What a piece of Work is Man
Scripture Reading Ephesians 2:1-10
I Introduction:
"What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! --From Hamlet (II, ii, 115-117)
Shakespeare wrote this as a parody, mocking humanity. Yet unfortunately today many believe that man is exactly this. But the Bible says otherwise.
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
II Our reading today from Ephesians opened with a rather gruesome image in verse 1, the Greek literally states “and you being a corpse shrouded in your failures at righteousness and your offenses”
A We are corpses, we didn’t become corpses we arrive into this world stillborn, dead on arrival. The KJV adds “hath he quickened” but verse 5 shows that it is justified since he is writing to those who are saved.
B But without Christ you are a dead man walking.
1 We are all familiar with that term which is used to describe a man given the death penalty
2 but even here where we don’t have the death penalty we can look out into the yard and see a lot of dead men walking. Why? Because of their rejection of Christ.
3 Perhaps it applies to some right here in this chapel.
4 Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
5 Thankfully there is hope in Christ Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
6 Dead people cannot save themselves.
Illustration: If you watch TV you will occasionally see on medical programs a person’s heartbeat on a monitor go “flatline” no heartbeat. They are dead and the doctor places the defibrillator paddles on him in an attempt to revive him. He does it because the dead person cannot. Dead people can do nothing for themselves.
C Last week in an AA meeting we discussed if there was a difference from a “defect of character” (Step 6) and a “shortcoming” (Step 7), I gave two examples. My Truck has been recalled twice due to “defects” things not being what they should be so theoretically it is now free of defects. But it only gets 17 MPG and I would like it to get 25, that is a shortcoming. The second example came from Scripture.
1 Your transgressions or lapses in righteousness are “defects in character” they are a part of your old nature. When a defect is removed the problem should be resolved. Just as my truck couldn’t get rid of its defect on its own neither can we.
2 Your offenses or sins are an “erring of the mind from the rule of truth” (Jamieson, Fauset, Brown Commentary) an unsaved person has faulty thinking.
a Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
b I have an associate who is an atheist. He is a very moral person, far more than some believers. But he still has faulty thinking because of his lack of faith.
c Getting back to the example of my truck I can perhaps adjust the fuel/air mixture or clean the jets and while still working with the original equipment improve the fuel efficiency by finding something faulty in how it processes things. But still the truck isn’t going to do it on its own and neither can we.
D In verses 2 and 3 Paul describes how we were before our salvation. He states that:
1 You followed everyone else in this world and age.
a We follow all the latest trends.
i We buy $150.00 brand name athletic shoes and never use them for sports and as such the $30.00 ones are just as good, but aren’t cool.
ii New model cell phones come out almost every week, yet 99% of the time we use them for the same purpose as the old models to send or receive calls but still we have to have the newest ones.
iii And even though it is the “bling bling” that got a lot of you here in prison, you will still want what the world tells you is necessary.
b Christians are failing in this because we follow the morals of the world, well not quite.
i We think we are good because our standard of morality is slightly better than the world and if their standard goes down ours can to.
1 40 or 50 years ago Christians would never think of going to a movie house and then the movies at their worst would get a PG 13 rating today.
2 Now that the movie screens and the videos are full of filth we think as long as we don’t go into the “adults only” section its ok.
2 You followed the rulers of this lower atmosphere as opposed to the heavenly ruler
a That does not necessarily just mean political rulers.
b More people voted for the winner of last season’s “American Idol” then voted in the last presidential election. So who do you think really rules us, Washington or Hollywood?
3 You followed the spiritual ruler of the unsaved I Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” False religions and philosophies.
a “Further, why does he call the Devil "the prince" of the world? Because nearly the whole human race has surrendered itself to him and all are willingly and of deliberate choice his slaves. And to Christ, though He promises unnumbered blessings, not any one so much as gives any heed; whilst to the Devil, though promising nothing of the sort, but sending them on to hell, all yield themselves. His kingdom then is in this world, and he has, with few exceptions, more subjects and more obedient subjects than God, in consequence of our indolence.” (John Chrysostom Homily IV on Ephesians)
b He now works in the “sons of disobedience” as he once worked in us.
i our conversation—"our way of life" (#2Co 1:12 1Pe 1:18). This expression implies an outwardly more decorous course, than the open "walk" in gross sins on the part of the majority of Ephesians in times past, (Jamieson, Fauset, Brown Commentary). Not every sin appears ugly, some even look good, to society. Even when caught we minimize them, we call them “white collar crime” and people like that don’t go to prisons like this, they get tennis courts and swimming pools. More of a reward than a punishment. But it is still sin.
ii Others are obviously ugly and come from our lusts.
