The audio of this message is also available.

In our country we recently had a presidential election. It was a highly contested race, and the results were split almost evenly between the top two candidates. Close elections such as those often leave those whose candidate lost feeling bitter. Some even question God, especially if they question something about the candidate who won.

Or perhaps you live in a country where there are not free elections. Perhaps you are feeling hate or bitterness toward the rulers you have. Maybe you are wondering why God placed that person over you.

Paul addresses this in Romans chapter 13, beginning in verse 1:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7 NIV)

In these verses, Paul says that it is God’s will that we submit to those who govern us, because those rulers have been set in place by God himself. Paul does not say that we are only to submit to those rulers that we agree with, or even those that we voted for. He says to submit to them all, because their authority comes from God.

It is interesting to note that when Paul wrote this, the governing authorities were often not kind at all to the Christians of that day. Many times, Christians were persecuted or even put to death by the Roman authorities. They faced all sorts of hardships due to those who were over them. And yet, Paul still says that the Christians were to submit to them.

Paul goes on to say that those rulers are God’s servants, “an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” in verse 4. He also says that we are to give everyone what they deserve from us: taxes, revenue, respect, and honor.

Sometimes we submit to those over us because we don’t have much of a choice, but we do so with as little respect as we can get by with. But Paul says that those rulers are worthy of our respect because of their positions. Often, it is difficult to have respect for those that you don’t agree with, but Paul lets us know that God expects that of us.

Your candidate may not have won the election. You may be under a harsh ruler that you don’t have the option of voting out of office in the next election. Either way, we are to respect those above us. And one good way to show them respect is to pray for them. Elsewhere, Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 2:

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV)

Here, Paul says that praying for those in authority is good and pleasing to God. It also allows us to live peaceful and quiet lives, which goes along with what Paul had said in Romans chapter 13.

We may not always want the rulers that we have, but God has set them in place over us, according to his will and purpose. God is in charge, and that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

The audio of this message is also available.

A while back, my wife Laura and I went to eat at a fancy restaurant. It was a really fancy place, the kind of restaurant that we don’t normally go to. It was one of those restaurants where you have to have a reservation, where you are expected to dress rather nicely, and where they already have the plates and silverware on the table when you get there. When we arrived and were shown to our seats, the menu was already on the table. I’m sure that when I looked at the prices, my eyes suddenly got huge. Fortunately, the good news was that we had a gift certificate, which said that it was good for “dinner for two.”

When the waiter came to start taking our order, I showed him our gift certificate and asked him what exactly that meant. He said those magic words, “You can have anything you want.” “Anything?” I asked. He replied, “Yes, anything. If you want an appetizer, I will bring it to you. If you want a salad, I will bring that. Whatever entrée you want, I will bring that to you. And if you have room for dessert, I will bring that. Or even if you just want to taste a dessert, you can have one. Whatever you want. And the same goes for drinks, too. Alcoholic drinks aren’t included-” “Not a problem,” I said. He continued, “But any other drinks are.” I said, “Coke?” He said, “Sure!” Laura said, “Do you have a fruit tea?” He said, “I will go make some for you.”

Wouldn’t it be great to ask for anything you want? As it turns out, Jesus said that you can:

Matthew 7:7-8 – Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 18:19 – Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
Matthew 21:22 – If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
John 14:13-14 – And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 15:7 – If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 16:24 – Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

I think you can see a pattern here. Jesus said, “Just ask in my name, and you can have anything you want.”

James elaborated on this just a bit more in James chapter 4, beginning in verse 1:

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 1:1-4 NIV)

James is saying that if we ask for the things that we don’t need because our motives are wrong, we won’t get it. But if our motives are pure and we ask God through Jesus, we can have it. Too many times, we ask for things because we are selfish. We ask for things that we think will make us look good to others. But that isn’t asking with the right motives, according to James. If we ask with the intent to use what we get to serve and glorify God, then our motive is right.

After we finished our meal, which was quite good, the waiter brought the bill. He said, “You don’t have to pay this, but I still have to bring it to you.” I looked at the bill, and it was for $125. Fortunately, that was all covered by the gift certificate.

To have anything we want in life, there is also a cost, but we also don’t have to pay. Our cost comes because of our sins, and the cost is our life. Our gift comes in that Jesus paid the cost for us with his life. Jesus paid the cost for us by giving his life for our lives so that we can have anything we want, as long as we ask with the proper motives.

