Ephesians chapter 2. Talk about
God's work. God's work. Boy, that was an outstanding
reading. Talk about all those new things. Oh, my. That's why I'll preach Sunday
next year. I'll remember that. I won't forget
that. You all will, but I won't." That
was wonderful. New things, new things. But look
what he says here in Ephesians 2.8, For by grace are ye saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God, and not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them." Now
what I want to talk about is that workmanship of God. God's
workmanship. God works and no man can hinder. He does what he will when he
does. He has no counsel of anybody. He said in chapter 1, verse 11,
that He works all things, works all things after the counsel
of His own will. He said, I worketh here too,
and who can hinder me? Who can stop me? And what God
does, the work that He does, is forever. What He does is forever. Now, have you ever seen that
in Ecclesiastes 3.14? Look over in Ecclesiastes 3.14.
That's Solomon, right before Isaiah. And then Ecclesiastes,
right before the Song of Solomon. But here in Ecclesiastes, chapter
3, what God does is forever. And this is what's so wonderful
about His work. He which hath begun a good work
in you, He will perform it. He will finish it. He's the author
and finisher of our faith. He's the one who's the author
of it. He's the one who gives it. He's the one who provides
it, and He's the one who will finish it or bring it to its
completion to the day that we enter into glory. But look what
is said here in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 14, that
what God does is forever. I know that. Whatsoever God doeth,
it shall be forever. Nothing can be put to it. You
reckon God need anything added to any work He does? Nor anything
taken from it. And God does it that men should
fear before Him. His work is perfect, and His
finishes it. And not only that, but what He
does, He does for His own glory. Ain't that what He said over
here in Ephesians 1, 6? To the praise of the glory of
His grace, when He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. He said in verse 14, which is
the earnest divine heritage of the redemption of the purchased
position under the praise of His glory. So listen, what He
does is for everyone. What He does, He does for His
own glory. And in these verses we have a
great work, a work that God Himself did, and a work that God Himself
does. And the first thing I want you
to see It says there in verse 10, we are His workmanship created. Created. Ephesians 2.10, we are
His workmanship created. When God saves a sinner, God
has to create out of nothing. You know, when God made the first
creation, when He spake the world into existence, the light shined
in darkness, And God said, let there be light, and there was
light. And he spake, God spake His word, and there was nothing
there, and then something came into existence. There was no
resistance in the original creation. God said, there will be light,
light came. God said, let there be the sun,
the sun was there. God said, let there be stars
for the night, there it was. God said, let there be fishes
in the sea, and there were fishes in the sea. God said, let there
be fruit, and there were fruit trees with fruit already on them.
God said, and nothing resisted Him. He just spake and it was
done in the original creation. But in saving us, there was all
the resistance that a human being could come up with to resist
God. He had to overcome You see, on the day of His power, we had
to be made women. He had to call us, and then when
He chose us, He had to then call us and bring us to Himself. We did not come without some
resistance. You see, He had to overcome all
of our rebellion. He had to overcome our enmity.
He had to overcome so many things, and the thing is that there was
nothing for him to work with, so he had to create something
and overcome so many obstacles in order to save us. There was
nothing good in us. Paul said, I know that in me,
that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. So that's the
kind of people he's going to save. And that's why he said
tonight, he said, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. And that's why our Lord Jesus
Christ says that with the Baptist born of flesh, that's all it'll
ever be. But he said, except the man be born again of the
water and the Spirit, the Word and the Holy Ghost, that he can't
have life. He'll just be flesh. And so the
words that I speak unto you, the Spirit and the Light, and
Christ comes and He creates us as people, new creatures. When
God saves a sinner, and He does this work, He creates us, and
He brings into existence a man that was not there before. I
really believe that. When we talk about a new creation
made for takers of divine nature, there's a person there that never
existed, but there was a day that you was dead, and then there
was a day you was alive. There was a day you lived in
darkness, and then there was a day the light came. There was
a day God wasn't in your thoughts, and then the next day, God began
to break in on your thoughts, and you began to think about
Him, and then after a while, you thought about Him all the
time. There was a time you didn't have any need whatsoever, and
now that's all you do have is needs. There was a time that
you was full of self, and now you're full of Christ and want
to be empty of self. How does those things happen?
