Ephesians 2:8-10
Saved by Grace Through Faith
The
verses we just read are some of the most important verses in all the Bible.
They are very important because they state the way of salvation.
A)
And of course the way of salvation is one of the most
important things in all of the world,
B)
Along with other things like, who Jesus Christ is,
what is the origin
of man,
1)
those are some of the basic questions that men have been asking for ages, this
is one of them, high on the list
is: How can a person be saved?
C)
And here’s where the answer is given, right here in Ephesians 2:8-10 we are
told specifically here how it is that people are saved.
1)
Plus in v.10 we are told part of God’s purpose in Saving a person.
This
word saved, is such a glorious word – It’s a word that we use
frequently
A)But it’s a word that is full of such tremendous significance,
especially for us who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
B) But What are we talking about though
when we make reference to Being Saved?
1) The word
saved initially was used to speak of deliverance from physical danger, and healing from physical disease.
C)
EXAMPLES : In Matthew 8:25 we read this: “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke
Him saying, ‘Lord save us. We are
perishing.’”
1)
Lord save us—what were they referring to?
D)
They were referring to the physical danger that they
were in, because they thought that the small boat they were on was going
to sink.
In Luke’s
gospel, 18:42, KJV “And Jesus said unto Him, ‘Receive thy
sight. Thy faith hath saved thee.’”
A)
So we see here that the salvation that Jesus is referring to with this
particular individual was a reference to the healing that he experienced.
B)
He received his sight. It was referred to
as “being saved.”
1)
SO the word was commonly used in the physical realm to describe the idea of
being Rescued / delivered or healed
C) When you lift the word into the loftier realm of
the Spirit – the same application is used only with greater
significance
1) RESCUED from
eternal Judgment / Delivered from Satan’s power & influence /
Healed from the affects of
Sin Guilt & shame
D) That is what is being referred to here when Paul
declares we have been saved by Grace !!!!
Now
if a person doesn’t realize their own personal condition, then the whole
concept of being saved seems something just completely uninteresting to them.
A)“What do you mean, am I saved?” they might say. “Oh what do I need to be saved for? What do I need to be saved from? I’m not lost.”
B)
I have had people tell me that – because they had no clue of their spiritual
condition –
1)
It’s not until we realize our true state, that the term saved becomes
one of those gems of the Christian vocabulary.
C)
Oh, when I realize my true state, when I realize where I’m at by nature, then talking about [being] saved,
that’s a glorious thing to talk about.
1)
It’s a glorious thing to meditate on.
D)
When the passengers were boarding the Titanic, & were ready to set sail,
I’m sure that the one thing they never really took
note of were the lifeboats. 1)
They were all taken up with the furnishings.
E)
They were taken up with the décor. They
were taken up, perhaps, with the table settings for the meals that they were
going to have.
1)
They were taken up maybe with the band that was playing. They were taken up with all of these
things.
People
today getting on a plane – not paying attention to where the exist are – don’t
pay attention to the safety speech
A) Me – First thing I look for – exists –
who am I going to have to leap over – etc – Most are not thinking that way -
B)
IN the same way those getting on the Titanic were not
concerned about the lifeboats
1)
They probably never went over and looked at them.
They probably never even noticed them.
They noticed everything but them.
C)
But the moment the ship began to sink, nothing but the lifeboats mattered. And that’s the way
it is with salvation.
1)
You see, if I don’t realize my own condition, if I don’t realize the peril that
I’m in, and then when somebody talks about being saved, they just say,
“Oh well, that’s good for
you. I’m glad you got saved. But don’t talk to me about that.” I am ok
D)
And it is not until a person really realizes the reality of their sinful
condition do they cry out like the disciples Lord save me !!!
1)
Which is why Paul paints the picture that he does in v. 1-3 – He is seeking to
magnify the glory of this statement - concerning our salvation
SO THE
QUESTION HOW IS A
PERSON SAVED –is what Paul answers here
A)
First lets consider what Paul says about – how a person is not saved
Verse
9 – “not by works lest anyone should boast.”
B) Let me quote to you from a commentator named
William Newell. He said in reference to
this statement, he said, “What is written
here, every believer should commit to memory.
For it states what no mind of fallen man ever imagines.”
C)
Now I like that. “It
states what no mind of fallen man ever imagines.” 1) That
is so true. If we were to go
out after our Bible study, and go down to some restaurant of tomorrow out to
Palomar College
D)
Asked people this simple question “How is it that a person is saved?” or to put it
in simpler terms, “What do you have to do to get to heaven?”
1)
I guarantee that the vast majority of people, unless they had some sort of
understanding of the Scriptures, would give us a list of do’s & don’ts
E)
certain things, like doing your best, keeping the Ten Commandments, trying to
love your neighbor, being a good person, things like that
See
that is how Fallen man thinks – I have got to do something – No free rides when
it comes to salvation
A)
It has never entered into the mind of fallen man that salvation could be
something that is a gift, something that is free, something that is given by
the grace of God.
B)
But the Bible tells us clearly here in v.9 that
Salvation is not of works –
1)
And this isn’t the only place where we are told this in such clear terms.
