Saved to Serve | Elder Ang Peng Hoe

You're listening to a message to go from acts Church. We hope this message

will light up your day. I'm going to be sharing from teaching actually from

Ephicients chapter two out in the subank plants where I usually speak a little bit

more. Now I am actually doing a whole series. I'm teaching on Ephicients

slowly, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three. Yeah, so we

are at chapter two over there, so I thought I continue teaching it here

as well. Basically I have just simply and title It's safe to serve,

and I'll explain why the title of the message. But I want to dissect

this biblical statement that we have all heard before. It says simply just this,

we were all made to do good works. Amen. Amen, Okay,

we've heard it before. We've all made to do good works. We

know that this statement actually comes from Scripture. It comes from Ephicients, Chapter

two, just one to ten. Somewhere at the end of it, I

think verse ten is where you see it. But it helps me actually to

understand that as believers, and this is my tack as believers, I believe

that we are all safe to serve and worship the One True and Living God.

If you ask me, what is the purpose of us being safe?

What is our function? What is our role? What is our calling?

What's the meaning in life? I believe we are safe so that we can

serve and we can worship God. So have that in mind as I dissect

the scriptures and help us understand it a little bit better. Before that,

I also want to say, no, we actually organize a teens event for

all the plants yesterday. It was actually hosted in Subang. And thank you

so much for parents who actually came to support the teens event. You all

had to Nong who went over and not only did he give it's all,

he was on the drums. Have you ever seen Tunong on drums even ever?

So I've witnessed, I've witnessed the Yeah. And he actually told me

I haven't touched the drums in fifteen years or something like that. Quite quite

a number of years, quite a number of years. And he was going

for it. And Pasta Jack chose all the most difficult songs ever, songs

that I walked in and so like, what song it is? This way?

I never heard our new song news I'm or a new song for too

long? Okay, they went for it. It was. It was great.

It was great just having all the teens from the different plants come and

having the parents to support it. So thank you, thank you so much,

Umpunk for also supporting. Yeah. Okay, so let's read the scripture.

If he's in chapter two, Uh, then I'll bring us through this

journey. Okay, I don't think it'll take too long, but never know,

let's go one of chapter two. Once you would Date. Because of

your disobedience and your many scenes, you used to live in sin, just

like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, the common under of

the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the

hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live

that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By

our very nature, we were subject to God's anger just like everyone else.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that

even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when

he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that you

have been saved, for he raised us from the date along with Christ and

seated us with him in the heavenly realms, because we are united with Christ

Jesus, so God can point to us in all future ages as examples of

the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness towards us, as shown in all

He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you

by his grace when you believed, and you can't take credit for this.

It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good

things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For

we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so

we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Lord bless

the reading of his word. Okay, so here's how I'm going to stand

that there are three questions that many of us ponder about, and we will

ask ourselves naturally, especially when we open the pages of the news today.

Okay, you open a newspaper, Okay, no newspaper. You open I

don't know, online online articles. You hear and you listen to the news

and you're like, wow. The first question you asked is what is wrong

with the world? Is a rand normal thing? There's nothing. It's never

just all good news man. In fact, it's usually always, most of

the time not so good news, because there's something that's done that's really wrong

with it. You just need to, like I said, watch the news,

hear what people are talking. The topics of conversation. Usually it's like

something is not right, And of course sometimes we are wondering what is the

reason for all these wrongs in the world, what is causing it? And

everyone has got different well proposals as to what could be causing the world to

be in the current states. Some say it's ignorance because people just ignore,

they don't really care, that's the root of it. Some people say,

oh, it's poverty. Poverty is the main problem, that it's besieching the

current state of affairs around the world. And yeah, I can see poverty

really does affect many, many countries, many many continents even. But the

reality is that's enough wealth actually to go about, to be shared so that

everyone doesn't have to go to bit hungry. That's the reality of it.

Some say it's oppression. That's oppression everywhere. So the question is what is

really wrong with the world. It's the first question that sometimes comes to mind.

