The Work Only God Can Do
John 6:10a
And Jesus said, Make the men sit down….
Just before Jesus did what perhaps was one of His most memorable miracles (feeding 5,000 men besides women and children), He did something else first that was very necessary in order to get the job done. He made the men to sit down. Here is the application; if God is to do a mighty work in our day, then man is to take a seat to His leadership.
Typically, when something great is to be accomplished, all the mighty men are called upon for assistance; not this time! God’s greatest works are those which do not involve man power at all. Think for a moment about His grace! Since men could not save themselves no matter how hard they tried, God stooped down in grace to pick us up.
Think again of the work of God as it pertains to His church. Two verses come to mind. First, Ps. 127:1, which says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” God allows us to be participants in His handy-work; however, He does not allow us to be master minds behind it all. Secondly, Jesus said in Matt. 16:18, “…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Notice who is doing the building in both verses.
I think now of when Moses and the children of Israel were at the Red Sea. When it was time to cross over, God told Moses to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord! Oh sure, Moses “went along for the ride” if you will, but at the end of the day, it was God and God alone that did the work. Not only is this so in God’s work of salvation and in His work of building the church, but it is also true in His calling upon the life of the believer. “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Th. 5:24.
After considering all of these verses, one is left with the question, “Exactly how much credit can man take for the works of God?” I’ll leave that up to the reader to decide. Honestly, however, this is such a complex truth that it is my opinion that only God knows where the balance is. The truth is, Jesus said “without me ye can do nothing”, and Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ”. So then we learn that if man is to accomplish anything of eternal significance, it is ONLY because God purposed it to be so!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And Jesus said, Make the men sit down….
Just before Jesus did what perhaps was one of His most memorable miracles (feeding 5,000 men besides women and children), He did something else first that was very necessary in order to get the job done. He made the men to sit down. Here is the application; if God is to do a mighty work in our day, then man is to take a seat to His leadership.
Typically, when something great is to be accomplished, all the mighty men are called upon for assistance; not this time! God’s greatest works are those which do not involve man power at all. Think for a moment about His grace! Since men could not save themselves no matter how hard they tried, God stooped down in grace to pick us up.
Think again of the work of God as it pertains to His church. Two verses come to mind. First, Ps. 127:1, which says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” God allows us to be participants in His handy-work; however, He does not allow us to be master minds behind it all. Secondly, Jesus said in Matt. 16:18, “…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Notice who is doing the building in both verses.
I think now of when Moses and the children of Israel were at the Red Sea. When it was time to cross over, God told Moses to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord! Oh sure, Moses “went along for the ride” if you will, but at the end of the day, it was God and God alone that did the work. Not only is this so in God’s work of salvation and in His work of building the church, but it is also true in His calling upon the life of the believer. “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Th. 5:24.
After considering all of these verses, one is left with the question, “Exactly how much credit can man take for the works of God?” I’ll leave that up to the reader to decide. Honestly, however, this is such a complex truth that it is my opinion that only God knows where the balance is. The truth is, Jesus said “without me ye can do nothing”, and Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ”. So then we learn that if man is to accomplish anything of eternal significance, it is ONLY because God purposed it to be so!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill