Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from the book of Romans. But before we do that, I want to tell you a little story.
Many years ago, I was inbetween two jobs and I needed something to fill in the gap for a short while, so I applied for a job at a manufacturing plant. It seemed like they had overtime every week for anybody who wanted it. For those who really needed some extra cash, it was a good job to have for awhile.
I remember coming to the factory at about 6:45 each morning. I would put my clothes and my lunch in my locker, and then walk up by the office where there was a clock hanging on the wall.
I would take a little card that was in a slot by the machine and then put that card into the clock where it stamped the time that I had arrived. This was so they could keep track of the hours that I was putting in each week. Each day when I was done I would punch out on that clock and finally go home.
At the end of the week, all the employees would gather by the office in order to receive their paychecks. Their paychecks were the reward for all the work that they had done that week.
There are many people who are doing the very same thing today. The only difference is that they are trying to attain salvation by their own works.
Instead of trying to enter into heaven through God’s mercy and forgiveness, they’re trying to attain it by their own deeds.
Rom 4:4-7 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
When you go to a job each week, a reward from the employer is expected by you because you have put in many hours. Although the Christian faith teaches us to be filled with good works, your deeds are not in themselves, enough to get you to heaven. The apostle Paul understood what it meant to try to earn your way to heaven. At one time in his life he had placed complete trust and confidence that his works we’re going to get him there.
Phil 3:4-9 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
At one time, the apostle was trying to earn his salvation. When you earn something or work for it, then you feel that somebody owes you something. For example, how many kids out there will go out to their neighbor’s place and cut their lawn for them. Afterwards they expect that they’re going to get paid for doing the job for their neighbor. You did the work, and your neighbor owes you something.
Many people today are trying to earn their own salvation. They feel that they’ve been a good person and done many wonderful works. They feel like they’re an upstanding person in the community and have helped the poor. The problem is, that all of these deeds are not motivated by God’s grace. It’s motivated by a form of self-righteousness. These are the things that Paul counted as dung in his own life. He completely turned away from all the achievements and works that he had done that made him feel like he was righteous in his own heart in mind. Later on he wrote to the church and referred to himself as the chief of sinners.
To attain the kingdom of heaven someday, Paul eventually placed his trust in the grace found in Christ Jesus. God extends to each of us a gift of forgiveness by which is the only way that any of us could ever be saved. Don’t get me wrong, good works are a great thing to do, but they are not supposed to be self-motivated. They need to be motivated by God’s grace so that He gets the Glory.
A lot of religious leaders we’re simply doing things to be seen by men. In the church we are supposed to be filled up with good works, but in and of themselves, they are not enough for us to get to heaven. You cannot earn salvation by your works. Even the things that the Apostle Paul was doing in the church he credited to God’s grace in his life as the motivating factor.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Do you remember the passage of The proud pharisee who boasted before God about all of his works and deeds. In his own self-righteousness, he was trying to earn his way to heaven. What he needed to do was accept the simple fact that he was a sinner just like the rest of us who need God’s forgiveness.
Paul had lots of wonderful works that he did when he became a Christian, but he gave the credit to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul understood the incredible wonders of God’s amazing grace. He knew it and believed it in his heart and was compelled to tell others about God’s mercy. It was God’s grace that was causing him to do the things he did. He refers to himself as the chief of sinners, but look at how God used him. Only a very meek person could make a statement like that.
He didn’t even feel it was right that people called him an apostle because he was persecuting the church at one time. A saint is simply a sinner, who at some point in their life, truly believed with all of their heart in God’s forgiveness. It is found through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through God’s mercy is the only way that we could ever become something new. All of our past is washed away. Whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving glory to Him. You can’t work yourself to heaven. Salvation is a gift through God’s grace. It’s the most precious gift that you could ever attain and certainly one that you don’t ever want to neglect.
2 Cor 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
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.
Have you ever gone to a wedding and afterwards brought a gift to the bride and groom? A gift is something that is freely given. Can you imagine giving a gift to the groom and saying, here’s your gift, but you need to come over and cut my lawn this summer.
If you feel somebody owes you something then it’s really not a gift.
There are numerous people in the world today who are still trying to earn their way to heaven when the truth is they need to get forgiven for their sins. Jesus taught, if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins. It’s the unforgiven sin issue in our lives that is the problem. There’s only one way to access Heaven, through God’s grace. No matter how many works you’ve ever attained while you’ve been here on the earth, without grace found in Christ, you are going to come up short.
It’s simply trying to punch the clock so that at the end of your life, your paycheck of eternal life will have been earned by your deeds. That’s not the way it works.
…..Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
That simply means that you feel like God owes you something, while the truth is we owe Him everything for what He has done for us.
Roman’s 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Remember the Apostle Paul was filled with good works but they were led by God’s grace that was working inside of his heart. He gave the glory to God for the things that he was doing.
We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God wants us to be involved with. These are works that are done by Christ through our hearts. He is the one who is doing the work through us, not us.
The Lord taught it was the humble publican who went down to his house justified. He came to God and asked forgiveness for his misdeeds. There is no other way to get to heaven but through God’s grace. To try to attempt to do so is like trying to cross the ocean without a boat. It’s like attempting to go to the Moon without a ship.
Many years ago, I was in scouting and each week, it seemed like you could earn another kind of merit badge for certain good deeds that you were doing.
After years of being involved with that, your shirt was full of badges and pins and stripes. That was really deceiving because it made you feel like you were really a good person. What each of us need to do is simply take off that shirt and go throw it on a campfire somewhere. In a manner of speaking that’s what Paul did. We are all a bunch of sinners here on planet Earth who all need forgiveness with God if we want to live forever in heaven.
Salvation is not by our own works, but by the works of Christ that He completed when he died on the cross for our sins. We cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try.
Instead of trying to earn salvation by punching the clock each day, we need to understand that each of us are sinners who need to get forgiven with God. Truly the only path to salvation is found in God’s mercy that He gives freely to all of us through faith in His precious Son Jesus Christ .
Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow Till then bye Bye, everybody. ♥️
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