Dive deep into the heart of Ephesians with Dr. John Kyle as he unravels the profound truths of what it means to be Christians created in Christ Jesus for good works. Understand how Paul, under house arrest in Rome, penned this powerful message to establish a doctrinal foundation for the early church and for believers today. Discover the implications of being God’s workmanship, crafted with divine purpose and meaning.
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we’re called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know truth when we know the Word of God, which is precise, without error, and powerful and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Enjoy digging deeply with Dr. Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the powerful book of Ephesians, giving us a marvelous summary of the good news of Christ and its implications for our daily lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
Please turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10. Ephesians 2, 10. The letter of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul to the faithful saints living in the city of Ephesus. Paul wrote this while he was under house arrest in Rome in about AD 62, and he wrote it to lay a proper doctrinal foundation for these believers so they could then live out those doctrines for the glory of God. We’re now in the doctrinal section of this book that’s found in chapters 1 through 3. If you remember, chapter 1 was basically two long sentences. The first sentence showed us the many amazing reasons that we can and should bless and praise our amazing God. And the second sentence was a prayer by Paul for the Ephesians that we today should be praying for ourselves and for one another as we earnestly pursue the things that we’re praying for in our own lives. Chapter 2 began by telling us that we were all dead before God saved us. But good news, really good news, God is rich in mercy. He is great in love. He made us alive because He’s incredibly gracious. He also raised us to life and gave us His divine power for victorious living. And then to top all that off, He will show us His abundant grace and kindness for all of eternity. but God, and He changes everything. See, it’s all Him. It’s all His grace. So that means that there’s no boasting on our part, right? No, our only boast is in Him. Okay, now what? Verse 10, let’s look. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Now, as we look at this verse, there are four wonderful truths that jump out at us. The first is this, that we are God’s workmanship. The word for gives us a reason for the statement in the previous two verses, and it tells us why our salvation isn’t of human origin or why it’s not of human works. Why? Because we are his workmanship. Not our own workmanship, but we are His workmanship. Note that this is specific for Christians only. See, the we is specific to those that God has chosen for salvation, those that He has specifically redeemed, those that He has forgiven, those that He has given an eternal inheritance to, those that He has purposefully bestowed His divine grace upon Christians, Christians alone. Now, of course, all humans are created in the image of God. But not all people are God’s workmanship, as the word is used in this verse, created in Christ Jesus for good works. First, let me just again make it clear that all humans are created in the image of God, and therefore, every person has dignity and value, right? And they should be treated as such, right? Everyone. Everyone. See, no human should ever be treated like an animal, right? No human should ever be disregarded. No human should ever be treated like garbage. No human should be treated as if they’re not valuable. Why? Because God created man in His own image, in the image of God. He created them, male and female. He created them, Genesis 1.27. The Hebrew term for image signifies a copy, and it also carries the idea of representation. And while humans aren’t God and never become gods, the fact that they are created by the one true God in the image and likeness of God carries significant truths. First, the image of God is affirmed for all people, male and female alike. Second, even after the fall, people still possess the image and likeness of God. Third, the image of God explains humanity’s need to live in relationship with other people. As John MacArthur noted, God is love, and that love was perfectly expressed in eternity past within the Trinity. The love of God is also directed toward His creation. Fourth, The image of God is connected with humanity’s task to rule and subdue the earth on God’s behalf. And this is true for humans alone. Hey, we’re not the same as the animals, right? Animals aren’t made in the image of God. Only humans are. And killing an animal isn’t the same thing as killing a human because only humans are created in the image of God. Look, my biblical doctrine book summarizes this up well for us by noting that a human is a living, personal, self-conscious, active being with personality. See, a human is a complex unity of body and soul, and this bodily component of a human is related to the image of God. Volitionally, a human has a will and the ability to select between various choices. He can discern right and wrong, and this aspect separates man from animals. Intellectually, a human usually has a rational mind, right? He’s aware of himself, his environment, others, and God. He can think critically. He can think logically. He possesses memory, imagination, creativity, and language skills for communicating and understanding the thoughts of others. Emotionally, a human experiences a wide range of emotions and feelings such as fear and anger, guilt, anxiety, regret, shame, happiness, and joy. He can both laugh and cry and sometimes at the same time. Relationally, a human is equipped to participate in relationships with God and with other people. Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love others, and only humans can give and receive that kind of love. Functionally, a human has what he needs to fill, rule, and subdue the earth on God’s behalf and for God’s glory. And while not God, every human reflects the image and likeness of God in wonderful ways. complex and mysterious ways and that again gives every human dignity that gives every human value so that’s good for us to understand so please treat all people accordingly but again note this only christians are god’s workmanship as this word is used here in ephesians 2 10. It’s a very interesting word. The Greek word used here for workmanship is poiema, from which we get our English word poem. The word definitely includes the act of a great poet constructing a poem, but it can also refer to the creating of any great work of art, such as a statue or a song or a painting or a poem or great architecture. And here we find that believers, Christians, are God’s poem. They are God’s true work of art. They are God’s true masterpiece. Think of this. God’s the creator of all things, right? We know that. Nothing exists apart from God. He brought everything into being with just a few words. Psalm 19.1 says that the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. And we see the great handiwork of God everywhere we look. The galaxies, the stars, our solar system, the trees, the oceans, the mountains, the rainforests, the Sierras, the Alps, you, each person, and so on. All of that is the handiwork of God and He’s very good at what He does. However… All of that isn’t his masterpiece. No. We are. Not humans, but Christians in particular. Saved human beings specifically. And again, while humans are without a doubt the apex of God’s creation, since humans again are created in the image of God. Look, humans aren’t the masterpiece, the poem of God. Christians are. This tells us that the ultimate workmanship of God is a human being who, despite being dead in his trespasses and sins, has been now made alive in Christ because of God’s incredible grace. See, the masterpiece of God is the soul who’s been the subject of two creations by the Lord. His physical birth and then his spiritual birth. This shows us again that the Christian’s very existence is due to the work of Christ. We belong to God. He made us. We are His product. We are saved solely because of His handiwork, and it’s totally unrelated to any effort or merit on our part. As Charles Hodge said, this means that He has made us Christians. Our faith is not of ourselves. It’s of God that we are in Christ Jesus. Clearly, we are His workmanship. This tells us that on the day that you got saved, God put forth His most powerful and creative effort to raise you up from the spiritually dead and to make you new. And look, once God was finished making you new, you became a masterpiece, skillfully and artfully created in Christ. As one said, this means that there’s nothing cheap about you at all. God’s creative, artistic, intelligent genius went into your making. Look how much you’ve been given in Christ. So in light of that, don’t you think it’s time to stop moaning about how dumb, ugly, or untalented you feel compared to others? Those feelings are all lies. God turned you into something spectacular. That’s who you are now. And that’s absolutely right. Johnny Erickson Tada became a quadriplegic after a tragic accident. She notes this about herself in her book, A Place of Healing. She writes, God has a plan and purpose for my time on earth. He’s the master artist or sculptor. And he’s the one who chooses the tools that he will use to perfect his workmanship. What then of suffering? What of illness? What of disability? Am I to tell him which tools he can use and which tools he can’t use in the lifelong task of perfecting me and molding me into the beautiful image of Jesus? Do I really know better than him so that I can state without equivocation that it’s always his will to heal me of every physical affliction? If I am his poem, do I have a right to say, no, Lord, you need to trim a line here and brighten up lines three and five over there. Do I, the poem, the thing being written, know more than the poet? What’s the answer? No. We trust the poet, right? We trust the sculptor. We trust the architect. And then we get on with what he calls us to do. So how about this? How about living like you believe it? God’s masterpiece. That’s you. That’s you. Live like you believe it. That leads to our second point that we’re created in Christ Jesus for… Come on, I need an answer. You know this. It’s right here. For what? Okay. Scared me there. Alright, what does this tell us? It tells us that God didn’t make you His masterpiece for nothing. No, He wants you to show forth His artwork of you, which then reflects Him. How? Good works, right? Look, we are created. We are newly created. Speaking of our spiritual creation, when He saved us and gave us eternal life, we were created in Christ Jesus. So we are now His. We are united with Him. We belong to Him. We’re secure in Him. We’re accepted in Him. We have assurance in Him. His victory is our victory. And look, just as He went about doing good for the glory of the Father all His days, so too must we who are in Christ do good. Good works. What are good works? The good works spoken of here are godly works. Works that glorify and honor your king. Works that are the result of Christ in you. Works that have eternal value. True good works according to God. You can also call this spiritual fruit, same thing. So here’s the thought. That