Category: devotional

Deceptive Statistics in Baseball and Beyond

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Jeff Gordon, “Good news, bad news … and more questions for Cards”. 6 August 2008. Accessed 8 August 008, available from http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/jeffgordon/story/DD51A464874902FA8625749D00532BEF?OpenDocument

“By the way, here is why you should digest all statistics with a grain of salt: Franklin got a blown save for allowing the game-tying sacrifice fly. And Isringhausen got a “hold” for retiring one of six batters. How stupid is that?)”

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Jeff Gordon makes a great case for why we ought not assume that statistics in baseball tell the real story. And, as you can see, he has a good case. My question is, what about other statistics?

There are 16 million southern Baptists.
There are 6 million in church on Sunday.

Boy, statistics aren’t truly trustworthy are they?

Let’s do our part to make this better.

A Brief Thought on Politics (Ezra 7:27-28; Proverbs 21:1)

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Ezra 7:27-28 – 27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

Proverbs 21:1

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
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What should a Christian do with politics? If a particular person becomes president, ought we to retire in dread of the doom that awaits us? Ought we to spend all our energies to attempt to insure that the right kind of person is elected? Is the election of the wrong kind of man a sure sign of the judgment and wrath of God?

Praise God for the little book of Ezra. Tucked away behind the historical books of 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles is a record of the return of the exiles of Judah from Babylon. The nation had been captured, taken away from their land, totally conquered. How sad and hopeless a situation this was. But, within seventy years of the original captivity, God did something amazing in the heart of a foreign king.

God redirected the heart of a man who had no reason to do anything kind for the Jews. God put in place a ruler who would send the captives back to Judah. Not only did God put in place such a ruler who would allow the return of the exiles, but he also established in this ruler’s heart to command—not allow but command—the rebuilding of the temple of God. Then, if that all wasn’t enough, God also set in the king’s mind that the royal treasury ought to foot the bill for the temple’s rebuilding.

What should we do with politics? For sure, I believe that we should be responsible citizens who do all in our power to establish principles of righteousness in our society. But I also am not willing to assume that, if my particular candidate does not get elected, doom is sure to follow. The hearts of rulers are in God’s hands. Who knows that God will not allow the worst possible candidate to come into office for the mere purpose of changing that man’s heart into a heart of character. Let us not stress ourselves to the point of sickness over an upcoming election. Instead, let us pray that God will show his mighty hand by directing our nation and its leaders toward his glory.

Does Fear Mean Fear? (Proverbs 1:7)

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Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
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How often we do everything we can as Christians to deny the truth of Proverbs 1:7. Now, of course, we conservative, Bible-believing Baptists would never out-and-out deny that this verse is true. The problem is, we deny that the word fear has any meaning akin to the word fear—as in to be afraid, frightened, terrified, etc. Instead, we tell one another that the word means a healthy respect for and reverence for something or someone.

Let me challenge this notion, however, with one simple thought: we would live better if fear meant fear. I’m not trying to deny the fact that perfect love drives out fear as John tells us (1 John 4:18). Nor am I trying to argue that Christians ought to live as though we fear God’s punishment, since our punishment has been fully carried out upon Christ. I’m also not saying that we should fear that God would somehow treat us differently than his word promises. IF one is in Christ, there is no longer any fear of facing God’s wrath.

But, is there not something in the middle ground between the two extremes of what fear must mean? Is there not something that is a little more akin to the right fear that God is due that is at the same time stronger than a simple respect for him? Perhaps I’m just splitting hairs here. Perhaps this is all semantics. But there has to be something more, something stronger than what we live with in common Christian circles that still does not deny that we are totally free and totally forgiven in Christ.

Let me say it this way: If we understand fear, we will live differently. Even if that fear is not the same as fear of punishment, fear of God will lead a person to live differently. No Christian who is living with a proper fear of God will live in bold and willful sin. No Christian will shrug off his or her ungodly behavior as though it is no big deal before the Lord. No Christian will live a life that lacks reverence, propriety, holiness, awe, respectfulness, wholesome speech, high standards, etc. who at the same time lives with a proper fear of God.

How should this come out in my life? I’m still working on it. But I know that it must come out differently than a simplistic shrugging away the concept of fear as something that must not apply to me. Even if I live in confidence that the Lord has truly and totally forgiven me in Christ, I must also live a life that looks as though I both love and fear my God. While love drives away the fear of punishment, it must not drive away the fear of offending my Lord.

