God, we thank you so much for all that you are and for all that you do.
And Lord, we pray that as you have throughout time, that you would speak to us, your people, afresh.
God, many of us in these walls have heard the gospel and have heard your word preached so many times.
But Father, would you open up our hearts again?
God, would you speak to us and would you help it to bear good fruit?
God, there's no amount of human effort that can achieve this.
We're completely dependent on you.
And so Father, would you turn our eyes to you now and would you continue the good work that you began within us?
In Jesus' name, amen.
Well, please be seated.
This time last year, I was in Australia and I was at the Airlie Beach.
It's incredible.
I've never seen anything so stunning in my life.
I'm not an artist, but this was the greatest artwork I've ever seen.
I was just there at the beach.
It's complete, like piercing white sand.
The water is like shades of blue that as a Canadian, I've never seen.
Grew up on the West Coast.
The ocean there is just black.
You know, beautiful, but black.
Okay.
This is just these like light shades of blues and greens in the water that like billow out to like deeper blues.
And the sky, like I thought we all have the same sky, but it's just not the case.
I think the ozone layer is like maybe some, but yeah, I'm not a scientist, but it's just the blues and the radiation is just absolutely stunning.
Growing up here, I hear about palm trees.
Did you know there's different types of palm trees?
They have all of them.
Like it's just absolutely stunning.
And so I'm not much of a journalist either, or that's not the right word, someone who writes in a journal.
But I was there on the beach on the white sand.
I just had to write this down.
And I was writing something to the effect of like, God, you are the most incredible artist.
And this is your masterpiece.
That last line is the right quote for my journal.
This is your masterpiece.
And then I put my journal away and it opened up the Bible.
I was reading during July last year Ephesians.
And this is the text that I read.
And it's a text that Daniel Afton gave me to share with you today.
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing.
It is a gift of God, not a result of works that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
I looked at the bottom of the Bible I had with me.
And it literally says, workmanship can also be translated as masterpiece.
I literally had just written down like, this is your masterpiece.
It's so easy to see that with the mixture of colors and to see the absolute creativity and power and beyond human ability at art.
And then I look and Paul is saying about us, about you and me, that we are God's masterpiece.
That he's not in any way taking away from the beauty of the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen or art you've ever known.
But for all that and how stunning and breathtaking that is, that we, us human beings, his church is his masterpiece, his workmanship.
And some of you, when you hear that, you're just like, yeah, I am.
I know that.
Right?
You don't have any trouble believing that you are God's masterpiece.
And it can sometimes, for us, almost be like an arrogant sense of like, over-inflated self-worth.
But for many of us in the room, it's really hard to believe that we're his masterpiece.
Like, we might believe we're his creation.
Maybe we feel like he kind of, I don't know, didn't take too long when he's making that.
Just like, okay, let's move on.
But like, we are his masterpiece.
And so, for some of us, we're living life with these insecurities.
With others, we're living life with this arrogance.
And these words can mean, can kind of make us feel different things.
But when we can stop and see the beauty of these words through the power of the gospel,
it both humbles us from our arrogance, and it builds us up and frees us from our insecurity.
And it restores to us this humble, secure confidence that empowers us that we were made to have.
For by grace, Ephesians 2, verse 8,
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
Now, many of us, if you're a Protestant, you probably already know.
It's okay if you don't.
We're here to tell you.
Many of us know that we're saved through faith.
That it's not a result of our human effort.
Human beings, we like to feel like we, you know, can get our way to heaven
or get our way to freedom or success by our achievements and our work.
And yet, we know that we're saved not by the good things we've done,
but by what Jesus has done and that we receive it.
It's wholly dependent on him, and we receive it through faith.
I grew up being taught that.
But growing up, I had this deep-seated anxiety in me
that maybe my faith wasn't strong enough.
Jesus said we need the faith of a mustard seed,
but what if my faith wasn't even the size of a mustard seed?
I know I'm not the only one to have said the sinner's prayer multiple times.
As a child, I'd pray it, and then a little bit later, I'd be like,
did I pray it with enough earnestness?
Was that really faith or was that fear?
So I'd pray it again, just re-become a Christian.
And then a little bit later, I re-became a Christian.
I had this fear, not only maybe the prayer was real,
maybe my faith was strong, but what if my faith evaporated?
And there was a real deep-seated anxiety within me.
And yet, it wasn't until I came across this reality,
until I came across the Bible's teaching on grace,
that those fears and anxieties dropped away.
And for some of us, these words are going to remove fear.
For others of us, these words humble us.
For all of us, these words are life.
For by grace, you have been saved through faith.
Look up what grace means.
Some will say it means unmerited favor.
And that way, we often think of it as like the mercy of God,
his grace to us.
But it's actually a whole lot more robust than that.
Grace is this word that means this divine gift.
If you know the term charismatic or the charismatic gifts,
it refers to these divine gifts and power from God.
And the Bible speaks of a variety of these gifts from him.
But when the Bible speaks of his grace,
his greatest gift that he gives us is himself.
And we see that our faith in him,
the fact that you believe in Jesus,
that you believe he really is who he says he is.
Whether for some of us, that's really kind of developed from
looking at how science points to God,
or for some of us, really wrestle through
why we believe the scriptures,
and we see the logic in that for good reason.
Whether it's because for some of us, we love history,
and we've wrestled through the historical evidence
that points to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
The fact that we're able to even understand the evidence and the logic,
and we are convinced intellectually that Jesus is real.
The fact that we believe he is real,
is that that faith in him is a gift from God.
That it's not something we worked up,
or any power of our own intellect,
that we could believe reality.
And not only our belief intellectually that he's real,
but our trust in him,
our surrender to him,
our asking him for forgiveness,
our committing our lives to him,
all of that is a gift,
this divine gift,
this grace from God
that's not of our own doing.
An analogy that many others have used
is that we can think of
Jesus rescuing us from drowning.
And that the way that,
like, as a kid with those anxieties I had,
it was as if I saw my faith as,
I'm like,
out there in the ocean,
and I'm like,
treading,
I'm trying to keep my head above water,
and I can't,
and I'm like,
drowning,
and Jesus throws me,
like a,
whatever it's called,
those circular things,
that look like donuts,
but they're filled with air.
Yes.
A lifesaver.
Yeah.
So you're there,
you get one,
and it's like,
my faith is me reaching and grabbing hold of it,
and now I'm like,
towed back into the shore to life.
And if that's the case,
then yeah,
I didn't,
I didn't rescue myself,
but my grip really matters.
But that's not the image the Bible uses at all.
Rather,
the Bible uses the imagery of our being dead.
And so it's more like,
it's not that we're drowning,
we've drowned.
And it's not like we're like,
struggling to keep our head above the water.
We're at the bottom of the ocean dead.
And there is nothing that a dead person does
to contribute to their rescue.
They're dead.
But Jesus in his death,
and the Bible uses the language of him being submerged in the water,
like it uses,
regarding baptism,
and that we've been,
you know,
with him,
it's like Jesus has dove into the bottom of the ocean,
joined us in our death,
down there,
grabbed us,
and brought us out of the waters,
and breathed his life into us.
Now if you know much about science,
and I'll be honest,
I don't,
but if you know much about science,
you can't like,
breathe life into a dead thing,
right?
Someone's mostly dead,
like they say in the princess,
right?
You can,
you know,
maybe breathe life,
some CPR,
but when you're dead,
when you're gone,
you're really gone.
But that's the power,
and the divine grace of God,
that he has done the impossible,
in your,
and my life,
that he breathed his life,
into our dead,
empty lungs,
and we've come to believe in him,
that our faith,
is his,
is his action he took,
it's his initiative,
and it's sustained by him,
not only begun by him.
And so when we hear that,
on the one hand,
it is so,
not even on the one hand,
on all the hands,
just beautifully freeing,
that no longer do I have to live with this fear of,
what if I had,
what if I,
like my faith evaporates,
because he's the one,
that began that faith in me,
and the ballast tells us,
that he's the one,
that will see it through to the end.
And so we don't have to rely,
on our own grip,
of faith.
But it's also humbling,
because some of us,
can start to feel like,
that our faith,
and this stuff,
is a result of the work,
that we've done,
or how hard we've worked through,
those questions,
or whatever the case,
and then we come to this,
and we're humbled,
that it was actually,
God's,
God's un,
like the unmerited gift from God,
that we don't deserve it at all,
and it was completely his initiative,
it was completely his work,
that we have faith.
For by grace,
you have been saved through faith,
and this is not your own doing,
it is a gift of God.
I don't know,
if you're the kind of person,
that gets annoyed by repetition,
but see how much repetition there is.
For by grace,
you have been saved through faith,
and this is not your own doing,
it is a gift from God.
And we see grace,
and we see the beauty in it,
but like those,
in the original,
this is,
when it says grace,
it has,
it means like divine gift.
So,
so listen,
for by this divine gift,
you have been saved through faith,
and this is not your own doing,
it is a gift of God.
Paul is repeating himself,
and then he continues,
not a result of works,
he's just said that,
but not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship,
for we are this masterpiece,
that he has made.
So you see that Paul,
just kind of circling around,
and around,
coming at different angles,
it's a divine gift,
it's a,
not a result of your works,
it's a gift,
it's,
it's not anything that we've done.
Paul is trying to drive home for us,
because he knows that,
because God knows that,
every single one of us,
will struggle between,
will kind of oscillate between,
thinking arrogantly,
as if we have achieved our freedom,
and our success,
and our faith,
and also that we're really afraid,
and there's like a combination,
and within ourselves,
of arrogance,
and insecurity,
and they seem like they're opposites,
but they're actually so intricately,
contributing to each other,
and these words are freeing us,
from either,
as we see that our faith,
and our salvation,
our relationship with God,
are being able to be,
pure in his sight,
redeemed in his children,
is all because of his work,
and that's absolutely incredible.
As I was working through this,
this week,
I was,
I had the privilege,
at camp,
to sit down with a,
a brother in Christ,
and get to hear how they're doing,
and they were sharing how they just,
they were feeling really far from God,
and they were mentioning,
you know,
trying to figure out why,
and telling me some of the mistakes,
they'd made recently,
and all this stuff,
and I brought them back to this text,
and the analogy,
that kind of came to me there,
to share with him,
I'll share with you now,
has meant a lot to me this week,
I remembered a few years ago,
I was at church on Wednesday,
some of you are familiar,
with that ministry,
started by this church,
it's a church service,
in the middle of the university,
and there was a bunch of students,
who had come,
and a whole bunch of the students,
from the Laurentian Leadership Center,
it's a campus,
Trinity Western University,
and it's here in Ottawa,
it's this big house,
mansion,
a bunch of the students were coming,
and I just love these students,
I just love them,
but like I like them,
like they're so fun to be with,
and in December,
just before their exams,
they all got the stomach flu,
let's say all,
I'm not talking about like five,
there's like 18 of them,
and they're all like,
like violently throwing up,
I know it's in the morning,
but just got to be real,
they were violently throwing up,
and so,
I'm not much of a cook,
but I am the son of a Jewish mother,
so I went over there,
brought a bunch of like chicken soup,
a chicken,
and whatever I needed,
asked my mom,
and I put on this massive pot they had,
and made them like this,
this boiling pot of chicken soup,
and again,
not a scientist,
but I've heard pomegranate seeds,
are helpful for rebuilding your immune system,
and blueberries,
and whatever,
but the stuff my mom did for me as a kid,
okay,
not all the stuff,
just a bit of the stuff my mom did,
she did much more,
but I brought the stuff,
and I went there,
and I started going on to the rooms,
to give them chicken soup,
and pomegranates,
and blueberries,
and stuff,
by this point,
most of them had stopped throwing up,
so don't judge me,
I wasn't like giving them soup,
and then,
you know what I'm saying,
