God Ordained Work

Ephesians  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  19:33
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 STUDY NOTES GOD ORDAINED WORK EPHESIANS 2:10 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION This is “Labor Day Weekend,” a very special weekend in many ways Supposedly the end of summer and the approaching of rain and fall weather (so far so good) The end of summer vacations and back to school and work (maybe not so good) Labor Day is a legal holiday in honor of labor and those who labor In times past, there were those who participated in a spiritual emphasis for Labor Day Dedicating the Sunday before Labor Day as a day of appreciation and education of work But many will not use Labor Day as an opportunity to be grateful to God for their job They will continue to gripe and complain about their job as they normally do “Work” is a word that many people today do not want in their daily vocabulary Often those who are young and healthy and able to work, wish they didn’t have to work When you get old and feeble and your body doesn’t want to work, you wish you could still work Work is a God-given responsibility which goes back to the time of creation God planted a garden, He placed the man He had created in the garden, Gen 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. The garden had almost everything that man needed for sustenance and security (almost everything) God gave Adam the privilege of the garden, Gen 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. “To dress it,” in the original has the meaning of “to work” and “to serve,” to serve through work Work is to be a service unto God, that which brings glory unto God Christians are to work for their livelihood and glorify God as they do “To keep it,” in the original means “to watch carefully over” Work is watching over and caring for that which God has given us Honest work fulfills a person’s life and is a source of satisfaction Through work there is a sense of accomplishment There is the satisfaction of an accomplished goal Work is an honest way of life that leads to a peaceful state of mind There are many guidelines found in Scripture related to “honest work” God determined that man needed a help mate as he worked the garden, Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Men, did God do a good job when He created “Woman?” Adam thought so I think what Adam actually said was “Wow-man,” when he saw the “woman” God gave man something to work for, a wife and a family, our message last week The importance of a Godly family in our society today, the blessings that flow from that family Husband and wife can work together in the greatest work that God has given us to do There is no greater work for us than to do the work of God, even while we are at our livelihood work God has provided the way for God’s people to do God’s work, to serve God through work God bestows blessings upon those who are obedient to His work orders, payday is coming Page 1 of 4 Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. The word “for” takes us back to the previous verses, showing why those previous verses are true Our salvation is not of our good works, Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Salvation is not accomplished through our self-efforts, it is God’s gift, Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: “For” in verse 10 says, here is the reason why we have nothing to boast about “For we are” reveals what God has done and not what we have done “His” is the main emphasis of those words, the emphasis is placed upon God It is His work that is presented, “His workmanship,” accomplished through “His Grace” Our salvation is not what we have made ourselves to be, we are what God has made us to be Before we received our New Life, we were the results of the work of man Jesus explained it to Nicodemus, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh,” Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Regardless of what man does with himself, he is still himself, “flesh is flesh,” he is still flesh Man can do nothing within himself to allow him to stand righteous before God, Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: To stand in a right relationship before God requires the work of God in us, Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: Jesus explained that to Nicodemus also, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” And that is why Jesus said to Nicodemus, Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The spiritual birth is a “must,” Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The way of New Life is through the New Birth, a spiritual birth from above Paul describes the New Birth as God’s work, “His workmanship” Christians are the work of God’s mercy, grace, love, and kindness Christians are that which God has made, we are the handiwork of God Our New Life is a work of art, we are a living masterpiece One day we shall be the finished product of the redeemer’s art, 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. We know that the material creation is the work of God, Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: We can look at creation and see the work of God and know that it could only be of God In the creation account we find that God’s work was good, Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. All of creation was good because it was God’s workmanship Our salvation is good because it is the workmanship of God In fact, the point might be that the greatest workmanship of God ever is the salvation of lost souls The masterpiece of creation is the New Life that is in Christ Jesus And God has a purpose for that “Masterpiece” which is created in Christ Jesus God did it all, but He did it all “in Christ Jesus” In Christ we are a new creation, 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. So, the works of man cannot work into salvation, lost mankind cannot be saved by works So, is there no place or purpose of works before God? Are the works of man even important to God? Page 2 of 4 Man was originally created to work for God, but after the fall of man he could not do that work Sin does not allow man to present his works before God, Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Sinful man must become a new creation in Christ in-order to work for God We are not saved by works but we are saved to work We are a new creation in Christ for the purpose of “good works” God has a plan and a purpose for those who are saved The “good works” of a Christian are the proof, the evidence of a New Life “Good works” are the fruit of our New Life, Jesus explained it, Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Jesus said that He is the vine, and we are the branches The branches receive life from the vine and bring forth fruit Fruit then is the result of the life of the vine Illustrating that the Christian is in Christ and receives life from Christ As we allow His life to flow through us, we live a fruitful life Spiritual fruit is the good works of the New Life, Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. In Christ we have a “Life to Live” and it is to be a life of good works Works that are good, useful, and profitable for all, wherever we are, even at our workplace God is not depending upon those who are spiritually dead to be fruitful The workmanship of God in us is for the purpose of a fruitful life of good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. The point is strong, the point is clear It is clearly presented what God has done in order that we might do what God wants us to do God planned for us to walk in good works and God’s plan will work But the main thought is upon God and not upon us And that becomes a problem for many Christians when they feel that they have worked for God Many Christians have a problem, it is an “I” problem, identified with a capital “I” “I” did this and “I” did that and if it wasn’t for “I” what would God do? There can be no boasting of “I,” it cannot be praise “I,” it must be “Praise God” It is difficult for us to talk about what we have done for God without boasting of self It is easy to praise God when you talk about what He has done, even in us If we are walking in good works, we don’t even have to tell others, they will see what we do Remember that our good works are what God had planned for us when He gave us a Life to Live Beforehand, in advance, prearranged in eternity past was the purpose of a New Life in Christ God saved us and gave us a “Life to Live” it is the life that only a Christian can live Many Christians are looking for a new experience with Christ God has a new experience for you, 1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. John is telling us to do more than talk about being a Christian, walk like a Christian Don’t say that you “abide” in Him unless you “walk” with him The evidence of your “walk” with Jesus is your “work” for Jesus Celebrate Labor Day, thank God for allowing you to have earned a livelihood through work Celebrate a “Spiritual Labor Day,” thank God for allowing you to work for Him Payday is coming, 1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. Page 3 of 4 1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Earn a WD DEGREE, Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Page 4 of 4
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