You can have anything you want, if you ask God through Jesus with the proper motives. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

Do you judge people based on their outward appearance? Judging someone by how they look is relatively easy to do, but it isn’t always accurate.

In the Old Testament, after God rejected Saul as the king of Israel, He sent Samuel to anoint a new king from the sons of Jesse. When Jesse began to bring out his sons, Samuel looked at them and tried to figure out which one God wanted him to anoint. In 1 Samuel chapter 16, beginning in verse 4, we read:

When (Samuel) arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:4-7 NIV)

Samuel made a judgement of Jesse’s son Eliab based on his physical characteristics. Maybe he was tall. Or maybe he was handsome. Or maybe he was strong. But those outward traits were not necessarily what God was interested in.

Jesse kept bringing his sons before Samuel, but with each one, God told Samuel to keep looking. After all the sons that were present had been presented to Samuel, he asked Jesse if there were any more sons. Jesse replied that he had one more son, his youngest son David, who was out tending sheep. When David arrived, God told Samuel that David was the one to anoint.

What was it about David that made him the one God chose to be king? The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:12, “He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.” But as we had seen with his brothers, his appearance was not the most important thing. We know that God was looking at David’s heart.

David has been called a man after God’s own heart in Acts 13:22. Of course, when we talk about David’s heart, we aren’t talking about the organ in his chest that pumps blood. No, we are talking about his emotions, his feelings, his thoughts, his soul. David’s heart desired the same things that God desires.

That does not mean that David was perfect. But even after his mistakes, he repented and returned to following God.

Our outward appearances show who we think we are. We can make ourselves look certain ways to people, but eventually, what is in our heart will show through our exterior appearance. Jesus said in Luke 6, beginning in verse 43:

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:43-45 NIV)

Jesus is saying that our words and our actions are the fruit of our heart, and this fruit shows what is truly in our heart. Because of the fruit we bear based on what is in our heart, others can see our example and want to follow God as well.

God is not interested in our outward appearances. Instead, He cares about what is in our hearts, and if we truly desire in our hearts to follow his will for us.

We can align our hearts to be like God’s heart. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

Once we become Christians, we are forgiven of our sins. But does that give us a right to keep on sinning? The apostle Paul talks about this in Romans chapter 6, beginning in verse 1:

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:1-14 NIV)

Paul says that when we put on Christ in baptism, we were buried with him in his death. And then when we came up out of the water of baptism, we were raised to a new life, just as Christ was raised from death after his crucifixion. Our death is a symbolic one, but it shows that we are dead to sin, so that we will no longer be slaves to sin. We have been set free from sin because of being dead to sin. Sin no longer rules our lives.

Paul says that just as Jesus died, we also died. And just as Jesus cannot die again, we cannot die to sin again, either. Because of this, we should not have any part in sin. Instead of pursuing sin, we should pursue the righteousness of God, or as Paul says, we should offer ourselves to God as an instrument of righteousness. An instrument is a tool that is used to produce an effect, such as a musical instrument is used to produce music. So by presenting ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness, we are giving ourselves over to him so that he can use us in whatever way he sees fit, so that our righteousness may be seen by all.

For some people, one of the hardest parts of becoming a Christian is overcoming their slavery to sin. Many people struggle with it for some time, and unfortunately, some give up, remaining slaves to sin for the rest of their lives. For them, sin just looks too good to give up. The pleasures of the world consume them, and they lose sight of their ultimate goal.

But throughout the Bible, God plainly says that there is no place for sin in the lives of those who follow him. We must put aside sin, not letting it have any part of our lives. Paul reminds us in verse 14 that we should no longer let sin be our master, because we are now under grace. Getting rid of sin in our lives is not always easy, if we have let ourselves become accustomed to sin. But it is what God expects of us, because God cannot be where sin is.

Paul says this once again in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

What Paul is saying is that when we are crucified with Christ through baptism, we are no longer living our own lives, but instead Christ is living in us, because he gave himself for us.

When we were baptized in to Christ, we were set free from sin, so that we can become instruments of righteousness for God. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available

Do you have problems? Do you feel that the troubles of the world are almost more than you can bear? At times, life can seem to be difficult. And at times, it seems as if there is no way out. It seems like the world is going to win, and we are going to lose. Jesus speaks about this in John chapter 16, verse 33:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

Jesus was speaking to his disciples, knowing that difficult times were ahead for them. He said he was telling them things so that they could have peace. But what he had been telling them was that they were about to be scattered, and he was about to be tried unfairly, sentenced unjustly, and put to death. Yet he was also telling them that their grief would turn to joy. He would be raised from death, showing his power over sin and the grave.