Repentance: Breaking Sin’s Cycle (Luke 11:24-26)

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Luke 11:24-26 – 24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
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Have you ever had difficulty repenting? Likely you have, but only if you’re human. We all have trouble turning away from sin and not finding ourselves eventually sliding back into the old sinful patterns of thought or behavior. In fact, one of the most discouraging things that can happen to a Christian in his or her life is for him or her to boldly “repent” of a sin one day, and then to fail and restart the pattern again the next.

I believe that, in the passage above, Jesus gives us a hint as to how to defeat the cycle of sin, confess, sin again. While the most obvious context of the passage may have to do with false Jewish exorcists who pretended driving out demons from people, thus leading those people to worse conditions than they had previously experienced, , I believe that there is more in the pattern that Jesus describes. But first, let me make this disclaimer: Your sin is not the result of the work of demons. Your sin is not the result of your body chemistry. Your sin, and mine, is the result of our hearts’ darkness. While anything may contribute to what we do, we hold ultimate responsibility for our thoughts and actions.

So, here’s the pattern. You find a sin in your life. It is ugly, and you hate it. You are sad about it. You hurt because of it. So, you reject that pattern. You turn away. You strive to take off the sin like a filthy garment (cf. Colossians 3:5-9). And, for a while it works. For a while you feel good. For a while, you stand strong. Maybe it’s a day. Maybe it’s a month. Maybe it’s several months. For a while, you feel good.

Then it happens. Something, who knows what, recharges your sinful desire. You look up and find yourself back in the place you were just a few days, weeks, or months before. You thought you had repented. You tried with all your heart. Yet, when you examine yourself now, you are back in the sin you tried to put off. In fact, you might even be in it more deeply.

What happened? What did you miss? What did you fail to do? In a word, you failed to “replace” your sin.

To biblically understand repentance, you must grasp three major concepts. Repentance includes thinking, feeling, and turning. One part of repentance includes to recognize your sin as sin, to understand that it is truly wicked. Another part of repentance is to feel sorrow, godly sorrow, for your sin (2 Corinthians 7:8-11). And, the most common definition of repentance is to turn from your sin, putting off the old evil practices.

Where we most often fail is in the turning. Why? We forget that to turn from sin should necessarily involve a turning to something. When you turn from a sin, you must turn to righteousness. When you take off a sin like a filthy garment, you must put on righteousness like clothes (cf. Colossians 3:10-ff); otherwise you find yourself naked and vulnerable to attack. Or, to use Jesus’ imagery from Luke 11, you clean the house, but do not fill it. You allow it to be re-occupied by the evil that you drove out because you have not filled the house with a righteous alternative.

When I counsel church members on repenting of sin, I use a three word definition that often is helpful. If we are to repent, we must recognize, reject, and replace our sin. We must recognize our sin for what it is. We must reject our sin, feeling a disgust for it and what it stands for, which naturally leads to putting off that sin. But, and do not forget this, we also must replace our sin, putting on righteousness where there was previously sinfulness.

Let me give one example. Let’s say that a person is struggling with the sin of gossip. He is talking too much, too negatively, too destructively about too many people in the church. What should he do? Well, he will not repent until he first sees what he is doing is a breaking of God’s commands. Second, he must feel true conviction, true heart-sickness over what he has done to the glory of God and the church. Then he must willingly confess and turn away from this practice. But, and here is the major problem, he also must put on righteous practices. He must learn to speak with righteousness. HE must learn to speak good of people, not simply trying to avoid speaking evil. Otherwise, the vacuum will be refilled by his heart’s sinful desire to gossip. (there will be other issues he needs to cover, e.g. the pride of his heart that leads him to gossip, but this is a basic sketch of how he must begin to repent of a sin if gossip were the problem.)

So, don’t sweep a house and leave it empty. Don’t think you can just stop evil and that be enough. The key to true repentance is to also replace what is evil with what is righteous. Learn to recognize, reject, and replace your sin, and you will find victory over the pattern of sin and falling. No, I’m not guaranteeing an easy road with no bumps or failures along the way. I am, however, hoping that you and I will at least have a more biblical approach to turning from our sin, with God’s help, for God’s glory.

A Rare Note on Eschatology (1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:2)

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1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:2 – 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
5:1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 – 1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
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You will not often find me writing little pieces on eschatology (the study of end times), as I find this to be a very interesting yet difficult topic. Far too many Christians are separated from one another over projected timelines of coming future events. However, as this passage was in the daily reading for me today, I thought it acceptable to make a few observations that might cause us to think a little about this topic. I would ask, however, for us all to remember the love and kindness that is appropriate for Christians as they think through difficult doctrinal issues. This is a topic about which many disagree, and god would demand that we do so charitably.