why am I telling you this,
we're just going to continue,
you're committed,
and so what was interesting,
is that going to this room,
and they looked awful,
and I'll be honest,
it didn't smell good either,
and I went in there,
and I just,
it was like so,
it was actually so like meaningful to me,
for me to get to be with them,
but some of them,
were just like,
no don't come in,
like don't come into my room,
and they literally,
one person like,
don't come into the room,
I look like a mess,
like I'd come to like,
join them in their mess,
to help them like,
to be with them,
and to help try to get them better,
right,
but they literally just wanted,
to get better themselves,
and they wanted to clean up,
and shower,
and get the stuff out of their hair,
and then be able to be with me,
fully clean,
and fully just shining,
but I'd come to be with them,
in fact,
a couple of them,
I wasn't going to give soup to,
because they were still throwing up,
and like,
had they let me,
I would have just as happily,
gone with them,
and like,
held back their hair,
while they threw up,
and just been with them,
in their midst of their grossness,
right,
and I realized,
as I was listening to my friends speak,
I saw myself reflected,
not,
not as,
not in that story,
like,
not as the one,
who's bringing the soup,
but how often,
in my relationship with God,
I'm like the one,
who's saying,
hey no don't come in,
I'm dirty,
when we have failed,
when we've sinned,
which we do more than we realize,
that we often,
when we're aware of it,
we kind of don't want God,
to come too close,
but we want to,
we want to be able to like,
clean up,
and do our stuff first,
and then,
when we feel like,
we're like,
we're back in the Bible,
or like,
we're back away from that behavior,
or away from that addiction,
then we feel like we can,
okay,
we can then really hold our head up,
and engage with God again,
but God has literally,
come into this earth,
come into our,
the world,
and our lives,
to,
to be with us,
in our vomit,
to be with us,
in our defilement,
it's not that like,
he wants to be with us,
despite our grossness,
he actually wants to be with us,
in light of our grossness,
he wants to be there with us,
even like,
he says,
I will never leave you,
nor forsake you,
and it's not like,
he's just in the other room,
while we're like,
doing our sin,
and then we come back to him,
he,
and this is almost,
this is,
in some ways,
it's like,
I don't know,
like,
a healthy,
disturbing thought,
that he's even with us,
in the midst of our sins,
that he's like,
in the midst of your most,
embarrassing,
or grotesque,
or whatever stuff,
that you have ever done,
or in the midst of doing,
or will do,
that he's there with us,
him,
the holy,
and pure,
and awesome,
greatest artist,
and most wonderful,
kind,
understanding,
compassionate,
that he's there with us,
and he's there,
not just to,
not just to be chilling with us,
but he's there to hold us,
in our brokenness,
and to bring us healing,
and freedom,
and so I pray,
that these words today,
would help us,
to allow us,
to open our hearts,
and our lives,
to God's presence,
in the midst of our brokenness,
in the midst of our sin,
in the midst of our,
our being wounded by others,
that we can let God in,
and it might be,
even more uncomfortable,
to realize that,
that God has said,
that we're his hands and feet,
and so if we're to let God in,
it means not only,
letting his spirit in,
but letting his hands and feet,
it means letting the church,
letting each other,
into our lives,
to be with us,
in our brokenness,
that we would stop,
trying to hide away,
the ugly parts of us,
or the broken parts of us,
or the insecure parts of us,
but that we would,
be honest with ourselves,
and with God,
it's,
it's not a matter,
of cleaning up,
so we can be with him,
but that he is with us,
and he'll clean us up,
because he loves us,
so profoundly much,
too much,
to leave us,
in our vomit,
or sickness,
for by grace,
you have been saved,
through faith,
and this is not your own doing,
it is a gift of God,
not a result of work,
so that no one may boast,
for we are his workmanship,
we are his masterpiece,
created in Christ Jesus,
for we are his masterpiece,
even as the world,
and our own flesh,
and the devil tempt us,
to try to live life,
like we're gods,
or goddesses,
so also the world,
ourselves,
or flesh,
and the devil,
are also teaching us,
another message all the time,
