The Way Faith Works

We read the word of God from Ephesians chapter 2, our text for today, verses 8 through 10, but I'm going to read beginning at verse 1. And you hath he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all had our manner of life in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath made us alive together with Christ. By grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

And may that gracious work be accomplished in our lives today. Many of you can remember a few years ago when they were building what is now the Eisenhower Expressway. It was necessary to move an entire cemetery.

I can recall watching them as they were working there in the graveyard. The men had to wear special suits. They had to go through special processes after they were finished working.

It was very complicated. The courts had to get permission for the moving of the graves, and in some cases couldn't find people to give them permission. There they were working in the graveyard, and I thought to myself as I watched this week by week, who in the world would want to go to work in a graveyard? But God is working in a graveyard.

This entire world system is a graveyard. The city of Chicago is populated with dead people, and so is this entire world. Some people look upon this world as a beautiful garden, and certainly God has made a beautiful world.

Physically speaking, it's a marvelous world. Naturally speaking, it's a beautiful world. Spiritually speaking, it's a graveyard.

And yet God is at work in the graveyard. That's what we want to talk about today. I want to talk with you about how God is working in the graveyard, and our key verses are Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8, 9, and 10.

I'm sure that there are times in your life when you find it very, very difficult just to keep on going. There are burdens and there are pains. There are problems and disappointments, emptiness, opposition, and sometimes we say to ourselves, I just can't keep going.

I can't make it. If something doesn't happen, our home is going to fall to pieces. If something doesn't happen, my life is going to disintegrate.

I need a power beyond myself. People today are reaching out for a power beyond themselves. Some are reaching into the occult, and they do find there a power beyond themselves, but it's a power that destroys, not a power that saves.

Some are reaching to the bottle or the needle or the pills of one kind or another. Once again, we find substitutes that destroy instead of reality that saves. The kind of power you're looking for, my friend, is the power of God.

And did you notice in Ephesians chapter 2, I'm Did you notice, for example, in chapter 2, verse 2, it says that the devil is at work, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior, the spirit of disobedience is working in your life. And the reason you disobey God and you don't do the things that you ought to do is because of that spirit that's at work.

Now there's a spirit of disobedience at work in this world, but thank God God is at work in this world. I say to you on this day, be of good cheer. God is at work in the graveyard, and God can work on our behalf if only we will let him.

In Ephesians 2, verses 8 through 10, you will find three works that God wants to perform on your behalf. I want you to notice these works. There are three of them.

There is the work that God does for us, that's salvation. Then there's the work that God does in us, we are his workmanship. The theologians call that sanctification.

Then there's the work that God does through us, we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. That's the work that God does through us, which is service. Here is the whole picture.

Here is the way God is working in the graveyard. There's the work that he does for us, which leads to the work that he does in us, which leads to the work that he does through us. And when you are experiencing these three works, my friend, you are living.

And not just living in the physical sense, you're living in the spiritual sense. Not just simply eternal life, but abundant life. The life that Jesus Christ alone can give.

Instead of lying in the grave, rotting away in sin, you've been raised from the grave. And not only have you been raised from the grave, but the grave clothes have been stripped off, and you've been lifted and put upon the throne with Jesus Christ. Now that's living.

Now if you choose to continue living in the graveyard, then you'll die in the graveyard, and you'll be dead forever. But if you choose today to experience these works that we're talking about, then you'll be lifted from the graveyard into the grace yard, and you'll be walking by the grace of God in a wonderful, wonderful new life. Consider first of all the work that God does for us.

For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Here is the work that God does for us, and we call this work salvation.

By grace are ye saved. Now some people don't like that word saved. They say, now pastor, that's an old-fashioned word.

Yes it is. It's as old as sin. Bread is old-fashioned, and I thank God for bread.

Milk is old-fashioned, I thank God for milk. Home is old-fashioned, I thank God for home. Salvation is old-fashioned, but it's not old-fogied.

This is a good Bible word. Saved. Jesus used it, and Paul used it, and Peter used it, and John used it.