Jesus wasn’t promising that his followers would not have problems. And even today, we do not have the promise of a problem-free life as Christians. On the contrary, we can expect to suffer hardship and persecution. It may be physical persecution, or it may be in the form of words spoken against us, or actions to try to keep us from doing what is right.

We are also not promised a life free from other difficulties. We will have sickness and death. People may lose their jobs or suffer other financial hardships. People may face all kinds of difficulties. Being a Christian does not free us from that. People often have the mistaken belief that Christians do not have problems. And often times new Christians get discouraged and turn away from their faith once they are faced with problems of the world.

However, Jesus tells us plainly in this verse to take heart, because he has overcome the world. All the problems that we may have in this life are only temporary. Even if we have persecution that leads to death, it is only temporary. Even if we have some illness or disease that results in death, it is only temporary. As Christians, our death here on earth is not the end. It may seem final, but it is not.

Just as Jesus overcame death, through him we can overcome death as well. Once we have passed from this life, we will have an eternal life with him in heaven, if we have followed his commands. Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” If we believe in him and are baptized, we will be saved, and we will overcome the world, just as he did.

So how did Jesus give his followers peace by telling them these things? After all, he was promising them, and us, that there will be troubles in this world. But if we focus on him, things will be easier to handle. If we put our trust in him and stop worrying about our problems, we can make it through. If we have faith that we will overcome the world just as Jesus did, we can have peace. We can know that this life here on earth is not all there is. And we can realize that our death here is not our final result.

The peace that Jesus promises us in this verse is real, lasting peace. Not necessarily the worldly absence of wars and fighting, but true peace. That peace comes from the knowledge that the problems of this life are only temporary, and that just as Jesus has overcome the world, we will overcome the problems of the world as well. If that doesn’t happen in this life, it will happen when we receive our eternal reward in heaven if we have obeyed Jesus in this life.

Even though we may have problems in this world, Jesus has overcome the world. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

Do you have wisdom? And if so, how would people know it? Your wisdom can be seen by the things that you do, and by the words that you say. James talks about this in James chapter 3, beginning in verse 13:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:13-18 NIV)

These days, so many people try to do great things to show how wise they are. They will boast about how much they know, and they will do all sorts of things to call attention themselves and to their wisdom. I’m sure it was much the same way back in the Bible times as well, when James was writing his letter. But do all our claims and all of our boasts actually show our wisdom? Do those things actually make us look wise to other people? They may be intrigued by what we say at first, but all those boasts do not actually show our wisdom.

James tells us that we can show our true wisdom by the things that we do. People can see our wisdom in the good life that we lead, and by the deeds that we do. One of the key ingredients that James mentions here is humility, as well. True wisdom does not need to boast. But rather, true wisdom is confident enough to live in humility, not putting itself before others.

So many people have bitter envy and selfish ambition in their hearts, as  James mentions in verse 14 of this text. But if we have those things, and if that is what is causing us to want other people to think that we are wise, we should not boast about it. As James says in verse 15, 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. This false wisdom is not from God, but rather from men, or even from Satan himself.  James warns us that envy and selfish ambition bring about disorder and evil, not true wisdom that God wants us to have.

Next, James gives us a list of the characteristics of this true wisdom that comes from heaven.  This wisdom is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. What a list that is! If we can have these qualities about us, we will be showing true wisdom. That isn’t to say that it comes easy. Purity certainly doesn’t come naturally, nor does peacefulness or consideration for others. It is definitely not easy to be submissive to others, particularly if you think your way is the right way. Mercifulness, impartiality, and sincerity are traits that are often hard to find in today’s world. Yet if we have God’s true wisdom, then we can show all of these things to others.

James then says that peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness in verse 18. Are you a peacemaker? I know some people who seem to be able to smooth out conflicts naturally. And then I know others who seem to stir things up, even without trying to. It just seems to be their nature. But even if this is your nature, you can overcome that trait by having the wisdom of God in your life. God would not expect us to do something that is impossible. And while sometimes being considerate, submissive, or merciful might seem to be an impossible task, these are all things we can do with God’s help.

