Ephesians 2:8-12

A God-Planned Life

Ephesians 2:8; Romans 12:1

INTRODUCTORY WORDS

We read of Epaphras that he prayed for the saints that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

The will of God toward us should ever be the chief quest of our lives. What does God want me to do, and what does He want me to be? that is the supreme question for each of us.

On one occasion certain ones told Christ that His mother and His brethren sought Him. The Lord said, "Who is My mother? and who are My brethren? * * whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in Heaven."

Of Himself, Christ said, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the Book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God."

The will of God should be our chief delight.

There are some people who imagine that God's will is to be dreaded. Shall we imagine that a loving, Heavenly Father would seek the undoing of the obedient and yielded life? God forbid. God said, "Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, * * I * * should have fed them with the finest of the wheat."

We need to be like Habakkuk, who said: "I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me." Along with these words from the Prophet we need to link the words of Mary, which she spoke to the servants at Cana of Galilee, concerning the water pots, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it."

When David Livingstone was found by Henry M. Stanley, he was far from civilization, in the heart of Africa. Stanley pled with him to return to England, where great honor from royalty and from the masses awaited him. Livingstone is refuted to have said, "I would rather be in Africa in the will of God, than to be feasted and feted by royalty in England."

Let the chief quest of our life, then, be God's precious will.

The Lord is all my life, and light,

He leads me through the darkest night;

His will is mine throughout each day,

My will, to please Him ev'ry way.

In Him I find my greatest joy,

My riches are without alloy;

I know no pleasure, but His will,

I seek His orders to fulfill.

I am for Him, He is for me,

In Him, my all in all, I see;

I seek the favor of His face,

My highest joy, His smile, His grace.

I. GOD, THE CREATOR OF THE BELIEVER'S LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS (Ephesians 2:8)

1. By grace have ye been saved. As we think of what we were in sin, and of what we are since we are saved, we can say that God by grace hath saved us. There is nothing that we could have done which could have wrought the change. We had never come to God except love had sought us, except the Blood had bought us, and except grace had brought us to the fold.

2. Through faith are ye saved. God's grace became operative in us only as our faith accepted the Calvary work of Christ in our behalf. There is a passage in Hebrews which reads: "He that cometh to God must believe that He is."

Salvation is through faith, but even that faith is the gift of God.

3. Not by works are we saved. It is not by anything which we could have done that we found Christ. Before we were saved our works were dead works, unacceptable with God. Even our righteousnesses were but filthy rags in His sight.

"Could our tears forever flow,

Could our deeds no respite know;

All for sin could not atone,

Christ must save, and He alone."

4. We are His workmanship. Our redemption was purposed by the Father, made possible by the Son, and perfected by the Holy Ghost. The new man is God's workmanship, because the new man is created by God in Christ Jesus. It is impossible for us to create anything.

We read, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." We are a new creature, because we are a new creation. It is for this cause that we read again, "Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

Let us remember first of all that we are God's workmanship, God's creation.

II. THE BELIEVER IS CREATED UNTO GOOD WORKS (Ephesians 2:10)

1. Good works could not save us. We would not tarry here long. This was plainly set forth when it was stated that we were saved, not by works. We would emphasize, however, this needed message.

From many sides do we hear the words, "I am doing the best I know"; or, "I am doing all I can." Some say that they are trying to be Christians, or, that they are endeavoring to love everybody. They think that if they pay their debts and go to church, and do unto others as they would be done by, that they are saved. All such hopes are vain.

2. We are saved unto good works. We can do nothing to become a Christian. We should do everything that becomes one. Before our salvation our works were dead works, evil works, unacceptable to God. Since our salvation we are called to good works. We are taught that we should walk in them.

The harvest fields are calling for laborers, and we are God's husbandry.