It's a creation. God creates a spiritual man,
a man with faith, a man with spiritual love, A man who has
spiritual needs, a spiritual hunger, a spiritual thirst, a
delight in God's Word, wants to be with God's people. As God commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, He has shined in our hearts to give
the light, the light, What light? The light of God's glory. Where's that light at? God's
glory in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He shined
that, the knowledge of God's glory, into our hearts and dwells
in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what He did. So you see,
we're first of all the work He created. We're creation. Then
look at the one who does the work. For we are His work machine. This creation is His workmanship. Oh my, you mean what part did
I have in it? Did it say you had any part there? For we are His workmanship. You
see, God makes the choice of who He's going to create. He
has no counsel. You know, you know in Daniel,
you know this very well, Daniel 4.35. that God doeth according
to his will in the armies of heaven among the inhabitants
of the earth, and no man can stay his hand to say unto him,
What doest thou? Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name be glory, for thy mercy and thy truth's
sake. For they say, David, where now is thy God? David said, Our
God's in the heavens. That's where he's at. What is
he doing? Whatever pleases him. Whatever
he's pleased to do. That's what he does. Look over
at Psalm 33 with me just a moment. You see, it's his workmanship. We're his workmanship. Mr. Spurgeon told the story on
himself one time. He was walking through London. And he'd run across a man, and
you know, he preached to 5,000 to 7,000 people in every service.
And he'd go to places and have services where 18,000 to 20,000
people would gather around, and he had the voice that those people
could hear him. And he was walking through London
one day, and he'd run across a fellow, and the fellow was
about half drunk and half lit, you know, and feeling good, and
he said, Nice to see you." He said, you
know, I went to the tabernacle, I got saved. I'm one of your
converts. Mr. Spurgeon said, evidently, you're
one of mine. God surely didn't do it for you. He said, so yeah,
you'd be one of mine. Because there's a great difference
in God's workmanship and man's workmanship. Great difference
in what God does for a man and what man does for himself. I'll
tell this story. There was a man here this morning.
I remember years ago, years and years ago, and he was dating
one of the young women in the church, and he came to service
a time or two, and he decided he was going to come to the altar
at the end of the service, over in the old building. He got down
and just prayed and prayed and prayed, you know, stood there,
and he jumped up and said, I'm saved, I'm saved, I'm saved. And he'd
come the next Sunday and never seen him no more. I've seen him
out on the street, Dad, and he was here this morning. You know, if God don't do the
work, you can pray and cry and do everything in the world. We're
His workmanship. Look what He said here in Psalm
33, in verse 8. Let all the earth fear the Lord. All the inhabitants of the world
stand in awe of Him. Why? For He spake, and it was
done. He commanded, and it stood fast. Oh my, so when God does something,
when He commands something, it's done. It's done. And when it's
done, it's going to stand fast. It's going to stand fast. You
know, God works in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Look in Jeremiah 33, or Jeremiah
18, just a moment. Jeremiah 18. You see, we're the
potter, and He's the clay. And he makes, you know, Adam
out of the same lung. Ain't that what Paul said in
Romans? He said, out of the same lung.
He makes one a vessel of honor and another a vessel of dishonor.
One a vessel of mercy, one a vessel of wrath. But he makes it out
of the same lung. The human race, as far as he's concerned, is
a lump of clay. And when he took Adam out of the dust of the earth,
he took that clay. He said, from dust thou comest,
to dust thou shalt return. He took him out of the clay,
took him out of the dust, and Adam means man of the red earth. So he brought him out of the
dust. Brought him up. And he breathed into his nostrils,
and he became a living soul. And he became a living soul,
and so God considered the whole human race coming out of that
clay, coming out of that mud. And he made Adam to suit himself,
and then he made Eve to suit himself out of Adam's rib. That's
the way he does in saving sinners. He saves whom he will, and makes
new creations, and does the workmanship for whom he will. But it's out
of the same lot. Now look what he said in Jeremiah
18.1. The word which came to Jeremiah
from the Lord, saying, Jeremiah, get up, go down to the potter's
house, and I'm going to cause you to hear my words when you
get down there. I'm going to speak to you when you get down
there. Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he
rolled the work on the wheels, and the vessel that he made of
clay was marred in the hand of the potter. So he made it again another vessel. Now listen to it, as it seemed
good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came
to me, saying, O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this
potter, saith the Lord? Behold, as clay is in the potter's
hand, so are you in my hand. O house of Israel, the Spirit
of Israel, you are in your hands. And I'll tell you what, you're
in the best hands that there could possibly be. You know,
we talk about doctors, that's the best. You know, if you got
him for a surgeon, you've got the best. He's got the best hands
with a knife. Now listen, when you're in God's hands, and you're clay in His
hands, that's why we want, have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine
own way. Have thine own way. Have thine
own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine
own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine
own way. Have thine own way. Have thine
own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own
way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have thine own way. Have
thine own way. Have th Waiting and still. That's what we want.
And that's why He says, He that has begun a good work in you,
we're His workmanship. He begun that good work, and
it's a good work, because it's God's work. And it'll do until
it finishes. Then look at the workmanship.
So it's a creation. The one who does it, the one
who creates, is God Himself, His workmanship. He didn't ask
us if we wanted to be made. He didn't say, you want to be
made a vessel of wrath or a vessel of honor? I'm going to leave
it up to you, to your choice. I'm going to leave it up to your
free will. I'm going to leave it up to your power. Oh my. Thank God He don't do that. But
look what it says. Now here's the workmanship. Here's
what He done. First He created us. He did the
work. And then look what it says. Who
is He works on? For we are His. We are His. We are. You see, the character
of the workman is seen in the workmanship. Now, you know, you look at somebody's
work and you say, boy, he really does good work, don't he? He really does outstanding work.
Well, when you look at me and you, we say, well, we don't,
you know, we look at ourselves, don't amount to much. But we've
got to look at what God did. Would God make something? This is what's so mysterious
to me. You see, every sinner God saves is an exhibition of
His grace. It's an exhibition of His mercy.
It's an exhibition of His great love. Look in Hebrews. Now, keep
Ephesians. Look over in Hebrews with me
just a moment. Chapter 3. Hebrews chapter 3. Every sinner is an exhibition
of His grace, His mercy, His great, great love. And look what He said here, Wherefore,
holy brethren, the takers of the heavenly calling, consider
the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. That's who we profess. We profess
the Lord Jesus Christ to be our apostle, our high priest. And
this one who's our profession, the one we profess, who was faithful
to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all
his house. For this man, Christ Jesus, was
accounted worthy of more glory than Moses, as he does who hath
built a house more honored than the house itself. For every house
is built by some man, but now listen to it, but he that built
all things is God. And that's what we are. What's
his workmanship? We are. We are. And that's what
he says, for the great love we're with, he loved us. Loved us. Even when He quickened us together
with Christ, when we were dead in trespasses and sin, raised
us up, made us set together in Christ, that in the ages to come
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and kindness towards
us through Christ. And every sinner who He saves
is not only an exhibition of His grace, and we know that. I'm telling you what, if we're
saved, we're saved by grace. I mean, saved by grace. We absolutely
contribute nothing to our salvation. Nothing. Get... We got... Oh,
God help us to always understand that. We're saved by grace. Overcoming grace, sovereign grace,
free grace, powerful grace, saving grace, converting grace. It's
the God of all grace who has saved us and established us. We're trophies and exhibitions
of His mercy. We sing that old song, you know,
what was it? You know, in the cross, you know,
I'll lay my trophies down. That old song, what was it we
used to sing? At the old rugged cross. And we'd lay our trophies
down. We ain't got no trophies to lay
down. If there's any trophies there,
He has various trophies. You know, when we get there,
He gets all the glory just like He does here. When we get there,
we're going to say we're here because He brought us. We're here because He saved us.
Mary, on the way home today, she said, I sent something, a
message this morning. She said, it's just like a light
turned on. She said, it's just like a light turned on. She said,
God is so gracious to speak at just when you need something.
She said, you said something about that he will come and take
me home. She said, I don't know how to
get there. I can't get there from here. Said, but bless his
name, he's going to come and take me. I can't go on my own. I can't get that from Him, but
He said, He's coming to take me home. So, you see, He came
and took us. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and callsest and bringest to thyself. And He'll bring many
sons unto glory. So grace came and laid hold on
us. And once grace laid hold on us,
it will not let us go. And bless His name, that's what
I'm telling you. We're His trophies and His mercy
and His great love. That every sinner, not only are
we an exhibition of His grace, but every sinner who He saves
is an exhibition of His holiness and His righteousness. I mean, beloved, He creates us
in righteousness and true holiness. And look what else he says, not
only have we created us, but he created us under good works. I don't know what they are, but
I do know this, that when they done it, they do them. I can
tell you a lot of good works you all have done towards me.
And look what else, look where he
works at. Look where he works at. Back there in our text. Now, we are His workmanship.
He created us first. Then He makes the choice of who
He creates. He's sovereign in His creation.
We're the clay and He's the potter. Then the workmanship, the workmanship,
we are. What is His workmanship? We are.
We are. We. And where in the world does
He work at? Where does He do this at? Huh? In Christ Jesus. Where does He do this work at?
