Ephesians 2:8-9

Please open up your Bibles again to Ephesians chapter 2. We'll be focusing on verses 8 and 9.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

I used to be really into art and painting when I was younger.

And at one point in my life I actually wanted to be a painter. That was my dream. I think I might take it up in retirement.

And I used to love in particular the Impressionists, and I still do. I love them.

They were a style of painters in the 19th century.

And Monet was one of my heroes.

And I remember going to the National Gallery for the first time as a teenager.

And they have a room full of Monet paintings.

And I remember when I first entered that, and I saw a real-life Monet close-up.

And I was just blown away.

I felt this, I kind of felt it in my stomach. I think my breath actually was taken away.

And my first thought was, this guy's a genius.

How on earth did he do this?

Yes, I loved the painting. It was gorgeous.

But it sent my mind to the artist.

The painting said so much about Monet.

His mind, his skill, his craft, his genius.

You look at the work, and it displays what the artist is like.

And up close in the National Gallery, you can see all the details.

How he painted the brushstrokes, the subtlety of colour, the contrast, the shape, the light.

You actually see how he's done it.

You see the details.

And you can't help but think, man, Monet is a genius.

Well, that is like God's work in salvation.

If salvation is the artwork, if God has done work in this world, a masterpiece, and it's called The Salvation of Sinners,

then that masterpiece tells us what God is like.

You can study that painting, look up close, and see exactly how he painted it,

and then know of the genius and the character of God.

And that's what I want us to do tonight.

I want us to stand right by the masterpiece and see just how exactly God saves us.

I want us to see the brushstrokes of salvation.

And these two verses we're looking at tonight, verses 8 and 9,

this is the up close of the masterpiece.

This is the very heart of Christianity.

I've said before that Ephesians 2, 1 to 10,

is quite possibly the best summary of the gospel.

Well, these verses are the summary of the summary.

This is the heart.

If you want to memorise a verse about the gospel, verse 8 would probably be it.

By grace, you have been saved through faith.

In the gospels, Jesus speaks of weightier matters of the law.

So all the law, all the Bible is important.

There isn't a word you can take out of it.

But some things are weightier.

Some things in the Bible matter, and some really, really matter.

And these verses we have in front of us,

these are some of the heaviest.

If you could carry these verses in your pocket, you would hit the deck.

And so we need to stand up close to these verses.

And I want us to just to take in the brushstrokes.

And this is for two reasons.

Firstly, because this verse is about how we are saved.

How the dead are raised to life.

How this dark world can be rescued.

So if you take this verse away, if you ignore this painting,

if you compromise on this, then salvation itself is at stake.

But secondly, and this is an even bigger reason,

we need an up close of this painting because this verse tells us about the artist.

So do you remember from this morning the goal of why God is saving sinners?

What is the purpose behind why anyone here is raised from the dead?

Look back to verse 7.

So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace.

God is saving people.

He's saved you.

He's painted this canvas in this way to show the world who he really is.

To show that he is gracious.

The painting of salvation even exists at all so that the world would know how gracious the artist really is.

And so this is about God's reputation.

And so if we miss these verses, if we compromise on this, we will get God all wrong.

And it will be like setting fire to a Monet.

And so if you're not a Christian here tonight, I want you to hear these verses not only because this is how you need to be saved,

but also because you need to know who God is.

You may be wondering what kind of God is out there, what God is like.

But well, come take a look at this masterpiece.

And see what he's like.

And if you are a Christian here, then we need to hear this because we need to know the artist who made us.

So let's look at the brushstrokes.

And let's see exactly how God has done all this.

And the first thing I want us to notice is that salvation is all from God.

Salvation is all from God.

Let's read our verses again.

Verse 8.

And did you notice, as we read all the passage earlier, that this isn't the only time Paul says this in the passage?

Look back to verse 5.

Even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you have been saved.

And raised us up with him and seated us with him.

So twice in the space of 10 verses, he tells us the exact same thing.

By grace you have been saved.

In fact, the first time, Paul even kind of interrupts his own thought, doesn't he?

As he's telling us God is rich in mercy, even when we were dead, God made us alive together with Christ.

Oh wait, hold up.

You need to know, by grace you've been saved.

Okay, now where was I?

Oh yeah, God raised us up, seated us with Christ.

First, it's like if he's talking about salvation, about God, he just needs to get this in.

It's like he's tapping on the canvas, saying, look, look, do you see how God has done this?

Look at this brush stroke.

And in verse 8, he says it again, but this time, not in passing, but he stops.

And he kind of puts big neon lights around it.

And what is he pointing out?

What is it about salvation?

