Lesson #22
Doing God’s Will
service is required for one to go to Heaven. Some Christians want to do the minimum in their spiritual lives. But does God allow a bare minimum? Jesus says, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). If we really love God, we will want to do all we can.How do we make sure that we are among the few who are saved and not among the many who are lost (Matthew 7:13-14)? Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness". If we believe and call Jesus, "Lord, Lord", we are still lost if we have not done God’s will.
On Judgment Day many will plead with Jesus, calling him Lord, Lord. They will claim to have performed many wonderful works in His name, but He will say unto them, "I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness". Jesus will say this because they had not done the will of the Father in Heaven. The worst thing that will ever be said to an individual is when the Lord on Judgment Day says to the majority of people, "Depart from Me, I never knew you". There will be no appeal to this decision. We have to get it right the first time.
Many sincere people will be honestly mistaken as the majority of people are today. They thought they had "done many wonderful works". But they had not done the will of the Father, which is in Heaven. No single condition, that God imposes, can be ignored. God has no non-essential commands. When we fail to obey a command of God, we are doing nothing more then rebelling against God. We must obey God by doing what God says to do, when God says to do it, how God says to do it, and for the reason God says to do it. Nothing is more important than pleasing God by doing His will so that we can go to Heaven. God’s will is found right in our Bibles.
Many people question what the bare minimum of worship and
Some may ask, "How many times a week do I have to go to church?", or "How much do I have to give?", or "How much do I have to do?" This is the wrong attitude. Jesus says, "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do" (Luke 17:10). If we try to get by with the bare minimum in our spiritual lives, we will most likely be horribly surprised on Judgment Day when we hear the Lord say, "Depart from Me" because we have not faithfully done the will of the "Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21-23). It will be too late then. It will be final. Can we do too much for the Lord? No!
We must do as much as we can for the Lord. We must, "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Our number one priority in this life must be to go to Heaven when this life is over. God "is a rewarder of those, who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
We must diligently seek God if we expect to receive the reward of Heaven. The Bible says, "Therefore, brethern, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10). We must be "looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God" (Hebrews 12:15). We can definitely fall from the grace of God even though Satan says we can’t.Jesus says we are to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). Our number one priority in this life must be to go to Heaven. We do this by seeking first the righteousness of God.
What is God’s righteousness? Psalms 119:172 says, "For all your commandments are righteousness." To do the righteousness of God is to do all His commandments.We are to be fully devoted to God. Jesus says, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).
Loving God with our entire being will be pleasing to Him, and we want to be pleasing to God so we can go to Heaven when this life is over. How do we show our love to God and Christ? Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…He who does not love Me does not keep My words" (John 14:23-24). We also read, "He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him" (1 John 2:4-5).Half-hearted allegiance and obedience to the Lord is vain and does one no good. Jesus tells those in Laodicea, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16). Those who are lukewarm make Jesus sick
to His stomach. Jesus also says, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor…It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13). Christians who become half-hearted or unfaithful, will be vomited out of the Lord’s mouth or thrown out as salt that is no good and will be eternally lost. Jesus tells us, "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).Our goal in this life must be to go to Heaven. In order to do this we must, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2). We should be looking forward "for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10). Let’s faithfully serve God with all our heart, mind, soul, and spirit so we don’t miss Heaven.
Questions Lesson
#22
Doing God's Will
(Click on the button of the answer
of your choice)
1) (Matthew 7:21-23) Who will go to Heaven?
All those who call Jesus, Lord.
Only those who do the will of God in Heaven.
All good people.
2) (Matthew 7:21-23) Many people who call Jesus, Lord, will be eternally lost.
3) (Mark 12:30) How much should we love God?
Some.
As much as we love other people.
With all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
4) (1 Corinthians 15:58) We don't need to be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord.
5) (Hebrews 11:6) To whom will God give the reward of Heaven?
Those who diligently seek Him.
Those who seek God when it is convenient.
Also those who do not diligently seek Him.
6) (Hebrews 12:15) We cannot fall from the grace of God.
7) (Matthew 6:33) What should we seek first in this life?
To make a lot of money.
To have a good time.
The kingdom of God.
8) (Revelation 3:15-16) Lukewarm Christians make Jesus sick to His stomach.
9) (John 14:23-24) If we love Jesus, what will we do?
Obey Him sometimes.
Keep His word.
Not obey Him.
10) (1 John 4:2-5) He who says he knows God, but does not keep His commandments is a liar.
11) (Colossians 3:2) On what should we set our minds?
Things here on the earth.
Things above in Heaven.
Living our life to the fullest here on the earth.
12) (Hebrews 11:10) Heaven is described as a city, whose builder and maker is God.