"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S GRACE AND WILL IN YOUR LIFE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S GRACE AND WILL IN YOUR LIFE"

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

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.

Some explanation, application, reflection, and prayer:

1. On a personal note, these are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. They say so much, in just a few words. They take us back before time, to the cross, to the now of our lives, and even into the eternal future. All centered in and around the Lord Jesus Christ, our wonderful savior.

2. Paul lays out a great number of wonderful truths here about God's grace and His will in our lives.

(1) We are saved by His grace, His unmerited, undeserved favor.

(2) We are saved by grace through faith. Our trusting in God's Son Jesus Christ.

(3) Even our faith is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. I.E He gave us the faith to believe in His Son Jesus Christ.

(4) We are saved, "not of works" It's not our good works that have saved us, but rather our faith in Jesus Christ.

(5) We have nothing to boast of, as far as why we are saved. Because, our salvation is a gift of God, by His grace.

(6) We are "His Workmanship" The word workmanship, is the greek word "poeima" from which we get our word poem. Thus, every saved person is God's poem if you will. He has given you life. What you are as a saved person is the work of God.

(7) You have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. God has good things for you to do.

(8) These good works were prepared before the world began, and God wants us to walk in them, or do them.

3. Let's just think for a moment about all of these wonderful truths. It might help to look at them again in the NLT, thus, here are those verses agains.

Ephesians 2:8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

4. So, He saved us, by His grace, it happened when we believed, and we cannot take any credit for it. Being saved is not a reward for our having done good things, but rather, He created us, we are His masterpiece, and He has an entire life planned out for us to live out, day by day.

For Reflection and application:

Take a moment to think about the truth of what God has done for you, and then ask Yourself, what does He want you to do at this time in my life? And, are you walking in His will for your life at this time?

Take another moment to thank Him for what He has done for you. He is so great.

A prayer:

Father, if it were not for Your grace, we could not be saved. We could not earn our way to heaven. You are the one who has made salvation possible, and You have given it to us as a gift, that we have freely received by faith.

We also want to say thank You for giving us a plan to live out here on earth, as we wait to see You in heaven. Lord, may this new year find us fully engaged with what You have for each of us.

It's the greatest joy we have, to know You, and to serve You by serving others, both the saved and the lost. Lead us Oh God to share Christ, and use us Lord to draw others to You. How valuable is a soul. We love You.

In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.