1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,880 For a sermon this morning, you want to continue in our sermon 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:05,400 series out of Paul's letter to the church, to the Ephesians. 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,240 We've been looking at how Paul expresses himself, thanking God 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:11,280 and making reference to what God has done. 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,520 And our title this morning is Remember what we are. 6 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:22,840 When sports players go on to the field, they wear the uniform of 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,200 the team they represent. They identify as the players of 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,360 the team they play for. The same holds true for God's 9 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,320 people. God's people identify with 10 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,480 Christ. They live their lives in honor 11 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:38,320 and worship of Christ. Paul has been reminding the 12 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,480 Ephesian Christians of what God has done for us. 13 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,200 God has saved us, He's blessed us, and He's predestined us for 14 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,280 adoption as sons. Last Sunday in Ephesians chapter 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,120 2, verse one to three, we saw how Paul paused a little bit in 16 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,760 his writing and took time to remind us of what we are without 17 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:55,720 Christ. So last Sunday we reminded 18 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,280 ourselves to remember what we were. 19 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:02,880 And it's helpful to do that from time to time to remember what we 20 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,360 were, where we've come from, and that we're not anymore where we 21 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,400 were. But then just as quickly, Paul 22 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,280 again moves on from verse 3. And today we want to look at how 23 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:17,880 Paul points out as to points us to US, points us what we are in 24 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,640 Christ now, what we are now, what we are in Christ. 25 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:24,400 And because of what God has done for us, we are saved. 26 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,080 He made us alive and now we're called to good works. 27 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,800 I want us to read Ephesians chapter 2 beginning verse 4 28 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:36,280 through chapter 10. Ephesians chapter 2 beginning 29 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,200 verse 4. But God, who is rich in mercy 30 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,280 because of his great love with which he loved us even when we 31 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,480 were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. 32 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,880 By grace you've been saved and raised us up together, and made 33 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,160 us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in 34 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,760 the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his 35 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,840 grace and in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 36 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,440 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of 37 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,280 yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of 38 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:13,040 works, lest anyone should boast for Weir's workmanship created 39 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,800 in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, 40 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:24,320 that we should walk in them. Last Sunday I put a picture on 41 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,760 the PowerPoint slide of a mountain, of a mountaintop and 42 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,160 looking down into the valley below the trail or the the 43 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,200 pathway or the road where the person that traveled. 44 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:40,600 I use it as an illustration to look back where we've been to 45 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:46,320 take have a perspective. But what about a picture that 46 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,320 illustrates what we are in Christ? 47 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:53,560 There are numerous word pictures the Bible uses to describe what 48 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,600 we are in Christ. There's no picture that I can 49 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,920 imagine that would do justice to describing what we are in 50 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:05,160 Christ. I can't think of one. 51 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:10,560 But there are Bible stories that use word pictures to illustrate 52 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:15,120 what we what we do in Christ. And so I want to use one that's 53 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:19,080 the picture of a Grapevine, and I think it looks all right. 54 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:23,760 Do you see the vine and you see the branch? 55 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,960 Then you see the grape cluster. Jesus teaches us in John chapter 56 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,600 15 that he is the vine and we are the branches. 57 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,920 He says that every branch in him that bears fruit will be pruned 58 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,560 so that it will bear more fruit. In every branch that does not 59 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,560 bear fruit will be cut off and be thrown into the fire. 60 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:47,200 So Jesus is the vine. We as God's people are branches 61 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,000 that are attached to the vine. And if we're good branches allow 62 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,600 ourselves to be pruned to become productive, we will bear fruit. 63 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,640 The Bible teaches that. So in today's passage in 64 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,720 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 4 to 10, we want to look at our 65 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:07,800 position in Christ and what that means, what that entails for us. 66 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:10,960 And after having described our state of existence without God, 67 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,480 Paul now moves on in Ephesians chapter 2 four to 10, what we 68 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:17,480 are in Christ. So we are alive in Christ. 