God's Artwork on Display, Part 1

Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll describes God's amazing grace. By God's grace, since we are all dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to the culture that's lost its way, since we are all in that category of lostness, only grace would cause a loving holy God to reach down into the ranks of humanity and pick us to be one of His own, only grace.

When we make the decision to follow Jesus Christ, what's the spiritual force that nudges us from an idol position into a forward-moving relationship with God? Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll invites us to follow along in Ephesians, chapter 2. As we discover the mysterious role of God's grace in our redemption. And His grace doesn't stop at conversion. Every day, God is fashioning new life in us to make us useful for His purpose. As Paul said, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

Chuck titled today's message, God's Artwork on Display. I want to read just three verses from this now becoming ever more familiar letter of Ephesians. Let me read verses 8, 9, and 10 of Ephesians 2.

If you've known the Lord for some time, your lips will move because they are so familiar to us. But not the tenth verse, which is of special interest today on the theme of a changed life and our being like Christ. Look at Ephesians 2, 8, for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Meaning walk in those good works.

We're not saved by works, but we are saved for good works, which causes people to see and be attracted to our Lord. They will see your good works and they will glorify your Father. In heaven, I'm starting to preach here and I need to stop. I'll deliver two sermons today. Will you for a moment join me in prayer, please?

Let's bow. It's a pretty awesome thing, Lord, to be in a place of your service. It's a lot easier to form and run a company, even a big corporation, than it is to serve the body of Christ.

Because we as humans see the outward appearance, but you look on the heart. We reward achievements that everybody notices, but you reward those things that are done nobody knows about. You reward motives behind acts. You reward generosity, which is never publicly announced.

You reward sacrifice, which is just the M.O. of a real servant. And so, Father, thank you for the joy of having men and women around us, supporting your work and believing in your ministry and trusting you with their whole heart and leaning not on their own understanding. Guide us as a flock, Lord. There may seem to be safety in numbers, but sometimes there is confusion and there is hypocrisy in numbers. So we pray not to get large, we pray to get deep.

If it's your plan for us to grow in numbers, that's fine, but that's not our plan. Our desire is to be people of quality and authenticity and humility and grace and mercy and compassion. Better in deeds than words, people who have a heart for the whole world, not just our own little backyard mentality. Lord, your reputation is at stake here, not ours, so we hold this very loosely. We consider you very highly. Our desire is to know Christ intimately and in knowing Him, to model His life authentically. Guard us from acts of the flesh, from foolish decisions, from rash actions, from selfish motives. Give us wisdom as so many serve behind the scenes. Now, Lord, meet our needs through the giving of your people, for that is the way your work is supported.

Always has been, always will be. And in the process, help us again, Lord, I pray, to know Christ. We pray it in His name.

Amen. Well, there were giants in the land this past week, and I had the privilege of standing among them. In fact, on one occasion, I'm referring to the old Cowboys football team that came back for their coaches' memorial services.

We were in one room on one occasion, and most of us were standing on one side, and I was convinced the room was going to tilt if they didn't move over and spread things out and balance the weight. What a great reunion. What a wonderful time to be with these men, many of whom I'd only, like you, seen them from a distance, and a few I'd known personally, but not enough. They were a family drawn together in the reunion of memories and the nostalgia of days gone by. What a great group, and how much fun they would have together. They were embracing each other, and to my amazement, not just talking, but their arms were around each other, and sometimes they'd be weeping together, and then a little later they'd be laughing together, and poking fun at one another. Those who had come on the team early on had their own stories to tell, as you can imagine.

They came out of great colleges, and then they wound up in this little scraggly football team that hardly had a building to meet in. I think it was Bob Lilly who said to me, you know, when I first came on the scene, I was really surprised. He looked over at Eddie LeBaron. Remember, Eddie LeBaron stands about 5'4", 5'5", and Lilly's about 12'7", so he looked over and he said, I thought we had problems.