C)
Really the entire Bible communicates this message. But in some places it communicates it very
clearly. Here in V.9 is one of those places.
1)
And let me remind you of a few others.
Paul states the same thing in a number
of his epistles. In Romans 4: he says
something very similar to what he says right here. { Turn
V. 1What then shall we say that Abraham
our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by
works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.3 For what does the
Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness." 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace
but as debt. But
to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his
faith is accounted for righteousness,
A) I love the
way Paul states it there. And he shows us something that’s important
to remember. The
person who works is seeking to earn salvation.
B)
Salvation cannot be a gift to a person working for it. When you work you obtain a wage,
1)
At the end of the week when your boss hands you your paycheck you do not fall
down in praise and thanksgiving to your Boss -
C)
You’re not overwhelmed by his generosity or his
kindness when he hands you your paycheck.
1)
You take your paycheck, and you say, “Thank you very much. I’ll see you later. I earned this. I worked for it.” { Not
enough}
D)
Probably some sense of Satisfaction you derive
in the fact that you earned it
1ST JOB – DUG A DITCH –
1) If you work for something, “Hey, I’ve earned
this. You owe it to me.”
But to him who does not work, but believes him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is accounted to righteousness.
E)
This is how a man is made righteous before God, not by working, but notice: by
believing.
1)
In Titus 3:3,5, Paul said, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done
but according to His mercy He saved us.”
F)
So once again, a very clear statement, “Not by works of righteousness which we
have done.”
WHY NOT OF
WORKS
A)
Two reasons – We can’t fulfill the Criteria {
ILL – Rich young Ruler –
Paint picture { Great guy { Keeper
B) Comes to Jesus seeking eternal life – He
Knew his need
C) Commandments – What
else do I lack ? He
understood – wasn’t enough
D)
Story illustrates - You can’t work your way to
heaven / You can’t BUY your way into heaven
1)
You can’t Force your way into Heaven – No
Ruler can demand that God lets him in
E)
Before God it is a level playing field . Standard is perfection and we are
all sinners
But
2ndly, God does not save us by works, because if that were the way of
salvation, there would be boasting.& God does not want us boasting.
A)If God had set forth a list of “do’s” and a list
of “don’ts”, and said, now if you do
this, if you will read so many chapters of the Bible a day,
B) if you will
spend so many hours in prayer, if you will witness to so many people, if you
will give so much of your tithes then you will be saved.
1) if I got a gold star every time I witnessed to some,
if I got a gold star every time I, was praying,
C) if I could earn it, when I got to heaven, I’d be showing
you my card with all the gold stars.
Look at me. Look at how many
stars I got.
1) Heaven would one big
bragging session, which would be miserable.
D) Because as I am bragging to you about every thing I
did, you would say, would you please shut up, I want to tell you what I
did.
1) And we would all be boasting in our own works. { Out do each other
Boasting
is the expression of pride. And pride
was the original sin, the sin that transformed Lucifer into Satan.
A)
Because of his pride Satan was cast out of heaven. And the vast cycle of sin began.
B)
Pride is one thing that God hates - so it’s not of works, lest any man should
boast!
1) Praise God that heaven is not going to be one big
Bragging session
Rather heaven
is going to be one big Praising session – You are worthy
C) SO it is not of works – which would magnify MAN – but
it is of Grace which magnifies God –
8 For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Now Grace has been defined as unmerited
favor. Favor that you do not work for
is what that simply means, unmerited favor.
A)
My Favorite Definition though is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. that is a very accurate definition of what
grace is.
B)
God pours out upon us all of the riches of His love,
and of His kindness, and of His goodness. And He does it all at the expense of Christ.
1)
Christ pays the bill. And we get the
benefit.
C)
So it’s by grace that we have been saved, through faith. God showed favor to us
in sending his Son to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves
1)
That salvation becomes our reality as we lay hold of it by faith
So grace
presents salvation, faith lays hold of salvation.
A)
Grace is the God side of salvation.
Grace presents salvation.
B)
Faith is the human side of salvation.
Not that I add to salvation in any way, not that I make some sort of
contribution to it.
1)
But in order to be a recipient of it, I’ve got to lay hold of it by faith.
So grace
presents salvation, faith lays hold of salvation.
A)
Now some people try to argue that when you say that about faith – you make
faith a work : Think
of it this way though
B)
Faith is to the spirit what hands are to the body. If you’re going to receive a
gift, how are you going to receive it?
1)
Well generally speaking you’re going to extend your hand and receive it.
C)
If you’re going to give a gift to somebody, where do you place that gift? Well, you place it in their hand.
1)
The hand is that natural receptor that God has built into our bodies. It’s through the hands that we receive.
D)
And so what the hand is to the body, faith is to the
spirit. It is the means by which I can
receive the gift God.
1)
Faith lays hold of that salvation. So
faith is the channel.
Now
it would be very foolish and idiotic of me after Denise would give me a gift
for Christmas if I went around talking about what I did to receive – She placed it in my hand – I took it held it – unwrapped it – it was
tough STUPID
A) Faith is just a response to the good
news of God !!!
B)
Faith is not a work. Faith is not me doing something to add to salvation. The salvation is there. It’s in tact. It’s full. It’s complete.
1)
There’s nothing that can be added to it.
Faith simply embraces it.
C) NOTE: Now because salvation is a gift,
it can be refused.
1) the Scripture tells us that the grace of God
that brings salvation has appeared to all men, not just some men. But then why aren’t all men saved?
D)
Because all men have not extended that hand of faith to receive the gift of
God. Rejected the gift – sets on the
door step of their hearts
You see, I
could receive a check in the mail for ten million dollars.
A)
But I could live in absolute poverty,
even though I had in my possession that check for ten million dollars.
B)
Until I deposit that check, it is not of any practical
value to me. I can look at
it. I can marvel over the amount. I can wave it to everybody.
1)
“I’ve
got a check for ten million dollars,” but until I go deposit it in the
bank it doesn’t do me a bit of good.
C)
Well salvation is available at the doorstep of every human being. But you see, until a man reaches out with
the hand of faith and says, “I’ll take that
to be mine,” that salvation does not avail him anything.
D)
And that is one of the saddest things in the entire world to think that the
grace of God bringing salvation has appeared to everyone,
1)
but yet so few people have appropriated it.
So few people have taken the gift that God has extended.
E)
The gift of salvation is there, it’s available, it’s there for the receiving,
but they haven’t received, they haven’t laid hold of it by faith
themselves.
Problem
of PBA in the Church – Really haven’t accepted by faith the fact that God is
dealing with them according to Grace
A) Still trying to earn God’s Favor
B) So Salvation is by Grace alone – thru
Faith alone – not of works lest anyone should boast –
C) Now although we are not saved by our
works – but by grace thru faith – Our faith is to be a faith that works
10 For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk
in them.
Now
we focused on this verses in our Study on Sunday – we are God’s Workmanship –
Poema – his work of Art – His Masterpiece
A) What makes us that – is the materials
that God used and what it cost Him to bring us into His Family – Created in
Christ
B) Paul is talking about more than just
your Humanity – Created in Christ - WHAT HE DID TO SAVE
YOU
C ) This reveals part of the purpose of God saving us – { Yes Bless us by
giving us fellowship w/ Him / Yes – Heaven /
1)
But God had another purpose – To use your life
D) God made a decision – How reach man w/ man plan of redemption
1)
How tell them of my love – ANGELS – NO / ANIMALS – NO
/ TALKING FISH – NO – { Humans – Yes
Now
Does He need us – No – Bless us by allowing us to be used
A) So He has created us – for good works
– works that are the very expression of who He is to the world
B) Works that God Prepared before hand
that we should walk in them
C) That means He had this plan for you – as you walk w/ Him – yield your
life to Him – Discover that Plan –
1)
Things kind of supernaturally – naturally work into that Plan
Illustrate
God knew when He made me – Pastor – CCV
A) First saved – Emotional Church – even
though we lived 5 minutes from CCCM – 74 Gas Crisis
B) High school met Brian – { Not
thinking God would use him in my life
He played football w/ us
C) Good in Sports
– RESPECT - learned leadership skills – God would use to mold me into a leader
Now
my plan was play Pro or at least College – Coach – I wasn’t thinking about
Ministry at all – Not thinking Pastor
A) I was Shy – didn’t like speaking in
front of Groups
B) Senior year – preseason polls – NY Met team –
1)
Slump – Only school offered me a Scholarship happen to be 10 minutes for CCCM {
I helped out – stayed involved
C) Wed night my calling : Brian’s School study –
1) God’s plan was unfolding { Job at the
Sheridan – Bell man – tips
Host at a Restaurant – Catered to Seniors every
night –
Learned how to inter act w/ people
D) 4 yrs later – Brian – come to Vista –
Didn’t even Know where it was
Camp
– I meet Denise – Country girl – Flannel shirts / Birkys Pig tails
A) Surfer guy beach bum – { Afraid of
the ocean
B) Oregon – Courson Prep – for here
C)
Now here is what I want you to realize
is that all of us have been created
in Christ and brought into the family of Christ for a specific purpose as it
relates to the purpose and plan of God for our lives in His Kingdom
Now it is absolutely wrong for us to think that the
highest calling of God, is to be an apostle or to be an evangelist or to be a
missionary.
A) A lot of times, we hear of a person making a
sacrifice, going to the mission field.
B) We say, oh, they have responded to the highest
calling of God. No. Maybe for them, yes.
1) The highest calling of God is whatever God has called
you to be.
C) If God wanted me to be a Baseball coach that would
have been God’s highest call for your life – His kingdom –
D) God calls people to be mechanics, and car salesmen,
and everything else. 1) We’re all a
part, though, of God's handiwork, his poiema.
E) God is preparing us for the good works that He has
before ordained, that we walk in them.
Current season might be Preparation for something later – something else – Know that He has a plan – for you to walk in
A) Your greatest
Joy is going to be in Discovering that plan