69 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,120 We're saved by grace through faith. 70 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,000 And lastly, were his workmanship. 71 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,080 So first of all, we are alive. Paul begins with God and 72 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:32,440 explains what we are in Christ. God is the reference point from 73 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,680 which Paul paints this picture, or our current existence. 74 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,360 Us being alive is directly connected to God, and without 75 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:46,240 God there simply is no life. Let's go through these verses 76 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:52,280 one at a time, he says. But God, who is rich in mercy, 77 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,200 because of his great love with which he loved us even when we 78 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,440 were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. 79 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,720 By grace you've been saved. See, God made us alive. 80 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:07,480 We're alive. Remember last Sunday we were 81 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:08,880 dead in sin. That's what we read. 82 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,360 The message Paul is giving here in so many words is God made us 83 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,560 alive. That's the key phrase in these 84 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,600 two verses, explaining what happened. 85 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:23,080 It's an act of God. But what Paul does and telling 86 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,360 us that God made us alive is that he goes into quite a bit of 87 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,840 detail about God himself. He describes God and gives us a 88 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:37,800 description of what God is. He uses very vivid language to 89 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,400 explain God, his attributes, his character, and his love. 90 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,360 He says God, who is rich in mercy. 91 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:52,280 You catch that rich and mercy. He's rich in everything, but 92 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:55,600 he's rich in mercy and he shows us his love. 93 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,520 Can you imagine God running out of mercy? 94 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,320 He is limitless supply of anything he needs or wants. 95 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,320 He doesn't have to order another shipment. 96 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:06,920 Oh sorry, we're all on mercy now. 97 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:12,120 We'll have to wait. Because of who He is, He has 98 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,960 this. He has mercy on people because 99 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:17,960 of who He is, not because of who people are. 100 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,440 It is true that we can cut ourselves off from we can walk 101 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,840 away from him, but it's not because God has nothing or God 102 00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:27,640 is impoverished. God is always rich in mercy, 103 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:29,320 seeking to save those who are lost. 104 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,520 Maybe someone at this point might ask, well, what is mercy? 105 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,840 If God's rich in mercy, what's mercy? 106 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,840 Mercy is one of those things it's a bit hard to describe 107 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:44,680 because you can't really fully envision it or you can't get to 108 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,320 the depths of it. It's it's so grand and it's so 109 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,600 big. Mercy from God is what God does 110 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:55,000 to people. Mercy from God is a response God 111 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,520 gives to people's request or to people's need. 112 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:02,800 Mercy essentially, in this passage is withholding judgment 113 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:04,680 from the person who deserves to be judged. 114 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,520 You see that mercy is never deserved. 115 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:12,560 Mercy cannot be deserved. It cannot be even demanded to 116 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:16,640 say someone, someone might have broken the law and gotten 117 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,560 arrested off to court and stands before the judge who's about to 118 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,320 pass sentence. Please have mercy on me. 119 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,240 That's a valid statement, a valid request, But you can't 120 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:29,840 say, well, you got to have mercy on me. 121 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,880 Well, I've I've deserved mercy. That's a contradiction. 122 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,040 If mercy was deserved, it would be a reward. 123 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:43,760 That's not how mercy works. To be given mercy is when a 124 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:46,880 person breaks the law and instead of having to pay, the 125 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:50,440 judge let's the person go free and does not have to pay. 126 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,640 That's when a person has been given mercy. 127 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,080 You owe a lot. You can't pay. 128 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,280 Have mercy in the person says, OK, I'll let you go. 129 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:01,880 The debt is canceled. I'll bear the burden. 130 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:04,360 You do not have to pay. That's mercy. 131 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:06,640 OK, let's extend this a little bit now. 132 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:12,680 So what then is grace? If mercy is not having to pay, 133 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,320 what is grace? Let me put it this way. 134 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,720 In a case of a person being guilty of having broken the law, 135 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,160 when there's grace, there's grace in that case first there, 136 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,880 because first there was mercy. In a legal case, mercy is when a 137 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,320 person is guilty and is let off the hook. 138 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:33,960 He's let go free. He doesn't have to pay. 139 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:37,679 Mercy then goes beyond that. I mean, grace goes beyond that. 140 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:46,040 Grace is when not only do I not have to pay the debt now, 141 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,040 instead of not having to pay that, I get treated as if I did 142 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,520 something good when it did nothing. 