No Fear

I will be using Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 through 30 as my primary text today. Jesus is speaking in a parable about the talents that were given to the servants of a man and how each one dealt with the talents given them.


Mat 25:14 "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

Of course the man going on the journey we could relate to as Jesus and the servants would be us, or Christians, that Jesus is entrusting to us His property.

Mat 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Of course the text here is not talking about talents like singing or writing. Talents were a form of money and a talent was a rather large amount of money. I am quite sure that we can input physical talents or money or even spiritual gifts and the principal or lesson that Jesus is trying to teach will still apply. We have been given these however according to our ability. I spent many years as a young adult angry and jealous at those more fortunate than I was. I had spent my entire life in an extremely poor family and I figured that it was high time that I had my turn. But when I changed jobs and started making more money I just blew it on frivolous things and had less money to pay the bills then when I was making less. I had more money than ability to manage it. So God will give us talents (physical, spiritual) only as we have the ability to be good stewards of them. Don’t misunderstand me and think that all I have to do is to take a class in money management and God will give me more. The wrong motives will gain you nothing.

Mat 25:16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
Mat 25:17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
Mat 25:18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.
Mat 25:19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Mat 25:20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'
Mat 25:21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'
Mat 25:22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.'
Mat 25:23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

Here is the part I want to focus on today…

Mat 25:24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,
Mat 25:25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'
Mat 25:26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?
Mat 25:27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
Mat 25:28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
Mat 25:29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Mat 25:30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

This third servant is going to be our focus today. Typically this is where most preachers convince you that if you have a talent for singing, then you need to join the choir or if you’re good at fixing things you should become the church handyman. While that may be true I want us to focus on what drove this servant to act as he did. In verse 25 the servant says “I was afraid”. The driving force behind the servant was fear. As I was reading and meditating on this I realized that a majority, maybe even all, of my life is motivated by a fear of some sort. On a broader spectrum all people are motivated by fear in one sort or another. We fear getting a toothache so we brush our teeth. We fear starving to death so we eat. Some people fear other people so they carry guns or mace. I would try to be macho about these types of things and I would say that I don’t fear these things I am just being cautious, or I am just developing a contingency. I, personally, consider all of these to be stages of fear. Before you get upset with me and tell me that you have never been afraid of anything in your life, let me just say that some fear, the right fear, is a good thing. Fear is even a necessity for a believer. Have you ever seen the bumper stickers that say “No Fear”? They drive me crazy. The vehicle is usually being driven by some muscle bound man that apparently thinks that his muscles can save him from anything. I am sure that he fears. He fears that some one will think he is a wimp!
What does the Bible have to say about fear? We have all heard the term so often used in the Old Testament that so and so feared the Lord. In the New Testament it could seem to tell us that fear is bad. Let’s look at

1Jn 4:17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1Jn 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
If you read this out of context without paying attention one might think that if I want love then I can not fear anything. But what is this really telling us. I purposely left out verse 16 which is the only way these verses can be properly understood.

1Jn 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

What these verses are really saying is that God is love and if we believe in God than we can have confidence and not dread (fear) judgment, Because God takes away our fear of judgment. This is how he showed us he loves us.

What this, and all the other references that I have found, all point to the same point. If we are one of God’s elect. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth, lived a perfect life and then died on a cross for our sins and was raised from the dead three days later to be seated at the right hand of God. And repent of our sins than we can have No fear of the judgment of God. (Dread) Not, no fear of God.
The bible does teach us to fear. It also teaches us not to fear. Matthew 6:25 tells us not to be anxious for food or clothing. Obviously these are two entirely different fears. There are fears of dread and anxiety. And there are fears of respect and humility. If we go back to our original text with the third servant he when approached by his master immediately began to give excuses for his behavior. If you are making excuses for your fear it is probably an improper fear.

Rom 11:16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Rom 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,
Rom 11:18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
Rom 11:19 Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."
Rom 11:20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.
Rom 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
Rom 11:22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Notice verse 20… You stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. Fear of the Lord keeps us from becoming proud. It reminds us that we are just a shoot that was grafted in to the tree.

Heb 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Heb 4:2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
Heb 4:3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest,'" although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.

We should fear that others that we know do not have the assurance of salvation.

