My home church, Grace Bible Church, offered me the privilege of speaking at the ladies Christmas Tea this year. Here are my notes from my 20 minutes talk to the room of 40+ women, representing several churches.
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The Miracle of Good Works: Part Two
I’m not only placed in the church body, I’m in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus. I’m walking on the earth but I’m no longer attached to it. The material doesn’t hold the same appeal any more—but the Spiritual things of God draw me toward Him and His glory.
Do you ever think about the idea that everything that God does here on earth and in our lives is a miracle? We tend to put miracles into the status of Peter walking on water, Lazarus rising from the dead, fire coming down and consuming the sacrifice, or Jesus’ resurrection. Those are huge miracles. But to be truthful, because we’re so finite, we’re so small, we’re so incapable of living without God’s breath in our lungs, everything God does in and through us is a huge miracle.
Verse 10 says our good works were prepared beforehand. Our good works originate in heaven. God knows what He has planned for each and every one of His children. Psalms 139 says God has all our days fashioned for us---so that includes our good works.
“Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:16.
Is there any human since Adam who is not part of God’s creation?
Since God created everything—He created the faith everyone has and He created the good works everyone does.
God says that if anyone gives someone a cup of cold water in His name, they are to be rewarded with high honors.
You’re familiar with Galatians 6:7 &8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
That goes along with the caution of Ephesians 2:9. “Lest anyone boast.” Anyone can do a good work, but the motive can be misused to satisfy the flesh.
There is a sore evil that many people have amassed good deeds thinking it pleased God. Sadly, when they stand before God, their good works will not pay their way into God’s heaven.
Adolf Hitler may have given someone who needed it a cup of cold water. Adolf Hitler, Sadam Husien, Osama Ben laden may have done an unselfish good work at some point in their lives.
It is something very hard to really grasp—but since God created everything, even the good works an unsaved person does is still a good work that God knew they were going to do. Many unbelievers do beneficial good works. Unfortunately, none are done for the glory of God. Not one of them brings God the glory and honor He deserves.
Billionaires give huge amounts of money to charities but it is not recorded in God’s name. Great people have worked to obtain world peace but it was never for the glory of God. Their good work is wasted effort for their eternity, although it also was there beforehand, created in heaven.
Since they also are a part of God’s creation—God created in them the faith to believe in Him. They never came to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and wasted their God-given faith.
We born again Christians have a different agenda entirely. We have a heavenly account book for the works we do that bring honor and glory to God. Verse 10 says there are good works God created beforehand for Christians to walk in. We manifest them as we do the will of God.
And there is a big difference between our good works and the good works of an unbeliever. The qualifier between a Christian’s good works and an unsaved person’s good works in verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.
Oswald Chambers says in the devotional My Utmost for His Highest that once we are saved in Christ Jesus, being a Christian should be automatic and doing good works should be as natural as breathing.
The fun part of our good works is with every work we do for God is a miracle done through us on earth! Miracles occur every time we do a good work that honors God and presents Him to the world because we’re bringing out of God’s storehouse in heaven the works that He created for us to do. They originated in heaven.
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