I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 2:8-9
Ephesians
2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
-- one day at work, a friend of
mine dropped by my office and started talking about a book she had read on
faith and works -- she asked me, "Have you ever heard of the 'Parable of
the Bicycle?'" -- and then she shared with me this parable
-- there once was this little girl
-- about 6 or 7 years old -- who decided that she wanted a bicycle really badly
-- so she went to her father and told him, "I want a bicycle and I'm going
to earn it all on my own" -- he told her that when she thought she had
enough money to buy a bicycle to let him know, and he'd take her to the store
to pick it out
-- so she started doing jobs around
the house -- unloading the dishwasher -- taking out the trash -- things like
that -- and every time she did something, her parents would give her some
change -- a quarter here -- a dime there -- until finally, she felt that she
had enough money to get her dream -- she told her daddy she was ready to buy
her bicycle
-- so her father carried her down
to the store and they hunted and hunted and finally found the perfect bicycle
-- she walked up to it, looked at the price tag, and her face fell -- there was
no way she could ever buy that bicycle -- it cost way too much and she had only
earned $0.67 -- but then her father stepped in and paid the rest and she walked
out of that store just beaming because she had gotten her bicycle
-- the point of the parable, my
friend told me, is that you do all you can and then Jesus steps in and makes up
the difference -- another way of summing up the point of this parable is by the
phrase, “God helps those who help themselves”
-- this
morning, we are finishing up our sermon series on Bumper Sticker Theology --
for the past five weeks we’ve been looking at those familiar verses and clichés
that we all know and we have all heard and we’ve all said -- the idea was to
turn a critical eye to them and to see if they were true and if they really
mean what we think they mean
-- we
looked at Philippians 4:13 -- “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me”
-- “God
will not give you more than you can handle”
-- “God
needed another angel” -- a common phrase we hear when someone dies
-- and,
last week, we look at “Everything happens for a reason”
-- today,
we’re going to close this series by looking at the familiar phrase, “God helps
those who help themselves”
II. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
-- this is
one of the most common sayings in America -- pretty much, everyone has heard
this -- and a lot of us have said it or thought it
-- in a
very real sense, the idea that we have to help ourselves first sums up what we,
as Americans, believe -- in a general sense, we are a people who believe in
hard work -- in self-sufficiency -- in self-initiative -- we don’t sit around
waiting for a hand-out or for someone to do our work for us -- no, we believe
that people should work for what they have and that they will be rewarded for
their work
-- that’s a
foundational belief for most Americans -- you could make the case that this is
the bedrock of our political and economic systems -- if you want something, you
take the initiative and you start working -- you help better yourself and your
situation and then God will bless you
-- that
mindset is what drove our founding fathers -- it’s what led to the western
expansion -- when you remember the stories of the early frontiersmen and the
early pioneers, you think of people who took the initiative, who helped
themselves by working hard and doing what was right, and who succeeded because
they did that and because God saw their hard work and blessed them
-- that’s
the general idea behind this phrase -- that’s why this phrase is so accepted in
America today -- in fact, it was a founding father that popularized this
proverb -- Benjamin Franklin published this in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac” as
a proverb that all of us should look to and take to heart and it just took off
-- because it is a generally accepted idea -- we need to take responsibility
for our lives and work hard and help ourselves and trust that God will help us
when we do so
-- if we’re
honest with ourselves, that’s one reason why we tend to look down on people who
can work but who don’t -- on folks that are just dependent on the Government or
others without raising a finger to help themselves or to help their families
-- and we
think, “You need to get up and start working and help yourself, and then we
will help you -- and then God will help you”
-- do you
agree? -- have you ever thought that? -- have you ever encouraged someone to
get up and start working for that reason? -- certainly, you have -- if nothing
else, you’ve used this principle with your kids, right?
-- “if you
want me to take you to the store, then you need to get out of bed or get off
the couch and get in there and help with the chores -- you get started -- you
help yourself, and then I’ll do something for you”
-- it seems
like commonsense -- so, it’s easy to see why God would use that same mindset
with us -- “you get started -- you help yourself -- and I will step in and help
you” -- just like in the parable of the bicycle I shared with you
-- I’ve had
that same thought -- I’ve put that some condition on others -- there have been
times in our ministry where we have just poured out into people -- spiritually
-- physically -- materially -- we’ve done a lot for them -- we have sacrificed
our time and our money and our resources for them -- and, yet, no matter how
much we do, they always seem to need more -- to want more -- to expect us to do
more for them while they’re not doing anything to help themselves or to help
their situation
-- and, I
have to admit, there have been times when this phrase has come to mind -- “God
helps those who help themselves” -- and, I’ve thought to myself, “it’s time for
you to do something -- you need to get up and start doing something on your own
and then God will meet you there and help you -- don’t just sit there
passively, doing nothing -- but get up and do something and God will help”
-- am I
alone in this or are you with me? -- is that the way you understand this
phrase?
-- but let
me ask you this -- is this proverb true?
III. Salvation and Works
-- let’s go
back to the parable of the bicycle that I opened with -- the little girl who couldn’t
buy the bicycle on her own, so her father stepped in and made up the difference
-- just like Jesus does with us
-- that
sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? -- we do what we can -- we do our part -- and
then Jesus steps in and pays the rest of the price for salvation -- that’s what
this parable teaches -- we do what we can -- we help ourselves -- and then
Jesus helps us
-- this
parable -- and the proverb, “God helps those who help themselves” -- are great
and noble sentiments, but, they’re not true when it comes to salvation
-- this idea that God only helps
those who help themselves -- that God only saves those who do something first
-- who take initiative and try to better their lives first -- illustrates two
problems that a lot of us have in understanding salvation and the role of works
in salvation
-- the first problem that we have
is thinking that we have to do something to get saved -- that we have to do
good things or good works -- go to church -- be nice to people -- help people
out -- read our Bible -- go to Sunday School -- something -- anything -- to be
saved
-- we understand that the Bible
tells us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose on the third day
proving victory over sin and death -- we understand that we receive salvation when
we accept Him as Lord and Savior through faith
-- but if we're honest with
ourselves, there is some place deep in our hearts that believes it can't be
enough to simply believe in Jesus and be saved -- that is too easy -- we have
to do something to make up for all the bad things that we did in our lives --
we have to do all we can -- and then, just like the parable of the bicycle
says, Jesus will step in and make up the difference and pour out His grace and
save us
-- what's wrong with that way of
thinking? -- aren't works part of the Christian life? -- doesn't Jesus expect
us to go out and serve Him and do good things and come to church?
-- hold your place here in Ephesians
and turn over to James 2:14-17
James 2:14-17 New International
Version (NIV)
14 What good is it, my brothers
and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith
save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does
nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith
by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
-- James says that faith without
works is dead -- it seems like he’s saying that you are justified by what you
do and not by faith alone -- isn't that exactly what this parable teaches? --
isn't this what we really believe in our heart of hearts? -- that simply
trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus is not enough to be saved?
-- all of us -- to some extent or
the other -- tend to believe that we need works in our life in order to be
saved -- we need to help ourselves first before God will step in and save us
-- we may disparage those other
religions who put an emphasis on works as the way to salvation -- but we do it
too
-- in our minds, we have this
little checklist that we carry with us through the day -- and as we do good
things, we kind of mentally check them off in one column -- and when we do bad
things, we check them off in the other column -- and then at the end of the
day, we compare our good things with our bad things and then decide how our day
was -- was I good enough to be saved today?
-- but, is that biblical? -- is
that what James is really talking about in this passage?
-- look back again at Ephesians
2:8-9 and let's get a different perspective
Ephesians
2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
-- Paul tells us quite plainly in
these verses that it is by grace that we are saved -- not by works -- not by
anything that we did or anything that we might do in the future -- we are saved
merely by the grace of God -- received through faith -- and works has
absolutely nothing to do with it
-- sounds like James and Paul are
on different pages here, doesn't it? -- so, what's the truth? -- is the parable
of the bicycle right? -- does God only help those who help themselves?
-- do we have to do all that we can
-- do we have to do all the good works we can -- and then Jesus will step in
and make up the difference? -- or is this proverb wrong?
