As some of you already know, I grew up in the back woods of Maine. If any of you are familiar at all with Maine than you know that we have some speech challenges to say the least. We use a lot of slang phrases and we use them with a lot of accent. I brought my family on vacation to Maine several years ago and they had the hardest time understanding what the locals were saying. I had to be a translator of sorts. Even though I have lost most of my accent I can still understand the accent and slang quite well. As a matter of fact, after about an hour of being around my family from Maine I revert back to talking like them. One of the odd phrases that we used was “wicked good”. Sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? Is it wicked or is it good? It actually means “really good”.
I started thinking about that phrase, a phrase I haven’t said before now in years, and I think that there can be a “wicked good”. Not in the sense of “really good” but in the sense of a bad good. I know, it sounds crazy doesn’t it? Hear me out and I think that you will, not hear something new that you have never heard, but hear something that will put a brighter light on a principle that is consistent throughout the Word of God. I am going to use two primary verses for our text; they are Hebrews 6:1 and Hebrews 9:14. I am going to throw in verse 13 in chapter 9 just for application.
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
(Heb 9:14)
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. These are the only two verses in the New Testament that have the phrase “dead works”. In the first verse it is more of a change from a life of nothing but dead works, to a life with no dead works. Like a sinner at the point of salvation. To put away the old dead works and start with new works in faith. The second verse in chapter 9 seems to refer to sanctification of dead works as more of a process of removal.
What are dead works, and what is the difference between dead works, works that lead to death, and live works, works that lead to life?
DEAD WORKS ARE …
Works that have no eternal value,
1Pe 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Does the work show others the love of Christ and lead others to salvation?
Works that have no faith.
(Jas 2:14)
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?(Jas 2:15)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,(Jas 2:16)and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?(Jas 2:17)So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
If faith without works is dead than works without faith is a dead work. Faith and good works go hand in hand.
Works that do not bring glory to God,
(1Pe 4:11)
whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Mat 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Does the work give glory to God or to something else? Anything other that God is a dead work.
Now that we have learned about what dead works are you are probably wondering how does the wicked good illustration apply to all this. Dead works are not necessarily evil works. As a matter of fact they may downright appear to be a good work but provide no useful function for the kingdom of God. Although having some humanitarian value it lacks life if it is not done with proper motive.
We all know that there are people in this world that believe that if you do more good deeds than bad than they have earned the right into Heaven. But good deeds done with the expectation of payment are not good deeds at all. It is simply a job. Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. Heaven is a gift, not payment for services rendered.
“Without Christ exalting faith, our deeds will signify nothing but rebellion.” John Piper
Good deeds do not get you any closer to Heaven than bad deeds get you closer to Hell. Neither one is true. This is not a tug of war event that hinges on what you do. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No man cometh to the Father except through His Son, by grace through faith, not by works lest any man should boast.
This is not to say that all good deeds are bad. What is the motive behind them? Even our good deeds, if not done with the sole purpose of glorifying God, are dead works.
Isa 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away
(Col 3:17)
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.We have to be careful of our motives…
Has anyone ever heard of the cartoon Calvin and Hobbes? Well, Calvin is a hyper-active little boy with a wild & vivid imagination, & his companion, Hobbes, is a tiger. Well, in one cartoon Calvin & Hobbes were lying in the shade of a tree on a summer afternoon discussing the important things of life. Calvin says, "What if there is no heaven? What if this is all we get?" Hobbes answers, "Well, if this is all we get I guess we’ll just have to accept it." Calvin replies, "Yeah, but if I’m not going to be rewarded for my good deeds, I want to know it now."
If we are only in it for the reward than we will get our reward in this life and this life leads to death, making it a dead work even though it was a good deed.
When was the last time you prayed and asked forgiveness for your “good” deeds? I never had.
Rom 2:6-8 He will render to each one according to his works: (7) to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; (8) but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
2Co 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'
The only works that are acceptable to God are works of righteousness glorifying Him and we do not have the ability to be righteous. Christ in us is our righteousness and He acts through us to fulfill His works.