I realized we had a midget for a quarterback. And the old story was that Landry never smiled, never laughed. I thought Roger Staubach's comment was classic. He said, you know, he did look pretty stoic.

He carried himself without a lot of frivolity. In fact, he said, I asked Walt Garrison. I want to say Walt Garrison one time. He said, I asked Walt if he ever saw the coach laugh.

He said, well, no, but I was only here nine years. But he laughed, and he cried, and he felt deeply. The reason the men are a family is because the coach was such a father figure, such a friend, such a mentor, such a model.

Maybe Randy White, don't know anything about Randy's life, but I'll tell you he had the best line of the group. As he referred to his coach, choking back the tears, the man not only talked the talk, he walked the walk. And I will tell you there is something about walking the walk that becomes inescapable and undeniable as it relates to the message of knowing Christ.

When you walk the walk, it has a way of silencing the critics. I can tell you from a few years' experience knowing Tom Landry, the late great Tom Landry, that he walked the walk, whether it was laughing on the shoulders of his team when they beat Miami in January of 72, just as he walked the walk when he wept alone over the grief of the loss of his daughter Lisa to liver cancer after the birth of her little baby. He walked the walk whether it was a time of being glorified by the fans or vilified by a new owner. He walked the walk whether it was in the spotlight or in the shadows, whether it was a time of great joy when he realized he had a championship team on his hands or a time of great confusion when they just couldn't seem to win no matter what. All of this pulled him together because he walked the walk.

This is a perfect occasion for me to say this and then to add a little extra comment for no extra charge. It isn't difficult to bury a man who finishes well. It is terribly difficult to bury a hypocrite. Don't do that to me, okay? Don't leave your mess for me and your family to clean up.

Don't go there. I will say without hesitation you'll never have to worry about some skeleton rattling around Tom Landry's as yet unopened closet. Time will come when all of the secrets will be known, all of the truth will be let out, and there will be no scandal because he died as he lived. An authentic model of the Christian life. Now if your type of model is the kind that pulls people aside and presses them for a decision, then he wasn't your type. But if your type is the one who lives the life, he's your kind of guy.

He's my kind of guy. Because there is something about that kind of life that carries with it its own wonderful rewards. Not only are critics silenced, unbelievers are attracted. And even if they don't believe as you believe, they will not have you as a reason for their unbelief.

Don't give them any. Now how does all of this tie in with Ephesians 2, 8, 9, and 10? A one-word answer, beautifully. Just beautifully.

I'm glad you asked. The great temptation on all our parts who knew this man and loved him from a distance, and by the way, he's one of those heroes that when you got up closer rather than being disappointed, he was even better. But it's our tendency when you're around greatness like this to think, oh my goodness, what a marvelous example of humanity in and of himself. Who needs Christ when he's got a life like that?

Wait, stop. I thought several times in the many meetings that I attended before we had the final memorial for him, I thought, I think Tom Landry would stand up right here and say, stop, quit talking about me so much. Talk about the one I loved and believed in. Because he, like all who become God's workmanship, was saved by grace through faith.

And it wasn't of himself. If you don't know his story, then you don't know when, after a time of winning, he admitted that he still felt empty, still lacked what one would call contentment and peace within. Through a series of interesting events that kind of came back to back, he was led to a Bible study which turned into a prayer session, which led to his acknowledging himself as a sinner in need of a Savior. And he turned his life over to the Lord Jesus Christ, and by faith, he trusted him for his eternal life. And at that moment, he was ready to die, though God had many years for him to live. You see, you're really not ready to live until you're ready to die. And once ready to die, you can live as long or as short as God's pleased for you to do.

But we're all in this category. See verse 8? What a great reminder. It's all by grace. By the way, it's by grace through faith.

But the faith is an unseen journey. You were not there in his heart when he gave himself to Christ. I was not there when you gave your heart to Christ. Even if I had been in the same room, I wasn't in your life.