The Holy Spirit uses the word saved. This is the greatest need that people have today, the need to be saved. Now what does it mean to be saved? Well, back in Paul's day when he penned that word saved, the littlest student in a Greek school would know what he was talking about.

It was a very familiar word. It had four meanings to it. If you were to walk into a little Greek school in Ephesus and say, what does this word saved mean? A hand would go up and he'd say, it means to be delivered from danger.

When you're saved, you're delivered from danger. He tells us up here in verse 3, the children of wrath. By nature the children of wrath.

In other words, when you're saved, you're saved from danger, which means you are rescued from the judgment of sin. Now most people don't like to believe that God judges sin. They say, I don't see it happening.

My next-door neighbor is a crook. He falsifies his income tax. He lies about his parking tickets.

He's a crook and a cheat. He's prospering. God hasn't judged his sin.

He will. He will. To be saved means to be delivered from danger, the judgment of God.

Another little boy would raise his hand and say, please, it means not only to be delivered from danger, but to be kept out of danger once you've been delivered. That's what the word saved means. When you are saved, not only are you rescued from the wrath of God, but you are protected by the grace of God, never to be in danger again.

That's the meaning of Romans chapter 8 verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. A little girl raises her hand and says, there's a third meaning to that word saved. It means to be benefited.

Not only are you rescued from danger and protected so you'll never get in danger, but while you're being protected you are being benefited. Here's a man sinking in the ocean. He's drowning.

A boat comes along. He's rescued from danger. They put their arms around him and hold him so he can't get out of the boat again.

He's being protected from danger. And then they feed him and put dry clothing on him and warm him and give him medicine. He's being benefited while he's being protected from danger.

That's what salvation means. It means God rescues you from hell. It means God holds you so you never can go there.

And while he's holding you, he's helping you. And there's a fourth meaning. It means to be preserved.

No danger can get to you. You'll just live forever. Eternal life.

You see, salvation is much more than just being rescued. It's being rescued and protected. It's much more than being rescued and protected.

It means being rescued, protected, and benefited. And more than that, preserved to enjoy more and more benefits. I'd say it's a marvelous experience, wouldn't you? For by grace are you saved.

This is the greatest need in the world today for people to be saved. Now he tells us how we are saved. By grace, through faith, to the glory of God.

By grace, not by merit, you don't deserve to be saved. By faith, not by works, you can't earn salvation. To the glory of God, not by the works of men where they can boast.

You see, religion makes a person boast. Salvation makes a person humble. Religion is something I do to try to please God.

I prayed so many prayers, or I gave so many gifts, or I obeyed so many commandments. But salvation is receiving a gift from God. You see, the work that God did for you is a finished work, the work of Christ on the cross.

One of the greatest words ever spoken in human history came from the lips of Jesus Christ on the cross. When he died for your sins and mine, when all of our sins were placed upon his body, that word came from his lips. It's recorded in the Gospels.

It is finished. A great word. It is finished.

It stands finished. It always will be finished. The work has been completed.

Now, some of you have the idea that salvation means that Jesus Christ made the down payment, and you keep up the installments. That's not what it is. Some of you have the idea salvation means I believe in God, and I'll just do the best I can, and one day I'll face God, and he'll have a scale, and he'll put my good works on one side and my bad works on the other side, and if my good works outweigh my bad works, I'll get in.

My friend, you won't get in, because there are no good works that can be done by a dead man. The Bible calls the works of an unsaved person dead works because he's a dead man. Evil works because his heart is not clean.

Wicked works because he doesn't know the righteousness of Christ. No, he says, salvation is by grace. That means no merits involved.

Grace means God gives you what you don't deserve. If you think you're going to heaven because you deserve it, you aren't going. The person who is truly born again, who knows he's going to heaven, is humbled by it and says, Oh God, in my hand no price I bring.

He's not ashamed to say just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. The most important work, the greatest work, is the work of salvation. How are we saved? By grace, not by merit.

How are we saved? By faith, not by works, by law, not by religion. How are we saved? To the glory of God, not for the boasting of men. And my friend, the test of your salvation is this, are you bragging about it or humbled by it? If you're bragging about it, it wasn't God's grace.

