In order to work for God, the first thing we must discover is God’s grace, and from there we can come to experience the peace of God (“and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding,” Philippians 4:7a). Without the grace and peace of God working in and through our lives, the joy of working for God may never manifest itself. “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:24, we must realize that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation. “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away,” Isaiah 64:6, this verse explains exactly why works cannot save us. And to take a stand on our own against sin is foolish, and leads us to a point where we cry, “O wretched man that I am, who can save me from this body of death?” Romans 7:24. Surely the answer to that question comes in the next verse, “I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:25. And this is the entire message of the Gospel, as Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through Me,” John 14:6. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, for a price we could not pay, so that our sins could be washed away and we can spend eternity with Him in Paradise. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” I Peter 1:3-5, and the reason I underlined faith is to point out our only job: putting our faith in Jesus Christ, because God has already done all the work. “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved,” Romans 10:9, and notice is doesn’t say anything about works, water baptism, or anything else other than believing. Once we realize that we are saved by grace and grace alone, we experience that incredible, indescribable peace of God that fills our hearts and quiets our minds. And then no longer do we find ourselves wandering in the wilderness of Romans 7, but rather, resting in the Promise Land of Romans 8.
Therefore, knowing the grace of God, and experiencing the peace of God, the motive of our heart for working for God changes from duty to love. No longer is it boring to read the Bible, but rather, it is a time to spend with my Lord and Savior who stretched out His arms on a wooden cross two thousand years ago and died for me. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all the mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing,” I Corinthians 13:1-3. Love must be the motive of all our works, knowing that works will not save us, but rather, we work because we love God and want to do anything that glorifies His holy name. Therefore, we bend our wills to match the Father’s, and our decisions no longer become is this right or wrong, but rather, does this glorify God? “Whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God,” I Corinthians 10:31, and now our sole purpose is to glorify God and no longer are we content to have God working in us, but we want Him to work through us as well. And I find there to be no greater joy then to be a vessel for which God uses to bring glory to His most holy name.
Now, some may say that since we are justified by faith, there is no need for works. True, works will not save you, but have you not heard “that faith without works is dead?” James 2:20. It is true, faith will save you, but only a living faith will save you, not dead faith. People speak all sorts of lies with their mouths, and may say that they believe in Jesus with all their hearts, but if they turn around and murder someone in cold blood, would you believe that person? “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his neighbor,” I John 3:10. You see, faith in Jesus will manifest itself in the works you do, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filed,’ but you do not give to them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” James 2:15-16.
In the words of Greg Laurie(pastor/evangelist of Harvest Fellowship), “works are evidence to men we are saved, faith is evidence to God we are saved.” The Great Commission as recorded in the book of Matthew, says “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19, and surely we cannot win people to the Lord in a war of words. For one thing, man does not convert man, only God does. And we must realize that accepting Jesus Christ is not a mind issue, but a heart issue. “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind,” Jeremiah 17:10, the LORD is the one who opens a persons heart to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. Therefore, we must realize that our lives are a much greater witness than our words; for if I say I am against pornography, but I am watching that kind of smut and reading it all the time, then my words become empty, and I am nothing more than a hypocrite. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: implore you on God’s behalf, be reconciled to God,” 2 Corinthians 5:20, and what a huge responsibility that is. For most people, we may be all of the Bible they will ever see, and they are determining whether or not they should believe in Jesus by watching the way you act, and handle every situation you come up against. Therefore, if our works are evil, what does that tell the world about Jesus? Is the Christian life easy? No, in fact, it is impossible on our own. And that is when we realize that not only are we justified by faith, and we can only be saved by faith, but also we are sanctified by faith and can only live the Christian life by faith. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it,” Matthew 7:14.
You see, it is not me trying to be like Jesus, but it is the power of the Holy Spirit transforming us into the very image of Jesus Christ, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren,” Romans 8:29. The dictionary definition of image is “a reproduction of the form of someone or something.” So you see, the job of the Holy Spirit is to conform us into the splitting image of Christ, and once you realize this, you know that our own efforts to accomplish this are futile! While justification by faith is a one time event, sanctification by faith is a lifelong process that is not complete until we are in the presence of the Lord, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6. A good philosophy is this: do our best and commit the rest. Commit the rest to whom? To Jesus Christ my friend, as we go from being self-centered and self-reliant, to being Jesus-centered and Jesus-reliant. “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me,” Matthew 16:24. “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord….and do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God,” Romans 6:11,13. For I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live, but not I, but Christ who lives within me, “And having been set free from sin, you become slaves of righteousness,” Romans 6:18.