Paul, in his writing and giving comfort to the Thessalonians, offers them comfort with teaching about the last days. At the end of 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul describes the event that we often refer to as the “rapture.” Rapture is a Latin word meaning to be snatched up or caught up, and it is used to describe the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Within two verses of Paul’s description of the rapture, he tells the Thessalonians that they know that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

The simplest reading of this text would make us believe that the events of 4:16-17 and “the Day of the Lord” (5:2) are linked, one and the same. And it is for this reason, besides others, that I am not one who holds to the doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture—the belief that seven years of tribulation will separate the events of 4:16-17 and 5:2. A study of the concept of “The Day of the Lord” leads us to understand that this very special, unique day, comes at the end of the age. The Day of the Lord is the day when God will show himself holy, when he will reap his vengeance on the ungodly, and where he will forever change the world. It is this Day that will come like a thief in the night—terminology that Christians often employ to describe the rapture. And, make no mistake about it, if the Day of the Lord and the Rapture are connected, the same day, then a pre-tribulation rapture position cannot be valid.

Also, from the 2 Thessalonians 2 passage, the same language is used by Paul in a letter written only weeks after 1 Thessalonians with the intent to comfort the people by telling them they have not missed anything. The “Day of the Lord” has not yet come. When will the Day of the Lord come? It will come after the man of lawlessness is revealed (which I understand to be a reference to the rise of antichrist). The man of lawlessness is not revealed in a seven year tribulation until the mid-point of that tribulation. Thus, the Day of the Lord cannot come until after that occurs. And, if 1 Thessalonians is clear (which I think it is), the Day of the Lord is also the day of the rapture. Therefore, we have just one more evidence for a rapture that does occur, but not at the beginning of a 7 year period of tribulation.

Is my position unique, a new teaching? Not at all. This is a view known as historic pre-millennialism. Simply put, this view, which has been taught for centuries in the church (longer than a pre-tribulation rapture, by the way), expects a seven year period of intense tribulation at the end of the age to be followed by a rapture and the triumphant return of Jesus on the awesome Day of the Lord. I believe it to be more in keeping with the predictions of scripture in their contexts. I also believe it to require many fewer logical leaps than a pre-tribulation rapture position.

Now, let me also say that I am certainly aware that I might be mistaken. Men and women are notorious for misinterpreting God’s prophecy. I know many wise and godly men who hold to a pre-tribulation view (John MacArthur among them). However, I also know many wise and godly men who hold to the view I am espousing (Albert Mohler among them). So, I would expect that we hold to our views here gently, with grace and kindness. This is a topic for friendly discussion, not church-wide division. So long as a person understands that the bible points to a literal, bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth in glory to judge the nations at the end of the age, it is not crucial that the same person have all their timelines correct regarding the rapture.

A Father’s Influence (1 Chronicles 22:11-13)

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1 Chronicles 22:11-13 – 11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. 12 Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.

1 Kings 3:5-10 – 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
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When people think of the story of young King Solomon, they often think of the popular passage above found in 1 Kings 3. We beam when telling our children of the young man’s asking God to give him wisdom and discernment instead of asking riches, wealth, fame, or fortune. Indeed, we should affirm that Solomon’s request was a very good one, as it pleased God (1 Kings 3:10). However, there is a work that was done behind the scenes that I have personally never seen exposed.

Tucked away in 1 Chronicles 22 is a bit of father/son time that David and Solomon shared. Many of us understand that David knew that Solomon would build the temple, and that David took great pains to gather all the necessary materials for his young son. But do we also remember the piece of advice that David gave his son in 1 Chronicles 22:12? Right there, before David’s death and before the event recorded in 1 Kings 3:5-ff, Solomon’s dad pointed Solomon’s mind toward the wisdom and discernment that his son would later ask of the Lord.

Dads, how are you influencing your sons? Are you spending the kind of time that you should with them? Are you opening God’s word to them. Are you working to direct their desires toward righteousness and the blessing of God? Are you pointing them toward wisdom instead of worldliness? Are you leading them into godliness?

The simple truth, when we study Solomon’s life, is that he did a few things right and several things wrong. When we study Solomon, we see that he was good in his doing of justice after David’s death, his seeking God’s wisdom, and his building of the temple. And, if we are willing to look, all three of those things happen because of the leadership of his father.

Dad’s, this concept should get your attention. No, you cannot guarantee that your sons and daughters will grow up to honor God with their whole lives; but you must, absolutely must, fulfill your God-given role in order to help them along the way. Teach your children, lead them in worship, guide them toward the Lord. To fail in this duty is a failure too great to imagine.

