Morning everyone. Most people make an absolute hames of it on the first try, so fair play to you.
So, not too bad. So some of you know me. My name is Dan O'Stayes and I'm from the Middleton Baptist
Church. I always love coming to Carragoline. It's always a privilege to come here. The first thing
I hear when I come inside the door is the sound of children running around. And any church where
you hear the sound of children running around, that's a healthy church. And I think we all pray
that the next generation, not just here in Carragoline but in Middleton and all the other
churches where the truth is faithfully proclaimed, would rise, that we would see these children grow
and embrace the Lord, call out to him just like we did. So that's a fervent prayer for all of us.
I'm especially glad to be here this morning because the first thing that was pointed out to me was I
wasn't going to have to get up on that stage and to preach to you this morning. I'm happy standing
behind here. And I'm not just happy to be here because it means I have an excuse to stop in Gloria
Jeans and Douglas on the way home. But I've probably been thinking about that more than is spiritually
acceptable for a man who's been charged with preaching the word to you this morning. But being
a parent of a three and a half year old and a 15 month old, I was up at four o'clock this morning,
so I will be stopping at Gloria Jeans. So in the words of Luther, here I stand, I can do no other.
So let's pray this morning before we go to the word. Heavenly Father, thank you for this fellowship
of believers here in Carragalline who love one another. Thank you for the love and the sharing
of your faith that is so evident when I visit this place, Lord. And again, Lord, thank you especially
for the children of this church. May this church, just like my own and every church that proclaims your
name, Lord. May we never be places where we view children as an inconvenience or as an extra, but
may we view them as you view them, as precious and made in your holy image. With them, Lord, with
everybody else in this church, may we edify and encourage one another today. And as I dare to teach
from your word this morning, Lord, I pray that your spirit would be at work. May not my words be spoken,
but may your words be lifted up and imprinted in the minds of your people. So calm our thoughts,
still our minds, and blot out any distractions that we bring in this morning, Lord. And help us
just to focus on who you are, the God of grace, the God of love, and the God of mercy. In Jesus' name,
Amen. If you'd like to turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2,
I'm going to look at a familiar portion of scripture this morning. Ephesians chapter 2,
starting at verse 1 and going to verse 10. So Ephesians 2 verses 1 to 10.
The apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus,
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world,
and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature,
and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
But because of his great love for us, God, who was rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ,
even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up
with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming
ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves.
It is the gift of God, not by work so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Amen.
One of the greatest advocates for the Christian faith that this island has ever produced is a man by the
name of C.S. Lewis. Many of you know that name. Many of you perhaps read some of his books. His series,
The Chronicles of Narnia, is still one of the all-time selling series of all time. His most famous
non-fiction book, Mere Christianity, remains a must-read book for anybody who wants to be able to answer
objections that the world has to Christianity. If you haven't read it, I strongly recommend you go and read it.
C.S. Lewis was a professor in Oxford, and one day he became involved in a discussion about religion.
And the discussion turned to what made the Christian faith so unique compared to the religions of the
world. Well, the incarnation of Jesus was suggested, but then other religions have different versions of
their own gods that have appeared in human form, so that's not it. And likewise, the resurrection of
Jesus was put forward. But this too was rejected because other religions have circumstances of
resurrection at their heart. So what exactly is it that makes Christianity unique? What is it that
you can point to in Christianity that says, that captures Christianity, that's what the basis of it is?
Finally, C.S. Lewis piped up. Gentlemen, he said, there were no ladies present, sorry ladies,
I'm just quoting verbatim. He said, gentlemen, the answer is a simple one. Grace. Grace.
Grace. Undeserved favor. God's merciful love. This, Lewis said, is what makes Christianity so unique.
And I think he's right, because you see, every other religion, I use that word just loosely,
religion on the planet, requires you to make some kind of an effort to get yourself right with God.
You hear things like this. Go to mass every Sunday. Fast during Ramadan. Keep your kitchen kosher.
Pray the rosary once a day. If you're my grandfather, it was more like 100 times a day.
Go to confession. Don't take communion if you sin that day. And just try harder. And maybe you'll earn
your way to heaven. Those are some of the things the religions of the world say you have to do.
In other words, it's all about you. You have to roll up your sleeves, put your shoulder to the wheel,
make every effort to get yourself right with God. Because if you work hard enough, then maybe,
just maybe, God will accept you. You have the power and the capacity, religion tells you, to please God.
