Becoming and Growing in Christ Message from Ephesians 2:8-10 Phil Hamm

Becoming and Growing

Ephesians 2:8 - 10

By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works least someone may boast. For we are God's creation in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

When I was a little kid, we went swimming at Sturgeon Beach. There is a small beach there and the water gets deep fairly quickly. On that particular day we had some great waves - 1 - 2 feet high and as a little kid - the were BIG. It was great fun jumping into the waves as they broke just before the shoreline and riding them in almost like body surfing. One particular wave came in and swept me off my feet. There was a struggle to get back on my feet but it seemed impossible to find any firm sand to stand up on. I began to be swept out with the undercurrent as it moved back into the lake. I panicked. The next thing I remember is coming to lying on the beach. Someone had pulled me to safety and saved my life.

It was when I was 13 that I was saved again. This time I was plucked out of the swamp of sin by Christ. As Believers we speak of being saved but what does that really mean? What happens when we are saved and why do we need to become saved? What happens after we are saved? What is the role of works in our salvation? These are some of the questions that ran through my mind when I meditated on these verses.

God poured out his love and mercy on us by showing us grace. We do not deserve the loving kindness of a great and wonderful God. Even when we are rebelling against God's ways, He never ceases to love and bless us.

In his book Fresh Power, Jim Cymbala relates the story of Michael Durso, who now pastors Christ Tabernacle that meets in a converted theater with about 1500 believers gathered on Sunday to worship the Lord. Hundreds of them attend the Tuesday evening Prayer meeting, a powerful service of calling upon the Lord. But Pastor Durso was not always a believer. He was trained in a Catholic High School. After graduating, he worked full time at his Dad's Classy Italian Restaurant which was known as THE place to get the best Italian food. Michael was good at the restaurant business and continued to build it well which pleased is father. He moved in with Maria, a well to do chick and they became party animals going to tourist areas around the world for vacations where drugs and immorality were the norm. His father said little so long as the business stayed healthy - and Michael managed to keep up both ends of his double life. One day at a resort in Mexico, Maria made a strange comment that "Recently she had been feeling vaguely empty, in spite of all their money and life of pleasure. Maybe when they got back to New York they should go to church.” Michael didn't want to react to spoil the vacation.

When they got back they ended up going to a Sunday evening meeting in a gospel church accompanied by a couple of Maria's girlfriends who had recently become believers. Michael dressed for the occasion in a form-fitting leather outfit, yellow boots and four earings in one ear, and drugs in his pocket to do after the service. Michael laughed at the evangelist with his Texas drawl dressed in a western suit and big cowboy hat. He remembered nothing about the service except that he wanted to get out and get going to a Manhattan club. But that is not what God had in mind. God touched Michael at the close of the service when the invitation was made to believe in Jesus. Michael recounts, " Suddenly I felt overwhelmed. I knew my life was headed for hell. All my confidence in my religious upbringing and my smart image vanished. I felt ashamed of my appearance. Both Maria and I headed for the front.

People came around and began praying for us. Both of us started weeping. Soon the pastor approached us and did something very unusual: He anointed our foreheads with oil and then said, " Lord, I pray that this couple will be used by you in the days and years ahead.'" After the service instead of heading to the sensual nightclub(bar) the young couple went back to their 6th floor apartment and convicted by the Holy Spirit, began an immediate housecleaning. The building's incinerator chute happened to be just outside their door and soon they were carrying loads of items to the dump. "Nobody told us to do this - but we just knew. First it was a stack of questionable magazines. Next it was our music collection. Then all the drug paraphernalia - syringes, gold spoons for snorting cocaine and everything else went down the chute. There was also jewellery that had been stolen.”
Finally they turned to their closets. Many items were plainly sensual and needed to be tossed. Michael had an antelope-leather shirt that was very expensive with etchings of women on each shoulder, that he knew had to be discarded. My Midnight they had put thousands and thousands of dollars into the incinerator. Before the end of the week Michael had moved back into his parent's home. The following Monday they went to the justice of the peace to be married. They studied the Bible and served in the church. Years went by and when there was an opportunity to help a struggling church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle where Jim Cymbala is the pastor sent a core of 30 people and Michael and Maria Durso as pastor. Even though Michael had no seminary training he had something even more important, "He had the anointing of the Holy Spirit and a humble heart to seek God's will.”