143 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:55,480 And that's a totally different story. 144 00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,600 I get treated as if I had actually done what was required 145 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:02,880 of me. I get treated as if I earned a 146 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,040 reward. That's grace. 147 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,560 And this is powerful. This is so huge. 148 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:10,880 This is so big. As I was going through this last 149 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,160 week, I thought you can't really wrap your brains around this, 150 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:16,880 folks. And the story that came to my 151 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,880 mind is in the Bible. It's Luke chapter 15. 152 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:20,440 It's the story of the prodigal son. 153 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,280 You can read the story in Luke chapter 15, not the first part. 154 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:27,200 There's a story of the woman shepherd lost some sheep, finds 155 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,920 the lost 1 sheep, leaves the 99 goes and finds the lost one 156 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,400 woman lost the coin lights the lamp, sweeps the house and finds 157 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,840 the lost coin. And then Jesus tells the grand 158 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:37,520 story of the of the prodigal son. 159 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,680 A farmer had two boys, he said, and the youngest of the two 160 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:43,760 said, Dad, give me my inheritance that's going to come 161 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:45,960 to me when you die. He wanted it now. 162 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:50,600 The father obliged, took, took the money, gave it to the son, 163 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,520 and the son headed off into a far country, wasted his money in 164 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,800 righteous living. When it was all gone, of course 165 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,120 he had problems. He hadn't thought of that. 166 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,640 He had serious needs. So he now in this far country, 167 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,520 he gets hungry, starts to starve, and he hires himself out 168 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,360 to get a job at a pig farmer. And something Jews would never 169 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:12,480 do. And Jesus told the story to the 170 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:15,440 Jewish audience, You wouldn't work for a pig farmer. 171 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,040 Pigs run clean and he works there. 172 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,640 It doesn't satisfy. They don't even give him to eat 173 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,320 what the pigs are eating. It doesn't work. 174 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,360 His problems get worse and his mind starts to wander. 175 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,080 One day thinks to himself, my goodness, what about Dad? 176 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:34,920 At home, his servants, they eat better than I do. 177 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:38,440 So one day he says, you know what? 178 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:40,680 I think I'm going to go back to my dad. 179 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,640 I'm going to tell him I'm sorry I sinned against heaven against 180 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,600 you and just just make me a hired servant. 181 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,200 He's not asking for grace, barely mercy. 182 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:56,360 Let me work for you. I'll just work for you if that's 183 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:58,480 OK. He's not planning to be 184 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:02,320 reinstated as a son or nothing. He just wants to live. 185 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:05,480 He wants to eat. He goes, he gets up, walks back 186 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:09,120 home, finally gets to his close to his place and before he even 187 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,120 gets to his father sees him coming from a long way off, 188 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,840 obviously the father's watch and comes, runs, meets him. 189 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:17,640 Son starts to confess. Daddy says I've sinned against 190 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:19,440 heaven against you. I'm not worthy to be called your 191 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:21,480 son. He's going to ask him now to be 192 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,600 made a servant. He's going to ask dad just to 193 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:26,640 let him work for him to earn enough to eat. 194 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,920 He doesn't even get that far. And the father calls a servant 195 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:34,920 interrupts him, calls a servant says, hey, go out and get, get a 196 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,720 robe for, for, for my son here. Get get some shoes for his feet 197 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:40,440 and and put a ring on his finger. 198 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:45,000 All these are indicators of acceptance of welcome. 199 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:47,760 And the ring is a sign of authority. 200 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:56,440 You see, he was hoping for mercy. 201 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:02,760 He got that. He got mercy and grace. 202 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,680 That's a powerful story. To be forgiven for what you do 203 00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:12,600 wrong is mercy. To be restored to relationship, 204 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:17,000 That is grace. I love art and paintings and 205 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,440 stuff like that and books. There's a very well known 206 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,480 painting by a Dutch painter named Rembrandt. 207 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:26,800 He lived in the 1600s and is famous for his artwork. 208 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:31,080 He painted a picture of a story of the story of the prodigal 209 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,840 son. And it's apparently it's in, in 210 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,080 Russia and Saint Petersburg in a museum somewhere. 