Is God Building the House? (Psalm 127:1-2)

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Psalm 127:1-2

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
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When I think of Psalm 127, I think of the last 3 verses about children being a blessing from God. However, there is more here, and it is challenging, especially so for those in ministry.

The Lord reminds us through the poetry of Solomon that, unless God builds the house, the builders do useless work. Unless God does the work, it simply does not matter how much effort we put into the project.

Now, let’s think ministry. How do you grow your church? How do you help someone come to Jesus? How do you bring students into your student ministry? If you read much of the material that is out there today, the answer involves steps of you putting in the blood and sweat needed to draw people in. You have to have a slick presentation, a comfortable environment, and a clever ad. Or, perhaps you will draw them in by ditching all the gimmicks and just “being real” (the newest of gimmicks). Perhaps you should show them that you are just like them, dressing like them, talking like them, and publicly declaring your love of “The Office” or “Lost.” Certainly you need to make your music high-quality and relevant, don’t you?

Here’s the problem: we have a dramatic temptation to try to come up with a way to grow the church that does not require the Holy Spirit. We want to be able to say the right thing, sing the right way, or put together the right kind of program that will just bring people in. We acknowledge that we need the power of God to really see the church grow, and then we go about trying to grow the church without him. We, by our actions, tell God that we will come up with the methods and the effort, then, when we submit the package, we want him to give it that little extra something that will make it work.

Folks, when we try to grow the church or bring our lost friends to Christ through our own power and cleverness, we will fail. We will fail. And, if somehow they come to Christ, it is not because of our methods or hard work; it is because and only because God chose to do his work (perhaps even in spite of our worldly thinking).

So, what am I saying? Am I saying that we need not work or strive to accomplish the will of God? God forbid! God calls us to work hard in his service. He calls us to give our all to his glory. He calls us to show love for others, and that takes effort. But he also tells us that, if he does not accomplish the work, the work is not accomplished.

So, how do you grow a church. You cry out to God and yield to him completely and totally. Sure you love others by trying to make the music something that will both touch their emotions and lead them to worship the Lord in a way that is consistent with his word. Sure you try to do everything you can do to invite others to come to know Jesus. But you do not ever think that you, through your effort, will somehow be the one who accomplishes God’s plan. Only God building the house will make it stand. Only God doing the work will make the work not in vain.

So, is this discouraging? If you are killing yourself to accomplish the building of your own kingdom with your own effort it most certainly will be discouraging. But, if you truly understand the frustration of trying to build God’s church without God’s Spirit, perhaps you will find it encouraging that God tells you to trust him, work hard, and get some sleep. HE does the work. He builds the house. He give sleep to his beloved. Actually trust God and do things his way. It’s not your job to come up with a gimmick; it’s your job to be God’s tool in his hand to be a part of him building the house.

Jesus: the Firstborn? (Colossians 1:15)

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Colossians 1:15 – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Since Colossians 1:15 was a part of my daily reading for today, I thought I’d put out a brief answer to a question I once had raised to me. A Jehovah’s Witness at my door once tried to tell me that this verse indicated that Jesus is not the eternal God, but rather a creation of that God. Were Jesus eternal, the JW argued, he would not be called God’s firstborn.

In case you’ve ever had this argument raised, let me offer you one simple response. In the Bible, the term firstborn can indicate two things. On the one hand, it can indicate the first child that was physically born into a family. If this is the sense of Colossians 1:15, the JW is right and we are in real trouble. However, there is another sense that the term firstborn is used. Also in the Bible, the term is used to indicate rank. The firstborn in a family was given the highest rank among all the siblings. If this is the sense that it is used, than Jesus, though fully man, is not required to be a creation of God. Instead, Jesus is simply said to outrank all humanity, even though he shares in their humanity as fully God and Fully man.

Psalm 89:27

And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.

This verse helps us to see that God, in making promises about David and David’s descendant, the Messiah, will “make him” the firstborn. This is to say that God will take a person and give them a rank of firstborn even though they may not physically fulfill the requirements to be thought of as firstborn. So, we know that God already uses such terminology before the time of Jesus. And, it is highly likely that Paul is using this terminology to refer to Jesus in Colossians 1:15.

So, does Colossians 1:15 indicate that Jesus is a creation of God? Absolutely not. Instead, this verse only indicates that Jesus stands in the position of highest ranking person. And since we know Jesus to be the God who became flesh (John 1:1, 14), it makes perfect sense that he would be thought of as firstborn even though he is eternal, uncreated, totally God.

