The Work of God

We’ve just celebrated Ascension Day this last week, and the scripture readings for today are particularly focused on the kingship of our God. If Jesus is King, one of the implications of this is that He is Judge. Not only does He lead us and send us out as our King, but we also return and we report and we are evaluated by our King. He is our judge. In one sense, we are never outside of the presence of God. By the working of the Spirit we are always being sent, and we are always being convicted of sin or comforted in our weakness. But even though a husband and wife are always married, there are points at which that marriage is confirmed, renewed, repaired, and rejoiced in, in particular ways. This is why we gather weekly on the Lord’s Day. Here, we renew our covenant vows with our King and Judge. Here we offer ourselves, our labors, our fruit, our talents, and we are evaluated by our King and Judge. Jesus your King has given specific commands to you as His people: He has commanded you husbands to love your wives, to speak gently to them, to honor them. He has commanded you wives to respect your husbands, to submit yourselves to them, to seek to win them to greater faithfulness. Jesus has commanded you children to honor and obey your parents, to listen to them carefully, to value their opinions. He has commanded His people to tell the truth, not to twist it, not to lie. He has commanded His people not to steal, but to give generously to those in need. And when you gather here every Lord’s Day, the King asks you, have you obeyed? What have you done with the talents I gave you? What have you done with the grace I have shown you? Have you obeyed your King? The just live by faith, and this means that the just also report back to their King and Judge by faith. Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” The work of God is not to try harder, to think deeper theological thoughts, to have 20 more minutes in your quiet time. The work of God is to believe in Him whom He sent. Believe that Jesus is risen and ascended and reigning over all, and those who trust in Him will never be put to shame.