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Summary

TITLE: “Household of God: The Jewel” – Ephesians 2:8-10 AIM: Consider the core of the gospel: grace. Intro: The house in the picture you see is called (not sure who named) “The Jewel of the Marginal Way.” It sits on the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, ME – some are familiar w/this walkway by the sea. This is the view from the “Jewel.” It looks out over the ocean, which is the primary reason for its attraction. Andi & I, for nearly as long as we’ve been going to ME for getaways, have claimed this as our house by the sea, tho the real owners don’t know it yet. We thought that Blythe & Dale or Beth & Josh could stay in the little house when they came to visit, & certainly any of you would be most welcome. It’s actually for rent by the week, so we’ve thought of doing that, but we can’t get by the $4800-5800 per week price tag! I guess we’ll just have to keep walking by it when we’re in Ogunquit & be thankful that we’re able to do that. A jewel is a precious stone, like a diamond or ruby, etc. To call something a jewel is to set it apart as precious, beautiful (Blythe named one of her kittens Jewel). In that light we consider our text today. Some would consider the book of Eph to be the jewel of Paul’s writing. Ray Stedman wrote that “the epistle to the Ephesians is…the crowning glory of the NT.” Another commentator wrote that Eph has been called “the Queen of the epistles.” That may well be debatable – each of us may have our favorite Pauline epistle or NT book – but Eph is indeed a beautiful letter to a church or group of churches deeply loved by Paul. It contains most beautiful teachings to help the believer be established & grow in their faith relationship w/Christ. And, if Ephesians is the jewel of Paul’s epistles or NT – A.R. Fausset wrote that it “may be called the epistle of the grace of God” - then I think it can be said that Eph.2:8 is the jewel of the book of Eph, & I would argue that grace is the crowning point of Eph.2:8 & even the jewel of the gospel. Our theme: “Household of God” – understanding that we are & what it means to be the household of God. As we have seen & will see again, if we are members of God’s household, it is only by God’s wondrous grace. Ephesians 2:8-10 [READ]. Martin Luther is reported to have commentated on this passage: “We are saved by grace alone, thru faith alone in Christ alone, but not by grace that is alone.” Let’s consider that thought further. We are saved – that word means, “rescued from danger or destruction” (Strg’s). But saved from what? Very legitimate question, to which Paul has already given the answer: the wrath of God. Remember last week when we considered Paul’s words that before we came to faith in Christ, we were (& those w/out Christ still are) children of wrath, deserving & headed for God’s righteous wrath, earned by our sin – “The wages of sin is death.” But, as said last week, God is rich in mercy & has great love toward us, so that He “made us alive together w/Christ & raised us up w/Him & seated us w/Him in the heavenly places.” He had already written it in vs5 (“by grace you have been saved”), but in vs8 Paul expands his thoughts. We are saved “by grace,” or as Luther put it, by grace alone. That wd grace is the Grk “charis,” which means (Strong’s), “good will, loving-kindness, favor – used of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge affection, & kindles them to the exercise of Christian virtues.” It’s all grace – we’re saved by God’s favor & kindness. Jesus went to the cross in our place & paid our penalty because of God’s grace toward us. The cross didn’t win God’s favor; it revealed it. God had to remove the obstacle of our sin if He would forgive us, but He could not just overlook our sin; it had to be paid for – justice demanded it. So He sent His Son in our place, not only satisfying God’s justice, but also crediting us w/the Son’s righteousness, so that we become redeemed children of God. As Francis Foulkes wrote, “This salvation is God’s work entirely, the bestowal of His infinite love.” “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!” Paul continues, “By grace you have been saved thru faith…” Luther: “We are saved by grace along, through faith alone. Faith is the Grk “pistis” – “conviction of the truth” (Strg’s) – in this context the conviction of the truth of the gospel – the good news that tho we are sinners deserving God’s wrath, He sent His Son to pay for our sin, He raised Him as conqueror of sin/ death, & He offers salvation, forgiveness, eternal life & best of all relationship w/Himself to all who will believe/receive Jesus as Savior/ Lord. And, it’s faith in Christ alone. There is no other one or way. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Are you convinced/convicted of that truth? That’s faith in Jesus. Foulkes wrote: “This faith is defined best as a turning to God w/a sense of need & weakness & emptiness & a willingness to receive what He offers, to receive the Lord Himself.” Will you receive Him by faith today? But Paul emphasizes again the fact that it’s all a work of God’s grace. He wrote: “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” “This” may refer to being saved (certainly so) or it may refer to faith – that faith itself is God’s gift. I submit to you that dead men cannot exercise faith – we must be made alive before we can believe, & so it is all God’s gift, from start to finish. Again, Foulkes wrote, “What the apostle wants to say is that the whole initiative & every aspect of making available this salvation is God’s. ‘God’s is the gift’ is the rendering that shows the best emphasis of the word order in the Greek. It is the voice of God that arouses, that awakens, that causes a man to think & enquire; it is the power of God that gives strength to act.” Yes, you/I still must exercise faith as God enables us, but make no mistake, we do so only as God draws us to Himself & awakens faith in us. Paul wants to make sure that is understood. This is not of works, so that no one may boast. It is so much of our sinful nature to boast, be proud. We want to “Pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps” (whatever that means). We exalt so-called self-made men (tho there is no such thing). We want to do it ourselves, make our own way, & there is some merit in that thinking – do our part, hold up our end, be no one’s debtor, earn our way – it’s noble. But it won’t work in this matter of salvation, which is what some stumble over & even angers some. There’s nothing we can do; we are helpless to change our standing w/God. We can’t undo sin, no matter how many good things we might accomplish. We’ll never balance the scales ourselves. We can only accept God’s gift by faith. Foulkes suggests that maybe “this was part of God’s purpose & the reason for His bringing salvation as He did, to exclude man’s pride. The only right/ possible attitude for sinful men before their Maker & Judge is penitence & humble dependence. Their only pride can be in the cross by which they find salvation & in the Savior who suffered there.” However, that’s not to say that good works have no place in the Christian’s life. Vs10 – “For we are His workmanship” – the order in the Greek is “His workmanship we are…” He created us from the beginning, knitting us in our mothers’ wombs (Ps.139), & He re-created us in Christ. We should note that the phrase “in Christ Jesus” is here repeated for the 3rd time in 5 verses. Foulkes wrote, “In faith union w/Him, man whose lives were marred & ruined by failure & sin are made new.” There is new life in Christ! You don’t have to stay in your failure nor languish in your guilt. By His grace & the work of Christ God removes our guilt & puts away our failures & gives us a new start. Really, every day is a gift of new life, so that we who are believers, tho we live w/the hard consequences of our bad choices, have the opportunity to start new, write on a blank page. How wonderful the grace of God! And, we’re given new purpose. We are created (re-created) in Christ Jesus for good works. We cannot merit our salvation/right relationship w/God, but we were made to work, to do the work of God, the work of the gospel, the work of the kingdom in this world. God has prepared these works for us – He has a plan for the ages & we get to be part of it, to be involved in what God is doing. Abbott wrote that, “Good works are involved in the new life as an inseparable condition.” Foulkes wrote that it’s “not necessarily particular good works – tho possibly so (God is Sovereign) – but probably the whole course of life is in view here – the nature & character of the works & the direction of the Christian’s daily walk are predetermined.” As God’s children, we have work to do. God didn’t save us for us to then rest on our laurels. Tho we can’t pay God back nor earn our way, we were made to work, to be about God’s business. The conduct of our lives should include the works God has prepared for us to do. Many need to be reached w/the gospel – we can pray & give & go. Our neighbors need to know Jesus, too. We must tell them the good news of the gospel. Our children must be taught to know Christ & love Him & follow Him. They need that much more than they need to be on a team or involved in activities every waking moment! Not bad in itself, but if it takes them away from church & especially if excludes God, what are you teaching? Brothers/sisters in Christ need to be taught, encouraged, counseled, and held accountable. The world needs to know that Jesus is Lord & Savior. We must love one another & work together & carry the light, etc. Again, Luther said, “We are saved by grace alone, thru faith alone in Christ alone…” but then he added, “but not by faith that is alone.” The people of God show their faith by the conduct of their lives & the works that they do, not to merit their salvation, but to live out their relationship w/God, walking w/Him, being who He made us to be – members of His household. We are the Household of God!