Where does He create this creation at? Where does He do this workman
at? Where does He make this salvation by grace? Where does He give
ever sinners wholeness and righteousness? Created in Christ Jesus. Huh? Oh, God does all by Christ. Everything he does for a sinner,
he does it by Christ. And all that he does for a sinner,
he does it for Christ's sake. Everything that happens to us
in this world, all because of his blessed Son. Look there in
verse 3 of chapter 1. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Oh, beloved,
back over here in Ephesians 1.6, it says, "...has raised us up
together, made us set together in heavenly places in Christ."
He's going to show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness
toward us through our Lord Jesus Christ. We were without Christ
and without God strangers from the commonwealth of Israel. Verse
13, but now says, but now in Jesus Christ, ye who sometimes
were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. He is our
peace. Oh my, if any man be in Christ. Oh, that's it. Listen to me now. Over here in chapter one, look
what it says. He chose us in Christ. Verse
four, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world. Huh? He adopted us in Christ,
but He hath predestined us, verse five, to the adoption of Jesus
Christ to Himself. He's made us accepted, in verse
six, in the Beloved. We have redemption through His
blood. And oh, Beloved, listen. And
He creates us in Christ. And here's the thing about God.
God's not bound by space, and God's not bound by time. There's
no boundaries to where God can work and create. He can be creating
on the other side of the world and working here at the same
time. He can be working in the far north and the deep south,
in the east and the west, and everything in between at the
same time. You know, and race don't hinder
him. Boy, he might be saving a black
person over in Africa right now. He might be saving a Mexican
down there where Cody's preaching tonight in Mérida. He might be saving some Chinese
man over in China. Or somebody sent them a Bible,
and they're reading it, and they're trying to meet in some house
somewhere, because it's against the law yet. And language? He's not bound by language. He
understands every language of every person on the face of this
earth. He don't just speak English, you know. He don't speak Southern. He don't speak redneck. He has every language. He knows
every language. Somebody's talking to him in
Chinese, he understands it. Somebody's speaking to him in
Spanish, he understands it. He understands the Russian. He
understands. He understands. And, oh, beloved,
and he works at any time. He works 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week. Three hundred and sixty days
a year. Year after year after year, thousand years after thousand
years, millennial after millennial. Works all the time. He's working somewhere all the
time. And the age? What's age got to do with it?
He can save a nine-year-old or a ninety. Can't he? Not bound by age. He's not bound by place. And
he's not bound by man's sin. And that's the wonderful thing
at all. They don't keep him from savings. And let me show you
something over in 1 Timothy 1.15. Paul said that he was the pattern. He's the pattern of salvation.
In 1 Peter 1.15. Excuse me, 1 Timothy, not Peter,
1 Timothy. Oh, there's a pattern. Paul says
this, Ephesians 1 Timothy 1.15, this is a faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came to save, into
the world to save sinners, and I'm the chief. Howbeit for this
cause I obtain mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ, might
show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should
believe on Him in everlasting life. God has a pattern. He saves sinners, the chief of
sinners. And He has a purpose, and that purpose is His eternal
purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ. All is in Him. When you read
Romans 8, 30, it says, for whom he did for know, them he also
called, who he called, he justified, he glorified, he, he, he, he,
he. Everything is by him. God has
never, at any time, in any place, ever done a work apart from his
Son. Never. Who do you think it was
that walked with Adam in the cool of the day? It was the Lord
Jesus Christ. Who do you think sat down with
Abraham in the front of his tent? It was the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who do you think got a hold of Jacob and wrestled him and threw
his leg out of joint and named him a prince of Israel, a prince
with God? Who do you think that called
Isaiah and said, Oh, woe is me? In all times, in all ages, in
all places, He did and He does all things by His blessing, son. And I bless Him for that. Amen. Our Father, O gracious, gracious
Father, Oh, You gave us a day, a day
of rest, a day of peace, a day of joy, a day of the gospel,
a day of rejoicing, a day of worship, a day of Your Word having
power in our lives, giving us great, great encouragement, life,
renewing us for a few days. Oh, Lord, we thank You for it.
And, Father, bless You for the saints that come here to hear
the gospel. love the gospel, need the gospel,
that need Christ, I thank you for them. And God, we do ask
that you take us in hand as you take children and teach us, guide
us, direct us, uphold us, and help us, Lord Jesus, to always
wait upon you and work in us and cause us to seek Your grace,
to Your glory, and teach us more of Yourself. We ask these things
in Your holy name. Amen. Amen.