Preaching from Perspective of Evangelical Theology

Topic:         The Work of God’s Grace-Salvation

Ephesians 2:8-10

Introduction

                           If a man wants to be saved, these verses tell him how to be saved. Salvation is the work of God, of God’s Grace and of God’s grace alone. It is not of man, not to any degree. Salvation is a free gift of God. It is by grace alone that man is saved. Man can do nothing whatsoever to save himself. He cannot earn, win, or merit salvation. All man can do is accept what the Lord says. Man must believe just what God says and accept His word, accept His free offer of salvation. When he accepts the fact that God says He will save him, God takes him and creates him into a new person, anew creation. (2 Cor 5:17).

A. We are saved by God grace and by Grace

(1)We are saved by God’s grace

                                                      Grace means the favor and kindness of God, but there I uniqueness about God’s favor and kindness. His favor and kindness are given despite the fact that it is undeserved and unmerited. Grace is giving, but it is giving to people who do not deserve the gift. What is the gift that God has given? Jesus Christ. God has given His son, Jesus Christ, to save men. God is full of mercy and love and kindness-by His very nature He is full of these glorious qualities. God is not off someplace in the distance, far removes from man, disinterested and unconcerned with man’s sufferings and death. God is gracious, full of mercy, love, and kindness for man; therefore, He has reached out through His son Jesus Christ to help man. How?

By giving His Son to die for man. When Jesus Christ hung upon the cross, He was taking our sins upon Himself and bearing the punishment for our sins. We had committed high treason against God: rejected and rebelled against Him. The penalty for high treason is death; we are condemned to die. But Christ took our penalty and condemnation upon Himself. He died for us-in our place, in our stead, as our substitute. This is what Scripture means when it says that Christ died for us. ( Rom 5:6,8,10)

This is the grace of God-God grace that showered itself upon sinful men who were lost and condemned-God grace that gave the greatest gift possible to men- the gift of His Son to save the world.

(2)We are saved through faith

                                 What does it mean to be saved through faith? Simply this: Jesus Christ die for us. He bore our sin and punishment upon the cross. When we believe, really believe that Jesus Christ died for us, God does a wonderful thing. God takes our faith and counts it as the death of Jesus Christ for us. That is when we honor God’s dear Son by believing in Him so much that we give all we are and have to Him, God takes the death of Jesus Christ and applies it to us. It is our faith that causes God to look upon us as having been in Christ when He died. It is our faith that causes God credit us with salvation. Jesus Christ is God’s gift to us. Salvation through Christ has been wrapped up as a gift and God hands it over to us. This is what is meant by faith. If you believe, really believe that Jesus Christ died for you; you will reach out and receive the gift of God’s grace. (John 3:16, 5:24, 20:31)

(3) We are not saved in and of ourselves

                                                                 Man is not perfect; therefore, he can never live in God’s presence-not in and of himself. Even if man could be good enough and do enough good to become perfect (he cannot, but even if he could) he would not be acceptable to God. Why? Because he has already transgressed and become imperfect. He already stands imperfect, corruptible, aging, dying, and decaying. If man is ever to be acceptable to God-if he is ever to be perfected and have his past wipe clean-it will not be by his own hands. He cannot save himself. Salvation is not of man. ( 2 Cor. 10:12, Gal 6:3, Titus 3:5, Prov 28:26 )

(4) The reason salvation is by grace and not by works is to prevent men from ever boasting

                                          God is the supreme and Majestic being of the universe. He is the Creator of all that is in heaven and earth. God is the one who dwells in the ultimate of light and holu of eternity. The honor and glory and glory due His name are not to be shared with anyone. If man was saved by some effort of his own, he would be due some credit, some boast, some honor. This God cannot allow. His very nature forbids it. As God, He is to receive the supreme glory-that is, all glory and praise. His Supremacy-His being God-demands it. (Rom 3:19,27)

B. We are God’s workmanship

(1) We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus

                    The believer experiences two creations, both a natural birth and a spiritual birth. The spiritual birth is the point of this verse. When a man believes in Jesus Christ, God creates him in Christ. What does this mean? It means that God quickens the spirit of the believer and makes his spirit alive. Whereas the believer’s spirit was dead to God, God creates it anew and makes it alive to God.

(2) We are created to do good works

                                         God saves man for good works not by good works. The believer is God’s workmanship, God’s work of art, God’s masterpiece. God fashions man and creates a masterpiece. God’s workmanship is always a work of art. The believer does not create the beauty, the art that shows in the canvas of his life. The believer just shows that he is God’s workmanship by life he lives and displays. Works are an evidence of salvation. God has prepared in advance for us to walk in good works. Doing good works is not an option for the believer; it is the very nature of the believer. If a man has been created in Christ-if God has truly worked in him-the man does good works. He is a new creation created to do good works.

Conclusion

                       Man can do nothing whatsoever to save himself. Salvation is a free gift of God. God has given His son, Jesus Christ, to save men. When Jesus Christ hung up upon the cross, He was taking our sins upon Himself and bearing the punishment for our sins. He died for us in our place. When we believe, really believe that Jesus Christ died for us, God does a wonderful thing. It is by grace along that man is saved. We are saved by His grace and by faith not by works.

