[Music] turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians in chapter number two in verse number 10 Ephesians at chapter number 2 verse 10 for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them thank you you may be seated the grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our God shall stand forever oh talk to us today from this subject what on earth am i here for what on earth am I here for there are two great events in the life of every man every woman born the first is the day you were born and the second is the day you find out why sadly many people leave this world and never know why they were here they never find out their preference they never find out their destiny they never find out the route that God has cut for them the road that God has made for them Jeremiah says that God says to us I know the plans that I have for you plans to prosper you plans to give you a future and hope but again many people leave this world having never found out their real purpose because they have tried all their lives to be somebody else I think it's in authentic I think it's false and hypocritical to live your life trying to be somebody else God thought enough of you to give you your own fingerprints there's nobody in this world exactly like you not even identical twins in that identity that's something different about them God loves you enough to meet you you and you are the best you in Houston and if God had wanted you to be somebody else you mean to somebody else God made you authentically who you are and you do God and yourself but this says to live on this earth all these years and never find out what your honor is for there are some magnificent and breathtaking wonders of the natural world that capture in a moment the grandeur and the interaction all of God as creator the aurora borealis sometimes referred to as the Northern Lights if seen from the Arctic are the southern lights predominantly seen from Antarctica are produced when the magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of changed particles mainly in the form of electrons and protons precipitate into the upper atmosphere due to the Earth's magnetic field which makes this beautiful light show in the North and the South Poles but as beautiful as that Scythians that's not God's greatest one-day the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long 18 miles wide and over a mile six thousand 93 feet deep geologists claim that nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and it's tributaries cut their channels through layers of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted but I believe that the giant finger of God Almighty decided to show us what a ditch looks like when he wants to make one but that again is not God's greatest wonder Mount Everest is the Earth's highest mountain above sea level rising 29,029 feet along the sub range of the Himalayan mountains along the international border between Nepal and China it was first submitted by Sir Edmund Hillary in May of 1953 Everest attracts many cameras a year and as of 2017 nearly 300 people have died on Mount Everest many of their body is still on the mountain but for all of its splendor mine Everest is still not God's greatest one the Sphinx in Egypt the Great Pyramids of Giza Victoria Falls in Africa as beautiful as those sites are they are still not God's greatest wonder I think you will agree with the lily groove that God's greatest wonder this morning is when grace comes to a lost soul when dead sinners are quickened by the power of God's Holy Spirit when a man who are woman who was lost and on their way to hell is born again and made a new creature in Christ Jesus didn't go to church but not his shout on Sunday morning didn't know Jesus Christ but now they sing hymns of praise never opened their mouths but now you can't stop those and shout notes in the morning I think that's God's greatest wonder with a soul that was on the edge of disaster it's now inside giving God praise you sitting next to a wonder this morning you're sitting next to a miracle this morning you're sitting next to a blessing this morning you're sitting next to God's greatest wonder this morning if you are saved as morning these are what they're in your soul [Applause] in Jesus when God left Jesus be bummed when God let Jesus died on the cross to save me from my seniors when I became a new creature in Christ Jesus that's greater than the Grand Canyon Mount Everest Victoria Falls put together because when you think about what God had to work with someone help me preach it when you think of your salvation and what God had to work with to save you that will cost you the Shelf right now when you look at the raw material that God had to use to make something out of nothing I'm dad you sit in here this morning and you're not a one-girl you are God's workmanship God's workmanship God's workmanship the word workmanship is an entry interesting word it comes from the Greek word poema that gives us our english word poet it refers to a piece of literary workmanship we saints are gods pulling I like my fourth-grade teacher said real God's perm you know black folks ain't nothing right real gods turn we're gods pour him his his workmanship we are gods magnum opus we are God's masterpiece if you are saying this morning listen to me your life is God's love letter to a lost and dying world he has written his love in you and on you and through you he tells the world that he loves sinners y'all help me preach this water he tells the world through us that his son died to redeem the laws the bat is changing power in the grace of God the gospel is real Jesus Christ makes a difference in every life he redeems through his blood the redeem our truffles of God's saving grace and brothers and sisters again when you stop to think about what God had to work with would God have to get his hands on how far he had to reach down that's cause for celebration in this moment here my brother says nobody was born an accident everybody born is here on preppers it may not have been your parents preference but it was God's promise I wish I had a witness here I've been trying all my life to figure out what is an illegitimate baby not no baby is in the category of the illegitimate the parents may have brought in here in legitimately but there's no baby that's the legitimate every baby is a gift from God no matter how it got here because you don't know who God wants to use that we call illegitimate we ought to bless God that we made it here this boys haven't got a witness here God I'm here and I'm here on purpose