God's Grace to Zombies

So good to be with you and what a beautiful day the Lord gave us a beautiful Easter Sunday. Good to be back understand his MRI brother Greg. This is the first Sunday not you've met in a long long time pretty much in a year's time of 23 well it's good to see you.

I'm glad that you have not gotten out of the habit of assembling with the Saints coming together to hear his word proclaimed in pray for me as I seek to do that this evening were speaking of God's grace to zombies will become clear. I trust as we go this evening, but for a grace preacher at a grace conference to be speaking {you think of what could be more natural than that.

And yet I think I probably sweated over this message more than any other.

This is simply because it's something that I preached on 100 times and probably you've heard preached on 100 times in we sort of mulling over what in the world. Could we say news something fresh. But I have learned a long time ago that just because I preached something from the pool. Doesn't mean everybody heard it. Then they mean everybody was going to remember.

So there's a sense in which repetition is indeed the mother of learning will be repeating some things. I trust that you know have heard, but perhaps will be coming at it from a little bit different angle. Not let's think back to this morning and we were looking at the work of the three persons of the Trinity in our salvation. And as you looked at that. We looked at the work of the father in election and predestination and so forth. Then the work of the sun and redemption, and you might think that of the three persons of the Trinity which one gets the short shift here. I think you would say well it seems to us that it was the work of the Holy Spirit. I mean after you devoted about six versus to the other two persons you you get here to verse 12 and verse 13. So forget to 2 1/2 versus to the work of the Holy Spirit. Why why so little. I think the answer is to be found in the fact that Paul knows what is going in this letter he knows that he's going to be amplifying this lien and that's what were finding in our text tonight.

It is elsewhere putting that little section under a microscope and blowing it up and were taking a real in-depth look at exactly what is being said here so it's like he's continuing their waste. He's had a little prayer in the general will be talking tomorrow night about Paul's prayers in the book of Ephesians and let me just touch on this first 11 will be looking at mainly is over. In chapter 3, but there is a prayer beginning in verse 15 and running down through the end of the chapter and it's really not clear where the Prairie Paul is simply asking God to allow the Ephesians to be enlightened with the knowledge from heaven of a couple of things number one. The ramifications of their salvation. The inherent that this thing has brought and secondly that they and this is where I want to major on tonight that they would understand the nature of the power that has worked on their behalf in salvation. Now, as I said this morning we hadn't dealt a lot with the resurrection of Christ. But I want you to see it here in chapter 1 verse 19, Paul is praying that you might know what is the exceeding greatness of his that is God's power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and said he met his own right hand in the heavenly places.

You understand what he saying only thing I want you to wake up and understand what kind of power was being exercised on your behalf when you were say this the same power that raised his son from the dead, and we will see that more enlarged. As we go into our section tonight.

Now this sort of reminds me that it is possible, and sometimes it's happens quite often. I think that people are truly converted truly say, and they do not grasp the enormity of what God has done for were sort of like the frog in the hailstorm your windows up goddess when they don't know what it was.

A word came from.

You know it is in this and we know some strange than we know sums different but we don't really understand all the ins and outs and so Paul is praying for the region Saints that they would have this enlightened to be able to grasp what exactly God has done on their behalf, and it's all about this subject of grace and will learn why grace is indeed amazing Grace is John Newton put it, we also solve that this is a top-down description. This is not the story of man found his way up to God is the story of how God reached down to man. He has the high ground. He is telling us the full and complete story of which we have a my new knowledge. We are indeed at least were at one time in a condition called zombies.

I call it that.

I do not understand pop culture's infatuation with zombies. If you get it please explain it to me. I don't really understand but I do know that today are culture and its movies and so forth that they love that the and why I don't get it, but I do know we've been out in Wyoming in the summers. In fact were to head back out that way. The end of this month for probably about six months, we have a ranch out there and we been working on about €100 cabin to make off grid place for our family.

Common visit so forth and I put out the words of my family that when the zombie apocalypse began. We've got the place you need to bug out to. I think we hold off it made its remote is back in Maryland is the perfect spot for that.

So come on down when zombies start coming around. But what in the world is a zombie I'm not up on all of this the best I can tell a zombie is sort of a corpse that has been reanimated.

Somehow it's the walking dead right will you Find a better description of the saints before their salvation, then that terminology is wording to see her tonight.

