Iliff and Saltillo UM Churches
September 21, 2003
“Thankfulness Should Move Us to Action”
Ephesians 2:8-10
INTRODUCTION: If you were found lying along the side of the road dead, WHY would you go to heaven?
You have probably heard people say about someone, “I know he will get to heaven because he was a “good person.” He helped his neighbor, always paid his bills, was good to his family, never was in trouble with the law, was a church member...
Someone once told me, “I think I’ll make it to heaven because I have put more good things into the scale than bad things and they should tip the scales on the side of going to heaven. Others say, “I’ve lived a good life--better than a lot of Christians so I think I will make it.”
All of these good traits are admirable, but what does the scripture say about getting to heaven? So then, “If you were found lying along the side of the road, dead, WHY would you go to heaven?”
Paul is talking to the Ephesians in chapter two and saying, “You were once dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live. You didn’t know any better. You used to live the way the world lived. That’s the way all of us lived and didn’t give it a second thought, but then something happened. God stepped in and offered us something better.” Let’s see what we can get out of today’s scripture concerning God’s purpose for our lives.
1. Salvation Not of Works: Paul states that becoming a Christian is not of our own doing even though we may try to win God’s favor and impress Him with our goodness and our good works. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” We are all in the same predicament. We could try our hardest to live up to a set of rules, try to be the best person possible and still fall short of doing enough. We might be able to do ENOUGH of some things and not ENOUGH of other things. And how do we know when we’ve done ENOUGH? That’s the difference between religion and Christianity. In religion we are always trying to do ENOUGH to win God’s favor.
Paul said, “You are not able to do that. You can never be good enough, or do enough. And because of our inability to achieve our own salvation, Paul points the way to God’s plan. He says, “for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves--it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”
What does the GRACE of God mean?
Grace is the unmerited or undeserved favor of God.
It means that God DOES give us what we DON’T deserve.
Most of us have a difficult time comprehending this idea because the world thinks differently. We probably do too.
Story: A little boy was late coming home from school every night. He was always late for supper and finally his parents said, “if you don’t get here on time this afternoon, you won’t get any supper.”
That day he got home later than ever. At supper he looked at his plate. There was a slice of bread and a glass of water and nothing else. He knew this was the consequences he deserved. It was his own fault. He looked at his father’s full plate--roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy.
His faith waited for the full impact to sink in and then he quietly took the boy’s plate and place it in front of himself. Then he took his own full plate and placed it in front of the boy. Then he smiled at his son.
The message got through. Years later his son said, “All my life I’ve known what God’s grace is like by what my father did for me that night.”
We would probably say, “I would have let him eat the bread and water. The father thought he could make a more lasting impact another way. God’s grace is like this to us. Grace is a matter of giving people something good that they DO NOT DESERVE. Paul is telling the people at Ephesus, “God gave that kind of grace to you.” He is telling them that God has supplied everything--even the faith they need to believe is the gift of God.
You might say what if God’s grace doesn’t work? What if people just keep on doing wrong? That is where God just keeps trying over and over until we get the message.
In scripture we often see the terms GRACE and MERCY packaged together. In this same chapter, verse 4, he says, “But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in MERCY made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by GRACE you have been saved.”
The difference between grace and mercy is this:
In grace, God DOES give us what we DON’T deserve
In mercy, God DOESN’T give us what we DO deserve.
Story: When a politician received the proofs of a portrait he was very angry at the photographer. He stormed back to the photographer and angrily shouted, “this picture does not do me justice!”
The photographer calmly replied, “Sir, with a face like yours, you don’t need justice; you need MERCY!”
2. God Does For Us What We Can’t Do For Ourselves: Our faith, our conversion, and our eternal salvation is not brought about by any natural abilities or merit of our own. Paul says, “it is not by works lest any [person] should boast.” God is glad to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves. Many people think that God is out to get them. Many people don’t want to “bother” God. All the time God takes great pains to work with us over a long time period because he is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). Let Him do His work in your life like he wants to do.
Story: During the revival in Ireland in 1853 a man who was 104 years old walked several miles to make a public profession of his faith at a confirmation held by the Protestant Bishop of Tuam.
He said, “I lived 103 years and 6 months in total darkness knowing nothing of the way to heaven.” The Bishop asked, “and now what is your hope?”
“My hope, sir, is in the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. Oh, to think that I have gone on 103 years not caring about my soul and then this blessed truth should burst upon me! How can I praise Him enough for His wondrous love toward such a poor, old sinner.”
3. His Purpose is for us to Be Productive: What is the value of good works then? Verse 10 Paul does not say, “forget about them.” He 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 might say, “Why bother to do good works if you don’t have to--if it is not necessary in order to get to heaven? If our salvation is based on faith in Jesus Christ, then what good are good works anyway? When we realize who we are in Christ and what all He has done for us through His grace and His mercy, we will have a totally different attitude. There is a song that says, “I’ve got a river of life flowing out from me.” When you know what Christ has done for you personally there will be a sense of thankfulness that moves you to action. What do you have to be thankful for? When we realize all we have in Christ it is more likely to flow out in good works. You don’t have to “cook it up.” You don’t have to “struggle” to manufacture enthusiasm--it’s there. You just WANT to do good works and to be a fruitful, productive Christian. Once he has made a change in our life, He has work for us to do. Ephesians 4:12 says, “to prepare God’s people for WORKS of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Colossians 1:10 says, “and we pray this that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way bearing fruit in every good work growing in the knowledge of God.”
Good works flow out of thankfulness for what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. What we couldn’t do for ourselves. We have been saved for a purpose. We have not been saved to SIT--we have been saved to be PRODUCTIVE and to bear much fruit. John 15:16 says, “...I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last.”
CONCLUSION: John Wesley’s standard of Christian living says, “A Methodist is one who has the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him; one who loves the Lord his God with his heart, mind, soul, and strength. He rejoices evermore, prays without ceasing, and in everything is full of love to all mankind, and is purified from envy, malice, wrath, and every unkind affection. His one desire and the one design of his life is not to do his own will, but to do the will of Him who sent him.
He keeps all of God’s commandments, from the least to the greatest. He follows not the customs of the world, for vice does not lose its nature through becoming fashionable. He fares not sumptuously every day. He cannot lay up treasures upon the earth, nor can he adorn himself with gold or costly apparel. He cannot speak evil of his neighbor any more than he can tell a lie. He cannot utter unkind or evil words, nor does corrupt communication ever come out of his mouth.
He does good unto all men--unto neighbors, strangers, friends, and enemies. These are the principles and practices of our sect. These are the marks of a true Methodist. By these alone do Methodists desire to be distinguished from other men.”
I would say this standard of Christian living applies to all Christians --not just Methodists.
Thankfulness for what Christ has done in our lives, should move us to action--to produce good deeds and fruit that will last.
Let us pray:
