Creflo Dollar - Dead Works vs. Good Works
The apostle Paul was a zealous, Old Covenant person. He was law-based. He was a Pharisee. He was Jewish. I mean, he was very zealous about the law. And you would think, «Why would you call somebody that was so law-based to teach the gospel of grace»? You see what God had to do. He met God on the road of Damascus, and he said, «Saul, Saul, why persecuteth me»? And Saul looking at him like, «Man, I ain’t did nothing to you». He says, «When you do it to the least of them, my brethrens, you’ve done it unto me». And when that experience was over with, he was blind. He couldn’t see. Glory be to God. He couldn’t see.
All of us can relate to being blind. Under the law, we were blind. There are people today that are blind. They just can’t see it. We have to be gracious. We have to be patient, but they just can’t see it. I remember when I just couldn’t see it because this is all I ever heard. I always heard it this way. I always heard it like this. I always heard you had to have your hands in it. I always heard, you got to take one step, «And he will do the rest». We sung about it. We taught about it. And so, when I was first presented the gospel, my comment was, «What the world is he talking about»? Kenan, you remember we went to that seminar and we all got in the car, we were kind of quiet and everybody and then start leaking questions like, «Well, but how you gonna do that? But don’t the Bible say».
We didn’t have a clue. We was blind as a bat. But we knew something wasn’t right. We knew we was missing something because there would be times when we would do things and it didn’t work. There would be times when we did multiple things and it didn’t work. Fasted for a long time. Prayed for a long time. Put on the Jewish garments. Used the whole bottle of oil. I mean, man, they was slipping for five days, just slipping. And they still died, and they still got put out the house, and still didn’t have the money to do this, and still the tumor was still up the same. And I stopped, I said, I said, «Hold up, hold up».
And I’m preaching it hard and doing the Greek and Hebrew like it made it better. Hebrew and Greek won’t help lack of context. Don’t come telling me the Hebrew word you can’t pronounce. I don’t care. You know, the Hebrew word for this is shakakuku. I don’t care. I can’t even say it. I don’t know how to spell it. Why are you telling me that? Hebrew ain’t going to correct a lack of context. Let me calm down because sweet lips increase learning. I’m like, you know, we didn’t know. And here’s Paul. He says, «Though I might also have confidence in the flesh». He’s referring to that law-based, performance-based, dead work-based operation.
«Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinking that he hath were of might trust in the flesh,» and trust in his performance and trust in his dead works, he says, «I more. I more». And then he goes on and he says, verse 5, he says, «Circumcised», he starts telling you about all the stuff he had in the flesh that should have qualified him without no problem. «I was circumcised the eighth day. I’m of the stock of Israel. I’m of the tribe of Benjamin. I’m a Hebrew of Hebrews. As touching the law, I’m a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, I was so zealous, I was persecuting the church, touching the righteous, which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, all those things I had, those I counted lost».
All of those things that I had in my life, all of those advantages I had in my life, all of those things that I thought would put me ahead, all of those things I thought would make me righteous, all those things that I thought would make me good. He said, «Those things I counted lost, so I can receive Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things». And he says, «And I do count them but dung, just waste that I may win Christ». And then verse 9 says, «And be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law».
Notice what he says, «Not my own righteousness, which is of the law». That’s what people are trying to do right now. They’re trying to get their own righteousness. And if I do these things, I feed the poor, if I show up and cut the grass at the church, if I show up while we’re giving food away… And you come up with all the things so that you can have your own righteousness, which is of the law. He says, «But that which is through the faith of Christ is what I have, the righteousness which is of God by faith in Jesus Christ». And that’s it. Paul counted it all dung. So in summary, dead works would be any attempt to find favor, earn acceptance, or be made righteous before God by your own effort, by your own ability, and by your own willpower. If you understand that, say, amen.
Now, religion puts emphasis on doing right, and in contrast, Jesus and the apostles put emphasis on believing right, because when we believe right, we will do right as a consequence of believing right. And so, I’m saying to the church, hey, let’s back up a little bit. Instead of working hard to believe right, I mean, working hard to do right, let’s believe right. See, doing right follows believing right. If you look at stuff you ain’t doing right, go and ask yourself, do I believe it? And if you’ll straighten out your believing, then your doing will follow suit.