211 00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:42,040 And it's that painting. I couldn't make it very large 212 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,440 because dude, the whole picture wouldn't go on there. 213 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:49,000 The story of the prodigal son. Now, of course, we don't know 214 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,560 exactly how it really looked, but I think it does a does a 215 00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:54,400 good job. There's a Dutch priest by the 216 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,400 name of Henry Nolan in the 1980s and 1990s. 217 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,800 He went there and looked at that picture, sat there for some 218 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:02,320 hours just looking at the picture. 219 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:08,640 It affected him very deeply. He went and wrote an entire book 220 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,240 on that experience, just sitting there looking at the at the 221 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:13,880 painting. The book is called The Return of 222 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:15,320 the Prodigal. I've got the book. 223 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,280 It's a very deep and powerful and penetrating story, a message 224 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:23,200 of the nature of the love of God, of the Father, of his mercy 225 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:27,280 and grace. When Paul wrote his letter to 226 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:31,240 the Ephesians, he wanted to convey that truth about God, to 227 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:34,480 help his readers understand what it is that they've been given. 228 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:39,280 So Paul writes God who is rich in mercy while we were dead in 229 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:45,040 trespasses made us alive. The story of the prodigal son. 230 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,120 In chapter 15 of Luke, we read how the older brother didn't 231 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,200 like what the father showed mercy and grace to the younger 232 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:51,680 brother. But the father spoke the 233 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:53,920 following words. Let's read Luke chapter 15 verse 234 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,520 31 to 32. And he said to him, to the older 235 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,880 brother who wants none of this, he said, son, you're always with 236 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,360 me and all that I have is yours. It was right. 237 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,320 We should make merry and be glad for your brother was dead and is 238 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:13,520 alive again. He was lost and is found. 239 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,960 You catch that He's dead. He wasn't dead dead. 240 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:23,000 He was not a corpse, but he was dead to the family, dead in 241 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,560 relationship. These are some of the most 242 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:31,200 penetrating words of scripture. And you know something else? 243 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,720 When did this happen? God was at work before even we 244 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,920 knew of him or before we even were considering coming to him. 245 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:41,000 God knew her state of being God was what behind the scenes at 246 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,240 work already. You see, you and I, we're in the 247 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,200 heart of the Father before we even want mercy. 248 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:55,760 What the prodigal son wanted to come home to get was far less 249 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,400 than the Father had planned for him when he would come home. 250 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,000 The son only wanted to come home as a servant so he could eat. 251 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,040 The father was watching for his son to restore him. 252 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,040 The father just wanted him back as a son to restore him to 253 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,280 sonship. Do we see the difference? 254 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:19,000 Do we want from God what God wants for us, or we just want to 255 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:24,480 get by Spiritually dead people are dead toward God, but very 256 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,640 much alive in their sinful ways. They're very much physically 257 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,960 alive. And even though they're dead 258 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:33,080 toward God, that does not mean they have no awareness or no 259 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:34,880 knowledge. They know. 260 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:39,240 The prodigal knew, and most people know there's, I think, 261 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,560 very few people who would have no concept, no moral compass of 262 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,680 any right and wrong. You see, the prodigal was lost, 263 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,640 but he was aware. He knew right from wrong. 264 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:53,160 He knew his father, he knew he'd rebelled. 265 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:57,080 He knew he'd sinned. He was under no illusions as to 266 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:01,080 what he deserved. And his father wanted him back 267 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:04,720 not to carry a justice. His Father wanted him back so he 268 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:11,160 could show him mercy and grace. And when he did come back, the 269 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,200 Father gave him so much more true sonship. 270 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:20,000 Paul understood this principle. Paul was very much aware of his 271 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,120 own sinful past, where he'd been, what God had brought him 272 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,000 through, and so on. And this is something that's for 273 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,600 you and I this morning, today. Now just say this gently but 274 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:33,560 firmly. Never allow anyone to suggest to 275 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:38,640 you that Jesus might not have died for you, that he may not 276 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:42,120 love you, that maybe you're not one of his. 277 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,840 If he's if you're under the word of God, then you're called. 