That's exactly what Paul describes not only the saints in Ephesus but himself. This as well. He uses the term we us we were in this state of a live on one level dead on the most important level and he implies right here in the first verse of chapter 2 he continues a notice he really doesn't finish his prayer in some cities going after his prayer.

He's going to explain the very thing that he's asked the asked God to give the Ephesians saints.

The ability to grasp notice.

We began in verse one, that you who you have been quick in the old King James said I sort of still stick with that because when I'm cutting my fingernails around me and I hit the quick you had that experience. That's the part when you hit that you come alive, try and that's exactly what the word means you been quick and you been made alive. Why did you need to be made alive. You were dead in trespasses and sins. Now remember, he is writing to those back in chapter 1 that he said God chose us in Christ from the foundation of the world. This is a description of the elect can I emphasize it one more time of entry throwing sentimentally election to lie does not itself bestow lie notice. These are the elect and yet they are described by Paul as ones have been dead in trespasses and sins are not dead. They're not live yet, whatever that means they don't have it yet and what were looking at is the process by which dead zombies. You and I are brought to a state of life with God. What is this look like, well, we call it being born again. Well, actually, we describe several way of new birth sometimes a new creation, but especially a new life, a resurrection from a state of death to a state of life, and now you begin to see why he described the power that works in us in salvation as akin to the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

He didn't just raise him from the dead. It raised you and I from the dead. Here we are on Easter Sunday and yes we celebrate the fact of Christ's resurrection, but our knowledge and our experience goes beyond just the mere fact if you're truly a Christian tonight you have experience some semblance of the same resurrecting power you were once in a state of death you have now been made alive in Christ now want to emphasize that you were not dead in every way a zombie is not dead in every sense. I mean for the dead date they get around right and that's why you gotta be scared of the zombies there are the walking dead early animated dead in the very same way that we in our dead state were the walking. Will see that explained in just a minute you could always note the zombie by that zombie walk. You know was, so it is that those who were dead in trespasses and sin have a wall that betrays the fact that they're not truly alive alive.

In one sense and and I'm guilty.

I confess, sometimes in our preaching use illustrations like with like a lost man certainly Believe in Christ in this pulpit believe in Christ you know it's dead. Can a dead sinner believe in Christ will were not quite being honest with the Scripture lost man is not dead in every way. He certainly is alive in the sense that he's able to think he's able to exercise logic. He has the power of volition to some degree can make choices within a certain spear. He's not dead on every level. But in the sense that is most important whether he's alive to God is dead as a doornail.

He's as dead as this pulpit in sin he is unable as I mentioned a moment ago, when you cut your finger nail you hit the quick that's the part that responds correct and the dead man demand lost in and dead in trespasses and has no ability to respond correctly to God I response everything else notice. He selectively dead. I struggle four ways of explaining this, but I trust that you look back on your life and you would say in my loss. They there was a time when I had absolutely no use for God no use for the look of those fools going to a place like this on Sunday night had no use for the worship of Christ and yet something happened that what you were dead to your now alive to and contrariwise not only that but the things that you were alive to alive to sin alive to this world, the love alive to the opinions of everybody around you.

Suddenly you become dead to those things alive to others. You now love what you want hated and you hate what you want love right.

That's the nature of conversion. The Old Testament describes it by this sort of heart transplant that God is taking a way off the heart of stone unresponsive and putting in a heart of flesh that will respond to the things of God. Notice were not being made robots, but something is happening within that is changing us. That's what he is saying to the saints in Ephesus. Those who are the elect of God, putting chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world, and yet still dead in their sins until something happened.me you with me all right. I will look at this zombie walk is for a moment before we leave this passage. Notice in verse two for deadbolts again. They got around, in which in times past you.

All you walk in this deadness and three things three ways that you can identify this zombie walk walked according to the course of the world you walk like an earthling when he so often. What else could I do an earthling will yeah walk like people on this planet wall like everybody else walk you walk like the natural man walks yet you're following the course of this thing. He calls the world the cosmos. This system of things that is around us. I am fascinated by the fact that we have these fads that come through our culture. Notice that suddenly you ladies a new style of dress, or perhaps where your hair comes across in all also normally got into it that way. Ever notice that I remember the first fad I was ever aware of and that was Davy Crockett. Some Yolo fellows remember your baby cry had him coonskin hat I mean it was just like every boy in America had to have a coonskin hat. How does that happen that way. Don't you see something strange about these fads that pastor member. The first time ever saw all of those things and all of a sudden everybody in America which I thought better. Everybody in America had to have one.