because God has a plan for my life [Applause] I'm his workmanship I'm his trophy I'm his magnum opus I'm his greatest literary achievement you may have seen in the news recently that they just found the manuscript of Ernest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway was one of the greatest writers that ever lived committed suicide took his own life but Ernest Hemingway was a tremendous God gifted author and the writing of his or a manuscript of his was just found recently and I'm sure it is as great as his other writing but you don't write a manuscript you don't write a literary masterpiece and put it in the drawer you take it out for people to read you don't you don't produce a flawless rim rent and put it in a closet you put it on display when God pick me up save my soul rescue me from him he did not put me in a church to hide me but he sends me out in the world as a display to say to the world to say to everybody around me if God can do something with that God can save anybody I wish I had an honest Christian in here if you knew what God did to save me if you knew what a mess I was when God saved me that's a testimony that God can save anybody I'm not talking about me individually I'm talking about you as well because you sit here trying to act like you all of that God unless you were in and save you that's where I can't ever understand I [Applause] can ever understand and I'm knew will never understand how for some people church is just a routine worship is just routine coming in God's presence and coming among God's people is just somewhere to go on Sunday morning no no no no no no no no it's a big deal for me I take it seriously I get dressed up for me I don't get dressed up for a whole lot of stuff but I get dressed up on Sunday morning because Sunday morning is different from Wednesday morning on Saturday morning my fab Sunday morning is where I come in the presence of the Living God who sent His Son Jesus to die to save me and that's wrapped me getting dressed up but not only is it worth me getting dressed up he's with me getting rid of the shout and open my mouth and all these clothes I put on I'm getting ready to sweat him out I'm getting ready to shout and give God praise because he's done so much for me he's opened so many doors for me he's made so many things possible that look impossible for me when I come in his presence and with some people who know what I'm talking about Sunday morning is not just routine for me I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house if you don't know what I'm talking about if this means nothing to you then go right back to sleep I'm sorry I bothered you finish your nap that you started when I stood up yeah but for those of us who know that if the Lord had not saved me I wish I had a witness here if God had not been patient with me if God had not given me another and another [Applause] opportunity I would be inhale this moment thank you for your grace thank you for taking the time to work on me a [Applause] little boy he was cutting up in Sunday school and Sunday school teacher got exasperated there now I see why you're so bad whole class got to be disrupted because you just saw out no can you can you just be still let me teach the lesson how come just just so so bad little boy in the primary class said be patient with me [Applause] God is not to live in you children go to church too much be patient with me God is not through with me and you ought to tell somebody be patient with me I'm not all I'm going to be but I say God I'm not what I used to be I wish I had somebody here you can testify but I'm not perfect but I'm changed I'm not the best I'm just my God is still working on me God is still right ringing something out of him - miss thing something out of me and when he gets through with me John said I shall come forth and school Michelangelo was asked once when he was working on a piece of marble Michelangelo was asked and he was trying to do a sculpture not trying to do be completed this magnificent sculpture of David and when he was working on the people asked him what are you trying to do with this piece of mob but he said I'm trying to get rid of everything that doesn't look like David you miss that I'm trying to get rid of everything that doesn't look like David you know what God is doing in your life and mine he's trying to get rid of everything that doesn't look like Jesus I wish I had some noise here he's working on his chipping away he's pruning is he's knocking some stuff off he's getting some stuff and some people I'm in your life because if you keep on the way you're going you'll never look like Jesus we are God's workmanship what Lucian that's a word about workmanship now let me hurry that's the second word about works we are God's workmanship that's a first in says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works are not the cause of salvation but rather works are the consequence of our salvation the word good means that which excel that which is useful that which is of a good nature the word works in the text refers to employment that which that with which one is always occupied in other words this word we are created for good words means that God is interested in how you spend your time someone ought to help me preacher God is interested in how you spend your time you will not know this until you get a certain age and those of us who have reached that age whatever that rate that age is you will already know what I'm talking about and you will shout because you are in that category when you get a certain age and you pick up the newspaper you don't read the headlines [Applause] you don't read the sports page you don't read the horoscope you turn immediately yeah you got to the obituary come because number one you want to make sure your name is not in that time and then when you visit the cemetery and and the older you get and the more family you lose and the more friends you start lose you spend a lot of time in the doctor's office or at Walmart or in the cemetery you can have a class reunion at the doctor's office all your classmates are with you at the doctor's office and then if you got time you're at Walmart and then when the years start passing by you spending a lot of time in the cemetery and I spend time in the graves walking around I'm looking at reading tombstones I'm interested always in reading reading tombstones birthday date of deaths and between the birthday and the date of death is a - and the person who is in tuned God will not hold responsible for the birthday and they have nothing at all to do with