they'd like to be here. I asked
Scott, if he would, to read those verses to you in Ephesians chapter
2. We'll take our text from Ephesians
2 in just a moment. The title of my message with
verses 7 through 10 of that chapter will be Trophies of Grace. Trophies of Grace. Now I want
to introduce or use as an introduction to that message from Ephesians
some verses from Jeremiah chapter 18. Let's read these together. Jeremiah verses 1 through 6,
Jeremiah 18. The word which came to Jeremiah
from the Lord saying, Arise and go down to the potter's house
and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down
to the potter's house and behold, behold, stop, pause, take a moment
to behold, behold, he, that is the potter, the potter, not the
clay, not the clay, the potter wrought a work on the wheels. Remember what Scott read a moment
ago, verse 10 of Ephesians 2? We are his workmanship, the potter's,
God Almighty. Verse 4, And the vessel that
he made of clay was mired in the hand of the potter, so he
made it again, another vessel, as seemed good to the potter
to make it. It seems like all this work is
the potter's doing, isn't it? Then the word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, O house of Israel, Cannot I do with you as this
potter, saith the Lord? Behold, as the clay is in the
potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel." Now
back to Ephesians chapter 2. Trophies of grace. That's exactly
what believers are. Trophies of God's grace. Believers
are sinners who've been conquered who've been conquered by the
grace of God. Let me ask you this. Would anything
less than that, the conquering grace of God, do what Paul makes
mention of here in verse 1? I mean, look at the clay. Dead
and trespasses in sins. Now, what else but the mighty
power of the mighty God could raise a dead sinner to life?
Now, I know we're accustomed to hearing in our day, on every
hand. Springfield, I'm sure, we're
not in Springfield now, we're in Nixa. Doesn't matter. Whatever town you're in, there
are churches on every corner. And in most of those places,
sad to say, people are being told, salvation is easy. It's easy as 1, 2, 3. And it's
all up to you. As a matter of fact, it's so
simple, it's such a simple thing, We're told on every hand that
if you'll just take the first step, God will take the rest. If you'll do your part, God will
do His part. Thank God that's not true. Thank
God that that's not true. Paul says God quickened the potter
did this work. We're His workmanship. He quickened
us who were dead, dead in trespasses and sins. That's why I call this
message Trophies of grace. Believers are sinners, I repeat
it again, who've been conquered by God's reigning grace. Would anything less than that
produce a believer out of a rebel? Would anything less than God's
reigning grace, and by the way, Paul in Romans 5 describes God's
grace as being reigning grace, abounding grace, where sin abounded
Grace doth much more abound. What else but that could raise
dead sinners to life but the reigning grace of God Almighty.
I remember hearing Brother Mahan years ago tell a story during
a message that he was preaching. Someone asked Henry, is salvation
forever? Brother Mahan, is salvation forever? Is God's salvation an everlasting
salvation? And Henry said, well, it depends
on who does the saving. Who does the saving? If salvation
is man's work, then Henry said, no, it won't be forever. It won't
be eternal. It won't last if it's man's doing.
If man has a part in it, any part whatsoever. But if salvation
is God's work, If sinners are the workmanship of God's creation
in Christ Jesus, as we read in verse 10, then Henry said, yes,
it will be forever. And thank God that's so. God's
salvation is an everlasting salvation. He, Paul wrote in Philippians
1, He, that is God, who's begun a good work in you, and that's
what the work of grace is. It's a good work. He that's begun
this good work in you will perform it, will carry it on until the
day of Jesus Christ. Because we're his workmanship
and God has never started something that he didn't finish. I do that
often. I bite off more than I can chew. A few weeks ago at home, In my
backyard are some huge pine trees, just enormous pine trees, and
they are constantly shedding needles, especially through the
winter. And most of the time in the six years I've been there,
I just use the mower just to blow them over under the pines.