But what does the Bible say? When the Bible talks about grace, what does it mean?
A part of our text today, it's one of the most famous quotations in all of the Bible.
It is by grace you have been saved. But saved from what? Saved for what?
Why is it that grace makes us right in God's eyes? Why does it have to be grace? What does grace look like?
Well, this morning, we're going to cover some old ground because it's fairly foundational,
but we're going to try and find the answers to these questions, and maybe others that we have about
our salvation. So I've entitled today's sermon, God's grace for God's glory. And the text before us
tells us that your salvation and my salvation is entirely independent of any work that we do.
It's entirely separate from your deeds or my deeds. It's entirely a work of God for his purposes
and for his glory. If you want to take notes, if you're that kind of person like I am,
surprise I'm not taking notes right now as I'm talking, but anyway, if you want to take notes,
we'll be having a look at three different things in this text. The first one is the problem,
the problem of man's condition. The second one is the prescription, the prescription of Christ's
sacrifice. And thirdly, we'll be looking lastly at the purpose, the purpose of God's grace. So the
problem, the prescription, and the purpose. I'll explain each of those as we go along, but for now,
let's just dive into the text and let's see what the word of God has to teach us. So verses one and
two. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you
followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at
work in those who are disobedient. So we know already from chapter one, right, that Paul is writing to
the local church in Ephesus, to people who are believers in Jesus Christ. So what does he have to
say? What's relevant to them is relevant to us. Well, this is the first point in today's sermon,
the problem of man's condition. He starts off with a fairly startling, alarming kind of statement.
You were dead. It's fairly strong stuff, isn't it? You see, growing up, my family business was a
funeral home. So I've seen my fair share of death. Death isn't something that you generally think of
as something positive. It's not something you, it's not a word you use or an image you invoke
to describe anything positive. No matter what culture you're from or what language you speak,
I think we all react to death in the same way. Well, that's what Paul says the readers of this
letter were like. Dead. He doesn't mean that literally. He's using an image or an analogy
because he says they were dead in their transgressions and sins.
Have you ever heard anyone say that people are basically good? I think I hear that all the time.
There's this idea that when push comes to shove, humans generally will do the right thing because
humans are programmed to think righteousness is a virtue. And I think I know what people mean
when they say that. I think you know what they mean when they say that. Because people are capable
of good things. I've seen the kindness of strangers just as you have. I've seen people perform acts of
love and charity. But it doesn't seem to gel with what Paul is writing here. What he says here,
he's not so much commenting on the actions of a person. He's commenting on the nature of mankind.
So when he says you were dead, he's talking to the Christian about his state of being before he
became a Christian. You were in the past tense. It sounds a bit harsh, doesn't it? Paul doesn't just
say you were sinful. He doesn't just kind of leave it there. It's an interesting word, sin. In both
Hebrew and Greek, and I promise this is the only time I'm going to mention Hebrew or Greek today, so
we'll just get it out of the way now. But in both Hebrew and Greek, literally sin means to miss the mark,
like to aim at something and to miss the target. I looked this up. Apparently there's 1,189 chapters
in the Bible. And out of all of those, four of them don't mention sin. Genesis 1 and 2 and Revelation
21 and 22. The very beginning of history and the very end of history. The creation of the universe
and the final reign of Jesus Christ over the universe. In other words, the history of man is defined by
this thing that we call sin. So when Paul says you were dead in sin, he's saying that before you
became a believer, you were in such a condition of missing the mark. I was in such a condition of
missing the mark. It was completely impossible for me to hit the target. And the target, as is made clear
all throughout the Bible, is being justified before God. Is being viewed in God's eyes as righteous,
as worthy to live with him forever. Let me just give you a few other verses. Feel free to jot them
down if you want. Kind of proves the same point. Romans 3, 23. All have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God. Psalm 14, 3. All have turned aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one
who does good, not even one. Isaiah 53, 6. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone
to his own way. And perhaps most tellingly, the words of Jesus himself, Mark 10, 18. Why do you call me good?