I didn't see it. You don't see the faith. You witness the result of faith. By God's grace, since we are all, verse 1, dead in trespasses and sins, verse 2, walking according to the culture that's lost its way, since we are all in that category of lostness, only grace would cause a loving, holy God to reach down into the ranks of humanity and pick us to be one of his own. Only grace would give his Spirit the empowerment to give you the ability to say, Yes, Christ.

Yes, Lord. Only grace. So when you believe, just as when Landry believed, it was a private journey, but it leads to a public walk, saved by grace through faith. That's when he started to walk the walk. Until then, he only walked the talk. But when Christ came to live in his life, Randy White couldn't look the other way. And believe me, there are those who watch us more closely than they'll ever read a gospel account of Christ.

A little challenging, isn't it? Well, was it because we started going to church or because we began to do a Bible study or because we decided to quit swearing or because we decided we would be faithful to our mate? Was it because we were christened or dedicated or no, no, no. Look at it.

We're saved by grace through faith, not of yourselves, not as a result of works. It didn't start within yourself and it didn't come because you worked at it. I thought of a classic illustration that would help this make sense. When we fly, we go from one place to a destination, no matter how far away it is, completely without the power to make it happen. I get on a plane to Dallas-Fort Worth and three and a half hours later, I get off that plane. How foolish it would be for me to walk out the jetway and walk into the terminal and say, I did it! I did it!

Boy, are my arms tired. I have flown three and a half hours? From there to here, I am the one that brought myself here.

You'd want to find a place to put me away. Chuck, you didn't do it. You got in the plane. You sat down.

You buckled up. You trusted the law of aerodynamics, which you don't even understand. I don't see the wind that goes under the wing being more than the wind that goes over the wing so that the thing by its remarkable engineering takes off. I just see the thing weighing tons and tons and I pray like mad it'll get off the runway. And so it takes off and I'm sitting there buckled up. I don't even know the name of the pilot. I've never met the pilot's partner. I don't have any idea what they're doing up front.

I trust that they are doing the right thing and I hope we're going in the right direction. I don't know about you, but when I fly, I don't know where north is. I can't figure out where west is any longer. The sun helps, but that keeps moving around and the clouds get in the way and I have to sit there and hang on by faith and you know what I often do?

I just often sleep. Muhammad Ali, when he was at his arrogant heights as the heavyweight champion of the world, got on a plane and sat down in first class and decided he wasn't going to snap his seat belt. And the flight attendant walked up very close to takeoff and said, excuse me, sir, you need to put on your seat belt. And he said, Superman don't need no seat belt.

She said, Superman don't need no airplane. Snap on your seat belt, please. We all need an airplane to get from here to there. All we've got to do is snap on the seat belt.

You and I need help to get from earth to heaven and we can't get there on our own. We've got to trust someone we've never seen. We've got to believe in somebody we've never met physically.

We couldn't pick him out of a crowd if he walked among us today because he'd looked like just one of us. But he's the pilot, you're the passenger. And he flies you from earth to heaven and he's never lost a passenger, nor will he ever. So it makes sense that it's not of yourselves. It's all of grace. Look at the words, not one, not as a result of works so that no one may boast. Not even Tom Landry can boast. Not even Mother Teresa could boast. Not even your good godly mother can boast. Not even your faithful father can boast, the best pastor, the most sacrificial servant, the most significant missionary. None will ever be able to walk like a peacock around heaven or pound their chest saying, I did it, any more than you and I could walk off an airplane and say I flew here on my own. You don't get from there from here to there like that.

No one may boast. By the way, if it were based on works, stop and think, how many? When would you know you had worked enough, okay?

Let's go there. Three a day. I think three good works a day ought to be enough to expect of anybody. If you're busy, two.

