Sermon #1229

          Title:           “BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN

GOOD WORKS.”[1]

          Text:           Titus 3:8

          Reading:    Titus 3:1-15

          Subject:     The Place and Necessity of Good Works

          Date:          Sunday Morning & Evening - April 21, 1996

          Tape #       S-44 & S-45

          Introduction:

 

                   I am often accused of being an antinomian, one who is opposed to the law of God a promoter of licentiousness, because I constantly preach salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. I do not hesitate to declare that sinners are justified freely by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, without works. I am incessant in declaring that every believer is entirely free from the law, as the scriptures plainly declare. And I never tire of telling God’s elect that the Lord God has so freely and fully forgiven our sins that he will never charge any of his people with any of their sins (past, present, or future). He has found complete satisfaction for our sins in the blood atonement of his own dear Son.

 

          You are my witnesses to these things. I place you under no form of legal bondage. I do not threaten you with punishment, or entice you with rewards. I preach nothing that is even slightly inconsistent with the message of free grace. Therefore, wherever I go, in this country or abroad, this scandalous charge precedes me - “Fortner is an antinomian.” I could produce a stack of letters two inches thick, either warning me or accusing me, asserting that the doctrine I preach will cause people to live carelessly and encourage disobedience.

 

          I take the accusation as a badge of honor. I hope that I am never guilty of antinomianism; but I do not mind being accused of it. The fact that I am accused of it tells me that I am on the right track. The Pharisees accused our Lord of antinomianism. The Judaizers accused Paul of it. And every man who has ever faithfully preached what our Lord and his apostles preached has had to endure the same scurrilous charge from men who despise the message of free grace. I have said all that because I want you to understand that accusations are meaningless. It has been satan’s tactic throughout history to pin ugly names upon the truths of Holy Scripture that simply cannot be denied. Do not be shaken in your faith because some fiend of hell gives it a bad name.

 

          However, in order to stop the mouths of the gainsayers and, more importantly, in order to instruct, encourage, and edify you in the faith of Christ, I intend today to plainly set before you the place of good works in the lives of God’s elect. The title of this message is “Be Careful to Maintain Good Works.” You will find my text in Titus 3:8  "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."

 

          Notice the opening words of our text. "This is a faithful saying.” That phrase refers to what Paul has just stated in verses 4-7. "After that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

 

          That faithful saying is the foundation and inspiration for Paul’s exhortation “These things I will that thou affirm constantly.” What things? The things he has just stated! This is what he is saying, Let every preacher constantly affirm the gospel doctrines of God’s free, sovereign, effectual, saving grace contained in this faithful saying for this purpose - “That they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”

 

Proposition:         This is what God the Holy Spirit is teaching us in this passage of Scripture: It is the preaching of the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ that inspires those who believe the gospel to maintain good works. It is not the preaching of the law, but the preaching of the gospel that inspires good works. It is not the preaching of works, but the preaching of grace that inspires good works. It is not the preaching of crowns in glory, but the preaching of Christ crucified that inspires good works.

 

Divisions:   I want to stay right with my text this morning. I am going to show you three things in this passage of Scripture about good works.

 

1.    Good works have absolutely nothing to do with the accomplishment, preservation, or consummation of our salvation.

2.    All who believe the gospel ought to “be careful to maintain good works.”

3.    Good works are necessary as “things good and profitable unto men.”

 

I. GOOD WORKS HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACCOMPLISHMENT, PRESERVATION, OR CONSUMMATION OF OUR SALVATION!

 

          This is the first thing Paul shows us in our text. In fact this is the very first thing he asserts every time he deals with the matter of works. It cannot be stated too often or too emphatically. Good works have nothing to do with the salvation of God’s elect. Good works are important and good in their place. God’s servants always promote good works. But good works have nothing to do with the believer’s salvation and everlasting relationship with God. What do the scriptures say?

 

Galatians 2:16  "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

 

Ephesians 2:8-9  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast."

 

2 Timothy 1:9  "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

 

          One of the old writers made this observation a long, long time ago; and it is still true. He wrote, “I believe that the root of almost every schism and heresy from which the Christian church has suffered has been the effort of men to earn, rather than to receive, their salvation” (Ruskin).

 

          Every sinner by nature thinks he can save himself, or at least contribute something toward his salvation. If you are yet without Christ, if you are yet under the wrath of God, if you are yet lost, I can tell you exactly why you have not obtained God’s salvation. You are too good to be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, without doing something for yourself. You are still lost because you refuse to acknowledge and confess your utter sinfulness and inability before God. You are not saved because you will not receive salvation as a free grace gift through the merits of Christ. As long as you try to do something to save yourself you simply cannot be saved.