that we're just trash,
so they're trying to like,
pump us up,
so we're too inflated,
and trying to break us down,
so we're just hurt people,
hurting people,
and we see here,
that we're his masterpiece,
your understanding,
of yourself,
that your identity,
is going to affect,
the way you treat others,
relate to God,
the world,
and ourselves,
and you and I,
our default,
is to believe both,
that we are gods,
as well as that we're trash,
and I've seen with others,
and I've seen in my own life,
that when we think,
that we're trash,
it impacts,
the decisions we make,
it impacts who we date,
it impacts,
what we do with our time,
it impacts even our ability,
to say no to sin,
because trash,
is what trash does,
is how we think,
if I'm trash,
I'm just going to sell,
for being,
and doing,
and living in trash,
if we think,
that we're gods,
and goddesses,
we use people,
we abuse people,
we trample people,
both the arrogance,
and the insecurity,
lead us to,
to living life,
that's turned in,
and a life that's empty,
and a life that's so much less,
and we're made for,
but we see here,
that we're neither gods,
nor that we're trash,
but we see that we're,
God's masterpiece,
that you and I,
have been saved,
not only from sin,
but to life,
we've been saved,
not only from being,
slaves to sin,
but we've been saved,
to be sons,
and daughters of God,
I should rephrase it,
we're not just saved,
from being slaves to sin,
but we are,
saved,
and therefore,
sons,
and daughters of God,
that's who we are,
in that respect,
we're royalty,
and that understanding,
that we are royalty,
in submission to God's power,
that we are God's workmanship,
we're his masterpiece,
it leads us,
to treat others,
with respect,
and dignity,
it leads us,
to this respect,
and awe,
of the one,
who made us,
whose masterpiece,
we are,
and it leads us,
to a healthy self-respect,
that doesn't need,
to prove ourselves,
so much of what we do,
so much of what I do,
is trying to prove myself,
not just to God,
or to other people,
but even to myself,
I want to prove,
my worth,
I want to prove,
that I matter,
I want to,
and you'll see it,
I'll see it at least,
in reflecting the way,
that I play sports,
or games,
or anything,
that sense of my identity,
being on the line,
the sports,
it's less fun that way,
and more savage that way,
but,
I remember playing,
ping pong,
with one of my roommates,
and this guy,
is a fierce competitor,
he always wins,
and yet,
you also get the sense,
to which he's like,
rooting for you,
to do well,
like he's delighting,
in my,
when I actually,
rarely do get that great,
spin in or whatever,
like he's happy for me,
there's a sense,
to which he's competitive,
and he seeks to do his best,
but his identity,
isn't on the line,
he's not threatened,
by my success,
he can also,
he can seek to do his best,
while cheering for me,
I asked him,
I told him that,
I said all that to him,
I said,
how are you like this,
and he just said,
how he used to be so insecure,
and as a result,
everyone else's success,
was a threat to him,
but,
as he has allowed God,
into the broken places,
in his life,
and allowed God's grace,
to make him secure,
and confident,
he's been able to,
continue to seek,
to do his best,
but his identity,
is not on the line,
he's able to do his best,
while cheering for other success,
that's what I want for us,
more than that,
that's what God wants for us,
for us to be able to be,
that secure,
humble,
confident people,
listen,
it doesn't just say,
for you,
are his workmanship,
it says,
for we are his workmanship,
so not only,
do we need to hear,
that you are,
you yourself,
that me myself,
is his masterpiece,
his workmanship,
but you and I,
also need to hear,
that the person,
beside you,
is his masterpiece,
and for some of us,
it might be difficult,
and not just the person,
beside you,
but the person you have,
intentionally not sat beside,
because they just annoy you,
their singing is so loud,
you're just like,
I can't enter in,
if I'm on the same side,
so you're like,
sitting on the other side,
of this,
because you're just like,
oh,
that person,
is his masterpiece,
whoever it is,
that annoys you,
or bores you,
or whatever the case may be,
your colleague,
who just,
is your colleague,
is God's masterpiece,
we need to hear that,
and it's not enough,
for us to just try harder,
to like them,
or to see God's beauty,
in them,
because you and I,