Can We Learn From Jabez? (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)

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1 Chronicles 4:9-10 – 9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
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In Christian pop culture, these obscure verses are obscure no longer. I think any believer who has entered a “Christian” bookstore over the past several years has likely got a pretty good idea of who Jabez is. Besides, even if you don’t actually know the man, you have certainly been bombarded by the mountain of Jabez products, books, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and who knows what else.

Now, let me say at the beginning that I have a multitude of problems with the Jabez book. I believe that the author did not intend any of these problems, and am certainly not attempting to malign his heart. Without trying to be nasty in any way, I fear that the book denies God’s sovereignty when it declares that God has a storehouse of blessings that he desperately wants to give us but cannot because of our failure to ask him for them. I believe the book also can lead people to a sort of superstitious faith, relying on a sacred chant or secret knowledge to guarantee the cooperation of its deity (not unlike the pagan fertility cults that surrounded Israel at the time of Jabez).

Putting all that aside, I do believe that there is something that we can glean from these verses and from the Jabez book, though I truly do not recommend it. When we read these verses, we do see that a man asked God to bless him, and God did. How often do you find yourself “wishing” that God would do something about your life circumstances and yet not actually asking him to act? How often do you ask for God to bless your friends and family while not asking for his blessing on your own life? One thing in the Jabez book is very much true: We, for some reason, have a blind spot in our prayer lives when in comes to simply asking God to do good in and through us.

In case you are immediately reacting to the last paragraph by saying that God could not want me to pray his blessing on myself, remember that God is a wonderful, loving, and sovereign God. He does what he does for the sake of his name and his glory. If you keep this concept in mind, you will have to ask for his blessing in the light of a desire that his name be glorified. John Piper, in the wonderful little book The Dangerous Duty of Delight, reminds us that it is our duty to seek our joy in God’s glory. If Piper is correct, then asking God to bless us, pour out is spiritual life and goodness on us, for the sake of giving us joy in his glory is not only an acceptable prayer, it is truly our responsibility.

So, if you haven’t read the Jabez book, I wouldn’t recommend it. if you are a Jabez fan, I’d encourage you to be sure that you do not look at the verses above as some sort of spiritual secret formula to force God’s hand (yes, I know the author does not say that). Instead, live a life focused on God and his glory. Find your joy in him. And do not neglect to ask God for his blessings, for his glory, to be seen in your very own life. Jabez is one evidence that men have asked for God’s blessing and God has granted their request. If we leave Jabez there and turn to God for the rest, we are in good hands.

The Glorious Grace of God (Ephesians 2:1-10 sermon)

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** The following is the text of a message upon which I based my Super Summer presentation on Tuesday evening. So, if you are interested in reviewing that lesson, here it is. It is also the message I delivered here at Olney as my first message to this congregation—before they even voted to call me as their pastor. **

“The Glorious Grace of God”
Olney Southern Baptist Church
Sunday Morning, September 17, 2006
Speaker: Travis Peterson
Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Pray

“What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?” We’ve heard this question a thousand times. And, in most circumstances, we choose to hear the bad news first. That’s because we really want, deep down, for the good news to outweigh the bad and leave us feeling OK.

I think Paul understood the whole bad news good news thing, because we see him use that pattern here in Ephesians 2:1-10. In the middle of teaching the people in Ephesus about the truly glorious grace of God, he tells them the bad news first. Thankfully, he follows that bad news up with the greatest possible news, and then challenges the people to change how they live in the light of the grace of God.

This morning, I intend to share with you the bad news, the good news, and how we need to respond to both. The points of this message will be different for you depending on whether or not you are here as a believer in Jesus Christ or as someone who has not yet made up his or her mind about Jesus. On your outline in the bulletin, notice that there are four points. Follow along, and let’s learn something of the glorious grace of God.

Point 1: Recognize the true state of all who are lost.
Ephesians 2:1-3

1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,

This might well be called the “bad news” section of the text, because it paints for us a very dark, very grim picture of reality. Often you hear Christians tell the lost, “You need to be saved.” Sadly, many of those same Christians can not explain to the lost person from what or from whom they need to be saved. Paul, in explaining the grace of God, does not leave that up for discussion. He makes it plain exactly why we all need to be saved, rescued from great and eternal danger.

If you are a Christian, listen to this section of scripture to be reminded by God of who you once were. God makes it plain that this text applies to all of us—not some of us, all of us. Not one of us has a clean record. Not one of us has a spotless background. Not one of us deserved anything good from God. So, for us, we need to remember who we were in order to properly glorify God for what he has done.