No one is good except God and God alone. Now don't get me wrong and don't get Paul wrong. Humans can do
great things. Humans can build hospitals. They can shelter homeless people. They can feed the hungry,
cure diseases. But friends, none of that makes us right in God's eyes. Because a holy God sees our
condition for what it really is. Sinners. Nothing that we do is good enough to shake off
that shackle of sin that chains us forever. Paul continues this argument in verse 2. He says
that's how we used to live when we followed, as he says, the ways of this world and of the ruler of
the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work, and those who are disobedient. So Paul is doing
a bit of theological mining here. So he's cracked through the surface at verse 1, and now he's drilling
down into the stream. He's identified the reason why the unconverted sinner is, as he says, dead in sin.
The reason is this. Man by nature follows the ways of this world. And if it's ruler, Satan, we know who
that is. We already know the world system is satanic, don't we? 1 John 2 says this. Love not the world,
neither of the things that are in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life are not from the Father. They're from the world. Jesus himself
called Satan in John 12, 31, the ruler of this world. And he rebuked the religious leaders of the
day for serving their father, Satan. And Paul himself, he called Satan the god of this age,
or the god of this world. And in 2 Corinthians 4, 4, he went so far as to say this, that Satan has
blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory
of Christ. In verse 3, Paul includes himself here. He, a zealously religious Jew, a Hebrew of the Hebrew,
Pharisee of the Pharisees, descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the eighth day
in accordance with the law of Moses, was blind to the glory of God and his salvation because of the
cravings of his flesh. He lived to gratify the cravings of his flesh. Even as one of the most
religious people described in the Bible, he was dead in sin. And just look at the last words of verse 3.
Like all unbelievers, Paul admits this. He was by nature an object of wrath. You see, that's the
problem of man's condition, friends. There's nothing here that says man is basically good. There's nothing
here that says, well, man just kind of needs some gentle corrective action and he's kind of capable
of getting himself back in the right track. You just need to encourage man to live a life that's
holier or more righteous. There's no exhortation to live a better life or maybe to look like you're
living a better life. In other words, there's nothing here that suggests you can in any way make
yourself acceptable to God. Do you think it? Do you think that there's anything you can do? Or do I think
there's anything I can do to make Dan from Middleton acceptable in God's eyes? Do I think that if I just
try harder, if I make that bit of an extra effort every day to stop swearing or to stop losing my temper or
stop whatever it is that I'm particularly good at sinning at, do you think if I just work as hard as I can,
I'll get right with God? I've got news for me and I've got news for you. It'll never work.
No matter how hard you try, no matter how hard I try to clean up my act, if I, in my state of
unconvertedness, that's a word, isn't it Ralph? We'll go with that, unconvertedness. In that state of being an
unconverted sinner, I will never measure up to God's standard of righteousness.
James 2.10 says, if you break one part of God's law, you're guilty. It's like saying to a cop who pulls you
over, look, I know I was speeding officer, but I haven't been drinking. I didn't knock anyone down. And I stopped at
every red light on the way here. Well, guess what? You still sped. You still broke the law. You're guilty.
That's us, friend. If we break one part of the law, we're guilty. Paul Washer, who's an American
preacher, some of you might be familiar with him, he does walk-up evangelism to people on the street.
And he likes to start off by saying this, do you know what the biggest problem in the Bible is?
His answer shocks people. He says, the biggest problem in the Bible is that God is good.
That's the biggest problem in the Bible. Because the second biggest problem in the Bible is that you are not.
So how do we reconcile these two things? We have a perfect, holy, good, righteous God with a sinner
who is dead in transgression and sin and incapable of measuring up to God's standard.
See, when God's standard, friends, God's standard for righteousness is perfection because he, by definition,
is a perfect God. When sin entered the world with the fall of man in Genesis 3, that standard was made
impossible to reach by the best efforts of you and me. And not just that, but in verse 3, because of
man's innateful sinness, we deserve punishment. I read an article in the paper this week about a man who
received a suspended sentence for molesting two children. He abused two little girls and he'll
never see the inside of a prison. Maybe you're as incredulous as me and you think that the man's
character or his life, such as it is, or his age, that don't matter and they should just lock him up
and punish him, he should be held accountable for his crime. And you know what? That's exactly God's
state of mind. If you break the law, no matter the extraneous circumstances of your character,
of your deeds, of your seemingly external goodness, God cannot tolerate the breaking of his law
because God is holy, perfect, and sinless. And because of mankind's condition, mankind deserves
punishment or wrath. I'm not as posh as Alex. I say wrath, not wrath, but that's just me. Not as refined
as some people are. We're powerless to do anything, to escape this wrath. We deserve this wrath, this
punishment from God. I'll stop saying wrath now, Alex, I promise. So that's the first problem,
our first point, the problem of man's condition. Look at verse 4. What's the first word? What is it?
