god's masterpiece sermon

this life of doing good works is what God has created us to be engaged in. So, you see, you can only have koinonia fellowship, when the people are joined as identical through the abiding presence of Holy Spirit. Close to 45,000 people a year are taking their own lives. Well, let me show you a few verses earlier in Acts, before verse 42 takes place, that we just read.

However, God says we need only to receive His love and accept what He’s done for us to gain full acceptance in His kingdom. It somehow feels vain, arrogant, even haughty to look at yourself that way.

Jim Toole Jeremiah 18:1-6 Easter 2016 WE ARE GOD'S MASTERPIECE I have always loved the image of God as the potter and we as the clay.

He doesn’t want us to get bogged down in the things of this world and miss out on our calling from Him. God… made us alive with Christ even when we were dead.

We will be seeing in Eph. August 31st, 2020 | Becoming Who We Are: God’s Creative Masterpiece. Ephesians 2:4-10 “You Are God’s Masterpiece” A colleague told me about a man named Jerry who was found by his girlfriend sprawled out on …

And, to accompany that, you will begin to discover a new moral strength to live for God, strength that formerly you did not know. The way that we see ourselves through the lies of the enemy, versus the way that God sees us and designed us to be, are not even in the same universe! Since all of us who claim to be Christians are supposed to be parts of God’s masterpiece, I wonder whether we might also have a percentage of people who claim to be authentic followers of Jesus but are not. It is time for God’s people to begin to see themselves the way that He sees us. Engage Your Life: Serving. New Get the daily Faith In The News Story in your FB messenger. With that in mind, did you know that, according to the Fine Art Expert Institute in Switzerland, well over 50% of the art masterpieces that are currently circulating in the market is thought to be forged or faked. V. 4 simply says, “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive…”  So, on the basis of God’s Word, I want to declare to you as I did last week, that, no matter what you have done and no matter what you have brought with you to church today, God loves you with an everlasting love. the depth of his sacrifice clues on in on the depth of his love.His only son, he gave to save us. The word “accord”, in the Greek, means, “with one mind”. Yet in all this beautiful scenery there is something greater. This is the heart, soul, and daily way of life of the authentic Christian. When we live as if we don’t desperately need the mercy of God, then we look down on others different from us. We have also interspersed a few other great articles by other notable Christian leaders like John Newton and Charles Spurgeon. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, The word that is used in this passage for “affection”, is not what you would think to use. When you come to church, you should always come with the mindset that says, “How would God have me serve my brothers and sisters?”. Rescue Action #3:  He takes condemned people and seats us in victory -- God seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (2:6b). We serve in our church family. Who are you?

But, God loves us and is ready to do for us what we don’t deserve and cannot earn. You can see the starlit sky at night. God the Father doesn’t base our worth on performance, achievements, friends, possessions, or appearance. So, what Paul described here was neither just a problem for the Gentiles, nor was it just for the Jews. The rain was so heavy you could hardly see the shapes of the trees. Series: Letter to the Ephesians, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We place an extremely high value on the Word of God, so we consider the context and intent of the original author to his readers before we bring present day application.

Your browser does not support the audio element. This is quite a powerful trio, isn’t it? These are two words that declare that we all go down paths that we know are wrong. This article was inspired by viewing the Skit Guys video titled “God’s Masterpiece.” I highly recommend you watch this entertaining and insightful video. He is telling us to turn our eyes upon Jesus and step out of the sinking boat onto the waters where Jesus is controlling everything and we will see and experience a calm that we have never known in our lives before! God makes you alive to a world you had not formerly known. However, many adults look back on their childhood and feel pain or hurt for their upbringing.

Thank you for your gift of grace purchased by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus.”. The Lord dropped a thought in my heart. We will be seeing in Eph. POIEMA-GOD’S WORKMANSHIP. We place an extremely high value on the Word of God, so we consider the context and intent of the original author to his readers before we bring present day application. My prayer for you this day is that you may search for and strive to allow God to mold you into His masterpiece.

moral desires, i.e., you begin to long to know how God would want you to live. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” God sees us differently than we do.

!”  God is ready to make a difference in all our lives. Let me show you just one response from LAC member, David Packer. Are they becoming more and more true of us here at LAC?

Let us become who we are created to be – God’s creative masterpiece doing good works that bring blessing to our world, joy to our lives, and glory to God. They are grateful churches. Whatever God makes could, in a real sense, be called a masterpiece. On an individual and personal level, I think it calls for a different was of approaching each day and each encounter with people.

That’s the word. God’s Masterpiece.

