Ephesians 2:8-10

And turn back to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, it's on page 976.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

And if you were around this morning you might remember that we thought about good works in church life.

! And we thought about the danger of confusing working for Jesus with loving Jesus.

And so often that is the biggest obstacle isn't it? We think we're loving him when we're busy.

But actually we need to rethink that sometimes.

And so after this morning I thought it would be helpful to think a bit more about good works in the Christian life.

In church, in general and how we think about that in our lives.

And so we're going to focus in on verse 8 to 10 of this astounding passage in Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

So if you look down there.

In verse 8 to 10 Paul is super repetitive, isn't he?

He says the same thing pretty much over and over again, again and again, four or five times.

And what he is saying to the Ephesians is, your salvation, Ephesians, has nothing to do with things that you have done.

We've said that many times in this church before, haven't we?

That the Christian gospel is not about what you can do for God.

It is about what God has done for you.

And that is what Paul repeats over and over again in these verses.

And the first thing I think we want to see about good works from this passage is that good works can never be therefore the source of our salvation.

But they are the goal of salvation.

Let me read those verses out for us again.

Verse 8.

For by grace, by undeserved kindness, you have been saved through faith.

Through looking outside of yourself to somebody else.

That is how salvation has come.

And this salvation is not your own doing.

It is the gift of God.

It's not a payment.

It's not a wage given to us as if we've earned salvation.

It's a gift.

And he repeats it again, isn't it?

Not a result of works so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

So he repeats the same thing over and over again.

Good works can never be the source of our salvation.

But they are the goal of our salvation.

You only have to look at the weight that Paul places on what God has done in the passage that we read earlier.

To see that good works can never be the source of salvation.

Look at verse 4.

But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us.

Verse 5 made us alive.

Verse 6 he raised us up.

Verse 7 he might show his grace.

It is a gift of God.

Verse 8.

So the thought that my works, the good things that I do in the Christian life, are the source of my salvation,

is a thought that he needs to kind of address again and again, isn't it?

It is a thought that just keeps coming back into my mind again and again.

But I have to daily take that thought, that big thought, and grab hold of it and deliberately throw it in the skip every day.

So Paul repeats himself here.

We live under the false impression that there are a certain number of good things, good works,

that need to be done in order for us to have a right relationship with God, to be saved.

But when we do that, we're effectively weighing up the gift that God has given to us.

We're weighing up Jesus' death on the cross with things that we can do.

With cups of tea made, or times cleared up after church, or times reading the Bible, or writing sermons.

So what are we saying when we think that?

When we think that we can earn our salvation?

What are we saying about God when we do that?

We're saying, aren't we, that we don't really think our salvation is a gift.

That he must want something in return.

That ultimately the sacrifice must come from me and not him.

So that's why Paul repeats himself,

By grace you've been saved, not of your own doing.

A gift of God, not a result of works.

These works, these good works, are never the source of our salvation.

But, and here's the thing, they are the goal of my salvation.

Although my works don't bring me a right relationship with God,

our good works are a necessary result of my right relationship with God.

Verse 10, he says to them,

You are created, we are created in Christ for good works.

So salvation is not from my good works, but it is for good works.

My salvation, it should lead me to a changed life.

My right relationship with God will bear fruit.

It will have evidence.

So good works are not the grounds of my salvation,

but they are evidence of my salvation.

I was hearing the story of a teenage lad

who had got into the habit of going up to his room

and closing the door behind him and locking it

to avoid speaking to his stepfather.

There'd been problems in the family

and he just wanted to lock himself away.

He put a sign on the door saying,

Keep out.

But one week he'd heard the gospel.

He'd heard this gospel of the Lord Jesus

doing all that we need to have done for our salvation.

He'd become helpless with Jesus.

He put his faith in Jesus for his salvation.

And he hadn't become perfect overnight, had he, when he did that.

But when he'd got home, according to his stepdad,

instead of locking his bedroom door,

he'd propped it open and replaced the sign

with one saying, Come in.

All welcome.

Now that teenage lad, he still had many sins

to deal with, didn't he?

But he had responded appropriately

for his age and for his situation.

He was obedient to Jesus.

There was evidence of good work in his life.

And that's where we see genuine faith in action, isn't it?

Where it affects the nitty-gritty of our lives.

He didn't prop his door open to earn his salvation, did he?

That just wasn't in his mind.

But it was the evidence of the salvation given to him.

John Newton put it really well when he said,

I am not what I ought to be,

but I am not what I once was,

and by God's grace I am what I am.

Good works can never be the source of my salvation.

And if they ever do,

I've got to put that thought in the skip

and throw it away.

But, good works are the goal of my salvation.

So that's the first thing that Paul tells them here.

And the second thing is that good works in the Christian life

come from God,

but are walked in by us.

Good works come from God,

but are walked in by us.

Have a look again at verse 10 there.

For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand

that we should walk in them.

When you get to verse 10

of this section in Ephesians,

I wonder whether you sort of think a bit like me

when I first started looking at this.

