Derek Prince - You Are The Demonstration of God's Grace
This is an excerpt from: Complete Salvation And How To Receive It - Part 2
All right. I want to share with you a beautiful thought which is there in Ephesians 2, the next verse. After it speaks about being made alive, resurrected, enthroned, it says in Ephesians 2:7 it reveals God's purpose. Why did God do it? That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. That's a staggering thought. In the ages to come. Not just in this life but forever and ever in eternity we are to be for the whole universe the demonstration of the riches of the grace of God. So that whenever God wants to show any created being the extent of His grace, He'll say in effect, 'Look at these people. See, they're close to me, they're worshipping me, they're my children. And they were sinners, rebels, cast out, unprofitable, useless, enemies of mine. And yet I've brought them near to me for eternity.'
So, I hope you're prepared for that. I hope you realize that all through eternity you're going to be God's demonstration of His grace. Remember what I said? Grace cannot be earned. There's many things in the eternal council that we don't fully understand but I think, in a certain sense, God had to let sin happen in order to have something to demonstrate His grace with. See? I'm not saying God approved sin but when sin took place, instead of saying, 'It's finished,' He said, 'Here is the real opportunity for me to show the whole universe my grace.' Up to that time He'd shown many aspects of His character but I don't think He ever fully demonstrated His grace. So we are His opportunity, if you'd like to look at it that way. We're the person in whom God is going to show the universe the real nature of grace. Wonderful!
And then just a little further on in the same second chapter of Ephesians, Paul says: We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Not only are we the demonstration of His grace but Paul says we are His workmanship. You don't fully appreciate that, but the Greek word is poeima, from which we get the English word poem. It suggests an artistic masterpiece.
So we are God's creative masterpiece. When He wants to show the universe the full extent of His creative genius, we're the demonstration piece. That's exciting, isn't it? That's wonderful. What blesses me is just to prove what He could do, for the material for His masterpiece do you know where He went? To the scrap heap. Do you realize that? 'I can do anything with anything. Created the stars and the sun and all that, the seas and the trees. But to demonstrate what I can really create,' God says, 'I'm going to take these broken pieces of humanity and I'm going to mold them into my masterpiece.'
There's a song that I can't sing, I won't even try to but it says 'ruined lives, broken pieces, that is why you died on Calvary.' He died to create His masterpiece out of the broken lives of men and women. What a message, what a revelation. You know, if you're not excited about salvation I don't know how much salvation you really have. People say we're fanatical if we jump up and down and clap our hands. I was a logician before I became a Christian. I'd have to say that's the logical response to the revelation of Scripture. If we really believe the things I've been saying, just to sit there and say that's good is totally unrealistic.
What about doing a little of it for a moment? Why don't we stand up and bless the Lord and tell Him we really believe what He says about us. Thank you Lord. Thank you Jesus. Blessed be Your wonderful name, Lord. We believe you, Lord. We are saved by grace, Lord. We didn't earn it. You decided to do it, Lord. Bless Your name. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Amen. Bless the Lord. Turn to your neighbor and say, 'I'm saved by grace. I never could earn it. That's right I'm saved by grace, I couldn't deserve it.' All right, sit down and collect yourself!