Now, along with surrendering our lives, we must then wait upon the Lord to accomplish His work within us. “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles,” Isaiah 40:31, and though it may be hard to wait, let us remember this, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us,” Romans 5:1-5. Waiting upon the Lord is not easy, but we must cling to God’s promises, and always remember that no matter what is happening, “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,” Romans 8:28a.
Now while the Bible says, “To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ,” Jude 1b, the Bible also says “therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” I Corinthians 10:12. Why do we “who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation,” I Peter 1:5, have to every worry about falling? Because God’s part is that He will keep us by His power, if we keep in His love. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life,” Jude 20-21, these verses tell us exactly how to keep ourselves in the love of God: building up our faith, praying in the Spirit, and looking for the Lord Jesus Christ.
How do we build up our faith? “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17, in this verse we find out how we build up our faith: by reading the Word of God. Not just reading it, but also meditating on it, studying it, bathing ourselves daily in the Word of God. “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” 1 Peter 1:22-23, and “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” 2 Peter 1:20-21. The Word of God is “alive,” “sharper than any doubled edged sword,” and is quoted as “the sword of the Spirit,” in our heavenly armor. Jesus said that His Word would last forever, and that His Word is truth, absolute truth. How important it is for us to be firmly grounded in the Word of God! And remember, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself,” James 1:22.
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God,” Romans 8:26-27. This is the definition of praying in the Spirit, and is so awesome, since we are totally incapable of praying ourselves, God has provided the means for just groaning or sighing when we cannot speak, and He will interpret it! Prayer is so important, and having fellowship with God is key to experiencing joy in the Christian life. The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17, and to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:18. Prayer has three parts: thanksgiving, intercession, and worship. The main purpose of prayer is to bend our will to match the will of God, and we are suddenly able to have an incredibly effective prayer life the more our will matches that of our Father’s in heaven. How do we know the will of God? “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” Romans 12:1-2. Some will say, I thought Jesus said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it,” John 14:14, and that is true, but who was He talking to? His disciples; and what did He say it took to become His disciple? “If anyone desires to come after Me (Jesus), let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Jesus),” Luke 9:23. Therefore, if we are denying ourselves and carrying our crosses to follow Jesus, then we will find that our prayers will be in line with God’s and our prayer will have far more power (in that we will be praying in according to God’s will).
Thirdly, we must be looking for the return of our Lord every single day, and living as though He may return at any time. “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so come as a thief in the night,” I Thessalonians 5:2, and “therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober,” I Thessalonians 5:6. Therefore, in all we do, we should have our eyes fixed on Jesus and not our circumstances or on the things of this world. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where nether moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:19-21. And we must also be cautious “when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly,” Matthew 6:3-4, for you do not want to seek after the approval of men, but rather, the approval of God. And by living each day as if this is going to be the day the rapture takes place, we are more likely to “fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses,” I Timothy 6:12.
Therefore, by knowing we are justified by faith, knowing and experiencing the grace and peace of God, being sanctified daily by faith, and keeping in God’s love, we are now able to work for God. And the most important and most powerful work any Christian can do is to pray for people, for I believe it is more important to talk to God about the person than to talk to the person about God. Why? Once again, conversion is a heart-issue not a word battle. And of course prayer is heading out on the front lines of spiritual warfare, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 6:12. So as we march into the awesome battle of prayer, we must “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil….therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth (the belt of truth), having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace (“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed,” I Peter 3:15-16 and “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding,” Philippians 4:7a), above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the 0Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:11, 13-18. It is important for us, as workers for God, to understand the basics of spiritual warfare (I am not going to go into detail), but besides putting on the armor of God, “submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” James 4:7 and “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world,” 1 Peter 5:8-9. And above all else, let us remember, “The battle is the LORD’s,” I Samuel 17:47. With this in mind, we now have a firmer grasp on spiritual warfare, and the important work of a powerful intercessory prayer life.
Lastly, “Be still and know I am God,” Psalm 46:10. That sums up what we are to do when we see any obstacle that comes our way, any task that God wants us to finish. Know that we serve the LORD of hosts; God of Isaac, Jacob, and Abraham; and creator of the heavens and the earth. Know that “with God, all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26b, and there is absolutely nothing He cannot do. And let this be your prayer, “Lord, I don’t want to shove my way through any doors you do not want me going through. I want to be in your direct will,” and remember God’s promise, “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him,” James 1:5. And, “In all you ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths,” Proverbs 3:6, let God be the one controlling your life, and find out what true joy is in being an instrument used by Him to bring glory to His most holy name. To God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the only true God, be all the praise, worship, power, and glory, forever and ever. Amen.
You know, one last thing I should point out is a reminder to walk in meekness, humility, and to be humble, “for God resists the proud,” James 4:6b. Amen.
Previous Topic
Index