by Roby Ellis SPANISH/ESPAÑOL

[Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:9-11]

Introduction

A. There are many human works that are regarded as masterpieces.

B. If God painted a masterpiece of His own, what would it look like?

I. God applied the first strokes of His masterpiece in the creation.

A. God’s original creation was stunning (Genesis 1:25).

B. Man was the crown jewel of God’s creative work (Genesis 1:26-31).

C. God committed His beautiful masterpiece to a canvas of human flesh (2 Corinthians 4:6-7; 3:3).

II. God added detail stroke by stroke through the prophets.

A. He slowly brought forth the image of the great Redeemer (Genesis 3:15; Job 19:25; Isaiah 53).

B. He gradually brought into focus the grandeur of His eternal kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 2:44; 7:17-18).

III. God completed His masterpiece with the cross of Christ and with the church that He built.

A. Hereby salvation was made possible by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

B. Hereby He destroyed the enmity that separated the Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-22).

C. Only God could have taken a symbol of cruelty and turned it into one of glory (Galatians 6:14).

Conclusion

When we realize that we are God’s masterpiece, it changes the way we live, and it impresses upon us the fact that God’s eternal plan for the church needs none of our alterations.