You and I live in a culture of poverty. Right here in the 19 th wealthiest county in all of
America we are surrounded by poverty.
Not the kind of poverty you are thinking of – not the kind that leaves you homeless,
destitute or hungry.
But an insidious bone level poverty that leaves this community languishing.
It is the poverty of ambition...a poverty that leaves us with no real purpose to live
for....one that limits our reason to live to the ridiculously inane mission of making money.
“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little
of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled”
Many of your neighbors live in this poverty. And it is slowly sapping away their lives.
“A useless life is an early death”.
Tonight/this morning I want you to hear that there is no reason for anyone to languish in
uselessness ...God has something much bigger in mind for every human being...
Ephes. 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
Every human being is a “masterpiece” - God’s workmanship.
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uniquely shaped in personality – ENTJ – IFSP
uniquely endowed with gifts and abilities – serving, helps, wisdom,
administration, arts, care,
with unique journeys and histories that have shaped our lives.
That right there is enough information to at least pique the imagination isn’t it?
“created...to do good works”
We were created with a purpose – to do good things...which sounds rather uninspiring
at first...kinda trite ...nothing that will inspire the imagination.
That is until we understand what good works are – the purposes of God for this world.
Remember another time when God called something good? He called his shaping and
creating of the world “good”. Just as he wanted it. the fulfillment of his dreams for
creation and humanity.
In the same way “good works” are the fulfillment of his dream and purposes for
humanity and creation.
So, you and I were created as masterpieces to fulfill God’s purposes and dreams for all
of creation:
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humanity to be restored in relationship with Him
the creation to be well cared for
peace to be the norm between all nations
authentic community and relationships to thrive
healing to be the norm
injustices like poverty to be confronted and the marginalized cared for.
Don’t think good works as in helping change someone’s tire or serve in your school’s
bake sale...think good works as in changing the world.
Every human being was created as a masterpiece that can change the world.
“Which God prepared in advance for us to do”
Here’s something to get your head spinning: You and your purpose for existence
existed before your body...
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you
apart;
Jeremiah 1:5
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:15-16
So from eternity past God created you as a masterpiece to find your calling to fulfill his
purposes in the world.
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...to live for something bigger than yourself
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something bigger than the American dream
something grander than the culture of the suburbs
something more substantial than the material
Each human being was created to discover a calling that as we journey to find it, makes
us alive...a calling in which we flourish...a calling that pulls out of the poverty of ambition
and allows us to change the world.
How does this relate to Dick and Jane? I thought we were focusing on the people in
our lives who are distant from Jesus. What does this have to do with them? ...hang on
“sparky” we’ll get there in a minute.
But I first want you to grasp just how significant a role each human being can have in
this lifetime. I want you to understand how we were created to have purpose...
For instance here’s another illustration of that..,
God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting
men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We
are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Two images describe the role we can play in this world...
Vs. 18 - “ministry of reconciliation”
ministry = servant, table waiter, runner
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We are runners in this world...he is the general and we carry his message out to
the world
We are table waiters and he is head chef...we carry his food to the world
We are servants and he is Lord...we do his work in the world
Vs. 20 - “ambassadors” of Christ
1. Spokesperson for God - ones who make God’s appeal on behalf of him
Again - there are reasons for which to live that are much bigger than the American
dream!
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to
God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
3 more images of purpose in this world...
“chosen people”
Hand picked family that represents its dad in the world
“royal priesthood”
Ones who dispenses grace and mercy and forgiveness and act as intermediaries of
God
“holy nation”
A community that models the values of God – holiness – unique and set apart
My point – human beings were created by God to live with an epic sense of purpose
...enormous sense of calling...let me summarize why each of us was created as a
masterpiece in this world:
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Caretakers of creation
Heralds of peace
Catalysts of community
Agents of healing
Rescuers of the poor and marginalized
Runners of reconciliation
Ambassadors of Christ
Spokespersons for God
Dispensers of grace and mercy
Models of holiness
This is what you were created to do – there are ten reasons to get up in the morning.
So , what does this have to do with Dick and Jane...what does it have to do with our
friends and family that live around us in our world? How does this relate to the people in
our lives who we suspect may be far from God?
Well it doesn’t...it has nothing to do with Dick and Jane...yet
Dick and Jane will never escape their poverty of ambition until something crucial
happens in their life.
Your next door neighbors, co-workers and fellow students won’t discover their God
given calling until they meet Jesus.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Did you notice that when we first went through this verse I left out a few words...
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
For instance “we” – he wasn’t talking about all human beings but a specific group of
human beings Look at the context: when he says “we” he means:
Vs 1 - those who were “dead” but are now alive
Vs 5 – those who have been made “alive with Christ”
Vs 6 – those who have been “raised up”
Vs 8 – those who have been “saved by Grace”
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Also note the phrase “in Christ Jesus” (250x in NT) ...those who are in union with Jesus.
Those human beings who are united with Jesus, who have been made alive in Jesus,
who have been redeemed...they are the ones who discover a purpose bigger than
themselves.
So, let me put my own spin an Eph 2:10
For we, followers of Jesus, are God's masterpiece, created through our union with Him
to live out a calling which God designed for us before we were born
Ephesians 2:10 (DRV)
This is the essential element we can’t miss – the calling and fulfillment of the God’s
design for all human beings is unlocked when a person chooses to follow Christ and
enters into union with him.
Many of your friends aren’t yet in union with Jesus – thus though they may be gifted
people and even feel somewhat fulfilled with their lives they will not totally step into their
calling until they experience the cross and resurrection – until their lives are redeemed.
So as we now arrive at the end of our series let me take one last stab at this question:
Why do your friends and family need Jesus?
They need their relationship with God restored
They need healing for their brokenness
They need a community of real relationships
They need a reason to live for that is larger than themselves
Who will introduce them to the joy of forgiveness?
Who will direct them to the healing they crave?
Who will open the door into the new community of the church?
Who will lead your friends and family out of the poverty of ambition into lives of purpose
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If not you – then who?