There is a significant Scripture which we wish to quote. It is short, but vital: "To every man his work." Let no one think that he has nothing to do. God has called us into fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, we are called into partnership. These words may be summed up thus: God has called you into business with His Son. This is the opening thought of the first Epistle to the Corinthians. The words are found in the ninth verse of chapter one.

Let us pass now to the last verse of chapter fifteen, which reads: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

Thus, the call of the first chapter of Corinthians is a call into business with Christ; the call of the fifteenth chapter is a plea to give attention to business.

III. THE BELIEVER IS CREATED UNTO A SPECIFIED WORK (Ephesians 2:10)

1. Our work is a work which God hath afore-ordained. Perhaps you noticed the words which are in the key text, "Created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained." These words carry us back into the eternal ages past. They suggest God to us as a great Architect, planning out the details of His marvelous and far-reaching creation.

No Christian is created with a hit and miss life before him. The Great Architect planned the work of your life to fit in with the work of every other life. If the service of one life is broken and incomplete, the whole picture must be more or less marred thereby.

The human architect who plans the great skyscraper has in his mind the whole building, even down to the minutest detail, before the first spade of dirt is dug, and the building is begun. He draws his plan, putting his thoughts into concrete form. He shows just how the building will look when completed. He gives to the contractor specifications of where each timber is to be placed, each steel girder is to be erected. He even specifies with marvelous exactness the amount of all material needed.

Did God know less about our life than the architect knows about his building?

2. The work which God fore-ordained is a specified work. God has made a plan which He reveals, telling to each one, step by step, what he is to do, where he is to go. We read, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." Are we not all sent of God?

The Lord said to Jonah, "Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee." God said unto Jeremiah, "Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak."

We are all willing to grant that John the Baptist, and Jonah, and Jeremiah, and all preachers have a special call, to a special city, with a special service, but are we willing to grant that every believer has a similar call?

IV. THE BELIEVER'S DEDICATION TO HIS TASK (Ephesians 2:10)

The last words of this remarkable verse linger with us. They read, "That we should walk in them." When God first spoke to Jonah, he went down to Joppa, and took ship to Tarshish. We all know the result. Let us make this our first thought:

1. Punishment awaits the life that refuses God's plan. God sent forth a great storm after Jonah. Then God prepared a great fish, and commanded it to swallow up Jonah. It was only after an experience of deep anguish, when the weeds were wrapped around Jonah's neck; and, after Jonah had prayed from the belly of the fish, that God finally spake to the fish to vomit up Jonah upon the dry land.

Think you, that you can trample God's plan for your life under your feet, and prosper?

2. Blessing awaits the life that undertakes God's task. Abraham, the ancient seer, implicitly obeyed God. Therefore God said to him: "Because thou hast done this * * in blessing I will bless thee."

A rich merchant was asked, by the queen, to go on a mission for the crown. He demurred, urging that his absence would wreck his business. The queen is said to have replied, "You attend to my business, and I will attend unto yours." He went, as she requested. She, in turn, sent tremendous orders in to those who sold his goods.

Let us come to God determined to walk in His will and to do His work. Have we not remembered the promise of God, "Go, and I will go before thee"? Are we willing to undertake for God? Are we ready to walk in His fore-ordained work?

Moses demurred, when God called him to go, saying that he was slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. Then God was displeased, and said, "Who hath made man's mouth? * * have not I the Lord?" "Go," and "Certainly I will be with thee." Let us go forward, even as God hath spoken, and God will work for us.

V. THE BELIEVER'S RATIONAL SERVICE (Romans 12:1)

We now turn from our first Scripture, to our second. Our verse suggests three things

1. The mercies of God. The word, therefore, as a rule, demands a backward look. Paul says, "I beseech you, therefore." Paul, in the Spirit, is turning his face back on the "mercies of God" which have so wonderfully been outlined for us in the preceding Chapter s of Romans. When, we think of how we were sinners, helpless in our sins, and all undone; when we think of how God sent Christ that we might be justified freely by His grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; when we think of how, by faith, we were saved; and of how the grace of God super-abounded unto our eternal life; when we think of how God delivered us from the power and dominion of sin, and gave us victory in our daily walk in the Holy Ghost; then we are constrained to present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God.