because we’ve been saved by God’s amazing grace through faith in Christ alone, and because we are now His masterpieces, that we then will bear the fruit of that salvation, will now live in a God-honoring way as His children, by doing good and God-honoring works, which will reflect the work of the Master in our lives. That makes sense. And while… Works have nothing whatsoever to do with salvation. We need to be clear about that. Hey, now that we are saved, works that honor Him from a heart of love are what it’s all about. I mean, that’s what it says. We were created in Christ Jesus for good work. So again, works don’t mean a thing before you’re saved. And our own works have nothing whatsoever to do with our salvation. But now that we have been saved, works matter greatly. For they are the proof, the outflow, the fruit of who and what we truly are. And so, just as a seed that you plant will grow into a tree that bears fruit according to its kind, so genuine saving faith will produce good works. That’s how it works. And note that these works aren’t tacked on to saving faith, no, but instead they’re inherent to saving faith. In other words, they stem from its very nature. Look, when God imparts salvation to a sinner, He not only gives us life, but He also changes our heart, right? And as the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5.17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creature. The old has passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So when God truly imparts new life to us, we are then changed from within. That must then express itself from without. Right? You now love Him. And love must show itself forth with action. See, words mean nothing unless actions back up the words. James says in James 2.17 that faith without works is dead. In other words, faith that doesn’t result in good works and spiritual fruit, godly works, isn’t true saving faith. In fact, according to James, faith without works is like the dead faith of the demons, because even the demons believe in shudder. What does that mean? It tells us that demons believe, right? They know the truth. They know who God is, but they definitely don’t have true saving belief, true saving faith, obviously. See, they haven’t repented of their sin. They have no change of mind where they turn from their rebellion to submission to God. They have no change of heart where they’re turning from hating God to loving God. They have no change of will, no change of behavior where they turn from disobedience to obedience. And they have no works to follow their belief. Right? Therefore, they aren’t saved even though they believe. Right? Why? Because faith that doesn’t result in a change from self-centered rebellion to God-centered obedience is no better than the faith of the demons. They know the truth, but they’re not saved. They don’t have saving faith. See, it’s not real. Look, believing sound doctrine alone is insufficient for salvation. Genuine saving faith is always connected with the new birth, with new life in Christ that necessarily results in a life of spiritual fruit, of godly works and deeds which prove who and whose we really are. So genuine saving faith necessarily results in a life of good works, compelled by love for the God who saved you from eternity in hell. James adds these words in chapter 2, verse 26. For as a body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? I mean, if you see a body that’s not breathing, you can conclude that it’s a dead body. In like manner, if you see faith that doesn’t produce any good works, you can conclude that it’s a dead faith. So faith is the root, and good works are the fruit of saving faith. And so, now that we’re Christians, we’re to be all about good works. Not empty good works, the empty good works of the world, no. But godly works that reflect his reality in our life and that have eternal value. Is that what you’re about? Hey, it’s not about pleasing yourself. It’s not about giving your children everything they want. It’s not about making more money or advancing your career or getting a bigger house or getting a nicer car or any other fading thing of this short life. It’s not about that. It’s about glorifying God with the short precious time that you have left. And the way to glorify God is to do good works that honor Him and to bear spiritual fruit. That’s it. What about you? Or are you wasting your life away? We’ve talked about this before. It’s good to look at it again. 2 Corinthians 5.9 says this. Therefore, whether present or absent, we make it our aim to be well-pleasing to God. Why? For we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. What does that mean? It means that as Christians, we will answer to God for how we live out our faith. For how we live out our saving faith. Now please understand that judgment for a Christian and judgment for a non-Christian are radically different. See, the judgment for the non-Christians, which is called the great white throne judgment as described in Revelation chapter 20, is that judgment where non-believers will stand before God, where the books of their life will then be opened up, and where they will then be held accountable for their sin and for their rejection of Christ, which will bring condemnation and eternal judgment upon them. That’s not the judgment that Paul’s talking about in 2 Corinthians 5, but instead, this is a judgment of evaluation for the Christian, for how he or she lived out their faith. It’s a judgment for the works of the Christian, the fruit of the Christian. See, this matters. How you live matters to you, and it matters to God. Look, the word judgment seat is the Greek word bima, which literally means step as in a raised platform or seat. This was where a