We don’t work in God’s Kingdom because it’s required of us. We work in God’s Kingdom because it’s what we were created to do.
March 16, 2024
Speaker: Steve Anderson
Passage: Romans 3:1-2
All right, good morning, everyone. If you have your Bibles with you, turn to Ephesians chapter one and also to Revelation chapter three.
We’ve been in the book of Revelation for the past couple of months. I don’t know about you, but these teachings out of Revelation chapters two and three, the letters, the messages of Jesus to the seven churches – these teachings and these letters have rocked my world. They have birthed in me a cry for holiness and a pursuit of holiness in my own life that I have never had in my Christian walk.
I know these teachings are hard. I mean, these are the words of Jesus to the church, the only words of Jesus to the church. I don’t know why He put them in the book of Revelation. Maybe it’s because there are things coming up, and He’s trying to get us ready. But they’re there. As Jesus said, each time to the seven churches, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Seven times He says that. How many know if He says something seven times we ought to be listening to it. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church, but also listen to what the Spirit is saying to you.
There might be some of you there saying: You know what? These things have been too hard. There’s just been too much emphasis on idolatry and sexual immorality. I’m sorry, but Jesus has it in there for a reason, and we must be obedient to it. We must heed His voice. If there’s something in our lives that we need to lay down and say, Lord, this is not right in my life. I’ve got to lay it down. I’ve got to deal with it now. Yes, the teachings have been hard, but can I beg of you: instead of running away from it, run to it.
There’s another common message of Jesus throughout the seven letters, the seven messages to five of the churches. He says, “I know your works,” and “I know your deeds,” five times. Revelation chapter three, starting in verse one; we’re going to start off with the church of Sardis today.
“To the angel of the church in Sardis, write: He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead. Be constantly alert, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.'”
That’s a tough message. That’s to a church, “I know your deeds.” That’s the Greek word ergon. We’re going to come back to that word in just a little bit. Ephesus, Thyatira. Tyrus, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea – to five of the seven churches Jesus says, “I know your deeds.” He is talking to the Church.
Today, I want to explore this word, this thing of works, this thing of deeds. When Jesus says, “I know your deeds,” we need to understand what He’s talking about here. What does that mean? How crucial it is for us to have healthy Kingdom works. It’s important to Jesus but vital to us both individually and corporately as a church. We’re going to talk about it in the church context a little bit because, as Christians, we gather in a community like Vintage. Some of you may be from other churches today, and that’s great. Please apply this to the church that you attend.
When everything is right and healthy in our Christian walk, we don’t work in God’s Kingdom because it’s required of us. We work in God’s Kingdom because it’s what we were created to do. Jesus created us that way. It’s a natural outflow that comes from the revelation of who Jesus Christ is and who I am as a result of my faith in Him.
If I have anything that I want to accomplish today with this message, it’s this: I’m going to answer two questions for you through scripture. I want you to know the answers to 1) who I am and 2) why I’m here.
Let’s talk a little bit about Vintage. Fact number one, this is a growing church. If you’ve been coming here on a regular basis you’ve seen that every Sunday there’s more and more families in the seats. More and more young families, especially in the 10:30 service, are coming to Vintage, complete with their 2.3 kids. I love it. It’s the sign of a healthy church. It’s a sign of a growing church.
Why is this church growing?
Reason number one, we preach truth. We preach out of the Word of God, uncompromised. We don’t tolerate anything. This is not a culturally-correct church, and people are looking for that. You can get culture in the world out there anywhere. But true truth? That’s hard to find. You’ll find it here. That’s why my family resides here at Vintage.
One of the other reasons is that we have some of the best praise and worship on the planet. It’s just amazing. You can just sit in this auditorium, and while they’re up here, I feel like I’m in the throne room. That’s a testament to the worship team and their gifts, talents, and ability. It’s also a testament to pastor Greg’s constant desire to have the presence of God reside in this place. And that’s the third reason: the presence of God.
So that’s fact one; we have a great church. It’s a growing church, but a lot of needs come with a growing church.
Fact number two, the 80/20 rule is in full application in the church as it is in business. Do you know what the 80/20 rule is? It’s where 20% of the people do 80% of the work. In business, 20% of the sales people do 80% of the sales. In a church, 20% of the people do 80% of the serving. It’s just the way it is. Can you imagine what a church would be like if 80% of the people were doing the serving? They’d have to be turning people away. That would be a great problem to have.
People don’t serve in their church for two main reasons. The first reason is they think someone else will do it, especially in a larger church like this one. They think, They don’t need me, there’s plenty of people here. The second reason is they feel they aren’t qualified or have nothing to offer.
So that’s where I want to focus today and answer those two questions: “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” I want you to walk out of this room today and know without a doubt who you are and why you’re here. Not from me, but from God’s Word. I pray that God’s Word will come alive in you so great that you will walk out of here and go, okay, time to roll up my sleeves. Where am I going? What am I going to do?
Get with the Lord and find out. Heed His voice.
So now if you’re in Ephesians chapter one, let’s read this. Ephesians chapter one and going into chapter two. Here’s what you’re going to find in this passage of scripture. You’re going to find out who Jesus is, who we are in Him, and why we are here. This is the same church that Jesus addresses in Revelation chapter two.