Well, how does this verse begin?

By grace you have been saved.

We're being told all this, all your salvation, all your being made alive from the dead,

you're being raised up, you're being seated in heaven, all of this is by grace.

Grace is the brush stroke that we need to see.

And if we look closely, it's all over the canvas.

Now what is grace?

Grace is God giving us something we don't deserve.

It's God's undeserved kindness toward us.

So mercy, we thought about mercy last week.

Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve, not giving us wrath.

Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve.

Grace is God being kind to the undeserving.

And so if this is the close-up.

If Paul is pointing at this on the canvas, what does this world need to see?

This world needs to know salvation is all, all by grace.

All of salvation is God's undeserved kindness towards sinners.

Now remember, salvation tells us what God is like.

If the masterpiece tells us what the painter is like, what does grace tell us about the painter?

If you're in Christ here today, what does God's grace in your life tell us about God's role in salvation?

Grace tells us salvation is all from God.

If salvation is by grace, if that's how this masterpiece was made, then grace points us to the artist and grace tells us all of this salvation is from God.

It's all God's initiative.

It all began with God, from God, because of him, by his power.

Grace tells us God and God alone is your saviour.

Salvation belongs to the Lord alone.

So think of us being dead in our sins.

Lying stone cold dead in that mortuary.

Who raised us?

Who was behind that?

Who reached down and breathed life into you?

That was only God.

By grace you were made alive.

Who sent his spirit and united you to Christ?

Who raised you up into heaven and gave you heavenly life?

Who seated you on his throne?

Who was the only one that could possibly do that?

It was all God.

By grace you have been saved.

Amen.

Grace is God butting into your life.

Grace is God pulling you back from the cliff edge.

Grace is God finding you when you were lost.

When you had no interest in him.

You're back to him.

Middle finger up.

And bringing you back from the dead.

Look at the painting.

This is all from God.

There is only one artist in the room right here.

which means something important.

The flip side of this.

This means none of this is because of us.

Look what Paul adds, verse 8.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing.

It is the gift of God.

For those of us in Christ today, if you're a Christian,

our salvation, the fact that we are alive,

the fact that we are a part of this church

and know God and have a new heart,

this wasn't our own doing.

This wasn't from us.

We weren't dead in our sins, running away from God,

and then in ourselves,

we kind of mustered up some strength

and some godliness and some common sense

and brought ourselves back to God.

No, it was not your own doing.

Can, think of this, can a dead body,

think of a dead body in a mortuary,

can a dead body muster up its own strength

and some extra will and make itself alive?

Can a blind man just try really hard

and just stop being blind?

Can the deaf just decide to start hearing again?

No.

Something from outside ourselves,

outside our world,

needs to break in.

And so salvation cannot be our own doing.

Salvation is not us coming to our senses

and building this bridge back to God.

No, salvation is God coming down to you,

picking your corpse off the floor

and raising you from the dead.

And so look closely at the painting.

If we are saved by grace,

then grace means none of this is from us.

It is all from God.

And for some of us here,

we can look back at our lives

and we can see exactly that.

If it wasn't for God's initiative,

if it was just up to me,

then I would be so lost.

I would still be in that relationship.

I would have gone down that dark path.

If it was my own doing,

it is terrifying to think

where I would be right now.

But praise God it's not.

Because by grace,

you have been saved.

Which also means

salvation is not about deserving it.

That's my second point today.

Salvation is not about deserving it.

What does Paul call salvation?

Verse 8.

It is the gift of God.

So think about a gift.

A gift is undeserved, isn't it?

You don't earn a gift.

Now a paycheck,

your salary,

that is earned.

You work hard for a paycheck.

It's based on how you perform.

You do well,

you get more money.

But a gift,

you don't earn a gift.

A gift is given to you undeserved.

So think of your birthday.

I know there were a few birthday parties yesterday.

Think of those gifts that you got.

You didn't earn them.

We don't deserve gifts,

but people,

out of their kindness,

decided to give you that gift.

By grace,

you are given those gifts.

And what is salvation?

It is God's gift to you.

Because what do we deserve?

If it was based on a performance review of your life,

what do we deserve?

What does Ephesians 2 tell us?

We deserve wrath.

We are by nature

children of wrath.

A world running from God,

a world dead in their sins,

that world deserves wrath.

That world has earned

nothing from God.

Nothing.

If the world were to get a paycheck,

it would be zero.

In fact,

it would be worse than zero.

It would be negative money.

We are in debt to God.

If it were up to pure,

cold,

hard,

mathematical justice,

the only thing we deserve

is hell.

So let's just be very,

very clear about this.

God owes us

nothing.

