Sermon Tone Analysis

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!!!

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?

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!

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…

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.

— 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!

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:

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.