When you’re alive spiritually, you’ll know it because the Bible will no longer be just a book but your Father’s loving guiding Word to you.

One of the biggest hurdles we have in our lives (if you are a believer) is when we feel defeated and useless to God because of our past. "Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. A masterpiece is the most famous, the most noteworthy.

So, to the deepest most intricate, functional level of a person’s thoughts and desires, they would seek and desire to be like minded in Christ! We are people called to be one in Christ. This is what God says about us in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece. In these deeply moving verses, 2:4-9, we first are told why God has chosen to make available to us what we absolutely have not earned, and we do not deserve. Hear Eph 2:8-9: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”, All that we can say to this is, “Yes, Lord, I place my faith in Jesus.” And, “Thank you. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. Yet, something was missing - us. Apart from Christ, We’re Condemned -- We were by nature deserving of wrath (2:3). It is in the past, learn from it. 我們今天所看的聖經經文會幫助我們辨別我們在靈性上是否還活著。離開了對耶穌的信仰，我們就是已死的人了。, 離开了基督，我們就是被奴役的人，我們的肉身可能不會活在神的面前，但在那毀壞我們的仇人面前，卻是活著的。保羅提到三個敵人：在第二節中提到今世（今世的風俗）；同一節又提到空中掌權者；第三節提到肉體的私欲（滿足我們罪性的渴望）。, 這是一個強大的三重勢力的組合，不是嗎？它們在我們生活中的運作效果是，即使我們想要嘗試過以弗所書1:4所說的“聖潔和無可指責”的美好生活，我們也做不到。我們一直有所虧缺，虧缺了我們自己的道德期望，也虧缺了神的榮耀。結果是，我們都有問題，並不僅僅是那些從不去教會的人才有問題。並不是像希特勒那樣的壞人才有問題，是我們所有的人都有問題！因著自己的罪，我們在神的面前都是已死的人。我們沒有力量來靠著自己不完全的肉體、心智和情感來改變現狀，這就引出了我們的第三個問題。, 離开了基督，我們就是受責罰的人----我們本為可怒之子（2：3）。如果我們要擁有一個美好而公正的世界，就要懲罰邪惡。很少有人不同意這個基本觀點。並且神也宣告，祂定會懲罰邪惡。但是我們的境況是，我們都是有過犯的罪人！這就意味著，我們只要依靠自己，我們就會面臨很大的危險，而且是永恒的危險。離開了基督，我們就面臨著死亡，被奴役，受責罰。我們面臨著一個很糟糕的境況！, 當保羅在這個部分描述著神所創造的傑作時，他告訴了我們神的救贖計劃。我的觀點是，我們所有作為神的傑作而蒙神重造的人，都需要面對這個問題。我們知道，靠著自己，我們沒有希望。因此，神真正的傑作一定是謙卑的。, 讓我說得更明白一些，除非我們因著自己的罪與我們對神恩典的迫切渴慕而謙卑下來，否則我們永遠無法成為神呼召我們要成為的那種教會。我們也永遠無法接納所有蒙召進入神家裏的人。如此得來的謙卑，才能使我們成為一個榮耀神的教會。謙卑是真實跟隨主的第一個確據。, 第二：他們一定要是感恩的人：我們因著神的恩典，藉著在基督裏的信心，得蒙救贖（2：4-9）。 “當我們死在過犯中的時候，便叫我們與基督一同活過來。