Paul has done all of the great stuff

in verse 1 to 9,

which is wonderful and lovely,

but now he's getting on to our part of the bargain,

isn't he here?

The word work comes up.

God has done his stuff

and now it's our turn.

We're his workmanship.

We're like his minions

to do his thing in the church.

But if we think like that,

actually we've not really understood

what he's saying here.

The word workmanship there

is not the word for workforce

or a group of employees.

But it's more like the word creation.

We are his creation.

It's the word that is used

for a work of art

or the work of a master designer

or a carpenter,

somebody like that.

We are God's masterpiece.

We are his great work of art,

his handiwork.

So we're not primarily the workers for God,

but those being worked on by God.

We are the furniture.

We are the work of art.

We are the canvas

that the painter paints on.

We are the produce, if you like,

not the producers.

And if you look back to verse 19 of chapter 1,

you see there

that the greatness of God's power

has worked in those who believe in them.

They are benefiting from God's work there,

aren't they?

But in verse 10,

they are God's work.

See the difference there?

The word workmanship is,

it's the same in the Greek Old Testament

as in Psalm 100,

which we read at the beginning.

Remember that Psalm.

Know that the Lord,

he is God.

It is he who made us

and we are his,

we are his people

and the sheep of his pasture.

Now you see the point is the same

in that Psalm

as it is in verse 10.

The point is that we contribute

nothing

to being in his pasture,

to being made by him,

to being his creation.

It's another reason

that everything about us,

who we are,

the reason we are here,

the source of our salvation

is nothing to do

with our good works

because we are not the workers primarily,

but those being worked on.

So when it comes to the good works we do,

they themselves

can only come from God.

We can only do good work

because God is working with us,

firstly.

It means that the works we do

in the church

are not things that we drum up ourselves

on our own

because fundamentally

we are the work of art,

not the workers of art.

We are created in Christ Jesus,

Paul says.

Jesus says,

without me

you can do

nothing.

Do we honestly think

that this church

would be here

in a generation's time

if we weren't

attached to Christ Jesus?

What's more,

our good works

come from God

because they've been prepared

beforehand.

They have a divine origin.

not from us

but from God.

Any good works,

it's amazing isn't it,

have been pre-prepared for us,

decided in advance,

ready for us to do.

So God has not only chosen us

for a relationship with him,

but he's marked out the path

of all the things that we will do.

God has made us

his workmanship.

We only work

because he works.

And we only work

because he's prepared

those things

for each one of us

in advance to do.

So I can only do anything

with God's work in me.

And all the good

that I do do

is prepared

by God

for me.

And that's all

from him,

for him

and to him.

So,

am I really doing

the work at all

here?

That's the question,

isn't it?

Am I just a robot?

Good works

come from God

and yet,

Paul says,

we should

walk in them.

verse 10.

It's no good

thinking that

I can just be

passive in all of this.

God prepares

these things

for me to do

in advance

and like a sort of

puppet,

I'll do them.

It would be wrong

to go to the

opposite extreme,

wouldn't it,

and say that

Christianity

is never about

good works

that I really do

myself.

And we shouldn't

sort of be

embarrassed about that.

The Bible is

full of commands

for Christians,

for believers

to do the

right thing,

to live in

the right way,

isn't it?

Romans chapter 6,

Romans 6 · chapter mention

let not sin

reigning your

mortal bodies.

Present your

bodies as

living sacrifices.

And just note

here that we're

not talking about

a list of jobs,

are we?

A do's and don'ts

of the Christian

life.

But the verb

in verse 10

is to walk.

To walk in

these things.

We are called

to a transformed

walk,

a lifestyle.

Galatians chapter

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

5 I think is

really helpful

here,

isn't it?

It gives us

a helpful list

of what it is

to walk in

the Spirit,

to live in

the Spirit,

to do good

works,

living along

the grain of

God's law,

trusting in

Jesus under

the influence of

the Holy Spirit,

works of love

and of joy

and of peace,

of kindness,

of self-control,

of goodness,

of faithfulness,

of gentleness.

But it is that

funny paradox,

isn't it?

Good works come

from God

and yet

we have a part

to play,

we should walk

in them.

It's that verse

in Philippians

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

work out your

own salvation

with fear and

trembling because

it is God

who works

in you,

both to will

and to work

for his good

pleasure.

But that

paradox,

if you think

about it,

is greatly

comforting really,

isn't it?

As we do

work in the

church,

as we live

the Christian

life,

as one

theologian

put it,

we do not

have to do

any carrying

without remembering

that we are

being carried.

we work

because God

works in us.

I think it's

important to

realise that

that paradox

there is,

even though all

our good works

come from God,

we should walk

in them.

We are actually

doing those

things,

aren't we?

And they are

good things.

I think we

sometimes have a

bit of unbalanced

thinking on this,

often I do.

we know that

the things that

I do,

that the good

things that I

do are tainted,

aren't they?

They are affected

by my sin

all of the time.

I don't do

things with a

pure heart.

I do things

out of impure

motives so

often.

And even the

best things we

do are like

filthy rags.

