Our Great God at Work
3. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5. For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now;
6. Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:3-6
The Start of God’s Great Work
Many of us are shocked at the national violence, the horrific mass shootings, and the hatred that is sweeping our country and the world. It is as if the national weather reflects the destructive attitudes that humans have towards one another. The United States of America has become anything but that. Where is all of this coming from? Does it not demonstrate the utter darkness of the heart? We are witnessing what the Bible calls the total depravity of mankind. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the result of sin.
How could gunmen enter our schools and wreak havoc on communities? We say it is the devil at work. We should all realize that every person carries within his own soul the capacity to commit evil. How could members of law enforcement misuse their authority to commit unmerciful acts of violence against fellow members of their communities? It is the boiling wickedness that works within the hearts of people. We may attempt to ignore it, but the sad truth is that every person carries within his soul the capacity to commit all kinds of wickedness. The Apostle Paul recognized it. He admitted that when he wanted to do good, the evil would interfere with that holy desire. (Romans 7:19-20). In desperation he cried out, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Then he answered his own question. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 7:24-25.
What is so Amazing about Grace is that it is given to recipients who don’t deserve it. We may claim personal goodness, but when you do, you forfeit God’s unmerited favor and kindness. God knows you are a mess. God knows just how wicked you and I are in our state of depravity. God knows the full extent of what we are capable of doing. Yet God looks beyond our fault and sees our need. Resting solely on the Gift of Jesus Christ, God Almighty started a good work. The work is desperately needed. The work is long overdue because of our own stubbornness in admitting our need. Jesus has stood at the door of our heart way too long, knocking in desperation because He knows that our very life is fading away. What good would it do for the Doctor of our soul to make a house call if we never answer the door? “Open the door,” says the Holy Spirit. “I have come to help you and not harm you – to begin a good work within you.” So often, in trepidation, we open the door to our faltering world to find a God Who did not come to judge us. No, No. God comes to work in broken lives, broken homes, messed up minds, and mixed up hearts. God comes to set it right and bring His order and peace. Ladies and gentlemen, that is where God’s work starts in the soul.
We have mistakenly thought that God only rescues from sin. We incorrectly thought that deliverance was a one and done transaction. Well, think about it, what good would it do to bring someone out of darkness and then not remove the darkness from them? Deliverance embraces the full work and wonderful plan of God to transform fallen souls into the holy Children of God and of changing sinners into saints. Ladies and gentlemen God is at work today. Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ.
When God miraculously delivered the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, He did not immediately bring them into the promised land. They were not prepared to face the challenges of becoming a nation. God led them, instead, into the wilderness where they could learn His Laws and Commands. What was God doing? The Lord was working in them to transform them from the slave life into the godly life. This was no small task due mainly to the rebellion and hard hearted attitudes of many. It seemed they were more interested in their next meal and finding comforts that they forgot about their destiny as a Nation built by God. Their hateful attitude hindered the work of God and made it difficult for Moses and Aaron. When God is working in our lives, we should never grieve the Holy Spirit with our stubbornness and refusal to change. Have the right spirit by allowing God full access to remove the rebellion from your life. Allow His Power to plant righteousness in your soul. Then you will know that God is working in you. If God is working in His people, we can rest assured that He will not abandon that work, but will complete it on time and in perfect fashion.
I read a sign on one contractor’s truck that read, “We do it right the first time.” God Almighty has a work that is guaranteed good. God’s work has an eternal warranty against all threats. God’s work requires no maintenance plan. When God gets finished with His work, it is always perfect. You and I are God’s Work.
God’s Work in Progress
So how does God perform this Great Work? God’s Great Work begins with a Heavenly Goal. God is not performing the work for the sake of merely “looking good.” That was the goal of many of the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They wanted to look good in the eyes of people. Paul, who was once a Pharisee, declared that those goals no longer applied to his life. He wanted to grasp the fullness of Jesus Christ. Rather than looking good, this goal is based on good living. Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ.
