Sep. 04, 2022

Working for God  (4 September 2022)

Introduction - The Christian lives in a wonderful age between the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the Rapture of the Church.  No prophet ever saw this age before and no prophecies ever told about it.  It is the Church Age, the period of time in which Jesus is building his church.  The devil is still on the earth, but is restrained by the Restrainer, the Holy Spirit.  It is an opportune time to work while it is possible to work.  Many Christians take a very casual approach to the Christian life, leaning on the premise that since we are under grace and Jesus has done it all, there is nothing at all for the Christian to do in this life except sing songs and eat.  This, of course, is false.  Most Christians want to take part in kingdom-building.  The problem is that pastors don’t spell out very well what work needs to be done.  In this introduction and then ext sermon, I’ll attempt to paint a more specific picture of this noble work.

Acts 15:36 After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” 37 Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. 38 But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. NLT

“Their work,” that is, the tending of the flock of new believers which was the result of the evangelistic work Paul and Barnabas had done on earlier visits, is the predictable and typical work God leaves for us to do in this age of the church.  It is a small model of the great creative work which God did in the creation of the heavens and earth and all that dwells within it: 

Genesis 2:15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. NLT

We don’t have the authority to create new planets or new animal species, but we do have the ability to “create” or bring forth new life that God has set in motion already, both physical and spiritual.  We actually “tend” the garden of God which he calls the church, much like Adam and Eve “kept” the garden of Eden.  Humans can do more than that, being able to actually reproduce other humans.  This power is so basic that people can reproduce regardless of whether they are Christian or not.  Only Christians, however, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, can identify and nurture the spiritual life of another human.  The natural man cannot understand this.  This job has been given to the Christian; God will not do it Himself.  He relies on us to do it.  

Let me describe what work is not.  “Work” has gotten a bad name within the life of the church.  People confuse it with meritorious deeds which add up value for you so that, when you reach some imagined point total, you’ve earned enough to go to heaven.  This is not true at all.  We are saved only by having faith that Jesus died to satisfy God’s anger toward us due to the mess our sin created.  Our belief that he did that, or in a simpler form, our belief in Him, period, is what causes us to be saved.  It does not matter how strongly or weakly you believe, or whether or not you have wavered in your fervency toward Him, or whether or not you know all the fine points of the doctrines taught by men  It only matters that you have believed in Him.  There is nothing we can do to augment how “saved” we are.  Once you have had even one instance in your life in which you had faith in Jesus, you are saved.  

Ephesians 2:8,9  God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. NLT

What are are some “works” which are important to God?  Here are some heavy-hitters:

1.  Gather together.   We were designed by God to need to be with other people.  It is interesting that one of the most grueling forms of punishment enacted by penal systems the world over is solitary confinement   Jesus is drawing people unto Himself.  He does this through a partnership between the Holy Spirit and his people. If He left it up to Himself, nobody would be getting saved because He has chosen to use people to gather people.   

Hebrews 10:24. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. NLT

2.  Like each other.  It is easy to look right past the most powerful force of all, love, and want to  

manipulate, fix, preach at, correct, or perform the miraculous on other people.  Concerning evangelism,  

we try to win people through great preaching or persuasive argument.  If that were true, the whole world 

would already be saved.  Certainly, preaching and teaching are important, and so are signs and wonders,  

but the most effective force of all, in terms of drawing people to the Lord, is love.  You can preach and 

preach but the love you have toward others says that God is alive. If you don’t get along and forgive you   

just place yourself in a spiritual time-out box.  Your prayers likely won’t get answered until you reconcile 

and forgive.  

John 13:34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” NLT

3. Learn from widows: Be faithful, respectable, teach your kids, be generous to the needy, hospitable to  

    the saints

1 Tim 5:9-10 - A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. NASB

These are forgotten works:   Live out your commitments, (be faithful).  Treat others as better than yourself (be respectable). Train your children to follow the Lord.  You are their primary teacher; (teach your kids), Be generous to the needy, tithe, and exhibit faith at that level (Generous to the needy).  Open your home or living space to the saints.  This is called being hospitable.  The reference to “washing the saints feet” had to do with a common custom in bible times.  Everyone wore some sort of sandals in those times.  In a host’s home were some sort of bowls with water for washing the dust off your feet.  You could either do it for your guest or you could do it yourself. In bible times only the lowliest os servants would wash a guest’s feet. Jesus did this to His disciples, demonstrating to them the absolute humility he held himself in relative to them.  His act was not meant to be an ordinance for the church, but a demonstration of inner attitude.  To make it an ordinance today would be akin to making an ordinance of shoveling each other’s driveways in winter.   God will use your hospitality to build his kingdom.    

4.  Let signs and wonders follow your ministry, don’t follow signs and wonders.  

John 14:12. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. NLT

We assume that this means miracles and signs and wonders, so we pursue them, often ahead of love.  They are exciting and they don’t talk back!  They are much more pleasant than putting up with someone’s difficult personality.  This verse has nothing in the immediate context which points us to signs and wonders, contrary to much preaching using the verse.  What if the greater works Jesus alluded to meant things having to do with love, forgiveness and patience?  You don’t have to look far in the Bible to find that love is more powerful than anything!   (Song of Solomon 8:6-7) 

Conclusion - The time is NOW for us to carry out the many tasks involved with the making of disciples.  We are to baptize and then teach all believers concerning all that Jesus taught us.  So, NOW is the time to invest in the kingdom with our time, talent, and treasure. .  

John 9:4  We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. NLT