Working for the Lord in the Last Days

 

We Work for the Lord by Doing All Things As Unto Him

 

John 6:27-29 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The first and foremost work of God, the work that God wants each of us to do is to believe in Jesus Christ. The only way we can please God is by faith, without faith it is impossible to please God, we must begin by believing in Jesus Christ. All work apart from faith in Jesus Christ is worthless; all that we do must be done through faith in Jesus Christ.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ will never experience spiritual hunger, they will be satisfied with their relationship to God. True spiritual satisfaction can only be obtained through faith in Jesus Christ, not through self effort. The only way to find favor with God is by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, not by works. The only way to experience satisfaction in the Christian life is by living by faith in Jesus Christ.

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Eternal life belongs to all those who believe in Jesus Christ; but, those who do not believe are judged already because they do not believe. As far as God is concerned the believer is not guilty, but the unbeliever is guilty.

The question to ask ourselves is, What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ?

 

Believe He is the son of God. He is the Creator. He is God.

Believe He lived a holy life. He was without sin. He fulfilled the Law.

Believe He died for your sins. He took your sins upon Himself. He completed the work of redemption.

Believe He rose from the dead. He is at the right hand of the Father. He intercedes for us.

Believe He is coming again. He will receive us to Himself. He will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

If you truly believe in Him.

 

Ask Him to forgive your sins. Ask Him to accept you.

Believe He has forgiven your sins and accepted you.

Believe in Him. Trust in Him. Rest in Him.


Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Eph 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We have been saved by grace, the unmerited favor of God. We did not do anything to earn salvation nor can we do anything to deserve salvation, it is a free gift to us from God. Furthermore, we acquire salvation by grace through faith only, not by any kind of works or religion. We have been saved to do good works, not because we have done good works. It is God’s will that we do good works, and He has planed the for us to do many good works. Good works come after salvation, not before. The good works that we do are a result of salvation, not a means of obtaining salvation. Therefore, no one can boast that they deserved to be saved. We can only thank God and praise Him forever for what He has done for us.

Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Now that we have been saved, God desires that we present our whole being to Him for obedience, that we live a holy life. God is holy, He is unique, different, one of a kind, there is no one like Him. To be holy then means to be unique, different, one of a kind; in other words, to be like God and not to be like the world around us. When we present ourselves to God for obedience with no strings attached, He accepts our offer as spiritual worship, which is pleasing to Him. In this way we will not only know God’s will, but we will do His will, and find it to be good for us, and acceptable by us, and perfect for us. It is not God’s purpose to hide His will from us, to keep us forever looking for His will. We do not need to be afraid of God’s will, because God does not delight in trying to make us unhappy by choosing a will for us that would be something we would hate to do. When we surrender our lives to the Lord we will be in the center of His will, and we will be in a place to be lead by Him to do His will.

Phil 2:12-15 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

We serve God with reverence because He is perfect in mercy, and grace, and love, and kindness, and justice, and righteousness, and in every way; furthermore, He is deserving of our complete obedience because He is God. God loves us; therefore, we love Him and desire to serve Him. We must be careful to serve Him in the manner that He wills, not as our flesh wills. We desire to do God’s will because He is at work in us, to give us, the desire to do His will. God gives us the will to do His will, and the ability to do His will. If we desire to serve God, it is because God has given us the desire to serve Him. We must be careful to thank God for all that we do for Him, to give Him the credit for the good we do, because not only are we dependent upon Him for the ability to succeed in serving Him, but the desire to serve Him in the first place cames from Him.

We must be careful to do all things without grumbling and disputing, because the world is watching us. We are the only lights that this world has, and if we don’t behave as children of God, the world will never know that we are children of God. Anyone can make the claim that they are a child of God, but it is only the true child of God who will behave as a child of God. Therefore, we must be careful to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach. We must always remember we are ambassadors for Christ, and we represent Him in all that we do.

Matt 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

All the treasures of this world will one day be loss, and no one can take this world’s treasure with Him when He dies. Treasures in heaven will never be lost, and will never loose there value. Therefore, it is foolish to build up treasure on earth and not in heaven. We must be careful not to build up treasure on earth, because our hearts will be where our treasure is. Those who are rich in this world are not very anxious to go to be with the Lord, but those who are rich in service for the Lord are looking forward to being with the Lord, and are anxious to hear the Lord say “well done, good and faithful servant”. We can serve the Lord and build up treasure in heaven with whatever the Lord gives us in this world, and one way to do that is by giving to others.

Matt 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In all that we do, our primary consideration should be to do God’s will, and to be pleasing to Him. We must not even consider our most basic needs for food, and drink, and clothing. When we seek to be pleasing to God, He makes it His responsibility to care for us. We must always trust in Him, and not allow fear of any kind to stop us from doing whatever His will is for us. Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Col 3:1-3 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

We are identified with Christ. God has placed us into Christ, in His death, berial, and resurrection; when Christ died we died, when Christ rose we rose. The life we now live is eternal, and it is a new life in Christ Jesus. This world is no longer our true home, and these bodies are only temporary; one day we will be given new glorified bodies. Therefore, we should live for heaven and not for this world.

The Christian who has fixed his mind on things of heaven and is living for God will not be wrapped up in the pleasures of this world, he will not be in love with this world and all the things this world has to offer; but, he will be looking forward to going to be with the Lord. If a Christian’s mind is fixed on the things of this world he will be as the unbelievers of this world, working for all he can get, but if his mind is fixed above he will be doing all things for the Lord.

Eph 6:5-8 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

All Christians are servants of Christ. We are either good and faithful servants, or we are unproductive servants. We cannot escape the fact that we belong to Christ, and we represent Christ; therefore, we should be careful how we represent Him. A Christian does not need to be involved in some, so called full time Christian service, to be serving the Lord. We are all servants of the Lord no matter what our profession. Therefore, we should do all our work as unto the Lord and not as unto men. We may get a pay check for our work on earth, but our true reward will be from our Lord in heaven. This gives us great reason to rejoice, because we are all in a position to serve the Lord. There is not one Christian who is not given the opportunity to serve the Lord. The lowest of jobs is service to the Lord, if we do it as unto the Lord.

Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We are all ambassadors for Christ and we should keep that fact in mind at all times, no matter what we are doing. We have great reason for giving thanks, because He has given us the opportunity to serve Him in all that we do. Furthermore, the Lord is easy to please; He knows if we are doing our best, and He know our abilities, and He does not get upset with us when we make a mistake.

Col 3:22-24 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

All Christians are servants of the Lord. We serve the Lord by serving others, and by doing all that we have to do, as best as we can, as if we were doing it for the Lord. We must remember that the Lord is in control of our lives, and He knows what He is doing, and He has a plan, and a purpose for all that He gives us to do. As ambassadors for Christ we represent Him at all times. We are to be lights to the world, and we are the only lights the people around us have. Our best witness is not what we say but what we do. If we talk the talk and don’t walk the walk, the people around us will not believe the talk we talk. If we work to please the Lord and not to please men, the people around us will take notice, and listen to what we say when we talk about the Lord.

1Thes 4:9-12 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

The apostle Paul instructed the Thessalonians to make it their ambition to live a quiet lifestyle, to mind their own business, and to work with their hands. This is God’s will for all of us, as much as it was for the Thessalonians. We should not be creating problems for ourselves, or for anyone else, we all have troubles enough. We should not be trying to direct other people’s lives, God can do that without our help; I don’t know God’s will for your life, and you don’t know God’s will for my life. We should work with our hands, it keeps us out of trouble; working also provides us with the financial resources, to be able to care for our own needs, as well as, for the needs of others less fortunate. When we do all things for Christ, in service for Him, we will be content, and will know the joy of serving the Lord. The Lord is perfectly capable of leading us in service for Himself; if He has any other work for us, other than the work we are doing, He will direct our steps to do it. Remember that apart from faith it is impossible to please God. We must believe that He is capable of directing our steps in service for Him.

Eph 5:15-17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

The wise Christian will make the most of his time, by living for the Lord. He will focus on doing those things that count in heaven, instead of those things that only count in this world. When he has to do any of the many things that are necessary in day to day living, he will do them as unto the Lord. There are many things we can do that are not wrong in themselves, but they don’t have any spiritual value; therefore, when given the choice of what we do with our time we should choose to do that which we know to be the most pleasing to the Lord. It has been my experience that I receive more feeling of accomplishment, when I use my time in pursuit of heavenly things instead of worldly things; things that are not wrong, but simply do not have any heavenly value.

Rom 12:10-13 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

This scripture passage is given for all Christians, no matter what their profession in life. Remember we are all servants of the Lord, our first responsibility is to the Lord. These instructions are for all Christians, no matter how high or how low their social status in this world. We should devote our time and energy to doing good for others. We should prefer to see our fellow Christian honored before ourselves. We should be constantly serving the Lord, as best we can, in all that we do. In all that we do, in serving the Lord, we should always rejoice that we are given the opportunity to serve the Lord, and to build up treasure in heaven. We should never allow opposition to stop us from serving the Lord. In all our service, we must rely upon the Lord for all wisdom, strength, and all ability; therefore, prayer should be a way of life for us. In all our serving the Lord, we serve Him best by serving others.