 

“Nothing, either great or small,

Nothing, sinner, no;

Jesus did it, did it all,

Long, long ago.

 

When He from His lofty throne

Stooped to do and die,

Everything was fully done:

Hearken to His cry: -

 

‘It is finished!’ Yes, indeed,

Finished every jot:

Sinner, this is all you need,

Tell me, is it not?

 

Weary, working, plodding one,

Why toil you so?

Cease your doing: all was done

Long, long ago.

 

Till to Jesus’ work you cling

By a simple faith,

Doing is a deadly thing,

Doing ends in death.

 

Cast your deadly doing down,

Down at Jesus’ feet,

Stand in Him, in Him alone,

Gloriously complete!”

 

          Multitudes of zealous, devoted religious people have lived and died without God’s salvation in Christ “Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at the stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Rom. 9:32-33).

 

          Let me tell you one more time, if you would be saved, you must be saved by free grace, through the merits of Christ alone. You must trust Jesus Christ alone as your Savior.

 

          A. It is the universal testimony of Holy scripture that salvation is, in its entirety, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

 

          Every aspect of salvation, from the beginning to the end, is the work of God alone and altogether the work of his free grace. The Word of God tells us constantly that nothing is given as the result of man’s works but wrath, death, judgment, and eternal ruin. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

 

1.    God’s eternal choice of his people was an election of grace, without any consideration of works, good or bad (Rom. 9:11; II Thess. 2:13).

2.    Our redemption by the blood of Christ was a free grace ransom and purchase of our souls out from under the curse and penalty of God’s holy law (Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:6-7; I Pet. 1:18-20).

3.    All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ have been born again (regenerated) and called to life and faith in Christ by grace alone (John 1:11-13; Tit. 3:5; Eph. 2:1-5).

4.    We are justified freely by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:20-28).

5.    Sanctification, like election, redemption, and regeneration, is the work of God’s free grace in Christ, and the work of God’s free grace alone (I Cor. 1:30; 6:11; Heb. 10:10, 14; Jude 1).

6.    God’s saints are all preserved and kept by grace alone; and our preservation by God’s grace does not in any way depend upon us or our works (Jer. 32:38-40; John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:28-39; Phil. 1:6; I Pet. 1:5; Jude 24-25).

7.    And our eternal reward in heaven is the reward not of our works, but of Christ’s works as our Substitute. It is given to us as the free gift of the grace of God toward us in Christ (Matt. 25:34; Eph. 1:3, 11, 14; Rom. 8:17).

 

·        Psalm 115:1

 

          This is the doctrine that I have preached to you since the first day that I came among you. This is the doctrine I have preached wherever God has given me the opportunity to preach for the last twenty-eight years. And, God helping me, this will be my doctrine when I utter my last word in this world. This is the armor in which I do battle. And I do not intend to take my armor off until the warfare is over. Let men reproach me as they please. I am willing to have my name and reputation scandalized. If need be, I am prepared to lose friends, be vilified by family, and face implacable enemies. I am perfectly willing and content to be scorned throughout the world as a vile antinomian. But I am determined, by the grace of God, not to drop or conceal one iota of gospel truth, particularly as it relates to Christ’s glorious, effectual redemption and God’s efficacious, irresistible, saving grace. I am happy to stand in the company of others. I thank God for you who stand with me and support me in the work of the gospel. But I am willing to stand alone. And I make this solemn pledge to you - I will not alter or even slightly modify my message, not for you, not for me, not for anybody! I declare to you that salvation is by free grace alone and that works have absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

Romans 11:6  "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."

 

          B. Common sense, as well as the Word of God, teaches us that salvation cannot be by our works because the best works of the best of men performed in the best manner possible are altogether without merit before God.

 

·        All the works of unregenerate men and women, their best deeds of charity, benevolence, and religious duty are utterly abhorrent to God (Isa. 1:10-15; Luke 16:15).

 

·        Even the best works of the most earnest, sincere believers in this world are filthy rags, altogether without merit before God, and totally unacceptable to him apart from the blood and righteousness of Christ (Isa. 64:6; Eccles. 7:20).

 

1. In order for our works to be meritorious with God, they must be profitable and beneficial to him; but they are not.

 

Job 22:2  "Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?"

 

Job 35:7  "If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?"

 

Psalms 16:2  "O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;"

 

2. Our works can never earn anything from God because perfect obedience is due to him already. We cannot expect reward for doing imperfectly that which we are duty bound to do perfectly (Luke 17:10).