But I looked at them a few weeks ago and I thought, well, it's
probably time to rake those things up and bag them up. So I got
out there and started doing that. I mean I had I think it was 42
gallon bags and I stuffed them and stuffed them and stuffed
them and I think I had 12 bags sitting around and I looked at
all those needles under those big pine trees and I thought
I've not made a dent. Not made a dent and I thought
you know what? I think they'll look okay for
one more year. Let's just keep blowing them
under the tree. And that was a job I thought,
I wish I'd never started. This is more than I cared to
do. God Almighty never does that. God Almighty has never put His
hand to anything that He didn't complete. And His great work
of salvation, look at verse 7 here in Ephesians 2. His great work
of salvation is that work. that in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus. He will, so to speak, with each
trophy of His grace Every chosen, redeemed, called, preserved sinner
will be brought to glory and will be put on God's display
case forever as evidence and proof of His reigning, conquering,
abounding grace. And every one of them will willingly
cast their crowns before the throne of the Lamb and cry, He's
worthy. He's worthy. He's redeemed us
with His own blood and brought us to God. Ephesus, where the
believers were that Paul wrote this epistle to, you have the
record of Paul's being there recorded in Acts chapter 19.
Paul was in Ephesus. Ephesus was the place where they
had the great temple of the false goddess Diana. You can read that
in Acts 19. And Paul went there preaching,
greater is the Lord Jesus Christ. They said, Great is our goddess
Diana. Her image fell down from Jupiter. And Paul said, Oh no. No, God
doesn't dwell in a temple made with hands. God Almighty is God
over all. And those silversmiths, Demetrius
I think was his name, called together his other craftsmen
and he said, We're in trouble here. This Paul, he's preaching
that We don't create gods with our own hands. He's preaching
that God's the creator. We're in trouble. We're about
to lose our livelihood here. You recall that? These are the
people that Paul wrote this epistle to. Because even there in that
adulterous city, God's reigning grace called out a people for
His namesake. And those are the folks that
Paul writes this epistle to. Yes, the temple of Diana was
one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. But here is a
greater wonder. Here is a greater creation. God
Almighty has created sinners new in Christ Jesus. Look again at verse 10. We're
His workmanship. That's what salvation is. It's
not what you do for God. What have you ever done for God? What have I ever done for God
Almighty that wasn't polluted with sin? I'll tell you what, nothing.
Zip. Nothing at all. I've never had
a thought, prayed a prayer, gave, preached a message that wasn't
full of sin. There's enough pride in what
I'm doing right now apart from the grace of God to condemn me
to hell. That's just a fact. That's just
a fact. I'm just telling you the truth. I'm being honest with
you. It's not my works, it's His works. Salvation, we're told,
from beginning to end of this book is of the Lord. Which part? Every part. Every part. The calling. First of all, look
where God finds us. Dead in sin. Now, what are you
going to do? By nature, I'm dead in sin. And preachers have told me all
my life, Larry, God's done all He can. It's up to you. If you'll
take the first step, Take the first step. Joe, I'm
dead in sin. I can't take the first step.
Or the second step. Or any other step. God Almighty
must do it. And He does that. Through the
grace that is in Christ Jesus. Salvation is God's work. And
we are the conquest of God's mighty grace. That's what believers
are. Paul sure had a lot to say about
grace, didn't he? In all of his epistles, just
about, perhaps without exception, he closes them with the same
thing that ran throughout. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all, he would say. The grace of God that is in Christ
Jesus. It was to the elders of the churches
in this very place, Ephesus, that Paul met. And we read of
that in Acts chapter 20. He met them on a little isle
called Miletus because he didn't want to be detained in Ephesus.