, 以弗所書2：3以無望結束，它指出，我們若是靠著自己，就已經死了，並且將被奴役、受到責罰。接著，第4節以一個強有力的短語為開始：“然而神……”。神已經準備好在我們的生命中做改變的工作。在2：4-9這些令人深受感動的經文中，保羅首先告訴我們，為什麽神要白白賜給我們那些我們不配得到、又無法賺取的恩典？第四節說：“神既有豐富的憐憫。因著祂愛我們的大愛……叫我們…活過來。” 因此，根據神的話語，我要像上周一樣向大家宣告，無論你曾經做過什麽，也無論你今天是帶著什麽來到教會，神都以永遠的愛來愛你。正因如此，神已經準備好在你的生命中做你靠著自己無法做到的事情。, 拯救行動之一：祂使死人復活。神有豐盛的慈愛，即使我們應當死在過犯之中，祂仍舊讓我們與基督一同活過來（2：5）。聖經中所說的“使我們活著”這個短句的意思，就是復活。嬰兒無法使自己的身體出生於世，那些靈性上死了的人同樣也無法使自己重生。但是，神愛我們，祂已準備好將我們不配、也無法賺取的東西賜給我們。這就是聖經中所說的“恩典”，正是靠著神的恩典，我們才得以存活。當你在靈性上活著的時候，你就會知道，聖經不再是一本書，而是父親對你的愛與指導。講道對於你也不僅只是演講而已，而是一個了解神和聆聽從神而來的信息的機會。耶穌不再只是一個好人，或是一個宗教導師，而是你的主和拯救者。神使你活在一個以前未曾知道的世界裏。, 拯救行動之二：神提拔被奴役之人，使我們與基督一同復活（2：6a）。 當你活在神面前時，你會開始感受到新的道德渴慕，你渴望知道神希望你如何生活。 而且，伴隨著這一點，你會開始發現一種新的道德力量，使你為神而活，這種力量是以前你所未曾經歷的。然而這種情況的發生並不像你希望的那樣快。我們被提升、並從舊日的束縛和舊有的生活方式中擺脫出來的過程，需要逐步的完善，而這需要時間。但是，使你確信你活在神面前的方法之一，就是在你對神的愛、對神家的愛，以及在遵守神話語的方面取得“進步”。, 所讀到的那樣：“如今，那些在基督耶穌裏的就不定罪了！”耶穌過著我們本應當過的生活，並願意承受我們因罪而當得的刑罰。我們需要怎樣行，才能在神面前有永活的生命，並從罪中得自由？聖經說，這一切都是神賜下的恩典。 我們只需憑著信心回應神的作為、接受祂所賜的生命的禮物。請看以弗所書2章：8-9節所說的：“你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信。這並不是出於自己，乃是　神所賜的；也不是出於行為，免得有人自誇。”, 我們唯有回應說：“是的，主啊，我信靠耶穌”，和 “感謝主， 感謝你送給我們用主耶穌的寶血所換來的恩典。“, 神的恩典為我們帶來了根本性的改變，它主導了我們生命中一切的事物，這改變驅走了自大，並以感恩的心取而代之。我們明白，我們所得的救恩，需要那位無罪的神子去受死，從此我們再無可自誇之處。 真正的教會永遠不會是抱怨與發牢騷的教會，而應當是感恩的教會。, 第三，他們一定是服事的人 ---- 與其他在基督裏重生的人一起同做善工（2:10）。 “我們原是祂的工作，在基督耶穌裏造成的，為要叫我們行善，就是神所預備叫我們行的。”, 在第10節中，我們終於看到了神拯救並重塑我們的原因。神這樣做是因為祂想要將一些美好的東西放入那墮落並受損的被造物中，從而顯明祂的慈愛、憐憫和恩典。在祂永恒的計劃中，祂要使用像以弗所教會那樣不同於以色列人的外邦人來組成各地的教會，使這些教會像耶穌那樣彼此相愛與服事。, 不知大家還記不記得耶穌在馬可福音10：42-45中對那些即將成為教會領袖的人所說的話：“你們知道，外邦人有尊為君王的治理他們，有大臣操權管束他們。只是在你們中間，不是這樣。你們中間，誰願為大，就必作你們的用人；在你們中間，誰願為首，就必作眾人的仆人。因為人子來，並不是要受人的服事，乃是要服事人，並且要舍命作多人的贖價。”, 他們的腳，然後對他們說：“我向你們所做的，你們明白嗎？你們稱呼我夫子，稱呼我主，你們說的不錯，我本來是。我是你們的主，你們的夫子，尚且洗你們的腳，你們也當彼此洗腳。我給你們作了榜樣，叫你們照著我向你們所做的去做”（約翰福音13：12-15）。, 這種事奉的生命，就是保羅所說的“善行”的核心。 我們不是因為“善行”而得到拯救，但我們得救是為了行善。 我們是因著在基督耶穌裏的信心，以致在神的恩典中被造而“去行善”......這就是神為我們所定的永恒的旨意。那麽，為什麽要神拯救我們呢？這不僅僅是為了讓我們去天堂，救恩的目的是要讓我們去行耶穌所行的各樣善事，這些“善行”能使人知道神的樣式！我們的特權、責任和呼召就是做善工。 我們在教會家庭中事奉，我們以愛心來對待鄰舍，我們幫助社區中有需要的人，這才是真正基督徒的心靈和日常的生活方式。, 因此我們現在已經準備好，將以弗所書2：1-10的10節經文聯系在一起了。 真正的神的傑作是以謙卑為標誌的。 