======================================================================== HOLINESS, IMPOSSIBLE？ by Donny Coulter ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon emphasizes the struggle and feelings of inadequacy in striving for holiness, acknowledging our failures and sins that seem insurmountable. It delves into the concept of being God's workmanship, His masterpiece, created anew in Christ, and the transformation that occurs through His grace and love. The message highlights the importance of seeing ourselves as God sees us and embracing the truth that we are His beloved children, saved by grace and called to walk in good works prepared for us. Topics: "Identity in Christ", "Grace and Transformation" Scripture References: Ephesians 2:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:3, Isaiah 43:7, Romans 8:16, Psalm 139:14, Philippians 1:6, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 2:9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the struggle and feelings of inadequacy in striving for holiness, acknowledging our failures and sins that seem insurmountable. It delves into the concept of being God's workmanship, His masterpiece, created anew in Christ, and the transformation that occurs through His grace and love. The message highlights the importance of seeing ourselves as God sees us and embracing the truth that we are His beloved children, saved by grace and called to walk in good works prepared for us. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And when we talk about this command to holiness and our, our in our, it seems like our inability to even get close to that. I don't know if you're like me, but I come up way too often with the stark reality that I am so far away from where I want to be. And then the devil steps in and begins to lie. Do you experience that too? Nothing, nothing to bring about those feelings worse than farming. I can't say that. There's many other things that would do that. It's just my world in the last few weeks. But we can begin to, we begin to discover that we are extremely, extremely far away from this command to be holy as he is holy. Along with that can come as it did in me in these last couple of weeks. The thought that I will never get there. I'll never get this cleaned out of my life. I can tell you as transparency, the expression that I gave to God was, it's useless. And so as we've been preaching through and teaching through these things, maybe there's something in your life that God has pinpointed. Maybe there is a consistent, constantly bugging you sin that you cannot break free from. Something that's haunted you for a long time. And along with that, confession comes an acknowledgement of your own self that you are a failure. And I want to say to you, loudly, and to myself, that God does not make junk. You remember the picture that we drew of our life hidden in Christ? And I gave you the donkey. And we put the big board up, the tote top up, and it had Christ on the front of it. And we said that your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3. Your life is hid with Christ in God. And that often times the way that we see ourselves is just a piece of junk. A piece of crap. Forgive my language. But we see ourselves that way. And that is not the way God sees us as His children. Do you agree with that statement? Do you believe that God does not see you that way? Then do you believe that God wants you to see you in His way? So freeing when we begin to see ourselves as God sees us. Turn to Ephesians chapter 2. See what I mean by forgetfulness? I forgot where Ephesians is. Ephesians chapter 2. We're going to read verses 1-10, but we're going to focus quickly on verse 10. And you He made alive. You are not dead anymore in your trespasses. You He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sin. Do you see a transition and a change there? Do you see it? You were dead in your trespasses and in your sin. And now you have been made alive by God in Christ. You have been made alive. That's how God sees you. In which you once walked according to the course of this world. According to the prince of the power of the air. The spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Notice the change. Because you have been made alive. Paul says you once walked in these things. There is a change. There must be a change from who we were to who we are. Verse 3. Among whom also we once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. And were by nature the children of wrath just as others. So we were all as guilty as everyone at one time. But now we are no longer that way. And we once conducted our lifestyle according to who we were. Fulfilling the desires of the mind and the flesh. But that is who we were and not who we are. Verse 4. But God. Don't you love it when God throws a but in scriptures? But God. Who is rich in mercy. Remember. But God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he has loved us. Even when we were dead in trespasses. Made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. And he has raised us up together. And made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come. He might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved. Through faith. And that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Not of works. Lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship. Notice what he says. I'm going to pull this up on the screen here. I totally forgot that I had it on here. Look at verse 10. Verse 9. Not of works lest any should boast. For we are his workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus for good works. Which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Let's pray. Father. Thank you for your powerful word. Thank you for your overwhelming and amazing grace. Oh God. We sing that song so often and I think we sing it forgetting. Thank you for your amazing grace. That has saved us. And we did nothing to deserve it. And we've done nothing to keep it. We can never do anything to keep it God. You gave it to us as a free gift. By faith we accept it. And so Father we thank you for that grace. And that great salvation that we have received. Thank you Lord. I pray Father may we stand daily. In that salvation. Not in our failures. Not in the lies of the enemy or Satan. I pray that we would stand. In the incredible love and power of Jesus. May you teach us in this moment. Spirit of the living God. May you teach us as you would have. Us to know and understand all of these truths. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. You are his workmanship. Notice that word. His workmanship. You have in your notes. If you picked any up. Sorry there's no bulletin today. Kathy didn't have time to put one out. But I wanted to put out my notes. And I would encourage you to use the back side of your notes. To be able to write your own personal notes. And references for yourself. We are his. Workmanship. Or his. Handiwork. Or his. Masterpiece. Or his work of art. Depends on your translation. The word in Greek is poem. You know what word we got from that word? Poem. We get from our English word poem. From that Greek word. Now just so you understand. That the Greek word refers to much more than just the writing of poetry. The art of writing poetry. It refers way more than that. It was actually used to speak of anything. Any kind of work of art that was created by an artist. So if it was a carved stone. Or a carved wooden image. Or a painting. Or a writing. Some kind of literary art. Whatever it might have been. Whatever type of art it would have been. It would have been considered to be. If it was done by someone who was very good at what they did. It was considered to be poem. That means it was a masterpiece. It was a work of art. This unmistakably. Now listen for a moment as I read this. It unmistakably means that at our salvation. God wielded his fullest, greatest, and most creative powers. Do you catch that statement? At the moment of salvation. At the moment of your salvation. God brought out his fullest, greatest, and most creative powers. We weren't just mildly saved. We weren't just a little saved. When you were saved. But rather God took us into his hands. Even as he did Adam. Shaped and formed him. God took us into his hands. And he marvelously made us new in Jesus Christ. As he released the most creative powers. And forces. And made us his workmanship. That we would be worthy to bear the name. The greatest name. The name above all names. Do you catch on to that? That he didn't just save you to be mediocre. He saved you to bear his name. He saved you to bear the name above all names. That you might show forth the glory of that name. And you are his workmanship. And he has taken a personal stake in the workmanship of you. And I want you to personalize this this morning. That as you hear this. I am, say this with me. I am the workmanship of God. I am the workmanship of God. I am the masterpiece of God. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ. He is a new creation. That is something that happens instantaneously. The old things have passed away. And behold all things are becoming. Is the proper translation. Are becoming new. It is a process. Do not forget that this is a process. Listen creation was a grand thing wasn't it? When you think of the creation story. I think I heard George in here this morning reading a little bit of the creation story. Creation was a grand thing. But the new creation is even grander. Amen. To bring a man into existence from the dust of the earth was a grand thing. To bring a man from the depths of sin. To release him and give him freedom is even grander. Than the original creation. God is so incredibly good. I want you to take a moment. Let's take just a few minutes. Man I should not have looked at that clock. I want us to take a few minutes to watch this video. And then I will come in and finish it up. Listen as we talk about God at work in you. To make you his child. To bear his name. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/tymgD5YRLUo.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/donny-coulter/holiness-impossible/ ========================================================================