Now, let’s go to Hebrews chapter 6, verses 1 through 3. Someone said, «What kind of church is this? When are you going to start preaching»? This is how I do it. I can’t do that thing where I’m hollering and screaming and you hollering and screaming and everybody hollering and screaming and you walk out here, I don’t understand no more what I tried to tell you and you don’t understand that at all. And then we say we had a good time at church. I can’t do that, because if your mind is not renewed, you won’t change, okay? «Well, I didn’t come here for this. I didn’t came here to learn nothing. I came so I could have church». Yeah, but you still don’t know how to do life, and now you know how to do church. All that stuff. I can’t do that no more. I done sing too many. I can’t. I can’t. Vote me out, but you can’t, cause I was here first. Vote and try to vote me out. Can’t do it.
«Well, I don’t know. It’s kind of boring, all that teaching». I can’t do it. I tell you what, by the time the devil finished whooping your butt, you’re going to be running here one day. «Show me. Teach me, preacher. Teach me, preacher». All right, look what he says here, verse 1 through 3. That’s why I try to warn people, when you invite me somewhere to preach, you know what you’re getting. You know what you’re getting. If you invited me somewhere to preach and you thought I was going to be preaching like T.D. Jakes, T.D. Jakes is a preaching machine. I am a teaching machine. Know what you’re getting. Know what you’re getting. Know what you’re getting. They’re different gifts.
I don’t know nobody in the world that can preach like that man. And it’s awesome. And it’s wise and wisdom, and somehow you learn a whole bunch too. But that’s, don’t do that. Know what you’re getting when you come. I teach. Don-da-da, I teach. Go to the next scripture. Yeah, this means that. That means this, you know, this is defined like this. Oh, look at this. Yeah, I’m a teacher. Teaching teacher. You know, just you got to know what you get. You got to know what you get. You got to know what you get, you know. You got to know your, excuse me, you got to know your preacher. Oh, my gosh.
All right, now watch this. «Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine,» doctrine means teachings, «leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let’s go on unto perfection,» or completion. And he says, «The way you’re going to do that is you got to stop laying again certain foundations over and over and over. Laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works». Repentance means it’s your mindset. It’s your thinking. It’s your thinking. And basically, what he says here, he says repentance from dead works, number one, is a foundational thing. But repentance means to change the way you think concerning dead works. Change the way you think concerning dead works. We need to change our thinking about dead works. And how should we think about it?
That that is no longer acceptable under this New Testament. After the cross, dead works are over. Change your thinking. Quit trying to do something to deserve something. «Well, God, I went to church today. Don’t I deserve some favor»? If favor could be deserved, it wouldn’t be favor. It would be something you earned or something that you deserve, and favor, grace is undeserved favor. Now, that’s dead works. Everybody understand what dead works are? Do you want me to do that again? Do we understand dead works? Okay, now let’s look at good works. Good works. From the outside looking in, we may be challenged with seeing the difference between dead works and good works. From the outside looking in. Is that a dead work or is that a good work?
They can look a whole lot and very much the same outwardly. They can be the same works, but they have, I mean, listen, I mean, you’re talking about they can be the same work, but they have different, listen to this, here it is, motives. Motives. Praying can be a dead work or good work. What’s the motive? Attending church can be a dead work or good work. What’s the motive? Reading the Bible can be a dead work or a good work. If you’re sitting up there reading the Bible, «Well, maybe if I read the Bible, then God will do». Or, «Man, let me open that Bible up. I just, oh my God, I want him to speak to me through this Bible because I just love him».
Motive. Telling others about Jesus can be a dead work or a good work. Motive. Giving an offering can be a dead work or good work, motive. Under the New Testament, it’s different from the law. Under the law, if you did it, then, you know, if I could, if I would, what’s that, if I would keep the commandments, then I’ll get blessed. But it’s not about that, with good work. What good works is, is it coming out of a heart that he loves me? Motive, why you doing what you do? If we can’t tell outwardly, then how do we know what a good work is if I can’t, you know, somebody’s, I mean, listen, they’re out there feeding the poor. They’re sweating. They’ve been doing it for 12 hours. They even got a Atlanta Service Award for giving people the most food. But it was a dead work because the motive was off. The whole reason why they did the 12 hours, because they heard about the award and they said, «If I go out here and do this and take pictures of it», you don’t hear me. Take pictures of it.