When we read the news. The second thing that can arise, the

second question that can arise following from what is wrong with the world? And

this comes because naturally the world is made up of many people, right seven

billion of us, maybe eight I don't know what is it right now,

but somewhere around along those lines. So the next question that we will ask

is what is wrong with the people in it? It's a normal question to

us. If there's something wrong with the world, then it's definitely got to

be something wrong with the people who call the shots in the world, because

technically we were the ones given charge over the world. If you actually look

at how God made the world, he said, okay, you take care

of this, still the land, name the animals. So actually, by

right, we were supposed to be in charge. So natural question to us

is what's wrong with the world? What's wrong with the people in the world?

And then when you have taught it true and true, you will come

to the most disturbing question. Basically, since I make up part of the

seven billion people, what is wrong with me? Since again we are all

part of this world population. And so there's this saying that goes know your

disease, know your cure. I ever heard of that before? And if

there is something wrong with your body, you will need a doctor. Right,

That's that's what we all naturally do. It's not yourself medicate, which

is fine, don't overdo it, especially if you're self medicating or another I

god knows what. Yeah, but uh, what a doctor does is a

doctor does streets. Okay, no, no, I'm not laughing at Joe.

Joel medicates himself responsibly except for one occasion. Yeah, okay, by

what a doctor? Sorry, side job. Okay. What a doctor does

is a doctor diagnosis. Then the doctor gives a propergnosis. Then the doctor

prescribes. Okay, so diagnosis, prognosis, prescription. Okay, what do

they mean? Okay? Diagnosis just means examining the symptoms to try to find

the cost. So it's an identification process. You are examining them, sisters,

try to identify what is the cost. That's diagnosis. Prognosis is deciding

how serious the matter is going to be, whether it's going to clear up

by itself, or whether it's so serious that you need medical attention and you

need surgical attention. Maybe. So prognosis basically is a prediction. A process

of predicting what would happen you prognose, and then prescription is basically saying is

what help is going to relieve the need? In other words, it's treatment.

Okay, So have this in mind. Diagnosis, prognosis, prescription.

One is identifying and identifying, one is predicting, and the other one is

treating. And so the Bible actually looks at the world's problem. It looks

at the problem of the people in the world, and it also looks at

your problem. And it says that, and he says this very clearly.

Your disease is sin. And the Bible keeps using that word over and over

and over again. So sin, what is sin? No, basically,

it's just breaking God's laws. You disobey your own conscience, you fall short

of God's intended a way for you to live, basically, and that is

a disease. And it's actually a very personal disease for each and every one

of us. And so just in the first few verses of chapter two,

Paul actually goes through what looks like a diagnosis and a prognosis. That's what

he's actually doing. He analyzes and he identifies the symptoms and the cause of

those symptoms. How you got infected with this disease. That's what he's doing.

And he also makes a prognosis and tells you where it is likely to

lead you. Okay, if you read it, you'll see it. So

first of all the symptoms, let's talk about the symptoms that Paul is highlighting.

How can you tell when a person has got sin? How can you

tell that they have this disease call sin? And Paul actually just answers it

by this. He says, you can tell it by its character. And

the chief symptom of the character is death. That's what Paul is saying.

It's death. It makes a man day. He or she may be doing

a lot of very exciting things, but as far as God is concerned,

he or she is dead. So the sin is in our lives spiritually,

how God looks at us is we are like corpses. Just imagine a cops.

Okay, That's why I say, I don't know how to explain this

to kids if they're here. No, you try to talk to someone about

God and somehow they're just not interested. Talk about some superstar sports personality.

I don't know. Tailors sweet not tailor sweet? Is I don't know her.

Her status is crazy. I don't even know how to explain it.

