Why work and toil by the sweat of your brow to be seen by men, all the while your heart is rotten? Do you not know, the sweat of your brow is a punishment given to you by God? Why think you, that you can earn His favor through it? Favor is bestowed upon you through Jesus Christ according to the election of Him, so that truly, it would be by grace. Yet you pile up your works before Him to earn favor with Him without an ounce of faith. As it says, “The one who wishes to please God must first believe He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Without faith, it is impossible to be pleasing to Him.” And as Jesus says, “The flesh prospers nothing, but the Spirit gives life.”
Are you still willing to think otherwise? Perhaps the flesh can do a good work; perhaps it can please God slightly, for the flesh does great boasts, and launch rockets in the air, and searches the depths of the sea, and much other things. Do you not know, in the end, it is not faith that is judged, but one’s works? Yet not works alone: for if faith without works is dead, how much more is works without faith death? For our works complete our faith. As many of us that are perfect: we perfect our faith with works and our love of God with obedience to His commands. As the Lord says, “And all the churches will know that I am the One searching minds and hearts, and I will give to you, to each one, according to your works.“
So why work in vain? And pray in vain, read in vain, and serve Christ in vain? Why not have faith that produces works from the sincerity of your heart? Where “No work you do in the Lord is in vain.” Rather, how many times do we go through the motions of reading and praying and church attendance because they are simply good things to do? How many times do we do a thing to be seen by men rather than the living God, He who judges from the mind and heart and outward to our works? As the apostle says, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.“ These are all great things to do, but are done in vain if they are without the heart, without love. Who likes to work and profit nothing? Would you go to your job to work for free? How much more should we watch, lest we do in vain?
Oh, how I often pray out of a rudimentary nature instead of God’s nature! Before a meal, before bed, when I awake, when I go out, and when I come in, but yet I do not do it from a sincere heart; but rather, it’s what I am compelled to do because it’s what a Christian is to do. Oh, and how I would rather tell others of such a revelation, rather than falling on my face in prayer before Him now! Look, do you do for the sake of men, or God? Isn’t that a sign that your nature has changed? For it is written, “But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.“ For it is impossible to believe when seeking the honor that comes from men rather than the Living God; for He says, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” Flee from this trap!
For God is alive to such a one that believes, rather you are alive to Him, but to the one who disbelieves, he has cut himself off from God. If He has cut away the foreskin of our heart, we will not be cut off from Him, lest we disbelieve. As I say, “The one who believes in God lives godly, but the one who does not believe in God lives godless because he has not the Living God.” Monitor your heart and your thoughts, in which you and your heavenly Father know; pay attention to the heart, for is that not of faith? Or are your actions clean, but inwardly you are defiled? As The Commander commands, “Clean the inside of the cup and dish, and the outside will be clean.” Judge yourselves in this matter. Lest the time comes and all the secrets of you be made public before all and you be cast out from His Presence where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
On that day, not even the covering of the heavens will be there,
The covering of the rocks will not be sufficient.
He will lift up all skirts and rags and aprons, which humans have covered themselves with,
and make known all the nakedness.
But, “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”
As faith also says, “Close the door behind you and pray, so that the Father who sees in secret will reward you.” In the areas in which only God sees, strive. That is faith. Lest you be only receiving your reward in this life, where the corrupter corrupts and perishes, having only your reward for a moment before man; but rather store up for yourself a treasure in heaven by faith, where no corruption lives, having it for eternity. Let your mind be under the control of you and let you be sober and vigilant.
Oh, how many who are outwardly pure will be revealed as inwardly defiled! For they will be clearly seen as ugly. Today, there are some beautiful who are ugly, and some ugly who are clothed with the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, and others as it is seen. Let the spirit prevail, for the Lord looks at the heart; let your fruit be brought forth in a worthy manner for one claiming the Son of God as Lord. Surely if no one can confess Jesus as Lord except by the Holy Spirit, so will He prevent our confession if our lives are not lived in a manner worthy of Him. Hypocrites are they who cloak themselves with religion, but inwardly are godless because they do not believe in truth.
Test yourself! If you are reading, praying, meditating, praising, worshipping because that’s what a Christian is supposed to do, rather than because of your sincere love for God, then you may have fallen into hypocrisy, which is acting out a script. We have been set free from the world and its rudimentary nature and insincerity; we have been quickened in spirit, not so we can worship God in the same task-driven manner. No! Love God, for He loves you.
Praise be to God.