在我們的生活中，如果我們並不迫切需要神的憐憫，我們就會瞧不起與我們不同的人。 但是當神的恩典與我們相遇時，我們只有通過仰望那唯一可以誇口的人，才能獲得我們的名份。 而且，當我們這樣做、並仰望耶穌時，我們會看到，耶穌具有神的本性，卻願意服事我們，甚至為我們而死（腓立比書2：5-11）。, 這讓我們對神的恩典充滿了感恩，以至於我們會問，“主啊，你怎能讓我活在你的面前？ 而祂說，“我拯救了你們，因此我的榮耀得以彰顯。 我希望你們能夠愛和服事那些我帶進你們教會大家庭的人們，我也希望你能夠愛和服事那些我帶進你生命之中的人們。”, 事奉和做善工的生命是什麽樣的？ 我個人認為，它要求我們在每一天或遇到每個人時都能有所改變。 我曾詢問教會中的一些人，我們如何能在每日的生活中看到這種生活方式。 讓我向您展示一下我們教會成員大衛•派克先生的回應。, “我每天的主要目標是，當我每天或每周看到周圍人們的時候，我要成為他們的鼓勵者。 我爭取每天都在我所租用的辦公室中這樣做： 一句鼓勵; 一個微笑; 一個禱告。 當然，我也應該是一個好的聽眾，能幫助別人做家務；在護理機構做誌願者；探訪一個封閉的人；與某些正在經歷悲痛的人同在，或者寄一封信、一張安慰卡、一段安慰的話語或電子郵件，扶持他們度過艱難的時刻。我尋求做這些事情，目的是為了榮耀神，並通過照顧祂人來感謝祂的恩典。”, 這種生活方式就是一些神學家所說的“福音的內在果效”。它指的是神在我們裏面作工的大能，使我們在接觸和祝福世人的同時，從帶有罪性的生活方式之中得以自由。 我們在世上不與罪茍營，而是活出“善行”。 你認識這樣的人嗎？ 耶穌此時是否浮現在你的腦海之中？, 但是我們要記住，首先，我們成為神的傑作，並不是對我們個人而言，而是對我們作為教會家庭的整體而言。 我們被視為在基督裏合而為一的人。而且，這種合一發生的主要方式之一，就是我們彼此服事、也在世上並肩一同事奉。 沒有什麽比我們在彼此服事之時更美好的關系了。 所以我很清楚，在我們的教會大家庭中，服事的生活就在這裏開始。 當你來到教會時，你應該總是帶著這樣的心態：“神如何讓我為我的兄弟姐妹們服務？”, 聖經說，“行善” 就是神創造我們時所命定要我們去做的事情。我們將在以弗所書第四章看見：神賜給我們每一個人屬靈的恩賜，為要建立起整個的屬靈家庭。 當我們真正這樣做時，也就是在教會家庭中過著彼此服事的生活之時，世人就會看到我們有愛心的生命，並知道神在這裏作工。 他們將會知道，神正在將我們重塑為祂的傑作。, 你有沒有找到神讓你為這個家庭服務的地方？ 在座的很多人都找到了。 但是如果你覺得自己目前的事奉還沒有完全發揮神所賜予你的恩賜，那麽我們今天就想幫助你。 我們將在大廳設有桌子，牧師和教會領袖都會在場，與您討論如何在這裏做改變的工作。 如果你不在事奉中，這將會是我們教會這件傑作的缺失，我們就會像個缺了一個圖形的拼圖遊戲！, 我的宣教同工南希•史密斯上周寫道：如果我們中的任何一個人沒有事奉，那麽基督的身體、也就是神的拼圖傑作都將會失去其中的一片。 我們的才能和恩賜不是為了我們自己的利益，而是為了他人的利益。 我們需要彼此共同完成這幅圖畫！ 與那些想出以上理念的人並肩事奉是一種快樂！ 從唱詩到門徒訓練，從禱告到問候，所有的恩賜都可以用來表達神的愛，並將人們帶入神的國度。, 下面這幾點，就是我們身為神所創造的傑作的證據：1）我們與基督分離之後，因著自己所處的狀況而謙卑，2）因著神愛我們，並藉著恩典、藉著對主耶穌基督的信仰來拯救我們3）無論我們身在何處，都要做服事的善工，為他人帶來祝福，為神帶來榮耀。你是如此行的嗎？ 這些對我們教會來說是否也越來越真實呢？讓我們成為我們起初被造的樣式，就是那做主善工、為世人帶來祝福，為生活帶來喜樂，為神帶來榮耀的傑作。.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). So, why does God save us?

And what is God’s role in all of this? After all, God doesn't make damaged goods or even mediocre products. All the while, what we know to be Christian fellowship, is not the koinonia that we read of In Acts, where they were all identical and looking out for the good of the others and because of this, the Lord was adding to them daily!

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