If you're humbled by it, it was God's grace. If you're saying, I'm doing so good, my, what a religious person I am, that's not the grace of God. If you're saying, Oh God, it's only by your grace, only by the riches of your mercy, then that's true salvation.

Now, I wonder if there aren't some here today who need this kind of a salvation. You say, Pastor, how am I going to get it? I'm going to get it by faith. Faith is the hand that reaches out and takes the gift.

Faith is just simply committing yourself to the Christ who died for you. Faith is not a work that saves us. Faith is just simply reaching out and taking the medicine that we need.

Faith is just simply reaching out and receiving the life that we need. To use a very simple illustration, if you're sick in the hospital and the nurse comes with that little plastic cup and says, now here are some capsules for you, and you reach out and you take the capsules and you swallow them, it's not your reaching out that made you well, it's the capsule that made you well. Jesus Christ comes to you and says, behold, I stand at the door and knock, the door of your heart.

If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and will sup with him and he with me. Now, faith opens the door. Faith reaches out and receives the Savior.

Faith is only as good as the object of your faith. And when the object of your faith is Jesus Christ, it means salvation. And so by faith you just receive him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now at this point someone says, but how long is it going to last? It's a beautiful thing to see the way the Holy Spirit wrote this book. Verse 8, the tense of that verb is, by grace are you saved, by grace you have been saved, by grace you always will be saved.

Now some folks don't like this. Some folks have the idea that salvation is a temporary thing until you do something wrong, then you lose it. Oh no, no.

The tense of that verb in the Greek language, the perfect tense, says it's finished. It's a completed salvation. It is a salvation that stands for all eternity.

You weren't saved by your good work. You can't be saved by any bad works. You weren't saved by any merit.

You can't be lost by any demerit. Dear friend of mine, God offers to you today the most marvelous work in the world, the work that he did for you. Salvation, the work on the cross.

Now will you receive it? Right where you're seated just now, right where you're listening, you could open your heart to the Savior and he'd hear you and he'd come in and he'd save you. Now it doesn't stop there. Someone says, oh I'd like to be saved, but I'm really afraid I can't hold out.

I'm really afraid I can't live the life. I'm a weakling. So he moves into the second work.

There's the work that God does for us, which is salvation. There's the work that God does in us, which is sanctification. Notice verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.

You see, salvation is not the end, it's the beginning. Jesus compares salvation to birth and the baby is born into the world. That's not the end, it's the beginning.

And then you nurture the baby and you feed the baby and the baby grows and fulfills its purposes in life by becoming an adult. Now so it is with salvation. We are his workmanship.

That little word workmanship is the word from which we get our English word poem. It's the Greek word poema, which means a manufactured product. We are his poem.

We are his manufactured product. God doesn't save you and then abandon you. God saves you and then works in your life.

We are his handiwork. That's the word. We are his manufactured product.

We are the vessel and he is the potter and he is working in our lives. You see my friend, when you become a Christian, God moves in. Salvation is not just simply a legal relationship.

I'm born into God's family. Salvation is a very personal relationship. He's born into me.

One of the familiar Christmas carols says, O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray, cast out our sin and enter in. Be born in us today. That's what happens when you're saved.

Jesus Christ, by his Spirit, moves into your life. Your body, which used to be the tool of Satan, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your mind, which used to be clouded by the lies of the wicked one, becomes the tool through which God gives you truth.

Your heart, which used to lust after the dirty, rotten things of the graveyard, begins to develop an appetite for the pure, holy things of God. The ambitions of your life, which used to be so selfish, suddenly become very, very outgoing and loving. You discover that other people are there and you want to share.

A miracle takes place because God moves in. Why does he move in? He moves in that we might become his manufactured product. He has a plan for us to fulfill.

He calls this the new creation. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. In the Bible there are two creations.

There is the old creation and there is the new creation. The old creation was a physical creation. Adam was the head.

The new creation is a spiritual creation. Jesus Christ is the head. Adam, the head of the old creation, failed miserably.