First word in verse 4? But, there is, just like we saw in Titus 3 earlier, it's the most joy-inducing,
jubilation-causing word in the entire story of God's plan for redeeming men and women. But, you see,
dead men cannot bring themselves back to life. Lazarus, dead for four days, didn't just suddenly
decide to bring himself back to life and hop wrapped in bandages out of the tomb. Because Jesus did that.
In the same manner, the walking dead of sinful mankind cannot give themselves new life. Something
has to do that for them, doesn't it? Someone has to do that for them. Verses 4 and 5. But,
I love that word. It sets the tone for everything that comes after. 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. Why do you think Jesus resurrected dead people? Or Paul? Or Peter? Or Elijah?
You see, those miracles, friends, they were never ends and not themselves. They were physical,
visible demonstrations of God's resurrecting power. Because God brings the dead back to life.
Jesus literally brought Lazarus back to life. I'm not saying it was a metaphor or anything like that.
It literally happened. What I'm saying is, that is a stand-in, a symbol, or an explanation, or an illustration
of God's power to bring someone back to life who is not capable of doing it themselves.
And you see, everyone in the Bible who was ever brought back to life physically, Lazarus, Jairus,
daughter, Tabitha, Eutychus, the son of the Shunammite woman, all of those people, they eventually died again,
physically speaking. But when God brings a dead sinner back to life,
that person lives forever. They are truly resurrected unto eternal life.
You see, we do deserve punishment. That's inescapable. We deserve wrath. I said it again, Alex, sorry.
We deserve death. We deserve hell. But God is a God of love. God is a God of mercy. God is a God of grace.
Friends, even when you were dead in your sin, God loved you enough to make you alive, even when you were dead in your sin.
You hadn't even done anything at this point. You were dead. There was nothing you could do.
And God in his grace chose to make you alive. How did he do that? The text tells us, doesn't he?
Made us alive with Christ. Christ came. Christ died. And Christ rose again.
So if we're made alive in Christ, then we have died to sin and we have risen again.
There's no work on our part, on your part or my part. There's no good deed we do to work our way out of spiritual death.
Christ did the only good deed that could ever satisfy the, it's written down here, but I'll say anger this time, the anger of God.
God demonstrates his own love for us in this, Roman 5a tells us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
What do you think was in the cup?
Do you think Jesus was afraid of what the Romans were going to do to him?
Do you think he was scared of the whips, the beatings, the thorns, the nails and the cross?
Do you honestly think that the second member of the Trinity, the one through whom and for whom all things that have ever been made were made,
was scared of getting beaten up by a bunch of thugs?
That cup, friends, was full to the brim of the anger of God against sin, of disobedience against his law.
And Christ drank that cup in to the fullest on the cross so that you and I don't have to.
The just punishment for sin and disobedience is the full and total extent of God's anger poured out upon you.
And it was poured out completely and solely on the holy, perfect, sinless Lamb of God instead of you and me.
If you want to turn to it, go to Isaiah chapter 53 or just listen if you'd like.
Isaiah 53 verse 4.
Isaiah says this, speaking the word of the Lord.
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.
We all like sheep have gone astray.
Each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Verse 10, if you're reading along.
Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer.
And though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days.
And the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
Do you know who that is?
Who his offspring are?
That's you and me.
It's us, friends.
Go back to Ephesians and look at verse 6.
Do you really get what that means?
Christ hasn't just raised you from the dead.
He has raised you and seated you with Christ.
Where is Christ seated?
Where is he sitting?
He sits with the Father in his heavenly kingdom.
The work of your salvation, friends, is not in your hands in the slightest.
It was nailed into the hands of Jesus Christ on that hill 2,000 years ago.
The fact that he hasn't just brought you back to life, he's seated you in heaven, means it's done.
That's what he meant when he said,
It is finished.
Once for all.
Completed.
Are you starting to get a fuller appreciation of God's grace at work here?
He knows you can't save yourself, friend.
He knows your natural condition prevents you from making yourself right in his eyes.
Just like my son Jack, he's three and a half years old.
He's not capable of doing everything I want him to do.
