First Presbyterian Church                                                                Rev. Michael J. Imperiale

Salt Lake City, Utah                                                                          July 30, 2006

                                                                “Saved by Grace for Works”

                                                                       Ephesians 2: 1-10

Introduction

When Jimmy Carter left the White House in 1981, he was one of the youngest survivors of the highest office in the United States. A committed Christian and longtime Sunday school teacher, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter began working with Habitat for Humanity, the amazing organization that builds or renovates houses for people who otherwise could never afford one. For 25 years now, they have lent their name, voices, presence and labor to help make Habitat a hugely successful mission in the U.S. and around the world.

In an interview with The New Yorker, President Carter said, “To me, this is part of my duty as a human being. And it’s exciting. It’s unpredictable. It’s gratifying. It’s adventurous. I just enjoy it.” Whether a former president or a teenage worker at Starbucks, all of us have a responsibility to use to the fullest what God has given us. And in that service, the Lord gives us great joy.

In my time as a pastor, you have heard and you will often hear the emphasis on salvation in Jesus Christ by grace alone through faith alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 are cornerstone verses that clearly teach that there is nothing you and I can do to earn God’s favor, to deserve God’s love, to work our way to heaven or any level of eternal standing. But Ephesians 2:8-9 is followed by Ephesians 2:10. Yes, we are saved by grace through faith. But we are saved for a purpose in this life. We are saved for works. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.”

I. First Things First

So, what are the good works that God has prepared for us to do? The first and most important came from Jesus after the feeding of the five thousand. In John 6, he told the people, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” His answer? “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:27-29).

In a moment we will discuss some of the many good works that God’s people are called to do in this world. Feeding the hungry, befriending the lonely, tending to the homeless are very important ministries. Education, health care, job training, community services deserve our attention. But as a Christian church and as Christian people, if we don’t share the saving message of God in Christ and offer people eternal life and hope in his name, these works are temporarily good but ultimately of no value.

Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). We discover the good works God has prepared for us along with their meaning and goal in God’s word. When you and I read, discuss, and understand the Bible, the works God has for us become quite clear. The main point of every good work is to communicate God’s love in the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

II. The Source of Good Works

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.” God himself is the source of good works. And God gifts and equips his people to do them. In Romans 12, I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, we have a few lists of the spiritual gifts that God gives to us to carry out these good works.

Prophecy – speaking God’s truth in a particular life situation; Serving – helping someone else with an evident need; Teaching – explaining the Christian faith and life to another person; Encouragement – letting others know that God cares for them and that there is hope and purpose; Giving – giving material resources to the needs of others; Leadership – organizing, training, equipping others; Mercy – spending time with those in distress (Romans 12:6-8).

Wisdom – applying God’s word to common sense living; Knowledge – mentoring others in the faith and life in Christ; Faith – tasking risks in doing things that otherwise couldn’t be done without God’s involvement; Healing – ministering to the physical, emotional, or spiritual wounds that others have; Discernment – helping others figure out what to think or do (I Corinthians 12:8-10).

Missionary – going out in a cross-cultural setting to share Christ with others; Evangelist – calling others to a personal decision to follow the Lord; Pastor – to care for the spiritual well-being of a group of believers (Ephesians 4:11). These are among the many gifts that God’s Holy Spirit gives to you and me to carry out his good works in our lives and in this world.

So, in seeking to be faithful in doing the good works that God has prepared for you, first, the aim is to share the message of eternal life and hope in Christ, and second, to use the gifts of the Spirit that God has prompted and given to you.

III. The Ministries of Good Works

With these priorities in mind, we then come to the amazing and various ministries and works that God’s people can discover, develop and use for the glory of God and for the well-being of people. We are saved by grace through faith, yes. We are also saved for works.

You can talk with Pamela Atkinson and find out how you can help attend to our homeless friends here in Salt Lake City. She has many years of experience and is so well connected with the community. You can speak with Alice McHugh. She organizes the help to make our food co-op with Crossroads Urban Center a blessing to many. Yesterday we had 55 individuals or families participate in receiving quality food at a great discount. The savings are very helpful to people with limited income. It’s just plain good food for those who just want some good food!

You can talk with Chris Beane to join in or start a new discipleship group or class. This is where First Presbyterian Church can serve as an equipping center for sharing your faith and growing in your own following of Christ. You can talk to Alan Seim and ask how you can be a mentor, support, or encourager to our junior and senior high kids. Or Brad Bertelsen for our college students. We have a special need for a professional children’s ministry director as well as teachers and helpers to staff our elementary school programs. Let Laura Shafer or Shelley Bertelsen know of your interest asap.

It is so important that each person participate in the amazing good works that God has prepared for us. Can you envision 500-700 people associated with First Presbyterian Church going out into our community, sharing Christ is young and old, offering help to hundreds in need, making an eternal difference in one life at a time?

In I Corinthians 3 we hear God’s call and claim on our lives in his grace. “Each one should build with care,” writes Paul to the church. “If anyone builds on the foundation of Jesus Christ using gold, silver, costly stones; wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown fro what it is, because the Day (of Christ Jesus) will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss (even though the builder will still be saved)” (I Corinthians 3:10-15).

Conclusion

It is my prayer and my hope; indeed it is my pastoral ministry, that each person experience God’s grace for salvation and God’s grace for good works. Through your life, someone else can come to faith in Christ as Lord and Savior and live in the hope of eternal life. Through your life, God will use the gifts of the Spirit to encourage others and build up the church. Through your life, God will help and bless many who are in need. But you have to make yourself available to the Lord as he leads you.

According to National Wildlife, each week Americans generate over 4 million tons of trash. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas the number jumps to well over 5 million tons. Over 8 million pounds of edible turkey and 16 million pounds of stuffing are wasted. The average consumer wraps 25 packages for Christmas. If only 3 of them were wrapped with recycled paper, that paper could cover 45,000 football fields. After the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, the New York sanitation department cleans up 42 tons of extra garbage.

Environmentalists aren’t the only ones bothered by waste. God, too, hates it. He doesn’t want to see valuable resources he bestows on his people – the gospel message, spiritual gifts, time, money, ability, vitality – lost and unused. Jesus commanded us that we should go and bear fruit in this life. We are saved by grace for good works.

Let us pray together.