Foundations In Grace – The Motives of Our Hearts
Our thoughts, attitudes and motivation for serving Christ are critically important. Understanding God’s grace in this area will help us keep on the right path and present works at the Judgment Seat that are gold, silver and precious stones.
Grace teaches humility
In the same context of 1 Corinthians 4 where we see the motives of our heart mentioned we find this statement in verse 7:
“For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”
A sad part of our fallen nature is our desire to ‘be something’ before others. This whole area of pride is out of character with God’s program of grace. Power and usefulness for God are clearly seen to be related to humility and trust.
“Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.” 1 Cor. 4:18-21
“Dependence upon God produces humility in man. Pride and boasting are traits of natural man, and spring from man’s dependence upon self and self-sufficiency. Whatever success comes to man tends to feed and nourish his pride. These traits, though not always obvious, are very persistent and are also evident in the lives of those who are saved. There is a deep rooted desire to be something. If not openly, yet in the heart persists a feeling of selfimportance.”(Strombeck)
God uses people who are weak and foolish (by the world’s standards) to display His power and glory.
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise…than no man should boast before God. ‘Let Him who boasts, boast in the LORD.’” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Humility in justification…
“Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.” Romans 3:27-28
Humility in sanctification…
“But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14
Paul’s ability to boast…
His worldly resume’ – Philippians 3: 5-8
His evaluation of his worldly resume’ – Garbage!
His true cause of boasting – Grace! (2 Cor. 12-9-10)
Our ultimate example of humility… Jesus!
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus… Phil. 2: 4-6
Christ’s humility demonstrated…
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet…” John 13:3-5
Our proper perspective…
“In the same measure that one becomes possessed by the knowledge that he has come from the Father and that his eternal destiny is with Him, things of the world fade into insignificance. As pride has its roots in a desire to be something in the world, the devaluation of the things of the world produces humility.” (Strombeck)
Grace teaches devotion to Christ
Scripture is clear that God desires good works in our lives. However, devotion to Christ is the basis for service and, in comparison to good works, more important. Martha and Mary, show two different motives in their service to Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42)
Martha – Busy in material service!
Mary – Sitting at the feet of Jesus!
Jesus doesn’t rebuke Martha for her service but He does make the point that devotion to Him is more important. When we sit at the feet of Jesus and understand who He is and what He has done and is doing for us, our pride and boasting in self are completely destroyed.
In Revelation 2:1-7, Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for their doctrinal purity and stand for the faith and their perseverance in the faith. However, in verse four He says: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
Love and devotion for the Lord Jesus Christ must be the underlying theme for all service. So we see that our motives in serving Christ are more important than the service itself. Hebrews 12:1-3 shows us the proper perspective…
We are to run the race set before us…
But we run the race focused on Jesus!