The same God who empowered Michael and Maria is the same God who is waiting to save and empower you. Will you accept the grace of God and his forgiveness? Titus 3:4 - 8 "But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us , not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying and I want to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

What could we possibly do to earn our salvation? NOTHING. Absolutely nothing.

Michael and Maria did not stop their spiritual growth once they believed. They sought the power of the Holy Spirit and they moved from verse 8 to verse 10. - a big move ( a move that many believers never make). They knew they were created for God's preordained works that they would obey, follow and see the mighty works which God wanted them to do. They believed Jesus when he promised, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”(John 14:12 And when Jesus makes a promise, he delivers. II Cor 9:8- 15 says, "God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.... You will be made rich in very way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you preform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God..... .... great verses!!!!!!!!!

Matthew 5:16, "In the same way let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. How many here want people to see God as a wonderful and glorious God. What kind of good works are you doing to bring praise to God?? True religion and undefiled is this that you look after fatherless or motherless children, and windows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27) Some are so polluted by the world that they cannot see the needs of others around them. Ps 34:14, 15 "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.”

When is the last time you helped a widow? Helped a child caught in separation or divorce of his / her parents? God wants us to ACT!! God says that our good works are going to bring him praise. - a different kind of genuine praise - truely from the heart. (probably more genuine praise than the so called praise singing ever creates on a Sunday morning.) Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created for the purpose of doing good works that God wants us to be involved in.

All the good works we do will never earn salvation. There are many people today will tell you that they HOPE to get into heaven because they HOPE that they have done enough good to get them in. There is no chance that they will ever make it into Heaven. The Bible tells that we can KNOW that we have eternal life. Not a single good work will give us assurance that we are going to get into heaven. Only faith in Christ that He has died for my sins and a confession that Jesus Christ is our LORD is what gets is in. Where then does works come in? If you really love someone you will want to help that person in whatever way you can. God has placed us here on earth to be witnesses to the rest of the world who do not know Him yet. What part of your life are you going to give to show that you love God and are grateful for giving you hope and a future, empowering you with the Holy Spirit and growing your faith. Wow! Don't we have a terrific God??? The least we can do is obey and do what he has already explained to us in the Bible or shown to us by the Holy Spirit. Michael and Maria cleaned up their lives and listened to the prompts of the Holy Spirit even before they knew what the Bible said. Some of us have studied the Bible for years and still don't obey it. When will we act?? When will we open our eyes to the possibility of helping the needy all around the world? Mt 25:44,45,46 is a series of questions people asked before the judgement seat of Christ. "When did we see see you hungry or thirst, or a stranger or needing clothes, or sick or in prison, and did not help you? He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did NOT do for one of the least of these, you did NOT do for me.” Who are the poor, the sick the needy? We live in a global village and some of these kind of people live in our village. When will we get involved so that we can serve our God with great works which will glorify God. If a 4' person fell into a 9' deep pit how long a ladder do they need to get out? One that is 20' long? No they only need one about 5' feet long for them to reach to top and get out. It only takes little things to brighten up the lives of those in poverty and despair. A lot of times we give up before we start because we don't realize that only a little faith and a little help will get the job done. A little of your time and maybe a little of your money or a little bitty sacrifice it all it takes. The problem is looking beyond ourselves and helping with the need.

There are fantastic rewards for those who are diligent in doing God's will to the end. Rev 2:26 says that God will give authority over nations if you are faithful. He that is faithful in little things will be ruler in a lot. Rev 22:12 says that when Jesus returns, his reward is with him and he will give to everyone according to what he has done. What have you done for Jesus to show that you love Him and you have repented? What are you doing for Jesus NOW? What great things will you do for Him?

If you have not yet committed yourself to the most wonderful God who created us to do good works so that he could reward us in the future, give yourself to Him today and he will reward you richly with peace, grace and love. I Cor 2:9 " No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Return to Ephesians Sermons Index

Sept 2,9 2001