2Ti 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
2Ti 1:6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
2Ti 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2Ti 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

When I was a young Christian I would repeat this verse over and over again if I was afraid of something or doing something. Little did I know at that time that this verse isn’t about me becoming this superman who was afraid of nothing. It is about God giving us the courage to preach the gospel to the rest of the world. It was encouraging us to not be afraid sharing the gospel no matter what happens. It was not to give me the courage to ask my boss for a raise.
The point I wanted to make in this sermon is that we tend to fear things that we should not… and do not fear the things that we should. We should not fear what can destroy the body but what could destroy the soul. If we would fear the Lord as much as most of us fear physical things than our walk with Jesus would look a lot different. Fear can cause us to make decisions that are not necessarily in the will of God just as this servant buried the talent instead of investing.

Did I do That?

Has anyone here ever had a time in their life when they felt like they should have shared the gospel to someone and didn’t? Like God opened the door for you to witness to someone and you shut it. Or perhaps you were a terrible example to someone around you and maybe you think that the reason this person is not a Christian now is because of you. Has anyone here ever prayed and witnessed to someone year after year and they just never seemed to get it? Maybe your kids or a sibling, maybe even a spouse. I, at one time or another in my life, have done all these things. I have literally cried for letting down, not just God again, but that person that I should have been witnessing to. Wondering if that was their last chance to hear the gospel and if they died right now they will go to hell and it will be my fault.
My goal today is to show you, in the scriptures, the truth behind all that. Can my actions really dictate what happens in the kingdom of God? Should I feel guilty if someone I know never seems to accept Christ? Is it my fault? I am not going to go too far into doctrine today because there is not enough time nor is that my main objective here today.
Let’s read today’s text…
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
(Joh 3:1-8)
First of all let’s start with who this Nicodemus is. He is a ruler of the Jews, a part of the Sanhedrin. He was a wise wealthy person, not someone easily converted. He was raised much like Paul would have been and it took a supernatural experience for Paul to be converted. He came by night probably to investigate Jesus not as a ruler or a Pharisee but for a personal interest. He doesn’t see Jesus as Christ at this point, I don’t believe, but he knows that Jesus is from God because of the things that he witnessed Jesus doing. Jesus’ actions caused him to look further. If we put this to application we can see that actions are used by God to draw in believers. If we walk around with peace in the face of turmoil and courage in the face of fear, if we life a life of integrity even when others know that we could have so much more if we would just stretch the truth a little bit, then others will look at us and say you could not be doing this if God was not with you. Notice that Nicodemus did not come to Jesus and say how do I “get saved” or go to heaven. He would have already known what the law says about this. By his belief if he followed the laws and sacrifices, his place in heaven would have already been secured. Jesus knew who He was talking to and got right to the point of correcting Nicodemus that He was the only way to heaven.
My point in going over all that was to point out that even the most difficult, stubborn, intellectual people can be converted to Christ. And it may begin with your obedience in one little thing.

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
(1Co 1:19-20)
Let’s go to the end of today’s text and read the last part again.
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
It is important for us to witness, to proclaim the glory of God and to show by example God’s love. You wouldn’t hide your light under a bushel would you? 1Co 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. God does use us for His glory. That, after all, is the purpose of our existence…To glorify God. But, we do not control God or his plans. God will complete His plans in every soul whether you are a part of it or not. He will use others if you are not willing or He can use nobody like He did with Paul and his vision.
For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
(Rom 9:15-16)
That does not mean that I should feel guilty the rest of my life for not witnessing to someone in my past. It means that I need to be ready the next time that God wants to use me. I need to study and show myself approved that He would choose me to be His mouthpiece. But God will have His way no matter what. You cannot do anything to stop or change that. But you may have the opportunity to be a part in it!

“The wind blows on those who know they have no breath, and that they must have the breath of God Himself in order to truly live.” JD Hatfield

To Judge Or Not To Judge

"Judge not, that you be not judged.
(Mat 7:1-6)

This text is widely used by people who want to defend a habit or lifestyle that does not glorify God. I am sure most everyone has at one time heard “You can’t judge me.” Or “The Bible says that you are not supposed to judge me.” In a way they are right. The words “judge not” are in the Bible. What they don’t realize is that it does not mean judge in the way that we think of judge today. The word judge comes from the Greek word “Krino”. This word has many definitions. Strong’s defines it with several different words such as… Distinguish, decide, to try, to punish, to avenge, conclude, to condemn, decree, determine, esteem, go to law, ordain, call in question, to sentence.
With this many definitions it could be difficult to determine what scripture was teaching us. Or you could pick out one of these definitions and make the argument that nobody has any business telling you that you are wrong or being deceived. One such example would be the definition “to call in question”. If this were the case than evangelism and apologetics, which is defending the faith, and even the Bible would be wrong. Of course we know that this is not true. So how do we know which definition applies? We look at the whole text and determine what the entire text is saying. Does the application that we believe to be accurate line up with the Bible as a whole?
If I walked up to you and a friend of yours and said “You are great, you are a strong faithful Christian that is an encouragement to all that observe you. I don’t believe that either one of you would jump up to argue with me or tell me to quit judging us. I would be doing what Paul tells the Thessalonians in chapter 5 of his first letter.
Yet I would be judging them. But I would be judging them in a good way. So let’s read the rest of the text and try to determine in what way, am I not to judge.

(Verses 2-7) For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

The text is speaking of arrogant people who think that they are better than everyone else and are unjustly criticizing those around them. Remember, this is towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus is speaking to a very diverse crowd. Not even necessarily Christians. Scripture tells us that the people were there to primarily seek healing from Jesus. Not to follow him because He was Christ. These are the people He is speaking to. Not to mature Christians. Mature Christians should be able to help or counsel the immature, deceived or young Christians without criticizing or condemning. As mature Christians we should attempt to direct or lead with love and compassion. We should judge rightly and never with a spirit of revenge or jealousy. We should judge rightly by observing the fruit generated by ones life. Not on a single occurrence that happened in ones life.
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."
(Joh 7:24) Does the fruit line up with the Word?
In Matthew the Bible tells us not to judge and in John and various other places it tells us to judge. Is the Bible contradictory? No, there is judging rightly and judging wrongly. There are things or ways that we are to judge and things and ways that we are not to judge.
We should not judge the heart or the intentions of another. God will judge that.
Rightly judging is reproving others and it is our duty to do that.

1Th 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1Th 5:12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
1Th 5:13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
1Th 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

What the Bible is saying here in Thessalonians and in Matthew is that when we do judge then we need to do it in a loving, encouraging, and patient way, the way that we would like to be judged. The way that we should judge ourselves.
1Co 11:31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
1Co 11:32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
We should be judging rightly ourselves and everything around us. We should judge our actions, our words and the actions and words of others. You should be judging what you are reading right now.
Teachers should be held to a higher level of judging than others. In Titus chapter one, we see that Paul has left Titus to appoint elders and overseers over the churches. We see some of the ways that he was to judge the people to determine their worthiness for the position.

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you-- if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.
(Tit 1:5-11)
I submit to you that this does not just apply to elders. It applies to all that are followers of Christ and we must be constantly judging, reproving, and rebuking one another within the church and outside the church. Satan comes as a sheep, not as a wolf, to deceive us. We need others around us to judge us and our actions because they will see things that we cannot because we are deceived. Yes we must go to church when we are saved. Those that will not submit to being judged rightly are those that are not rightly judging themselves. They judge on their own self worth rather than Christ’s worth.
Judge not that you be not judged. Nobody wants to be criticized unjustly nor have their motives assumed upon. However, I do want to be judged rightly. It is good for me. It teaches me. I do not want to be deceived by the Devil and everyone around me saying that they knew I was and did nothing to help me.
This is not to change what the word is saying in Matthew but this may help you to see the difference between “judge not that you be not judged” and judge rightly that you be judged rightly. It is discerning with discretion.