Paul says to the church, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Wow, that’s Jesus; His calling, His inheritance, His power, His mind, His feet, His body. Then Paul shifts gears as we go into chapter two. He says, This is who Jesus is. Now, here’s who you are.
“And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them, we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Who Jesus is, who we are, and why we are here – right there in Scripture. If we are to understand what Jesus is saying to the seven churches, we need to grasp this. We need to get an understanding of who we are in Christ, so that when He is speaking to the church, we can better understand it. That scripture in Revelation becomes a revelation in our life, and we can receive it and not run away from it.
The word “workmanship” in Greek is poiema. It means that which is made of fabric; a creation. This Greek word is only used one other time in the New Testament, and it’s in Romans chapter one, verse 20. Paul uses it again here, “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made [poiema], so that they [unbelieving world] are without excuse.”
What does that mean? That means that the totality of God, everything that is invisible and visible, His very power and nature, are revealed and understood through everything that was made and that is you. You are the indisputable evidence of an almighty God. Let me say that again. You are walking, living evidence of an almighty God. You are a masterpiece creation of the all-powerful Creator. That’s who you are. You are His workmanship. Just let that sink in.
And while we’re talking about creation and identity, let me just say this. This generation, especially the youth, is under assault by today’s anti-Creator culture and the demonic spirit behind it. The moment we are formed in the womb and born into this world – whether you’re a boy or girl, male or female – God didn’t look at it and say it was good; He looked at it and said it was very good. It is incumbent upon us to make sure that we communicate that message to the youth: You are created by God; you are His workmanship. God looks at you, and He says you’re very good. God’s got a plan for you.
This amazing God has set aside amazing works for His amazing creation. That’s His work. That we would walk in them, that’s our work. It’s born out of spiritual life. Remember, we were dead, and He made us alive for good works. It’s the difference of working for your salvation and from your salvation. Working for our salvation, we can’t get saved that way. Working from salvation is a natural outflow of this relationship with Jesus. These things are just coming out of you when we’re walking in a healthy way.
As we do that, as we see this in Scripture and grab a hold of who we are in Christ, now we can go back and look at what Jesus is saying to these churches in Revelation. I know your works. What is He trying to say to me? What is He saying to Sardis, where their works were dead?
Jesus is wanting our works to have life, not death, and that’s born out of relationship with Him. It’s born out of a healthy relationship with each other, where there’s love and community with each other. That’s probably what was missing in Sardis and why their church was dead. How many have been in a dead church? I’ve been in plenty. It’s no fun. It’s like, where’s the door?
That’s why we love it here at Vintage, because there’s life in this place. The presence of God is in this place. Good and healthy works are in this place. Why? Because there’s community. There’s relationship. It’s not about religion. It’s not about us.
In the letter to the church in Ephesus, Jesus says, do the deeds you did at first. Remember, He was saying, I’ve got this against you, you’ve left your first love. Go back and do the deeds you did at first. These are hard words from Jesus, but we need to heed these words. This was the letter to the Ephesians, which was about 30 years prior to what Jesus is saying to the church in Ephesus. Something happened in that gap, and Jesus is going, get back to what Paul was talking about. You’re His workmanship, a new creation. And to Pergamum, when Pastor Greg last week talked about identity, Jesus says, I’ve given you a new name. I’ve written your name on a white tablet. Jesus has named you and identified you.
We are individual members of one body, the body of Christ, the church. Why? For purpose, for significance, and to walk in the good works that He has prepared for us in advance. The body of Christ, filled with many parts.
In 1st Corinthians chapter 12, verse 18, Paul describes the body of Christ as a human body: “But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But now there are many parts, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’ Or again, the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.”
One body with Christ as the head; many parts or individual members arranged with a purpose as He has desired. Every member is significant and needed. Let me repeat that: every member is significant and needed.
Please receive that. If you bought into a lie for so many years that says, I just don’t have anything to offer, I’m just not needed. I’m not qualified. Wrong! You have been created. You are His workmanship, created for good works in Christ, which He has prepared in advance for you to do.
It’s our job to walk in those things. It’s our job to have the faith to be able to step into those things. Don’t let the devil fill you with a lie anymore. You are needed, you are valuable. Even if you think you’re the pinky toe. You can’t get any further away from the head than the pinky toe. God has always and will always use the pinky toe.
How many pinky toes do we have in the room today? Come on, I was a pinky toe. Where you feel like, I’m here, but I just don’t feel like I’m doing anything. I felt that way for a long, long time.
Let’s take a journey through the Bible. Let’s look at some pinky toes. Ready?
And then there’s the poster child for the pinky toe: Gideon. In Judges chapter six, we have this situation where the Lord encounters this man because He needs a deliverer for Israel. The Midianites had been released to ravage the nation of Israel. Why? Because they were disobedient, they opened themselves up to the enemy. The Midianites would come during harvest time especially and wait for the Israelites to harvest all of the wheat. Then they would come after all the work was done and say, we’re going to go and take the food now.