Yeah, until they said the stadium jummer can cause seismic activity. No wow,

tailor sweet? Okay, but you talk about someone else and suddenly you

become alive, your lights, your eyes light up. No talk about Jesus

feels like as though I committed a social for power, Like, no,

let's not talk about Jesus. So spiritually, the disease of scene actually produces

copses. And there are many copses around, and what are the characteristics of

a cops? Think about it. First thing is it's cold. Okay,

I can testify to that. Don't ask me why, but yes, a

cops is cool if you ever touch a cops And so here is one of

the symptoms of the diseases of scene. People who are spiritually cold, no

warm about them. Whether sometimes they can be found in churches. Who's on

you? They can come to church, but it's it's cold, it's you

know, you don't you don't. You don't sense any warm within them.

Another characteristics of a corpse is it's hard, right, I suddenly can't remember

that them regal mortis or something like that, right, yeah, getting right,

something like that where it stiffs. It stiffs up, so not soft,

not tender. That's how it is. A cops is it's cold,

it's cold, it's hard. Another characteristics is it's usually lying down. Okay,

you have a cops that is upright and moving around, you'll be quite

frightened. But the cops usually is motionless, esthetic right, but above all,

actually, a copse decays and that's the reality of it. I mean,

you know, if you have been to funerals, usually you're wondering why

DeKay, well, because they actually embalm the body to preserve it just for

a while until after. But the reality is a cops will decay because it's

corrupted and then eventually it will perish. Now, that is the symptom,

and that's why in the parable of the prodigal Son, you remember when the

son came home after partying so hard, the father said this, my son

was dead and he is alive again. He did look like he was living

the life. No, he was living the life to his fullest, on

overdrive actually, but as far as God was concerned. In God's eyes,

he was dead. The sun was dead. And this is why when we

try to share and spread the good news. Sometimes you all sometimes you realize

you come and you face death because people are not capable of responding because there

is sin in our lives. But don't be too hot on them. They

just can't respond because we know that is the symptom of sin in our life

that is not treated. And that is why we must pray. That's why

we always tell people. Pray before you talk to others about God. Pray

before you witness. If not, you'll be witnessing your story. But what

we are supposed to be witnessing is God's story because unless God does something in

their lives, they are incapable of responding to whatever you can say to them.

And that is the reality of it. And we remember this. God

can raise the day, means he can make people alive again, he can

resuscitate, he can bring back to life. So that is the symptoms.

Okay, so identify the symptoms first. What caused this disease? Let's go

into the next question. So here's the diagnosis, and Paul actually gives us

three sources of the infection of this disease. The real trouble is all of

us and I have to say this, right from the start, all of

us are in contact with these tree sources. Like it or not, you

can't escape it because the tree sources that Paul highlights is the world, the

Devil, and the flesh. Any of you all tell me that I'm not

part of this world. If you are extra terrestrial, then maybe you're omitted

from this one. But the reality is not. All of us were born

into a world that was already infected with this disease. So the world that

we live in is actually spiritually dead, and we become Date because we came

into a Date world. We came into a world that is sinful. That

is the reality of it. The pressure to follow the world is so strong,

and you and I and everyone else here will be able to testify with

it. Sometimes it's just so hard to resist the world because it comes with

so many temptations. Right, So the world is one of the sources of

the infection. The second source is of course the devil. And if you

ask yourself who is actually the leader of this world, Scripture actually tells us

it's the devil, because he is the prince of the powers and the air.

Efficients to actually say that that's the Devil's title, No so with that,

you can actually tell that as long as you are breeding air, basically

you are in this world. You are in Satan's atmosphere. And we are

born into this world that has basically the person who is in dominion is Satan.

And you know what his ambition is. His ambition is to make you

sin. That is what Satan is all how to do. He is powerful

year subtle, and we are living in this world where the dominion belongs to

someone whose ambition is to make us sin. Can you imagine that? That

is what we are going through? And so as if two sources or infection

not bad enough, that there is a third one that Paul calls the flesh.

Now what does he mean by that? Does it mean just the body?

Now? I believe it's body mine as well. No, because that

is our being and that's the reality of it. I still remember when Rose

and I first got married and we were talking about having kids, and usually

there's always this fear, okay for the Chinese floir, no money, okay,

that's the first fear. That or very expensive to have kids. Recently,

I was just talking to someone who told me that I'm done having kids.