How does that happen in it's like when this gets vanished. Every body is influenced, in the same direction. Everybody has to walk the same way noticed. They walk according to the course of this world, and John reminds us in his epistle love not the world made the things in the world and man love the world, the love of others, not any rhyme, so that's the way you used to walk to Ephesians 8 secondly notice you walked according to the prince of the power the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. There is a spiritual element to this thing called the world that the world is the manifestation of a kingdom of this spirit who elsewhere is called the God of this world, the spirit that works among the children. The sons of disobedience. There is a supernatural element to this thing. You're being animated by a spirit.

I think I shared with you before that. How do you how do you identify spirit if my cat starts barking.

What happened I think I think I see the problem your cats been possessed by dogs. He looks like a cat on the outside but there's a dog spirit within driving him to do dog thing right so it is with spirits. We see the money acts possessed with a spiritual member of the Gadarene maniac going around in the graveyard naked himself.

You sense the nature of the spirit within by the actions of the man possessed by the spirit.

Here we see that Satan is the one who is animating loss man and Paul is saying you Ephesians used to be animated by the same spirit, the same zombie type of behavior you once exhibited.

Now, you probably are saying preacher you don't know what you're talking about. Are you telling me that all lost man, the lost world around us is actually possess being moved by spirit a demonic satanic spirit, whether what I'm telling because you think when I say that that I'm talking about spinning heads and reject our vomiting. You know that's what we've been conditioned to think up by Hollywood. When we think of someone possess by spirit. No, I'm talking about the man and of repeat business and set up in the corner office over high-rise skyscraper.

You see this spirit, then back to first John two don't love the world, all that is in the world.

Lust of the flash try to fly the lust of the eyes. He said that's what the world those that's the spirit of Satan that moves loss man. That's the evidence of the it has nothing to do you think that the person possessed by the devil is drunk out there in the gutter of a prostitute on the street corner where yes but that's not really the normal manifestation of satanic spirit, the normal satanic spirit is I got this I'll do it my way better new this spirit of pride and arrogance and the sea is seeking to exalt oneself that I'm better than you are, that the evidence of the satanic spirit. Well, we gotta move on.

Well I worked overnight out either but notice that the third thing is that you not only walk according to the course of oral walk according to the spirit that moves loss man, but you're also walking the course. According to the lust of your own flesh your own fleshly desires, your own carnal desires in it strange that we who have a spiritual side component of our makeup that were so controlled by fleshly physical things you've ever own horses member the first time we had a couple horses for my daughter's and first time I got loose.

We were out there in the neighborhood chased him all of place and lady who knew a whole lot more about horses than I knew said that's not the way to catch a horse and she went into our little barn and came out with a bucket of oats and stood out there and shook that bucket of oats and before long, those horses came right back where they left Newsday. While she must like oats know you don't like oat I like oats.

She knows what their nature is going to respond to right and so it is that the devil knows what your nature is going to respond to you know how to attract. He knows how to tempt the knows house to seduce through the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh. We will look better. We will look good. We want to be better than everybody else and we have these appetites that demand satisfaction is those things that Satan uses to control the minions. The zombies under his rule and power. Paul is saying. Ephesians that's where you were.

That's what you were in their view, would be you were.

Notice the one that gets me is that last phrase in verse three you were by nature the children of wrath by this is the elect of God is talking about gay, but there was a time when there was absolutely no difference between you and the non-elect you live exactly like they live right just like them.

You thought like them you were controlled by Satan just like them. Dan you were in danger would be except for one thing, and the most beautiful words I think in all the Bible is what follows in verse four, but God back home at Grace Bible church we had a new pill pulpit fell in built this new bullet beautiful tumbles more like a work of art piece of furniture, and anyway he built it and he carved into the little flaked faceplate appear those words but God. So every time that I got into the pulpit, there to preach those words were staring back at me. What wonderful works. They are is not same but you but you wised up, but you had enough sense to come in out of the rain. No you didn't. The reason that you are where you are today is not because of you is because of God, we could say.

In fact, Robert Barnett.

