Title Ephesians 02:4-10 God's Works
Contents Main text: Ephesians 2:4-10
Title: God's Works
A tree whose trunk is cut off is as dead as it is because it has been cut off from the root of the plant. It will wither little by little and end up in the trash can. The phrase “dead in trespasses and sins” in verse 1 of today’s text does not mean physical death that ends when the heart stops, but refers to the state in which our souls are cut off from fellowship with God because of our transgressions and sins. That is why verse 3 refers to these people as 'children of wrath'.
Let's read the text 2:4-5.
It is said that the Lord saved people who were sentenced to destruction as a price for their sins. In other words, we have been saved through Jesus, and this is entirely by the grace of God.
In 2:8, the content of the gospel that saves us becomes clearer. "By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." It is only through God's grace that we, who died under the curse due to our transgressions and sins, can be saved.
If you know the love of a mother for her newborn baby, you can understand what that grace is.
Infants are wrapped and crushed several times a day. Is that all?
I can't even sleep, so I cry and sneeze for milk.
Nevertheless, she is constantly caring and kind.
This is a mother's grace.
The reason is that the baby is a child of his own flesh and blood.
God loves us unconditionally and gives us grace, even if we do not have merit or qualifications, because we are a spiritual being who has inherited the image of God.
This grace is expressed as a gift from God.
“This is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (2:8). A gift is a free gift.
However, the position of arranging gifts is different.
You have to pay attention to 'what kind of gift is good and how much to buy'.
The more precious the gift, the more devotion and expense are invested.
How well does Almighty God know what kind of gift our sinful life will need? So God has decided to give us a gift.
But that gift would have to come at a huge price, so it would not have been easy to make a decision.
But God, who is rich in mercy, is our Father, so He planned to send God the Son as a human being to pay the penalty for our sins and to save mankind.
What is the purpose of God's salvation through this wonderful grace?
The answer is right there in verse 10.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Translating this into simple words, we can express it like this
"We are God's masterpieces. For good works in Christ Jesus, as he had planned from ancient times, so that we might live in the kingdom of heaven on this earth."
In verse 10 we must discover two important truths. In the first half, he says, "We who are chosen are God's work", and in the second half, "we who were saved by grace were saved so that we could live in the kingdom of heaven through faith, just like God's children."
Do you know the great devotion that the potters who made Goryeo celadon or Yijo white porcelain put in to make one pottery?
There were a lot of people who separated from their wives and wives for months or years and went deep into the mountains to make a masterpiece among masterpieces.
Their work remains today.
Some of them take a bath every morning, pour in cold water, pray to the god of the gods, and work all day, and the next day, following the same schedule, they put all their heart into it… , there were people who continued to do this and finally completed a wonderful work.
However, when I looked closely at the work that was made with such care, I often found very small flaws.
How do I do this?
I take that precious thing and wake up.
Then it goes back to the starting point and starts again.
If a flaw is found again, it wakes up and... , in this way, the work is finally flawless and spotless.
Still, the potter took a closer look and got angry and threw it into the yard again, breaking it up.
Do you know why?
It means that you don't have your own soul.
Because his breath is not pulsing, he destroys it and starts over.
One day, when, after a long struggle, a pottery to be completely satisfied was finished, the potter was filled with joy and ecstasy, and would gladly offer it to the inlay mama.
This means that the true value of the work is revealed, that is, it was used for valuable work used by the king in the royal palace.
This is similar to how God created man.
It is said that after making it out of dust, God breathed in it and created it.
It means that God made it with his best effort.
You put great effort into creating a masterpiece, and you want it to be used for a very valuable purpose.
To be made in the image of God means to resemble God.
It is like saying that we begot our children in our image.
Just as children come out in our resemblance, people who are made in God’s image live a life that is at the level of God.
It is bound to be an incredibly valuable masterpiece to enjoy.
In other words, God made them the children whom God loves so much.
That is why He first created all things in the heavens and the earth, and then created man.
Just as a pregnant woman prepares everything in advance before giving birth to the child she will love, God created the perfect environment before creating the child she will love.
Just like a pregnant woman who prepares one and then touches it and cares it for herself, likes it, prepares and loves it, God created it on the first day and 'it looked good', and then continued to create and like it.
Just as a pregnant woman prepares everything and gives birth to a baby and then loves it, God created man and found it to be 'very good' in God's eyes.
Because you have made a masterpiece of masterpieces.
The masterpiece is the child of God, in which the soul of God enters and life enters.
They are precious beings created for a loving relationship with God.
Everyone, do you know what makes you live in a curse for the rest of your life?
That's inferiority and self-abuse.
There are usually two types of humans in this world.
One of them is negative people who think they are poor and unhappy and live in a sense of inferiority.
They live their lives frustrated and complaining, ending in failure.
The other is positive people who think that they are missionaries sent by God's providence and live by constantly developing their gifts and possibilities.
They usually live successfully and then go to heaven.
In the name of the Lord, please.
I hope you value yourself.
This time, "Who am I?" Ask the fundamental question
I did not come to this earth because of my parents' will or my choice, but I was born as a Korean in God's providence.
Also, because I was chosen by God, I was redeemed through the shedding of the blood of my only begotten son and became a child of God.
I was born and saved because of God's providence.
In Isaiah 43:1 God says, "Now, Jacob, the LORD who created you speaks; Israel, his Maker, says: Fear not, I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine."
That's right. I am the precious being that God Himself intervened and made it His property.
Also, the person right next to me.
To what extent do you think we are valuable before God?
You judge the value of an object by how much you paid for it and made it mine.
How much are you and me to God, since God paid the life of his only begotten Son Jesus to buy us?
You must be as valuable as your only begotten Son, that is, 'Jesus-like'.
Everyone, do you know what is the most precious and expensive thing in this world to God?
Isn't it you and I, who were paid and redeemed by the only begotten Son of God?
You know how precious and precious I am, the work of God.
It is unspeakably valuable and precious.
We Christians who have been saved should feel proud and shrug their shoulders just thinking about this fact, and tears should come out of their hearts with inflated excitement and emotion.
Everyone, remember. God loves me more than the world because He created me in His image, the only one out of hundreds of millions of people in human history.
The existence of a nation cannot replace anyone in the history of this earth.
There is no other me in the history of mankind.
This is a privilege that God has only given to me.
Don't underestimate me.
Don't underestimate it.
Above all, it is important for each of us to cherish ourselves because Almighty God has a purpose and mission for sending me into this world.
In this way, wherever you belong, you are indispensable.
God has a plan for you.
You are a masterpiece of God.
A man who was once a masterpiece and fell to a useless rubbish, God has made him "created in Christ Jesus for good works."
you made a new one.
He made a new one as a very valuable being, and the price is 'Jesus' worth.'
You have to know that you are going to be such a great masterpiece.
This should be reflected in our lives as well.
Buy with confidence.
Live strong and bold.
I hope you live with a heart of gratitude to Jesus Christ who made it a masterpiece.
Masters among masterpieces, shouldn't your life be the life of masterpieces too?
You are "created in Christ Jesus for good works."