When I was lost,

when I was a foolish teenager,

when I was going down that dark path

with my back to God,

God owed me nothing.

But God

has broken into this world

and reached down to you

and given you a gift.

He has come down

and given you his son.

The Lord Jesus

coming down to this forsaken earth,

that is God's gift to you.

The Lord Jesus

hanging on the cross,

that is God's gift to you.

The Lord Jesus

leaving the tomb,

rising into heaven,

seated on the throne,

that is God's gift to you.

Because when God saves you,

he says to the hell-bound sinner,

in all your debt,

in all your sin,

he says to you,

have all of this.

Have it all.

Have my son,

have his death,

have his life,

have him all

and have him forever.

And this,

this is grace.

This is God's

undeserved kindness.

And so we cannot think,

well,

God made me alive

because,

well,

I was one of the better ones,

really.

I wasn't too bad

and so,

so that's why I'm here today.

No,

we can't even dare

to think like that.

We are only,

only here by grace.

And so just look at this masterpiece.

What is the artist like?

What is our God like?

He is gracious.

And just think,

no one else is like this.

We struggle to give gifts

to people we like.

We don't give gifts

to strangers

and we certainly don't give gifts

to people who hate us.

But God,

God gave us,

us of all people,

the gift of everything.

And so if you're here tonight

and you want God,

and you know you need God,

but you think,

your past is too messy,

you think you can't come to God

with the things that you've done,

if you think that you need

to get your act together

before God can do anything with you,

I'm so glad you're here tonight.

Because you need to know,

salvation,

it's not about deserving it.

It's not about earning your way to God.

If you come to him now,

sin and mess and all,

if you just come to him now,

trust in him,

he will simply gift you everything.

look at the painter.

God is gracious.

But I want us to see another detail.

I want us to see another brushstroke.

If this is grace,

if this is how we are saved,

then salvation is not about doing.

It's about receiving.

If this is not our own doing,

if this is not about earning or deserving,

if this is all grace,

then specifically,

this is not about you doing anything.

Look at verse 8 again.

For by grace you've been saved through faith,

and this is not your own doing,

it is the gift of God,

not a result of works.

Think back to that paycheck.

If what we deserve on that paycheck

is not even zero,

it's negative.

If we're in debt to God,

how much are we in debt to God?

How much does sin against an infinitely holy God

put us into debt?

What is the negative number on that?

We have infinite debt to God.

So what can we do?

Just think about this.

What can we do to pay that back?

What work can be done?

Nothing.

There is no good deed,

no change of behavior,

no impressive lifestyle,

no nice good life

that you can just live

that is valuable enough

to pay back your debt.

It's simply impossible.

No, the only way to be free from that debt

is for God to pay it for you.

And that is precisely

what has happened on the cross.

That is the gift of God.

Paying your debt for you.

The cross,

that is grace.

It's not a result of works

because Christ has done

all the work for you.

It is finished.

It's all from God.

And so if it's not about doing,

then it's about receiving.

Salvation, it's about faith.

Now, faith is something

that we can be confused about.

Some people think

faith is just,

faith in God,

it's basically just

kind of thinking that he exists.

But that isn't faith.

No, faith is receiving.

Okay?

Faith is receiving.

Faith is God

coming to God empty-handed

and saying,

I have nothing.

But I trust you

to give me everything I need, Lord.

And that is how God

gives you everything.

It's not by deserving.

It's not by working for it.

But actually,

the opposite.

It's by recognizing

God owes us nothing

and so we simply

come to him empty-handed.

Trusting that Jesus has everything.

It's not by works.

It's by empty hands.

And that is how we're saved.

And we can't think,

oh well,

our faith,

well God looks at our faith,

realizes,

oh,

they're the believers

and then he saves us.

No,

firstly,

even then,

God still doesn't owe us.

But secondly,

look at verse 8 again.

what is the gift of God?

What is it referring to?

Verse 8,

for by grace you have been saved

through faith

and this is not your own doing.

It is the gift of God.

But what is this referring to?

This is referring to

the whole phrase beforehand.

For by grace you have been saved

through faith.

This

whole thing,

the grace,

the saving,

the faith,

this is all

not your own doing.

It is the gift of God.

Grace is the gift of God.

Saving is the gift of God.

Faith is the gift of God.

The fact that you ever came

empty-handed to God,

that is because God

gifted that faith to you.

And this makes sense

in all that we've seen

in Ephesians so far.

How can a world

by nature

running away from God,

how can that kind of world

turn to God

to receive from him?

How could a world

that thinks

it's fine without God

realise it needs God?