Wow, it’s just kind of, but how do I tell? How do I know from the outside? Because it looks like a good work. I mean, we were always told this is a good work, that’s a good work, that’s a good work, and you can just pick out all the good works. I mean, taking somebody and, you know, giving them a home and, oh, good works and pat ya on the back, good works, and that’s easy to fall into. We all, we all kind of fell into it. You know, I had this thing I shared at the women’s conference, and this question was asked to me, you know, do you think that pride and ego sits at your table? And the Christian part of me wanted to say, «Absolutely not». But before I answered, I thought I said, «It probably sitting around the table somewhere every now and then, and it may be all the time, but I just got to make sure it doesn’t sit at the head of the table».
Pride and ego, because a lot of people have pride in 'em, and that pride feeds their ego. And so, I’ve accepted pride and ego probably sitting at my table somewhere, but I’m going to make sure I know where they sitting at every day. All right, now listen to this. A good work is when we do the will of God as a response to his love, his mercy, and our new identity of righteousness in Christ. Let me share three scriptures with you, and we’re going to settle this. Ephesians 2:10 in the NLT. Ephesians 2:10 in the NLT. Now, this whole thing of, «Well, I don’t want to fall from grace so I’m just not going to work. I’m just going to say, you know, like James Brown, 'Hit me. Hit me.'» That’s not how it works. He’s not going to hit you. God is not opposed to good works done out of the right motive.
Verse 10 says, «For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago». Another translation says, «We are his workmanship, created unto Christ Jesus, unto good works». So good works are a part of the believer’s life. But it’s not just the actual work that makes it good. What makes it good is I’m doing this out of love. Love is the motivation behind the work. Look at Hebrews chapter 6:10 in the NLT. Hebrews 6:10 in the NLT. «For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him». You see that? «Good works that he won’t forget and how you’ve shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do».
So, what is he saying here? Like I told you, that could be a good work, a dead work or a good work, but it’s a good work because it was born out of your love, it was born out of your care. It was born out of something you wanted to do for him. That makes it a good work. And then go to John 21:15 and 17. I’m gonna say this. I want you to listen to it. Love for God is the condition for good works. Love for God is the condition for good works. You remember after the scripture says, «After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? ' 'Yes, Lord, ' Peter replied, 'you know I love you.'» Then he goes on again, next verse, «'Then feed my lambs, '»
And Jesus told him, next verse, «Jesus repeated the question: 'Simon son of John, do you love me? ' Jesus, he said, 'Yes, Lord.' Peter said, 'You know I love you.' He said, 'Then take care of my sheep.' And then Jesus said,» next verse, «The third time he said, he asked him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me? '» What was Jesus doing? That, bro, you can’t feed my sheep with the wrong motivation. Let’s settle it. You love me, then do this work. You love me, then do this work. I don’t think it would hurt for the five-fold ministry to hear this. It’s like you can’t feed God’s sheep if you don’t love them. You can’t be a preacher and say, «I don’t like people».
Well, you don’t need to be trying to feed them. You need to sit your tail down somewhere until you can figure out how to love them. It’s got to be born out of love because if you stand up in that pulpit and you feed them and you don’t love them, it’s dead work. It’s dead work. So, if you’re volunteering in the department and doing all the things you’re doing, but it’s not born out of love, it’s dead work. Somehow you think you deserve something because of what you do. It’s dead work. It’s amazing he would say to him, «Peter, do you love me»? «Yeah, Lord, you know I do». «Peter, do you love me»? «Yeah, Lord, you know I do». «Well, go on, you can feed my sheep. Go on, you can take care of my lambs. Go on, you can do all of that. But you cannot do that if what you do for my sheep is not born out of love».
I’m privileged to be your pastor. I’m honored. And so, when I pray for my wife and my family and my children and World Changers, you done been hit with prayer early this morning that you ain’t even know what you been hit with. Honey, I believe there’s some stuff that’s going to happen. I’ve already bound the spirit of deception and compromise in your life, because that ain’t going to be your problem. I’ve already released, released abundance over your life and favor over your life and protection over your life, because I love me some World Changers. I love you. So, I don’t want to spend 60 years feeding you, then get to heaven and say, like, «Lord, you know, I’ve fed your people for 60 years». He said, «Yeah, but you couldn’t stand them». He said, «That’s dead work, bro». And then after falling on my face, «Have mercy, Lord. Your mercy, Jesus». All right, now, so let’s just put it in plain English. So, in summary, how do we know what good works are? And number one, love must be the motive. Number two, fear must not be the motive.