How God Rescues Us

Mark Finley: We are created for good works. When we receive the gift of salvation by faith, we work. Our faith is so good it works.
Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message, how God rescues us. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: The author titled this lesson, how God rescues us. But you know as I was thinking about it, you might take the how off and just simply say God rescues us. In other words, we were dead in sin, lost without Christ. And God took the initiative through his love and mercy to rescue us. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is the memory verse for this week in Ephesians 2 verse 4 and 5. But God being rich in mercy. What's God rich in? Mercy. Because of the great love which he loved us, what was the motivation of Christ's reaching out in salvation for us? It was his love for us. Which when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ. So really have three things. You have God who loves us, who's rich in mercy. You have us who are dead in sin, separated from God. And you have God who loves us reaching out to those of us who are dead in sin to make us what? Alive together. In Sunday's lesson, it points out that when we were once dead, we were deceived by Satan but saved by Christ. The text is Ephesians 2 verse 1 to 10. Let's take a look at it and then we'll summarize it. And you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. Think about it. What if there was a loved one of yours that died and Jesus were here and he miraculously resurrected that loved one? Wouldn't that bring a thrill to your heart? But the truth of the matter is Christ is performing resurrections on a daily basis in our world. People that were dead in sin, people that were lost without Christ, people that were doomed for eternity coming to Jesus, they have new life. They're alive together. In which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air. Who's the prince of the power of the air? That's Satan, right? The spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. So it is Satan's spirit that works in us when we rebel against God. Among whom also you were once conducted yourselves in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. And were by nature the children of wrath just as others. So by nature we're children of wrath. What does it mean children of wrath? God's wrath is God's judgment. So by nature because we're all sinners, we're under the judgment of God. But don't you like that but? That's a divine but. God who is rich in mercy. What's he rich in? Mercy. Because of his great love with which he loved us. Even we were dead in trespasses and sins made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised and he's raised us up together, made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you've been saved through faith. That's not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So what Paul is saying here is that without Christ by nature we are children of wrath by we're alienated from the love and grace of God. That without Christ we are dead in trespasses and sins. Without Christ we're doomed to eternal loss. But because Jesus is rich in mercy and love, he has redeemed us. But the purpose of his redemption is both to save us but in the light of the great controversy between good and evil to reveal before the whole universe his kindness. So that angelic beings and cherubims and seraphims recognize the kindness of God, the goodness of God, the mercy of God, the grace of God. And here it says we grasp that by faith. By faith we grasp the reality of what Christ has done for us. And we are saved by grace that we receive by faith. But when we receive grace by faith, that grace begins to be operative in us. It is a dynamic power within us that produces in our lives good works. It's not except Jesus believe in Christ and do whatever you want. It's except Jesus believe in Christ and do what he wants. And when we make that commitment to receive his salvation by grace by faith through grace and we're saved by grace through faith rather. When we make that decision, his power enters into our life and it dramatically changes us. Um there are there's a wonderful statement in our quarterly under Sunday 's lesson that says these three sections of the passage are summarized neatly in the phrases in Ephesians 2 5. In other words, the entire passage of Ephesians 2 1 to 10 is summarized in this one verse. One, we're dead in trespasses. Two, God made us alive together with Christ. Three, by grace you've been saved. If I would add number four in verse 10 because it says here in verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. So the grace that justifies us is also the grace that sanctifies us. The we are we receive by faith his salvation. But by faith we also receive his power to transformed our lives. Now according to Monday's lesson, we were once deluded by our own desires. That's Ephesians 2 3. It says all of us who lived among them, that's the disobedient at one time, gratified the cravings of our flesh following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving wrath. The paragraph under the question for the day says the present reality of a lost life is distressing enough. But its last day implications are more frightening still. Human beings being by nature the children of wrath like the rest of mankind stand under the threat of God's judgment at end time. The phrase by nature children of wrath points to another daunting reality as well. While still bearers of the image of God, we have come to understand that there's something deeply awry in us. So we understand that rather than going down the right path, we veered off around the wrong path. We understand the truth of Jeremiah 17 9 where it says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We understand Isaiah 53, everyone has turned to his own way and Psalm 51 where David says that in sin my my mother did conceive me. So left to ourselves there is no possibility of salvation. That's why Tuesday's lesson becomes so vital titled now resurrected, ascended and exalted with Jesus. But God who is rich in mercy because of his great love has loved us. So you notice the contrast where Paul actually pivots from the lostness of humanity from being separated from God, being by nature that is the inherent nature, the way we were born children of wrath. Now he pivots to God's grace, God's goodness, God's love, God's God's mercy. And the author makes an interesting point. Dr. John McVay says believers are are one co-resurrected with Christ. So when we accept the grace of Christ, just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we are resurrected from spiritual dead. We're co-resurrected. We are co-raised up with Christ just as Christ ascended to heaven. So by faith we are raised up to sit in heavenly places. So we're no longer children of the evil one. We sit in heavenly places and we're children of God. We're no longer subject to the flesh. We are now born again in the spirit. It says and we are co-seated with Christ in heavenly places meaning that believers participate in Christ seating on the throne of the cosmos. They are co-exalted with Jesus. So Paul takes us from what one writer says from the gutter most to the utter most. He takes us from the depths of despair to the delights of discipleship. We are blessed forever as it says in Wednesday's lesson by grace. God's planning for salvation in Ephesians 1 verse 3 and 4 with the eternal results of that plan described in Ephesians 2 7. What are the essential elements and goals of God's plan of salvation? Well, here they are. Ephesians 1 verse 3 verse 4 puts it this way. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who's blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. There's not a spiritual blessing that we need that's not provided in Christ just as he chose us. So he chose us when? Before the foundation of the world. So before you ever conceived in your mother's womb, God knew you and he chose you for salvation. He had a pre-designed plan that you'd be saved, that we should be holy without blame before him in love. So Christ chose us that we should live righteous godly lives. And he from the time we were born began to work in our lives to transform us by his grace to lead us totally to himself.
