Believe For The Works’ Sake
by Dr. Rick Fox Rick Fox served the Lord for many years as pastor in West Virginia, Michigan and Ohio. He graduated to glory in 2013. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” (John 14:1-11) Jesus is comforting His disciples about His departing and tells them that He is going to prepare a place for them. The Lord has prepared a place for all of His children by going to the Holy of Holies, I think in Heaven, and sprinkling His blood on the Mercy Seat. You and I have a place already prepared for us by the blood of Jesus Christ. He is speaking to them as mature Christians, but finds out pretty quick that they are not as mature as they thought they were. Jesus said, “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” Thomas quickly cuts in and says, “...we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” Jesus then says to him in verse 6, “... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He goes on to say, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” If You’ll just show us the Father, that’s all we need. It will suffice us. Jesus comes back and says, “Philip, don’t you know who I am? Have I been this long with you and you still do not understand?” When He is talking to him, He makes what I think, is a very critical statement. He says, “Can’t you believe what I’m telling you? If you can’t, then believe for the works’ sake.” It’s important that you and I understand that there is something in this old world bigger than us, much greater than us, and it’s the work. The work of God is so vitally important, more important that my feelings or your feelings. It’s more important than anything that I could gather for myself personally. I sometimes turn on TV preachers for a few minutes on Sunday morning and get fired up before I come to church. This morning Joel Olsteen was talking about how to have a happy life. He basically said that you should sacrifice the happiness of others so you can have your own happiness. That’s about as unbiblical as anything that’s ever been said. You never have it at the expense of others. If that be the case, then Jesus Christ gave His life away for nothing. My Bible teaches that happiness comes when you try to make others happy. You never find happiness looking for it yourself. You find it when you are seeking the happiness of others. You and I are Christians. We’ve been born again, saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. God has given you and I a great responsibility and a wonderful privilege to do His work. The work is so important. That’s why He said to Philip, “If you can’t understand, Philip, if you don’t have the mentality, you are not mature enough yet to believe what I’m telling you, that when you’ve seen Me, you have seen the Father.” He said, “Then believe for the works’ sake.” Today I come to you and say to you that you and I, regardless of where we are on the step ladder of maturity, we ought to believe for the works’ sake. Let me say today what the work is. In John 5:36 the Bible says, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish,...” Jesus had a work to do when He came to this earth. He had an agenda. John 9:4 says, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” Jesus was saying, “You’ve got to understand, there’s something I’ve got to get done while I’m here. There is going to come a time when I can’t work any longer.” Of course, He was talking about going to the cross. He was talking about the work of redemption. In John 17:4 the Bible says, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” The work was the Saviour coming to this earth, being born of a virgin, living perfectly. Jesus Christ kept all the laws of the Bible perfectly, and went to the cross and took your sins and my sins upon Himself and died for our sins. He was able and qualified to do that because He was perfect. That was His work. That is what He had come to do. His work wasn’t to come and feed people, although He did that while He was here. That wasn’t the work. He didn’t come just to heal the sick, although He did that while He was here. That wasn’t what the work was. The great work that Jesus had in mind, the work that He is talking about when He tells Philip to ‘believe Me for the works’ sake,’ was the great work of redemption, the work of saving men’s souls. He would die on the cross for the sins of mankind. He would then be raised from the dead, and then men would be commissioned, you and I, to carry that Gospel story to the ends of the earth. There is a great work that needs to be done today. There is a kingdom that needs to be built. There is an enemy that needs to be defeated. There are souls that need to be saved. It’s so important, this work that we are talking about today, that from the foundation of the world, Genesis 3, where the old serpent slithered into the garden and God put enmity between the seed of Eve and the old serpent all the way to Revelation chapter 22 when the Holy Spirit of God is inviting folks to come. Everything that this Book talks about from Genesis 1 all the way through Revelation 22 is talking about the work. It’s all about the work. This work of redemption is the central theme of the Bible. You can’t go to anywhere in the Bible where the theme is not Jesus Christ coming to this earth, living a perfect life, going to the cross and dying for the sins of men so that they can be saved. Did you ever think