Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.

Ephesians 1:15-16

We return to a portion of the first chapter of Ephesians which we left out intentionally while we pursued the theme of being ‘in Christ.’  Over the next little while, we want to dwell upon the Apostolic prayer which Paul prayed for the Ephesians.  According to Paul, he prayed for them ‘after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.’  Here is what binds us together.  The union that believers have starts with the Person of Christ.  We are often very different people from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds.  Our origins may be from the farthest geographic locations of the world.  What binds us together is our being ‘in Christ.’  Because of all we have noted before, our election, predestination, adoption, and redemption by which God has united us to Christ in an indissoluble union, we have been brought, by God, to faith in Christ.  As the result of being ‘in Christ,’ we love each other.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  Paul prayed for such as we are.  It is appropriate that we, who are ‘members one of another,’ learn how to pray for one another from this Apostle who prayed for these fellow believers.  This will enrich our prayer life and the strength of our love for one another.

Our Gracious God and Our Heavenly Father,
we rejoice that we have the high privilege of interceding for one another.
We praise You, that as we pray for those who are around us,
we do each other good at the Throne of Grace.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Very often, having heard the proclamation of the Gospel of Free Grace, inquirers will return with the question, ‘what are we to make of works?’  ‘Where do good works come into play, if God accepts us by grace?’  Our text for today points toward the explanation which answers those questions.  Works follow as the consequence and evidence of grace.  They are not the cause of it, nor are they the currency whereby we buy our way into the favor of God.  Christ was ‘full of grace and truth’ and abounded in good works.  He had no favor to gain with God, His Father, Who was ‘well pleased’ with Him and said so on more than one occasion.  Our imitation of Christ is such that it is like His, reflective of already having the acceptance of God, not in the hope of it.  If we abound in good works, it is to the purpose that we reflect the Person of Christ, and fulfill the role God has for us.  God has created us ‘in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’  By the good works that we do, we show Christ to the people around us.  The purpose is to point people to Christ by word and deed.  The best sermons are lived, not preached.  These good works are the Body of Christ carrying out the work of the Living Head.  We are His hands and feet.

Our Wise and Gracious God, we rejoice that You have prepared us to perform all the works that You intend,
whereby we may glorify You.
We praise You, that You will grant us the wisdom and the ability,
to do those things, which will bring You glory.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Human nature leads us to an abundance of self-righteousness.  We like to think of ourselves as being able to work our way into the favor of God.  This becomes the foundation of the largest representation of religion in the world.  There are many versions of this works-based religion.  They all bear this common theme, that if we work hard enough, long enough at doing the, ‘right’ things, whatever they are, God will accept us on the basis of our works.  Paul presents the only alternative to works-based religion:  The Gospel of Free Grace.  All religions in the world, regardless of their particulars, divide over this one single issue: is acceptance with God on the basis of His Grace or my works?  There is no other alternative.  Paul, John, Peter and the rest of the writers of Scripture all come down on the side of Free Grace.  Christ, Himself, Whose word is the end of all argument, set forth the Gospel of Free Grace throughout His ministry.  His reiteration of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount serves as the schoolmaster to bring us unto Himself.  Our acceptance with God, our salvation from self, sin, depravity, and all the consequences, are ‘by grace’ and ‘not of works, lest any man should boast.’

Our Wise and Holy God,
we rejoice that salvation is Your Work from start to finish.
We praise You that we cannot boast of any of our own goodness,
nor of the value of our own works,
to make us acceptable to You.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Because salvation is from God, as Paul has been declaring, it is the gift of God in all its’ parts. Election, predestination, adoption regeneration, many of which Paul has already discussed, are all acts of God designed to bring us to Him. We may even regard them as ‘gifts’ in the sense that He has done these thing for our good and we have received the benefits of those Divine acts. Our text for today discusses another gift which God gives to us which Paul associates with salvation. He states, ‘For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.’ Paul is articulating very plainly that faith does not originate with us.  If we have faith we have it because God has given it to us as a gift. This lays waste to all our pride. We cannot boast that even the faith in Christ which we have is the result of our own work, desire, or inclination. God deserves all the glory, even for the faith we have in Christ. Salvation is all of grace and all of God. If you find yourself without faith in Christ today, now is the time for you to pray that God will give to you that faith that you will never be able to conjure up of yourself.  If you do have faith today, you may bless God for it, for it is one of His most outstanding gifts to us.

Our most Loving and Generous God,
we rejoice at your gift of faith.
We praise You that by it,
we have come to believe in You,
and in Christ our Redeemer.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning