Obedience is not Works

Introduction and then start the message:

 “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” – Jonathan Edwards

· We want revival without repentance. We want God’s blessing without personal cost. Prodigal Son and all creation groans waiting for redemption while the church [you and me] flirting w/world.

· Attending, but not Christ-followers. In name, but not nature. Adorned with tradition, routine, habit, but without conversion. Title without relationship. Empty. Has your life changed? Can people see Jesus in your life?

· Rev 2 – Ephesus: we’ve left or abandoned our first love. 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

· Most church growth is migration. When one church thrives another dies. Church hurts and wounds.

“We will never meet God in revival until we have first met Him in brokenness.” – Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, bible teacher, public speaker, founder of Revive Our Hearts ministry for women.

Part 1

· My own brokenness.  Rom 2:4

· Remember when you were first saved how tender you were towards God.

· Some have given up. The struggle was bigger than them and they didn’t give it to Him.

TAKING some time tonight to look at a number of passages … 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV) – Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. KJV – Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. NLT -  Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Message – Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourself regular checkups. Rick’s – CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF

James 2:14-20

CLEARLY NOT WORKS FOR FAITH - Instead (Real) Faith Causes Real Action

Apostle Paul is clear that we are not saved by works lest anybody boast – Ephesians 2:8-10.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship [Phil 1:6 – He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ], created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

And so we dig our heels in and claim verses 8 and 9 without giving thought to verse 10.

· Failures of churches – grace, faith, love, but gas tank [spouse] is on empty when it comes to obedience.

· World - what was once shameful and kept in secret turned to shock to acceptance and now celebration.

· Church looks like the world – very little difference. What happened to being a light in the darkness?

· Church accepted the world’s identity rather than coming out from among them. “What can we get away with?”    “How close to the line can I get without it being a sin?”

"Progressive Christianity" is really just "Culturanity" with Jesus as its mascot.” – Melissa Daugherty · NOT preaching works, but obedience! Everyone is a slave. Romans 6 Who’s your Master?

We DON’T like it when James says our faith should produce works, but what about Jesus when He said our love for Him should? Going to tell Jesus you love Him, but do your own thing? We don’t verbalize it, but our actions deny our love.

John 14:15 - 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. v21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” v23-24 - 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. Part 2

· Matthew 25:31-46

Closing · Philippians 2:12-13 – Work out your salvation 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

“Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late – and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work.” – A.W. Tozer d.1963

Invitation - Romans 2:4 - TONIGHT is the night to get right. Don’t wait, don’t delay. Repentance is a lifestyle not a one time decision.