At the same time, some of you here this morning do not yet know Jesus. You have never made up your mind about Christianity. As gently as I can, I want to let you know that this passage of scripture describes you and your present condition before God. You need to be saved. You need to be rescued. And, as we read this section, you will see why.

In verse 1, Paul tells us that we were all dead in sins and trespasses. In case you are wondering, the Greek word here translated dead is a word that actually means dead. That’s right, nothing fancy about it. All who do not have Christ are spiritually dead in sins and trespasses. To be dead is to be unable to do anything, unresponsive, completely without life. Thus, the person who is spiritually dead is unable to do anything that would please God. While they may be capable of doing good deeds, Isaiah 64:6 tells us that all such good works are like filthy rags in the sight of a holy God. No matter how good the behavior of the person outside of Christ, they are completely stuck in and lost in sins and trespasses.

Paul goes on to say that we formerly walked in those sins and trespasses. That is to say that we lived either falling short of God’s standard of perfection or intentionally going too far and crossing the line of his commands. And we, who were spiritually dead, lived our lives always in that state. We were the walking dead, always in the grip of sin. We lived, whether we knew it or not, following the pattern of the world around us and of the devil himself, who Paul here calls the prince of the power of the air.

Paul says that the devil is at work in the sons of disobedience, all those who fail to follow Christ. He also says that we used to live among such people, fulfilling the desires of our sinful flesh. We were captive to the passions of our bodies and minds. That is to say that we lived based on what we thought seemed right or what felt good to our bodies. This may not mean that we were always trying to do what was wrong, but we were stuck in a manner of thinking that was worldly and that could never please God.

And, at the end of verse 3, the bad news gets as bad as it can get. Paul says that we were by nature children of wrath. God is here telling us that, when we were outside of his grace, we were children of his wrath. We were ready to inherit his judgment, his anger, his fury over sin. We had sinned before him. We had failed to live up to his glory. We had tried to live according to our own best thoughts and pleasures, and we were under his condemnation. We were destined for destruction, and we deserved it.

So, is that news bad enough for you? Christians, I call upon you to think seriously about what God is telling you here. He wants you to see that, before you came to Christ, you were spiritually dead. You were incapable of doing anything good. You could do as much to please God as a corpse can do to respond to those filing through a funeral line. You lived according to the pattern of the world, the devil, and your own desires. You were an object of God’s wrath. You were destined for destruction and hell itself. Think about such things, so that you can properly thank God for his grace, knowing from what you were saved.

And, if you are here this morning without ever having put your faith in Jesus Christ, you need to see these words as a description of your present state. You are in grave danger before God. You can do nothing to make things right with God on your own. You have sinned, you are dead, and you need to be rescued and revived. In a word, you need to be saved. And, thankfully, God has done the work that needs to be done for that to happen.

Now that we have recognized the true state of all who are lost, let’s look to the good news, and see what it is that God has done to turn this dark story into something glorious.

Point 2: Remember the love and mercy God showed you in Christ.
Ephesians 2:4-6

4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

The two words that open this section, “but God,” may be the most beautiful two words in all of the scriptures. You and I were dead. You and I had sinned before God. You and I were destined for deserved wrath. But God did something. But God stepped in. But God made a difference. But God brought the good news.

Before we see what God did, let’s look at a couple reasons why he did it. First, God did what he did because he is rich in mercy. Throughout the Bible, even in the Old Testament, God has revealed himself to us as the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. God has always been incredibly merciful. If God were not merciful, he would simply destroy us all at the moment of our first sin, and that would be the end of the story. If God were not merciful, he would never have revealed to us what he expects us to do to please him. If God were not merciful, we would have no hope at all.

Also, God did what he did because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our sins. God’s love for his creation is something deeper than we could ever grasp. And, the fact that he loved us even when we were dead in our sins makes it clear that he did not love us because of something good we did. He loved us because and only because he chose to do so. He loved us because that perfectly fits who he is. We can take no credit for the love of God. He did not owe it to us and we did not earn it. He just loved us, and that is all we can say.

Now we get what it is that God did. Even when we were dead in our sins, God made us alive together with Christ. This is a reference back to Jesus’ resurrection. Just as God physically raised Jesus from the dead, God took dead sinners like you and me, and he raised us from the dead spiritually. Also, the fact that we were raised together with Christ tells us that we can not be made alive spiritually through any other way. Jesus is our only hope. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one may come to God except through him.