Jesus Christ, the head of the new creation, triumphed victoriously. When you were born the first time, you were born into the old creation a loser. When you are born the second time, you are born into the new creation a winner.

When you are born into the old creation, you are born to die. In Adam, all men die. When you are born into the new creation, you are born to live.

You are looking at a person who belongs to two creations. Physically, I am a part of the old creation. Spiritually, I am a part of the new creation.

God's word says this, therefore if any man be in Christ, there is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.

In other words, when you trust the Savior, he picks you up out of the graveyard. He puts you into the grace of God. Adam is no longer your head.

Jesus is your head. Your life no longer is centered in self and sin and the world. Your life is centered in Christ.

Through the Holy Spirit, you are a part of the new creation. Paul has a lot to say about this new creation in the book of Ephesians. Look at chapter 2, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, between the Jew and the Gentile, the law stood and created war, to make in himself of the two, Jew and Gentile, one new man.

That word make there means to create. God's creating a new man in this world, so making peace. He's building a church.

He's building a body made of saved Jews and saved Gentiles, and they're a part of a new creation. God's creating a new thing in the world, his church. It's composed of people who have experienced the miracle of the new creation.

Over in chapter 3 verse 9, to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages hath been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. Jesus made the old creation, now he's making the new creation. Over in chapter 4 verse 24, that you put on the new man, which after God is being created in righteousness and true holiness.

He's saying, look, you've been raised from the grave, you belong to the new creation. Now let God work in your life to create new holiness and new righteousness and new love. We don't manufacture it, he creates it.

The miracle of the Christian life is simply living the way you were saved. How were you saved? By grace through faith. How do you live? By grace through faith.

You draw upon the inexhaustible resources of the grace of God. And my friend, as we draw upon God's grace, he begins to make that new creation work in our lives. He creates a new mind and new eyes we see as we've never seen before, and new ears we hear as we've never heard before.

And a new heart we love as we've never loved before, and a new tongue we speak as we've never spoken before, and new hands we work as we've never worked before, and new feet we walk as we've never walked before. And people say there's something different about him. What is it? It's the new creation.

Now what's the pattern for this new creation? We are his manufactured product, created in Christ Jesus. God is not trying to make you like me. God is not trying to make you like any other Christian.

You may have your eyes on some Christian saying, Oh, I'd like to be like him. Oh, I'd love to be like her. Don't do it.

We are created in Christ Jesus. He is the pattern. Romans chapter 8 says, One day we shall be conformed to the image of his Son.

He wants to make us more like Jesus Christ. He wants us to have the patience that Jesus had, the love that Jesus had, the sacrifice that Jesus had. How does he do this? How does God work in us? How is God working in your life? He has three tools that he uses to work in your life.

The Word of God, prayer, and suffering. The Word of God works in you as you receive it and believe it. The Word of God is living and powerful.

As you receive the Word of God, it molds your life. Prayer. As we pray and worship God, whether it be collectively or individually, the Holy Spirit works in us.

Suffering. Paul says these things are not against us, they are for us. Suffering.

Suffering drives me to the Word of God and prayer. The Word of God and prayer strengthens me for suffering. God works in us through suffering and scripture and prayer.

These are the tools that he uses. If you've been neglecting the prayer closet, God's not working. If you've been neglecting the Word of God, God's not working.

If you've been running away from difficulties, God's not going to work in your life. But the blessed potter, the marvelous manufacturer who made the universe, comes down to my little life and he wants to mold me. What a miracle! What an amazing thing! It's the work that God does in us which leads to the third work, the work that God does through us.

Notice what it says. We are his workmanship, his poem, his manufactured product, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before prepared that we should walk in them. He prepares us for what he prepares for us.

We are the vessels, and he's preparing the vessel for the ministry that he wants it to perform. I don't know what God has called you to do, but this I know he'll prepare you for it. You say, Pastor, if I gave my heart and life to Jesus Christ, what would happen to me? A series of miracles.

God would save you and fill you and begin to mold you, and he'd find that place where you fit in and he would use you to serve him. You see, the old life that we lived, we didn't have any good works. All of our righteousnesses were just filthy rags.