You might call this living good for God. As we reflect on how the world is shaping lives for doom and destruction, we cannot help but cry out to God that we be delivered from that dark life. I certainly do not desire to live the criminal’s life. I certainly would not desire the gambler’s life. I once lived life as a drinker, a partier, a person who was trying to find happiness in the world. I don’t want to live like that. That is like many on the streets who are attempting to find nutrition by rummaging through trash cans. It is my desire to live for God, but I don’t have the energy nor do I have the insight. Thank God for Grace at work.
The Apostle Paul explains that God’s Great Work covers four needs in the lives of God’s People. The believer develops confidence in the Power of God. The believer learns what it means to have commitment towards God. The Great Work also reveals a life under construction by God. Lastly, there is the promise of completion for God. Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ. Not only does this Great Work demonstrate that God is at Work in the life of the believer, but it also confirms that the work is for God’s Glory.
When God is working in the life of the believer, there is a confidence level that builds. Notice the passage states that we are confident of this very thing that God is doing the work. There will be no supply shortage nor will there be any labor dispute because it is God doing the work. Those who are confident that God is working in their life are able to go beyond the ordinary limits. You might say they are living in the extreme of God’s Power. In the Bible, a man by the name of Caleb displayed that kind of confidence. He was among those who came out of Egypt, but he very quickly got Egypt off his mind. Caleb was confident that God would bring them into the Promised Land. As a matter of fact, when he and eleven other spies were giving their report of what the Promised Land was like Caleb gave a good report. He said, “let us go up at once for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30. Ten of the spies said, “we are not able.” It was Caleb who had confidence in God’s Great Work. The others missed it because they did not recognize God working among them. Today I ask you to have confidence in God.
Not only is confidence in God critical to the needs of our life, but we also need to be committed to God’s Great Work. Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that God is committed to His Great Work. The question arises, are we committed to God. Obviously, ten of those Israeli spies were not committed and it ended up costing them their lives. Lack of commitment is dangerous. Sometimes people are like squirrels crossing the road – they get in the middle of the highway and can’t make up their mind. Being committed to God only requires one thought. You must be tired of the life of sin. If anyone has not grown sick of sin you will never fully love the Lord. The song writer David said, “If I regard sin in my heart, God will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18. The other day I was minding my own business when a lottery commercial played over the TV. The devil whispered to me, “play this number and you will win.” I shouted back at the devil, I have already won because I have Jesus as my King and Lord. You must be fully committed to God’s Great Work.
Confidence and commitment are critical areas in the believer’s life, but there is also a need to know that the Construction is by God. Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ. If God is not working in our lives then the devil is the only other option. This mentality runs counter to the humanist culture. Self-improvement, self-expression, and self-reliance contradict the Truth of Scripture. The Bible claims that God is doing the work and not human hands. Paul acknowledged this in his credentials to the believers at Galatia. He said, I was neither taught by man nor did I receive it from man, but it came by the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:12. The Apostle Paul flatly denied man’s authority over God’s Great Work, even though he was taught by Gamaliel, one of the greatest Jewish teachers of his day. Paul knew the excellency of God’s Great Work and knew that anything else could not compare with the Hand of God. It boils down to this, who do you want to work on your soul? Do you want man or do you need God?
Lastly, while confidence, commitment, and construction are all a part of God’s Great Work in Christ, we must also acknowledge our need for completion. It is God’s Great Work that completes us. This verse confirms the great promise that God will finish what He has started. Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ. Not only will God finish what He has started in Christ Jesus, but the work will also stand the test of God’s Judgment. As a matter of fact, when the work is done, there will be no need for inspection by any other authority because the Work was Completed by God. The Lord will simply sign His Name on the finished product. I shall be complete in Him. Isn’t that Good News?
He’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
the sun and earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be – cause He’s still working on me.