And once as we do these things, we will have a harvest of righteousness. People will see our wisdom, and hopefully they will recognize that the wisdom that we have comes from God. Or perhaps they will ask, and we will have the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with them, so that this wisdom can spread even farther throughout the world.

We can show the wisdom of God by our actions and words in our life, and it can have great results. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

Jesus gave his life for our sins. But it wasn’t an accident, or something that he had no control over. Rather, he willingly sacrificed himself for us. The apostle John tells us about this in John chapter 10, beginning in verse 11:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:11-18 NIV)

In this passage, Jesus uses the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep, an illustration that was quite familiar to his audience at the time. And in that day, a shepherd would do whatever he could do to take care of his sheep. If the shepherd had hired someone else to help him, that person would run away at the sign of trouble, such as a wolf coming, because the hired hand had no real obligation to the sheep. He was just working at a job.

But the shepherd, however, had a great interest in the sheep. And he would do whatever was necessary to take care of his sheep, because the sheep are his, and because he cares for them.

Jesus is saying that he is like that shepherd. We are his sheep. It’s not just that Jesus is out there somewhere when things are going good. But we belong to him, and he loves us and cares for us, just as a shepherd cares for his sheep. He will not abandon us when trouble comes along, but he will protect us and care for us.

Jesus then tells us that he goes so far to lay down his life for the sheep. A shepherd would sometimes have to put his life on the line to take care of his flock, and that is what Jesus did for us. He gave his life in order to save his sheep. In verse 18, Jesus says that no one takes his life from him, but rather he gives it because he wants to.  It would not have been quite the same if Jesus had died unwillingly. Such an act might have seemed like an accident, or as though we weren’t that important to him. But instead, he chose to give his life for us. He chose to die, even though he did not have to. And because he chose to die for us, that death is all the more meaningful to us.

We are all sinners, and sin requires punishment from God. The wages of sin is death, as we read in Romans 6:23. But instead of us having to die for our sins, Jesus died in our place. He took the punishment for us, even though we deserved it and he did not. He died willingly for our sins.

But in John 10:18, Jesus says that he has the authority to lay down his life and to take it up again. And he did take up his life again, being resurrected from death on the third day, showing that he has power over sin and death.

Because Jesus laid down his life for us, we can have forgiveness from the sins in our life. And we accept that forgiveness through baptism into Jesus, washing away our sins and beginning a new life in him.

Jesus, who was sinless, willingly gave his life for us, even though we are sinners. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

As Christians, we are expected to give our lives over to Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul talks about this in Romans chapter 12, beginning in verse 1:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:1-8 NIV)

Here, Paul tells us that we are to sacrifice ourselves. Just as Jesus, God’s only son, was sacrificed for our sins, we are to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of Christ. As Paul says, this is our spiritual act of worship to God. True worship comes from serving him through our lives.

How do we do this? Paul tells us not to be conformed to the pattern of the world, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In other words, as Christians, we are supposed to stand out from the world. People should be able to look at us and tell that there is something different about us. And this comes from the renewing of our minds – changing the way we think so that we are no longer focused on ourselves and our desires, but instead we are focused on serving God and spreading his kingdom.

Paul cautions us in verse 3 not to think of ourselves more highly than we should. We can fall into the trap of thinking that we are better than others, when that is actually not true. Paul had said earlier in Romans chapter 3 that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, and that we can all also be justified through the redemption in Christ Jesus. None of us is any better than anyone else – we are all sinners.

Each of us has a different gift – a different talent that we can use to serve God. We have not all been blessed with the same talents, but rather each of us has a different talent. If we all had the same talent, then only one part of God’s work would get done, while the rest of the work would suffer because no one could do it. Paul lists many different gifts, and encourages the people with those gifts to use them well to the glory of God.

God could have chosen any number of ways to spread his word throughout the world. But the way that he chose was for us to do it. At first, this may seem a bit perplexing. God could certainly do it on his own without us if he wanted to. But instead, he wants us to do it.  Perhaps one reason for this is that through our work, we can show how much we love God, and tell people about how he loves us.

That is why back in verse 1, Paul says that the reason we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices is in view of God’s mercy. When we realize what God has done for us, it should be our natural reaction to want to serve him. After all, God gave his only son, everything he had, so that we could have forgiveness of our sins. So it shouldn’t be too much for us to offer our lives back to him in return for so great a gift. And God gave this gift not because we deserved it, for we are all sinners. But he gave the gift of Jesus because of his goodness and because of his love for us.