He's on his way to Jerusalem. And he met the elders of the
church there. And he said in Acts, let's turn
there if you will. Acts chapter 20. Acts 20 verse
24. This is what Paul said. He described
his ministry. And this is how he describes
it. Oh, God, give me grace that I can say the same. After telling
them that he's going bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that await him there, that shall befall
him there except this. Paul said, I know. God's already
told me that bonds and afflictions abide me. They're just waiting
for me. But look what he says in verse
24. None of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish
my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the
Lord Jesus, that do what, Paul? protest, change laws and social
reform? No, Paul, what has God Almighty
called you to do? What is the whole scope of your
ministry? What is the one thing God Almighty
commands you to do? Paul says, "...which I have received
of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
That's what the gospel is, King. It's the message of God's grace
that only comes to sinners through the channel, the conduit, if
you will, of His glorious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder,
I wonder if Paul were alive today. If Paul was among us today, and
he attended the average, the average worship service, Whether
it would be contemporary, because you have your choice, you know,
contemporary or traditional, whatever suits you, whatever
pleases you, whatever makes people happy and keeps the crowd coming
back, but whether it be contemporary or traditional, and Paul heard
the average message being preached today. You know what? He wouldn't
recognize it. He wouldn't recognize it. Because
it's not the gospel of God's free grace. It's about man and
not about God. Sinners are told to do something
for God, to give God a chance. My soul, I remember as a young
man, whenever somebody would buttonhole me and try to get
me to make a decision, they would say, well now, won't you let
God? Later, I thought about that. Let God, Levi, if God Almighty
needs my help, we're both in trouble. If God Almighty needs
this worm's help, He's not much of a God. And He can't help me. I need a mighty God. I need God
who doesn't offer grace, God who bestows grace. I need God
and grace through Jesus Christ that doesn't attempt to save
me. He saved me. Is that not what
we read in Ephesians 10 a moment ago when Scott read it? He has
saved us by his grace. He didn't attempt to do it. Bless
his name. He did it. A few weeks ago was
during the week that Valentine's Day fell in. I was driving through
the town I live in and one church had out on their sign, God is
better than the best chocolate. And I thought to myself, what
an ignorant pastor. How ignorant to allow such nonsense
to be broadcast. and how sad it is for the congregation
that has such a pastor and they see nothing wrong with that.
You say, Larry, that's kind of harsh. No, it's not. No, it's
not. What's harsher? What's harsher? I'll tell you what's harsher.
Telling lies on God, as Scott Richardson used to say. Men telling
lies on God Almighty. Today's Gospel, which Paul in
Galatians 1 called another Gospel, it talks about man's ability
but nothing about God's ability. It talks about man's worth, but
not about God's worth. About man's will, but not about
God's will. Paul in Romans 9, that familiar
verse, said it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth. That's good news. Is that good
news to you? Is it good news to you to hear,
salvation's not of my will? That's exactly what Paul's saying
there. Romans 9 verse 16. And he's speaking of salvation.
And of that salvation he says, it's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth. Then what is it, Paul? What is
it that saves a sinner? What is the explanation of sinners
saved? And he said, it's of God that
showeth mercy. Notice again in Ephesians chapter
2, verse 4, Paul has described us by nature as all being in
the same boat. dead in trespasses and sins. We're in a helpless condition
and whether you like it or not, or want to think about it or
not, if God Almighty doesn't do for you what you cannot in
any way do for yourself, you'll go to hell. Oh, but look, verse
4, but God, but God, I'll tell you what, that's good news. to every sinner that God Almighty,
as Ralph Barnard used to say, when God gets a sinner lost. Have you ever been lost? Have
you ever been lost? I don't mean give a casual, uncaring
lip service to the question that I'm a sinner. Yeah, yeah, I guess
I'm a sinner. No, I don't mean that. I don't
mean that sort of flippant attitude. I mean being stripped. being
brought down by God's Holy Spirit, being convinced as only God Almighty
can convince you. Man, you're lost. You're lost.
You're lost. And there's nothing I can do
about it. I'm in God's hands. And it's
up to Him. It's not up to me. It's up to
God whether He saves me or not. Ever been in that place? You
ever been like That one our Lord spoke about in Luke 7, when He
was speaking to that self-righteous Pharisee who was embarrassed,
offended, that that woman came into this house, came into His
house uninvited and began to wash the Lord's feet, that woman
who was a sinner. And Simon looked down his self-righteous
nose and said, hmm, this man's not a prophet like the multitudes
claim he is because if he was, he wouldn't allow that woman
to touch him. She's a sinner. Simon would never
allow her to touch him. He was a self-righteous Pharisee.
You remember what our Lord said to that self-righteous Pharisee,
that man who had need of nothing? Simon, there were two debtors.
One owed 50 pence and one owed 500 pence. And when they had,
get this, when they had nothing to pay. You ever been there? Nothing to pay. God's justice calls for payment. God's holy law that you and I
have both broken from the day we were born until right now
demands perfection. People say, how good does a man
have to be to be saved? As good as God Almighty. As good as God Almighty. Now
you bring your best works, your best efforts, your best thoughts. Bring it all and pile it up.
