WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.500 I would like it that you, I would like it, if you would turn in your Bible to Psalm 150. 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:17.379 ! Now, we're not changing our series. I will get to Ephesians in just a minute. But this is a two-for-one 00:00:17.379 --> 00:00:23.120 morning. That means that you get an extra sermon for free. And this is going to be very, very short. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:32.740 Let me kind of give you the starting point. Listen to me carefully. Good theology informs 00:00:32.740 --> 00:00:41.980 and governs our worship. I'll say that slowly. Good theology informs and governs our worship. 00:00:43.780 --> 00:00:50.980 Psalm 50. I want you to read it with me, but I want you to imagine kind of the placid and 00:00:50.979 --> 00:00:58.500 moderately indifferent spirit with which such a text should be read. How many of you understood 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:08.479 what I meant there? Okay. Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens. 00:01:08.479 --> 00:01:10.679 Praise Him for His mighty deeds. 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:23.700 Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the trumpet sound. Praise Him with 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:30.100 the lute and harp. Praise Him with tambourine and dance. Praise Him with strings and pipe. Praise Him 00:01:30.100 --> 00:01:38.420 with sounding cymbals. Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:48.439 Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Hey, listen to me. If you're uncomfortable doing that here, 00:01:49.879 --> 00:02:00.040 it may be because you're not clear about there. Am I being too cryptic this morning? Maybe I'm not 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:06.320 communicating clearly. In other words, hey, believers are people who get kind of fired up about Jesus 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:14.759 and they enjoy what corporate worship is because good theology, which is the teaching of the 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:21.939 scriptures, nothing else. Good theology informs and governs our worship. Okay. Having said that, 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:26.439 we're going to do a little bit of theology and we're going to look at one of the phenomenal, 00:02:26.519 --> 00:02:31.599 there are so many phenomenal passages in Ephesians, so bear with me, but we're going to look at Ephesians 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:38.740 chapter 2, verse 10. And I want to begin with a simple little statement that I'm going to ask that 00:02:38.740 --> 00:02:48.500 you write down. Here it is. Good works do not produce salvation. Write it down. Good works do not 00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:54.819 produce salvation, but salvation produces good works. I want you to understand that this is a 00:02:54.819 --> 00:03:05.359 foundational truth and it is an important one. Good works do not produce salvation, but salvation 00:03:05.359 --> 00:03:14.719 produces good works. At the heart of our lesson today is a valuable teaching that balances the 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:22.079 doctrine of the gospel and tells us that the salvation that we enjoy is the work of God and that when God 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:33.120 works, it's undeniably evident. God does it and when He does it, we can see it. I think it's important to 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:42.820 balance truth and it's important to recognize these two pieces together because when we do not keep the 00:03:42.820 --> 00:03:51.080 scriptures where they justly belong and we do not rely upon the scriptures to inform our thinking, we end up 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:58.060 swinging to one tangent or the other and we end up sorely misguided and we end up in false doctrine. 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:06.200 These tangents of thought that are balanced in this Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 passage can play out 00:04:06.200 --> 00:04:13.000 in that there are some churches that teach that one has to add meritorious works to what Christ did on 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:17.939 the cross. In other words, if you want to be saved, and you've probably bumped into some of these people, 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:24.160 you ask them, so if you were to die tonight, do you know for certain that you're going to spend time in heaven? 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:27.079 You're going to go to heaven? And the person says, well, I'm sure hoping so. 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:35.959 And I have bumped into many people that have said to me without hesitation, nobody has the right to assume that 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:42.800 they're going to heaven. Why is that? Well, because there's a lot that needs to be done and if you want to be saved, 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:48.980 yes, you have to believe in Jesus, but you also have to be baptized, you have to go to church on a regular basis, 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:54.160 you have to do all the good things that go along with it, and without those things, 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:59.439 you have no right, no reason to hope that you would be saved. 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:08.379 On the other side, there are churches that teach that good works have nothing at all to do with salvation 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:14.920 and that simply justification by faith has no expectation of a changed life. 