Do Unbelievers Do Good Works? | Matthew 25:41-46

[00:00:00] Real Truth Daily. This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman.

[00:00:07] Hi everybody, welcome back to Daily Truths. Our scripture reading for today, Matthew chapter 25, beginning to read at verse 42.

[00:00:14] This is Jesus speaking again. This is the Olivet Discourse and he's talking about what he will say to people who don't believe in him when he comes back.

[00:00:23] For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me.

[00:00:30] Naked and you did not clothe me. Sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?

[00:00:44] Then he will answer them saying, Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do it unto me.

[00:00:52] And these will go away into eternal punishment. Okay, tough words that Jesus gives here. Now this makes it sound like we're saved by our works.

[00:01:02] We know we're not saved by our works. We're saved by faith in Jesus. But good works inspired by the Holy Spirit living inside of us follow our faith in Jesus.

[00:01:12] They're a natural result of our faith in Jesus. Now I've known a lot of unbelievers that don't do these things, right?

[00:01:19] That don't visit the sick, that don't minister to the poor and all these different kind of things.

[00:01:23] However, I do know some unbelievers that do carry out some of these things.

[00:01:27] They like to visit people who are in the hospital or see people who are in prison or clothe the naked or feed the hungry, etc., etc.

[00:01:34] They do these things. So why do they do it? It's not out of love for Christ.

[00:01:39] It doesn't flow out of a faith relationship with Jesus. So why do they do it?

[00:01:43] A couple reasons. Number one, they feel a moral obligation to do it.

[00:01:47] They feel like it's the right thing to do. And inspired by maybe a compassionate heart that they have for other people,

[00:01:53] they feel this moral obligation. I've got to help people who are less fortunate.

[00:01:57] That's often what we hear, who are less fortunate than me, right?

[00:02:00] And so that's the reason they do it.

[00:02:02] But why do we do, especially in the context of the church, when people are hurting,

[00:02:06] when they need food or shelter or clothing or whatever it is,

[00:02:10] why do we reach out, especially to people inside the context of the body of Christ,

[00:02:15] inside the local congregation, inside the church at large, people who are hurting?

[00:02:19] Why do we do that? Because we love Jesus.

[00:02:22] Because we've been inspired by his love.

[00:02:24] Because Christ lived and died and rose again, setting us free from the power of sin and hell and death.

[00:02:29] And as a result of that, we say,

[00:02:31] my life belongs to you, Lord Jesus.

[00:02:33] How can I help anybody in need?

[00:02:36] Remember the story of the Good Samaritan, right?

[00:02:38] At the end of that story, Jesus said,

[00:02:40] how do we show love for people? By loving our neighbor.

[00:02:43] Anybody who's in need, we reach out to them.

[00:02:45] But especially we do that to the household of faith.

[00:02:48] That's what Paul tells us.

[00:02:49] So we do good things as a result of our faith in Jesus.

[00:02:53] We minister to people who are hurting, especially in the context of the body of Christ.

[00:02:57] Why? Because we love the Lord.

[00:02:59] We're motivated by his grace.

[00:03:02] We're in contact, relationship, fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:03:06] And because his spirit lives in us, the natural thing we say is,

[00:03:10] I want to minister to other people who are in need, especially in the local congregation.

[00:03:15] So that's our daily truth for today.

[00:03:18] I guess the bottom line is, oh, and here's another thing I want to say.

[00:03:21] Do I have to tell Christians to do good works?

[00:03:24] Do you have to tell the sun to shine?

[00:03:26] Do you have to tell the grass to grow?

[00:03:28] No, it naturally does that because that's who the sun is.

[00:03:32] The sun shines, grass grows.

[00:03:33] It's what it does, right?

[00:03:35] So you don't have to tell Christians.

[00:03:36] I don't have to tell you to do good works.

[00:03:38] You just naturally do them because you're connected to Jesus, right?

[00:03:43] And because you're connected to Jesus, we do good works, right?

[00:03:48] And so that's what Jesus is saying.

[00:03:49] Hey, the flow from our faith relationship with Jesus Christ

[00:03:54] causes us to want to minister to other people, but especially those in the body of Christ.

[00:03:58] Okay?

[00:03:59] So bottom line is, you're doing good works as a result of your faith in Jesus.

[00:04:03] Have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:04:06] And that is today's Daily Truth.

[00:04:09] Thank you for tuning in to Daily Truths with Dave Ullman.

[00:04:13] Pastor Dave Ullman is the pastor of Mount Hope Church in Boulder, Colorado.

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[00:04:28] Come back tomorrow for your next Daily Truth.