Good is God Almighty. Compare it to God's righteousness
and you'll, by God's grace, confess, it's all filthy rags. I've got
nothing to pay. God's justice demands payment
and I've got nothing to pay. Oh, it's then. It's then. As
our Lord said, His grace and mercy will be such a blessed
relief to you When you have nothing to pay to hear the words of the
Master, say, I forgive you. He frankly, the word for frankly
is freely. He freely forgave them both. Yes, when justice called for
payment, it was more than I could give. Oh, but mercy smiled upon
me, saying, I forgive, but God. But God, who is rich in mercy
and grace, we are His workmanship. He's the Creator. We're the product. This is the climax, so to speak,
verse 10, of Paul's argument. He's saying salvation's by grace.
It's not by works. You read it there. We read it
together. And the reason God does this,
that in the ages to come, He might show what grace accomplished. What His will brought forth.
what the grace that's in Christ Jesus accomplished. By grace
are you saved through faith, verse 8. It's not of works. And the hammer, so to speak,
that Paul brings down and hits that nail squarely on the head
is verse 10. So far is it that salvation cannot
be by the works of man, Paul says, we are the works. We're the workmanship. We're
the product. We didn't produce our sets. Behold,
Jeremiah said. Behold, he wrought a work, the
potter, upon the wheel. I like the old hymn that Augusta
Toplady wrote. A debtor to mercy alone. This
is how he expressed it. He said, The work which His goodness
began, that is God, the arm of His strength will complete. His
promise is yea and amen, and never was forfeited yet. Things
future, nor things that are now, nor all things below or above,
can make Him His purpose forego, or sever my soul from His love. Man, that's good. I like that,
Scott. I can rap up in that. This sinner
can lay down at night by the grace of God, saying, I know
whom I have believed, knowing that he will never forsake the
work of his hand. Wrapped up in the perfect righteousness
of Jesus Christ, I lay my head upon the pillow of God's sovereign
grace, and I can sleep well, because it's well with my soul."
That's the good hope that a sinner has through grace alone. that is in the Lord Jesus. The
top lady went on to write, My name from the palms of his hands,
eternity will not erase, impressed on his heart it remains, in marks
of indelible grace. Yes, I to the end shall endure,
as sure as the earnest is given, more happy, but not more secure,
the glorified spirits in heaven. You see, if we are His workmanship,
And that's what we're plainly told here. Then the responsibility
of those the Lord redeemed. Didn't attempt to redeem, but
redeemed. Those who he calls out of darkness
into his marvelous light. It's his responsibility to bring
them the glory, Joe. It's not up to them, it's up
to him. If I'm his workmanship, If I'm
the product of His grace, if God Almighty by His blessed Spirit
has created me a new creature in Christ Jesus and I don't end
up in glory, you know who it will reflect on? You know who
it will... I'm trying to find a right word. You know who it will dishonor?
It won't be me. It'll be Christ. It'll be Christ. But He said, Father, I've given
eternal life to all those whom you've given Me. He said concerning
His sheep, no man can pluck them out of My hand. The Father who
gave them to Me, John 10, is greater than all. And no man
can pluck them out of My Father's hand. And no man can pluck them
out of My hand. My sheep hear My voice and they
follow Me and they shall never perish. That's good news to this
helpless sinner. That's why I turn, if you will,
to Revelation chapter 7. You know, back home I have a
little glass case that sits in the corner. I don't know what
you call that thing. You ladies do. But it just sits
in the corner. And it's glass. Almost all of
it's glass. And there's shelves on it. And
I have some pictures. But I have one thing there. That's
a trophy. It's the only trophy I got. And
I won it for a par-3 contest at Lindsey Campbell's reunion. I know you don't know Lindsey,
but he's in the church in Danville. Perhaps some of you do know him.
But it was part of his fan reunion. They would have a par-3 contest,
and I won it. And they gave me a trophy. It
says right there on it, 2005 Campbell reunion par-3 champion. Man, come by sometime Joe, I'll
show it to you. If you want me to, I'll take
a picture and send it. But that's the only trophy I've
got. God Almighty, God Almighty has
a multitude of trophies. He's got trophies Sinners conquered
by His sovereign grace, kept by grace, brought to glory by
grace. He's got a multitude of miracles. Look here in Revelation chapter
7 verse 9. John said, After this I beheld. There's that word again. Behold,
behold. Isn't this a sight? Isn't this
something to look at? And lo, a great multitude which
no man could number. Now I know you've probably had
this experience, but when it leaks out that you believe that
awful, terrible doctrine of election. Ooh, election. Ooh, that boogeyman. Most churches today would rather
you utter a curse word in from the pulpit than to mention election. Oh, but God's electing love.
