By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #226 ~
The Christian life is knowing God and the work He is doing and joining Him in His work. Since we are in the end-times, this means work that must be done before Jesus Christ returns to rapture the church. Jesus said, “My Father is always at His work, and I too am working” (John 5:17). Realizing that our heavenly Father, along with Jesus Christ, is always working is extremely encouraging. Only they know all the work that needs to be done and are then able to get it done. But what should you know about God and His glorious work, and how that directly relates to the work He wants you to do at this time in history?
God made the heavens and the earth, He made all the angels, and He made every person who has ever lived. “O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions” (Ps. 104:24). And God made you! “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it well” (Ps. 139:14). God made you just the way you are so you can do what He wants you to do (Jer. 1:4-10). And might you, like Jesus, glorify God by doing the work He wants you to do. “I brought You glory by completing the work You gave me to do.” John 17:4
God is working powerfully and mightily, spiritually and physically, in big things and little. “One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts” (Ps. 145:4). God is working truthfully, wisely, according to His Word, and with full knowledge of everything in the universe. “The word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in truth… He sees all the sons of men… He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works” (Ps. 33:4, 13-15). God is lovingly, kindly, and patiently working. “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. All your works shall give thanks to You.” Psalm 145:8-9
God is working purposefully and faithfully, doing all that He has planned to do. “I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning… ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Is. 46:9-11). Most importantly, God is working for His glory and honor. “All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power.” Ps. 145:10-11
The greatest work of God is the work of salvation, that Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay for peoples’ sins, rose from the dead, appeared to His disciples, and ascended into heaven. Only when you repent of your sins and believe in Christ and His work of salvation will you be truly saved and forgiven of your sins. “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29). Those who turn from their sin and turn to Christ become holy in God’s sight, and receive eternal life. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us.” (Tit. 3:5, Rom. 3:21-26). Once you are saved and begin to experience God’s mercy and love, then you will love Him and serve Him, “doing the Lord’s work” (1 Cor. 16:10) and being “zealous for good deeds.” Titus 2:14
Since God is completely righteous, then all who reject God’s offer of forgiveness remain unrighteous and must be punished after they die. “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire… these will go away into eternal punishment” (Matt 25:41, 46). And in the context of God’s final wrath on earth, we read, “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? You alone are holy.” Revelation 15:3-4, 16:1
The Bible is an accurate record of God’s work, from Genesis to Revelation, from creation to Adam to Noah to Abraham and the Jews, to Joseph to Joshua to Deborah to Ruth to Ahab to Hezekiah to Isaiah to Malachi to Mary to Jesus Christ to Judas to Peter and the church, to Paul to Timothy to the Antichrist to Jesus Christ, to the kingdom ages to come. God’s most important work is that which is done in the lives of people. Whether it’s Abraham and faith, Noah and obedience, Moses and patience, David and love, Esther and courage, Mary and humility, or Paul and perseverance, we know that God is working and His work is being done. God’s word is the only book in the world that gives a super-clear picture of the perfect, powerful, holy, loving, wise, purposeful, purposeful, and glorious work of God.
When you study God’s work in Bible characters, you realize there’s direction, movement, connectivity, and continuity, that there are no gaps or mistakes, that His purposes are fulfilled just like He planned them. You see this when you examine the Old Testament record and compare it with Jesus’ genealogy in Luke 3. You see this when studying the life of Ruth, that she is David’s great-grandmother. You learn that one thing leads to another, that one person leads to another, that God’s work is chronological, cumulative, conclusive, and most important.
God is working sovereignly, always in control, always carrying out His will. “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Whether it’s our lives, families, or church, God is working all things together for our good and for His purposes. The synergistic work of God is truly miraculous, a super-massive global puzzle precisely being pieced together over the millennia. God is perfectly fitting together billions of people and trillions of situations and events. And this is true in the church – “the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22
Sometimes God works alone (as the Trinity), sometimes He works with angels, and sometimes He works with people, but He is daily, purposely, and always carrying out His predetermined plans. “Bless the Lord, you His angels… Bless the Lord, all His hosts… Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; bless the Lord, O my soul.” Psalm 103:19-22
Jesus’ primary work is building the church, the local and universal church, with the result that people are being saved, believers are growing, and disciples are being made. There is “the equipping of saints for the work of service” (Eph. 4:12), the “proper working of each individual part” (Eph. 4:16), and spiritual growth, that is humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, love, unity, compassion, and forgiveness. (Eph. 4:1-3, 32). It’s sad that we live in a sick, crazy-wicked world, but don’t be discouraged, for the Lord is always victorious. No one will ever stop Him from carrying out His purpose for His church, from fully reaching His goal. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 1:6
“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). As you walk with the Lord, as you learn from Him, trust Him, pray to Him, and obey Him, then you will be doing His work. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). As Christians, there are no excuses, for God enables and empowers us to do the work He planned out for us. “I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.” Ephesians 3:7
It’s now 2021. Do you know what time it is? It’s the end-times, the last years leading up to the end of this age and the coming of Christ. Do you know what needs to take place before God sends His Son back to earth? God said there would be birth pains – plagues, famines, wars, and earthquakes; a realigning of nations (the US is clearly in decline); a Jewish temple in Jerusalem; the coming of the Antichrist; surveillance, identity-marking technology (Rev. 13:14-17); the gospel being preached to all the nations; and the persecution of Christians and Jews.
All these things will be fully carried out by the sovereign, powerful, purposeful working of God. He will completely finish all the work that must be done before His Son returns to rapture the church – and He wants you to join Him in His work by doing your part, that which He has already planned out. I hope you are excited that God chose you to work for Him at this time in history, in the last days of this church age. What a privilege, what an honor! “My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). Remember God’s promise – “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to the work He has done.” Revelation 22:12
P.S. It’s very important that we focus on God and what He is doing, on His work, for that helps us to know what we are to do. I would encourage you to read these two posts, “God Is In Charge of Everything,” and “God Is In Charge of Your Life,” for they help you to see God and His way of working.