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:21.839 They teach that salvation need not work. So on one side, we have the idea that the church teaches that 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:27.420 apart from work, salvation won't happen, and on the other side, we have the church that teaches 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:32.379 that salvation doesn't need to do anything or it doesn't show itself in any way. 00:05:33.659 --> 00:05:37.560 Incidentally, when you get caught up in reading through the Scriptures, particularly in the New Testament, 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:43.100 you'll find that there seems to be some tension between the writings of the Apostle Paul 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:49.199 on the doctrine of grace and the writings of James. Remember, James is the one who said something 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:57.620 like this, faith without works is dead. And it seems to be, well, Paul and James must not have 00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:04.500 gotten along together and they were on poles apart. That's not true at all. Both of them were 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:11.620 directing their letters in particular to particular groups of people that were struggling with various 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:17.139 doctrinal error. Paul was addressing those who had struggled with the doctrine of grace and realizing 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:23.600 that we are saved by God's power alone. And James, dealing with individuals who thought, well, 00:06:23.779 --> 00:06:27.680 no big deal. I can say I'm saved and doesn't make any difference in the way I behave. 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:35.280 The Bible doctrine announces that God's grace, which justifies, also produces works. I want you to have 00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:42.079 that stuck in your mind. The Bible doctrine teaches us that God's grace, which justifies and saves us, 00:06:42.259 --> 00:06:50.920 also produces works. And if you were looking for a one-verse summary of who saves and what happens as 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:56.240 a result of it, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 would be that go-to verse. I want you to look at it with 00:06:56.240 --> 00:07:03.980 me just for a moment. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:09.340 prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So let me begin by starting out with this very clear 00:07:09.340 --> 00:07:19.160 point. The believer is a thing of God's making. The believer is a thing of God's making. 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:24.540 I like the way that Paul gets right to the point here in this verse. He says, we are His workmanship. 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:31.760 And there's no doubt that Paul was thinking about the matter of genuine conversion. He was talking about 00:07:31.760 --> 00:07:37.379 the individual who has been genuinely saved rather than a person who at an emotional point in their life 00:07:37.379 --> 00:07:44.100 made some kind of decision under emotional duress or perhaps under some pressure. And they said the right 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:49.040 words, they prayed the prayer, but there was nothing that followed that gives any indication of the 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:56.460 authenticity of their salvation. The word that Paul uses here, workmanship, is a word that communicates 00:07:56.460 --> 00:08:02.220 in the Greek the idea of something that was made. In other words, it puts it this way, it's a thing of 00:08:02.220 --> 00:08:09.520 His making. The word was used to refer to anything that an artisan had produced, whether it was a 00:08:09.520 --> 00:08:17.180 sculpture or if it was a particular crafted item or a poem. In fact, it's actually the Greek word is 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:25.639 poema. What does that sound a little bit like? Anybody here a literature major besides me in my past life? 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:35.460 Poems. Okay, that poem means, ah, that's the craftsmanship of someone who is a word crafter. Okay, 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:43.639 the poem is a poema. It's something that was made by someone. And what that word communicates is that 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:51.120 somebody did something. And by looking at what you see or you can hear, you immediately recognize that, 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:58.939 ah, that came from someone. Someone had a part to play in that. The existence of the object of work 00:08:58.939 --> 00:09:05.939 is never thought of in the Greek independent of the creative will and power of the one who made it. 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:12.720 And, ah, the thing that was made or is made is understandably a testament and an illustration that 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:18.960 points back to the individual who's the creator or the maker of it. I was thinking about this earlier 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:26.100 in the week and I thought back to my high school days and, ah, I, I really wasn't a scholar of any sort. 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:31.640 And, ah, there were choices of the kind of classes you could take. I thought that physics was a non-starter 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:36.240 for me. Do you understand that? I took algebra once and then I took it a second time just to be 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:41.379 sure I had the points right. And, ah, while the rest of my class went on and did things like, ah, 00:09:41.439 --> 00:09:46.120 physics and other things, they asked me if there were any classes I would like since I wouldn't take 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:51.019 the, the advanced chemistry and physics. And I said, well, what choices are there? And there was art 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:58.220 class. And so I took art class. I want you to know I took art class. And, ah, in God's, ah, sense of humor, 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:06.460 I ended up in class with a young man, a student named Madur Kapoor. He moved on eventually to become 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:12.060 a nationally recognized artist in India, tremendously skilled. And whatever he put his hands to, 00:10:12.420 --> 00:10:19.080 whether it was modeling clay or grabbing chalk or what, they'd always, yeah. I mean, he could take a 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:24.399 piece of paper and make it look like a horse. Do you follow that? I would take a piece of paper and it 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:28.259 looked like a piece of paper with scratchings on it. And I'll never forget in particular when, 00:10:28.299 --> 00:10:34.539 when, ah, Mr. Swain decided that we needed to work with modeling clay and make a statue. 