The Origin of Your Activity
The spirituality of an activity is determined by its origin, not its nature, and is made possible by being completely available to God.
Major W. Ian Thomas emphasizes that the spirituality of our actions is not determined by their nature but by their origin, highlighting that every action of Jesus was divinely significant as it originated from the Father. Jesus, as a completely available Man, perfectly fulfilled God's intended purpose for humanity, allowing the Father to work through Him flawlessly. Whether it was preaching, performing miracles, or serving others, all of Jesus' activities were equally spiritual because they stemmed from the Father's work through Him.
Text
It is not the nature of what you are doing that determines its spirituality, but the origin of what you are doing. Not its nature, but its origin!
There was never a moment in the life of the Lord Jesus that was without divine significance, because there was never anything He did, never anything He said, never any step He took which did not spring from a divine origin nothing that was not the activity of the Father in and through the Son. Thirty-three years of availability to the Father, that the Father in and through Him might implement the program that had been established and agreed on between the Father and the Son before ever the world was.
Why did the Father give all things into His hands? Because Jesus Christ was completely Man. And He was completely Man because He was completely available! For the first time since Adam fell into sin, there was on earth a Man as God intended man to be!
Which of His activities were the more spiritual, the Sermon on the Mount, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, or the washing of His disciples' feet? The answer, of course, is that no one activity was more spiritual than another, for all had their origin in the Father, who acted through the Son. "I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:29).
The Lord Jesus summarized this in John 14:10 - "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works." In other words, "I have presented My body to the Father who indwells Me, that He may do His works in My body; and My Father does His works through His Spirit by whom He indwells Me, and through whom I have offered Myself without spot, faultlessly, to my Father." The whole activity of the Lord Jesus on earth as Man was the Father's activity in the Son, through the eternal Spirit through whom His body was presented to the Father.
Spirituality in man is his availability to God for His divine action, and the form of this activity is irrelevant. If it pleases you, always and only, to do what pleases God you can do as you please!
Sermon Outline
- I. The Nature vs. Origin of Activity
- A. The nature of an activity does not determine its spirituality
- B. The origin of an activity determines its spirituality
- II. Jesus' Availability to the Father
- A. Jesus was completely available to the Father
- B. This availability was the key to His spiritual activities
- III. The Father's Activity in Jesus
- A. The Father acted through Jesus to implement His program
- B. Jesus' activities were the Father's activities in Him
- IV. The Importance of Availability
- A. Availability to God is the key to spirituality
- B. Irrelevant activities can be spiritual if they please God
Key Quotes
“Not its nature, but its origin!” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“I do always those things that please Him” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“I have presented My body to the Father who indwells Me, that He may do His works in My body” — Major W. Ian Thomas
Application Points
- Make sure your activities are motivated by a desire to please God.
- Recognize that your availability to God is the key to spiritual activities.
- Do not judge the spirituality of an activity by its nature, but by its origin.