the date of death what God is interested in is the daily brothers and sisters help me your life is just a - James says is but a vapor it appears for a moment it's a Miss and it soon technisches away I'm not responsible for my date of birth and I'm even less responsible for my date of death but I am responsible for the day for that little line that's in between my birthday and my dying day I'm responsible for that - between my wolf and my tool my entrance and my exit by coming and going I'm not responsible for coming you know I'm not responsible for going but I am responsible for the - [Music] Martin King says I only have a minute 60 seconds in it thrust upon me and I can't refuse it I didn't seek it and I didn't choose it but it's up to me to use it I'm a sufferer if I lose it give an account if I abuses a tiny little minute but eternity is in it what are you doing with you - what's going on between your room and your - it's your life useful is anybody gonna miss you when you're gone wish I had a witness you what are you doing with the days that God has given you I would the days that you have less stop crying about what's gone thank God for what you got left somebody ought to help me here I was talking to one of the suite members of this church yesterday and she said I'm on my last days to be my best day and some of us can testify to that we messed up our other day we did some stuff back there that we wish we could undo I wish I had an honest sinner saved by grace in here this morning that's some decisions I wish I had me that's in Rhodes I wish I had never traveled that's some words I wish I had never spoken but thank God he's given me some more days and I want to live so that God can use me anytime and anywhere just as light and heat are inseparably linked to the Rays of the Sun likewise justification and sanctification are inseparable parts of the gospel brothers and sisters we are saved by faith alone but faith is never lonely [Applause] [Music] we are saying by faith alone but faith is lever unknown because if you have faith it always produces good words this means that God's plan for each of us includes specific good works that he has for ordained for us to do here not only what we created for good works but good works were created for us he was missing he wants your life to provide a particular lens of his glory that no one else can give but you he was your life to be a particular lens eyepiece on his glory so that God can be seen in a particular way only through your life now somebody can do the same thing you do but they can't do it like [Applause] I wish I had one or two more witnesses this is new your body continued players like you nobody can sing your song like you nobody can pray your prayer or live your life or father your children or be a husband and wife to your spouse like you God made you uniquely you Aretha Franklin was the greatest gospel singer I think who ever lived and and she would try to sing songs other than gospel but they still sounded like church song [Music] you make me feel like a natural woman made me wanna pray are espec find out what it means to me that that make me want to go to church cuz nobody could do it like Aretha Franklin because she was born to sing us and I didn't talk about my pastor BB King [Applause] I've been dying hearted woman ever since the day we met cuz life with you ain't nothing but the Blues Pabu can you get I bought you a brand new fool you said I want to cattle I've bought your teeth you said it was just a snack I'd like to live in my pit house you said it was just a shed I gave you seven chilled [Applause] nobody to do that right now past [Applause] I was born to preach the gospel pan was born to sing her song jockey Despereaux was brought on the sing her song problems Washington was born to lead the map that he needs at this church each and every one of you has your particular spot that nobody else feel and when you are not here the church loses something we need you because God has a particular reason that he lets you be born that's a word about workmanship and the word about works but kept less I keep you too long that the word finally about how we ought to walk it's right here in the tix for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained here it is that we should walk in them the verb tense refers to a fixed way of life that is committed to living the way God intends for his people to live it means to make full use of every opportunity how does God expect his people to walk I don't have time to any longer to elongated on it but he expects us to walk in love and by this shall all men know that you are my disciples because you have love one for another what in obedient delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart what in faithfulness if you be not weary in well-doing in due season you read if you think huh what in holiness be holy for I am holy as a word about workmanship and the word about worse and the word about a walk this last word and untruth past the Ezard or head was who is now retired from his church at new Rajasthan and Fort Worth said that when he turned 18 he started working on the job and the first thing he did was bought a pack of cigarettes he put the pack in his pocket the shirt pocket he put one behind his ear had one in his mouth smoking and walked in his mom and dad his house smoking a cigarette he says daddy slapped him so hard and knocked him and the cigarette all the way across the room underneath the table he said his grandmother his father's mother lived with him and she doted on Isadora and his grandmother said to his father why did you hit him you should have talked to it and his father said to his mother mama would appreciate it if you're not telling me how to raise my son that bar knows better than to come in my house with a cigarette that's why I did what I did for this in my house and he knows better than to come to my house with a cigarette I'll appreciate it mama if you would stay out of this and his grandmother said to her son shut up and sit down you my son you listen to me your son smokes because he saw you smooth and she said words that if the door said he'll never forget he said she said to him her son mice don't cut holes in the wall they crawl through holes that rats have already caught [Applause] if you wanted to live a certain way live like that in front of heat can I help somebody this morning Jesus already cut a hole and all you and I have got to do is walk through it for the Bible says walk in the light and he is in the light for in him there is no darkness [Applause] [Music]