God's Finished Work, Our Response and Responsibility

Where do you spend your time? In the eternal dwelling place prepared for you by Jesus Himself, or in this evil, deceptive world built on lies and sin? Your success in life will largely depend on where you position yourself, whether under the fountain of God's grace or in the futility of your own thinking and vain efforts.

Is faith verses works a paradox? Do you find the tension between the two confusing?

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God Who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Phil 2:12-13)

"Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18)

1 Cor 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Matthew 25:14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Where Jesus intends us to dwell forever...

Revelation 21 "The New Jerusalem" I go to prepare a place for you, in My Father's house are many mansions (John 14:2) I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:18)

God tells us that we shall be in the world but not of the world.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." (John 2:15-16)

The whole world is controlled by the evil one (1 John 5:19) ...whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Devil offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, meaning they literally are ruled over by Satan (Matthew 4:8-10)

Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20-21)

1 Peter 2:4... Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,

“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”

8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.”

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven" (2 Corinthians 5:2)

Satan is a liar and the father of lies, truth is not in him (John 8:44)

The fake invisible world painted by popular culture is lies, depravity, vanity, and Satanic.

"But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23)

The real invisible world, as revealed by the Holy Spirit, is eternal truth and exists in the here and now (while we live on this earth) just as much as it exists in eternity (when we depart to be with the Lord) and is our eternal abode. "Eternal" meaning "always," as in "both now and forevermore." We can and must abide in it now in our daily lives and experience.

Romans 7:24 "Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?"

Question: At what point can we take confidence in our own righteousness, relax, and let our guard down? Answer: Never on this side of heaven. We are gifted God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, His deity, death, and resurrection. Jesus's perfect righteousness is placed on our account because He appropriated all our sin and the judgment due for that sin. At no point will our own righteousness be sufficient, and we must constantly remember to be found in Christ alone, to humble ourselves, submit to Him, and live in Him and through Him so He can live in us and through us. We must cultivate the habit of reminding ourselves of God's promises, dwelling on that which is good, building ourselves up in the most holy faith, and walking out those promises.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Phil 4:8)

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, (Jude 1:20)

We build personal character through diligent effort and force of habit. If we are disappointed in our own character, we do well to remember that character is developed through habit. We live and walk and breathe in God's kingdom, the City of God, as we appropriate His truths. We bring the freedom of the kingdom of God to the earth as we manifest the reality of Jesus Christ's victory over sin and death and darkness and disease. We liberate our own souls from the sickness of sin and muck of the past by appropriating God's promises, diligently, actively and habitually, in the present.

2 Pet 1:2-9… To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.