DOING GOD'S WORK IN GOD'S WAY

 

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TITLE: Doing God’s Work in God’s Way

BIBLE PASSAGE: Zechariah 4:1-6

INTRODUCTION:

Why is it so often we hear about men and women who are in the ministry, serving the Lord, doing the Lord’s work falling by the way side? Sometimes because of moral problems, they just get disgusted, disillusioned and discouraged in the work of the Lord. How can a person serving the Living God become so discouraged that they would be willing to walk away from the very calling God has given them? Well, there may be many reasons but the primary reason probably is that we do the work in the wrong way. That is, we are not doing the God’s work in God’s way.

LESSON BACKGROUND:

That those Israelites who have been in Babylonian captivity for seventy years have now, under Cyrus, been allowed to return to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple. And so, they have gone back now, some fifty thousand of them. And they laid the foundation of the temple but because of some objections and some harassment and difficulties, great difficulties about fifteen years have gone by and they have not completed, have not begun the temple as such. And so, now the Spirit of God speaks through an angel and he says to the prophet Zechariah, tell Zerubbabel this and He gives us a vision in the fourth chapter. And there are many visions here but in this vision – He gives one and in the process of giving him that vision, He lays us down for us the principle by which we do, GOD’S WORK GOD’S WAY.

(read the passage)

Doing GOD’S WORK MEANS DOING…

1.   BY NOT YOUR MIGHT NOR BY POWER (ZECHARIAH 4:6)

 

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

In this passage we see that there are two ways to do the Lord’s work and this is what it says “Not by might, nor by power” – That’s one way to do the Lord’s work, by might and by power. Now, to Zerubbabel to do it by might would probably have meant, to him, to do it by having enough military might and strength to protect him in the process of doing of what he’s doing. For you and for me that may imply or refer to depending upon our influence and depending upon our resources and our great influence to get it done. When he says, “NOT by Power,” what He would say to you and me today is that we’re not to depend our personality, we’re not to depend our abilities, our gifts, our talents, our education, our past experience and past successes. Do you know usually what causes us to drift from doing God’s work God’s way? The subtlest thing- that one thing that causes to drift from doing is SUCCESS which is the subtle way that Satan trips us up. If he can get you successful enough you begin to believe, “I CAN HANDLE IT.” Any servant of God who says, “I can handle it” just made a confession because the work of the Lord is to be done by relying upon the Spirit of God to do it. God never blesses things we do in the flesh.  And what happens is, oftentimes, He withdraws His hand, He withholds the resources, He confuses the circumstances, and He frustrates the efforts.

We should not attempt it by our own might and power. Not by might nor power but what?

2.   BY RELYING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT (ZECHARIAH 4:6)

There’s a way to complete this work and the work will be completed and there will be shouts of joy that will be glorifying to God. That if the Lord’s work is to be done in the Lord’s way, it must be done in this fashion and that is RELYING ON THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

 

God’s work done in God’s way requires that we rely upon the Spirit of God to do it through us.

When you were saved the Bible says the Holy Spirit came into your life. He came for a specific reason, to carry out many ministries.

 

Are you doing the Lord’s work in God’s way in total reliance of the Holy Spirit? Some of us would probably answer “Why, sure I am.” Let’s think for two things. First of all, what does not mean, secondly, how can you and I really tell whether we are truly relying upon the Holy Spirit or not. Well, it does not mean, “Well, I’ve prayed about it.” That doesn’t mean I’m relying upon the Holy Spirit. Neither does it mean than I’m relying upon the Holy Spirit if I say, “Well you know just let go and let God.” And secondly, neither does it mean that I’m relying upon the Holy Spirit when I have absolutely exhausted myself and lying frustrate thinking, “Okay, now God please take over.” That’s not relying upon the Holy Spirit; that’s desperation crying out for God to get out of a mess. That’s not relying upon the Holy Spirit. When you and I are doing God’s work in the power of the Holy Spirit relying upon Him that there are certain things that are going to be evident. And here’s one of them, that WE ARE FULLY CONVINCED THAT IF HE DOES NOT DO IT, THEN IT WILL FAIL. This not mean that you do some little prayer, “Lord please bless what I’m going to do because if you don’t, it won’t work out right.” It means DEEP ABIDING CONVICTION. “God if you don’t do it, it’s not going to work.”