I'm going to have a dog after this, and the this person stays

in Australia. And then he said, by actually owning a dog in Australia

is as expensive as having kids because the dog needs to have insurance the dog.

Yeah, anyway, I digress, but I found that quite amusing when

he mentioned that. Okay, anyway, when we were thinking about having kids,

we were like, we're going to bring kids into this big, bad

role that we are living in. And then, of course, the other

fear that I had is like I just suddenly recollected all the nonsensical things that

I did as a kid. I'm like, man, that kid ever did

what I did to my parents? I don't know. So there is that

natural fear, but that's the reality of it because what we pass on to

our children is the nature of flesh. It is one of the most disturbing

things about having children is the fact that we pass on all our garagt okay,

all the rust in our lives, and that causes them to not only

struggle with the environment outside, not the world and the devil, but also

struggle with the the environment inside. That means that the desires within them is

also fleshly in nature, and so the reality is all of us have this

struggle. All of us when we are born into this world, we will

struggle from outside and also from within. And so the infection has come in

three sources. What then is the prognosis? How serious is this condition?

We will normally ask no, some people will say, no, one's perfect,

So quilla it's okay. No one is perfect. Life is okay.

Everyone's got their faults. It's not too serious. Don't worry about it.

Do you think that's a good prognosis, that it's okay, not too bad.

We can work out sin in our lives. Well, I can tell

you this. That's not how Paul prognoses it. If there's such a word.

I don't know whether this prognosis it okay anyway. But he his prognosis

is this, you have a killer disease. That's what he's saying, actually,

and it is a killer. If you don't radically treat it. You

don't treat it, you are dead. That is what is strong. If

you read the scriptures and you look at what he's trying to say, he

says that you will be dated forever if you continue on like that. And

you know, sometimes I read verses from Romans. There's this verse in Romans

Know that says that if man continues to give God up, that will come

upon a time when God also will wash his hands clean and say that then

you, I'll leave you to your faith strong. No, no, it

actually talks about God's anger. Sometimes we always have this picture of God is

love, everything's love. No, he brings me in, sayagi, stroke

me. I make mistakes repeatedly, he will keep He'll keep loving me,

and nothing is going to happen. No, we don't. We don't realize

that God can actually get angry, and he's actually very angry with sin,

and he's also I believe you cannot also completely say that, oh God hates

the sin, not the sinner. Well, if the sinner continues to choose

to sin, I would think naturally the head will also be transferred to the

sinner. So can God get angry? My take is I believe he can.

And if you think about it, that is the beginning of the Christian

life, that you realize that the prognosis is it will eventually lead to God's

anger, even though in all truth that sounds more like bad news the good

news. Right. Sometimes you know, we go around, let me preach

to you the good news of Jesus Christ, and that we're like, oh

man, she the good news sounds like bad news, but that's the reality,

that is the beginning of it. But because you don't understand light until

you have been or you have seen what darkness really is. And so that

is why the gospel is bad news. Before it becomes good news, we

have to pain. If you talk about full gospel, we always talk about

pain the picture of a full gospel. That is the reality of it.

You don't understand how good the good news is until you understand how bad the

bad news is. And so the gospel is for day hopeless people who are

actually facing nothing but the wrath and the anger of God in the future.

And it is good news. Why is it good news? What is the

good news? Well, the good news is that where men can do nothing

about sin except to hide. That's what we do. Know. We hide

our sin, we disguise it, we masquerade it me included, we're all.

We're all. It is part of our human nature. We do that.

While men can't do anything about sin, we thank God that the good

news is God can deal with it. Amen. And there is a cure

and here is where the prescription comes. First. We've got to take note

of this. If the character of sin and the symptoms of sin is death,

then the character for the cure is life. Amen. God can make

you alive when you are dead. That is the good news. It is

good news for spiritually dead people that they can be made alive again. Because

all of us were born into this world and we were spiritually dead. There

was a time that we were like that. No we could even come to

church. Like I said, so we can come to church, but inside

we are dead, we are spiritual. Nothing has happened in you. Then

there came a day in your life when it began when you begin to realize

that there was something in it, when you begin to reach out to the

light of God's love, and you responded, and then there was life.

And then it was God who made you alive when you were dead. That,

my friends, is the miracle of resurrection that is needed in each and

every one of our lives. You will never save a person by education,

you'll never save a person by reformation. That is the reality of it,

you see. Because God did it with Jesus, God can also do it

with us. If God can raise Jesus from the day, you will be

able to raise us from the day as well. And that is why he

now says God has made us alive together with Christ. That's what scripture tells

us. Jesus was the first to be raised from the day, and now

we can too, and we rejoice in that. And that's why all says

this, No, God has raised us to life true salvation. That means

you make what was once a copse now alive. Amen. Suddenly you begin

to see things like you have never seen before. You begin to hear things,

and you begin to hear God's voice You've never heard him before. Then

you come to church and things are different and you are enlightened. That's why

I always pray that the scriptures will bring enlightenment, because that's what you say,

is it's a light upon our feet that lights up our path. That's

what's needed. If all those was day before, God can actually make you

alive so that now you can hear. Now you can do things with God's

words, because the cops can't hear, cops can't speak, a cops can't

see. That's the reality of it. But because we have been now made

alive, you can actually respond to God because he raised you. That is

what Paul is saying, as he has raised Christ. And that is the

character of new life as opposed to death. Therefore, how do you get

that? How do you get that? How do you get that new life?

There were three sources from which you got sin from, right, I

mentioned just now the three sources the world, the devil flash. Now here

are three big words from which you can get life. Okay, stay with

me. I won't take too long, but stay with me. Three big

words are mercy, grace, and faith. Okay, go back and read

the scriptures, read it slowly and see. Okay, but don't just look

at the three big words mercy, grace, and faith. Take note of

the prepositions. Okay, uh, prepositions, Teacher John is connecting words.

I think something like that. Okay, ask the grammar teacher. But take

word of the three little words before the big word in mercy, by grace,

true faith. Okay. Those little prepositions are quite important because sometimes we

always say, always save it by faith. But faith can't save you know,

in God's mercy we are saved by grace, true faith. Let me

explain. So let's start. Let's start with the first big and little word,

God being rich in mercy. What does that mean? What does in

mercy mean? Well, it just means that God loves to give people what

they do not deserve. It's as simple as that. That is what the

world. The word mercy means. No, you don't deserve it, but

here you go, you will have it. If God only had justice,

and you think about it, and God is a just God, but if

he only had justice, if he only had fairness, none of us will

be here, none of us will be alive because whatever we have done deserves

punishment. That is the reality of it. If God is solely a just

God and a fair God, in all fairness and in all justice, we

deserve to be punished, and that is the fair outcome for us sinners.

Death is actually a fair outcome. But God being rich in mercy, loves

to help the undeserving, and that is us. It includes me and you,

And that's why we tank God daily that He's mercies are new every day

and every morning. Amen. The second big word and little word is this

by grace, by grace, And somebody say this, this is probably the

most offensive thing in the Christian gospel. Grace which I'm like, way why

I thought it's the nicest thing in the Christian Gospel. We love it,

you know. It's also quite similar to mercy. What you don't deserve,

you get, you know, something that is a gift. Why not we

actually name our children grace? Why would they be offensive? But it also

bears this very strong connotation. It means that you will never get the cure

through anything you have done. That makes sense. That means that is really

one of the greatest difficulties for humans to fully grasp and when you share the

gospel, because people will always think that I've done enough, or I've done

good and I've done good deeds and I have really clocked up my Brownie points

and my mileage of good deeds. The scriptures actually tell us that, you

know, all the good deeds that you do won't get you any inch closer

to Heaven. And that is what grace really is, and that's why it

can be really offensive to some people. It means two things. Quite simply,

the good deeds you have done cannot help you to be cured, and

the bad deeds you have done will not stop you from being killed. Praise

God that there is dead, but it's the good deeds, but that we

sometimes overemphasize on that means that that the dying teeth next to Jesus on the

cross can step into glory because that's exactly what Jesus says, turns to the

guy, because the guy is like rebuking the other guy. Jesus says,

today, you'll be with me in paradise. Some people will look at it

and like, whoa this flir all his life say no, all the way

to the very end. WHA got away with it that? No, I've

been living such a good life all this world. Why can't I know?

We have these our good deeds, our good works. No. I remember

reading an account of some people who witness I think it's the Nuremberg trials,

the one that they were adjudicating on the Nazi leaders. And do you know

that there were a few of them who came to know the Lord right before

their execution. Uh. There were some people who could never accept that.

Of course, there were many of them who also say no because there was

a there was a pastor, or there was a preacher who went in uh

to witness to them. But that's the reality. Somethless we look at it

this work, commit all the bad dates. No, you know I've done

good all my life. No, shouldn't my good count for something? Well,

actually, the scripture tells you you're good count for nothing. Your good

deeds count for nothing. And that's why the teeth on the cross can go

to heaven and so. But the reality is that it's the pride that's in

us. The expression by grace means it is God's free gift, it is

God's generosity, it is God's doing. There is nothing you can do to

help yourself, but He will save you and get you there by grace.

God says, you all come on the same basis me included. I bring

you, I save you. I give it to you so that no one

is boasting and no one can ever think that I am better than the person

next to me, because we are all safe by grace. And that is

actually what cures the Christian pride. Honestly, if there is ever pride in

us, think about it again. That's what brings cure to the Christian fellowship.

When there is this united science, we are like, look at each

other, but we are all on the same boat. Now, you know,

when I do uh prison ministry, when I go into the juvenile detention

center, our start off. All the time, I will tell them that

guys, me and you no difference. I'm as bad as you are and

you are as bad as I am. The only difference is I didn't get

caught. You got caught. So that's that's that's that's the reality, the

only difference. But again that's that's the true because I want to share to

them what grace really is because I need it as much as they need it

as well, and so it really kills the Christian pride in our fellowship because

we need to know this, and we need to know it better than anyone

else, that it is not what we do that got us to where we

are today. We are all here by grace. We need to discipline,

disciple, everyone so that they understand this. That's why Paul says very strongly,

you know, our righteousness is like filthy rags. Isaiah also says the

same thing. You know, whatever you think you do that is right,

he actually equates it to something that is soiled and dirty. Okay, by

grace makes sense. The third thing is this true faith, and understand this,

A gift has to be received. You can't give a gift to someone

if they won't take it, right. I mean, if I present John

with fifty bucks and John's like, you know, I really want it,

but you know he just doesn't want to accept it, he won't get it.

Lot. That's as simple as it. No, you won't get a

gift unless you receive it. And so the only thing you contribute to your

salvation is for us to stretch out our hand and take it. That is

what faith is. You are not saved by faith. You are safe.

True faith makes sense believing that it is for you and then taking it.

That's all. You know. There's scriptures that sometimes people say, oh,

they're pitted against one another, you know. Paul says you're not safe like

that. No, you're not safe, you know, by works. And

then you have you have James who says, hey, faith without works is

dead. But they're actually talking about different things. That's how I look at

it, and I believe that's how it should be interpreted. Paul was talking

about not being able to do any of the works of the law to earn

salvation. He's saying that doesn't matter. You can try your best to do

all the works, try to obey all the laws, try to obey all

twelve commandments, try to follow all six hundred and thirteen precepts. That is

in the scriptures, nothing you can do to help you earn salvation. That's

the difference. Where else James is talking about the works that you have to

do because of faith. One is works of law, the other one is

works of faith so that you can receive salvation. It's different, and I

agree with Paul. I agree that you can nothing you can do to help

you earn your own salvation. Nothing we can do to deserve salvation, but

we need to do some things to receive it. Because if you say or

nothing I can do to to arn something true, then no need receive.

Put our hands in the podcast when God is constantly offering his grace and we

are like so, it's it's different. We need to understand that there is

an act. That That's why James says faith without works is dead because you

can say you believe, you believe, you believe, but if you don't

it is safe, and when you don't receive it won't be seen through your

life. The acts of faith would be so buried that you even begin to

wonder whether there is faith to begin with or not. So faith is active,

faith is reception of the salvation. Does that make sense? So I'm

coming to an end. That's one final thing to be said. If Paul

actually just stop at this point, there would be something that is essentially missed

out. For if you do not need good deeds before you begin to be

safe, it's actually very easy, and this is what most people actually fall

into because we think we do not need good deeds to be saved, therefore

we do not need good deeds afterwards. In other words, whenever you preach

the gospel of grace and say you don't need to do good deeds to be

saved, there's always going to be someone who says, oh, then it

doesn't matter how I live after that, as long as I believe. If

I can do bad dates, as long as I believe I can continue on

living my life as it is, it doesn't really matter. I don't need

to help anybody else. I'm still on my way to glory. Hallelujah,

Praise Lord. But that's not what God intended for. Now comes another little

important word that we need to take note of. Saved in mercy by grace,

true faith for good works. Does it make sense. Now for good

words, do you notice that verse ten for good works created in Christ Jesus

for good words. You are not saved by good deeds, but you are

saved for good deeds. There is a whole world of difference here in the

scripture. No longer am I saying I'm doing good in order to get to

heaven. What you are essentially saying is I'm doing good because I Am going

to heaven. And what a big incentive for us to do good, right,

to start living it right down here, the kind of life that we

will eventually be living up there, a life of service and doing good.

That is why the scripture tells us that when we receive Christ, well receive

a little bit of Heaven in us wherever we are already. Let's embrace that.

You know, we may not have a fully consummated Kingdom of God here

on this earth. Yea, we don't see it, but I believe it

has already begun. It has already been inaugurated. When you start your journey

of salvation, there is a bit of heaven in you live it as you

will be living it eventually, when heaven is your environment altogether. That is

what the Scriptures is saying, that's why it is we are now say for

good works, doing good And here is the final distinction that I want to

highlight because it's there. If you read the Scriptures, you realize there is

a big difference between someone who believes and someone who don't believe, because the

reality is even pre believers, non Christians do good deeds. That's the reality

of it. As believers, we are His first and foremost workmanship. In

other words, the good deeds springs from a good deed of God. First,

He has already worked on earth, so that we can work for others.

There is a big difference that we must not forget. In other words,

it springs from a person who's been changed first and foremost by God.

And that makes a big difference because we are his workmanship. He has already

done good works in us, now that we can go out and do good

works for others. Do you see the difference, because a pre believer can

do good deeds. And Jesus even admitted to that in scripture. He says,

if you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts

to your children, which is the reality of it. What more so,

Jesus acknowledges it, and people can do good deeds and can do it without

letting God remake their lives first. But when they face God, as far

as God is concerned, he will still look at them as someone who is

plague with the disease. And it doesn't matter how much good deeds have been

done or not. Even though many people have benefited from their munificence and their

magnanimity, it doesn't matter their generosity. God is still going to look at

the person and he has no place for them in heaven. That is the

reality of it. The other difference between Christian good deeds and others good deeds

is this created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has pre pat beforehand,

that we should walk in them. In other words, the good deeds

that a Christian does are those that God plan for him or her to do.

That's why we always say God has a plan and a purpose for each

and everyone of you. This is why every believer should ask God first,

God, what good deed do you want me to do as part of your

plan and your purpose for my life? Otherwise it will be a good deed

that you want to do which could be outside God's plan and God's purpose.

But be assured that God has got a plan and a purpose for each and

everyone of your lives, and your good deeds for others are going to go

much further and much wider when we are under God's plan and under God's purpose.

