Growing Closer to God Part 2
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According to HIS works!
According to HIS works!
How many of us would like to live stress free lives? If I could impart one idea into my children it’s this:
This morning we are going to be discussing but I want to discuss another way that we may grow closer to God. Last week we talked about how some sin, not all, is personal to us as Christians. That as we get closer to God we strip more of ourselves to cloth ourselves in Christ. Meaning we lose more Earthly desires that may not actually be sinning. I liked this to a video game I was playing and how it wasn’t a sin, but it was sinful for me and where I was in my relationship with Christ.
I want to take it one step further and says Grace and Judgement are also very personal. Last week we ended with a clip from John Bevere exclaiming that we aren’t judged by what we do, but rather we are judged by what we are called to do.
He will render to each one according to his works:
Our calling/works are dependent upon our listening.
Our calling/works are dependent upon our listening.
God will render judgement according to what we have done, but our judgement isn’t measured by a collective standard. In God’s house there isn’t a standard bar set for each individual person, but rather our works will be measured against our calling. The thing I like about John’s video is that it deals with numbers of salvations according to our call. The first guy was an accountant who was supposed to pastor and then a pastor who was supposed to be an accountant. Both reached astonishing numbers of salvation. Both, I believe are enjoying the benefits of heaven, but their rewards are less than what they would have recieved.
Both thought they knew what God wanted them to do, but both got it wrong. Both did each other’s job so their jobs got done, but their judgments were very different. The third was a women who raised her children the best she could. She thought it wasn’t good enough, but she did exactly what she was called to do.
to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
Now this verse on the surface is like the Christians Kryptonite. We are taught many times over that we aren’t supposed to seek glory, honor, and immortality. In fact many villains were made because of the pursuit of immortality or the desire to live forever. So I want to break these down.
Patience in well-doing
Patience in well-doing
We find it’s meaning in
Life isn’t fair—nor will it ever be!
Life isn’t fair—nor will it ever be!
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Luke
This one concept, if taken seriously, can radically change your life. Because once you get this concept and make it a reality in your life it frees you—and it’s a biblical concept. If life were fair we would receive the punishment that was due to us. I have found that most people are ok with life being unfair as long as they are on the receiving end of the scale. Once the scale tips and they are no longer receive positive unfair treatment they begin to complain about the unfairness of life. However, fairness hasn’t changed, only the side on which you stand has changed.
This is our ability to do what God has called us to do even in the tough times. There will be times in our calling when things seem to halt and not grow. There will be times when it seems like we are loosing and not God isn’t listen, but it’s those times that we must be patient. We must know our call. One thing I noticed in war is there are times where you have to give up land in order to win the war. Sometimes you will ask God why you are retreating when you should be advancing. This is a normal question, but there are those times when God has pulled us back to rethink, arrange somethings around, and then re-attack. Far to many people gave up on their calling when times got tough, but what I heave learned is that often times the tougher things got the closer I was in breaking through. The enemy isn’t going to fight you for no reason. He isn’t going to make things hard if you aren’t doing what God wants you to do.
This is our ability to do what God has called us to do even in the tough times.
What I have noticed is that many people today subdue themselves to large amounts of stress, not because they want to get ahead or serve God and his people, but simply because they desire to keep up with the Jones’. We want the luxuries someone else has so we rack up credit card debt. We work harder than we were ever meant to work. We work longer than what’s considered healthy all so that we can maintain some sort of lifestyle that we desire or deem necessary. On the opposite side I have seen people who want to work as little as possible because they desire laziness. Laziness or the sin of sloth comes with it’s own sins, but that is a different sermons for a different time.
Seeking Glory
Seeking Glory
This morning’s scripture comes form
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
So what’s this verse have to do with keeping up with Jones’ or leading a stress free life?
There are two phrases I want to focus on
Beholding the glory of the Lord/from glory to glory.
The answer comes from the question why?
For a Christian seeking our own glory should be seeking to pull God out from within. There will be a day when we see the true glory of God with an unveiled face. Meaning unfiltered. Not photoshopped. However, the closer we grow to God the more we embrace the image of God in us.
Why do people judge?
Why do people judge?
This usually, not always, but usually has do with one of these reasons
By seeking our own glory we should be seeking to be more like Christ, thus giving God the glory we seek. This is can likened to working a job. By seeking our paycheck, by doing the best we can at our job, by fulfilling our job description, and being the face of the corporation we are then seeking to increase the owner of that corporation’s investment. We are spreading their name and giving them a good reputation in the community around us. This makes people talk about the place we work, which makes people use it’s product, which increases the respect for that company.
By seeking our glory, in Christ’s calling we are seeking to glorify Christ and spread his name.
There is something in our life that we don’t want to focus on.
You struggle with the same sin and you are angry with or jealous of the person who free commits the sin and seemingly reaps no judgement.
Seeking Honor
Seeking Honor
But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.
There is a direct connection between us receiving glory in Christ, and us seeking the humblest of places. Honor isn’t sitting in a high seat, rather honor is being offered a high seat. Very few people notice those who sit in the front rows, or even the highest places, but if in a concert someone who has nose bleed seats gets called out by the artist and brought to the front row everyone notices.
This is the same about honoring yourself and someone else honoring you. It always means more when someone else speaks about your integrity and work ethic than you speaking of your own integrity and work ethic. By seeking the lowest seat you are putting yourself in the prime position to be honored, thus since you are becoming more like Christ people will honor Christ in you!
Put in other words
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.
By serving those God puts in your path you are bringing honor to God because you belong to him. As a servant people will always equate your behavior to the master. If I take my dog to the dog park and he bites someone they don’t yell at the dog, they don’t fine the dog—they fine it’s master and although there may be puishment for the Dog the master is always the one that gets the blame.
Same is true for Christians. When we represent Christ’s love and the heart of Christ we relfect God, but when we do something outlandish and shamefilled God also reaps our bad press.
Then Lastly we are to
Seek Immortality
Seek Immortality
Christians know that the only way to be immortal is in our relationship with God. To seek the kingdom of God we seek everlasting life.
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Immortality or eternal life is seeking Christ. By seeking Christ we will receive everlasting life—We Will Be Immortal.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
By seeking God’s honor and glory with a patient heart our reward is eternal life, but Paul also states this warning
but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.
Romans
God shows no partiality. For those who seek to honor God will be honored by heaven and those who seek to only honor themselves will receive their due honor in judgement. Paul used these verses to show there wasn’t a difference between Jew and Gentile, but today the same is true for the Christian. There are those who call themselves Christians and act to honor God theirs is etnernal life, but fo those who call themselves Christians and serve themselves theirs will be Judgement.
We can draw closer to God by seeking to spread his name with the heart of a servant. The desire to do the best we can will allow us to minister and speak to the name of God.
