I Am His Workmanship - Ephesians 2:10

Introduction

It is often said and is true that the most important date beyond our birthdate is the date in which we come to an understanding as to why we were born. In a world full of copycats, God made you an original that is inimitable… Impossible to be replicated, duplicated, or copied.

That is because unique to you is a fingerprint that no one else in the world has. That when you put your touch on something it is such a touch that no one else can do it the way you do. That when you touch something it leaves an indelible mark long after you’re gone that says “I was here.” While this should be every persons intention to leave a mark that says “I was here” sadly the history of the graveyard has proven that many die never knowing why they were ever here in the first place?

I ask myself very often, Bradley, if God called you home tomorrow how would it be said that “I was here?” Would the work that I’ve done be enough to help someone? Would I have lived a selfish or selfless life? Would I have poured out my all with a spirit of excellence? Or would I be known as one who did the bare minimum to get by, was selfish and all about me and mine, stayed in my corner never did a kind deed for anyone if I myself did not gain.

It was Les Brown who said it best and I quote “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.”

Amazingly enough, upon a revisit of the creation story, mankind was the only creation created in the image and likeness of God. And the vast variety of races, nationalities, and people groups that populate the world, God has placed different characteristics of Himself within every person because He’s so big and so vast - no one human other than Jesus could contain God in the flesh. So God spread Himself by allowing mankind the privilege to be created in the image of God like no other creation.

This is why I tell people all the time there is no sense in trying to model yourself after the next one or keep up with the Kardashians, the Johnsons, or the Jones’s. Because there is something unique about you that shares a piece of God with the world that no one else can do like you. So I cheat me when I’m trying to be the man down the street and you cheat me when you’re trying to be like somebody God didn’t create you to be. Therefore there is a piece of God that has yet to be seen in the world because you lack being you.

And I want to tell some young man this morning you don’t have to smoke weed, wear your pants saggin, or be a gangster to get a woman. You just be you. And if you don’t get the one you want for not being all those things you hang on…God’s got somebody for you because you are His workmanship. Young lady you don’t have to show everything but your mind, wear fake this and fake that, match the instagram models to be attractive… It is attractive when you are who God has called you to be.

A people and society seeking to please people with how they look and what they wear is a society void of an understanding of being the workmanship of Christ.

When a people and society is void of an understanding of recognizing I am the workmanship of Christ, we aspire and find a sense of fulfillment in stuff and pleasing people when Christ has already done the work within us to the degree that we are the complete package in Christ Jesus… Thus by aspiring to please people and find fulfillment in stuff we have settled for satisfaction for less than what God intended.

The only means I would settle for less than what I deserve or settle for less than what I am capable of is because I am void of a viable understanding that I am the workmanship of Christ. In other words you don’t have to travel to one of the seven wonders of the world when you see me; you in deed see a wonder of the Almighty God who has fashioned me in His image in order to bring Him some glory by having a complete understanding of who I am in Christ.

You ought to just look at your neighbor and say neighbor “I am a wonder of this world too...” And some folk you might have just said that to might be looking at you funny because they knew you back when you could drink somebody under the table. They knew you back when you were smoking this and drinking that. But it is because God took all of my mess and my dirt and made me who I am today that I can say I am a wonder in Christ Jesus because if you only knew what little He had to work with… I am a wonder because He is a wonder in me.

Body

Paul in the book of Ephesians is seeking to convey to the church at Ephesus of the richness in which they have obtained because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. He’s writing that they may come to an understanding of the power they have because of Christ and walk therein so that they will not live less than or beneath what Christ has given. Paul made some accusations in the beginning of Ephesians 2 that we are all guilty of.

If I could sum it up the way an old song we used to sing in church when I was growing up… I was guilty of all charges, doomed and disgraced. But Jesus with His special love saved me by His grace. He pleaded and He pleaded… He pleaded my case. Jesus dropped the charges and now I’m saved through grace and faith. I was a dead man walking in sin and Jesus died for me.

He moves in verse 9 to say it is by grace you have been saved through faith and it is the gift of God not by works lest any man should boast. That’s another sermon all by itself but pertinent to this mornings sermonic spotlight is the fact that works can’t save you but the saved do good works. Since salvation is a gift there is nothing that can be done to earn it it is given to those who believe by faith and subsequently become recipients of God’s grace.

He says for we are God’s workmanship. This word workmanship in the original language is the word poiema it is where we get our word poem. It means “something made.” In other words Paul says here that each of us is a piece of paper in which God has created a masterpiece a divine piece of art from start to finish. When I was younger I used to write songs. But I’ve always believed I had such an ear for poignant and potent lyrics I would almost instantly after writing some lyrics throw them away because I didn’t thing the lyric was good enough. And there are some people just like that who God has given them something and they are just throwing it away because they can’t see the divine nature of what God has written. Then there are others who have been thrown away because others can’t see the divine nature of work that is happening in someone’s life… But you can’t throw away a masterpiece. There’s too much value, too much love sown into it.

