Oct 11, 2020 Sunday Morning Worship Service
Well, good morning church. I'll tell you what, it's been good to be here this morning worshiping and was thankful for the men of let us this morning. We're thankful for the singing of Steven the songs that he's chosen, especially that last one that is the moving song. We're thankful for the the direction that we were given at the Lord's supper with Roy and our brother Mike. By the way. I thought Roy had said I thought Roy said I'm now going to ask my good-looking good-looking brother Mike to do the prayer for the couple. I thought I heard that's right, and I thought that's just not right.
I love you, Mike.
No matter how ugly you are.
Are courts were thankful for the scripture reading and David you hit it out of the park. That was a very good scripture reading and we're thankful. And of course as we began to our our assembly today by Don giving us the announcements and he said, you know as Christians, we need to have a smile on her face and I'll tell you one thing whenever I come to the assembly on Sundays and I be done. I have a smile on my face because you can't help but smile when. Is in your presence, and that's a blessing. Play we continue our discussion on back to the basics. Something came up to me and asked me if they would continue this because I had not I decided I was not going to continue this next week, but I think I will and I think that the basics are necessary for the month of November dealing with basic items foundational teachings that we need to be aware of and to believe in that's the plank of the one faith. That's discussed in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and verse five. The idea is that there's one Lord One Faith one baptism One Faith is preceded by the definite article, duh the onesie thing and so is the one body of teaching that we all need to be agreed upon and that means that we need to be under an agreement when it comes to the fundamentals of the fact. We need to be that course. We need to be of the same mind in the same type of Paul says when it comes to the faith or the doctrine and 1st Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 10, there are other things that are not associated with Doctrine which we can have opinions on Can we find that Romans chapter 14, but when it comes to Doctrine when it comes to DFA, we need to be agreed upon certain items and certain things that are taught they are in. So as we consider the idea of faith and works this morning, I want us to think about that passage that David had read to us, but someone will say I have faith in you have Works. Show me show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith with works. And then he goes on to explain using the illustration of the Demons. He says even the demons believe in one God you do what to believe the same. Right, you do well to believe that even the demons believe in God. So it doesn't take much really to believe in a creator. The demons believe in a Creator what makes the difference?
his works What is James telling us? He say the demons believe in one God. That is the demons have fairy in one God.
But what made the difference they did not demonstrate their faith by their works. In other words, they did not obey God. What's the idea of works works of obedience works that God gives us to do works that God allows us to carry out on his behalf. Every dispensation has had works. The patriarchal system under which the father's led. The families were the head of the household. They were the priests of the family. They had Works they had to do every him have Works he had to do so, it sucks me what God told him to do. Was it work? And by carrying his works out he obeyed God therefore he had say why because his Works demonstrated that he had faith in the Bible tells us that he was justified not by his faith. but by his works see the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 5 and verse one that were justified by faith.
And then Paul goes on to talk about obedience. In James, he says we're justified by works. And then he goes on to talk about space. So you can't have faith. Without works and you can't have Works without faith a faceless work. Is a dead work? A worthless faith is a dead faith. So you have to have both. So in order to be justified, we need to have faith, but Faith always has to respond by doing the works of God. As I said before the patriarchy under that system of law. They had Works under the Mosaic system. They had the law of Moses and they did the works of the law of Moses. It's so that became a problem a big issue in the first century church because the Jews were forcing. But what Moses upon the Gentiles? And the reason they were doing that was because they thought circumcision. Had to be carried out by the Gentiles in order for them to be justified. But of course that was never taught by Jesus or the Apostle, that's all this was causing division in the church. So it was remedy. By the fact that we don't do the works of the law of Moses any longer. And yet we still do works. Write the Bible tells us for by Grace. Have you been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God. Not of Works lest any man should boast for we are created in Christ. Jesus on two or four good works. Good works. Good works are the works of God. The Works of God go along and coincide with faith. How do I know that? Play John chapter 6 a number of Jews had come to Jesus and they said what must we do to work the works of God. And Jesus responded to them saying now watch it. This is the work of God that you believe in him who he sent.
That you have faith in him and he said let's say that all over again. This is the work of God that you have faith. Faith is the work. Did you know that? Because it's something God desires for us to produce to work. We need to work the work the faith. And so that's what James is telling us. James is telling us if you have faith then you better have Works to go along with yet. You better continue to be obeying the savior. Because there's some things in this life. We need to continue doing we need to keep being an example of Jesus Christ. We need to keep being honest people. Not liars and you know where Liars go. Book Revelation tells us clearly. There's a spot for liars. We need to be reminded people. So these are all works self controls the work being nice to people is a work what because God has asked us to be nice to people.
