THE PRIMARY WORK OF GOD FOR US

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When Jesus spent His last few hours with His disciples, He gave them some of the most important principles ever given. One of the visuals Jesus used to describe His relationship with His disciples is a vine and a branch. Jesus posed Himself as the vine and His disciples as branches that are so connected to the vine that they draw their very life from this relationship. The purpose of this relationship is to bear fruit. Check out Jesus’ words: Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Jesus gives one command here—to remain in Him as a branch remains in a vine. To remain in Jesus is to abide in Him. This might sound like a passive thing to do, but abiding in Jesus is a very active work. It is work to keep your focus on this relationship.

But what is this work? Jesus had an encounter that might clarify this a bit: Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

So what is the primary work that God wants man to do? TO BELIEVE JESUS. TO TRUST JESUS! To trust Jesus is to follow the teachings and principles of Jesus—to follow Him. This is work. Have you ever tried it? This is why I instruct people to share with others: “I am doing the toughest thing I’ve ever tried to do. I’m trying to follow the teachings and principles of Jesus.” Believe me, this is the greatest work you will ever do in your life!

GOD HAS ALREADY DONE IT

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Most all religious systems are about doing more or doing and not doing certain things in order to be acceptable to God. Then with some you can achieve certain levels of acceptability after death if certain conditions are met.

But with Jesus, it’s completely the opposite. With Jesus all that makes you acceptable to God has already been done. There’s nothing you could do to earn this acceptance—nothing. Instead of do, do, do, Jesus says, “It’s already done!” Jesus took on flesh to suffer and die in order to turn the doing into done. Now, all there is to do is accept what He has done and respond to it.

Check out the message of the letter to the church of Jesus in Ephesus. There are 6 chapters and it lays out very neatly. The first 3 chapters set forth what God has done for us.
• He has redeemed us
• He calls us saints
• He has given us the same power that resurrected Jesus
• He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
• He has already seated us in heavenly places

Then, one of my favorite passages says: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s prayer expresses the same richness: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

So, the first 3 chapters present much of what God has done for us. Then, the last 3 chapters give us 33 things to do. Here’s the way I see it. Look what the Lord has done and is doing in you. NOW ACT LIKE IT! HIS WORK IN MY LIFE ALWAYS REQUIRES MY RESPONSE. SO, don't try to do it yourself. God has already done it. What He wants from you is to respond to Him and His work! NOW, would you look at all that God has done for you and will you act like it?

WALK BY FAITH

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Throughout the Scriptures there is a constant theme that under-girds our discussion on genuine faith that is accompanied by works. It is best expressed as WALK BY FAITH. WALK—that’s what we are to do. BY FAITH is what we are believing God to do. So, in most every incident of life there is God’s part and man’s part.

By faith Noah built a boat. Noah worked very hard to build a boat by faith that God was going to do His part—to save the lives of Noah’s family in a boat that floats in the flood. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho. Joshua led his troops around the city to do their part by faith that God would do His part—to knock down the walls supernaturally.

Check out in the letter to the church of Jesus in Galatia: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

In another passage in the letter to the church of Jesus in Philippi: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. That is man’s part. I am to work out in my life the salvation I have in my heart. This is my responsibility—to flesh out this faith life in my body. Now, if this was the entire story, we could easily be quite discouraged and overwhelmed. But watch what the rest of the passage says. It goes on with: for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure—the thing that pleases him. My work to work out my own salvation is totally dependent upon God’s work—to work in me with empowerment.

Here’s how it works. You are to do the possible (that’s your part), by faith that God will do the impossible (that’s God’s work). You cannot do the impossible, so don’t try. He will not be held responsible to do the possible, so don’t wait for God to do something that you can easily do yourself.

It’s 100% YOU and 100% GOD. Now don’t get upset with this. God’s 100% is far greater than yours. So now, live your life each day by faith. This gives you something significant to do while depending upon the God of gods to supernaturally intervene. So let go and let God! It’s the only way to freely and fully live!

YOU DO IT

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There’s a powerful passage in II Peter that offers more balance of a genuine faith that is proven out by your actions. In this case it starts out with what God has already done for you: Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
God has already given us everything we need to live the faith life most effectively. Then, because of what God has done inside us, we are told to do some amazing things—to supply: Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
Now, get this. God is not going to supply these things to our faith (moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love), we are to supply them to our faith. The word “supply” has the meaning of “underwrite” an event. This is to come from our efforts, so we must be capable of doing it.
Now watch the 3 results if we do these things: FIRST—For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. You will become fruitful in the true knowledge of Jesus.
SECOND—For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; If you lack these qualities, you will find yourself blind—can’t see where you are, short-sighted—can’t see where you’re going, and having forgotten your salvation—can’t see where you’ve been.
THIRD—for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. If you are faithful to supply these qualities to your faith, God will abundantly supply or underwrite a special entrance into the eternal kingdom.
TO SUM UP: God empowers us to live the faith life. We are commanded to do our part. Then, God supernaturally blesses us in our relationship with Him. It just doesn't get any better than this!

GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOU--GOOD WORKS

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In the last few days we’ve been scoping out passage after passage where genuine faith will result in good works. All of this is under the theme “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.” As I get into it further I see this could go on for many more days than I had initially thought. So, let’s take 5 more days on this theme.

Today I want to look at a very significant teaching in Ephesians 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You are God’s handiwork. This word is where we get our word—poem. So, it would be best said, “You are God’s poem or message.” I believe each of us has a special and unique message given to us by God Himself. This message is not given to us to sit on, but to release it in our relationships. So, now you and I are His message to the world. In other words, your story is His story.

By the way, this means you are needed by the “others” in the world and you have need of the “others” in your life. There is a significance to your existence that goes far beyond your vocation or building your kingdom. God has a plan for you to fulfill—some good works for you to do.

Not only will find your most satisfying fulfillment as you embrace your God-given message for the world, but your good works will shine as a light in the world of darkness. Listen to the words of Jesus: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The world doesn’t need to be told about Jesus as much as it needs to see Jesus in you and me. The challenge to us is to hang out with Jesus close enough to catch on to how to walk like Jesus, think like Jesus, love like Jesus and talk like Jesus. Then the world may see His face.