Roman magistrate sat to act as a judge. The Bemis seat was an object of reverence and fear for all the people, especially for those who stood before it. See, a person who stood before this Bemis seat would have his or her deeds examined for the purpose of either indicting them or for rewarding them. And so… what we find is that in like manner, we as Christians will stand before God and give an accounting for how we lived out our faith. Now please understand again that this isn’t a judgment for sin, since every sin of every believer was judged at the cross when God punished Jesus for all that sin in our place. Also, this isn’t a judgment of condemnation since there is now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. But rather, this Bema Seat judgment is simply a judgment of evaluation and eternal reward. So again, let me be clear. This needs to be clear. No, as Christians, we are no longer standing condemned in our sin because of the cross. Praise the Lord. However, we will still be held accountable for how we lived out our faith, and then we will be rewarded for that accordingly. Note that every Christian will appear before this judgment seat, this Bema seat, and no one will escape it. We’ll all give an accounting, and in that day the full truth about our lives, our character, and our deeds will be made clear. Each will discover the real verdict of his life, ministry, service, and motives. As one says, all hypocrisy will be stripped away. All temporal matters with no eternal significance will vanish like wood, hay, and stubble. And only what’s to be rewarded as eternally valuable will be left. Your life as a Christian, your fruitfulness as a Christian, your stewardship as a Christian, your works as a Christian will be accounted for before God. They will indeed be evaluated and rewarded. And this truth should be an encouragement for all of us in our service in the Lord. And it should remind us of the principle. It should remind us of the principle in Hebrews 6.10, which says, For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward His name, and that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. In other words, God won’t forget. He sees. God knows. He knows your heart. He sees your works, your sacrifices, your service, and He will not forget. And when you stand before Him, He will not forget, and He will reward you accordingly. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 3.12, if you will. Very interesting passage. 1 Corinthians 3, 12-15. Here, Paul is speaking to Christians. And he’s talking about what will happen on the day that we stand before God at this Bema seat judgment of assessment. The foundation described in this passage is salvation through Christ. And Paul clearly is speaking to those who are saved. Listen to what he says, verse 12. Now, if anyone builds on this foundation of salvation… Verse 2. Verse 3. Now here Paul is making it clear that as Christians, what we have done and our motive for doing it will be tested by fire, and the purifying fire of God will burn up everything that’s not of Him. Again, no, we won’t be punished for what we have done rightly, what was not done rightly under the Lord. Worthless works, it’s just going to go away. All the worthless things that we have done is just going to be burned up. It’s going to go away as if we never did those things at all. And then you’re going to be rewarded for what remains. In other words, again, how you live as a Christian matters and it reaps eternal reward. It reaps eternal blessing. And you can waste your life away on wood, hay, and straw, the things that burn away, the things that mean nothing to God and that have no eternal value. Empty works, or you can live for gold, silver, and precious stones, which represents the things that have eternal value. What you do for God, and what you do for the glory of God. Good works, or again, spiritual fruit. Like what? Anything that’s a result of Christ in you. Anything that you do that honors and pleases God. That includes a fruit of the Spirit, right? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. spiritual fruit that has eternal value but it also includes tangible results like serving him and serving in the church and giving to god and to the people of god sharing your faith saying no to sin battling sin showing christ to others to your family your kids your spouse growing in christ obeying him from the heart christian fellowship and encouragement reading his words so that you can then put it into practice and prayer living for his glory honor and pleasure all those things And all those things will be rewarded by him in the future. That’s an amazing thing to think about. So again, how you live out your faith matters to you and to God greatly. So here’s a question. How much fruit will be in your spiritual account that will be rewarded by God on that day?
SPEAKER 01 :
Thanks for joining us for today’s exposition from the book of Ephesians on expository truths with Dr. John Kyle. Continue on with us next week at this same time. And to find this sermon in its entirety as well as other sermons, visit vacavillefaith.org. Faith Community Church seeks to exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with a commitment to glorifying God through the pure, deep, and reaching message of the gospel through faithful exposition. Pastor John is the preaching pastor at Faith Community Church of Vacaville, a seminary professor and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join Faith Community Church for worship Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. Located at 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A in Vacaville. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That’s vacavillefaith.org.
