What would you say is the greatest of God’s masterpieces? I suppose people would give many different answers to that question. Many would say that God’s greatest masterpiece is the sunset that paints the evening sky or the millions of stars that twinkle so beautifully each night. Others might point to the majestic mountain ranges or the mighty, rushing rivers. And some might say the flowers that bloom in the spring or the many amazing creatures that populate our planet.
All of those masterpieces are all impressive, but none of them are the greatest that God has created. Actually God’s greatest masterpieces have been twice-created. If you are a Christian you probably saw one of these works of art already today . . . that is, if you looked in a mirror. Yes, YOU are the greatest of God’s masterpieces. You "are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." No, you probably didn’t look very beautiful or handsome when you got out of bed this morning. But when you looked into your bathroom mirror you were looking at God’s greatest work.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
I. WE ARE GOD’S WORKMANSHIP.
It is God alone who makes Christians; no one can make himself or herself a Christian.
We are GOD’S masterpieces. Does the painting paint itself? Does the symphony compose itself? Does the poem write itself? No! Neither can we do anything that contributes to our salvation. It is God’s work. "SALVATION IS OF THE LORD" (Jonah 2:9).
Isaiah 64:8 proclaims, "O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand."
From Ephesians 2:8-9 we learn that . . .
1. SALVATION IS BY GRACE ALONE. It is a gift that cannot be earned; it can only be received. Salvation is a GIFT TO BE RECEIVED, not a GOAL TO BE ACHIEVED.
2. SALVATION IS THROUGH FAITH ALONE. Faith does not save; Christ alone saves. Faith is simply receiving the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The Greek word that has been translated "WORKMANSHIP" is used only twice in the entire New Testament, here in Ephesians and also in Romans 1:20. In that verse the word is translated "the things that are made."
Romans 1:20 speaks of the original creation "in the beginning." Ephesians 2:10 talks about a new creation. "If anyone is in Christ," says 2 Corinthians 5:17, "he is a NEW CREATION." We are new creations.
I said earlier that Christians are God’s greatest masterpieces. Here are a couple of reasons why I believe that statement is true.
A. God’s work on us is great because of what He had to work with.
To create means TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING. When God created this universe He made it all out of nothing. When God makes Christians, new creations, HE MAKES THEM OUT OF NOTHING. We are nothing apart from God’s grace. We were, as Ephesians 2:1 declares, "dead in trespasses and sins."
God takes SINNERS and turns them into SAINTS.
B. God’s work on us is great because of what it cost Him.
What did God’s original creation cost Him? Absolutely nothing. It didn’t cost Him any time because God doesn’t dwell in time. It didn’t cost Him any energy because God never tires.
But what about God’s new creations? Did they cost Him anything? Yes, the cost was steep. The cost was the blood of His own Son.
During World War II it was the custom in the United States for a family who had a son serving in the military to place a star in the front window of their home. But a gold star indicated that the son had died in support of his country’s cause.
One night a man was walking down a New York City street accompanied by his 5-year-old son. The little fellow wanted to know why some houses had a star in the window. The father explained that those families had a son fighting in the war. The child would clap his hands as he saw another star in the window and would cry out, "Look, Daddy, there’s another family who gave a son for his country."
At last they came to an empty lot, and a break in the row of houses. Through the gap a star could be seen shining brightly in the sky. The little lad caught his breath, "Oh, Daddy," he cried, "Look at the star in the window of heaven! God must have given His Son too" (Our Daily Bread).
Yes, there is a star in God’s window. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
When I said that we are God’s masterpieces, I didn’t mean that we are the kind that collect dust in museums. We are more like machines that a master mechanic has built. Machines are made to work. Christians are made to work.
II. WE ARE GOD’S WORKERS.
A. (1) Our good works prove the reality of our faith.
We are not saved BY good works, but we are saved FOR good works.
We do not work in order to be saved; we work because we are saved.
A person is not saved by works, but a saved person works.
Works are the CONSEQUENCES, not the CAUSES of salvation.
James, in his epistle, makes it very clear. He writes: "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? THUS ALSO FAITH BY ITSELF, IF IT DOES NOT HAVE WORKS, IS DEAD" (James 2:14-16).
James does not mean that we are saved by faith plus works. He means that REAL FAITH RESULTS IN A LIFE OF GOOD WORKS. The person that James talks about does not have genuine faith. He has an intellectual kind of faith—a faith that is dead and useless.
Jesus declared, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, BUT HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN" (Matthew 7:21).
James 1:22 tells us, "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Those who think they can be a Christian without doing anything for the Lord are deceiving themselves. It’s not possible. If you are saved, you will do good works. You won’t do good works TO be saved; you will do good works BECAUSE you are saved. Faith without works is dead.
B. (2) Our good works bring glory to God.
Some people do good works so that THEY might receive praise for themselves. So that people might say, "Wow, look at him!" That should never be our motivation for doing good works. Our ultimate purpose in life is to bring glory to God. That’s why God saved us—to bring glory to Him. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whatever you do, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD."
The psalmist declares, "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name" (Psalm 29:2). What’s the best way to do that? John 15:8 gives us the answer: Jesus said, "BY THIS MY FATHER IS GLORIFIED, that you bear much fruit. . . ."