 

3. Our works cannot be meritorious with the Lord because it is God himself who gives us the grace and strength to perform what we do for him (John 15:5).

 

4. And our works cannot be meritorious with God because there is no proportion between the works we perform and the bounteous salvation which God bestows.

 

          Can sin be washed away by austerity? Can heaven be purchased by tithe money? Can eternal life be earned by dead ritualism? Can mercy be won by mortification? Can salvation be gained by separation? Can heavenly rewards be merited by earthly labor? Perish the thought!

 

          See that you clearly and fully understand this first point of my message. This is the doctrine of Holy Scripture. Good works have absolutely nothing to do with salvation. If you would be saved you must be saved by Christ alone.

 

“Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, I come to Thee for dress;

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, else I die!”

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

“No more, my God, I boast no more

Of all the duties I have done;

I quit the hopes I had before,

To trust the merits of Thy Son.

 

The best obedience of my hands

Dares not appear before Thy throne;

But faith can answer Thy demands,

By pleading what my Lord has done.”

 

          Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, without any works performed by us. I hope you all see that clearly. But I want you to see this second point as well...

 

II. ALL WHO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL SHOULD BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS.

 

          Paul might have told Titus to faithfully preach the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ with this assurance - All who believe on him will maintain good works. The fact is all believers do, in the tenor of their lives, maintain good works. Their is no such thing as a believer, or a Christian, who does not seek to honor his Lord and Savior by works of love, faith, and obedience to him. All who live in contempt of God’s law and the honor of his name are lost, unregenerate souls.

 

Romans 6:18  "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."

 

Galatians 5:24  "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

 

          God has ordained that his people walk in good works (Eph. 2:10); and what God has ordained God will bring to pass. Christ redeemed us that he might “purify unto himself a people zealous of good works.” And in the general tenor of their lives God’s saints live in godliness, true holiness, and good works. They do not talk about it. They just do it.

 

James 2:17-20  "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

 

          Yet, in our text, Paul tells Titus to faithfully preach the gospel of salvation by grace alone for this specific purpose - “That they which have believed might be careful to maintain good works.” He is dealing with the matter of our responsibility. It is our responsibility, as the saints of God in this world, to carefully maintain good works. We must be careful to maintain good works because good works, truly good works, are contrary to the flesh, opposed by satan, and disadvantageous in the world.

 

          Let me answer three questions which will be helpful in understanding the teaching of Scripture and our responsibility in this matter of good works.

 

          A. Who can and will perform good works?

 

          A natural, unregenerate man cannot do anything good in the sight of God. There is in every human being both an inability and an aversion to the performance of good works. We have no knowledge of that which is good or desire to do it; and if we knew what to do and had the desire to do it, we have no ability to do it (Rom. 3:12).

 

1. Only a good man can do good.

 

          Matthew 12:35  "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."

 

          But there is no such thing as a good man, unless he has been made good by the grace of God. A good work of grace must be performed in you, or nothing good can come out of you (Phil. 2:12-13). You must be made a new creature in Christ, or you cannot do good for Christ (II Cor. 5:17).

 

2. Before we can do good we must be purified and sanctified by the blood of Christ and the grace of God (Tit. 2:14).

 

          Until our hands are cleansed all that we touch is defiled. Until our hearts are purified and sanctified all that we do is vile. We must be sanctified by the Spirit of God in regeneration if we would be “meet for the Master’s use and prepared unto every good work” (II Tim. 2:21).

 

3. Only those who have the Spirit of Christ can do good works for Christ.

 

          If we would do good we must be strengthened by the Spirit with all might in the inner man. It is for this purpose that the Holy Spirit is given to men.

 

Ezekiel 36:25-27  "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

 

4. Only those who have faith in Christ can do that which is good and pleasing in the sight of God (Heb. 11:6).

 

          The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one of whom God the Father ever said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 17:5). He is well pleased with us only as we are in his Son. God accepts our works only because of the merit of Christ’s blood.

 

a.     Even those who are redeemed by the blood of Christ, justified and sanctified by his grace, can never perform any works that are absolutely good and righteous. (Rom. 7:14-23).

 

b.    Our very best deeds can only be accepted by God by the merit of Christ (I Pet. 2:5).

 

c.     But our God and Savior does accept and delight in the poor works of his feeble children, performed by faith with a sincere heart, for Christ’s sake.

 

Illustrations: Faith’s First Steps - “Come to daddy.”