He's three and a half years old.
I should have the grace to realize that.
Because I have a Father in heaven who is the perfect model of the perfect Father.
who understands your condition and my condition.
We cannot please him by ourselves.
So that's why he sent his son.
For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son,
that whomever believes in him will not die, but will live forever.
He made him, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf,
so that we would become the righteousness of God in him.
That's the prescription of Christ's sacrifice.
Christ died once for all, Peter writes, the just for the unjust,
so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh,
but made alive in the spirit.
There's nothing you do.
There's no work you perform.
There's no sacrifice you make except to bow your knee to Christ.
Paul writes in Romans 10, verses 9 and 10,
if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord,
and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
then you will be saved.
For out of the heart, you believe unto righteousness,
and from the mouth, you confess unto salvation.
Are you struggling with your standing before God this morning?
Are you in fear for your life?
Friend, if you're in Christ, you're a new creation.
With the blood of his son, God has washed away your sins
and made you clean again.
He's taken your sin and he's thrown it as far away
as the east is from the west.
He's held up his outstretched hands and declared it is finished.
The great healer has filled the prescription of your condition
on your behalf.
So is that it?
Do we just get on with our lives and twiddle our thumbs
until Jesus comes back or we go to meet him?
No, not at all.
Verse 8.
For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith, and this not from yourselves.
It is the gift of God not by works,
so that no one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship,
some translations say handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This is our last point.
We've had the problem of man's condition,
we've had the prescription of Christ's sacrifice,
and now we have the purpose of God's grace.
The Bible is emphatic in its proclamation that we are not saved,
justified, made right in God's eyes because of anything we do.
It's completely, across the board, universally emphatic.
Paul re-emphasizes the point here in what we just read,
but let me give you three other places to say the same thing.
1 Timothy 1.9
God saved us,
and called us to a holy calling,
not because of our works,
but because of his own purpose and grace,
which he gave us in Christ Jesus,
before the ages began.
Romans 3.28
For we hold that one is justified by faith,
apart, separate, from works of the law.
Galatians 2.16
Yet we know a person is not justified by works of the law,
but through faith in Jesus Christ.
So we also have believed in Christ Jesus
in order to be justified by faith,
and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law,
no one will be justified.
I could give you dozens,
hundreds more verses
that confirm the same thing,
but Seneca's expecting me before sundown,
so we'll keep moving.
I'll just rest my case here.
Back here in verses 8 and 9,
Paul emphasizes grace
is the source of our salvation.
It's not anything we've done,
so that no one can boast.
Those of us who are from Ireland
are well familiar with the term Holy Joe.
It's a negative expression,
in case you were wondering,
if you don't know it.
It's used to refer to people
who are outwardly quite religious,
maybe even quite sincere with their faith,
but they tend to display that
in a way that's arrogant or boastful.
They give off the impression of themselves
for being a person with whom God is happy
because of all the good things they do.
I tend towards having a proud personality myself,
so I understand that.
Speaking as a former Holy Joe,
this is describing me.
But those Holy Joes,
those old dens,
those dead dens,
the holier-than-thou types,
they've really got no cause to boast
because we know that nothing we do
improves our standing in God's eyes.
We know that nothing we attempt
will ever give us right standing
before him.
And so that's why Paul says
we can't boast in anything we've done.
Paul said if he was going to boast in anything,
it would be the things that showed
how weak he was,
how much he relied on Christ.
The only thing that Paul sought to boast in
was the fact that he was a sinner,
undeserving of mercy,
and that God,
in his unimaginable grace,
saved him.
One of my favourite hymns,
Forbid it, Lord,
that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ my God.
Paul didn't boast in anything
except his death
in the death of Christ.
But why are we saved?
We're not saved for nothing.
So look at verse 10.
We are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus
to do good works,
which God prepared in advance
for us to do.
Here's a bit of a plot twist for you.
We're not saved by good works.
We're saved for good works.
Works is actually the most important word
in this entire section.
Believe it or not.
Because it identifies
not only the reason
why you can't be saved,
but the reason why God saves you.
God saves us,
makes us a new creation,
takes out our heart of stone,
gives us a heart of flesh,
so that our energies
and our efforts
are turned away
from serving ourselves
and turned away
from gratifying the desires
of our sinful flesh.
We are made into new creatures
so that we can love God,
we can love one another,
and that we can prove it
by our deeds.
Our good deeds are there
to prove we are followers
of Jesus Christ,
not to earn our way
to Jesus Christ.
We can't do that.
They're there to demonstrate
that we are disciples.
Jesus said,
if you love me,
keep my commandments.
John wrote,
the one who loves the brothers
loves the Lord
and the sisters.
Sorry, ladies.
I'm old school.
I got the King James
stuck in my head.
We're not to keep on sinning.
We're to offer ourselves
to God,
as Paul writes in Romans 6,
as those who have been brought
from death to life.
I think the words
of the Lord himself
sum it up.
I'll just read it to you.
John 15.
I am the true vine,
and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch
in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch
that does bear fruit
he prunes,
so that it would be
even more fruitful.
You are already clean
because of the word
I have spoken to you,
so remain in me.
I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit
by itself.
It must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit
unless you remain in me.
And verse 8 says,
this is to my Father's glory,
that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves
to be my disciples.
There we have it, friends.
Not only are we saved
entirely by the efforts of God,
but we're saved entirely
for the glory of God.
Not for us to boast.
Not for us to lord it
over somebody else,
as if somehow
we're better than somebody
because we go to church
every Sunday,
we got baptized,
we lead a Bible study,
we stack the chairs,
serve the tea and coffee,
whatever it is.
None of that means anything,
because God saved us
for good works,
to bring glory to himself.
He does the work,
he gets the credit.
Does it ever annoy you
at work,
you do something,
you work really hard
at something,
and then your superior
ends up getting the credit for it,
their name goes on the report,
and they get their increment,
they get their bonus,
all this kind of thing.
Well, I'm a civil servant,
so I don't get bonuses
in the first place,
but nevertheless,
it happens probably worse to me
than it does to many of you.
That annoys me.
I want to be able to boast
in what I do.
There's nothing we can boast in,
friends,
because we haven't done anything.
God gets to boast
in his glory.
Our salvation
lies not
in our own merit,
but in the very heart
and mind of God
with his plan
to redeem
his people,
his plan
to make his glory visible
to all
who would call
on his name.
He laid the foundation
for that plan.
Think about this.
He laid the foundation
for that plan
before he laid
the foundation
of the universe.
He's been thinking about you
for a long time,
friends.
This isn't something
that just happened
when you came in this meeting
or when you decided
to get baptized.
God has been thinking
about you
since before
he laid the cornerstone
of the universe.
There's nothing left
for you to do
except give him
the glory.
Give him the praise
by serving him.
With your whole self.
I'm going to finish now,
but there's two groups
of you I want to address.
If you know the Lord
this morning,
if you proclaim
Jesus is Lord,
if you believe
God raised him
from the dead,
honour him
with your words.
Honour him
with your thoughts.
I don't know
how you do that
in your life
because I don't know you.
Only you know you.
But all I can tell you
is this.
Take all your gifts.
Take all your resources.
Take your time,
your energy
that I don't have
because I was up
at four o'clock this morning
with a screaming
fifteen month old.
But take everything
he has given to you
and just lay it
at the feet of Jesus
and say,
this is yours Lord.
You did the work,
not me.
It's all for your glory.
Do good works
and give him glory.
And secondly,
if you're here
and you don't know Jesus,
if you've never called
in his name,
don't worry,
I'm not going to ask you
to come to the front.
I'm not going to come down
and lay hands on you
or anything like that
to embarrass you.
I just want to say this to you.
I don't know who you are
or if you're even here
or if you're listening online.
But if that's you,
let me just say this.
Jesus told his disciples,
no one comes to me
unless the Father
who sent me
draws him.
You're here
in Carragoline Baptist Church
on a Sunday
when you could be doing
anything else you want.
I'm not a soccer fan
but I'm sure someone
could tell me
there's probably a match on.
You could be watching,
you could be going out to lunch,
you could just be getting up
out of your own bed.
But you're not doing that.
You're here
listening to
some mad fella from Middleton
you've never met before
talk about
a God
you've never seen.
Maybe never even heard of.
But you're here
because God
has drawn you here
friend
so that you can hear
the good news
that Jesus
died
and Jesus
rose
and Jesus
paid the penalty
for your sin
and my sin
so that we can stand
arm in arm
in front of him
righteous
holy
and blameless
and live forever.