1 Tim 6:17-19 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Those Christians who have riches should never think they are better than the poor, because they are rich in this world. We are all equal in Christ; therefore, the rich should not think that they have riches because they are better than the poor person. The Lord does not give riches to people because they deserve it; no one knows why one person is poor and another is rich; but, we must all glorify the Lord in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, whether rich or poor. The rich must never fix his hope in the riches he has, it could all be gone tomorrow. Furthermore, all riches come to us from the Lord, it is the Lord who gives the power to make wealth; therefore, the rich Christian does not need to feel guilty about enjoying the riches the Lord has given him

The Lord does expect the rich to do good with his riches, to generously share his riches with those in need, and to look for opportunities to invest his riches in heaven, where investments are secure forever.

Gal 6:9-10 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

We should continue in good works, even when we don’t see any response from others for the good we do. We must never think for a moment, that we are wasting our time and effort. We must always remember, we are servants of the Lord and not servants of men. If we do all things as unto the Lord, the Lord will give us His approval, and that is what we should all be seeking.

I Jn 3:16-18 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Jesus demonstrated His love for us, by giving His life for us. If we truly love others, we should be willing to give what we have to them and even of ourselves for them. If a person claims to love another, and is not willing to give what he has to that other person, that person does not really love the other person. Talk is cheep and anyone can say I love you, true love is proven by our actions, not our words.

I Jn 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

The commandment of God to us today is to believe in Jesus Christ and to love others. Jesus taught us to love others by example, as well as commanding us to do so. There are no other commandments for the Christian to live by. If we love the Lord, we will seek to be pleasing to Him in all that we do, and if we love others, we will always seek to do good to them and not harm; we will seek to give to them and not take from them.

1Thes 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

God’s will is the same for everyone of us. Whatever our work, in everything we do, we should always rejoice, and pray, and give thanks to God; because, in doing this we honor Him.

2 Tim 4:1-5 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

This study on work, in the end times, applies to all Christians; but the word of God gives some special instructions for those who are involved in the ministry of the word of God, in the end times. In the end times, many professing Christians will not want to hear the truth, because the world has influenced them to the extent that they think and live like the self seeking world. But teachers of the word of God must remain faithful to continue to teach the word, even when the people do not want to listen to the truth of the word. Teachers must be ready at all times, to instruct and correct those that will listen, as long as they will listen. They must be patient and never give up, but continue until the Lord comes again. Whatever a man’s ministry may be, he must continue and endure, doing the will of God, until the Lord returns.

1 Pet 5:1-4 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Bible teachers, in the time of the end, are to continue teaching the same old gospel that was taught by the apostles, in the early church. God’s teachings have not changed with the changing of the world, in these end times. God does not change and He never will, which is why, we can have confidence that God will always love us for all eternity. There are many, in these end times, who are involved in Christian ministry, because it is “a good racket”, as one of them admitted to me. The true teacher of the word of God must not let money or any other benefit determine where or how he will serve the Lord; he must be faithful, even if he does not receive any benefit in this world. Those in charge of teaching God’s people are not to drive God’s people as a cowboy would drive cattle; but they are to lead, as a shepherd leads a flock of sheep. All Christians involved in ministry, of any kind, are servants of the Lord, and they must answer to the Lord and not to men, even though they serve the Lord by serving men. The spiritual leaders must continue to serve until the Lord returns. We must all continue on, keeping on until He comes again.

Working for the Lord, in the last days, is no different from working for the Lord, in the days of the Apostles. God’s has not changed and the gospel has not changed. We still live the Christian life, by faith in Jesus Christ. We still serve the Lord in all that we do, by serving others.

We should keep focused on doing the Lord’s will, doing all that we do as unto the Lord. Keeping in mind that we are getting closer to the coming of the Lord with the passing of every day. Always giving thanks to God that He has given us the privilege of being able to serve Him, in all the work we do. No one is denied the great privilege of serving the Lord God Almighty. We will find it our delight to serve Him, as we keep our hearts and minds focused on Him, and not on this soon passing world.

All Scripture taken from King James Bible

* Bible Studies by Max Swan
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (NAS) Jer 9:23-24