I think when times defined grace as in spite of is not because of you. It's in spite of you. You were not cooperating.

You are not curt contributing bring anything to the party. Let's put it that way.

There was nothing you had and we we try to define this term.

Grace unmerited favor. That's probably about as good is relative, we sometimes say that grace grace free grace, pure grace can't mix it with work so you destroy and thirdly its sovereign great summer's grace is in the hands of the grace giver, but he doesn't have to give it you can give it if he wants to can withhold it. It's all right but but saying grace is free grace is like saying country butter, one-of-a-kind butter is one of the comic grace can possibly be. But free grace, pure grace and sovereign grace. And that is of course were Paul is taking you were dead as a doorknob, in the sense that truly matter as far as your eternal destiny is concerned, you are in this dead state even though you were not a corpse. You were an animated course you're out there walking controlled by the spirit of Satan you were as dead as this table lists pulpit when it came to changing your position on the board you were dead in that sense you couldn't get yourself out of it. But think about those three words a minute born again, a new creature of resurrection. Those are three words that you cannot do for yourself. No one can do for you can't birth yourself right. You can't make yourself a new creature.

You can't do creative things that belongs to God and God alone and you cannot raise yourself from the dead right. Notice that all three of those terms that describe this change from death to life are three things that you and I are incapable of forming in ourselves. There are some cannot.

The natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit their foolishness on the him, neither can he know them. Paul say in Romans eight that the man whose in the flesh cannot please God is not subject to the law of God, he can't be understand there is an inability that goes along with this dead state that I can't get myself out of it. I can't change my state it was going to change.

I need somebody else's power to be at work on my behalf. I need nothing short of divine power to work and that is what Paul is describing. We were dead in sins and he has quickened us, raised us together with Christ and he puts in little parentheses there in verse five, by grace your say no people say that again. Verse eight is like taking hip himself is already jumping ahead. In case you missed it is by grace that you're saved and he's going to go on to define that. But before he does he want you to realize the full ramifications. Remember Christ back in chapter 1 was raised from the dead and were ready to go anyway. Think of Easter as Christ being raised from something to the great what Paul is describing is yes.

That's part of it.

But what really makes Easter fabulous is not only what was raised from the body was raised to the 40 days later he did. Why he ascended, ascended where to the right hand of the father what you doing up there. He sitting on the throne.

He's running the show and what he ends that prayer with here in chapter 1, you glance back at that he's put all things in verse 22 chapter wonderfully. He's put all things under his feet and gave them to be head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him that fell off all in all, the notice that what Paul is stressing is again the sense of a union between the believer in Christ. You've been raise. Notice this reference to the church. Christ is the head of the church. The church then is his body noticed that between the head and body. There's a union a viable living you and we might ask ourselves what church is this which church is Paul talking about here. You may be aware that there are landmark that this is the name associated with them, but deny that there is anything such as a universal church. Every church in the New Testament is a local church. While I certainly don't want to anyway degrade the importance of your local church but it's very difficult for us to read these words and understand this to mean anything else, then there is a mystical body of Christ that is universal. Comprised of all the saints in all places, whether in heaven or earth weather here in America over there in Africa. There is, in fact, we might although we have churches plural used several times in the book of acts. The churches of Judea. So for but when it comes to body. How many bodies of Christ are the room return on G backbone look the answer these in chapter 4 verse four there is Paul one by.

Although there are churches, many, as far as local churches are concerned the church he's talking about here, which is identical with his body. There's just one of those and it is mystical in the sense that you cannot perceive it with your senses were not aware physically of this union.

It's a spiritual union and yet it's a real union just because it's a union by the spirit that means not real its actual we are connected with Christ our head and so if he has been raise from the dead to life ascended to sit on the throne. If that's where our head is then in some sense we are raised, and seated in heavenly places. Using the logic and that's what he goes on to say in verse six he has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus use. I don't feel like I'm in heaven right now I don't feel like I'm sitting in heavenly places preacher and I do somehow close my eyes and visualize myself floating up there since he did not there alongside Christ. That's not what Paul is saying what he is saying is through this union with Christ. You are joined to Christ and your head wherever the head goes the body is going to get there eventually.