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:42.980 I, I, everybody started at the same place. We went over to the, the mixing place that they had, 00:10:43.179 --> 00:10:48.000 that I don't know who all did it, but it was nice and palatable. And, and I grabbed myself what I 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:52.539 thought was an adequate lump. And I, I certainly had visions of how this should turn out. 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:59.699 Madur Kapoor was right along with me and he grabbed a lump of clay and, and, ah, within a short time, 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:05.199 Madur's began to look like something was happening there. Mine began to continue looking like it was clay. 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:14.500 Eventually, ah, all of our art pieces got put on a shelf. So, everybody'd walk in and say, well, 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:24.559 there's Madur Kapoor's. That's Tim's. Mine looked like, ah, one of those things that you find in an 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:31.139 early Mesopotamian dig where children had discarded something they had been making for fun and threw it 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:36.159 away. And strangely enough, several thousand years later, some archeologist comes along and says, 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:42.000 whoa, look what some little kid made. And I don't, I hope mine was disposed of in a better way than that. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:46.440 Uh, I don't want anybody finding. I didn't put my initials on or anything like that. Madur did his. 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:49.299 But when people would walk into the class, 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:56.659 they would look at the shelf with all these models on there and they would say, whoa, 00:11:57.340 --> 00:12:02.460 whoever did that was an artist and whoever did that should not think about art as a future. 00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:12.000 I tell you this because what this verse is telling us is that God's workmanship makes him evident. 00:12:13.040 --> 00:12:21.759 When you look at what God makes, there's no denying, there's no question that he's the one who did it. 00:12:22.580 --> 00:12:29.300 And I think this is important for us to understand that what God makes displays his power and his 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:33.639 majesty and his wisdom and his grace. I want you to see this first of all in creation, 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:38.979 then think about it in relationship to us. Look, if you will, back in your Bible, turn back to Psalm 19, 00:12:38.979 --> 00:12:42.000 verse 10, Psalm 19, verse 10. 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:56.219 And, um, earlier last week or late last week, I guess there was a meteor that hit Russia, right? 00:12:56.220 --> 00:12:59.139 And, uh, it got everybody's attention. 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:06.180 And, uh, we look in the heavens and we see just phenomenal illustration of the wisdom and glory of 00:13:06.180 --> 00:13:11.560 God. Look at what it says. The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his 00:13:11.560 --> 00:13:20.300 handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:26.839 are there words whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth and their 00:13:26.839 --> 00:13:34.159 words to the end of the world. What that passage is saying is that when we look up into the firmament, 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:40.359 we look up into the heavens, we look up there and say, man, this didn't just happen. Somebody 00:13:40.359 --> 00:13:46.659 had something to do with it and it's pretty spectacular. Turn over now, if you will, go from 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:52.379 Psalm 19, go over to the book of Romans and I want you to look at Romans chapter 1. 00:13:55.059 --> 00:13:56.399 Romans chapter 1, 00:13:57.459 --> 00:13:59.000 verse 19 through 20. 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:05.120 Have you ever bumped into people that say, well, what is going to happen to the person in, uh, 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.899 the darkest regions of, of Africa who have never heard the gospel? 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:16.899 Are they, are they innocent or are they condemned in their sinful hearts? 00:14:17.899 --> 00:14:25.679 Romans chapter 1, verse 19. For what can be known about God is plain to them. How plain is it? It's 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:33.199 plain. It is plain to them because God has shown it to them for his invisible, his invisible 00:14:33.199 --> 00:14:39.419 attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:45.799 creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. The heavens 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:53.819 declare the handiwork of God. They are his workmanship. And when you look at them, look at the 00:14:53.819 --> 00:14:58.839 stars, you look at the things that are up there, you have to recognize somebody did this and who did 00:14:58.839 --> 00:15:03.099 it is pretty spectacular. Just as a sculpture 00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:11.639 can be tracked back by virtue of what they made. So God can be tracked back by virtue of what he has 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:17.200 made. And what this verse announces there at the beginning, going back to Ephesians chapter 2, 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:25.060 it makes it clear that only God gets credit for my salvation, my faith, and my response. Now, 00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:31.080 let me add this part and I want you to track it with me. Ability. Why is it that Tim Kenoyer 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:37.820 has responded to the grace of God and came to the point of conviction and felt the burden of his sin 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:44.040 and recognized that he stood justly condemned before a holy God? It was because of the grace of 00:15:44.040 --> 00:15:49.820 God and the power of God. And I, along with each of you here this morning that know Christ as your 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:56.860 personal Savior, are the workmanship