of what would happen today if war breaks loose? If America were to start shooting missiles into Iran, how many millions of people will probably die. What will happen in the Middle East if Iran fires their missiles over on Israel? Did you ever stop and think about a person that dies without Jesus Christ who has to go to Hell forever? It’s not for a short time. It’s forever and ever and ever. Do you understand today that you and I hold the truth of God’s Word in our hand, and God has commissioned you and I to get that truth around the world? It’s your job and my job. It’s our responsibility today. The work is very important. Everything that we do here at First Baptist Church, I mean all the ministries that we have, the music, the teaching, everything we do is all for the works’ sake. I believe church is all about you and I staying healthy spiritually so we can do a job out there. I believe that everything that we do as far as our fellowship is for the spiritual strength and nutrition of the Christian so that they’ll be healthy to get the work done of God. It’s for the works’ sake. There are lots of things that some of you may not understand about the work. I talk to folks all the time at all different levels of maturity. There are some folks like Philip that doesn’t really understand the works’ sake. I dare say that I could talk to some of you about tithing and you may say, “I don’t understand that. I’ve always just felt like God will overlook my lack of giving and tithing since I don’t understand all the scriptural truths about tithes and offerings.” Let me ask you to do something today. Why don’t you believe for the works’ sake? Do you understand that our ability to get the Gospel out and around the world is determined by our willingness to give? That’s God’s plan. In II Corinthians 9:7 the Bible says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Do you understand today that we have got to give. Souls are hanging in the balance. Do you realize the lateness of the hour? Do you understand that by this time next month we could be in World War III or our economy could crash? I don’t know if it will or not. The Lord may wait hundreds of years more. Who knows? But I do know this. The work is important and if you don’t understand because I get up and preach on tithing, then believe for the works’ sake. This stinkin dollar bill is the god of America. It really is. Some people kill their mommas for a little bit of green back. What people will do, especially Americans, for that dollar bill is unbelievable. They’ll turn their backs on friends. They’ll betray their marriages. Americans need to understand once again that God blesses you and I financially so that we can be a blessing to the world. That’s why He blesses us. So we can run buses and have Sunday school classes and so we can put missionaries on the field. This money is not in my wallet today just for me. It’s here for the works’ sake. By the way, you cannot study your Bible without coming to the conclusion that God wants you and I to tithe. I’ve been doing it for years and years and years. That’s part of my job. It’s a part of duty. You say, “Why?” For the works’ sake. It’s not just so we can have padded pews or carpet on the floor or air conditioning and heating. We’ve got a job to get done. There are folks all over Akron going to Hell. If you’d listen to some of the phone calls that come in here, people are growing up now that don’t know a thing about Jesus Christ. We live in the most idolatrous nation in the world. We live in a time where we believe in polytheism, that there are many gods and all gods ought to be tolerated. That’s what our President believes. He believes that the god of the Muslims is just as great as our God and should be respected as much as our God. I’ve got news for you. Allah is not our God today. Jehovah is our God. It will be a cold day where the boogerman lives before I’ll ever stand up here and tolerate a heathen god. I’m not going to do it. I’m saying today that we ought to give our tithes and our offerings for the works’ sake. You say, “I don’t understand that, preacher.” You don’t have to understand. Do it for the works’ sake. That’s what Jesus was saying to Philip. ‘Philip, you may not understand what I’m telling you about Me being the Father and the Father being Me, but believe for the works’ sake. The work is too important.’ I think today for the works’ sake we ought to be soulwinners. You might not understand how important it is for you to give a tract to someone, or sit down and go through those four or five points of the Romans Road, but I wouldn’t be here today if there hadn’t been somebody going through the Gospel with me. You wouldn’t be here today if you hadn’t heard the Gospel preached. It’s important. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) We can go all over the world and feed everyone and get them clean water and clothing and medicine. We can do all these humanitarian things, but unless they get the Gospel they are still going to die and go to Hell. A person cannot be saved without getting the Gospel. I think you and I have a responsibility in our families to make sure our families hear the Gospel. My grandmother was a good Christian lady. She passed away. She was an old hard-shell Baptist. Some of you, if you are from Kentucky or West Virginia, you know what that is. They are spiritualists. When they have a funeral, they’ll sit around on the platform till the Spirit moves. If the spirit doesn’t move, you might sit there an hour or two till the Spirit moves on somebody and they’ll get up and say something. We were at Grandma’s funeral. A preacher got up and he talked about Sissy’s smile, and how sweet Sissy was. He said, “The spirit hasn’t moved,” and he sat back down. Then another guy got up and said, “I liked Sissy’s smile, too, and what a sweet sister she was.” He talked a little bit about Grandma and he said, “But the Spirit hasn’t moved,” and he sat down. One of the preachers made a mistake. He got up and he said, “Listen, the Spirit hasn’t moved. Does anyone out there have anything to say?” My mother reached over and grabbed my britches leg, but it was too late. I raised my hand. I said, “Yes, the Spirit moved down here. I’ve got something say.” My mother said, “Ricky Ray, don’t you dare.” I said, “Mother, he just asked if somebody had something to say. I do and I’m going to say it.” Do you know what I did? I had all my uncles and cousins and I had a lot of relatives there I didn’t even know who they were, but I knew this. I had an opportunity to preach the Gospel. I said, “Let me tell you why Sissy has got a smile on her face tonight.” I preached the Gospel for about 20 minutes to my family and friends. You say, “Did it make them mad?” Yes, it made some of them mad. It made some of the preachers mad, but the Spirit moves and you got to do what He tells you! I gave them the Gospel. That’s what it is all about, telling people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and what He did for them on the cross. I’m just saying if you don’t understand soulwinning and how important it is, you do it for the work’s sake. Get the Gospel to your family members. Get the Gospel to your friends at work. When you pay your bills, put a Bible tract in there. How many of you get upset with all the solicitors that call? Let me tell you what to do. Start preaching to them Jesus. You won’t have to fool with them very long. They call me and I say, “I’m excited.” “What are you excited about?” “Jesus!” It gets quiet on the other end of the phone then. They don’t know quite what to do. I always use that little phrase, “I’m excited.” If I’m playing golf or anything, somebody will say, “How are you doing today?” I’ll say, “I’m excited.” “What are you excited about?” “Jesus!” It’s amazing how it stops them in their tracks. They are not expecting that. You know, if we don’t get the Gospel to them, they can’t be saved. It’s the Gospel that starts to convict them of their sin. You’ve heard me say this morning how that when I got saved, I thought I was having the time of my life. I didn’t get saved because my world was turned upside down and I needed Jesus to get me out of the mess. I was having the time of my life. I got saved because Steve Prine took the Bible and showed me that I was a sinner, if I died in my sin that I’d go to Hell forever and ever, and the only hope I had to stay out of Hell was putting my faith in Jesus Christ. I’ll never forget how I would sit up at night and read my Bible and try to figure out what Steve was saying about the Gospel, but the Gospel never let me go. I never lived another happy day in my life after I was witnessed to until I trusted Christ as my Saviour. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. That’s why He tells us in Proverbs 11:30, “...he that winneth souls is wise.” That’s why He tells us in Psalm 126:5-6, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” That’s why He tells us in the book of Matthew to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. If you don’t understand what I’m saying today, I’m asking you to believe for the works’ sake. Let’s get the Gospel out every way you can. I believe that we ought to be separated as Christians for the work’s sake. It doesn’t matter much what I say with my mouth. It’s what I say with my life that speaks volumes. We ought to be separated from the world. I’m getting so sick of this lukewarm kind of Christianity that we’ve got. It’s the kind that makes Jesus sick, He’ll just spue us out of His mouth. The church is getting so worldly and the world so churchy. Last night some gospel group was promoting Elvis on TV, trying to make him a saint. You, young people, may not know a whole lot about him maybe, but he wasn’t what I would call a saint, a Christian, or an example, wiggling his hips and gyrating all over the stage all over America. They were trying to sell CDs of him singing Gospel songs. I’m going to tell you something. I’d just as soon Elvis not sing a Gospel song and I sure am not going to listen to him. I don’t want some heathen singing me Gospel music. I’m just saying that we ought to be separated. This old world is watching us. If they can’t see any difference in us, why in the world would they want what we’ve got? If we live like they live and dress like they dress and go where they go and act like they do, why in the world would they want Christianity? Second Corinthians 6:17 says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” It will be a cold day where the booger man lives before I buy my Gospel music from the world. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” If He is willing to go to the cross and die for you, don’t you think it is reasonable to live for Him. Why not just be separate. Hey ladies, why won’t you dress like godly Christian ladies? Summertime is coming. Don’t pull all your clothes off and run around half naked like this world is doing. Do what God commands and do it for Christ’s sake. I’ll go to churches -- I’m talking about independent, Baptist churches -- and when I start talking about separation, everybody starts getting tense. “What’s he going to say? Is he going to get in my block?” What is wrong with being godly? What’s wrong with living like Christ wants us to live? Most of Christianity is not any more separated than Anna Nicole Smith. Check out your Christian stations on your television. Look how they dress when they come on. Women coming on the stage prancing around half dressed in the name of Christ. It makes me sick. You say, “Preacher, what’s wrong with you?” I woke up on the wrong side of the bed a little while ago, and thought I’d just take care of business a little while now. Do it for Christ’s sake. Our evangelism is the life of our church. Our separation is the strength of our church. We’ll never be any stronger. Do you know how Samson got his strength? It was the vows he took. That hair was the sign of the vows he took, a Nazarite’s vow. That’s why he was strong. The more separated that you and I are, he wasn’t even allowed to eat of the fruit of the vine. He couldn’t touch a dead carcass. It was his separation that made him strong. You say, “I don’t understand what you are talking about.” I’m begging you to believe for Christ’s sake. The Bible says in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Do it for Christ’s sake. Ladies, dress like Christian ladies. Men, dress like Christian men. You, young people, don’t go getting all these tattoos. Don’t mar your body. The Bible speaks against that. Did you know that? Don’t go getting your eyelids pierced and your jaws and nose pierced and coloring your hair pink and green and purple and orange. I got a paper the other day from Liberty University advertising a big Gospel concert they are having. The fellows that were playing in the groups looked worse than the people I used to follow around when I smoked dope. There is no such thing as Gospel rock. There is no such thing as Christian rock. If it’s Christian, it’s not rock. If it’s rock, it’s not Christian. Believe for the work’s sake. Here is something else, our service for Christ. I believe that God’s work is the most important work in the entire world. It’s more important than what the President is doing right now. It’s more important than what any brain surgeon is doing right now in some hospital. There is no work on planet earth as important as God’s work. It’s vital that you and I give ourselves to that work. I believe as a preacher I have a duty to God to be prepared when I come into this pulpit. I work hard. When I teach a lesson, or anything I do, I slave over it. I work hours and hours over it. Do you know why? This is God’s work. This is not just like nailing a board on something although I know all work is important, but this is God’s work. When I stand to teach a lesson, I feel like I owe it to God to be prepared. When I preach a sermon, I feel like I owe it to God to be prepared and not just in studying the Word, but on my face begging for power before I preach because it’s God’s work. I believe that every person that does anything for God ought to feel the same way about it. If you are a greeter, I think you ought to feel like the job that you do greeting people at that front door is more important than anything in the world. You do it for Christ’s sake. Folks come through this door. You are the first person they meet. Their impression of this church will probably be largely set by the very first people they meet. Your job as a greeter is important. Your job as an usher is important. The way we run our church and the way things are cared for is important. It ought to be done right. Everything ought to be done for Christ’s sake. If you are a money counter, you are counting Jesus’ money when you sit in that room and count those offerings up and it ought to be done right. Every Sunday school teacher that goes to a class ought to be prepared when they walk into that class because it’s for Christ sake. Every person that gets up here to sing a song ought to be prepared. I don’t care a whole lot about hearing you sing if you are not ready to do it. This is not the Amateur Hour, or American Idol. This is the Lord’s work. You say, “I’m not liking what you are saying.” I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t like it either if I had that kind of attitude. If you don’t think Jesus is anymore important than that, I don’t blame you for getting upset. We are doing the Lord’s work. I think the musicians ought to be practiced and ready to go. This is the Lord’s work. Have you heard me talk before about when I pray? How that sometimes I’ll write an outline down before I pray. Do you know why? Jesus is important. I wouldn’t dream of going into the President’s office and just saying, “Hey, how are you doing there? Let’s chew the fat for a little while.” I wouldn’t do that. He probably wouldn’t let me do that. He’s too busy. Do you understand how busy God is? How He is holding everything together and without Him everything would just explode. I don’t feel like I ought to come before Him in prayer without being ready to pray. I never go to God with vain repetition. I’ve heard people pray and they said the same thing over