278 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,760 This gift of grace is free to anyone who comes to the Father, 279 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,840 to anyone. The illustration of the thief on 280 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:59,240 the cross, and I'm sometimes reminded of this thing that 281 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,080 happened there, this thief. There's two thieves, one on the 282 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,480 other side of Jesus as he was hanging on the cross, one on the 283 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:08,160 right, one on the left. And it says in the Gospel was 284 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:11,200 the one of them had a change of heart while he's hanging there 285 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:15,560 and his dying hours. He noticed Jesus and he knows 286 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:17,560 Jesus innocent and he's committed no crimes. 287 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:21,920 And as he's hanging on the cross, he sees Jesus and he's 288 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,240 convicted of what he did. Yeah, I get what I deserve. 289 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:29,960 I I committed a crime and going to die now, but Jesus was 290 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,600 innocent. He looks at Jesus and he says to 291 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,760 Jesus, Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom. 292 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:38,560 Obviously he believed in life after death. 293 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,000 He knew he was going to die. He knew Jesus was going to die. 294 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:45,960 But says, Jesus, when you come into your Kingdom, Remember Me. 295 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:52,880 Just want to be remembered. What's so striking is Jesus 296 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:56,320 turns to him and says, today you'll be with me in paradise. 297 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:04,160 He came the final moment. He received mercy and grace. 298 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:10,320 Paul writes the last part of verse 5 says by grace, you've 299 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:13,920 been saved. By grace, you've been saved. 300 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:19,520 Let's read verse 4 to 5 again. Then let's continue down through 301 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,640 verse 7. But God, who is rich in mercy, 302 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,160 because of his great love with which he loved us even when we 303 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,400 were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. 304 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,320 By grace you've been saved and raised us up together and made 305 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:36,800 us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in 306 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,320 the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his 307 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,480 grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 308 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:49,880 This is so tightly packed and so dense, we just really can't seem 309 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,400 to get to the bottom of it or to the center. 310 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,840 God's purpose and giving us grace and mercy is so much 311 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,560 higher than just always save these people. 312 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:03,280 Saving us in itself is a great thing. 313 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,400 It's it's grand. It's already beyond what we can 314 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,440 comprehend. It's good, but then to save us 315 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,960 for a higher purpose. Yet saving us from judgment is 316 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,360 good, but for a higher purpose. He has so much more in mind for 317 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:18,240 us. He made us alive for more than 318 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,240 it's OK, I'll make sure they don't go to hell and that's it. 319 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:24,320 No, he has a purpose for us. He raised us up to sit together. 320 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:26,400 It says in the heavenly places with with Christ. 321 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:31,600 You know what this talks about community, fellowship, 322 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:36,720 relationship, position and standing in God's eyes. 323 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:43,640 We're part of his community. This year at LEMC, our theme for 324 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:47,440 the year's connections, and we see it so much as part of what's 325 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,800 happening here in Ephesians. God has connected with humanity. 326 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,040 We're connected with Jesus. We're supposed to connect with 327 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:54,400 one another. And as we go through the sermon 328 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:57,520 series, we'll see more of that. And all this in an eternal 329 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:02,080 setting here in Ephesians. All of this points to something 330 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,600 that is yet to come. Verse 7. 331 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,800 In the ages to come, He might show us the exceeding riches of 332 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:11,320 His grace and His kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. 333 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,320 In this life we may think we have an idea of what kindness 334 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:20,720 is, what love is, what grace is, what hope is, and so on, but we 335 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,520 really only have a very small grasp of it. 336 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,600 In the book of Hebrews, the writer to the Hebrews mentions 337 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:32,760 that what we have here in this life is merely shadows of the 338 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:35,000 things to come. Think about that for just a 339 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,480 moment. If everything we see and 340 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,120 experience in this earth is merely shadows compared to 341 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,840 what's coming, we have no idea yet what it's going to be when 342 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:49,600 it happens. Many years ago as a young man, I 343 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,680 had the privilege, privilege of teaching a teen class of 344 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:57,120 students, Sunday school students, teenage boys and 345 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:02,560 girls. And, and I remember Mustang cars 346 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:04,960 were the big thing, the Ford Mustang, that was the car to 347 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:07,360 have and everybody dreamed of owning one or driving one at 348 00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:10,560 least. And so use it as an illustration 349 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:15,720 to explain that truth. And I said, what if the only way 350 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,600 you could explain the concept of a Ford Mustang is just what you 351 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,120 see in the shadow, its shape and form, and then you try to 352 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:27,880 describe its power or its beauty or its features just by shadows. 