Jun 28 2020
The Lord’s Work – Part 2
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The Lord’s Work – Part 2
Now, today, in the NT, there IS a way to “do the Lord’s work”. Not carnally!! But spiritually…
John 4:31-34 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
“My meat is… to finish His work”, Jesus says. If that can be taken in reverse… “my meat” is to finish His work.
So…. to EAT – or to HAVE or to GIVE “my meat” is to finish His work.
Jesus said, “My meat is… to finish His work”. So to eat Jesus’s meat is to finish His work.
John 6:35, 54-56 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. … 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
IF: To eat His meat is to believe on Him.
AND: His meat is to finish His work.
THEN: To believe on Him is to finish His work.
So, if you’ve believed on Jesus, you’ve finished the same work that He finished. You’ve done the Father’s will, and finished His work. You’ve eaten His finished work.
His work, His words, eternal life is completed and manifested in you just like that blind man.
You don’t have to do what Jesus did. You don’t have to open the eyes of the blind.
You don’t have to walk as he walked. You don’t have to be a good little soldier and obey your whole life. You don’t have to endure the cross! You just have to eat.
1 Corinthians 10:18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
Everything he did and everything He is, you are partaker of, by eating of His meat.
IN JESUS, you went to the cross and died, you were buried and rose again, you ascended on high, “now no more to return to corruption.”
Jesus has already finished the works. Jesus was the work of God! Jesus is the finished work of God.
He became meat, and broke His body. By eating his meat, one is made a partaker of His work, His sacrifice. One not only does, but finishes, the work of Christ by eating Jesus’s meat, His own body.
We can talk about serving the Lord as a Christian and doing “the Lord’s work”, but unless you have done this thing, you cannot and have never worked the Lord’s works.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
This is not a work we do, but what He does in us.
To eat that spiritual meat is to (1) finish His work (2) to have His work in you.
Not only has a Christian done His work, and possessed His work, but he/she IS His work.
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Nothing you do, of yourself, is His work. Those are your works.
You don’t do your work to get saved. You become His work in the Spirit.
To eat that spiritual meat is to (1) finish His work, (2) to have His work in you, and (3) to BE His work.
This is the Lord’s work… what HE works.
Isaiah 49:20-21 The children which thou [Zion] shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. 21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
Who are those children? That’s us!
Isaiah 29:23 But when he [Jacob] seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.
Remember this?
Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
God did just that, literally!
John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
1 Peter 2:4-5 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Jesus is a living stone. The people, the living stones, are the work of God.
These are HIS works. He makes them with HIS own hands.
Mark 14:58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
The building of the city of New Jerusalem is His work.. made by His hands.. and yet, made “without hands”.
“without hands” appears 4 times in Scripture. Each time it stands in opposition to a work of man’s hands. Each time it refers to a work that the Lord does.
Daniel 2:34,45 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. … 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, …
That stone was Jesus. The Lord made a body for himself “without hands”.
Colossians 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Israel circumcised his children “with hands” under the old covenant. We are both born and circumcised without hands (i.e., with the hands of God).
Isaiah 60:21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
The true vine and the branches that abide in it are the work of His hands. You are the work of His hands.
A Christian (brother) is the work of the Lord.
Romans 14:20-21 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Your Christian brother is the work of God. Love your brother. Don’t offend those that would become brothers. And don’t offend those that are.
Paul’s sermon in the synagogue at Antioch: after preaching Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Acts 13:38-41 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; 41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
The work of God is something that is to be believed. The work of God is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The work of God is not something we must do. It is something you must believe, or perish.
Daniel 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
His work is truth! This poor world is so deceived…
Psalms 74:12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
The Lord works salvation. He saved his people Israel from their enemies in the flesh, and today He saves His people Israel (in the Spirit) from their enemies in the spirit. Eternal salvation is His work.
The Lord also works desolation. Salvation to the righteous, and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity.
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
In both cases, if He does the work, He does not fail, he does not mess up, he does not come short. He does exactly what he purposes to do.
So does America’s military really do the Lord’s work?
Does Black Lives Matter do the Lord’s work?
Do the liberal media and politicians do the Lord’s work?
Do the conservative media and politicians do the Lord’s work?
Do the police officers do the Lord’s work?
Do the the doctors do the Lord’s work?
Do the construction workers do the Lord’s work?
No. No. and No!
