James: A Faith That Works (17)
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Do you have a strong Faith in God?
Do you have a strong Faith in God?
“Do you have a Faith that carries you through every single situation you face, good or bad?”
That is the question we face every single day… Amen?
Jesus said: Mt 17:20-21 “20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.””
Do we have that kind of faith?
— Most of us want desperately to say “YES!”
But… Is that true?!
“We can easily claim to have a strong faith, until it is compared to GOD’S STANDARD.” — Pastor David Welch
We can tend to think that faith is “believing” that God exists… that He can do things in our lives and in the world… but not necessarily that He does…
It is easy to rest in that thought and to think that we are doing “good”… that our “faith” is strong… “Afterall, I believe in God, and I go to church, so I’m good… right?!”
That’s where I was for years....
James is speaking to the Church… to believers… his desire is for us to break free from that thinking that traps us within our own minds, and find a Faith That Works — A Faith that brings strength to every single part of our lives!
That kind of Faith BEGINS in our THINKING and RESULTS in ACTION!
Think about it… James has labored to show us how to:
— Joyfully endure…
— How to treat others…
— How to behave as God’s Children…
— How to speak in holiness and love…
— How to live Holy Lives…
— How to respond to God’s will…
— How to respond to both adversity and Joy…
Through James, God has shown us how to build our lives in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit!
How to be the men and women… the husbands and wives… the fathers and mothers… that HE has called us to be!
Faith is not a mental or psychological activity… FAITH IS A WAY OF LIFE!
In the gospels, Christ said, “on this rock I will build my church.”
Can I tell you? Jesus was not talking about Peter!!!
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
The Foundation is NOT Peter… Nor is it Jesus… Christ is the Cornerstone.
Acts 4:10–11 (NRSV)
10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.
11 This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’
(pick up the Cross board)
The Foundation is the Cross!
Look at what Jesus actually acknowledges in Peter’s words:
Matthew 16:15–18 (NRSV)
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Peter does not say “you are the son of God” first, Nor does he simply say that…
No… Peter proclaims with the confidence and knowledge of Faith, “You are the Messiah!”
The “Rock” the Church… and our lives… is built on is not Peter — It is Jesus’s work as “The Messiah”… as “The Christ”… It is that truth!
In other words… the “rock” upon which everything is built is “The Cross”!
That is why Jesus said, “If any desire to be my disciple, they must take up their cross and follow me.”
The Cross is the foundation upon which our Faith is built, and Christ is the cornerstone!
Faith in the Promise of the Cross is the Foundation.
What is the Promise?
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
God loved us so much that He sacrificed a part of Himself FOR US!
The Cross is where God poured out His Grace and Mercy on an undeserving world…
The Cross is where God Proves His Love for us… It is where God’s provision for His children is found!
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
The Cross is The Place where we are restored… regenerated into the image of Christ!
It is because of the Cross that we can…
Build a wall of endurance in the face of trials. (put up the 1st wall)
Chapter 1, James told us that Faithful endurance produces maturity and stability in our lives.
The Cross is where we begin to become “doers” and not just “hearers” of God’s Word.
(2nd wall) The Cross is where we learn to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves”… Without partiality and prejudice…
It is where we learn to speak to and to treat others with love and respect…
(Front wall) The Cross is where we learn True Wisdom — to let go of the world and to hold on to God.
Do you see what is happening here?
— When we build our lives on the foundation of the Cross, Faith becomes a Way of Life!
That is James’s point…
13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.
14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
When we build our home — our life — on the Cross, Prayer becomes the covering!
Prayer is the Roof!
Prayer is the glue that holds it all together… Because…
Prayer puts “foot to ground”… Prayer puts our Faith into Action!
In Prayer, we Proclaim Faith over…
… suffering
… sickness
… sin
… Faith in Joy and Praise!
Prayer is the place where Heaven touches earth… IN POWER!!!!
James 5:16 (NRSV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
The Prayer of Faith brings salvation… restoration… forgiveness… and healing!
There is Power in Prayer! (everybody say that with me… repeat)
Do you believe it?!?!
But… There is something else I want you to see…
The Door.
Every House has a door!
John 14:6 (NRSV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
We can only enter into Faith through Christ.
