honorable. Strong—a primary word; “Good”(in any sense, often as noun).
“Works”—ergon—1) Business, employment, that which any one is occupied—1a) That which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking; 2) Any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; 3) An act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasized in opposition to that which is less than work. Strong—from a primary(but obsolete) ergw(to work); Toil(as an effort or occupation); by implication--An act.
Argumentation:
Php. 2:12, 13—“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
Isa. 26:9, 12—“With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”.....“LORD, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us.”
**Heb. 13:20-21—“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever & ever. Amen.”
Eph. 3:14-21—“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
Rom. 12:1-2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
Mat. 22:37-40—“Jesus said to him,” ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind.’ “This is the first & great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments hang all the Law & the Prophets.”
**Mat. 7:12—“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law & the Prophets.”
**Lk. 6:31—“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
Illustration:
Any manufacturer’s ‘bread-&-butter’ product
Duke Power(local utility)/charged with the manufacture & distribution of electricity/Electricity is their product/It is seemingly ‘needed’ by everyone/Great strides in all the humanities have been made because of electricity/Duke Power is readily associated with a particular product—electricity!/PRODUCT
Coca-Cola bottling Co./That name is associated with one product in particular—Coca-Cola!/PRODUCT
‘Let others see Jesus in You.’—#294— B. B. McKinney 1924
While passing thro' this world of sin, And others your life shall view,
Be clean & pure without, within, Let others see Jesus in you.
Let others see Jesus in you, Let others see Jesus in you;
Keep telling the story, be faithful & true, Let others see Jesus in you.
Your life's a book before their eyes, They're reading it thro' & thro',
Say, does it point them to the skies, Do others see Jesus in you?
Let others see Jesus in you, Let others see Jesus in you;
Keep telling the story, be faithful & true, Let others see Jesus in you.
What joy 'twill be at set of sun, In mansions beyond the blue,
To find some souls that you have won; Let others see Jesus in you.
Let others see Jesus in you, Let others see Jesus in you;
Keep telling the story, be faithful & true, Let others see Jesus in you.
Then live for Christ both day & night, Be faithful, be brave, & true,
And lead the lost to life & light; Let others see Jesus in you.
Let others see Jesus in you, Let others see Jesus in you;
Keep telling the story, be faithful & true, Let others see Jesus in you.
Application:
?What is YOUR hallmark PRODUCT?
?YOU characterized as ‘Christian workmanship’?
4—A hallmark of Christian workmanship is its...
PREPARATION(:10d)
Explanation:(:10d)
“...which God prepared beforehand...”
These “works” are such because God had ordained them “beforehand”—even before the foundation of the world(Eph. 1:4). God’s plan in bringing about creation included His appointment of all mankind to “good works.” It was God’s intention that man should live out his days given to the “good works” of God.
In God’s ideal scheme of creation there is to be no instance of any man lacking God’s “good works.”
“Prepared Beforehand”—proetoimazw—1) To prepare before, to make ready beforehand. Strong—To fit up in advance(literally or figuratively). Used 2X. Here & Rom. 9:23
Rom. 9:23—“& that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand[proetoimazw] for glory,”
From—pro—a primary preposition; “Fore”, i.e. In front of, prior(figuratively--Superior) to—&—etoimazw—To prepare.
Argumentation:
Zech. 12:1—“The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, & forms the spirit of man within him:”
Mat. 13:34, 35—“All these things[parable of the sower] Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; & without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”—From Ps. 78:2
**Jn. 14:1-6—“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come again & receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, & the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, & how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Rom. 16:25-27—“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel & the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, & by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith--to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”
1Cor. 2:7-8—“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
**Eph. 3:8-12—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him.”
Col. 1:24-28—“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, & fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages & from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man & teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Rev. 13:8—“All who dwell on the earth will worship him[the Antichrist], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Rev. 17:8—“The beast that you saw was, & is not, & will ascend out of the bottomless pit & go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, & is not, & yet is.”
Rom. 9:14-23—“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, & I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, & that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, & whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor & another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath & to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, & that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,”
Mat. 25:31-34—“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, & all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, & He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”
**Eph. 1:3-6—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Illustration:
My Momma & Daddy(both from NC) first met during WWII at an airplane-jet assembly plant in Baltimore MD/They knew that they would need to ‘prepare’ for their family’s future/Daddy did not want my Momma or us boys(not born yet) to eke along/After the war, with the aid of the GI Bill, Daddy graduated from High Point College & later from UNC graduate school of dentistry/My Daddy became know to many as Dr. Clarendon Foy Sherman DDS(Dr. of Dental Surgery) & made a good living for us all/PREPARATION
Application:
?What is YOUR hallmark PREPARATION?
?YOU characterized as ‘Christian workmanship’?
5—Christian workmanship entails a hallmark...
LIFE(:10e)Walk
Explanation:(:10e)
“...that we should walk in them.”
Thus God has determined & made a way for the crown of His creation to “walk in them.”
However, God also leaves this “walk” to our free will in that man “should” “walk” in that particular manner, never forcing, yet expecting man to willingly & joyfully undertake His provisionary “walk.”
However, given that man is born in & willingly enters into sin, God also “beforehand” prepared a way to redeem & wrest those “good works” from men, even while they blindly grovel & are steeped in sin. God promised & provided rescue from such sinfulness(with its ‘bad works’). That provision was & is “Christ Jesus”!
Living from event to event to event is NOT an example of a hallmark “walk” in Christ Jesus. Such ‘event Christians’ live a roller-coaster life, up & down, in & out, etc. Whereas ‘surrendered/committed Christians’ live level lives. Jesus is the leveling agent for their lives!
Our “Walk”—
Gal. 5:16-25—“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, & you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, & the Spirit against the flesh; & these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, & the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions & desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Eph. 4:1-3—“...walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness & gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Eph. 4:17—“...you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,”
Eph. 5:2—“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Php. 3:15-4:1—“Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; & if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, & note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, & now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, & whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Therefore, my beloved & longed-for brethren, my joy & crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.”
Col. 1:9-12—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”
Col. 4:5—“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”
1Thess. 2:12—“that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom & glory.”
3Jn. 1:4—“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
“We should Walk”—peripatew—Aorist Active Subjunctive(possibility/potentiality)—1) To walk—1a) To make one's way, progress; to make due use of opportunities, 1b) Hebrew for, to live—1b1) To regulate one's life, 1b2) To conduct one's self, 1b3) To pass one's life. Strong—To tread all around, i.e. Walk at large(especially as proof of ability); figuratively--To live, deport oneself, follow(as a companion or votary).
“In”2X—en—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
Argumentation:
**Mat. 7:13-14—“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
**Mat. 16:24-25—“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross, & follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Jn. 11:9-10—“Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
We must walk in the ‘spiritual’ daylight, which is offered only in Jesus!
2Cor. 10:3-6—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Rom. 8:1-14—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin & death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life & peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
Rom. 6:4-14—“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Eph. 4:30-5:10—“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, & evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication & all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ & God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, & truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”
**1Jn. 1:5-7—“This is the message which we have heard from Him & declare to you, that God is light & in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, & walk in darkness, we lie & do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
A caution—It is possible to name the name of Jesus while all the while, walking in darkness.
1Jn. 2:4-6—“He who says, “I know Him,” & does not keep His commandments, is a liar, & the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
2Tim. 2:3-4—“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
1Pet. 4:12-13—“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”
Illustration:
Whether you walk with your head as high as the clouds or you walk doubled over in the dirt—is it because Christ has raised your head up &/or humbled your heart—OR—is it rather that you consider yourself better than everyone else—that you’re ‘All-that-&-a bag-o’-chips.’ OR maybe you’re—‘Oh woe is me,’ I’m not worth much ‘cause everybody is better than me &/or Everybody gets a break but me.
Application:
?What is the hallmark of YOUR LIFE?
?YOU characterized as ‘Christian workmanship’?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Christian workmanship entails a hallmark...
3. PRODUCT(:10c)For good works
4. PREPARATION(:10d)Prepared beforehand
5. LIFE(:10e)Walk
1. BELONGING(:10a)His workmanship
2. AGENT(:10b)Created in Christ Jesus
Pts. 3-5 Presented 11/08/2015pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
