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     “I’ve done enough for God.  I don’t have to do any more.”  “I’m doing all I can do for God.  I can’t do any more.  I won’t do any more.”
     Ever felt or wanted to feel this way?  Ever expressed those thoughts out loud?  Or, maybe let God know through your prayers or your actions that you’ll be focusing for a bit … maybe indefinitely… more upon your own time & interests and less upon His?
     Ever decided for yourself that God shouldn’t ask or require any more of you?

I.  Can we say “I’ve done enough for God” as lost sinners… before we regain a right relationship with God, before we are fully reconciled to God?
     • Ezekiel 18:20-22 — “The soul who sins shall die¹.  The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son.  The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.  But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live¹; he shall not die¹.  None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live¹.” (NKJV)
     • Acts 17:30-31 — “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (NASB)
     • “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
       — Matt. 11:15, 13:9 & 43; Mark 4:9 & 23, 7:16; Luke 8:8, 14:35; Ezek. 3:27

II.  Can we say “I’ve done enough for God” as new Christians… with little knowledge and even less experience?
     • 2 Peter 1:2-4 — “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (NKJV)
     • vs. 5-11 — “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (NKJV)

III.  Can we say “I’ve done enough for God” as older, mature Christians… who have lived in service to God, but now must confront a loss of abilities & energies or perhaps find death knocking at their door?
     • 2 Peter 1:12-15 — “Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.  Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.” (NKJV)
     • vs. 19-21 — “So we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (NKJV)
     • Titus 2:1-4 — “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:  that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things… that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (NKJV)

IV.  Can we say “I’ve done enough for God” because we have always done our best… i.e., we never fell short and we always did the right thing at the right time?
     • Romans 3:21-26 — “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.  For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (NKJV)
     • Ephesians 2:8-10 — “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (NASB)

V.  Actually, if we genuinely consider ourselves to be slaves of righteousness, to be slaves of God, then we’ve never had the right to tell God when we’ve done enough for Him.  Instead, God is the one who will tell us when we’ve done enough.
     • Luke 12:35-40 — “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.  Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.  Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.  Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.  But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” (NASB)
     • vs. 41-48 — ‘Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”  And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?  Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.  Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.  And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few.  From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”’ (NASB)
     • Luke 17:5-10 — ‘The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.  Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’?  But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’?  He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?  So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”’ (NASB)

VI.  Examples of God’s reaction towards people who wouldn’t do more
     • Jesus’ parables – He called do-nothing servants “lazy”, “wicked”, “worthless”
     • Acts 5 — punished Ananias and Sapphira for lying to Him
     • Rev. 2 — rebuked and warned Ephesus church, “you have left your first love”
     • Rev. 3 — rebuked and rejected Sardis church for being “dead”
     • Rev. 3 — rebuked and rejected Laodicea church for being “lukewarm”

VII.  Examples of people who found ways to do more for God and with God
     • 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 22 — David may not build temple, so prepares materials
     • Matt. 14:22-33 — Peter faced his fear & doubt by asking Jesus to command him
     • Mark 1:35 — busy Jesus would get up early to find quiet place and pray
     • Luke 19 — Zacchaeus promised to give ½ his goods & repay excess tax 4-fold
     • 2 Cor. 8; Phil. 4 — Macedonia churches gave beyond their ability to give
     • Eph. 6 — Paul asked for prayers that “I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak”
     • 2 Peter 1 — Peter prepared to keep edifying Christians even after his death

VIII.  Suggestions for enabling “myourselves” to do more
     • increasing one’s faith involves humbling one’s service – Luke 17:5-10; Rom. 12
     • diligently pray for wisdom — Col. 1:9; James 1:5; 1 Kings 3:6-10
     • diligently study for wisdom & instruction — 2 Tim. 2:15, 3:16-4:2
     imitate myour example of service – Mt. 5:24, 20:28; Mk 10:45; Lk. 1:74-75
     • gain motivation by counting myour many blessings – 1 John 3:1-3, 4:17-19
     • “while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” (NASB) — Gal. 6:1-10 (v.10)
     • others’ inability & needs often become myour opportunities to serve & give
     • shift myour focus from “I can’t do!”and “you should do!” to “what will we do?”
     • God uses myour individual inabilities to serve each other’s needs to do good
     • “myour” is often more complete and accurate than just “my”, “your”, or “our”
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     ¹ God’s use of “die” and “live” in Ezekiel chapter 18 refers to something other than physical death and life.  Verses 26-32 demonstrate that God is using “die” to describe how serious He views the situation. (back to place in article)

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