353 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,520 I said, how shallow is that? And I think it got through to 354 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:35,360 him a little bit. Shadows just don't do justice to 355 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:38,040 the real thing. That's a little bit what 356 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:39,720 happens. Well, that's very much what 357 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:41,960 happens in Scripture. The right of the Hebrews talks 358 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,560 about this in Hebrews chapter 8, verse 5, the the old past, what 359 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:49,000 we had, as great as that was and is, it's just shadows. 360 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:53,120 Here in the letter of Ephesians, we find the best is yet to come. 361 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,600 Not just a little better, not just a small improvement, a 362 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,480 little upgrade. No exceeding riches of his 363 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:03,720 grace, Paul writes. All of it happens in a setting 364 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:08,000 of grace. You see, everyone who's saved is 365 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:12,040 saved by grace. There's no one saved outside of 366 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,320 grace. All people are saved, are saved 367 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,440 through grace. Somebody had asked this well 368 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,200 known theologian, Dallas Willard one time, Will there be any 369 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,560 people in heaven who didn't know Jesus? 370 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,200 It's a hard question to answer because not everybody has the 371 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,960 same understanding and concept and grasp of Jesus. 372 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:30,920 For instance, all little babies go to heaven. 373 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:32,560 We believe that firmly and strongly. 374 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:35,920 Well, they don't know Jesus, but they're saved by grace. 375 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,760 I did say this and I may have repeated it somewhere in a 376 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:41,800 setting, and I know I've said it to many people. 377 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,560 I don't know if said it in a worship service, but Dallas 378 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,440 Woodard said this. He said if there's anybody in 379 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,760 heaven who hasn't heard of Jesus, he'll be only there 380 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:52,800 because of Jesus. It's all grace. 381 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:57,720 That's it. That's where why we have the 382 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,000 position we do. And why did God do all this? 383 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:05,760 He did it because of who He is, not who we are. 384 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,720 It works through faith. We're saved by grace through 385 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:12,040 faith. That's our second point. 386 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:15,760 We're saved by grace through faith. 387 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:18,040 Well, whose faith are we saved through His? 388 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:22,760 No, ours. It's God's grace that saves us 389 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:23,960 through faith. Whose faith? 390 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:30,160 The faith that we have in God. I know there are people who get 391 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,120 into arguments about this and well, then faith is a work. 392 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,480 Well, let's not go there. Let me just say this. 393 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:42,640 The Bible simply teaches that when we hear about Jesus and we 394 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:46,200 put our faith in Him, we receive salvation. 395 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,000 It's as simple as that. It's a faith decision. 396 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,840 It's a decision we make to put our trust in Him. 397 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:57,920 We can pray to God, asking Him, strengthen our faith, help us in 398 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:00,480 our faith. But the end of the day, I own 399 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,560 the faith. It's my faith through which God 400 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:08,440 extends grace to us. I believe God's word is clear 401 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,200 when He draws a person, when He calls a person, He convicts a 402 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:12,920 person. What however he does that, 403 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:15,760 that's the channel, that's the connection. 404 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,280 The faith is the connection through which this gift comes. 405 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,200 It's by God's grace and through our faith that salvation comes. 406 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,760 Again in verse 8. For by grace you've been saved 407 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:27,960 through faith and that not of yourselves. 408 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:30,720 It's the gift of God, not of works, as any man should boast. 409 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,560 You see here, it's a gift. Grace is a gift, not a payment, 410 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:37,000 not a reward. It's a gift. 411 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,440 There are many places in Scripture where we find that 412 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:45,440 Jesus tells people to have faith and when we do miracles, when he 413 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:48,000 would do miracles and he'll people would say your faith has 414 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,840 made you well. And Mark chapter 10, verse 52, 415 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:53,840 we read a man where Jesus talked to Jesus said go your way. 416 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,400 Your faith has made you well and immediately he received his 417 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:58,680 sight and followed Jesus on the road. 418 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:00,840 And I understand faith is a much broader concept. 