The Lord’s Work – Part 1
“I just got back from a trip making prosthetics and orthotics for free for the less fortunate in the 3rd world. One of my friends told me I was “doing The Lord’s work” which pissed me off for 2 reasons.
No, I was doing humanitarian work that I feel is important, not something a religion told me to.
If it’s The Lord’s work, why the h*** wasn’t he doing it??? I’m sick of picking up this dude’s slack, these people need help.”
- Self Proclaiming Atheist on Doing ‘The Lord’s Work’
“We truly believe we are doing the Lord’s work.”
- Nancy Pelosi on fighting for Dreamers’ rights.
“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.”
What is the Lord’s work? How do we do it?
Is it humanitarian work? Is it making the world a better place? Is it fighting for equality and social justice? Is it protesting peacefully? Or nonpeacefully? Is it condemning the riots? Is it loving our neighbor? Is it giving to charity? Is it “saving” lives as a doctor? Is is serving food as Martha did? Is it however you decide, or however you feel called to serve the Lord?
Is the Lord’s work anything he asks us to do? If He asks you to take out your trash – is that the Lord’s work? If he asks you to bake a turkey and deliver it to the homeless – is that the Lord’s work?
.
.
.
I believe the answer is No. No. And No. Those things would be our work.
The Lord’s work is what He has worked, or, what He is working.
The Lord’s Work
1st occurrences of “work”
Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
What God created and made was His work. He made all of heaven and earth and it was very good.
Psalms 64:9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
Psalms 28:5 Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
The Lord’s work is the work that the Lord does with His hands.
Psalms 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Psalms 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Judges 2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
Those great works He did for Israel, those are the Lord’s work.
Psalms 66:5-6 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
Those great, terrible, wonderful works that the Lord did for Israel are HIS works.
Is that what you went overseas to do for the third world countries?
Is that what Nancy Pelosi wants to do for the dreamers?
When you can do those wonders that The Lord did in Egypt… When you can by your breath part the Red Sea and make a way of dry ground in between two walls of water I will admit that you can do the Lord’s work. When you can bring forth water out of a rock, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s word. When you can turn bitter waters into sweet, and raindown bread from heaven, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s work. When you can hold the sun and the moon in place that they move not, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s work.
When you can do all (or any!) of those great wonders, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s work.
Because those are the things that He does. Those are the Lord’s works.
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.
Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
Can you really do the Lord’s works, and do them perfectly, holily, without error, guile, sin?
But now things are surely different in the New Testament, no?
John 5:36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
Jesus doesn’t say, let’s all do the works that my father gave me to finish.
He doesn’t say, You need to do my father’s works as I do them.
No, Jesus did His own works. They were His works.
But… I mean Jesus says follow me, so that must mean do the works that I do, right?
John 9:2-4 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Jesus worked the works of God.
He opened the eyes of the blind. He walked on water. He raised the dead. He healed the lame and the sick.
Are those His works? Based on the passage here it sounds like it… And maybe you wouldn’t be wrong to say it… But notice, Jesus didn’t say he was born blind that I might work the works of God on Him. He said that the works of God should be made manifest in Him. The works of God is something you can see. Something that can be manifested.
His work was not to do that miracle, His work was that miracle – the blind receiving sight, light manifesting in darkness, the dead brought to life.
John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Well Jesus hadn’t even gone to the cross yet, how could he say he had finished the work?
There were a whole lot of blind sick, lame, and deaf people that Jesus had not healed. There were a whole lot of dead that had not been raised.. How could he be done the work? That was all His Father wanted him to do? What about liberating the Jews, giving them equal rights?! What about setting up a kingdom?!
The doing of those miracles was not the work that Jesus came to do.
The work of Christ is eternal life, and His work, His job, was to manifest that life.
John 17:1-8 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
Jesus did many good workS on the Earth. But there was one work that was most important: to manifest eternal life, to give the word of God to men.
Jesus’ work, which he had finished before even going to the cross was to manifest the word of God. To take the Lord’s word directly from the Lord and give it perfectly, purely, wholly to the lost that they might keep it, know it, believe it and be saved by it.