So there are works that we must do we must carry up. It's not a one-time deal. The problem is is that there is a attention that was forced into this salvation equation by man man came along and they said well, we're Saved By Faith but not by works. Is that what your Bible says? Absolutely not. in fact the pastors at David red from tells us that we are not by we're not saved by faith only. but by works literally says when I justified by faith only but by works, so the point is is that the two go hand-in-hand the two must produce the two must be a part of each other they and works and as we consider the idea of Faith this morning again faith, is it nice there was a works that's what the world says. That's what the religious World asks. the most religious world says, LOL We're safe plastic. and then I say only now the only verse in the Bible that has only with the word faith is the one David read to us. not only MapQuest a song man is justified by works and not by faith only. So the religious World. Their idea basically from the guy named Luther back in the 1500. Luther read the book of Romans and he liked it many of us like it because it talks about Grace and it talks about faith.
Betty read the book of James James talking about works. It's not about faith. It's about works. It's not about what's in here. It's and what's in here how you produce the works? So James Decorah Lutheran like that. So what he did was he cut that that whole book out of his Bible? And he developed his own Bible without that book. and the denomination that follows after Luther Lutheranism still have that bottle today.
Because it's all about Grace and Faith No works because if you do anything you're doing it on your own and you can't be saved by works. Why is that? Well doesn't the Bible tell us that we just quote it from Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8 for by grace. Are you saved by or through faith? Not of Works lest any man should boast. What's the works there? However I'm convinced. I've gone from one view to another. If you are held is probably most common in Churches of Christ and that view says any worse that you could buy stuff. That's true in a sense. Very true. That is if I come up with a way to serve God or to please God and I use that as a means of justification that I'm doing a work that I can post it. Look what I did to save myself. But I don't believe that's what's being disgusted. the whole book of the features about Jew and Gentile the first 12 verses deal with the Jews of chapter one the rest of the passage from 13 dealing with a Genta. And then he starts talking about how both were condemned because of sin and it took Jesus to come and Wiz that cross he eliminated the law of Moses. Because the law was nailed to the cross. And at that very moment, we read in the gospel accounts that when Jesus was crucified and he died there was from the temple the curtain Temple that divided the Jewish quarter from the Gentile Court. You heard you read this before it was torn asunder from top to bottom. That was a representation of something and it's exactly what Paul was discussing in Ephesians chapter 2. He said that opened up the door way in which the two-man Jew and Gentile became one new man in one body. And of course, he said that the bodies the church chapter 1 The two Jew and Gentile became one New Creation one new man working and living together in harmony in the Lord's body. Let me tell you something. If they can do it whites and blacks can do it if they can do it. Any other race can do it.
And we need to learn but we need to be consistent and knowing that what the scripture says that we can do that we have the ability to do it. And of course God expects us to get along with each other just like Jew and Gentile where to get along with each other in the one body. Brothers and sisters. You know we talked about. Talk about skin color. We talk about our family. Some people say off American Indian summer say, I'm an African-American some will say whatever and they go around they start saying that's you know about your background. book of Acts tells us that we all come from what one blood
Adam's blood And Noah and his family preserve that blood.
ISO by one word We're safe and the blood that counts the most brother is the blood of Jesus Christ. It's that blood that cleanses us and makes us whole it's that blood that makes us a spiritual family the household of God. They were added to that family the church. And so Paul goes on to say that's what happened. No, he was how you get along with one another. Here's how you do it. You love one another wow, amazing. Love one another.
And so even love itself is work. We get that whole idea from Revelation chapter and verse 19. He talks about their face and their love and their self control. How do you says some of those works are greater than the latter part of those Works. He just classified love is work and stay. So the whole point is at Faith and works go hand-in-hand. You must go bad. It must produce. That's the point of Hebrews chapter 5 and verse that he is the author of Eternal salvation unto all those who obey him.
The Holy Spirit through the writer could have said he's the author of Eternal salvation on to all those who believe in him.
But in this particular context he had something else in mind. He said unto all those who obey him. Well, that's true Bible study. That's true Bible say about before we get to that there's a quote. I came across this works good works have no connection whatsoever with salvation.
We are saved by grace through faith alone.