COPY CAT

Several years ago there seemed to be this big new craze with the initials WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? While this sounds like a wonderful Christian concept, to say to your self when you’re faced with a decision, what would Jesus do if it were Him in my situation? Perhaps thinking of that phrase stopped someone from doing something they shouldn’t have been doing. I think the more appropriate question would be… what did Jesus do? Perhaps you’re thinking that Jesus could not have experienced everything while he was here. There were no televisions that tempted him to be lustful or gluttonous. There were no cars to tick him off when they pass you on the highway doing about 80 miles an hour. There were no cell phones to get angry with when they don’t work. And there were no all you can eat buffets on every other corner! But if we look at the roots of these situations we will see that he was tempted with all fleshly desires. There are no new temptations that Jesus did not confront that you have to and you can’t say… Jesus just wouldn’t understand what I am going through. I think it was JD Hatfield that once explained to me that Jesus’ temptations were actually much greater than ours because he never gave in. Not ever. We have moments of weakness where we give in to our fleshly desires but then when we give in it is no longer a temptation. It is a sin. Jesus never gave in; He never sinned, so the temptation would have just gotten stronger and stronger. He experienced more temptation as man than we could ever bear. The important thing is to know enough of Jesus’ character to know what he would do or read enough biblical history to know what Christ did do.
I do think that we should do our best to imitate Christ while He was on earth, as much as is humanly possible. But as far as I can see there appears to be a lot of confusion about what part of His life do we want to imitate. Some only want to imitate the loving part of Christ, some the judgment part, some the healing part, some the miracle part. Very few seem interested in imitating all of Christ’s attributes. By the way I am not just speaking of others, I am speaking of myself. We seem to forget that a large part of his time on earth was suffering and being a servant to others.
Lets look at Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 8;
Php 2:5-8 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Do we want to imitate Christ’s humbleness and become a servant of others? Are we willing to imitate His obedience to the point of death? Most of us can’t be obedient to the point of missing lunch or missing our favorite TV show let alone to death. It all starts with a desire to please our Lord and Savior which can only be there because it has been placed in you. Your flesh does not seek after the things of God.
Php 3:9-10 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- (10) that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Because of Him and His righteousness we should count it joy to suffer for Christ. Because of his righteousness we can become righteous and become like Him as in we become resurrected from the dead. So if you are seeking and do have a desire then praise God, He has placed that desire in you. So we should be a good steward of this, the greatest gift one could ever receive.
I’m afraid that most of us would have to be honest and say that I want to imitate Christ as long as it doesn’t hurt. We cannot pick and choose what parts of Christ we want to imitate. It is all or nothing.
Let me explain.
1Pe 2:19-21 for this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. (20) For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (21) For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Jesus would not have given us an example of how to act when suffering if, in Christ, we should never suffer. Jesus suffered, who do we think we are if we think that we should not suffer? We make ourselves like gods and somehow think that if we imitate the actions of Jesus than we shouldn’t have to endure the same suffering. We must maintain the proper perspective. Imitating the character of Jesus is good if your goal is to learn, obey and glorify Him. But when your goal is to become as good as Jesus, of course everybody gasps and says “I would never do that”, but if we think that we can attain salvation by our works (which would be imitating Christ) then we think of ourselves as a god and savior. We are not!
When you woke up this morning were you God? No? Then we need to stop acting like it. It is not that we want to suffer, but we should be willing to suffer.
Charles Spurgeon writes…
If so, you are in a fair way to imitate Christ. But do not seek to copy him until you are bathed in the fountain filled with blood drawn from his veins. It is not possible for you to do so; your passions will be too strong and corrupt, and you will be building without a foundation, a structure, which will be about as stable as a dream. You cannot mould your life to his pattern until you have had his spirit, till you have been clothed in his righteousness
1Th 1:6 and you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
Why then is it so important to imitate Christ if it is not really about works? Good question. I am really glad you asked. There are several reasons.
To be an example to others -
Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 1 tells the Corinthians to be an imitator or him, as he is of Christ. So Paul imitated Christ so that others would see Christ in him and be able to imitate Christ through his example.
Because we are instructed to in the Word –
Paul in Eph. Chapter 5 tells the Ephesians to be imitators of God, as beloved children. As a young child wants to imitate his dad, we should want to imitate our father in heaven. Not that we will ever attain to His glory, but that we should desire to be more like Him. Remember the devil wanted to imitate God as well. But he wanted His glory not to glorify Him.
To be a witness to the unsaved –
2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
John Piper writes…Our imitation of Christ points others to Him. Our suffering is crucial, but Christ’s alone saves. Therefore, let us imitate his love, but not take His place.
Now we have some reasons why we should, lets look at how. In real life how does this look. I quoted Eph. Chapter 5 verse 1 earlier; now let’s look a little further in verse 2. Verse 1 says to be an imitator of God, verse 2 tells us to walk in love, as Christ loved us.
Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
If you’re still wondering what that means the rest of the chapter lays it all out for you. Stay away from sexual immorality, all impurity, all covetousness. Don’t be filthy, don’t be foolish, and don’t tell crude jokes. The list goes on and on about what to stay away from.
1Jn 4:16 so we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1Jn 4:17 by this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

He is what? He is perfect in love. Therefore we should attain to be perfect in love.

1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
1Co 13:5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
1Co 13:6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
1Co 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Co 13:8 Love never ends.

We need to imitate Him because it is the right thing to do, because it glorifies God, because we love Him, and because we want to, or at least we want to want to...but even when we fail, we look to Him and realize the reason we can or want to do any of this anyway is because He has already done it for us, and it is His righteousness, His glory, His love, His "want to", and His perfect life that counts for us. JD Hatfield

WICKED GOOD

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.