That's been my experience, the head is seated in heaven on the throne of God where we going to be Sunday seated with Christ on his throne, just like I sat down on my father's throne euros it down on my throne is what he promises to reign with Christ on the earth. That's what Revelation is telling us so another words is not that we somehow visually visualize that were actually there were not in a little kid in the backseat and are we there yet will know not in a physical sense, but in a true spiritual sense. Because of our union with Christ. Yes, where raining, seated with him in heavenly places. All I wish we had an hour or so to go into all the room. That's an amazing thought, but it's that we in union with Christ, we inherit his history. Notice in verse five. Backing up there, we were dead and now we been raise together with Christ, and we been made to sit gather with Christ in heavenly places of I told you about our ranch out Wyoming is a broad market you get that rent I married that woman run over there. You say you didn't biotechnology. Did you know you get in it. What you didn't know she did, but because of the marriage union whatever she possess became. I got all her possessions. She got all my debts is pretty good deal. What I hope she got what shield I got right in other words, you understand that in a sense I bought that rent. Although I didn't actually buy. She did, but it's mine as if I had bought it myself that when you enter into a living union with someone you are inheriting not only what they have, which are inheriting their history. Paul will say I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I will admit Paul, were you actually hanging up there on the cross next to Jesus is not what he saying but keep being united with Christ. I am joined not only to his person, not only to his the attributes to his history so that in a real sense when he died I died. The law has no more claim on me because I'm joined to the one I cross I'm just as dead to the law is a lot we need. I not only do I possess because through that union with Christ.

This union with his history. You and I possess union with the fact that he's needed in heavenly places right now.

We have tried to illustrate this. What if we backing Utah I was living in Wyoming at the time and was big news all our news came out of Salt Lake City. So was almost like we're more part of Utah, Wyoming, but they had a murder man Gary Gilmore. But remember that name.

Some you old folks, Gary Gilmore had committed murder. No question about it, but the Supreme Court had done away with the death and Gary Gilmore in pleading guilty, demanded that he be executed now. A lot of this goes back to Mormon doctrine, they have this ideally cold-blooded: there are certain sins that Christ cannot propitiate cannot forgive you of murder being one of them. And so the only way that you can be forgiven of those kinds of sin is by what they cold-blooded told you got have your own blood spilled in order for that sin to be forgiven. Okay, this is Mormon stuff and so Gary Gilmore insisted on being put to death by a firing squad.

See the logic here. They took the thing all the way to the Supreme Court, and they finally ruled that yeah okay if he demands to be put to death by firing squad.

That's how that's how old and sure enough they executed. Suppose suppose Gary Gilmore before his execution had some heart and needs a heart transplant and supposedly take a heart out of somebody who never committed murder and put that heart in Gary Gilmore. Do you understand that the heart inherits the guilt because when they take aim to execute Gary Gilmore. Guess where the Raymond right if that transplanted heart even though it wasn't there when he committed the crime because it is in union with him. The heart is considered just as guilty as evil, so it is that through our union with Christ. What pertains to him pertains to us by what a blessed thought that is where we can camp here. Let's go to the sword of the heart of the argument here is a verse that I hope you have memorized 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 would say I don't know brother Greg I put that in my top two universes to memorize maybe number one, there's probably no more important text in all the New Testament describing to us the nature of salvation. That verse is a whole lot of things you need know if you want to know the mechanism if you want to know how it happened.

Here's the explanation. It is by grace through faith. Let's talk about that a minute you're not being saved by grace for Faye you're being saved through faith. See the difference if we said that you're being saved because of play on the grounds of faith, then faith itself becomes a meritorious thing that earns you salvation that there's something about faith sale that God is love space so much that if you give me some faith. I'll give you salvation.

It turns Faye into a meritorious work. You understand.

Nor not save for Faye were saved through faith.

It is the instrument by which salvation comes to us, that's the mystery that Paul is explaining here. Remember, the gospel came to you, the missionary came and preach the gospel and the Holy Spirit worked to bring him to you and you to accept the message and you believe, but now he's putting that under the microscope. Here's how all that works at the site. The faith that saves you is not a thing that in any way adds anything to the work of salvation. There is a text in Romans four where Paul says a strange thing and I and I read through this many many times without ever getting in Romans chapter 4 verse 16 we read it. He says therefore it is of faith and he talked about salvation. It is of faith that it might be by grace to the end that the promise might be sure that all the sea. No notice.

