God's Masterpiece

Notes: God's Masterpiece
SPEAKER:
Greg Laurie
Harvest Worship Band
Ephesians 2
Live, Love, Fight
Thursday, February 12, 2015 — 7:00 p.m

The Pièce de Résistance- it is the ultimate master piece.

What is God's masterpiece? I am! All of us are.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
[10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Mankind is God's greatest work. We are not a highly evolved animal!

Psalm 139:13-16 NKJV
[13] For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. [14] I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV
[5] "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

He knew us before we were formed. That is because he created us.

Our nose can tell 10,000 smells, tongues have 6000 taste buds. Our brains have over 10 billion brain cells.

If our blue print was written out for a human, it would require 200,000 pages.

We can remember trillions of things.

God wants to work through us!

Ephesians 2:1-10 NKJV
[1] And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, [2] in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, [3] among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. [4] But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast. [10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

That is a great message to us.

Past (v 1 - 3) we don't know each other but we have all got a similar past. We have all sinned!

We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners!

Ephesians 2:4 NKJV
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Present (v 5- 6) when you become a Christian there is a hedge of protection around us.

Future ( v 7) he wants to be with us throughout eternity

We will continue to learn in Heaven

John 17:15 NKJV
[15] I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

We are Christians entirely and solely through the grace of God

1. Justice- you get what you deserve.
2. Mercy - You don't get what you deserve.
3. Grace - getting what you don't deserve.

Heaven is not a place for good people, it is a place for forgiven people.

We don't want justice for ourselves, we want grace.

It was said we are more sinful than we ever believed, and we are more loved by God then we ever dare hoped.

Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return.

Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

1. It is this grace that sustains us as well.

God may take away your affliction, He may use it to bring it to Him, or He may have you glorify Him despite your weakness.

2. We are to extend to others the same grace that God has given us.

Ephesians 4:29 NKJV
[29] Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

It is better to show grace than to judge.

Hebrews 12:15 NKJV
[15] looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Bitter people love to talk and spread bitterness, we need to resist that.

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV
[16] Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

As Christians we have no grounds to boast.

The best testimony gives glory to God, not us.

Tell the truth of who we were, tell the truth of what God has done for you.

Some people are as proud as a male peacock, don't tell a story from that angle. Tell the truth of your rotten past.

The first sin was pride, in Heaven by Lucifer.

Do not look down at people, you are not better than them! You may only be in a better position than them.

Some people don't realize they are sinners because they live a decent life. But we all are.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
[10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV
[11] He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Romans 8:28 NKJV
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

God is not a doting father that doesn't see his child's faults. Our Father knows all things about us, yet He envisions what we can be.

God sees what He is going to make you into, not what we are.

You are God's work of art. It is a process and it is not going to happen overnight.

Jesus Christ called Peter His rock before he ever was.

We see failure in ourselves and God sees success.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
[10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God is at work for you. You are a prepared person for a good work.

Work doesn't save a man but it is a good evidence that you are saved.

James 2:18-20 NKJV
[18] But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. [19] You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble! [20] But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

A nonbeliever may not be able to see your faith, but they can witness your works.

Some people have good works but don't have God.

Many Mormons have many good works but they still need faith in Jesus Christ.

You don't have to do works to get to Heaven, but once you are saved we should see works.

Matthew 5:16 NKJV
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV
[8] And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

God is preparing the way for you in life.

Genesis 45:8 NKJV
[8] So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

We may try to figure out who killed Jesus Christ, but it was God who killed Him. No one else could.

These are all things that are a part of God's plan.

God's part is to extend His grace and your job is to have faith.

Faith is putting your complete trust or weight into something.

Only faith in Christ will guarantee your salvation!