just don't have the strength,
but I want to invite us,
rather these words,
challenge us,
to look to God,
and say God,
just as your,
just as my faith in you,
is a gift,
so I also need the gift,
of your love,
for others,
help me to love,
help me to not only love,
but like you,
to celebrate,
who you've made,
and it's,
I've seen God,
in surprising ways,
be able to answer that prayer,
and be able to,
help someone,
as self-centered as me,
be able to like,
and love,
and even like,
delight in,
these people,
who seem to me,
to be hard to love,
and to like,
and really like,
sometimes we can,
over spiritualize,
what it means to love someone,
but,
you can see,
not only here,
but,
throughout the scriptures,
in Colossians 3,
Paul uses this language,
that we're not only loved,
but that we're beloved,
that sense of beloved,
means that,
not only does God love us,
but like,
that he delights in us,
he,
there's not just,
I don't,
I hope it doesn't sound flaky,
but that he like,
celebrates who he's made in us,
that he likes us,
and if you and I,
and I want to be people,
who love,
what God loves,
and hates,
what God hates,
then it includes,
loving,
and even liking people,
that rub us the wrong way,
and you and I,
just don't have the strength,
to do that,
on our own,
we need,
God's Holy Spirit,
to bear that fruit in us,
and it's something for us,
to ask,
and to,
receive,
for we are his workmanship,
creating Christ Jesus,
listen,
for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them,
he's saying that we are his workmanship,
like,
that we're this,
we're the work of God's hands,
created for work,
sometimes,
I think that it's,
it's so easy for us,
to speak of the work of God,
as if it ends,
with our,
believing in him,
now that we believe in him,
we've received his forgiveness,
oh,
that's it,
but God has,
rescued us,
to join him,
in his work,
and what is his work,
the opening of the Christmas story,
the coming of Jesus,
into the earth,
in John 1 5,
the opening words say,
light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness,
has not overcome it,
at the work of Jesus's,
redemption,
his,
the gospel,
is one of light shining,
and darkness,
Jesus calls us,
to believe in him,
five times,
throughout the gospels,
Jesus says,
believe in me,
but more than 20 times,
he says to follow him,
that he has created us,
to join him,
in being light,
in the darkness,
at the very start,
of Jesus's ministry,
Jesus read,
over himself,
Isaiah 61,
this is his mission statement,
this ancient prophecy,
hundreds of years,
before he came,
which says,
that the spirit,
of the Lord God,
is upon me,
because he has anointed me,
to preach,
the good news,
to the poor,
to bind up,
the broken hearted,
to bring freedom,
to the captives,
freedom to the captives,
sure,
that includes,
victims,
of human trafficking,
victims,
of those who are,
for their faith,
imprisoned,
a variety,
of that type of people,
behind bars,
but,
but includes,
so much more,
than that,
some of the greatest,
prisons,
we ever find ourselves in,
is the prison,
of bitterness,
and unforgiveness,
is the prison,
of anger,
and betrayal,
and Jesus,
has come into the world,
he's broken into the world,
to save,
not only you and me,
but to the people,
on our street,
to save our family members,
and our colleagues,
from those prisons,
of bitterness,
and resentment,
and entitlement,
on large scale,
and small scale,
and he has saved us,
to join him,
in being rescuers,
recently,
I've been just kind of,
hit by Harriet Tubman,
she was,
a young woman,
who was saved from slavery,
200 years ago,
she was living in the,
in the deep American south,
I believe she was like,
13 at the time,
and this,
this rescuer came,
and led her,
and others,
on foot,
all the way up,
to Canada,
recently,
I've been doing,
a step challenge,
on my phone,
I get scene points,
for it,
this is not,
this sermon,
is not like,
sponsored by them,
but you can sign up too,
anyway,
I've been doing,
a step challenge,
I've been really proud,
of myself,
for just destroying,
the step challenge,
I'm killing it,
if I look at my step challenge,
on my best day,
like it is less,
than a quarter,
of what the steps,
that she was doing,
every single day,
all the way up,
from the south,
you know what I'm saying,
I don't know,
if I'm communicating,
but that's a very far,
place to come from,
the deep south,
to walk up to Canada,
she gets here,
