Imperfectly Beautiful - Crafted and Created

Thomas Sullivan - New York Coffee/Tea merchant developed the first tea bag around 1908 and started sending samples to his customers. The contents were placed in a small silken bag and around 1920 he would later changed the material of the sachets to gauze. The tea bags grew in popularity to where we are now.

The art and skill, workmanship, put into combining dried plant leaves and other essential ingredients to create a tea bag with so many benefits is nothing short of strategic planning. This product provides comfort, joy, healing, a host of other good benefits to others to all who partake of it. Great care and workmanship goes into the process of making a tea bag.

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

For fwe are his workmanship, gcreated in Christ Jesus hfor good works, iwhich God preparedbeforehand, jthat we should walk in them.

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

Background of Ephesians

There was no specific problem that inspired Paul to write this letter, other than to instruct the Ephesians in the truths of the creative and redemptive work of God in Christ. Ancient Ephesus was fascinated with magic and the occult (). Paul wanted to remind them of their allegiance to Christ as the supreme power and ruler over everything, including their lives. This chapter deals with Salvation by grace through faith and unity; this particular verse deal with Hope in Christ (); deal with hopelessness and helplessness without Christ.

Emphasis of Christ’s “workmanship”, “good works,” and “preparation” in creating, using, and beautifying us in our imperfections for His glory

We are His “workmanship”

The result of the works of God’s first creation; creation

Great care in making us, on purpose, specific, unique;

Different sizes, shapes, colors, internal workings,

We have a distinctiveness as created human beings

We are “Beautiful”

I am His beautiful creation. He took time with me and put in me the stuff He wanted me to have. He took the time to give me a little extra in some areas such as gentleness, mercy, faith, kindness, love, joy, peace, patience, etc. These characteristics are beautiful to Him because He gave them to me. I may lack in some and may excel in others but I am complete because of Him.

I am beautiful on the inside and that makes me beautiful on the outside I am beautiful on the inside because of the heart He gave me, how He made my reproduction, vascular, and muscular systems to work together like a well oiled machine. I am beautiful on the inside because every piece of my DNA was woven together like a tapestry to create a beautiful masterpiece.

I am beautiful on the inside, and my glow shows up on the outside. I am beautiful on the outside because of what’s inside. Sometimes things don’t work the way they should. Sometimes things change and causes our inside to react. Sometimes our situations change and causes a chain reaction on the inside that shows up on the outside, but I am still beautiful. I am still wonderfully and fearfully made. I am still precious in His eyes. I am still!

We feel Imperfect (just as an imperfect Tea Bag)

So since God made me does that mean that my imperfections come from Him. Absolutely not! God said “let us make man in our own image” ; . After His likeness, originally in perfection, and He saw that everything He made was good. He made no mistakes. However, because of sin and its nature, we miss the mark. God’s image in us has been distorted or perverted, and this leads to our imperfections...it makes our faculties misaligned.

Imperfect (not complete, lacking) with Christ we are complete; Yet even in our flaws, we are still complete and beautiful because He said that His grace is sufficient for us ().

God’s grace covers our individual imperfections and makes us authentically and uniquely beautiful. Rahab was beautiful and was a prostitute, God’s grace was sufficient for her and He used her; Sarah was beautiful in appearance and she lacked faith in God at when He told her that she would have a child at 80 years old, but His grace was sufficient for her, and He used her; Esther was beautiful and was going to keep quiet about her heritage and the awful demise that was planned, but God’s grace was sufficient, and He used her;

True beauty was about being covered in God’s grace, and walking in faith and love, not about looks because ,

Small scratch in the tea bag; string missing, or other flaw, but still can be used

A tea bag is not complete unless it is immersed in water in order to bring about its full flavor and intended purpose

He makes us complete in Him for good worksA tea bag is not complete unless it is immersed in water in order to bring about its full flavor and intended purposewe are not complete unless we are immersed in Christ in order for Him to bring about His full purpose in and through us

A tea bag is not complete unless it is immersed in water in order to bring about its full flavor and intended purpose

We are not complete unless we are immersed in Christ in order for Him to bring about His full purpose in and through us’

Ephesians verse is important because it’s a chapter of hope; He is our hope - He makes us complete in Him for good works

We are created for His “good works”

God knows who we were: it is up to you and me to take Him at His word about who we now are! We can no longer think of ourselves in the old way, or burden ourselves down with past guilts. In Jesus we are renewed: we are His own fresh creations, shaped by the divine hand for the good works He calls us to do. (Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 915).

1 Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 915.

“Good” works contrast to “works of darkness” and “wicked works.” remember who Paul was talking to, they love magic and the occult, and works of darkness (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 20.)

1 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 20.

shows some who had Satan working in them, and therefore their works are not good. They were unbelievers doing Satan’s work. Is that any of us? He created all us for good works, that we should abound to every good work ().

The good works that Paul spoke of are works that are a result of the work of God in our hearts; this is what makes us move from imperfection to perfection. The Holy Spirit working in us; our works in themselves are good because we are good, but because we have a new nature from God that produces these good works. These good works are prepared; ordained before hand, and it does take sacrifice. It takes being willing to be “steeped” as a good work to the glory of God

String Story Repeat

Conclusion

Does the string identify who created you?

Conclusion

Does the string identify who created you?

§ Being imperfect, yet set apart, worthy, and authentically beautiful as we recognize who we are in Christ, and the work He has done and continues to do in us. We are precious to Him (), when we are “steeped” in Him.

What are you made of?

·Eleanor Roosevelt - “A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”

Our contents determine

Being imperfect, yet set apart, worthy, and authentically beautiful as we recognize who we are in Christ, and the work He has done and continues to do in us. We are precious to Him (), when we are “steeped” in Him.

We are all flawed and yet still worthy, still beautiful, because we have His qualities.