“THE WORKS THAT I DO”

Jesus said that the works He did, we would also do: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” For most saints, signs, wonders and miracles come immediately to mind when contemplating this verse. “Works”, from the Greek ergon, means labor, business, employment, something to be done, and was used in relation to all kinds of activity during the first century. The Amplified Bible has it, “If anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do.” So what are the things that Jesus did? *He fasted to draw nearer to God. *He spent nights in prayer petitioning God. *He communed with God sharing the intimate thoughts and feelings of His heart. *He only did what He seen and heard the Father doing… followed the very heart of God. *He loved sinners. *He demonstrated obedience to the Father, “learning obedience through the things He suffered.”   *He carried His Cross willfully, sacrificing Himself for the Father’s agenda. *He demonstrated love for the Father. *He was passionate for the passions of the Father’s heart. *His trust in and dependency on the Father was 24/7 – come hell or high water -- absolute and decisive. *His mantra was “Thy will be done.” And yes, He performed signs, wonders and miracles in accordance with the Father’s will.

Saints, we cannot divorce the works of Jesus from the nature of Jesus, His character, virtues, values, and attitude. To do the works of Jesus we must become Christlike. Jesus was/is in the Father and the Father was/is in Him, allowing the Father’s life to reanimate through the Son. Saints, Jesus is in us and we are in Him, which, by the way, puts us in the Father and the Father in us. When we “steadfastly believe” in our Savior we will fully submit to His Lordship and willfully put Self, our carnal fleshly nature, on the Cross of Christ. Within this process of our transformation into Christlikeness comes the empowered to do the “things” that Jesus did. It really becomes Jesus living His life in and through our life as our life:  ^“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” We no longer live… when the Christ-Life comes alive in us. We must give full attention to the divine life living in us to experience the “greater works” Jesus promised…

“GREATER WORKS”:

OUR TRANSFORMATION INTO CHRISTLIKENESS

(Jn. 14:12; Jn. 14:10-11, 20; Gal. 2:20)