How did all this happen? God knew that we were sinners before him—sinners who could never repay the debt we owed for our sin. He is holy, and infinitely so. Our sin offended God and his perfect justice, and infinitely so. Thus, God had to make a way for an infinite price to be paid for our sins in order that we might be forgiven. That is why Jesus, the infinitely holy Son of God, came to earth. He lived a perfect life, Then he died on the cross of Calvary although he never did anything wrong. While on the cross, the Father poured out on the Son all of his wrath, an infinite amount, for all of the sins of all who would come to him. Christ fully paid the infinite penalty for our sins before God. Then, after his death, Jesus rose from the grave three days later, proving for all to see that the work was done and the sacrifice was accepted by God. Christ now offers to any who will come to him and have faith in him complete forgiveness of all their sins and life together with him.

So, for you and me, Christ rose from the grave and brought us up with him. All who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ and been made new by him have been raised up together with him. And Paul just can not help exclaiming that it is by grace you have been saved. However you might describe this plan of salvation, one thing is clear: it is a salvation that is by grace. We did nothing, absolutely nothing, to earn it from God. God did it all.

After Jesus rose from the dead, he also ascended into heaven and sat down beside his Father on the throne of heaven. That is what Paul is pointing to in verse 6 where he says that God raised us up and seated us with Christ. Not only do we who are forgiven by Christ have at present a new life together with Jesus, we also have a future promise of blessing. It is such a sure thing that Paul speaks of it as if it were already done. He has raised us up with Christ. That is to say that he will one day take us to heaven to be with Christ. He will also seat us with Christ on the throne of his kingdom. We who are children of God will inherit all the glorious blessings of his grace purchased for us in Christ. All those blessings are already ours. We only await the day when we die or when Christ returns so that we can actually take possession of the blessings already given to us in Jesus.

Christians, I want to call you to remember the love and mercy God showed you in Christ. You were dead, but God made you alive together with Christ. You were living according to this world, but God raised you up to the heavenly places with Christ. You were destined for God’s wrath and for hell itself, but God has given you a place with Christ in glory. This is ultimate mercy, and God has shown it to you because of his great love and mercy. It is all of grace. Remember that truth, and give thanks to God for what he has done for you.

And, for you who are not yet believers, see this love and mercy as a call to come to Jesus. If you will just put your faith in Christ and turn away from your sin, God will make you alive. God will give you forgiveness for your sins. God will grant to you a place in heaven, and you will no longer be under his wrath. The reason that this story is good news is not because God says you are OK. The reason this story is good news is that God knows you and I are not OK, but he has made the way for us to be forgiven. And, let me be clear, there is only one way to be forgiven, Jesus Christ. You will either be forgiven by coming to Christ, or you will be under the wrath of God for eternity. That is your choice; and I urge you to choose wisely.

Now that we have remembered the love and mercy that God showed us in Christ, let’s go on to see one way we should respond to that mercy we have received.

Point 3: Give God 100% of the glory for anyone’s salvation.
Ephesians 2:7-9

7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Verse 7 is yet another reason why God chose to do all that he has done for us. Ask yourself, “Why would God save me? Why did he raise me up? Why did he give me a place in heaven?” The answer to such questions is in verse 7, and it may be different than you think. Paul says that God did all this, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” God saved you in order that he might demonstrate something. He wanted to demonstrate the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness.

Just imagine this for a moment. Two angels are walking around in heaven. One looks to the other and says, “How great are the riches of God’s love and mercy and kindness?” The other angel would turn to the first, and he would not have to say a word. He would only have to point. He would point to me. Perhaps he would point to you. And, by pointing us out, he would show the ultimate evidence for anyone to see that God is loving, merciful, gracious, kind, and good. Why? I am a sinner. I have failed God time and time again. For God to forgive me my sins is glorious. For God to give me a place in heaven, that is more than glorious, but I don’t have a word to express how great that is. His riches of mercy and kindness to me have been immeasurable. And, so if anyone wants to ask at any time if God is merciful, God need only point to me. I am a demonstration, a proof, an evidence of just how gracious he is.

Take a moment to ponder that for yourself. When a sports team wins a championship, the members of the team get medals or trophies. The trophy proves for all to see that you were a part of the winning team. You, if you are a believer, are a trophy. You will live as an eternal proof and demonstration of the great love and kindness that God has demonstrated in Jesus Christ. You are a trophy of the grace of God.

How do we prove God’s grace? For it is by grace that we were saved. Grace is a goodness given to you that you did not deserve. You can do nothing to earn grace, or it is no longer grace.

You were saved by grace, through faith. Now it becomes even more clear. WE did nothing to earn our salvation. If we are saved, we are only saved because we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ. It is not that we had faith and added right deeds that saved us. It is not that we had faith and were baptized, took communion, or attended church that saved our souls. If you are saved, you are saved by God’s grace alone through the vehicle of faith alone.