Jesus has died
and risen
and paid that penalty
so that we can stand
before him
as a royal priesthood
holy
and spotless
in his sight
and live with him forever.
There's nothing you need to do.
all that's left for you to do
is to call on his name
and say
Lord
have mercy on me
a sinner.
So there's another hymn I like
it's kind of an old one
glory to his name
come to the fountain
so rich and sweet
cast thy poor soul
at the saviour's feet
plunge in
today
and be made
complete.
Glory to his name.
Amen.
Let's pray.
Gracious heavenly father
if anything has been said
this morning
that's not from you
or that causes you
offense
or doesn't give you glory
I pray you blot it
out of our minds.
I pray that you
imprint
and implant
on our hearts
and our minds
the word of God
that is living
and active
the word of God
that is sufficient
that is all we need
to be trained
to do every good work.
The word of God
that Jesus said
washes us clean
and makes us whole.
Father
for those who are here
this morning
and they share
my profession of faith
in you
I pray that you would
draw near to us
in a very tangible
real way.
Maybe we think
sometimes that the
circumstances
of our life
demonstrate that
we're not doing it right.
Maybe we're afflicted
with sickness
or grief
or joblessness
or homelessness.
Lord help us
not to listen
to the lie
of the enemy
that any material
shortcomings
in our part
mean that
you don't love us
mean that you've
forgotten us
because we know
you haven't Lord.
We know that
you sent your son
so that none
of those
whom you give him
would fall out
of his hand.
Once you wrap
your arms around us
Lord
we're yours
bought and paid for
our debt paid in full
so Lord draw near to us
and give us the comfort
of knowing that reality
today.
Help us to be
real witnesses
to the glory
of your grace
unshamingly
and proudly
proclaiming
that Jesus
is Lord.
Use us Lord
use us as broken
vessels
to bring people
to you
in the name
of Jesus Christ
by the power
of your spirit.
When people
look at us Lord
may they see
the life
of a Christian.
When they listen
to us Lord
may they hear
the words
of a Christian
see the deeds
of a Christian
the actions
of a Christian
and if they could
read our minds Lord
may they read
the mind
of a Christian.
Father thank you
for ripping out
our heart of stone
giving us a heart
of flesh.
Thank you
for sending your son.
Thank you
for the wounds
that pierced
the veil
while we were
once far away
Lord
you've drawn us
near.
Father thank you
for your grace.
Father for those
who don't know you
I pray that even
now we would be
doing a work
of your spirit
in their hearts
and minds.
I pray
whether they're
in this room
or listening
or they're not
our unbelieving
family members
our unbelieving
friends
our work colleagues
or everybody
we know Lord
who doesn't
profess you
as Lord
we pray that
you would be
doing a mighty
work in their
hearts
that you would
be softening
their hearts
that you would
be piercing
the veils
in front of
their eyes
that you would
be causing
them to see
the glory
of your son
Jesus Christ
whom you sent
to die
for them
Father
we know
that you
came into
the world
not to
treat the
healthy
but to
treat the
sick
and Father
we were all
sick once
in fact we
were all
dead once
but you
brought us
back to
life
so for
those who
don't know
you Lord
call them
please
like you
call Lazarus
out of the
grave
Lazarus
come forth
and he
came forth
Lord
we know
that it
is your
call
and your
call only
that will
bring us
to eternal
life
so may
people
answer
that call
even now
Lord
this morning
as we
pray for
this
we pray
for the
life of
this church
we pray
for Johnny
as he's
not here
we thank
you for
his faithful
ministry
of the word
we thank
you for
the elders
here and
the deacons
and all
who faithfully
serve
we thank
you for
every hair
and every
head in
this room
this morning
Lord
we pray
that our
time after
the meeting
would be
a time
of joy
and fellowship
that we
would find
ways maybe
where we can
practically love
one another
and serve
one another
this week
where there
are needs
in this
church
Lord
may we
seek them
out to
meet those
needs
and in
my own
church
as well
Lord
we pray
for all
the churches
in this
land
who faithfully
proclaim the
gospel
and we
thank you
Lord
all we can
do that's
left to do
is thank you
for sending
your son
to bring us
out of the
darkness
out of the
grave
into new
life
not our
will in
any of these
things we
prayed for
Lord
but your
perfect
and holy
and righteous
will be
done
in Jesus
name
Amen