Now,

Paul knows

that,

doesn't he,

about the

human condition.

but oddly

in this verse

he still

calls these

works

good.

Good works.

He doesn't

shrink from

that,

does he?

He doesn't

add a little

footnote to

say good

works,

asterisk,

but really

they're a bit

like filthy

rags.

No.

The reason

he doesn't

do that

is because

they are

really good

works.

because we

are God's

workmanship.

As God's

masterpiece,

we are

created in

Christ.

And so

the things

that we

do are

in Christ.

We are

attached to

him.

And so

God really

is pleased

with the

good works

that we

do because

of Christ.

He is

pleased with

them because

we are

attached to

Christ.

like branches

attached to

a vine,

to a tree,

whose

spirit,

Jesus,

produces

good fruit

in us.

And this

does not

stop him

from being

pleased with

the good

works in

themselves,

from a

regenerated,

renewed

heart with

the Holy

Spirit.

He sees

our good

works and

he recognises

Jesus in

them,

doesn't

he?

Because they

are empowered

by the

Holy Spirit.

You see

how all of

this fits

together.

When we

think that

our good

works come

from us,

well,

then yes,

they are

just filthy

rags,

aren't

they?

But good

works come

from God

for us

to walk

in them.

They are

not the

source,

but the

goal of

our salvation

from God

walked in

by us.

So as

we close

now,

I just

want us

to think

about how

this works

a little

bit in

church life

and how

we talk

about these

things.

How do

these things

work themselves

out?

When all

ways in

which we

serve the

Lord are

from him,

firstly,

there is no

room for

boasting

in church

life is

there.

Paul says

to the

Corinthians,

what do

you have

that you

did not

receive?

If you

then received

it,

why do

you boast

as if you

did not

receive it?

There is

always that

temptation,

isn't there,

certainly for

me,

for rivalry,

to slip

in to

things that

we do

in church,

for jealousy

of one

another's

gifts

around us,

of seeing

other people's

good works

in their

lives.

But the

gospel,

it fumbles

me because

I can

contribute

nothing on

my own,

I cannot

do anything,

I can't do

any good

without God

working in

me.

So we

should thank

God,

shouldn't we,

for all of

the gifts

and all of

the good

things that

go on in

this church.

Because they

are from

the Lord,

there is

no room

for boasting

even quietly

in our

hearts.

But at

the same

time we

do, I

think,

have a

warrant to

say to

each other,

you have

done good

work,

well done.

The works

come from

God,

but we

really do

walk in

them

ourselves.

Paul says

in 1

Corinthians

15,

by the

grace of

God I

am what

I am,

and his

grace towards

me was

not in

vain,

on the

contrary,

I worked

harder than

any of

them.

That is

audacious,

isn't it?

I worked

harder than

any of

them.

Paul

gives us

a warrant,

I think,

there,

to say,

no,

we have

worked hard.

We are

allowed to

celebrate

one another's

good works.

we can

say,

well done,

you did

that.

We can

do that

because

they're not

the source

of our

salvation,

and it's

no dishonour

to Jesus

to say

well done

to each

other when

we see

growth and

good work

going on.

That is

not ungodly

to do that

because we

know that

those works

come from

God and

they are

evidence of

his work

in us.

It's

important to

note how

Paul

couches

that phrase

I worked

harder than

any of

them,

isn't it?

It's in

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15:10

chapter 15

verse 10

if you want

to look it

up later.

He says,

by the

grace of

God

I am

what I

am.

He says,

though it

was not

I,

but the

grace of

God

that is

with me.

We can

say,

well done

I worked

hard,

but actually

it was

God

who did

the work.

It was

his grace

in me.

And there

isn't a

person in

the church

anywhere

who doesn't

have some

work to

do,

some role

to play.

We are

all God's

workmanship,

it's plural

isn't it,

that we

are God's

workmanship,

collective,

it's corporate,

together.

There is

all good

work for

us to

walk in.

Let me

tell you a

quick story

before we

finish.

It is

told that

a man

went

eagerly

to a

revival

meeting,

but he

was late.

And he

found the

workman

tearing down

the tent

in which

the meeting

had been

held a few

moments earlier.

And frantic

at missing

the evangelist,

he decided

to ask

one of

the workers

what he

could do

to be

saved.

The

workman

who happened

to be a

Christian

replied to

the man,

I'm afraid

sir to tell

you that

you are

too late.

You cannot

do anything.

What do you

mean?

How can I

be too

late?

The

Christian

replied,

because the

work has

already been

done.

There is

nothing left

for you to

do other

than to

believe it.

That is the

gospel.

And when

you forget

that,

take hold

of that

thought and

throw it

in the

skip.

And keep

it there.

Good works

prepared for

God,

for us to

walk in

in advance,

not the

source,

never the

source,

but the

goal of our

salvation,

entirely from

and through

him,

attached to

Christ,

empowered by

him.

So we

can say

well done

to one

another,

because it

is by

grace,

the grace

of God,

that I am

not what I

ought to

be,

and I am

not what I

once was,

by the grace

of God,

I am what

I am.

Let's

pray together.