In the story, Gideon is at the bottom of the hill trying to thresh the wheat in a wine press. Now, normally, you would go to the threshing floor, which would be on top of a mountain where the wind blows. You take the wheat, throw it up in the air, the chaff blows away, and then the wheat seed falls to the ground. But the Israelites were so scared they were living in caves that they had built to try to protect themselves from the Midianites. They didn’t want to expose themselves; they didn’t want the Midianites to see them out there doing that.
But Gideon was at least doing something. Can I tell you something? Just make yourself available to God. At least Gideon was out there trying to do something when the Lord approached him. In Judges chapter six, verse 15, after the Lord says, I need you to be my deliverer, Gideon says, “How can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family.”
Manasseh wasn’t even a full tribe. It was a half-tribe, which means that you couldn’t get any farther down the Israelite totem pole than Gideon. He was the least in his family, which was the least in the tribe of Manasseh. Gideon is looking at the Lord saying, Me? How can you use me? But God calls him a mighty warrior, and then He tells him, I will be with you. He confirms his identity, maybe even changes his identity. Culture has defined you Gideon, but I’m now writing a new name on a white tablet for you. You are a mighty warrior, and I will be with you as you do this.
And what happens? Gideon defeats the Midianites with 300 men against an army of 135,000. That is a ratio of 450 to 1. God was with him. Gideon was afraid, he was timid, he lacked faith, his family was a mess. He was a pinky toe, and God used him.
See, God didn’t change who these people were; He used them, warts and all. But they had to come to a point of faith in their life where they believed that God was able to use them. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, said this: “When you believe nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than you have about yourself.”
Here’s the key – get yourself out there. Make yourself available. I’m telling you, you will begin to experience so much life when you do that. It will be like a Red Bull to your faith. It’ll be a jolt when you start realizing I was created for something that was bigger than me, and I needed to step into that. I don’t know what it is. God, what do You want me to do? Get with him and ask, Lord, what do You want me to do? I want to hear Your voice. I want to be obedient to what You’re telling me to do.
I remember when Elizabeth and I, early on in our marriage, had moved from Kansas back to Fort Collins. We started attending Resurrection Fellowship down in Loveland. We had a young baby. Rachel was just a newborn, and we said we were going to volunteer in the nursery and just pour into this church. So we followed our kids along the way. As they grew older, we just ascended with them and kept volunteering in the youth ministry.
Later on, in our years at the church there, Elizabeth started teaching parenting classes. And then I started heading up the Men’s Ministry. And then there was an opportunity for a pastor’s position that opened up that I was fully qualified for. I got with the Lord and said, Lord, do you want me to do this? And He said, Yes. And that’s how I ended up becoming a pastor and going into full-time ministry. I heard the voice of God and I realized, I’ve got something to offer. Now, I didn’t feel qualified as a pastor. I never went to Bible school, or seminary, or anything like that. So I’m thinking, Lord, You’ve got to do something in me in order for me to do this.
God will give you the ability to do it just like He did with Gideon. If you’re thinking, what can I do here in the church, that’s great. Team Sunday is next week, and you’re going to have an opportunity to hear what’s going on around here and what different ministries there are.
It doesn’t have to be here at Vintage or the church that you go to; it could be something else that God wants you to do. I just want you to get with the Lord and be obedient to that and hear His voice. It will activate you in the Kingdom the way God wants this Kingdom to work.
Spend time with the Lord. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying. Those good works, those life-giving works, originate from Him. But when you do them in your own church, something great happens. You build community, form connections, and meet the needs of a growing church.
In the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus gave to the people talents based on their ability, and the ones that were faithful, Jesus came to them later and said, Well done. Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with what I gave you.
I’ll close with this. No matter what it is, or where it is, just remember these things. You were created and saved to do more than just attend church. You are able because the Lord is with you. You are significant and valuable and needed, even if you’re the pinky toe. Let’s pray.
Lord, thank you so much for Your Word. Thank you that through Your Word, we can understand who You are and who we are in You, and that we were created for great works in Your Kingdom. And Lord I just ask that You will allow each and every one of us in this room to spend some time with You this week.
Lord, what is it that You want me to do? I feel like I have no value. I have no significance. But I know You have a great plan and a great purpose for me. Help me to find those things. If someone taps me on the shoulder, help me to heed that call. If I see something that’s going on, help me to realize that You’re speaking to me regarding that.
I just ask you to engage and energize the body of Christ to Your advantage. Help them to walk into the works that You have prepared in advance for them to do because they are Your workmanship created by You. In Jesus’s name, amen.
News, updates, and events sent directly to your inbox every Thursday morning.
Stay up to date with what is going on at Vintage by subscribing to the Vintage Weekly - our weekly newsletter - and downloading the Church Center app. These resources enable us to keep you updated of upcoming events, opportunities, and alerts such as weather cancellations.
SUBSCRIBE TO VINTAGE WEEKLY
DOWNLOAD CHURCH CENTER APP
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Statement of Faith
Our Team
Photo & Video Policy
Prayer Request
Capture Your Miracle
1501 Academy Court, #101
Fort Collins, CO 80524
970-779-7086
info@vintagecitychurch.com
Thank you for submitting your message. We will be in touch shortly.