“And this is not your own doing.” What does this phrase mean? Some argue that it means that the grace did not come from us. However, that makes very little sense. Grace could never come from us. If this phrase is intended to mean that the grace did not come from us, it is redundant; and I have never known Paul to be redundant, using meaningless repetition.

No, “And this is not your own doing,” refers back to the faith that saved us. This is the only possible way that it makes sense for Paul to have written it. And he is saying that, if you are saved, you are saved through faith. And, just in case you are about to get proud of yourself for having been smart enough or good enough to have had faith, he lets you know that your faith is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God. Remember, you were dead. Can dead people have faith? Of course they can not. For a dead person to respond in faith is for that person to have been made alive by God. That means that we can not take credit for any part of our salvation—not one little bit. If you are saved, you are saved by grace through a faith that was given to you by God.

And, Paul ties a little bow on the package of our salvation when he tells us that if we are saved, we were not saved as a result of works, because God does not want us to be able to boast. God is clear. You and I must never boast about our salvation, at least not in ourselves. The only thing that we brought to the table is our sin. God brought the love, the mercy, and the payment for our sins. God made us alive when we were dead. God gave the grace. God even gave us the faith. And so, we boast only that God is great and that we are saved by a truly awesome and glorious God.

Christians, let this point remind you to give God 100% of the glory for your salvation. Do nothing to give credit to yourself for being saved. Thank God, because your salvation comes from him completely.

And, if you are not yet a believer, recognize that you can not bring anything to the table to earn your salvation. You can not bring good works and expect that God will think you are a good enough person to go to heaven. If he would accept that, you could brag all over heaven that you got yourself in. That will never happen. The only thing that you can do is come to Jesus Christ. Ask for his grace. Come to him in faith. He will forgive you, but all the credit will go to God, who deserves all the glory for your salvation. So, come to God, and receive his grace through faith in Christ.

And all that talk about faith alone might make us wonder if we are ever supposed to do any sort of good works at all. Of course we are supposed to do good works, but they come after our salvation as we will see in . . .

Point 4: Live a life full of good works after you are saved.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Closing up this section, Paul says that we are God’s workmanship. That word, workmanship, is a word that comes from the world of art or craftsmanship. God calls those of us who are saved his works of art. In this, he shows that we exist to display his skill, his craftsmanship, his glory.

We are works of art created in Christ Jesus. Only through Christ can a dead sinner become a living and breathing work of art, a work created to work. In Christ, God has made you for the purpose of doing good things. He has saved you intending that you will do works that bring honor and glory to his name. And he prepared those works for us to do beforehand. Before you were ever born, God had already planned for your salvation and for the way that you would serve him to bring honor to his name.

Christians, let this final little verse remind you that God has a purpose for you besides simply saving you. You did no good works to be saved. But once you are saved, God intends that you do lots of things to bring honor to his name. He has them already planned out for you. They were prepared before hand. So, let’s get about the process of doing them. God saved us from wrath when we were dead in sins. He made us alive with Christ. It only makes sense that we would respond by doing as much as we can to show the world how great is our God.

And, if you are here this morning without Christ, recognize that the good deeds must follow salvation. Good works can never get you into heaven. But, if you come to Christ, he will enable and empower you to do works that please him after your salvation. And, let me tell you, nothing will ever satisfy your soul and thrill your heart more than when you have come to Jesus Christ, been forgiven of your sins, and actually do the works that God created you to do.

We started with the bad news, but the good news is super good. Recognize the true state of all who are lost. That state is sad and frightening. Let that memory cause you who are believers to give God thanks for what he has done for you. Let it also call you to share the gospel with the lost so that they too may experience the grace you have experienced. Also, remember the love and mercy God showed you in Christ, and give God 100% of the glory for anyone’s salvation. All salvation from sin is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; and none of us may take personal credit for such a salvation. Instead, we all should give all glory and honor to our God. And, as you glorify God in salvation, live a life full of good works after you are saved. Let your life reflect the change that God has made in you through the grace of Christ.

And, finally, to you who do not know Jesus, I urge you to come to know him today. You have heard of your state before him. You are in great danger of facing the wrath and judgment of God. But God has made a way for you to be forgiven in Christ. Come to Jesus, believing that he is the Son of God who died to pay for your sins. Put your trust in Jesus and Jesus alone for your eternal soul, and God promises to give you his mercy. Then, give God all the glory for your salvation, because you would never believe apart from him doing the work in your heart. And when all is said and done, live to give honor to God because of his glorious grace.