The new life that God gives to us issues in good works. Faith without works is dead. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify not you but your Father which is in heaven.

If I'm truly born again, if I have accepted the work that God did for me, salvation, if I'm experiencing the work that God does in me, sanctification, it's going to issue in the work that God does through me, which is service. Many people who profess to be saved by their lives deny their very profession. There's no service.

There's no thought of other people. There's no sacrifice. There's no reaching out.

There's no loving. There's no embracing. There's no paying the bill.

There's no good Samaritan ministry. He came where he was, and he washed his wounds, and he put them on his beast, and he took them to the inn, and he took care of him. Many people who sing the hymns and quote the verses don't have the service in their lives, and yet they claim to be Christians.

I tell you, my friend, when God is working in you, he has to work through you, and this means reaching out to touch the lives of other people. Now what works does he want us to do? Created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before prepared, that we should walk in them. There's an amazing statement back in the book of Romans that ties in with this.

Let me read it to you. Romans chapter 9 verse 23, speaking about God, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he hath before prepared unto glory. Isn't that a beautiful statement? We are vessels of mercy.

We could have been thrown into the pits of judgment, but we are vessels of mercy, and he's molding the vessel, preparing the vessel to bring glory to his name. Somebody says, but Pastor, my vessel's been marred. I've not obeyed him.

Then read Jeremiah chapter 18, and he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. God keeps working that he might be able to work through us, and the beautiful thing about this is that as God works in us and he works through us, we walk, and every day we do what he wants us to do. Don't just think in terms of missionary service or preaching or the things we call ministry.

He's talking about walking every day. That's the key word of the last half of Ephesians. Look at chapter 4 verse 1, I therefore beseech you that ye walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called.

Chapter 4 verse 17, walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. Chapter 5 verse 2, walk in love. Chapter 5 verse 8, walk as children of light.

Chapter 5 verse 15, see then that ye walk circumspectly. What's he talking about? God works in us, and then God works through us, and as he works through us, we walk day by day, a step at a time, a day at a time. Just walk in the will of God, and we find things that God wants us to do, and we do them, and he gives us the divine enablement.

You know what that means? That means the future is already prepared for us. We're not worried about the future. The future is already prepared for us.

Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 10 says we're to walk in the good works that God's prepared for us. So he prepares me, and he prepares the works for me, and he gets us together if we don't rebel. If we surrender to him, how beautiful it is.

He prepares the future, and he prepares his child, and he brings the two together, and that's happiness, and fulfillment, and that's life. Now my friend, are you experiencing these works? Who is at work in your life? The Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, or the Holy Spirit of God who brings about obedience? Have you come to the cross of Jesus Christ and turned your back on your own good works? Have you admitted that you are really a sinner and you deserve judgment? Have you come to him and said, here I am, Father, I'm a lost sinner, save me? Have you experienced the work that he does for us, that marvelous work of redemption on the cross? If you have not, that's the beginning. Today give your heart to him.

Today respond to his invitation. Don't argue about it. Don't come with any merit.

Don't come with any religious goodness. Just come with your sins and trust him. And then experience the work that he does in us, that day-by-day experience of the hand of God molding your life to make you more like Jesus Christ.

And as that happens, he works through you, for you, in you, through you. What a beautiful way it is to live. How much better it is than the graveyard.

Make your choice today, my friend, to let God do the work for his glory. We pray, our Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, that many who hear this message will respond by faith. How thankful we are that you haven't laid upon us some difficult task to perform that we might one day be like Christ.

You have not asked us to obey many laws. You have not asked us to make any sacrifices. All you've asked us to do is come and trust Christ.

We're thankful that you are able to work in our hearts to give to us that beautiful faith to trust. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Oh, may there be many hearing this word who will respond by faith and be saved.

Then, Lord, for those of us who are saved, please work in us and work through us. We surrender our bodies, our minds, our wills, our hearts. We pray that through your word and prayer and suffering you will work in us.

And then, Lord, fulfill the marvelous purposes for which we were born. Help us not to miss your great and glorious plan for our lives. Do work through us for your glory.

And may this invitation now result in changed lives, we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.