God's Lavish Grace: Do we do works to impress God?

Terry and Wendy Virgo

Hebrews 9:11
Death can creep into the life of the Church. It doesn’t happen overnight. We do things that are dead works. We need to repent from dead works. What are dead works?
1. Doing works without faith like our Sunday meetings. What is our faith goal? What is our expectation?
2. Doing works without hope like salvation. Can God do it?
3. Working presumptuously. Move from faith to presumption. Can do it without God.
4. Works that are not from God. Many doors open but is it from God? We end up very busy – busy doing things but is it living?
5. Not motivated by love. If we don’t have love we are like a clanging symbol. Without love, it profits nothing. Paul says to the Thessalonians as Jesus wrote to the Church of Ephesus that you’ve lost your first love. The heart is gone. Unless you come back, I will remove your lamp stand. Where is the love? God said to Saul, “Today your kingdom is removed from you”. I want Jesus. I don’t want dead religion that’s lost its heart. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse our conscience.

Many Christians are driven from guilt. We want to appease our conscience. What will people think? People do things for conscience sake. Romans 4:4 – 5. The blood of Jesus cleanses my conscience. We don’t have to justify ourselves and get into activity mode because of what people will think. We get people doing things they don’t want to do and gradually the church dies.

Titus 22:14
God wants a people that are zealous for good works. Matthew 5:16, John 9:14, Revelation22:12. Jesus wants to reward good works.

Our works will be tested. All of us will give an account to God. We’ll be tested by fire. The quality of our works will be tested. God is testing more than what has gone in. He is testing our hearts. We are not saved through our works. God will judge the quality of our works. There are those who will stand the test and those who will suffer loss. God is not interested in dead works.

1 Corinthians 4:4 – 5 God will bring things to light and disclose our motives. God will disclose things hidden in darkness. We don’t need to get involved in conscience work.
Good works open with a good heart will be rewarded. Lets not get into religious activity.