Jul 12 2020
The Lord’s Work – Part 3
Downloadable Word document:
The Lord’s Work – Part 3
The Lord’s Work – Part 3
Our work
“Martha, on the other hand, was doing what she was supposed to be doing. She was focused on doing the Lord’s work. Doing the Lord’s work for her was preparing the meal and caring for other’s needs. It was her job and her calling. It was how she was serving the Lord.”
Luke 10:41-42 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Why did he refer to Mary’s choice as “that good part”, and not, “the better option”?
If Martha was doing the Lord’s work, could it possibly be taken away from her?
Of course not. This work was not the Lord’s work. It was not even serving the Lord. It was serving men. When you serve men you get praise of men, not praise of the Lord. You have your reward.
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
You will receive according to your works. If Martha’s works were the Lord’s works, she would receive good for them. They would not be taken away. But she did not choose “that good part”, did she?
1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
There are only two sorts… Yours and His. Man’s and the Lord’s. Carnal works and spiritual works.
If you do “the Lord’s work” you will not lose your reward. The Lord’s work does not burn.
Are you holy, pure, just, righteous, and perfect in all the works which you do?
Psa_145:17 (KJV) The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
Dan_9:14 (KJV) … for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: …
John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Jeremiah 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
You will be judged by the word of God. All of your works will be tried by the word of God. Martha’s works will be tried by the word of God. She will lose those works. They will be taken away from her.
If your works are carnal like Martha’s, they will burn, and you will lose them.
If your works are your works, and not the Lord’s works, they will be taken away from you.
Luke 10:38-40 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
Mary chose the word of God. And when the word of God is tried by the word of God, it does not burn. It will not be lost. She chose a good work. She chose, not to work for the Lord, but she chose the Lord’s work.
Does your work just look like a good work, or is it truth, perfect, holy, eternal? Martha’s works look good still today to the human eye… but it was not a true good work.
Proverbs 11:18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
The works of the wicked are deceitful – a trick.
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
You will be rewarded for having obtained (kept) His works. His works are very important at our judgment. Our works better be His works. We better understand how to keep and do them.
How can a man keep the works of the Lord? How can he do them?
How can I open the eyes of the blind? The ears of the deaf? Loose the tongue of the dumb?
How can I heal the sick, the maimed, the lame? How can I raise the dead?
How can I take one piece of bread and feed thousands?
How can I turn water into wine – or wine into water? How can I walk on water?
How can I turn the raging of the sea into a calm path to walk though the waters, as by dry land?
How can I teleport myself – being in one place one moment and then somewhere completely different in the next moment?
I can’t. Not naturally. Naturally, there is no way to do those things, at least for those of us who are not Apostles of Christ.
But, I can do any or all those things in the Spirit being a saved man in Christ Jesus. There is a way.. and it is..
Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
There is no way for a natural sinful man, born of a woman to work the works of God.
You’re not going to do the Lord’s work by doing humanitarian work, working in medicine, surgery, teaching children to read, policing the streets, recycling all your materials, saving the whales, making masks or face shields to protect people from the coronavirus, quarantining yourself in your home, going out to protest the quarantine, going out to protest against racism or police brutality, peacefully protesting, violently protesting, rioting and looting, posting twitter comments, posting videos, singing songs, writing songs of peace and love, going to war in Vietnam, protesting the war in Vietnam, going to war in Iraq, protesting the war in Iraq, by fighting for socialism, or fighting against socialism, working the soup-kitchen, funding a soup-kitchen, giving to charity, giving money to the beggar at the stoplight, giving a home to the beggar at the stoplight, giving money to Black Lives Matter, giving money to the Trump Campaign, even giving away all of the earthly possessions to feed the poor, etc.
You can negotiate a nuclear disarmament with North Korea, you can negotiate peace in the middle east, you can divert climate change and “save the world”. But..
None of this is doing the Lord’s work. Those are men’s works. Those are the things that all men do.
This world is dying, and you are not going to save it.
Oh but working in the church, or associated with a church ministry, that is different you say.. that must be the Lord’s work… Well. No not really.. You’re not going to do the Lord’s work by raising money for your church, by inviting people to church, by knocking on doors twice a week, by running a bus route every Sunday, by handwriting and mailing letters to every home in Laurel to encourage them to have faith in God through difficult times – and giving them a link to JW.org, by setting up a pool for public baptisms, by organizing 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, organizing church bingo nights, church picnics, offering money to the church, donating clothes and other goods to the church, visiting the sick, visiting the prisoners, visiting the elderly at nursing homes, Christmas caroling, writing Christian books, movies, games.