We can be living sacrifices, serving God because of his grace and mercy toward us. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

As Christians, though we were once dead in our sins, we have been made alive through Christ, giving us forgiveness from our sins and eternal life. Paul tells us about this in Ephesians chapter 2, beginning in verse 1:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:1-10 NIV)

In this passage, Paul reminds us that we used to follow the ways of the world. We were following the desires of our sinful nature, doing what we wanted to do without regard for God and his will for our lives. As Paul says, we were dead in our transgressions and sins. Death, of course, is final – the end of life.

But Paul says that God has made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our sins. And we don’t have to wonder why God did this, because Paul plainly tells us in verse 4 that God made us alive because of his great love for us, and because he is rich in mercy. God is love. And God has so much love that he can love us despite what we have done. He loved us first.

And because of his love for us, God has shown us mercy. Mercy is an act of kindness shown toward someone who may not deserve it. We did not deserve forgiveness of our sins, but God had mercy on us and chose to offer forgiveness to us anyway. He has mercy on us because he loves us. In verse 7, Paul talks about the kindness God has expressed to us through Christ, showing even more the love and mercy that God has for us.

In this passage, Paul tells us that we have been saved by grace through faith. If we have faith in Christ and obey his commands, then we accept God’s grace and his gracious salvation. And again, Paul reminds us that this is not from ourselves, but rather a gift from God. In verse 9, Paul tells us that we are not saved by works, so that no one can boast. If we were able to save ourselves by the things that we do, some people could boast about how much more they have done than others have done. But this is definitely not the case. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. Rather, it is a gift from God to everyone. We are expected to do good works. Paul says that we are God’s workmanship created in Jesus to do good works. And God has prepared in advance these works for us to do. But the works that we do will not save us. They just serve to show how much we love God in return for what he has done for us.

And how do we accept this gift from God? We must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. That’s all there is to it. Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But whoever does not believe will be condemned.” And having done that, we receive God’s grace and mercy, which brings the forgiveness of our sins. From there, we go on to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do, so that others may learn of his love and mercy as well. Because God’s gift is for everyone.

We were once dead in our sins. But because of God’s love for us and his rich mercy, he has made us alive in Christ. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.

What kinds of things do you do with your life? Jesus said that people can tell a lot about you by the things that you do. In Luke chapter 6, beginning in verse 43, Jesus said:

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:43-45 NIV)

An apple tree will not have oranges on it. And an orange tree will not produce apples. Likewise, Jesus says that a good tree will not bear bad fruit, and a bad tree will not bear good fruit. What is this fruit that he is talking about?

By using the word fruit, Jesus is talking about the things that are produced from our lives – our actions and our words. A good person will do good things, and a bad person will do bad things. A bad person may claim to be good. But what he says does not necessarily show what he really is. If you want to know how a person really is, examine their actions and their words. Do they do things to help others? Do they say things to encourage others and build them up? As Jesus says, each tree is recognized by its own fruit.

The things that we say and do are really just a reflection of what is inside of us.  Jesus tells us this in verse 45: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.” If we work at filling our hearts with good things by studying the Bible and talking to God in prayer, then goodness will come out of our hearts. But if we let our hearts be filled with bad things, such as coarse talk, rude jokes, and profanity, those bad things will come out in what we do and show our true character.

James also spoke of this in the book of James chapter 2, beginning in verse 9:

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 2:9-12 NIV)

James said that with our mouths we should not both praise God and curse. This shouldn’t happen. In addition to the illustration of a tree and its fruit, James uses the illustration of fresh water and salt water coming from the same spring. A spring can only give one kind of water.

Our lives should be the same way, where we only produce the good fruit that helps others and glorifies God. If we claim to follow God but do bad things, we become hypocrites and only serve to turn people away from God.

What kind of fruit are you producing with your life? God wants us to produce good fruit. And when we do that, we can glorify him by the good things that we do. We can also encourage other people to produce good fruit in their lives as well.

God sent his son Jesus here to this world, and the sinless son was sacrificed for all of us, who are sinners, taking away our sins even though we did nothing to deserve that. Our thankfulness and appreciation to God for his great mercy should lead us to bear good fruit for him. Although we can not earn our salvation by the good things we may do, our God who saves us expects us to do good things for him.

Because God has saved us, we can  bear good fruit for him by the actions and words in our lives, which come from the goodness in our hearts. And that is good news.

The audio of this message is also available.