and over and over. You wouldn’t talk to an individual that way. I’ve never had anybody come to me and say, “Rick, I want you to know, Rick, that I love you, Rick, and I come to you, Rick, in the name of Rick. I want to talk to you for a little while, Rick.” You don’t talk to people that way, but that’s the way folks talk to the Lord. Here is what I’m saying. Be prepared. It’s for the work’s sake. You say, “I don’t understand what you are saying.” Then believe me for the work’s sake. Singing in the choir ought to be the most important thing in the world to you. If you are a choir member, you ought to be here for choir practice and learn your part and be ready to sing. “Well, I just don’t...” Jesus is not worth any more than that to you? He went to the cross and died for you. You can’t get here an hour early to practice singing for Him? It’s for the work’s sake. Ladies and gentlemen, we ought not do anything haphazardly. Everything we do ought to be done right because it is for Jesus’ sake. That’s what Jesus is trying to tell Philip there. “Believe Me for the work’s sake.” If you are a nursery worker and you walk into that nursery, you ought to understand you are watching those babies for Jesus. That nursery is important. If you have a job on one of the committees here in the WMS or whatever you do here, you ought to say, “This is Jesus’ house and His work and everything I do I’m going to do it right because it’s for the work’s sake.” We are about that far from the end of all things on the prophetic calendar. We’ve got to get a job done. We cannot look at God’s work haphazardly. We’ve got to do it for the work’s sake. The last thing is prayer. In John 14:14 the Bible says, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” I wonder how much time you’ve given this week to praying for the lost. Have you prayed for a loved one or friend this week that is on their way to Hell? The Lord said, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Why aren’t we praying for our friends? Why aren’t we praying for our family, begging God to save them? Luke 11:9 says, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” That’s a promise of God. How much time have we been praying for missionaries? Folks are dying all over the world. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” God’s promised us that He will answer our prayer. Why aren’t we praying? We are so stinkin rich and increased with goods in America, we really don’t give a flip about anybody. The average American doesn’t give a flip if people die and go to Hell in the Philippines, or in Russia, or in Germany, or in Iran, or Iraq. We really don’t care as long I’ve got gas in my tank and food in my belly and my Play Station, just leave me alone. That’s the way Americans are. This is Jesus’ work. I want to call the First Baptist Church of Kenmore to an urgency. I want us to realize the lateness of the hour. I want you to understand how important what we do is, and we don’t have much time to do it. As I watch the news and gather news and preparing especially for this lesson on Wednesday night, with all my heart I just don’t believe we have much time. Even if Jesus waits a thousand years to come back, do you understand what is happening to the church in America? We are getting colder and colder and colder. It won’t be long until there is not going to be any Gospel witness, even though there are churches everywhere. That’s what happened to England and that is starting to happen to us. It may be that you’ve heard me preach on lots of different things on the Judgment Seat of Christ, or on His coming back to this earth, or living for others, or baptism, or fullness of the Spirit, or church attendance. You might say, “I don’t understand all that stuff and why it is so important.” Let me ask you today to do this. Believe for the work’s sake. Believe for Christ’s sake. This world’s only hope is churches like our church getting the Gospel out, doing what we can to reach them. The way we live, the reason I preach on separation is because that is what gives your words validity. You can say anything you want. You can tell your wife you love her all you want to, but if you never hug her, she ain’t going to believe it. If you don’t feed her and take care of her, she is not going to believe it. You can say it all you want to say it. It will be worthless without works to back it up. That’s the way you and I are as Christians. Let me encourage you to do what you do for the work’s sake. It’s so vitally important. How committed are you in your Christianity to the Lord? I’m not going to judge you today. You’ve got one that judges you, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me ask you to judge yourself. How committed are you to giving so that we can keep buses on the road and missionaries on the field and the Gospel on the air? How committed are you to serving at the church to make sure that God’s work goes smoothly like a well oiled machine? How committed are you when you stand to teach the Word of God? Are you ready to teach? How committed are you when you stand to sing or play an instrument? Are you ready to do so? Let’s you and I be committed for the work’s sake. I feel like any coach that sometimes has to go to their team and say, “It’s time to step it up a notch.” Let’s get back on track. Everything we do, let’s do it for Jesus’ sake. |
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