He said it's by faith. It's by the means of faith so that it might be by grace. Now, whether we understand it or not what he saying is there something about faith that is compatible with salvation by grace. It fits that mechanism is over what you talk about because what we say when we talk about believing were talking about the receptive organ of the soul is not the productive organ of the soul. It does not add anything else. All to the work of salvation is simply the organ of the soul that receive salvation.

Okay preacher illustrate okay I'll try. Let's say you go to hear a wonderful symphony may not be your float your boat, but many of you I know this very musical church. Suppose you go in here a wonderful orchestra, world-class present this beautiful symphony.

You heard it. That year was the means your hearing is how the beauty of the music entered her soul. Does your ear add anything to the beauty of the music does it contribute one iota. Nothing. The ear simply receives using the principle. We therefore talk elsewhere Paul uses the phrase the hearing of faith. Faith doesn't put has to have an object but faith doesn't produce the object. Faye simply recognizes and receives the object like your ear. This hearing receives the music of symphony so you have the hearing of faith. The soul here's the object, the message of salvation and receives it go to a museum look at a beautiful painting on the wall. Does your looking at the painting and anything to the beauty of the painting that you're looking at the painting.

Improve the painting.

No, but the looking at the painting is how you receive the beauty of the painting you see the point.

Faith works like that. It doesn't add anything to the object. It simply is the receptive organ of the soul. The old Puritans that is the empty hand by which we receive the grace his open mouth back, which is filled by grace.

Now why did God do it that way but we've Artie seen one reason because faith is compatible with great but there's another reason in its founding the second verse here that so that no man might boast is not of your production is here so that no man might boast.

We do know that God is jealous about his glory. He declares in Isaiah that is not going to share it with anybody I don't give his glory away. He's going to make sure this is how he does it, that you and I who are the recipients of this thing called salvation that we know we understand how it happened. We know that it wasn't us. We are not like dumb animals. I think I've told you my sheep stories when I been here in the past when I was a kid my dad bought a mangy coals some big ranch up West Texas turn them over to me and I learned a lot about ministry pastoring out in the pasture.

That was my laboratory and I do remember rainy nights will not have a you down in the Fari and all the other shaper inside the barn and I've got to go out in bold in the rain and locate this they 10 o'clock at night pouring down rain, cold, and I finally find that OU laying down there. She's going lay there and die, and I'd love and feeling very good Shepherd. He I guess you could say, rather than laying the sheep on my shoulder and carry her back to the barn. I kicked her all the way back to the part had to kick her across the roaring Creek. She wasn't going to yell you are your sister you're going, I finally get her back to the bar and get her inside were now she say everything is okay and that she laid out over there and just look at me with adoring worshipful you know all filled with thankfulness over the marvelous salvation. I know she's just a dumb sheep. She looks at me like big nail. So why my friend are not dumb sheep you're capable of recognizing the state that you are in you can wake up when God goes to work and realize I am in trouble. Remember, the prodigal son, there's a good example of what were talking about disaster not far country, slopping pigs can even eat slop and he came to himself a strange statement worded in Lala land zombie land had been any came to himself and you notice how just order everything all right in the place.

That's the key. When he came to himself. I wish I knew that do that folks are getting into before and see if I can whack him you old thank you I needed that I never have found the spot, but the young man I he came to himself and said this is not here, I'm starving at my father's house there are parts on hundreds get treated better me. I'm going home and he got up anyway at you. You know the story and listen to the father. This my son was dead, and he's alive again that's the resurrection were talking not know he wasn't dead in every way. And yes, in one since he knew the way home. Even when he was in that far country. But what about to go back. He had no use for home life back there. His father all these the deadbeat list get away from him within. When he woke up when he came to himself that's the world. Thank you and I have lost your marbles and the truth is, were the only ones who got marbles. We picked him up. We used to be out of left field.

We picked them up and came in from left field.

When God saves us arise are going to be open to that fact that we cannot do this ourselves is not much that we necessarily need to know a few things are necessary. That's what that I cannot save myself. God is the only one that he provided a way through his son and therefore we have absolutely no round boasting nothing we can brag about Paul Alaskan first Corinthians 47 who make the two differ from another. It's a rhetorical question were supposed to know the answer.

If I differ from you. If you're going to hell I'm going to heaven. I know who made the God Almighty, the one me.