-- Paul was quite adamant in his
teaching that you are saved solely through the blood of Jesus -- solely because
of the death and resurrection of Christ -- and nothing more -- in Romans
11:5-6, Paul said that we were chosen and saved based on grace and not on works
-- he said that if it were by works, then grace would no longer be grace
-- now we know that grace is God giving
us something that we don't deserve and can't earn on our own -- grace is a gift
from God freely given -- so what Paul is saying is that God has offered us the
grace of salvation through Jesus Christ -- and that if we try to pay Him for
that offer of salvation by doing works, then God's gift is no longer a gift --
grace is no longer grace
-- it would be like this -- what if
I were to invite you over to my house for dinner -- and you came and accepted
my offer of a free meal -- and then, after the meal, you wrote out a check to
cover your portion and left it on the table -- that meal is no longer a gift --
Paul is saying that it is the same way with salvation
-- in Galatians 2:16, Paul writes,
"We, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by
faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no
one will be justified." -- Paul is very consistent in his teachings and in
his understanding of salvation -- salvation is a free gift of God -- it comes
by grace and it is received through faith -- not by works -- in fact, if you
try to earn your salvation through works, then you have negated the grace of
God and are not truly saved
-- so, what about James? -- is
James teaching something different than Paul? -- it seems like Paul and James
are in a heated argument -- each disapproving of the other's gospel -- but that
is not really the case
-- Paul and James are using similar
language but they are addressing two different questions -- Paul is addressing
the question of how one becomes a part of God's people -- how one becomes saved
-- and he is quite clear in saying that you are saved by grace through faith
and not by works
-- James, on the other hand, is not
addressing salvation in his discourse but is addressing a different question --
how do you know if your faith is real or not? -- James says that if you are
saved -- if you have been transformed into a new creation by trusting in Jesus
as Lord and Savior -- then you demonstrate -- you prove -- your faith through
your works -- through your actions
-- there were many in the church in
James' day that claimed to be Christians, but who were not showing evidence of
a transformed life -- James was calling them to discipleship -- to living up to
the name they claimed -- "faith without works is dead," he wrote --
in other words, if you claim to be a Christian, then you need to show the fruit
of your salvation through your works -- for both James and Paul, works come
after faith as evidence of a transformed life
-- so, on this point, the parable
of the bicycle is wrong -- works are not required for salvation -- you don't
need to show Jesus $0.67 so He will forgive your sins
-- now, let's look at the other
problem this parable brings out
-- the second problem -- which is
related to the first -- is in thinking that we could actually do something that
was of any value to God in the first place -- in other words, this parable
assumes that when we go to church or when we help someone else or when we do
something good, God counts it on the plus side of His ledger -- but does He?
-- turn over to Philippians 3:7-9
Philippians 3:7-9 New
International Version (NIV)
7 But whatever were gains to me
I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider
everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I
may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own
that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the
righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
-- Paul says that everything that
we do is considered a loss in the eyes of God -- he says that they are
considered "rubbish" -- the KJV goes even further and calls them
"dung" -- absolutely worthless -- of no value at all
-- so, going back to our parable of
the bicycle, what Paul is saying is that this little girl might go out and work
and work and work trying to earn money for her bicycle, but that everything she
does has no value at all and won't amount to one penny in real money -- in
other words, there is nothing that we can do on our own to help ourselves that
is worth anything to God
-- in John 15:5, Jesus said
"apart from Me, you can do nothing" -- apart from God, our works and
our acts of service and goodness are nothing -- they are rubbish -- they are
dung
-- Alistair Begg gave a great
illustration of this point -- he likened it to a person who goes into a bank
several times during the month to make deposits -- you physically go into the
bank -- you hand the teller your deposit slip with your money attached -- and
you know they received it so you have a pretty good idea of what your account
balance should be
-- but then, at the end of the
month, when the statement comes in, you are shocked to find that you have no
money at all -- it turns out that instead of crediting your account every time
you made the deposit, they actually subtracted those amounts from your account
-- so everything you did trying to build up your account actually ended up
going in the negative column
-- Paul is making the same point
here -- you can't be saved through works because your works have no value -- no
matter how much you try to help yourself -- no matter what good things you do
-- they have no value to God at all
-- in Romans 7:18 it says, "I
know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature" --
because of that, we can't do anything to help ourselves and pay some of the
cost for salvation -- try as hard as we might, we can't even earn the $0.67
that the little girl supposedly earned in this parable
-- which brings us back to the entire
point of this message -- the saying, “God helps those who help themselves” is
not true -- you cannot be saved by works -- you cannot add anything to your
salvation through works -- you cannot, in any way, contribute anything to the
forgiveness of your sins -- you can’t help yourself be saved
-- there is absolutely no way on
earth for you to be saved -- when Jesus told His disciples that it was as hard
for a rich man to be saved as it was for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, the disciples said, “Who then can be saved?” -- Jesus replied in
Matthew 19:26, "with man, this is impossible -- but with God, all things
are possible”
-- it is impossible for us to save
ourselves -- we can’t help ourselves be saved -- it is only through the grace
of God -- it is only through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
-- that salvation is possible
-- “God helps those who help
themselves” is false -- the truth is that God helps those who cannot help
themselves -- and for that, we praise Him this morning
-- let’s
pray
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