He brings a multitude of those he chose to salvation. And the
Great Shepherd presents them all back to God who gave them
to Him in that eternal covenant of election. And you know what
will be the boast of the Captain of our salvation? The firstborn
among many brethren, that one in whom the Lord is creating
His image in all of His people. It will be the boast of our Great
Shepherd. Father, here they are. Here they
are, Father. Here I am. and all the sheep,
all those you have given me, here I am, Father, and the children
that you gave me, I lost none. My soul! What a Savior! My soul! What grace! What power! I mean, I sometimes think what
mighty grace He possesses. John said, we saw him full of
grace and truth, ever flowing. How much grace is necessary to
keep this sinner? To keep me? But the captain of
our salvation is keeping a multitude of sinners. His grace will be
sufficient to bring every one of them to glory. Everyone that
has experienced His grace will taste His glory. And it will
be the boast of the captain of our salvation, Father, here I
am, and here's all the children that you gave me. I didn't lose
any. Is it any wonder that they cry
in heaven, worthy is the Lamb?" Isn't he something? Isn't he
something? After this, I beheld and lo,
a multitude which no man can number, of all nations and kindreds
and people and tongues, stood before the throne. and before
the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. And
what do they cry? What is the theme of the song
in glory? Cried with a loud voice, Salvation
to our God, we're His workmanship, which saith upon the throne and
unto the Lamb. In Romans chapter 8, Paul said
that the reason that all things work together for our good is
because God Almighty, the Great Potter, of whose workmanship
we are, is by all those things, valleys, mountaintops, joyful
and heartaches. All things work together for
our good. Why? Because He's conforming us to
the image of his dear son. Look what the potter is doing. We're his workmanship. Created
in Christ Jesus, he's created the very image of Christ in his
people. And in that day, when we stand
before him, even the omniscient God The all-knowing God will
look upon every one of the Lord's redeemed ones and He'll say,
I see nothing, no fault in them, no blemish, no sin, nothing. Everything I see in them, I'm
pleased with because they're accepted and to be loved. Isn't
it any wonder that Paul says he'll put redeemed sinners on
the display case of heaven as evidence of His reigning grace. Verse 7 again, that in the ages
to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. This must be a gracious, gracious
work, this work of grace. And this must be a perfect work
because the great potter is fashioning us, the redeemed, into the image
of His dear Son. And last of all, this workmanship,
it must glorify Him who does it. After all, from whom do we
receive grace? Where does grace come from? It's not something we can muster
up. It's not something we can merit.
It's certainly not something we can demand, no, or something
we deserve. Grace is free, free. And it comes,
as we said a moment ago, only through Christ. And that one
for whom we receive all the grace should have all the glory. Glory
to His name. Great things He has done. God will show the beauty of his
workmanship. Sinners redeemed with wonder
tale. My Jesus has done all things
well. What a comfort. What a good hope. Grace gives sinners. Redeemed
by Jesus blood. and called by grace, and kept
by the power of God, until that day He brings us all back into
the presence of the Father, who entrusted all of His elect into
the hands of His Son. And His Son became responsible
for us in that covenant of everlasting grace. You see, salvation was
not an afterthought on the part of God. God's never had a new thought. Oh no. If God Almighty saves
a sinner this morning, if He opens your heart and drops in
eternal life, it won't be something He decided to do today. No, He's
God. He never changes. If He saves
you today, He must have purpose to do it yesterday, and yesterday
and before the foundation of the world, and that's exactly
so. And all those that He chose, Christ died for. He said, I laid
down my life for the sheep. I'm laying down my life for the
sheep. And glory to His name, He redeemed His sheep with His
own precious blood in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul said, in order
that He might present it to Himself without spot or blemish or any
such thing. Glory to His name. I hope God
will allow you to find comfort in the blessed reminder that
we are His workmanship, salvations of the Lord. God bless you. Thank
you for your time.