Free Sermons and Sermon Outlines on Good Works and the Christian Life
God needs someone to do GOOD WORK in this day and time. Within the religious community, a vast collection of resources exists to guide believers, showing 1-15 of 202,722 sermons focused on the practical application of faith. These resources are distributed across various denominations and groups:
| Denomination | Number of Sermons |
|---|---|
| Baptist | 56,756 |
| Evangelical/Non-Denominational | 22,139 |
| Christian/Church Of Christ | 17,075 |
| Pentecostal | 13,860 |
| Assembly Of God | 9,587 |
| Independent/Bible | 7,790 |
| Lutheran | 6,122 |
| Methodist | 6,043 |
Understanding Our Purpose: Created for Good Works
We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We do good because we have been made good. We do good because it is God's purpose for us. We do good because it is a way of life. As Scripture reminds us in Ephesians 2:10, we are God’s handiwork. He made us perfect, but we spoilt it because of sin, and He took steps to restore us again.
The Relationship Between Grace and Action
What part do good works play in the Christian life? We are saved by grace and not by good works, but we are saved for the purpose of good works. We're not saved by them (thank the Lord), but is it important to do them? Can Christians ignore good works? Are good works a fruit of faith? What about lazy Christians who only believe, but are not interested in good works?
Notice in this passage that everything mentioned is God’s doing, except the very last phrase. We are to be zealous of good works. Zealous (Gr. zelotes) means being most eagerly desirous of a thing. The Christian Life is more than getting religion. Baptism and church membership cannot save. Religious ceremonies and pronouncements cannot save. Instead, the Bible describes GRACE as God's riches made available to us freely but at the expense of Christ.
Letting Your Light Shine
Jesus very clearly said, ’let the people around you see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Good works? Who thinks of it anyway? It’s all about ‘office work, business work and home work!’ Yet, we are called to model the Christian life daily.
Rejoicing and Overcoming Anxiety
Paul begins this passage by calling us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And, just to make sure we don’t miss the point, Paul writes: “Again I will say, Rejoice.” You and I can still rejoice in the Lord because God is always faithful. Full of love and grace and mercy, and always there for us, always here with us.
However, we live in a very anxious world, and it affects us all. Anxiety or worry is something that we all face at different times in our life. What do we do with these worries? Scripture provides the following guidance:
- Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
- Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
- The Lord is near.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This offers a wonderful serenity in the midst of life’s storms, because we know that the Lord is near. We believe that God still cares about our world. And so we do the best that we can, but leave the rest to our amazing God.