Again, you can't find that word alone or only in the Bible when it comes with faith. A person may pray the sinner's prayer now, we know that's not in the Bible. There's nothing in the Bible that talks about you must pray in order to be saved nothing. Yep. They teach it a person that pray the sinner's prayer and profess to believe in Jesus as your savior later. He may profess to be an atheist. I notice and living crowson, but he will be in heaven. Because he made a decision initially to receive Christ. Imagine that I can become a Christian. And then I can live like the devil. Right. That's the way a lot of people live. Honestly. That's the way a lot of people who claim to be Christians live. And it's so that's called easy believism. Because it sounds good and it's easy to accept and believe right. So that's teaching of man. That's not the teaching of God. God never said such a thing in his word. But I would defy any person I would give a person $1,000 to show us where that's found in the Bible. So anybody out there who's going to listen to this you have that opportunity?
The come up and meet my challenge, but the point is is you'll never find that because it's not in God's work so many to Christ as Lord of your life may follow salvation, but it is not a necessary aspect of saving faith. In other words. You don't have to obey you don't have to show yourself. You're safe to Christ. You don't have to express your faith.
Are you at over and over we can we talk with the Bible talks about how we're supposed to grow. How is supposed to add does Christian Graces and 2nd Peter chapter 1? Net worth have to produce the Fruit of the Spirit. Then we have all these Commandments found in the New Testament. What's the purpose of a come in if you don't have to obey it? Why is it even in my Bible? What's the point?
Why do anything? I can rob banks. I can do anything. I like. And but what you know what that does that something mocks God that mocks God. And that's what people do whether they know it or not. They're mocking God because their influence by a false application of scripture so the Bible tells us actually Paul defines for its what faith is and Romans chapter 1 verse 5. He says The Obedience of Faith at The Obedience effect and then it closes out the book Romans chapter 16 and verse 26 the exact same expression. He says The Obedience of faith You can't separate obedience from faith faith must produce obedience in order for it to be Bible faith. That's all God to find it. Man defines it as long as I believe in Jesus, I don't have to do anything because I'm saved the moment. I believe in Jesus. That's what they mean by face.
There's a lot of people who simply do not read their entire Bibles. So here we have these two words. Cooper Cohen and pistolas. So we have year of The Obedience of Faith flip a coin means comes from the word hypo under or beneath a Kubota here. And so the idea is that we are to obey obedience here under here under means submission. That's why when Jesus talks about certain things. He says let him who has ears to hear. Let him what he hear. What do you mean let him understand? Let him do what the teaching tells him to do. That's what that means. I said this before and I'll say it again when I was a young boy and dad wanted me to do something around the house and I had a tendency of well, I put it off and I'd watch a little bit more the cartoons or we didn't have video games. Right? So we did other things and TV was probably the main thing so I can watch the cartoons and then Dad would say take out the garbage. No, not yet. You take out the garbage son. You hear me? Yes, I do. That's what that means.
You will bet that's the idea of hearing hearing under that is you submit. And then pastels needs to trust to believe and there's one part of that world that people Overlook the most because of inherent in the definition of purpose to our faith is also loyalty. Yeah, trust believe we kind of understand those two concepts, but loyalty is also part of that word. Son Compass is a great idea a great concept that involves. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore I do what he says. That's what that means. That's great. That's Bible thing. So by faith Abraham old bet he heard under he submitted when he was called by God to go and leave the city of her to another place, which is not knowing where he would imagine that imagine. Someone saying hey Roy, I want you to you and your wife to pick up everything that you got and just go and we'll tell you along the way when you get there. Hello the Abraham he had to pick up his whole family all his slaves. Sherman's do bosses really slaves slaves all the animals because he has a rich rich man. He has a lot of livestock a lot of animals have a lot of land and he had a lot of servants. So when he has to pick up and go it's not just pick up and go there's a lot of preparation going on there, but it's there. You got to think about all the children. You got to think about the slave children. You got to think about the animals and their children the little calves and the little sheep and all that stuff. Right, so you ever see that the western movies when they were all traveling to traveling out west and they got those covered wagon. Just think about that. The Trek out to some place that we have no idea where we're going. But we did it by faith. We did it by faith. That we consider. The idea here of James chapter 2. I want you to go back to James chapter 2 in your Bibles. James chapter 2 we're doing it the old-fashioned way.
We'll start at verse. 20 What do you want to know a foolish man? That faith without works is dead was not Abraham Our Father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar. Do you see that face was working together with his works and by works Faith was made perfect and the scripture was fulfilled with says Abraham believed God.
That's the exact same passage found in the book of Romans chapter 4 so mark this page with your finger or with your bookmark and turn the Romans chapter 4 Romans chapter 4.