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Mark Finley: Then if we compare that passage with Ephesians chapter 2 verse 7. Ephesians 2 7 puts it this way that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. So we become exhibits in the entire universe of the grace, the love, the goodness of God. By coming to dwell with us Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels but not alone for this earth born his earth born children was this revelation given. Our little world is the lesson book of the universe. God 's wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming love is the theme which the angels desire to look. And it will be their study throughout the endless ages. Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love. What did the devil charge regarding Christ and his leader rulership in heaven? The devil said God is unfair, God's unjust. The devil said that Jesus wants to get worship but doesn't give love. The devil said that um Christ himself was not willing to sacrifice for the good of his creatures. So the devil charged that God was a vindictive judge, a wrathful tyrant. He charged that Jesus was selfish and wanted only adoration and worship. The cross of Calvary reveals before a waiting world in a watching universe that God is love and that Jesus would do everything he could possible to save humanity. So the death of Christ on the cross is not simply as important as that is to redeem sinners but it's to reveal God's love before the whole universe. We see in the cross of Calvary the science of salvation, the mystery that's been kept hidden from the ages, the mystery of God's love. And as the result of that we are now saved by God, we come to Thursday's lesson. And what conclusion does Paul come to in verses 8 to 10? So you look at that's in chapter two. You look at Ephesians two verse 8 to 10. For by grace you've been saved through faith and not of yourselves. The first conclusion that Paul comes to is there's no way we can save ourselves. If you think you're going to be saved by your good works, you will never have the assurance of salvation because your good works are never good enough and you'll always feel this sense of inadequacy and failure and you'll always have this sense of guilt. So it's not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. So salvation is a gift. It's the gift of God. I remember once I was trying to explain this to a group of native children way back in the jungles of the Philippines. We had hiked back in there. We're on a dirt road not far from the village. We set up a table and a lantern and as we did that children and adults came to around to listen to the word of God. And as I talked about salvation, I wanted to make it plain that salvation comes by grace through faith, that it was a gift, not something we could earn. And I had a comb in my pocket and I took it out. It was a nice comb, new comb. It wasn't some dirty old comb of course. So I took out this new comb and I and I held it out and I said to the children cuz I knew these kids, you know, far back in the jungle, they didn't they didn't have comb. So I went to the first child and said, hey, would you like this here? Take it. It's a gift. And the kid got so scared probably because I was a tall skinny American. He jumped up and ran into the jungle. I came to the second kid. Would you like this comb? Jumps up, runs into the jungle. Third kid. Finally I come to the fourth kid. I said, would you like this comb? He grabs it out of my hand, ran into the jungle. All the adults began yelling, come back, come back, come back. So finally the four kids came back. And as they did, I said to the one boy that had the comb, you can keep it. And the other boys, their mouths dropped. We can't have the comb. I said I said to the boys, why don't you have the comb? And one little boy spoke up because we didn't take it. Taking the comb was a gift but every child had the choice to take it. Taking God's grace by faith is a gift. And every single one of us have that choice to take it. And when we receive salvation by a gift, not something that we've earned, not something that we have worked to achieve. It says lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared before him that we should walk in them. We are created for good works. When we receive the gift of salvation by faith, we work. Our faith is so good it works. In Psalm 34 verse 17, this is what we read about God and the prayers of the righteous. Psalm 34 verse 17. The righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. So God longs to answer our prayers. But you say Pastor Mark, what hinders my prayers at times? At times I pray and it seems that there are no answers. At times I pray and it seems my prayers go up to the ceiling and come back down. Now there are four things that may hinder our prayers. Number one. If we harbor sin in our life, known sin. We all fail. We all fall short of God's glory. We all make mistakes but there's a difference in harboring sin. There's a difference in committing rebellion against God when we know what we ought to do. Psalm 66 verse 18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Now notice it doesn't say if I sin, it's if I regard iniquity in my heart. In other words, if my heart is in rebellion against God, if I willingly, knowingly live a life out of harmony with God's will, that blocks God's answer to my prayers. Why? The only prayer that God would answer