Illustration: Radio personality Paul Harvey tells the story of how an Eskimo kills a wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin.
"First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood.
"Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder the wolf licks the blade in the arctic night. So great becomes his craving for blood that the wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue, nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his OWN warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more--until the dawn finds him dead in the snow!"
It is a fearful thing that people can be "consumed by their own lusts." Only God’s grace keeps us from the wolf’s fate. (Chris T. Zwingelberg.)
iii We satisfied the body and the mind but not the spirit.
iv Children (or offspring) of wrath not by adoption but children by birth the phrase is “…a Semitic idiom which may mean either “people characterized by wrath” or “people destined for wrath.” (NET Bible) either way it is something we should be glad God has delivered us from.
E Verses 4 – 7 remind us, that as Christians, this is not our present state.
1 This is not our present state only because God is rich in mercy and love.
2 God delivered us from our dead state and gave us life.
3 By grace you are saved or “by grace you have been saved.” The perfect tense in Greek connotes both completed action (“you have been saved”) and continuing results (“you are saved”).” (NET Bible)
a In my church we have a saying. I have been saved (2000 years ago at the cross), I am saved (by God’s grace) and I am being saved (by being the new creation that I have become because of Christ).
b What have we been saved from? All the things mentioned in the first 3 verses.
c Too often we think of what we have been saved to, heaven and not what we were saved from and it isn’t just hell, it is also the ways of this world.
d It is only by His grace that we are saved.
4 We have been raised up from the dead and identify with Christ.
a Romans 6:4-6 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
b We have a place in heaven:
i Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
c We have a future blessing. Verse 2 spoke of the present age and verse 7 he speaks of future ages.
All that was introduction. Verses 8 – 10 is the area I wish to concentrate on.
III Salvation is by the grace of God alone.
A For by grace are ye saved through faith;
1 Paul repeats what he said parenthetically in verse 5 and adds that the vehicle of God chooses is faith.
2 Romans 3:30 “Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.”
a Notice the passive nature on our part in which we are justified implying that the faith to is not ours to claim.
3 Galatians 3:14 “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
a Just as the blessing of Abraham came to Israel by the accident of birth and not of their choice so through Christ the gentiles receive the promise of the Spirit not because of our faith but by means of faith.
B and that not of yourselves:
1 there are two major points of view regarding what the word “that” modifies.
a Faith – If that is the case then faith is what saves us then to a certain degree we can claim at least a portion of it for ourselves. As some have stated it is 99% God and 1% us.
i If not Biblically then philosophically or psychologically we want to claim that since we can refuse to believe we can accept to believe.
ii Our egos might be a first lifted as we see this word “faith” but to counter act that Paul reminds us that it is not of ourselves.
iii “For to rely on oneself for faith is no different in principle than to rely on oneself for works, and the one is as un-Christian and anti-Christian as the other.” (R. C. Sproul “The Pelagian Captivity of the Church”)
iv Our justification, our salvation is not based upon what we believe. It is based upon the one that the faith rests in, Jesus Christ.
b The entire preceding phrase – therefore the gift is “salvation”, “grace” and “faith” if it modifies this then there is nothing we can claim it is 100% God.
i Illustration: I never buy gift wrapping paper. When I give a gift I try to be thoughtful but also like to recycle things. I generally use photos from magazines that I think the recipient might like. I once gave a friend a gift wrapped in some spare blueprints for a project I was working on when I worked construction. My friend, an engineer, liked the wrapping paper as much as the present. When God gives us salvation it is carefully wrapped up in grace with faith as the bow on the top. And the entire package is His gift not just the contents.
ii “When charis (grace) is used with the meaning "favor," nothing at all is implied as to whether or not the favor is deserved…..But the word has abundant use in secular Greek in the sense of unmerited favor, and Paul seized on this meaning of the word to express a fundamental characteristic of Christianity. The basic passage is #Ro 11:5,6, where as a definition is given, "If it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace."” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). In Romans the implication then is that grace is not grace if it is dependant upon our works. This verse further supports this by stating it is not of works.
iii So based upon the content in this verse, grace is unmerited favor.
iv "Grace" in this sense is an attitude on God’s part that proceeds entirely from within Himself, and that is conditioned in no way by anything in the objects of His favor.” (ISBE)
1 Romans 4:4 “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”
2 A prayer commonly used by Orthodox Christians states in part “O Saviour, save me by thy grace, I pray Thee. For if Thou shouldst save me for my works, this would not be grace or a gift but rather a duty..” (Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ)
C it is the gift of God:
1 Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
a Wages are what we earn. If there is an error in your pay check and you were given less then you earned you file a grievance because you earned that wage.
b Gifts come freely. You do nothing to “earn” a gift.
Illustration: When I was a building inspector people sometimes tried to give me things for the holidays, I refused because I wanted them to know any decision I made or would make in the future on their project was solely based on the building codes and not due to any ‘gift’ they might give me. When God gives us his grace, it is based upon His word (his ‘codes’) and not on anything we do.
D Not of works,
1 By saying salvation is based upon God’s grace and calling his grace a gift He already is stating that it is not of works but Paul states this as emphasis for we who might think we have something to do with our salvation.
E lest any man should boast.
1 “He did not reject us as having works, but as abandoned of works He hath saved us by grace; so that no man henceforth may have whereof to boast. And then, lest when thou hearest that the whole work is accomplished not of works but by faith, thou shouldest become idle, observe how he continues,” (John Chrysostom, Homily IV)
F For we are his workmanship,
1 Can a fallen tree cut into lumber claim credit for the beautiful table that the craftsman creates? Obviously not.
a The table takes on more of the character of the workman then of the tree it was formed from.
b Not only is the craftsman’s skill obvious in the final product but so is his character (his attention to detail, his taste…) and the final product is a representation of the craftsman’s will for the raw materials he started with.
c As such we as His workmanship should demonstrate God’s character and his will for us.
2 Can the craftsman take advantage of the defects of in the tree? Yes, birdseye maple comes from a tree that has defects but the defects are often used to make very beautiful and valuable pieces of furniture, far more valuable then normal maple. But it takes a craftsman to discern that a fallen tree is birds eye and a craftsman to make it into a thing of beauty.
a I had some wooded acreage that had provided me many years of firewood. A few years ago I had a skilled person select cut it and he found two trees he called “atypical” when he took them to his broker we were give $1000 for each tree because the wood was only similar to birds eye. The first thing that came to my mind is how many trees had I cut for firewood that might be worth as much or more. I am not a craftsman I cannot see the beauty that the craftsman can.
b God alone can use our defects for His work.
3 God can use our defects. I was a drug addict, God has used that aspect of my past many times for His ministry. Without God though, my addiction would have assuredly led to an early grave.
G created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
1 Notice how Paul uses the work “created” not formed or made. Creation in the Bible implies that it came from nothing. And so it is that I claim nothing regarding my saved state.
H which God hath before ordained
1 God has a plan for our life and we need to be sensitive to his will regarding that plan.
2 I remember reading a book on determining the will of God and it stated that Hudson Taylor, a missionary that God used to convert many people in China, could have been equally in God’s will had he stayed at home an became a minister. Their premise was that God isn’t interested in specifics only that we serve. I disagree.
3 I Corinthians 12:4-6 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
a Some in this room may have the gift of teaching, others of evangelizing to name but of the many spiritual gifts. Some of you will be called to evangelize door to door, some on the radio, some in a revival tent, Some may see few converts some many. But perhaps those who see few converts will be the instrument that God uses to bring the next Billy Graham to salvation.
b Regardless of what you are called to do, God have a very specific niche that only you can fill.
4 Too often here in prison people feel that they are called to the ministry, few feel called to teaching, or helping but all are important.
Illustration: A while back I hit my thumb nail with a hammer (I got a little confused as to what nail to hit). Even though a finger nail is a seemingly unimportant part of the body that injury effected the whole body. The rest of the project I was working on was hindered. In the body of Christ there are no insignificant parts and if one is not working or malfunctions the whole body suffers.
I that we should walk in them.
1 Notice that it states that we should walk in them not must. God will not make us his puppets, even the saved person has a free will to do or not do God’s will.
2 To paraphrase Augustine of Hippo: The big difference in the free will of the unsaved to that of the saved is that the unsaved person has the freedom to sin while the saved person has the freedom to not sin, and that is the greater freedom.
IV What then is our response to Gods amazing Grace?
A Recognize the source of your salvation
1 Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
2 Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
B Remember that eternal gratitude begins today
1 Romans 1 :21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
2 Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
C Walk as God wants us to walk
1 Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
2 1 Peter 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
D Tell others about the gift.
1 Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