                    The Woman who did What She Could (Mark 14:6-8)

 

          The long and short of it is this - Good works are always the fruit of faith, never the root of faith. God will never accept your good works as a basis of salvation. But if you are accepted in the Beloved, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then God is pleased with and accepts your works because he accepts you in Christ. Indeed, he could never even accept our faith apart from the blood and righteousness of Christ because our very faith is full of sinful unbelief.

 

          This is Paul’s admonition to you who believe God. “Be careful to maintain good works...And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful" (Tit. 3:8, 14).

 

          B. What are those good works which believers must be careful to maintain?

 

          Many people think that they are doing good works for God by living austere lives of strict separation from the world. They strictly obey certain, self-imposed rules, or the rules of religious custom and tradition, and think they are doing good works. Most people think that outward deeds of morality are works of righteousness and holiness. They imagine that the outward performance of religious duties are good works acceptable and pleasing to God; but it is not so. God requires inward, heart obedience. Do not misunderstand me. We must seek to live morally upright lives. That distinguishes men from animals. But morality is not righteousness. We ought to be meticulous and faithful in all the outward duties of worship and obedience. A person is a fool who despises God’s appointed means of grace. But the performance of outward duties is not holiness. “The Lord looketh on the heart!” God requires heart obedience.

 

Joel 2:13  "And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."

 

Romans 14:17  "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

 

          Here are five things required to make any work a good work. If that which I do (preaching, praying, reading, giving, witnessing, etc.) is not characterized by these five things, it cannot be considered a good work.

 

1. It must be according to the command and will of God.

 

          That alone is good which is done in obedience to the Word of God and the direction of the Holy Spirit. If I do something with great diligence, self-denial, and self-sacrifice, but do that which God has not required or is contrary to what God requires, then that which I do is not a good work, but an abomination (Luke 16:15).

·        All Human Traditions

·        All Religious Customs

·        All Legal Requirements

 

          2. It must be done in faith.

 

          “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The great difference between Cain’s worship and Abel’s worship was just this - Abel worship God in faith while Cain attempted to worship God without faith. Because Abel believed God he brought a sacrifice of blood. Because Cain did not believe God he brought a sacrifice of his own choosing and his own production.

 

          3. It must be done for the glory of God.

 

          “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31). The Pharisees prayed, fasted, paid tithes, and gave alms, all to be seen of men, to get praise from men; but all that they did was an abomination to God (Luke 16:15). All good works are the fruits of righteousness done “by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:11).

 

          4. All good works spring from and are motivated by love for Christ.

 

          Love for Christ is the essence of obedience and the motive for all good works. Almost all modern religion is nothing more or less than the promotion of self-love. People are urged to believe God, serve God, and give to God, being motivated by what they may get in return from God. In the Bible things are exactly the opposite. Here we are motivated by love for God and the desire for his glory.

 

John 14:15  "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

 

1 Corinthians 10:31  "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

 

2 Corinthians 5:14  "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:"

 

1 Timothy 1:5  "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:"

 

·        That which is done to be seen of men is evil.

·        That which is done for fear of punishment is evil.

·        That which is done with the desire for gain is evil.

·        Only that which is done for the glory of God out of love for Christ is good.

 

          5. And all good works must be performed with a willing heart.

 

2 Corinthians 8:12  "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."

 

          If that which I do for Christ does not arise from a willing heart, it is an abomination to God. If that which I do for my brethren, for my family, for the church of God, and for the furtherance of the gospel does not arise from a willing heart, it is altogether evil, no matter how good it may appear to men to be, no matter how much it may be praised by them.

 

          C. What is the source and cause of good works in the people of God?

 

          1. It is God who works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).

 

          We have the will and ability to do the will of God only because God, working in us by the grace and power of his Spirit, gives us the heart and strength to do so. The beginning, the progress, and the perfection of every good work in is of God.

 

Hebrews 13:20-21  "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

 

a.     The grace of God, as a principle of life, causes believers to perform good works (I Cor. 15:10; II Cor. 1:12; Gal. 5:22-23).

 

b.    The grace of God, as a gospel doctrine, teaches us to walk in good works (Tit. 2:11-12).

 

          2. Good works are the result of the believer’s saving union with Christ.

 

          Our Savior says, “From me is thy fruit found” (Hos. 14:8). “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2:10). Being grafted into Christ as branches in the vine, we draw the sap of life from him, and every branch that has life bears fruit (John 15:4).

 

          3. Faith in Christ causes all who believe to do those things that are described as good works.

 

James 2:17-20  "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

 

James 1:25-27  "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

 

          The believer’s heart is purified by faith in the blood of Christ. His blood purges our consciences from dead works and prepares us to perform good works for the glory of God. As John Gill puts it, “Faith without works is dead; and works without faith are dead.”