Jesus proclaimed, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and GLORIFY YOUR FATHER in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). God isn’t glorified by LAZY Christians. He is glorified by ACTIVE Christians.
At the end of the creation account in Genesis 1 we read, "Then God saw every thing that He had made, and indeed it was very good" (v. 31).
I wonder what God says when He looks upon us, His new creations. Does He say, "They are very good"? Or does He say something else? I think we must often grieve His heart.
God says of us as He said of Israel, "This people have I formed for Myself; THEY SHALL DECLARE MY PRAISE" (Isaiah 43:21). God showered His amazing grace upon us; shouldn’t we bring more praise to His name?
C. (3) Our good works might have a tremendous impact on others.
Louis Pasteur, the pioneer of immunology, lived at a time when thousands of people died each year of rabies. Pasteur had worked for years on a vaccine. Just as he was about to begin experimenting on himself, a nine-year-old boy named Joseph Meister was bitten by a rabid dog. The boy’s mother begged Pasteur to experiment on her son. Pasteur injected Joseph for ten days—and the boy lived.
Decades later, of all the things Pasteur could have had etched on his tombstone, he asked for three words: JOSEPH MEISTER LIVED (Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching, 50).
You might be thinking, "I could never have a big impact on someone’s life. Who am I to do something so great?" There’s a song that says, LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT. God took a stick in the hand of Moses and parted the mighty Red Sea. God took a slingshot in the hand of a boy and killed a towering giant. God took a little boy’s lunch and fed thousands. What can God do with the little you have to offer Him? Little is much when God is in it!
Don’t think you’re doing little by teaching a Sunday school class or praying for your neighbors or visiting the sick and hurting. You might never see the effect you are having on others, but maybe there might be a life touched so deeply so that on your tombstone it will be written: my neighbor lived or that little girl in Sunday school lived—a precious soul was rescued from hell, in part, because of what you did.
D. (4) Working for God is an honor, not a bother.
When the famed English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, was directing the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, some of the workers were interviewed by a journalist who asked them, "What are you doing here?"
The first said, "I’m cutting stone from three shillings a day."
The second replied, "I’m putting ten hours a day in on this job."
The third replied, "I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren build the greatest cathedral in Great Britain for the glory of God" (Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes, 800). I think that last fellow had the right attitude!
When you think about serving the Lord, don’t think of it as something you should do but would rather not do. Don’t think of it as simply a duty or a chore. Instead, think of it as the honor it really is. If Queen Elizabeth asked you to perform some special task, you would feel honored. How, then, should you feel about being called to serve the King of kings and Lord of lords?
E. (5) Working for God is a command, not an option.
The streets were lined with crowds, cheering the marching soldiers about to leave for overseas. A recruit, who had watched the crowd for some time, asked, "Who are all those people cheering?" The veteran replied, "They are people who are not going" (Illustrations Unlimited, 500).
Too many Christians are sitting in the pews cheering on the few who are doing most of the work. We need less SPECTATORS and more SERVANTS.
F. (6) Certain good works have been planned for us by God.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, WHICH GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM."
God has a blueprint for your life. Before the creation of this world, God planned for you to do certain good works. The question is: Are you doing them?
G. (7) The time for work is today.
Jesus declared, "Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for THEY ARE ALREADY WHITE FOR HARVEST!" (John 4:35). Don’t think, "I’ll start serving the Lord tomorrow or next week or next month or next year." The time to begin is now; it is today.
"TO HIM WHO KNOWS TO DO GOOD AND DOES NOT DO IT, TO HIM IT IS SIN" (James 4:17).
H. (8) Refusal to work brings devastating consequences.
A minister was approached by a man who wanted to join the church. "But," the man said, "I have a very busy schedule. I can’t be called on for any service, such as cleaning, teaching, or singing in the choir. I just won’t be available for special projects or to help with setting up chairs or things like that. And I’m afraid I’ll never be able to help with any youth activities, as my evenings are all tied up."
The minister thought for a moment, then replied, "I believe you’re at the wrong church. The church you’re looking for is three blocks down the street, on the right."
The man followed the preacher’s directions and soon came to an abandoned, boarded up, closed church building (adapted from Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes, 800).
What if Noah had decided it was too much work to build the ark? There might be no life on this planet today.
What if Moses had refused to lead the Israelites out of Egypt? They might have never entered the promised land.
What if Paul had disobeyed God’s call to preach the gospel to the Gentiles? We might still be in darkness.
And what if you don’t do the work God has planned for you to do?
What will it mean for your church? What will it mean for your family? What will it mean for your neighbors? What will it mean for your life?
God once said, "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!" Is God saying those same sad words about you? Does He cry, "Oh, that he would listen to Me! Oh, that she would walk in My ways!"
CONCLUSION
General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was asked the secret of his amazing Christian life. Booth answered, "I told the Lord that he could have all there is of William Booth" (Illustrations Unlimited, 98).
Have you told that to God? Have you said, "Lord, you can have all there is of me"?
If not, this very moment God is whispering in your ear, "Please listen to Me. Walk in My ways. Do the works that I have planned for you."
You are God’s workmanship . . . so work!
Say to Him, "LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" (Acts 9:6).
Father, we thank You for recreating us. We thank You for devising a plan for our lives. Lord, I pray that each one here would have a desire to obey Your will and do those good works that You have prepared in advance for us to do. Empower us through Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
