Made For These Days
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Just a few weeks ago, I was driving in to work and I heard a new Jeremy Camp song entitled, “These Days”. Listen to these words.
I believe that you and I are in the right place, at the right time. God called us by name, and He doesn't make mistakes. I know we were born to shine bright in a dark world that needs some light. Don't have to be afraid. Maybe we were made for these days.
Maybe we were made for these days.
I believe Westside was made for these days.
These are challenging days. We see the world moving further away from God. Some churches are abandoning the truths of God’s Word. But challenging days bring great opportunities for churches that are faithful.
I want us to look at this passage and apply its truths to Westside. My prayer today is that each of us will make a decision to be a part of God’s great plan for this body of believers because Westside Was Made For These Days.
I. WE ARE GOD’S WORKMANSHIP
The word “workmanship” is only found twice in the New Testament, here and in Romans. This is going to surprise you. The same word that you and I use for “poem” or “story” is the word used here. God is saying, “I wrote a story. The WESTSIDE STORY. It is a tale of continual service, loving people, meeting needs, and sharing the good news of Christ with the world.
We are the characters in the WESTSIDE story. God wants to use us to accomplish His plan. Part of that story is about you.
II. CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS
The basis for that story is Jesus. We have to be IN Christ to accomplish the plan. Only believers can do the good works of God.
People who are not Christians can do good things but they cannot do the good works that God has planned for His church.
It’s interesting that Paul mentions “WORKS” in
Verse 9. There he is talking about trying to work so we can be saved. Here, he’s talking about the GOOD WORKS we do because we’ve been saved.
HOW MANY OF YOU WERE SAVED AT WESTSIDE. Only those who have a personal relationship with Jesus can do the good works of God.
III. FOR GOOD WORKS
We are saved to do good works. Were we saved to worship the Lord? Yes. Were we saved to to have fellowship with other Christians? Yes. Were we saved to live with the Lord forever in Heaven. Yes.
But we were also created in Christ Jesus to GO TO WORK FOR GOD. Our attitude should be, “I WORK FOR THE LORD. I HAVE A JOB TO PAY THE BILLS and provide for my family. But I work for the Lord.
IV. THAT GOD HAS PLANNED IN ADVANCE FOR US
Many theologians struggle with this idea, that God has already written the story. Why would we struggle with that truth? Every page of the Bible shows us that God has a plan. The WESTSIDE story is God’s PLAN
I have lived long enough to understand that there are NO COINCIDENCES with God. He always has a plan.
Let me give you 2 examples. Before I was born my mother dedicated me to the Lord. When I was a young child, she read Bible stories to me before I went to sleep. She applied biblical principles to everything she taught me. She prayed that one day I would become a minister. God used my mother to accomplish His plan for my life.
You choose a career. You get a job at a certain company. You choose to join Westside because you liked the music or the preaching. You build a friendship with someone at work, a person who is not a believer. You invite them to church and one day they give their life to the Lord. God had a plan.
Now, let’s review. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.
V. WHAT ABOUT WESTSIDE
Think about that small group of people who started WESTSIDE. They didn’t know 2 or 3 years earlier that God was going to use them to start this church. But He did. They were made for those days.
I thought about the pastors who have served these 75 years. They moved the church forward in different ways. They were made for those days.
I thought about the families who were here all those years. Some multiple generations. God used them in so many important ways. They were made for those days.
But NOW. What about Westside NOW? I have thought about this a great deal.
When I was on faculty at the Seminary, I taught a Church Growth class. We studied Trends of the Modern Day Church. The Life Cycle of most churches goes like this. Birth, Growth, Plateau, Decline, Stagnation, and in some cases Death. Between 3,000 and 4,000 churches close every year in America.
The downside of that cycle may not just be numbers. It may speak to the health of the church. In some cases, the attendance doesn’t drop significantly but the church declines spiritually.
In the book of Revelation, we are told that this church, the church at Ephesus lost its first love.
There can be many different factors in that decline. In some cases, the population of the area declines. Sometimes the community around the church changes. . That’s when many churches either stagnate or die.
Westside has faced those challenges and more. But Westside Is Still Here! Spiritually Strong. Reaching The Community For Christ.
You’ve done what very few churches have done. YOU EMBRACED CHANGE! You let God lead you to a New Vision, a New Model, New Ways of reaching people for Christ. I SAW A T-SHIRT last night that read, Westside - The Sinners Church.
When I look at the Westside Facebook page, I see you serving others in Bogalusa and beyond. That’s why it is evident to me that WESTSIDE WAS MADE FOR THESE DAYS! It has been so exciting for me to watch what God is doing here.
It makes me think about the church at Thessalonica. Listen to Paul’s words to that church.
“We always thank God for you, remembering your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope.” “You became an example to all the believers… For the Lord’s message rang out from you.” “Therefore we ourselves boast about you among God’s churches…
THAT’S THE WESTSIDE STORY!!!
CONCLUSION
So, Westside, hear my challenge to you.
From 1 Peter 4:10 – “Keep on using whatever gift you have received to serve others…”
From Galatians 5:13 – “Keep on serving one another humbly in love.”
From Romans 12:11 – “Keep on serving the Lord with enthusiasm.”
From Galatians 6:9 – “Keep on doing good for in due season you will reap a harvest if you don’t quit.”
From Hebrews 10:25 – “Keep on spurring one another on toward love and good deeds.”
From Psalm 96:3 – “Keep on declaring His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all people.”
KEEP ON WESTSIDE BECAUSE YOU WERE MADE FOR THESE DAYS!
Friend, do whatever you need to do to be a part of God’s great plan for this church. Give your life to Christ… Recommit your life to the Lord and to your church… Join this church and let God use you to fulfill His plan.
If you do that, we will watch God do even greater things in the days ahead. Westside, you were made for these days!!!