How can a world

that thinks it's rich

realise it's actually in debt?

If we were dead

in our sins,

no spiritual pulse,

how can the dead

have faith?

God needs to gift us

that faith.

Look at that MRI

of your soul again.

That pulse

that you now see.

That pulse

is a sign of faith.

That warmth

you see,

that is faith.

And where did

that pulse come from?

Where did that warmth

come from?

That is all from God.

And we can look back

at our lives

and we can even see that.

If God

had not opened my eyes,

I would never

have realised

how needy I was.

If God

had not given me life,

I would have never realised

how dead I was.

I was trapped

in sin.

and I didn't

even realise it.

Well,

you realising that,

that is faith.

That is God

turning you around,

raising you from the dead.

That is the gift

of God in your life.

It's not about doing,

it's about receiving.

And this is a huge

comfort for us.

Because

if

how well

you lived

then

never got you

salvation,

then how well

you live now

can never

lose you

salvation.

We can worry

when we fall

into that

spiritual slump.

or our faith

can be rocky

and we can wonder

how am I going to

last through this?

How is my faith

going to last?

I feel like I'm

hanging on by a thread

right now.

If that's you,

just realise

how did you get

that faith

in the first place?

How were you

brought here?

By grace.

It was all

by grace.

grace.

And it is

still

all by grace.

It is not

on you.

However

weak you feel,

however rocky

your faith feels,

it is not

on you.

It's all

from God.

And so

come to him

empty handed

right now

and you will

receive exactly

what you need.

So if you're

not a Christian

here tonight,

you must know

you don't need

to make up

for your sins.

If you're

unsettled by

your past

and you're

needing to

be right

with God,

the answer

is not

about paying

for your

sins.

The answer

is not

doing something,

it's faith.

It's coming

empty handed

to Jesus

and he will

do all the

work for you.

Think about

the cross,

it is

finished.

The American

preacher,

John MacArthur,

you might have

heard he died

last week,

and a few

years ago

he was on

the Larry

King chat

show in

America,

and he was

being asked

by Larry

King,

isn't going

to heaven

about being

a good

person?

It can't

just be

about faith.

How can

a bad

person with

faith go

to heaven?

Where's the

justice in

that?

And John

MacArthur,

he interrupts

him as Larry

saying that,

and he says,

Larry,

we don't

want justice.

Justice sends

everybody to

hell.

We need

grace.

grace.

That man

knew his

painter.

We need

grace.

And it's

here for

everyone.

And I

just want us

to end

with this

thought.

Why has

God done

all this?

Why is

none of

this on

us?

Why is

all this

from God?

Why is

the painting

painted like

this?

salvation

is about

boasting

in God.

That's my

final point

today.

Salvation

is about

boasting

in God.

How do

our verses

end?

For by

grace you

have been

saved through

faith.

And this

is not

your own

doing.

It is the

gift of

God,

not a

result of

works,

so that

no one

may boast.

just think,

what if

our salvation

was on

us?

What if

it was

about me

making the

right choices

and working

hard enough

and living

a good

enough life?

Then if

that was

the case,

what do I

get to do

then?

I get to

boast.

Well done

me.

I get to

pat myself

on the

back.

Then I get

to stand

at the

finish line

of the

new

creation

and I

can look

around and

I can

say,

yeah,

this is

because of

me.

And even

if it is

1% me

and 99%

God,

I still

get to

boast.

But why

grace?

Why is

this canvas

painted like

this so

that no

one may

boast?

So that

no one

here can

say it

is because

of me,

but so

we can

say this

is all

because of

God.

Every

single thing,

we can

look at

the

masterpiece,

the work

he has

done in

our lives

and know

this artist

is a

genius.

Our

God is

gracious.

And I

want us

to end

on that

thought

tonight.

I want

us to

go home

tonight.

I want

us to

look back

on how

God has

shaped your

childhood,

the friends

he put

around you,

the churches

he placed

you in,

that friend

at school

he gave

you,

that Christian

at uni

that you

met,

those

conversations,

those Bible

studies,

those sermons,

that dark

period of your

life,

that made

you realise

you needed

something more.

All those

dark paths

that we

could have

gone down

but didn't.

I want

us to

look back

at the

painting of

your life

and realise

I didn't

paint that.

That wasn't

from me.

That was

all from

God.

Christian,

just look

at the

brush strokes

that make

up your

life.

That is

all God's

grace.

Look

back

on it

and just

praise

God.

It is

not from

us.

It is

not because

we are

deserving.

It is

not because

we did

anything.

It is

because

the

artist

is

gracious.

Let's

boast in

him.

Let's

pray.

Let's

Thank you.