for a person who's in active rebellion is a prayer of confession, a prayer of repentance. But if God would shower his richest blessings upon us when we are regarding iniquity in our heart, living in known sin, he would justify that sin. In fact, in the book of Proverbs chapter 28 verse 9, you have a very similar Bible passage to the one we've just read in Psalm 66. Proverbs 28 verse 9. One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination. In other words, if I live a life of knowing, willing rebellion against God, God cannot answer. So the first reason some of our prayers are not answered is because there is known sin in our life. So unanswered prayers lead us to reflect. They lead us to meditate. They lead us to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, asking the Holy Spirit to convict us of any known sin in our life that's blocking our prayers. Now the second reason some prayers are not answered is because when we pray, we pray selfish prayers to simply gratify our selfish desires. You say Mark, is there a pastor? Mark, is there a Bible text on that? There is. James chapter 4. Remember the book of James right after the book of Hebrews and James the fourth chapter. And the Bible puts it this way. It says James 4 verse 2. You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because it says you ask and do not receive that you're praying you're not receive. Why? Because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures. In other words, if the motive in my prayer is simply to gratify my own selfish desires and pleasures, God does not hear. When we're praying, one of the things we want to do is align our prayers with God's will. You remember in John chapter 8 verse 29 Jesus in his prayer said, I do always those things that please him. And in Psalm 37 it says, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. If I delight myself in the Lord, my desires become his desires. So when I'm praying, I don't force or superimpose my will upon God's will. That hinders my prayers. When I'm praying, I say God, is this your will? God, I only want to do to want to do things that please you. So two reasons our prayers are hindered and two solutions. One, there's known sin in our life. The solution is meditation, seeing if and asking the Holy Spirit to convict us if there is something in our life blocking our prayers. Second is we pray selfish prayers and those selfish prayers block God's will. So the answer to that is saying God, what do you want? God, all I want is is your will. The third is faithless prayers. When you pray, if you do not believe that God is going to answer your prayers, that is a hindrance. Now there's a fourth reason why our prayers are not apparently answered and that is timing. We pray but it's not God's time. You remember the story in the book of Daniel where Daniel prays for three weeks for Cyrus to sign the decree that the Israelites could go free from Medo-Persian bondage. Babylon had fallen. The 70 year captivity was about up. And as it's about up um Daniel's praying. He prays for three weeks. There is no apparent answer to his prayers. At the end of three weeks, Jesus comes to him. He Daniel faints at the glory of Christ. Then an angel comes. Likely the angel Gabriel comes to explain to Daniel what has been going on. And Daniel chapter 10 verse 12, then he said to me, that's the angel, do not fear Daniel for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I've come because of your words. So from the first day Daniel prayed, his prayers were heard but Daniel didn't see that. There was a timing issue. As Daniel prayed that Cyrus would have light in his mind and that the uh decree would be signed, the evil angels are bringing darkness into Cyrus's mind. They were wanting Cyrus not to let Israel go free. And there was this battle between good and evil for we have wrestled not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers at evil places Ephesians 6 verses 10 to 12. Eventually Jesus comes down and the evil angels spread flee and Cyrus signs the decree. But if you were Daniel, you'd have thought and if you didn't have faith, you'd have thought your prayers are going up to the ceiling and bouncing back but they weren't. God was working out the solution. So there are three things to remember here that God is teaching us when there are no apparent answers to our prayers. He wants to teach us patience. He wants to teach us perseverance. And he also longs to teach us to praise him when our prayers are not being answered, knowing that he will answer.
Guest (Male): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now a final thought from Pastor Mark.
Mark Finley: Faith is not a dead principle. It's not a dead letter but it's a living dynamic experience of trust. What is faith? Faith is trusting God as a friend well known, knowing that he'll never do us any harm and that he will work within us to accomplish his purposes. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we're thankful that you are rich in mercy. We're thankful that you redeemed us by your love and grace. We're thankful that you've taken us from the gutter most to the utter most. You've taken us from the depths of despair lost to the delights of discipleship saved. We're thankful that by faith we can receive your grace to pardon our past and to empower our present. We accept your grace and your love just now to be saved in your kingdom in Christ's name. Amen.