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
— We enter by accepting and receiving His gift of Grace through repentance.
— When we confess and ask Jesus into our hearts, He grants us forgiveness and Grace… He enters into our lives and walks us through the door into a life empowered by Holiness!
But… Let me tell you — We are not supposed to stay inside!
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
We are to “come in and go out”… in other words, we are supposed to come in, be refreshed and renewed in Christ, and then take what He gives us out… to others!
This is why James said:
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another,
20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
When we receive Christ… when we enter into life with Him… It is not about us anymore.
A Faith That Works — Seeks the Spiritual Welfare of Others.
In other words, Our responsibility as the “saved” believer, is to seek to ensure that others are saved, by living a Lifestyle of Faith that reveals the love of God within this dark world.
That is what James wants us to understand… Living out our Faith is not about some inward holiness… it is about “outward action”…
We are called to be the light… to be the “salt of the earth”… This means that our purpose… our mission… our calling… to “go into ALL the world” includes stepping into the darkest pits of our community, our neighborhoods, our spheres of influence… in order to pull those who are trapped there… those who are lost and suffering… out of that dark pit… by showing them the Love, Grace, and Mercy that God has shown us!
The Love of God, revealed through His mercy and grace, is meant to be shared with the world through the Faith-filled life of the believer.
In that way, the “prisoner is set free, the blind and lame are healed, and the Good News is proclaimed” (Isaiah 61:1-2)
When Jesus spoke those words… when He proclaimed that prophecy fulfilled… He wasn’t just speaking about it being fulfilled in and through Him…
He was speaking about us!
-- about its fulfilment through the lives of His Faithful Disciples…
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
We have been given the Keys to the Kingdom… What are we going to do with them?!
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another,
20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
James says: “If you see a brother or sister wander — stray — from the Truth — from the Word of God, then you should go after them!!!
Because when we do, we save them from a multitude of sin.”
(Now understand… he is not talking about people who “leave the church”… he is talking about those who seem to be walking away from God)
But… Let me ask: “What if we have, and they have resisted turning around? What then? Do we just give up?”
NO!!!!
We should pray! That should drive us to our knees… seeking the One who can reach them!
Let me tell you: “They can shut you out… They can shut me out… But… They can’t shut God out!”
No matter what anyone thinks about God… or prayer… they cannot stop me from praying for them.
God can intervene in ways we cannot! (Do we trust Him to?)
There was an old woman… silver hair pulled back… tears rolling down her cheeks as her hands worked busily on the washboard and she prayed for her son — John…
John had run away as a teen and become a sailor… It was said that he had become a very wicked man!
But… That’s not how she raised him… and that’s not who she knew God created him to be… so she prayed…
That’s all she knew to do…
She believed in the power of prayer… She knew God could reach her son… That He could turn John around…
So she prayed…
She prayed that God would reach him… that God would change him… that God would bring him into His service…
And God did!
God worked a miracle in the heart of John Newton.
Some of you know who that is… John Newton — the sailor become preacher… The man who penned that famous hymn, “Amazing Grace…”
The man who worked tirelessly to end slavery… and to proclaim the gospel…
All because his mother wouldn’t stop praying!
Professor Howard Hendricks tells the story of a young man who had strayed from the Lord, and was brought back by a friend…
Hendricks asked him how it felt.
He answered: “It seemed like I was being pulled farther and farther out to sea… into deep water. All my friends were standing on the shoreline… hurling accusations at me about justice, condemnation, and sin.”
“But… there was one Christian brother… who actually swam out to get me and… (now here this)… he wouldn’t let me go! I fought him, but he withstood my attacks. He grasped me, put a life jacket around me, and managed to pull me to shore.”
“By the Grace of God, he was the single reason I was restored — He refused to let me go.”
What kind of friend are we?
How do we respond to the wanderer?
We have the opportunity to stop the descent into death…
We have the opportunity to offer Grace and Mercy…
What are we doing with the life God has given us?
How many people do we encounter everyday that need us to be the person who “refuses to let go”?
Let me close with something written by Pastor Kiruba Stephen…
(read)
The World has yet to see what God can do with a heart COMPLETELY surrendered to Him and the guidance of the Holy Spirit!
Let’s seek to be a Church COMPLETELY surrendered to the Holy Spirit…