I was in zombie land. I was walking like zombies living like zombies. I was headed. I was in a death camp and I was headed straight for the second death. I was a child of wrath, just like everyone else. That was the only thing I was good at storing God's wrath or the day of wrath. That's it.

God intersected me and stopped me in my tracks or I would post wide open and then finally, this last verse we are his workmanship there. There is a controversy among Calvinists and Arminians. I realize you all know you're here on Sunday nights. All of the theologically astute and know the real deep mines.

I'm right or not know, and so you want you want to know. Inquiring minds want to know the seven. One of the disputes between Arminians and Calvinists is over. This relative pronoun found in verse eight, the one that says and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, the relative pronoun toil not Greek, no, no, wrong word to go. It means that this and we Calvinists we read verse eight, and we naturally will when he says that not of yourselves, he must be talking about the faith right, but the Arminians point out that truth though is actually a neuter pronoun and Faye is a feminine word and you know anything about foreign languages. You know that the gender of the pronoun has to agree with his antecedents so they would say that it's impossible for that that not of yourselves to be referring to fatal problem is grace is also feminine in the right mind think somehow that even salvation would be of themselves.

Nobody is that so we that's okay.

I grant you that.

But then what does that talk about when he says that not of yourselves that want that what I think part of our problem. Here's my solution to the problem is that were looking earlier at the phrase in verse eight, verse one. The first part by grace are ye saved through faith were trying to find the antecedents there. I don't think that's where it's found. I think it's found in verse 10 little words, Paul omits it in verse eight, he assumed you got enough sense to keep reading and realize what it is, is this Greek word Toyama in my translation workmanship. Some your fine craftsmanship.

My old mentor used to say doing some work. It's this work this work. This craftsmanship is partisanship. This masterpiece what God is done this, we are his workmanship.

Do you see the contrast, not of works of your works, lest any man should boast. Because you are his workmanship. You are the masterpiece that God is fashioning like a sculptor. I think someone asked Michelangelo one time Harry did the sculpture he was trying to do a sculptor around big block of stone of an angel and he said I'm not away everything that look like an angel resemble how does God conform us to the image of pricing not so everything that I look like Jesus that's married and one were through.

We are this masterpiece were going to be glorified.

Were going to be made like him glorified because he's not doing everything that look like Jesus. And that's what Paul is saying is not you doing this.

It is God working like a sculpture or creating this wonderful work. This workmanship is craftsmanship and notice it is created in Christ Jesus unto good works. You think by now that work is a four letter word is literally it is but you know what I mean, I know it's a dirty word. You and I will say that Calvinistic circle, but Paul is not afraid of a piece but notice the order you're not saved by works hearsay for works you're saved unto good works.

That's the whole point of what God is doing in salvation. He will say to Titus, where this peculiar people and I don't mean oddball.

Although some of us with that, but you're a peculiar people, zealous of good works. That's the whole point of salvation is that while I don't believe you do that thing those things where you and I believe in predestination.

Well I'm glad you do, because notice these are good works, which he has a foreordained he's a foreordained that we should walk in them.

The same God who predestinated us unto salvation.

In the first place has predestined us to these good works. That's the whole purpose of what is well. I hope you have made a little bit of sense out of all this, but if we go back to thinking about this day Easter Sunday about the resurrection of Christ. Again, I want to emphasize. We of all people believe that.

Yeah, we believe it is there in the were we accept the testimony of God. But we have experienced it ourselves. We have passed. Jesus said in John five believe in me past their underline. They held eternal life. They pass from death to life. What you call passing that July. I call it resurrection and so there is some truth to that him you asked me how I know we live lives within my heart that subjectively in here we reflect the object if true of the resurrection of Christ, may that be true in all of you. If it's not, you need to come into a saving union with Jesus Christ through faith we looked at the mechanism see how it works is through faith that we receive Jesus already be true in your life (father, thank you for this passage.

For imports in her life more just keeping us on the right path know how prone we are nature to most. We still fall prey to that old satanic spirit.

Father, we thank you that our eyes have been opened. We behold the work of the Savior who did for us what we could not possibly do for ourselves and father. Our eyes have been opened to see it and to receive through trusting in him will bring us to that point. If we never come in return away from all else. Also boasting all self work. My weekly Christ our Savior. Thank you… As we ponder these Jesus name I