of God. Would you recognize that? The song that we sang this 00:15:56.860 --> 00:16:04.860 morning, not what my hands have made. Was that song accurate theologically? Absolutely. It tracks 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:11.419 exactly what we are looking here in this passage. And there are some very practical truths that flow 00:16:11.419 --> 00:16:18.320 out of this theological statement. For one, the gospel is profoundly God-focused and man-humbling 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:24.139 because what it does is drives us to recognize that who we are is not of our own making, but we are 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:29.539 by God's design and for His glory. And so I would ask you this question this morning, just as a little 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:35.919 sidebar. When you woke up this morning, did it cross your mind that you exist for His glory and to make 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:45.879 Him look good? That's what Scripture teaches us. I am His workmanship, and the purpose of workmanship 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:52.899 is to draw attention to the worker behind the scenes. Secondly, I want you to understand that each of us, 00:16:52.899 --> 00:16:58.779 being the workmanship of God, are unique expressions of the creative power and wisdom of God. 00:16:59.620 --> 00:17:05.160 There's only one of you. There will never be another one. And one of the things that we all 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:09.500 have a tendency of struggling with is comparing ourselves with other people. Don't we do that? 00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:14.079 By the way, over in 1 Corinthians, it says those who compare themselves with other people 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:19.099 are unwise. Having heard the Bible say that, nevertheless, we pick up and what do we do? 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:24.839 We wish we were smarter. We wish we were taller. Or some people wish they were shorter. Some people 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:28.559 wish they were stronger. And other people wish they weren't quite as bulky as they are. You know 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:33.980 how it all goes. We're always comparing ourselves. I wish, I wish. Listen, God made you, and there's 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:41.299 only one of you. And He didn't make an accident. He made you expressly for His glory. And He made you 00:17:41.299 --> 00:17:45.460 unique so that you would be an expression of His workmanship. 00:17:49.379 --> 00:17:55.200 Andrew Wyeth. Anybody here ever see the paintings of Andrew Wyeth? Come on, nod at me or shake your 00:17:55.200 --> 00:18:00.099 head. Andrew Wyeth. Anybody ever pay attention to Andrew Wyeth? I love Andrew Wyeth's paintings. 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:07.259 Some of you are saying, huh, who cares? It's all right. Andrew Wyeth was exceptionally gifted 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:13.140 at very fine and meticulous artwork. And when he painted a tree, it actually looked like a tree. 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:19.680 When I would draw trees, this is an art class. People, don't try, Tim. Just take a D and leave. 00:18:19.819 --> 00:18:26.819 You know, it's like, okay. One of the nice things about Andrew Wyeth is that there was actually quite 00:18:26.819 --> 00:18:32.700 a bit of variety in the different things he painted. You'd look at one thing and say, wow, man, look at 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:38.400 that. I just kind of soak that in and really like. Then go to the next Andrew Wyeth. Wow, I can't believe 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:46.799 that. See, a creative person makes something spectacular out of everything they put their 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:53.140 hands to. And God's put His hands on you and He's made you who you are for His glory and you're the 00:18:53.140 --> 00:18:59.259 only copy there ever will be. And you have a particular call and a particular job that God expects you to 00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:05.140 do and is not looking for anybody else to do. I want you to understand that you were made as a 00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:12.400 separate and planned display of His glory. And your purpose is to make that evident in your life and 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:18.160 the way you live. And He made you for His express purpose. I like the fact that when you ask yourself 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:24.519 the question, so what am I here for? Why do I exist? What's my purpose in life? To the believer, 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:31.400 it is this. It's simple. I exist to bring glory to the creating God and to His Son, the Lord Jesus 00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:38.420 Christ. That's why I draw breath. And the day I finish that job, God will take me home to be with 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:45.480 Christ and to enjoy eternity forever. That brings us to the second part that I want us to focus on this 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:51.859 morning. Look at the passage. It says there in verse 10, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:57.779 Jesus. And let me just kind of remind you as we look at this passage and created in Christ Jesus, 00:19:58.059 --> 00:20:06.879 what the Spirit is telling us here is that we are Christ's creation and we are in Him. I have touched 00:20:06.879 --> 00:20:12.099 on the matter of being in Christ several different times already in our studies in the matter of 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:17.939 Ephesians, but let me tell you something. The matter of your relationship in Christ, in Christ, 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:26.840 in Christ is of profound significance to your well-being. You are in Christ. You are in a personal 00:20:26.840 --> 00:20:34.559 relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and everything about you is connected to that fact. 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:39.580 Is there anything more important than your relationship in Christ? And the answer is no. 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:47.600 No. And it says here that we are created in Christ Jesus. Then it goes on and explains that being 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:53.799 His creation, we were created for a purpose. Why did He make me? Why did He make you? Let's recognize 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:59.299 that He made us for good works. And so I want you to look at several different passages that make this 00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:10.039 clear. Turn back, if you would, where I go back to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:22.740 Verse 17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new what? How many of you remember what it was like, 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:28.339 the before and after of your conversion? Do you remember what it was like? There was a time when 00:21:28.339 --> 00:21:33.700 you would wake up in the morning and the day was dark, not because the sun wasn't shining, but because 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:41.160 of the pall and the gloom that was cast over your life by an unrepentant and sinful heart. And there was 00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:47.700 hardship and there was difficulty, there was sorrow and there was despair. And the day came where the grace of God 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:54.200 helped you see the absolute depravity of your heart and brought you to the place of repentance. And you cried out 00:21:54.200 --> 00:22:02.700 and said, Jesus saved me. And what happened? He did. And what it did, what happened at that point is, as it says 00:22:02.700 --> 00:22:10.819 here, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a what? He's a new creation. He's something different than he was. 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:18.100 The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. I want you to look at another passage in which we see 00:22:18.100 --> 00:22:24.100 this played out. And I want you to turn in your Bible to Titus. Go over to Titus chapter 1, verse 16. 00:22:24.099 --> 00:22:40.099 Titus chapter 1, verse 16. Very interestingly, here is Paul in the process of correcting some theological 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:45.699 error that had crept into the church. There were individuals who were teaching false doctrine. 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:55.819 And one of the very obvious giveaways of their false doctrine was the life that they were living. 00:22:56.600 --> 00:23:02.480 Do you follow that? You can see false doctrine by what it produces. So let's track that back. 00:23:02.819 --> 00:23:11.539 You can see genuine doctrine by what it produces. Follow that? False doctrine seen in false living. 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:16.720 And there in verse 16, they profess to know God. In other words, they're making a theological statement 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:22.819 about, yes, I have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet what it says there, 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:29.740 but they deny Him by their works. They're saying one thing with their lips, and their life is a complete 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:37.039 contradiction of what they're saying. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:43.700 Unfit means what? They can't pull it off. Now, they can temporarily go through the motions, 00:23:43.859 --> 00:23:49.799 but in the long run, tested under adversity and difficulty, good works don't rise out of them. 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:56.879 Good works that accrue or draw attention to the glory of Christ. Look forward, if you will. We're in 00:23:56.879 --> 00:24:03.599 Titus chapter 1, verse 16. But recognize what follows that statement about false teachers. There in 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:11.119 chapter 2, verse 1, it says, but as for you, Titus is saying, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:24:11.959 --> 00:24:17.359 On the contrary, instead of being a false teacher who teaches false doctrine that shows up in false 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:22.419 living, you are to teach true doctrine. And we play on down through it and come to verse 14. 00:24:22.419 --> 00:24:31.019 Speaking of our salvation, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for 00:24:31.019 --> 00:24:38.099 Himself a people for His own possession that are zealous for good works. Zealous for good works. 00:24:38.779 --> 00:24:44.420 A people of His own possession that are zealous for good works. So let me ask you a question. 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:49.599 When you think about the mindset and the attitude that you have towards Christian living, 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:54.639 do you find yourself thinking, well, I really don't like this business of being a Christian because 00:24:54.640 --> 00:25:00.980 it places unrealistic expectations on me in the community that I live in. Everybody else is 00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:06.880 doing whatever and I've got to be different. And I don't like being different. When other people 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:11.480 swear, I'd like to swear. When other people act like boors, I'd like to, you know, hey, I want to fit in. 00:25:13.080 --> 00:25:19.620 And we are pressured to do that. Am I right or wrong? The community we travel in has an effect on us. 00:25:19.619 --> 00:25:27.139 But it really comes down to why you exist and what your purpose is. If you exist for the glory of 00:25:27.139 --> 00:25:31.059 Christ and to make Him look good. Now, I'm not talking around, walking around with a little 00:25:31.059 --> 00:25:37.559 standard sign that says, I'm a holy person. I want you to know that. But hey, listen to me. All you 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:42.259 have to do is act like Jesus wants you to and people figure out you're different. Would you agree with 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:49.459 that? When people are being lecherous, when people are laughing at a crude and filthy joke and 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:54.360 you don't join them, what do they think? Either you have hard of hearing or they didn't tell the joke 00:25:54.360 --> 00:26:01.220 properly. I won't go with, I was going to tell a story and I won't tell that one. I will tell that one. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:10.279 There's a particular place I go on a periodic basis where when I come into this particular shop 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:15.200 and I've been going to that same place for since Grover was a pup, you know, that's a long time. 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:21.240 And I walk in there and immediately, I don't walk in saying, by the way, Pastor Kenoyer is coming 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:27.180 through the door, please change vocabulary. But I come in and the joke that is being told gets 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:31.880 finished off and things stop. The one guy actually begins to sing hymns. 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:39.460 And then he'll say, Reverend Kenoyer, have you heard this one? 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:46.060 And every now and then I have to remind him that there are certain ones that I haven't heard and I don't want to hear. 00:26:47.780 --> 00:26:52.900 And I don't go out of my way. You follow me? I've been there for many years and it's kind of a joke, 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:59.540 but not going many years, but people figure out who you are and what you connect with. Am I right? 00:26:59.539 --> 00:27:08.720 Here's what Titus says. Look at the passage again. Titus chapter 2 verse 14. It says that we are his possession 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:20.740 who are zealous for good works. For good works. So what we see in 2.14 is that the marker of genuine conversion, 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:27.279 let me say that slowly, the marker of genuine conversion is an interest in the right kind of things. 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:36.879 Can I tell you that we live in a day and age, I think we're on the downward swing of the issue of 00:27:36.879 --> 00:27:41.299 easy believism. What I mean by easy believism is, you know, there's a lot of pressure and a lot of 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:46.259 emotion attached to it and then there are a whole lot of people who make professions, but then there's 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:54.819 really no outcome that shows a converted life. And the church has suffered deeply because of easy 00:27:54.819 --> 00:28:00.480 believism and because of decisional theology. The fact of the matter is that scripture makes it very 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:05.899 clear that genuine conversion produces transformation and that should be part of gospel preaching and part 00:28:05.899 --> 00:28:12.159 of helping people understand what does it mean to be saved. Titus makes it clear. He says, listen, 00:28:12.700 --> 00:28:17.899 there are people out there that are teaching false doctrine and the way you can spot them is their life 00:28:17.900 --> 00:28:25.200 doesn't match what they say about knowing God. Knowing God thus makes a difference in the life 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:33.940 of the believer. Does this mean that the new believer never sins after conversion? How many would like 00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:41.460 that to be true? Wouldn't that be a keeper? I have dear friends that believe in entire sanctification, 00:28:41.700 --> 00:28:46.180 the idea that eventually you can keep on working at it and eventually you get good enough that you 00:28:46.180 --> 00:28:52.320 don't sin anymore. I've had friends that were very close to me that held to that and when I would 00:28:52.320 --> 00:28:56.640 ask them, so what is it when you get angry? They say, well, I'm having an attitude problem, but that's 00:28:56.640 --> 00:29:02.700 not a sin. Well, I suppose if you kind of flex the explanation of what sin is, you probably get away 00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:08.320 with that. But the truth of the matter is, is sin is sin and it's a violation of the Word of God, 00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:14.560 the law of God, the character of God, right? How many have trouble spotting sin? I mean in other 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:22.960 people. We're good at that. I want you to understand that the believer does struggle with sin, 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:31.259 but the genuine believer who is a new creation has a new desire to do right. Do you follow that? 00:29:31.879 --> 00:29:38.720 There's a change of interest and a change of ambition, and whereas in the past the unbeliever 00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:45.960 would sin and not think anything of it, the genuine convert now when they sin, they think, whoa, 00:29:46.259 --> 00:29:54.120 that's not me. That's not what I've been created for. I am his workmanship, and this behavior is 00:29:54.120 --> 00:30:01.740 unbecoming to a child of the king. I do want you to notice something else in the verse. 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:08.500 Going back to Ephesians 2, verse 10, it says, 00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:16.720 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. And I want you to understand that 00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:24.160 what it is talking about is behavior that brings glory to the Father. It demonstrates his heart and 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:31.000 his character, and it reflects favorably on him. I want you to notice as it says there in the passage 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:37.740 that not only did he plan our salvation, but he also prepared beforehand the works that we would do. 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:44.039 I want you to imagine that the God who would put together the plan of salvation did not decide 00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:49.059 after he saved us and he made us to be particular workmanship that he just decided, well, hey, 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:54.599 have him go do whatever. It doesn't make any difference. He who saved us has also stipulated 00:30:54.599 --> 00:31:00.059 what good works look like. Do you follow that? Good works, what do they look like? 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:05.799 The Scripture tells us, as you look at the passage in verse 10, which God prepared beforehand 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:12.740 that we should walk in them. And how do we know what good works are? I'll give you a definition in 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:18.779 two little pieces here. Number one, good works are something characterized in Scripture as works that 00:31:18.779 --> 00:31:24.919 display the character, the heart, the interest of the Father. Does that make Dad look good? 00:31:24.920 --> 00:31:31.180 And by the way, Dad hasn't kind of left us in a vacuum without instruction. The Word of God's given 00:31:31.180 --> 00:31:36.120 to us to help us understand that's what God wants, and that's not what He wants. But there's a second 00:31:36.120 --> 00:31:43.200 thing that is characteristic of good works, and follow me. It is works that reflect the heart and 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:51.860 affection of Christ for the gospel. Going down to a soup kitchen or deciding you're going to do some 00:31:51.860 --> 00:32:01.860 socially responsible thing is not bad. But if it has no attached commitment or impact on the testimony 00:32:01.860 --> 00:32:07.700 of Christ, what value is it to the King? What's the answer? Everybody shake their head, it's not doing 00:32:07.700 --> 00:32:15.100 anything. You can go plant a thousand trees. It's all good for global warming, whatever. But if it has 00:32:15.100 --> 00:32:21.180 nothing to do with gospel impact, has it made a difference in the testimony of God and the impact 00:32:21.180 --> 00:32:25.539 of the gospel? Well, it depends if you never say anything about it. Well, I'm planting trees because 00:32:25.539 --> 00:32:33.860 I'm a steward of this earth, and it belongs to God. And Jesus, after He saved me, stopped me from being 00:32:33.859 --> 00:32:40.219 this self-centered squanderer of what belongs to Him, and I'm planting trees to make Him look good. Now, 00:32:40.259 --> 00:32:45.279 that's gospel testimony. You can plant trees that way. But going around doing all these kind of good 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:52.119 works that have nothing to do with gospel impact is something that is suspect. And I bring that up 00:32:52.119 --> 00:32:57.759 because we are living in a day and age where I see more and more evangelical churches involved in a lot of 00:32:57.759 --> 00:33:03.719 social consciousness, and that's good. There was a time when, well, all we did was, if I wasn't nailing 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:09.759 someone with the gospel, I wasn't doing anything, well, the pendulum has swung over here. And there's 00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:16.960 a lot going on, and there is no gospel witness and no gospel credibility. I want to tell you something. 00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:25.420 Don't detach good works from the glory of God and the gospel. And our desire to be engaged in doing 00:33:25.420 --> 00:33:33.180 that which honors God also brings out a desire that the gospel be understood and clarified 00:33:33.180 --> 00:33:41.080 in all that we do. Why are you different? Why are you different? You're not different because of 00:33:41.080 --> 00:33:46.180 your upbringing. Do you understand that? Because what it says in Scripture, you are of your father the... 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:52.200 Now, hold. Don't go home and say to your dad. I do want you to know that the pastor made it clear. 00:33:53.080 --> 00:33:57.799 The fact of the matter is, is that all of us, apart from the grace of God, 00:33:57.799 --> 00:34:06.639 we're sinners, justly condemned before a holy God. And he and his kindness saved us from the hopelessness 00:34:06.639 --> 00:34:12.460 of our condition, and he's made us new creations, and new creations that are zealous to do the things 00:34:12.460 --> 00:34:19.279 that bring credit to his name. So let me close off by having you look at a passage in Philippians just 00:34:19.280 --> 00:34:28.200 for a moment. Philippians chapter 2, verse 12 and 13. I don't know if you have this underlined, 00:34:28.280 --> 00:34:33.240 but it's a very interesting illustration of one of the principles in Scripture. A lot of times when 00:34:33.240 --> 00:34:40.019 there are difficult truths...now follow me. Everybody look up just for a minute. A lot of times where there 00:34:40.019 --> 00:34:45.900 are difficult truths that involve the sovereignty of God with the responsibility of man, they are 00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:52.360 placed close together. Do you know why they're placed very close together? So you don't miss the 00:34:52.360 --> 00:34:58.720 connection. Philippians chapter 2, verse 12 and 13 is one such illustration. 00:35:00.720 --> 00:35:06.480 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only as in my presence, but much more in 00:35:06.480 --> 00:35:15.000 my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Get to it. 00:35:15.900 --> 00:35:28.200 Oh, there's more? Yes. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work his good pleasure. 00:35:28.280 --> 00:35:36.380 What does it mean to will? It means to want to, right? How many of you have had your mom say to you, 00:35:36.380 --> 00:35:42.500 come out and help with the dishes? And you thought to yourself, not now. 00:35:45.400 --> 00:35:52.519 Or your wife says, honey, and you say, inside. You don't say it publicly, you know, but just kind of...how 00:35:52.519 --> 00:35:59.720 many of you have ever pretended you didn't hear? That works too. Not now. To will means when the call 00:35:59.719 --> 00:36:05.139 comes, you jump up and you, yeah, what do you want? I didn't hear exactly what you said, but I'm here. 00:36:06.679 --> 00:36:11.579 To will and to do his good pleasure. Another passage I really like in relationship to this 00:36:11.579 --> 00:36:18.739 is Colossians chapter 1, verse 29. This is a keeper, along with all the other verses in the Bible, by the 00:36:18.739 --> 00:36:27.559 way. But what I'm saying is you can underline this and I won't be offended. Okay. Colossians 1, 29. 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:35.039 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy, that he powerfully works within me. So, if you're 00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:40.000 off a dead center and you're working and something's going on in your life, that's how you know that 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:46.440 you're saved. And by the way, if you're sitting here and you don't see any evidence of the transforming 00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:51.480 power of the gospel, there's nothing different about your life, there's no interest that has bearing 00:36:51.480 --> 00:36:55.480 on eternity, you probably have a good reason to kind of turn the page and check your birth certificate. 00:36:55.480 --> 00:37:03.860 So, let's ask the question, what's the believer been hardwired for? The statement is this, 00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:10.039 the believer is hardwired by salvation with a desire to make Christ look good. That's what it's about. 00:37:10.820 --> 00:37:17.820 The believer is hardwired by salvation with a desire to make Christ look good. That's the way we live. 00:37:17.820 --> 00:37:24.760 And by the way, if you don't see that interest and that affection in your life, I want to appeal to 00:37:24.760 --> 00:37:32.100 you that one of two things has happened. You may have drifted away, and what it says in the book of 00:37:32.100 --> 00:37:37.400 Revelation is that you may have lost your first love. Do you realize we have this perverse, 00:37:37.640 --> 00:37:43.100 incessant struggle with self inside? How many of you understand that? There's always this little battle 00:37:43.099 --> 00:37:47.599 of who gets to be God at the moment. And when things aren't going your way and you get miffed 00:37:47.599 --> 00:37:55.239 and irritated, it's because you've been worshiping at the wrong altar. But when our heart has been 00:37:55.239 --> 00:38:00.679 tuned by the Spirit of God to love the Lord God with all our heart and all our might, our interest is 00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:11.299 in making Him look good. And we work towards that end. So let me start with a closing question, 00:38:11.960 --> 00:38:17.539 several. Do you understand that the gospel announces that you are His workmanship and you're 00:38:17.539 --> 00:38:24.899 all about making Him look good? Ask that question to yourself. Do I understand that I am the product 00:38:24.900 --> 00:38:31.680 of the grace and power of God and I exist to make Him look good? Is that clear in your mind? It's all 00:38:31.680 --> 00:38:39.200 about Him, not me. Do you see Him at work leading you to desire the things of God? Remember that passage 00:38:39.200 --> 00:38:45.480 that we looked at in Titus chapter 2? It said that we are His possession and the characteristic of those 00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:50.740 who belong to Him is we're zealous, we're interested, we're passionate about good works. 00:38:50.739 --> 00:38:59.479 Do you see the evidence of Him helping you grow and grow in your interest in His glory? 00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:05.399 I ended up having a conversation last Wednesday evening with a particular individual that had 00:39:05.399 --> 00:39:09.519 not been able to go to church. In fact, this individual's not been able to go to church for 00:39:09.519 --> 00:39:16.979 quite some time. And this individual had kind of the attitude of, in the past, when health allowed it, 00:39:16.980 --> 00:39:23.159 go to church on a regular basis. But this person couldn't go this particular night. As I later on 00:39:23.159 --> 00:39:27.719 ended up in conversation talking with the person, I said, so what did you do while we were at church? 00:39:27.840 --> 00:39:34.320 Oh, well, what I did was I called on three of the people in our fellowship that are shut-ins, 00:39:34.539 --> 00:39:38.380 and I called to encourage them, and I called to pray with them. 00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:44.880 So how are you going to do when you get shut in? Can I tell you it's happening for all of us here? 00:39:44.880 --> 00:39:51.980 Father, eventually the day is coming when you are not able to do what you'd like to do now. 00:39:53.119 --> 00:39:59.760 And if your heart does not have a desire for the glory of Christ and an interest in making Him look 00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:04.980 good, you may just sit at home and fuss about the fact that you've gotten old. And by the way, 00:40:05.059 --> 00:40:13.860 nobody likes you. And nobody's calling you. And it just doesn't seem fair. 00:40:13.860 --> 00:40:18.500 Or you can pick up the phone and think about other people that are in a mess, 00:40:18.660 --> 00:40:22.160 and you can call them up and say, hey, how you doing? I've been praying for you. 00:40:24.079 --> 00:40:27.480 Let's go back to that Titus passage so we recognize what it says. 00:40:28.960 --> 00:40:36.180 He saved us so that we would be, what? Zealous for good works. 00:40:36.179 --> 00:40:42.619 Beloved, I want to challenge you this morning to ask yourself the practical question. 00:40:42.759 --> 00:40:49.559 Are you His workmanship? Do I see the evidence of a passion for the glory of Christ? 00:40:50.639 --> 00:40:58.019 Or am I sitting here this morning with a cloud over my soul that represents the burden and the sorrow 00:40:58.019 --> 00:41:03.440 and the shame and the heartache that sin creates? And I want to tell you, there is no remedy. 00:41:04.579 --> 00:41:10.679 There's no solution. But to humble yourself before God and cry out and say, 00:41:11.019 --> 00:41:15.420 I need Christ who died for my sins and has satisfied that debt. 00:41:15.659 --> 00:41:19.519 And I, with humility, say, I need Christ. 00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:22.179 Let's close in prayer. 00:41:26.940 --> 00:41:32.880 Our gracious Father, this morning as we revel in the truth of this scripture, 00:41:33.880 --> 00:41:41.019 as we rejoice in the power of the gospel that has delivered us from darkness and made us to be the children of God, 00:41:41.320 --> 00:41:46.179 we are recognizing today, because of what this verse says, that we're your workmanship. 00:41:46.179 --> 00:41:52.559 And one of the things that's a giveaway of your workmanship is that those who have been recreated or created anew 00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:55.419 are people who desire to make Christ look good. 00:41:56.559 --> 00:41:59.419 Forgive us for the times that we've drifted away from that goal. 00:42:00.500 --> 00:42:04.839 Give to us a renewed interest in the glory of our Savior. 00:42:05.699 --> 00:42:09.179 And for those who are here this morning and do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:42:09.299 --> 00:42:13.059 the Lord, I plead with you that you would touch their hearts this morning 00:42:13.059 --> 00:42:15.079 and they would be drawn to the cross. 00:42:16.279 --> 00:42:18.000 I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.