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The area of ‘works’ is one which
generates a great deal of confusion.
It permeates every church group.
Many twist and distort
scriptures, and some even want to disregard
certain books of the bible.
Behind some of the reasoning there is the
question of ’works’.
We will just write a brief
document to consolidate what we have been
saying for some time.
In the letters to the churches
in the book of Revelation Chapters 2 & 3,
we see that Christ mentions
‘works’ in the letter to each church.
Christ says to them I know ‘thy
works’.
The problem which we have is
that our works are just as unacceptable
as our righteouness.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf;
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
The idea that when one is born
again we should start behaving differently
in our own strength is simply
not true. In fact many of the things which
human beings are called to do as
a Christian are completely outside our capability.
It requires Christ as the Holy Spirit
in us to transform us.
We cannot transform ourselves
and become perfect without spot and blemish,
no matter how much we try.
It will never happen.
Obedience and love are closely
linked whether you go to the Old Testament
or the New Testament.
Deuteronomy 11:1 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God,
and keep his charge,
and his statutes, and his judgments, and his
commandments, alway.
Deuteronomy 11:22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these
commandments which I command
you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in
all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
This is the whole point, the
works we do are the ones which we are commanded.
Obeying shows that we truly love
the Eternal God.
The question then is what is our
part in our transformation?
Our part is to obey the
Eternal’s written word and what He tells
us and prompts us as
individuals.
It is wrong to say that the
Eternal God does not speak to His children today.
He does as any parent does. He
speaks to us and prompts us.
The reality is that we often
choose not to obey even when we hear.
We prefer to do our own works.
Our works need to be the works
of the Eternal.
We can think that this is doing some
sort of outreach, but it is simply
whatever the Eternal God tells
us to do.
King Nebuchadnezzar was sent to
punish God’s nation Israel and the Eternal
rewarded him as his servant.
Jeremiah 27:6 And now have I given all these lands into
the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
the king
of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him
also to serve him.
King Cyrus another gentile king
carried out God’s works.
2 Chronicles36:23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the
kingdoms of the earth hath
the LORD God of heaven given me;
and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem,
which is in Judah. Who is there
among you of all his people?
The LORD his God be with him,
and let him go up.
You can read more of the detail
in the book of Ezra, here as some excerpts.
Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he
that formed thee from the womb,
I am the LORD that maketh all
things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone;
that spreadeth abroad the earth
by myself;
Isaiah 44:28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my
shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure:
even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to
the temple,
Thy foundation shall be laid.
Isaiah 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden,
to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the
loins of kings,
to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates
shall not be shut;
I wonder.
Would the Eternal God say to
some calling themselves ‘Christians’,
the wonderful things, which He said
about the Gentile Cyrus?
The difference is that he was
obedient whereas we tend to be rebellious.
The church in Thyatira is told
Revelation 2:26 ‘…. I will give
unto every one of you
according to your works’. We can
be certain that this also applies to all of us.
We see this greatly expanded in the
following verse.
Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death
and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according
to their works.
It is exceedingly important to
understand that none of our works
gain us salvation. Therefore it
is absolutely correct when we are told
that Salvation is a Gift, a matter of Grace, Faith, and Belief
without works.
But it does not mean that the
indwelling Holy Spirit will not perform
the works of the Father in and
through us, because He will.
There is no contradiction
whatsoever in what I am saying.
It is rather a matter of
understanding what and whose works,
as a converted person, we should
be doing.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is dead also.
John
14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father,
and the Father in me?
the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father
that dwelleth in me,
he doeth the works.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall
he do also; and greater works than these shall
he do; because I go unto my Father.
There are many atheists and witches doing what many would qualify as
good works.
In view of the above you have to ask yourself, do these deeds qualify as
works which are acceptable to the Eternal God?
The church in Thyatira makes it
clear for us:
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end,
to him will I give power over
the nations:
This is the crux of the matter
we have to be keeping the works of God.
Nothing else will do.
The only way
out of our dilemmas is Jesus Christ.
He is the only way of escape.
Praise the Lord.
Come
soon Lord Jesus.
Amen.
(Bible Explanations,
Messages of Life, Hope
& Encouragement)