Easy to confuse God's work and ours

Many mistakenly believe that heaven is our reward for doing good things.  Our presence in heaven is in no sense a reward for our works, but a gift freely given by God in response to faith.

There is a difference between regeneration and rewards.

To the degree that our life hasn't been characterized by good works, or to the degree these works have been done with improper motives, we will lose or forfeit our reward.

Let's be perfectly clear -- Christ paid the eternal price for all our sins, once and for all. If we have trusted Him for that provision, we will not have to pay the eternal price and He has fully forgiven our sins and we are completely secure in the love of Christ. Our salvation is sure and we will not undergo the judgment of condemnation.

Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

The Believer's Armor: God's Provision for Your Protection

What is Faith?

The Mission of God and the Missional Church

The Christian’s Secret

Materialism: Distracts

Wesley noted that in the old days of Methodism, the people were poor. But, he observed, in the 20, 30, or 40 years since they joined the society, many Methodists had become 20, 30, or even 100 times richer than they were at first. With this increase in wealth had come a decrease in godliness. It seemed to him the more money the Methodists had, the less they loved the Lord.

Jesus described the various kinds of people who respond to the gospel --

"Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants."  -  Matthew 13:7

He later explained to the disciples --

"The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced."  -  Matthew 13:22

Notice the clear relationship between wealth and worry.

Paul told Timothy --

"Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them."  -  2 Timothy 2:4

Notice that Paul did not say civilian concerns are wrong, just that they are distracting.





Materialism in Slovakia - Moments that Impact with Dr. David Ireland
Materialism

Don't let materialism distract the Church, pope tells bishops