Amen. Before you're a Christian, you can meet You can meet the

physical needs and the emotional needs of people, but we can we were all

there once before. You can even meet the mental needs of people, but

you will never be able to meet the spiritual needs of people. And now

I'm speaking to believers. That's the reality of it. Your neighbor's spiritual needs

can be met. And the one good deed that God wants you to do

for someone else more than any other, is the good deed of telling them

about Jesus. That is the good deed that He has planned for you to

do. And now actually we can because we are now enlightened. We are

now actually in the position where we are able to tell others about Jesus because

we are now alive. So remember this all the time. From this passage,

there's a line that goes straight through the human race. There are only

two categories if you think about it. One straight line. Two categories in

this world. Either you are Dad or you are alive, and there is

nothing in between. And if you were Date in your trans trespassers, if

you are Dad in your sins. God has now made us alive when we

put our faith in Him. Amen. So either day or life. Either

you are outside Christ or you are living on earth, or you are just

sitting in the heavenly places with Christ. Makes sense. Either you are outside

of Christ and living on earth, or you're sitting in the heavenly places with

Christ Jesus, there's no in between, and that's why he always says you

can't be a lookwarm. You can't be neither here nor there. You've got

to know where you are, because everyone in the congregation is either one or

the other. You either Date, we are diseased, that is a killer

that will one day bring you under God's anger. Or you are alive and

you're created therefore for good works, to serve one another, just as Christ

serve mankind. It's a high calling, and that is why we believe that

the Holy Spirit is living in us constantly sanctifying us. Really, you sang

those songs just now, A lot of songs on the Holy Spirit. If

the Holy Spirit is living in us, then it must move us somewhere.

We sang the songs Lord move us. Because the Holy Spirit is always equated

with this word called ru ah ru ah. It actually just means breath,

and it's not soft, subtle breath. It's actually loud breath, like breath

that you can hear, breath that is in a way on the move,

breath that is not static. So really it is not good enough to acknowledge

the presence of the Spirit has moved us. We must actually eventually ask ourselves

where has God's Spirit moved us too? Of course it's easy. No we

raise our hands or so moving. I move, I move, I move

by the worship, and then I will I will sometimes ask where you move

to by the worship, because it's got to be directed somewhere. When we

walk in the spirit, we will live for Christ. And together you will

move to reach out to your neighbors, your communities, so that all may

know. That is the reality of it. That is our purpose. You

see, if you think about it. Love, the three kinds of love,

the words that define love that we read in scripture. The first one

we know is the era's love. Basically, it's the love of attraction.

Okay, attraction, that's why you know. It's it's the root word for

erotic. Okay, we're attracted to people. The next word is philo.

It's basically a word of affection, love of affection, brodily love. But

the difference is when you think about it, a gapy, what a gappi

really means is this. It's love in action. That is the Jesus' kind

of love, that is the God kind of love. Because you experience it,

you know that he went, he did something. It's not something that

I just say, I love you, I love you, I love you.

But it's something that is active love, that is in action. And

that's why in Romans, the teen verse eighty says, we all know each

other nothing but to love one another. That is our purpose and that's our

call. Again, if we are safe in He's mercy, we are,

you know, by grace true faith. It is so that we can now

then love others and serve others. That is our purpose and the service.

And the love is not something that can be witnessed. It's not something that

we just say, we'll do it, we'll do it. I really love

someone, it's something that can be experienced, it will be active. Amen.

I believe that's what the scripture is teaching us, is encouraging us to

always be aware that God wants us not to be dormant. He wants us

to live out our faith and let's respond, Let's respond to God's words.

Let's really again ask God's spirit to do something in and through our lives,

because I really believe if God is going to feel us, he's going to

feel us so that we move somewhere, not so that we remain static,

not so that we just continue on with our day to day lives like as

do nothing happen. Because really, if God did something for us, if

there truly is salvation in our lives, and I believe, I believe in

all my heart all of us here have experienced God's mercy, have experienced God's

grace, and therefore you also believe that that is what He has done for

you in your life. I am praying that all of us together, we

will be moved towards serving and worshiping God as though he is the one,

true and living God. That is the only way in which we can respond.

And I pray that we will continue to respond in that risk. We

hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our church,

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We're believing that this week is going to be a good week ahead for you. God bless