I read an interesting story about the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. The painting is of a woman who was gazing at her husband who was a merchant. But the painting was never delivered to the person who paid for it. Imagine it taking years to do a masterpiece only for it not to ever be picked up by the requestor... And after all that God has done with such little he had to work with there will be some folk who will throw a masterpiece by the way side. But God by any means necessary will always get the glory! That painting did not become famous until it was stolen… the Monalisa… a painting that had never been seen like this before… And just like that painting, you’ve got something in you that has never quite been seen before because you are His workmanship. You are the product of a skilled writer. A master architect. A prophetic orator.

That work workmanship means you weren’t born this way but you were made this way. Signifying that you’ve been made completely and entirely new in Christ Jesus and like M.C. Hammer said now that you’ve been made in Christ can’t nothing touch this.

He backed this up when He said created in Christ Jesus. Meaning because Christ was born this way He has the power to make you this way in Him. He’s got a power that your mother doesn’t have. She can’t remake you once you’ve been born. Only God through Jesus Christ has the power to take you and give you a rebirth experience that wipes away the old you and then presents the new you for His glory!

In other words, in order to know me for real I’ve got to know Christ. When I came to Jesus for the first time in my life I met me. Because me can only be me by being who He created me to be. And if I am not walking according to who He created me to be I can’t be me. So if you can’t be you… who are you?

Being the workmanship of Christ sets the standard for the totality of our being. It is not just our character and identity that has been changed. It is our means… It says that since I have been made in Christ that I don’t do anything half way. That everything I do is done in an excellent manner because everything that Christ has done was excellent. He went to the cross and gave ALL… that was excellent. He fed the masses with two fish and five loaves of bread so that no one who was there went hungry that was excellent. He saved the wedding banquet by turning some water into wine and it wasn’t watered down wine either that was excellent.

Being the workmanship of Christ details what Christ has done in me and then what and how I am supposed to represent Him as His workmanship! And I’m supposed to do so as He did… in EXCELLENCE.

Created in Christ unto good works. In other words from my loins, from every fiber of my being good works pour out of me. And every now and again I got to do a fruit check. If I’m not producing, producing less than what I ought, or am not producing fruit that remains I may have to go back to the drawing board and ask God to show me what might be deficient or lacking in my life that may be causing me not to walk in the fulfillment of being His workmanship! Because the proof is in the pudding. Walking in who God called me to be is not just revealed by how much I come to church, how much I shout, dance and holler all though these things are included in good works. Walking in good works reflects in how I love my neighbor as myself. Walking in good works means controlling my temper and my urge to go off on somebody. Walking in good works means being compassionate, merciful, forgiving. Walking in good works means I walk in love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control!

And I don’t do good works to become a Christian. I do good works because I am a Christian! So when you see me out here doing what I do - I’m just doing what God called me to do!

Closing

I’ve got to get out of here. But Paul finishes this verse in Ephesians 3:10 saying that it was pre or before ordained that we should walk in them talking about good works. That means beloved that everyday we’ve got to make a choice to walk in these good works. God is not going to force us to walk to do good works. But we ought to make a choice everyday to be what God has called us to be.

I am His workmanship! I am His masterpiece! And I wan’t to take just a minute to let somebody know when you make up your mind to produce the good works God has said you can… there is no devil in hell that can stop you! Daniel was in exile interpreting the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. Paul wrote many of his epistles from a jail cell. Daniel showed me that exile can’t stop me. Paul showed me that jail can’t block me. Jesus showed us that a cross and an interment couldn’t stop Him. Joseph showed us that jealous family members and a lying woman couldn’t stop you.

But Lot showed us that the only thing that can stop you is if you stop looking ahead and the new creature God has created and look back. But I need about 10 folk, all I need is 10, who can say I’m pressing on the upward way. New heights I’m gaining every day. I’m still praying as I’m onward bound Lord plant my feet on higher ground.

Higher ground to do greater works. Higher ground to show off your excellent power and your excellent greatness. I must work the work of him that sent me while it is day for when night cometh no man shall work.

It’s getting late in the evening… and the sun is going down on all of us no matter how old or how young you are. It’s not time to focus on trivial stuff - majoring on minor things and minoring on major things. But we must recognize in this hour in which we live I am His workmanship… created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Lord use me. Lord send me, I’ll go! If you need somebody to pray, I’ll pray. If you need somebody to serve, I’ll serve! I was made for this! It’s my purpose. It’s my destiny to be who He has made me to be.... I am His workmanship!