                                                                 

Pakhat le pakhat I upat hna uh sih

               A cung lei ka bia tlangtar ban tuk in, lai mi kan thinlung ah ngeih awk le si ve uh sih ti ka duh mi cu, Pathat le Pakhat hi I upat hna uh sih ti hi si. Kan mah le kan mah kan I upat lo ruang ah midang mi phun hna nih kan laimi an kan upat khawh lonak bik a si tiin kei ka hmuih ning a si.

Tih khi Upat a si lo

Upat timi hi tih he cun a dang ngai te, Lai mi kan ruah nak ah Upat kan ti tik ah hin tih nak hi kan mit thlam ah a cuang tawn zei caah ti ah cun kan nu le kan pa hna nih hin fa le an kan chimh hrin tik ah kan tih hna she tiin an kan (tlerh)chimh hrin tawn, cu lawng si lo in kan sianginn kai nak saya/mah tenih an kan chimh hrin tik ah kan tih hna she tiin an kan tlerh tawn cu ruang ah Upat timi hi tih ah kan ruah sual tawn. Kan nih laimi cu kan saya/mah le kan nu le kan pa hna he um thut dir le lung khat bia ruah ding ah kan tih hna, mah cu kan upat rua hna tiin kan ruah tawn. A si nain mah hi cu upat si lo in tih tu a rak si.

Upatnak ti mi cu kan tuah/tuan mi cung ah a tha I tuah/tuan khawhnak le thiamnak a ngeih mi cung ah theih thiam piak le hngalh piak/ hmuih piak khawh, I upat nak pek khi a si. Mi nung nih hin a mah le si tawk tein tuah(tuan) khawh mi ngeih cio a si. Kan thil ti khawh nak hi a dang cio ban tuk in kan tuah khawh nak cio cung ah khan Pakhat le pakhat upatnak, I hngalh piaknak, theih thiam piak le hmuih thiam hi a herh bik mi asi.

A kan dawn tu thil hna

(1)   Keimah tinak thinlung ( kan Hawi I an tuah mi tuan mi kha zei I rel piak lo I, kei mah tuah/tuan mi hi a si (dik) bik ti I, Hawi tuan/tuan mi kha zei rel piak lo).

(2)   Nihsawhnak thinlung ( Hawi nih an tuah mi thil ah, a mah pa/nu tuah/taun mi te hna cu ti I, that nak hmuih piak lo in nihsawh zumh teih nak thinlung).

(3)   Zeirel lo

(4)   I uahnak thinlung

(5)   Hawi thatnak hmuih khawh lo

Hi bantuk thinlung/ruahnak kan ngeih chung hi cu kan hawi le cung ah upatnak thinlung kan ngei kho lai lo. Pakhat le pakhat upatnak thin lung kan ngeih lo chung poh hi cu kan khua le ram than chonak ah donkhan tu kan si.

Ngeihawk ah Herhmi thinglung

Thatnak tuahmi kha I hmuih thim piak

Kan tuah/tuan mi kha a thatnak lei kam in I hmuih thiam piak hi a herh ngai mi a si. Kan I hmuih thiam piak khawh nak caah a herh ngai mi thinlung cu dawtnak a si. Dawtnak kan ngei lo sicun zeiban tuk hmenh a tha lei in kan I hmui piak kho lai lo I a chiat nak lei lawng kan hmuih khawh lai. Thatnak kan tuah/tuan mi ah khan thazang I pek le hmai fandeuh nak ah forhfial hi a bia pi ngai mi si fawn. Thiltha tuah mi kha thazang kan vapek lo le forhfial nak hna kan chim lo ah cun a tuah mi kha a that le that lo a thei kho ve lai lo. Curuangah thazang pek le I forhfial hi a hauih nak asi.

I cawisang hna uh sih

                        Mah pakhat le pakhat I Cawisang hi laimi kan nun ah a bau ngai rua tiin ka hmuih, kan hawi nih rian an tuan mi, an thiamnak, an fimnak, etc… mah pawl ah khan hmaizahnak upat pek ding a si. A tu kan laimi chung ah upat pek awk tlak mi tampi upatnak kan pek lo mi hna an tam ngai te. A biana ah hla phuah thiam, hlasak thiam, fim thiamnak, ram caah thatnak a tuahmi etc… mah hna pawl hi upatnak pek lo mi an tam pi I, an tuah/tuan mi hna kan theih piak hna lo mi zong an tam, mah cu zei ruang ah si ti ah cun kan pawngkam um mi pakhat le pakhat kan I cawisang hna lo ruang ah a si. Mi nungpakhat kha thannak lam a penh cuahmah I hi ti ka bawmh ah cun mi ah, aa chuah lai ti kan thei ko nain, kan bawm duh tawn hna lo. An kan tei lai tu kha kan phan I kan rial dipchih tawn hna, Hibantuk zawn ah hin a tu kan pa a si mi Dr. Dennis nun zia hi ka uar ngai mi a si. A mah pawngkam ah a um mi a fa le pawl hi an mah le sikhawh tawk cio te in a cawi san hna, a si khawh tawk in a zohkhenh hna I a bawmhchanh hna, a mah thinlung ngeihmi ka hmuih mi ah, kan lai mi nih hi ban tuk thin lung ngeihi kan herh ngai mi a si. Pakhat le pakhat thatnak kan tuahmi kha I hmuihpiak thiam hna uh sih law, pakhat le pakhat kan tuah/tuan mi ah I cawisang hna sih. Cuthinlung nih cun pakhat le pakhat i upat khawh nak thinlung a kan pek lai.