 

          4. The Word of God, particularly the gospel of the grace of God revealed in the Word, causes those who believe God to do good.

 

          The gospel is like good seed sown in good ground It brings forth fruit (Luke 8:15; II Tim. 3:16-17). As faith comes by hearing, so obedience in faith comes by the Word of God written and read, preached and heard. If you would be careful to maintain good works, you must not neglect the Word of God.

 

III. GOOD WORKS ARE NECESSARY AS THINGS THAT ARE “GOOD AND PROFITABLE UNTO MEN.”

 

          Be sure you understand what Paul means here. Good works cannot procure salvation, in whole or in part. Good works cannot atone for sin, make peace with God, justify our souls, produce righteousness, sanctify us, or preserve us in life. Christ alone is our Savior; and grace alone is the source and cause of our salvation (Eph. 2:8-9; II Tim. 1:9; Tit. 3:5).

 

          Understand this as well. Though it is contrary to popular opinion in this perverted religious world, good works do not go before us into heaven to prepare for our eternal happiness and reward there. Our works follow us into heaven. They do not go before us (Rev. 14:13). They follow us, not as the basis of our reward and acceptance with God, but as an everlasting tribute to the grace of God and for the glory of his grace.

 

          You may be thinking to yourself - “If good works do not contribute anything to our salvation and do not win any reward for us in heaven, how can they be necessary? And what motive is there for believers to maintain good works?” Such questions reveal a mercenary spirit, but I want to answer them.

 

          A. Good works are necessary because they are ordained of God as a means whereby we may honor him in this world (Eph. 2:10).

 

          God’s elect live in this world with an eye to the glory of God. We want to live in a manner that demonstrates our deep gratitude to him for his great love, mercy, and grace toward us in Christ. We desire to so live that we may both honor him before men and promote his honor among men (John 15:8; Matt. 5:16; I Pet. 2:12).

 

          B. We must be careful to maintain good works because it is good for us personally to do so.

 

          By living in a godly manner, maintaining good works we...

·        Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior (Tit. 2:10).

·        Adorn our profession of faith (I Tim. 2:9-10).

·        And make our calling and election sure (II Pet. 1:10).

 

          Good works are not the basis of assurance. Peter had confident assurance of his election and salvation when he had nothing but cowardice and the denial of Christ with an oath for his works (John 17:21). The basis of our assurance is faith in Christ, only faith in Christ (II Tim. 1:12).

 

          Our good works make our faith sure to others. As fruits of grace good works demonstrate to our brethren that our faith is not a sham, but real. Moreover, our good works are the only evidence we can give to the world of our faith and the only evidence the world is capable of understanding. The only way one man can show another man his faith is by his works (James 2:18).

 

          C. And we must be careful to maintain good works for the good of others.

 

          1. Good works performed by us benefit others.

 

          As you read the Word of God, you cannot help noticing that whenever good works are spoken of they always have reference to our attitude toward and treatment of others.

·        Matthew 25:31-40

·        Philippians 2:4-5

 

          2. Good works performed by God’s saints are sometimes a means of winning others to Christ (I Pet. 3:1-3).

 

          Some of you who now love the gospel of God’s grace first came to hear the gospel simply because you beheld in a wife, a friend, or a relative an example of what Christ does for those who know him.

 

                   Illustrations: Bobbie and Judy

                                       Herbert Wilson Shaving an Old Man

 

          3. And good works are profitable to others as an example for them to follow (I Tim. 4:12).

 

Illustration: The Importance of our Example - Faith Following Me                           Through Town

 

          Let each of us take care that we set a good example before those who are under our influence.

·        Unbelievers

·        Our Children

·        Weak Believers

·        Young Believers

 

Application:                   I am calling for you and for myself to be careful to maintain good works. Let me be specific in applying the message.

 

1. What good works should we be careful to maintain?

 

·        Works of love, joy, and peace toward God. - Devotion! Contentment! Faith!

·        Works of longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness toward one another. - Patience! Forbearance! Thoughtfulness! Forgiveness!

·        Works of faith (faithfulness), meekness, and temperance as our way of life.

 

2. I am calling for us to give ourselves to Christ and to one another (Rom. 12:1-2).

 

3. I set before you only one motive for all that I am trying to promote. - You are redeemed by blood, saved by grace, and kept in love.

 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 19-20  "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."...19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

 



[1] This message was preached in two parts. The morning message (S-44) was titled “Not By Works” (Tit. 35). The evening message  (S-45) was titled “Be Careful to Maintain Good Works” (Tit. 3:8).