Jun 21 2020
The Lord’s Work – Part 1
Downloadable Word document:
The Lord’s Work – Part 1
The Lord’s Work – Part 1
“I just got back from a trip making prosthetics and orthotics for free for the less fortunate in the 3rd world. One of my friends told me I was “doing The Lord’s work” which pissed me off for 2 reasons.
No, I was doing humanitarian work that I feel is important, not something a religion told me to.
If it’s The Lord’s work, why the h*** wasn’t he doing it??? I’m sick of picking up this dude’s slack, these people need help.”
“We truly believe we are doing the Lord’s 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.”
What is the Lord’s work? How do we do it?
Is it humanitarian work? Is it making the world a better place? Is it fighting for equality and social justice? Is it protesting peacefully? Or nonpeacefully? Is it condemning the riots? Is it loving our neighbor? Is it giving to charity? Is it “saving” lives as a doctor? Is is serving food as Martha did? Is it however you decide, or however you feel called to serve the Lord?
Is the Lord’s work anything he asks us to do? If He asks you to take out your trash – is that the Lord’s work? If he asks you to bake a turkey and deliver it to the homeless – is that the Lord’s work?
.
.
.
I believe the answer is No. No. And No. Those things would be our work.
The Lord’s work is what He has worked, or, what He is working.
The Lord’s Work
1st occurrences of “work”
Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
What God created and made was His work. He made all of heaven and earth and it was very good.
Psalms 64:9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
Psalms 28:5 Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
The Lord’s work is the work that the Lord does with His hands.
Psalms 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Psalms 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Judges 2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
Those great works He did for Israel, those are the Lord’s work.
Psalms 66:5-6 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
Those great, terrible, wonderful works that the Lord did for Israel are HIS works.
Is that what you went overseas to do for the third world countries?
Is that what Nancy Pelosi wants to do for the dreamers?
When you can do those wonders that The Lord did in Egypt… When you can by your breath part the Red Sea and make a way of dry ground in between two walls of water I will admit that you can do the Lord’s work. When you can bring forth water out of a rock, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s word. When you can turn bitter waters into sweet, and raindown bread from heaven, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s work. When you can hold the sun and the moon in place that they move not, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s work.
When you can do all (or any!) of those great wonders, I will admit that you are doing the Lord’s work.
Because those are the things that He does. Those are the Lord’s works.
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.
Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
Can you really do the Lord’s works, and do them perfectly, holily, without error, guile, sin?
But now things are surely different in the New Testament, no?
John 5:36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
Jesus doesn’t say, let’s all do the works that my father gave me to finish.
He doesn’t say, You need to do my father’s works as I do them.
No, Jesus did His own works. They were His works.
But… I mean Jesus says follow me, so that must mean do the works that I do, right?
John 9:2-4 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Jesus worked the works of God.
He opened the eyes of the blind. He walked on water. He raised the dead. He healed the lame and the sick.
Are those His works? Based on the passage here it sounds like it… And maybe you wouldn’t be wrong to say it… But notice, Jesus didn’t say he was born blind that I might work the works of God on Him. He said that the works of God should be made manifest in Him. The works of God is something you can see. Something that can be manifested.
His work was not to do that miracle, His work was that miracle – the blind receiving sight, light manifesting in darkness, the dead brought to life.
John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Well Jesus hadn’t even gone to the cross yet, how could he say he had finished the work?
There were a whole lot of blind sick, lame, and deaf people that Jesus had not healed. There were a whole lot of dead that had not been raised.. How could he be done the work? That was all His Father wanted him to do? What about liberating the Jews, giving them equal rights?! What about setting up a kingdom?!
The doing of those miracles was not the work that Jesus came to do.
The work of Christ is eternal life, and His work, His job, was to manifest that life.
John 17:1-8 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
Jesus did many good workS on the Earth. But there was one work that was most important: to manifest eternal life, to give the word of God to men.
Jesus’ work, which he had finished before even going to the cross was to manifest the word of God. To take the Lord’s word directly from the Lord and give it perfectly, purely, wholly to the lost that they might keep it, know it, believe it and be saved by it.
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