2. The presentation of our bodies. Why is it that we are asked to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, wholly, acceptable unto God? It is because the body is the implement of our service.

Miss Havergal wrote, "Take my lips," "take my voice," "take my hands," "take my feet," "take my heart," and she put these thoughts into beautiful poetical form. She was wise in this, for God needs the members of our body, that with them He may serve the multitudes.

3. The rational service. The Bible speaks of our "sacrifice," and of our "consecration," as a reasonable, that is, a rational service. We are not requested to do a rash thing, but a rational thing. How could we do less than to give our bodies unto Him? Did Jesus Christ not give His body, in the anguish of death, for us? He said, "This cup is * * My Blood, which is shed for you," and, "This is My body, which is broken for you." Then let us bring our bodies to Him.

VI. THE BELIEVER'S NON-CONFORMITY (Romans 12:2)

1. "Be not conformed to this world." If we are going to walk in the will and work of God, we dare not follow the voice of men. In the world we shall have tribulation. The Lord has said, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

He also said, "The world hateth you." We are familiar with the words, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." If, therefore, we would seek to do the work of God, and would yield ourselves wholly unto Him, we dare not be conformed unto the world.

We should not conform ourselves to the world, because the world by wisdom has not known God. Its ways are not our ways. Its thoughts are not our thoughts. Our citizenship is in Heaven, not in the world; our treasures are there, not here. We are tent dwellers down here; we are strangers and pilgrims. We are living, looking for a city whose Builder and Maker is God. Let us therefore be not conformed to this world.

2. "Be ye transformed." In II Corinthians we read, that as we, with open face, behold the glory of the Lord, we are, "Changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

The word "changed" which we have just quoted, carries with it the same thought, as the word "transformed" in our key verse.

Mark you, if we are conformed to this world, we can never be transformed by the renewing of our mind. If we would be transformed, we must behold as in a glass the glory of our Lord.

When Jesus Christ was on the mount with Peter, James, and John, Moses and Elias appeared with Him in glory. Then we read that Jesus was transfigured. His face became radiant with glory, and His raiment was white and glistening. This is what we want. We want to be transformed, that is, transfigured.

"In the secret of His presence,

How my soul delights to hide;

Oh, how precious are the lessons

Which I learn at Jesus' side;

Earthly cares can never vex me,

Neither trials lay me low;

For, when Satan comes to vex me

To the secret place I go."

This poem would not be complete did it not carry another verse which says:

"And whene'er you leave the presence,

Of that hallowed meeting place,

You must mind to bear the image

Of the Saviour in your face."

3. That ye may know. Now we have come to the place where we can learn God's good, and acceptable, and perfect will. It is the pathway, on the one hand, of non-conformity to the world; and, on the other hand, of being transformed by the Spirit.

We have sought to cluster our message round the general theme of The God-planned Life. If we would know the plan of that life we must obey the injunction of Romans 12:1, and present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, unconformed to the world, and transformed by the Spirit.

AN ILLUSTRATION

Are we willing to make God Lord in our lives?

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve."

"In Acts 10:14 we read: 'Peter said, Not so, Lord.' Have you ever thought of what a contradiction in terms we have there? You have either to drop the words 'Not so,' or you have got to drop the word 'Lord.' I spent two hours yesterday with a lady in this tent over these words, and then I wrote them down in the margin of her Bible at the bottom of the page. I handed her the Bible and the pencil and I said, 'The time has come for you to make the decision. Are you going to score out the words, "Not so," or the word "Lord"?' There was a great struggle in her heart, and through tears she scored out the words 'Not so.' I said, 'What have you got left?' and she said, 'The Lord.' Is not the Lord enough?" W. Graham Scroggie.