419 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:02,400 Just saying have faith. I understand that. 420 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,280 And so I don't want to go too deep into this, but Jesus 421 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,440 addresses the people who he heals and who he talks to have 422 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:10,520 faith. Your faith is small or great is 423 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:16,920 your faith numerous times. And we depend on him to draw us 424 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:19,560 and to lead us, but the end of the day we must decide. 425 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,400 In Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 6, the writer says, But without 426 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,760 faith it's impossible to please God for he who comes to God must 427 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,360 believe that he is that he is a rewarder of those who diligently 428 00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:34,200 seek him. It's a very powerful passage in 429 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:36,800 the book of Acts that illustrates this very clearly. 430 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,400 I won't read it this morning. Acts chapter 16 verse 31 and on 431 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,840 Paul and Silas are in are in jail for for preaching the 432 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:46,800 gospel, been arrested, beaten and putting the stalks in the 433 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,440 prison, the inner prison in fact, chained along with other 434 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,880 prisoners singing praises, worshipping God. 435 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,480 In the middle of the night there's an earthquake. 436 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:57,760 Prison is shaken, the fetters fall loose and the chains are 437 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:02,040 loose and the doors flew open. The jailer wakes up. 438 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,200 Go, what's going on? Draws a sword, wants to kill him 439 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,440 because he knows in the morning these prisoners are gone. 440 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:10,000 I'm dead, Paul yells. They don't kill yourself. 441 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,560 We're still all here. And he's never heard something 442 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,880 like that before. He calls for a light, runs to 443 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:16,520 the prison, falls trembling before them. 444 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:18,640 I'll read verse 2039. It's 29, it says. 445 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,480 Then he called for a light, ran and fell down trembling before 446 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:23,320 Silas. And he brought them out and 447 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:25,560 said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 448 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,480 He knew he was wrong, so they said, and believe on the Lord 449 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:32,880 Jesus Christ, and you'll be saved, you and your household. 450 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:36,080 That is how simple it is. It's hard, but it's simple. 451 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:40,920 It's not complicated. You see, to be made alive from a 452 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:42,600 state of being dead, that's mercy. 453 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,560 Becoming part of God's family is a gift of grace and it comes 454 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,320 through faith. Simply told, believe on the Lord 455 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:55,920 Jesus and salvation will follow. Faith is the connecting link 456 00:26:56,680 --> 00:26:58,480 through which the grace of God comes to us. 457 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:01,400 Let's look again at Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8. 458 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:05,080 For by grace you've been saved through faith, not of 459 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:07,320 yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of 460 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,600 works, lest any man should boast. 461 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,320 It's a gift. At the end of the day. 462 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:16,520 It is about relationships, and this is mutual. 463 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:21,320 So let's recap here. Remain alive in Christ because 464 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:24,960 of God's great mercy and grace towards us, His riches. 465 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,560 He took the initiative, did everything possible. 466 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,520 He extends His grace to us, His mercy and grace to us. 467 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:32,640 It's for our benefit. It's a gift to us. 468 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,640 It's our responsibility to receive it, to accept it and 469 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,120 receive it. But this is not the finish line. 470 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:43,560 Let's read verse 10. For we are his workmanship, 471 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:47,760 created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared 472 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:49,800 beforehand, that we should walk in them. 473 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,760 There's something that follows. God has a purpose. 474 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:55,880 We're saved by grace through faith. 475 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:58,520 God extends mercy, saves us by grace through faith. 476 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,560 We're not trophies to put on a shelf. 477 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:08,680 We're actually coworkers with God #3 we are Christ's 478 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:10,640 workmanship created for good works. 479 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:14,480 We have a purpose beyond what we even know. 480 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,840 I'm reminded of the story of creation when God put Adam and 481 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,840 Eve in the Garden of Eden. God completed the project of 482 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,520 creation, but it was not finished, as if there was 483 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,160 nothing left to do. It was finished and complete. 484 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,640 God rested on the 7th day, but there was work to do for Adam. 485 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:34,240 God give Adam a job. As human beings, we need to 486 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:36,960 remind ourselves there's work for us in this world as image, 487 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:39,920 as God's image bearers, we have a role here as well. 488 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,840 God wants to live in US and through US, work in this world. 