and like all the other,
rescue slaves,
she has,
for the first time,
in her life,
freedom,
for the first time,
in her life,
the laws,
that protect people's,
worth,
and safety,
apply to her,
and all these slaves,
are trying to make,
their best run at it,
for life in Canada,
still coming up,
against all sorts,
of racism,
and stuff,
but still,
so much better,
than what they'd come from,
but Harriet,
the teenager,
was just like,
I can't stay here,
there's so many people,
back there,
and so she used,
her freedom,
turned around,
and walked,
back to the south,
and led,
as a teenager,
people back,
up all the way,
to Canada,
freedom,
and then,
and then she went back,
and the more,
that she did it,
the more,
the enemies,
hated her,
the more,
that the slave owners,
and so people,
they started having posters,
with her face on it,
and huge rewards,
and all this kind of stuff,
to try to find her,
and still,
she went back,
her life,
is to be a depiction,
of what the life,
of a Christian is,
I mean her sense of courage,
and selflessness,
came from her deep faith,
in Jesus,
but she's not to be some hero,
but rather a template,
for every one of us,
that we have been saved,
we've been made,
this masterpiece,
this workmanship for God,
and we were saved,
to be saved,
to be joining Jesus,
and being saviors,
in a sense,
you'll find sometimes,
if you join God,
in this work,
in small ways,
and in big ways,
that you might get people,
throwing at you,
that you're a,
that you got a hero complex,
but honestly,
for Christians,
there should be a sense,
to which our lives look,
like we have a hero complex,
because there should be,
not a workaholism,
but a selflessness,
to ourselves,
and that line,
is sometimes hard,
and I fail it,
but,
we were created,
to follow,
to join in,
to live life with,
the rescuer,
of all of humanity,
and the entire universe,
and so,
it's going to look,
so different,
for different ones of us,
but we're all called,
to that great work,
you,
listen,
you,
were made,
to make a difference,
you were saved,
to be a light,
in the darkness,
that isn't hype,
it's not an exaggeration,
that is your mission statement,
Isaiah 61,
1,
is your,
my mission statement,
as followers of Jesus,
but it's so important,
for us to see,
and it's so easy,
for us to fail,
and fall into,
doing those good works,
hoping,
that that will,
fulfill that sense,
of emptiness,
in us,
hoping,
that it might please God,
hoping that,
it somehow,
compensates,
for our failings,
the life of someone,
who is,
doing this,
out of the freedom,
that God has won for us,
and the life of someone,
who is doing it,
out of insecurity,
might look very similar,
even identical,
but the,
the inner health,
is so different,
and I find,
it's so easy,
for us,
to,
to fall into one,
and then go back,
and fall into one,
and yet,
he who the son,
sets free,
is free indeed,
for by grace,
you have been saved,
through faith,
and this is not your own doing,
it is a gift of God,
not a result of work,
so that no one,
may boast,
for we are his workmanship,
creating Christ Jesus,
for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them,
the same God,
that has saved us,
from being slaves to sin,
and children of darkness,
is the same God,
that can save you and me,
from falling into,
this works righteousness,
falling into trying to,
use our good works,
to prove something,
he who has saved us,
is saving us,
let us pray,
God,
thank you,
that you don't leave us,
to our own pettiness,
insecurities,
or arrogance,
but that you have joined us,
in the midst of our brokenness,
God,
thank you for your love for us,
that you not only love us,
but you like us,
you like us,
God,
thank you,
that we are your workmanship,
we're your masterpiece,
and that you are the one,
who began this good work in us,
and you are the one,
who will see it through the end,
and so,
Father,
I pray that,
you would once again,
set us free,
from our insecurities,
or our arrogance,
and God,
that you would lead each one of us,
not only in light of the gospel,
but through the power,
of the gospel,
through the power,
that raised Jesus from the dead,
through his victory,
that you would lead us,
in that humble,
confidence,
selfless life,
of courage,
and rescue,
as we join you,
as we not only join you,
but also let you in,
to the broken places,
in our lives,
for the sake,
of your name,
and your renown,
in your son's name,
we pray,
Amen.