Those are nice and good things. Everyone agrees. But its not the Lord’s work. Unsaved people do all these same things too. You can choose to believe you’re doing “the Lord’s work”, but you won’t be standing on the Scripture for justification.
But… we CAN do the work of God, Scripturally, very easily, very simply.
John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
So how can we do His works? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s work is perfect. So how can we do His works? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, Perfectly!
For an unsaved man, that is the only way he can work the Lord’s work.
And then, once one has done His work, believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, has received eternal life, and he IS the Lord’s work, THEN he is then able to do the Lord’s work. How? The same way, believing the word of God, and giving others a perfect belief in the word of God.
Psalms 74:12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
This is the Lord’s work: Salvation.
And this is exactly what we Real Christians can uniquely do: the Lord’s work – work salvation.
Why? – Because we possess the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Give bread from heaven. Build the temple, New Jerusalem. Plant and grow the true vine Israel in heavenly places. Raise the dead. Heal the sick. Open the eyes of the blind. Save the oppressed.
2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
We work salvation, together with Him. We work eternal life, together with Him. How? By preaching.
This is how we work the Lord’s work.
This is how Paul can say…
1 Corinthians 16:10 Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.
Paul wasn’t talking about any of those things mentioned above, and he wasn’t talking about his tent-making. He was talking solely about preaching the gospel to the lost and the Christian churches.
Acts 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Our job is not to work with our hands… it is to speak (not do) the works of God.
That is how we work the works of God: Salvation in the midst of the Earth.
That is how we raise the dead, heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, and turn blood into living water.
That is how we make a new creature. That is how we divide the Red Sea.
That is how we teleport ourselves and others. We reach into the fire and pull them out. In a moment they are escaped from captivity in death and hell and are seated in heavenly places.
Freely giving away “all things” – eternal life. That is charity – that is the work of the Lord.
Jeremiah 51:10 The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.
He is our righteousness. The work of the Lord is His righteousness.
Psalms 98:2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
The work of the Lord is making known His righteousness. That is what He does, and that is what a Christian is uniquely able to do.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
The work of the Lord, done in the Lord, is not in vain. It will never be lost or destroyed. We will never lose our reward, our recompense for doing it.
Is it fair to say that whatever work we do, while being in the Lord (saved), is not in vain? When you go to work? When you fix the church’s bathroom? When you sing in the choir? Not based on this passage.
So then how do we do the work of the Lord, in the Lord? You know by now, but let’s see if this holds up to our definition.
To answer this question, let’s ask the opposite question, that is, what labour can be done in the Lord, in vain?
Well you do it, but your heart is really being selfish…?
Well you do it, but then you work against it later…?
Well you tried, but you didn’t succeed…?
Well you succeed, but then later it gets destroyed, or stolen, or it dies…?
Instead of guessing or conjecturing, let’s let the Scripture speak…
The root words “labour” and “vain” appear together in 5 verses in the NT.
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Not much insight here. That one isn’t really talking about labour in vain. Doesn’t explain what would make one’s labour be in vain. But these:
Galatians 4:9-11 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
1 Thessalonians 3:5-8 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. 6 But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: 7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: 8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.
Vain labour is due to a destruction of faith in the pure doctrine of Christ.
When churches stop teaching the truth of the gospel, when false prophets deceive souls, and take away the fruit of the gospel, labour is in vain. When the lump is pure, there is profit, but when it is leavened, the work is in vain. When pure doctrine is leavened, our labour of the work of the Lord (the gospel), is in vain.
Galatians 4:9-11 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements … 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
If you’re turning to the works of the law, I may have laboured in vain.
If you never truthfully got saved, I’ve laboured in vain.
If you’re not teaching the truth now, I’ve laboured in vain.
Galatians 3:1-4 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? … 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
When a church’s doctrine is corrupted, the church labours in vain, and is labored upon in vain.
Does that mean Paul won’t receive a reward for setting up the church in truth at the first? Has Paul lost rewards because Satan corrupted the church? I would think likely not. Maybe he loses potential fruit?
The point is that the work of the Lord is the gospel, and preaching it, undefiled, is work that we can do in the Lord, which is never in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
This whole chapter is about “stay steadfast in the doctrine and keep preaching it because there is a certain reward for preaching, because there is a sure resurrection according to our preaching”.
As long as the pure gospel is preached (you being in the Lord, doing the work of the Lord) your labour is not in vain.
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