Two good works. No, you say that's not enough. How about six? Six is a lot. I'd say maybe six. Do I hear 12? Some of you would say 12. I've done 12. The 15 is 15. How about 30 a month? That's only one a day. Maybe it ought to be 120.

See where I'm going with it? How about enough giving? How about 50% of what you make? Is that enough? Well, that means you kept 50%. That's not enough. How about 75%? Is that enough?

That doesn't work right. What if you live under a bridge and you don't even own a home so that you give everything you've got? You don't even have a home. Is that enough?

Well, you're still wearing those clothes, aren't you? Oh, don't go there. I mean, how much is enough for you to say, I earned my way? And if you did it, there's another guy who lives across the tracks who doesn't have the benefits you've got, and he won't be able to do what you did because he didn't have a chance to do. We're not all created equal. As much as I love the man who wrote that, you know it's not true. Now, we're all created at the same level, but equal, we're not. We don't all have the same breaks. We don't all have the same intelligence. We don't all have the same gifts. We don't all have the same skills. It's not equal. It's not an equal playing field.

We're all equal as sinners. That's why the gift works. Got it? If I come to you and say, here's a gift, don't do anything for it. Just take it. Just take the gift. It's your ticket. You get to make the flight. You take the gift, you got the flight. You didn't earn it.

If you earned it, it's a wage. You're listening to Insight for Living and the Bible teaching of pastor and author Chuck Swindoll. Today and again tomorrow, Chuck is presenting a message called God's Artwork on Display.

To learn more about this ministry, visit us online at insightworld.org. It's encouraging to focus our undivided attention on verses like Ephesians 2 and 3. It's encouraging to focus our undivided attention on verses like Ephesians 2, verse 10, during a season in world history that's marked by fear and anger.

2020 will be forever remembered as the year of the global pandemic, the bombing in Lebanon, and horrific violence in our major cities. How much better to give ourselves to God's gift to mankind, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Well, to that end, Chuck handpicked a book that he found uplifting and helpful. On his short list for recommended reading is this inspirational book from pastor and radio Bible teacher Philip de Courcy.

Before entering the ministry, Philip served on the police force in Belfast, Northern Ireland during intense political upheaval. Well, his book, Take Cover, was written for our times. Chuck said, Your family needs this. You need this. Our country needs this, especially now. To purchase a copy of Take Cover, Finding Peace in God's Protection, call us.

If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888, or go online to insight.org slash store. In closing, let me say a word of thanks to our monthly companions and all those who give generously. You're accomplishing far more than you'll ever know because your gift not only allows us to provide these daily visits with Chuck, a small portion is multiplied overseas in our ongoing pursuit of Vision 195.

Vision 195 is our stated mission to reach all 195 countries of the world with God's amazing grace. So to give a one-time donation today, call us. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888.

That's 1-800-772-8888. Or become a monthly companion when you visit us online at insight.org slash monthly companion. In 2020, the pandemic has swept into our homes in ways we never imagined. Some have suffered greatly, but all of us have felt the loneliness of a quarantined lifestyle. Through it all, we're grateful that God has used the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll to continue understanding the importance of the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll. We're grateful that God has used the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll to continue understanding the importance of the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll to continue uninterrupted by the coronavirus or even through civil unrest. God's amazing grace is our overarching theme every day on Insight for Living.

In fact, it's quite possible that God has used our daily program to extend His grace to you. Well, these daily visits with Chuck are made possible in part by monthly companions, and we're inviting you to join this influential team of monthly supporters. Sign up today by calling us. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. Please jot down our contact information and follow the Lord's prompting. When you do that, you'll become an elegant bouquet, a sweet fragrance of God's grace at home and all around the world. Become a monthly companion by calling us. If you're listening in the United States, call 1-800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org slash monthly companion. Tomorrow Chuck Swindoll continues his encouraging message called God's Artwork on Display right here on Insight for Living. The preceding message, God's Artwork on Display, was copyrighted in 2000, 2001, and 2009, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.