What then shall we say that Abraham our father was found according to the flesh for Faber ham was justified by works well when we just got done reading from James James City was justified by works
God country contradicting himself and look at what he said 4th and her hand was justified by works. What works? Not all works not any kind of works, but a specific kind of works but works on the context. Works of the contest are the works of the law of Moses. That's the point that Paul's been getting at go back to chapter 3 Romans chapter 3 beginning in verse 27 people talking about the law of Moses all along from chapter 2 in 2 chapter 3 and then in verse 27 of chapter 3, where is boasting done? It is excluded by what law of Works know but by the law thing therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works or details of the law, or is he the god of the Jews only get there?
Then we're just talking about the law of Moses as opposed to some other law. The Lost safe notice what he just said in 2027. He says Where is where is the Boston? Are you boasting in something? What are you boasting in what way love works gloveworks was the Old Testament law the law of works here in this context is dealing with the law of Moses and namely circumcision. That's the point the Jews here in Chapter 2 all the way through Paul say you're taking circumcision and you're forcing it upon the Gentiles. By doing that you're obeying the law of Moses. You can obey the works of the law of Moses. That's the works of the context and that works with any otherwise James could not say James was justified by works. But he was he was not justified by The Works of the law. You see Moses, but yet he was justified by his own kind of works. Well, how was he justified? Well gospel get out of the city and go until you find a place and I'll tell you when you found. Show me when he told Dave God by faith. And then he said take your son Isaac your only son Isaac and sacrifice it. And what did you do? He did that. So by Faith by works The Works God told him to do he did and that justified him. He was made righteous by his Works. Someone say how can you be righteous fireworks? John says the same thing first John chapter 3 verse 7. My little children do not be deceived Market down do not be deceived. He who practices righteousness is righteous just as he Jesus Christ is righteous.
so And then he goes on the first three four. What does the scripture say Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Go back to James James chapter 2 and noticed the same for the same words and verse 23
and the scripture was fulfilled. It says Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. Well, he believes God. How do we know by his works? That's what James to say. That's how we know.
That's how we know. That's really how God knows. And so that's why the idea of obedience as a Christian is so important. Lee understanding and we're going to close out here. I will get back to this next week. Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of Things Not Seen for by it. The elders obtained a good testimony now Faith is the substance. Cooper stasis is the Greek word is simply means under holding up undergird. So the idea is that the substance here is that which holds up it undergirds? Like a bridge where the the Tres the trestles all hold up that bridge it's the undergirding of the bridge that supports it that holds it up. He says by now is the undergirding of things hoped for and what's hope member Romans chapter 8 verse 24 That there is we hope this is the one hope of salvation.
one hope The one hope of Salvation hope is not wishing for something. It's what you have. It's what you expect to have. That's the idea of Bible. Hope. Now Faith is the undergirding the support of the things hoped for. The evidence of Things Not Seen. There's a lot of things you and I have not seen. And yet we have faith it we're undergirded by the evidence. We have much evidence here. We have eyewitness accounts here. How do I know there's a George Washington? How do I know whether to Abraham Lincoln? I never met him. I never heard him. I never saw them personally. I've seen pictures of them. But that's the other than the pictures. What else is the evidence all the eyewitnesses that talk about those two men. And so we have faith in the existence of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and you can go back to Shakespeare. You can go back to the Battle of Hastings and 10:20 in 1066 a d on the 14th of this month will be the Battle of Hastings day. Battle of Hastings he gave us a history lesson. I'll give you a quick history lesson the Battle of Hastings begin to speak English. It was the Battle of Hastings in England Hastings England in which the Norms that the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons battle it out. And the Normans one that is the French your herd of the invasion of Normandy. That's the idea of the norm. So we have here the Normans beat the Anglo-Saxons and then they took the Anglo-Saxon language and they took the Norman language was French and they melted together and Lala. There's my French why we got English. And so from that day forward there was a new people there was a new beginning there was a new language. With a new idea of Western culture, which we got from the Greeks and we'll talk more about this. But I want you to understand that you need to have faith in Jesus Christ because of without faith. It is impossible to please God, but you have to believe that Jesus Christ. Jesus said unless you believe that I am he you were dead in your sins. So when Jesus comes about in Mark chapter, 16 says he that believes believes. What is Gospel and that he is the Christ 11 leaves and is baptized shall be saved. If you're done that and perhaps you wandered Away by being faithful being unfaithful not being faithful perhaps you have that opportunity now, which you can restore that relationship with Jesus. Whatever your desire is this morning want to come forward as Together We Stand and sing.