ABOUND IN THE WORK OF THE LORD

There is much talk about going to Heaven and that you have to work to get there. I want to tell you that that is a lie! Religion and men greedy for power have promulgated this for centuries to be able to keep control on the Christians and then men unwilling to study to show themselves approved unto God (II Timothy 2:15) have continued this heresy. Dante’s Inferno is a lie. Purgatory is a lie. Working for salvation is a lie. The truth is much more exciting and liberating (John 8:32).

ABOUND IN THE WORK OF THE LORD
There is much talk about going to Heaven and that you have to work to get there. I want to tell you that that is a lie! Religion and men greedy for power have promulgated this for centuries to be able to keep control on the Christians and then men unwilling to study to show themselves approved unto God (II Timothy 2:15) have continued this heresy. Dante’s Inferno is a lie. Purgatory is a lie. Working for salvation is a lie. The truth is much more exciting and liberating (John 8:32).
HOW WE OBTAIN SALVATION
First, let me show you that you can’t work to get to Heaven
Ephesians 2: 8 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.
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So, what exactly do you have to do to get to Heaven? This is simple, look at Romans chapter ten.
Romans 10: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
That is all there is to salvation. No confession of sins, no crawling on you hands and knees, no having to work in a church building to gain browney points with God, no self flagulation as a matter of fact you can’t get there by studying the Bible or by tithing. You can’t save yourself. s. The only way to go to Heaven is by confessing Jesus as your lord and believing, in the inner most part of your being, that God raised him from the dead.
John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Acts 4: 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
WHY DO WE THEN WORK?
That is a very good question. The reason that we work is two fold. First we labor for the ministry that God gave us (I Corinthians 5:19 & 20) because of what He did for us
John 5: 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
The second reason is that we obtain rewards for our stand here on Earth.
I Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (to no profit) in the Lord.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
I Corinthians 3: 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
God did so much for us. He took us up and out of the sin and iniquity that we were in, brought us into the Family of God (Colosians 1:27) and seated us in the heavenlies. Christian brothers and sisters we are not servants to God but sons and daughters. Trying to be good enough for Heaven is futile because God has already finished the work in Christ Jesus. All we have to do now is wait for Christ’s return (I Thessalonians 4: 13-18).
WHAT ARE OUR REWARDS IN HEAVEN?
A Crown Incorruptible
I Corinthians 9: 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
A Crown of Rejoicing
I Thessalonians 2: 17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
20 For ye are our glory and joy.
A Crown of Righteousness
II Timothy 4: 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
The Crown of Life
James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
A Crown of Glory
I Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples (examples) to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
When we study God’s Word, the Bible, we will not be tricked by the fraud of men and their trickery (Ephesians 4:14) but we will be made free (John 8:32 & 36). Now, knowing the truth you can choose to serve God without pretense of you paying God for salvation because Jesus Christ paid the price (Romans 3:25). Now we do for Him because He did so much for us.