489 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:44,360 We do this by honor. We do. 490 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:47,960 We work for Him in honor of Him. We read of Paul in First 491 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,240 Corinthians chapter 3 of the work that he has described for 492 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,120 himself. He says in First Corinthians 493 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:56,280 chapter 3, he's a God's fellow worker. 494 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,480 The idea of becoming a believer, but then not being a service for 495 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,320 God, that's a foreign idea to Scripture. 496 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,240 When Paul writes that we are created for good works, he's 497 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,840 talking about what we've been gifted for and called to do. 498 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:14,360 Again, verse 10, we are his workmanship created in Christ 499 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:17,360 Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we 500 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,640 should walk in them. The beautiful thing about all 501 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,360 this is that God already planned this beforehand. 502 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:24,880 We should walk in them. We should live in them. 503 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:28,120 By the way, guys, there's no unemployment in God's Kingdom. 504 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,320 There's no unemployment rate that doesn't exist. 505 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,880 Every one of us is called to full time representation of our 506 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,280 Lord Jesus Christ in Word and deed. 507 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:48,000 So we do well to consider this and ask what kind of believers 508 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,240 are we? What kind of works are we part 509 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,320 of? As a pastor of this church, I'm 510 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,520 so thankful and so grateful. As I look around throughout the 511 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:58,120 weeks when I work here in the office and see people coming and 512 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,760 going Sunday mornings and at all the many countless hours that 513 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:04,320 volunteers put in. Then I hear of stories House. 514 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:06,480 People in the community at this church are serving the 515 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,000 community. It excites my heart and is a 516 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,680 delight to hear when I hear somebody volunteering here and 517 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,080 somebody volunteering there and somebody doing this and somebody 518 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:16,120 doing that for the cause of the Kingdom. 519 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,320 That's a joy to see and a joy to hear. 520 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:25,480 And those volunteer hours are countless hours when we pray the 521 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:27,560 Lord's Prayer. Our Father in heaven, hallowed 522 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:31,440 be your name, your Kingdom come, that part, your Kingdom come as 523 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:34,040 part of it. Those are that's being engaged 524 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:38,000 in the works. I see, friends, that's what it's 525 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:41,200 about. God is bringing His Kingdom into 526 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:45,120 this world through you and me. How we live our lives and what a 527 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:48,160 blessing it is and what a privilege it is. 528 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:52,520 We're saved. God extends His mercy to us. 529 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:59,000 We're saved by grace through faith in God, and we engage in 530 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,200 the works He's prepared for us in advance. 531 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:06,560 There's no better package, no better deal, no better 532 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:11,280 opportunity. So let's remember and live out 533 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:13,200 what we are. We are alive in Christ. 534 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:16,120 We're saved by grace through faith, and we are His 535 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:20,680 workmanship, prepared for good works by God's design, for his 536 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:23,560 purpose. What's it worth to us today? 537 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,560 What value does it have? My encouragement for us today is 538 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:30,240 to look at what we are in Christ. 539 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,200 I want to direct our thoughts to Jesus, His death on the cross 540 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:38,840 for our sins, His resurrection from the dead, and his gift of 541 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:41,200 grace that he extends to us through faith. 542 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:46,080 Today He's with us through Spirit, guiding us, leading us 543 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:48,520 into works of service that gives us to do which we have the 544 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:50,040 privilege and honor of being part of. 545 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,960 So May God give us what we need to walk in his ways and serve 546 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,720 Him and doing the works of service He's created for us. 547 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,720 Let's pray. Lord God, thank you for your 548 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:03,560 word in which you show us how much you love us and what you 549 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:07,200 want for us and from us. Thank you for your great mercy 550 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:10,760 and thank you for your grace. Thank you for being with us. 551 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,560 I pray that we'd be open to the voice of your Spirit when you 552 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:18,560 call us to yourself. Lord may be obedient to you and 553 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:22,360 respond when you call. Help us to have faith in you and 554 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,160 receive your mercy and grace in our lives. 555 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:26,600 Thank you again Lord for this day and may we live out and 556 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,400 express our love to you by loving others with the love you 557 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,000 have for us. We thank in Jesus name, Amen.