Revelation 4:10-11 - ...the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
There is a notion that God needs what we think we can give Him. We strive to do what is morally right, never lie or steal, pour out love on others. None of these are wrong to do! But if we do them thinking we have a foothold into heaven, we are mistaken. If we believe this then we take the power of the Cross away. There was no point in Jesus’ death.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Apart from Him...we can do nothing.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
These scriptures imply that something first must take place between God and us. That something is called coming to Christ, receiving Christ, being, as Jesus states, born again...by water and Spirit. Then when we have this behind us, we have Christ and His Spirit in us and we have been given eternal life. Nothing we can do on our own. Nothing. Only what Christ has done for us. His death for our life. Not our works for our life.
Here are a few sentences from a Bible study I am doing called Behold Your God: If God is big, we are small, and sin is heinous, then salvation is not all about us; it is about Him. He must accomplish it. He will do it for His name’s sake. Salvation is a rescue of the completely helpless and undeserving from a life of sin, as well as from its penalty. Because of God’s kind treatment of His enemies [us before salvation], He is given ever lasting praise.
And then these words from a worship song called In Christ Alone:
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.
No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
•••
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
It is His power to save which empowers us to do His will, not out of obligation or hope that it will gain us access to heaven. If we hear Him asking us to “Come” and we respond, His Holy Spirit will come into us; thus the words: “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:27)
Not my achievements but what God has done in me. I will gladly cast any crowns to His feet. He spared His life for mine. All glory is His. Nothing can I do but praise and obey Him.
Revelation 5:11-12 - Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
