faith in Action 4

Living Faith

Faith in Action 4

We are in the middle of a series entitled Faith in action

from the book of James

the theme of the book of James is Grow up A practical book Pointing out that genuine faith, produces fruit. James in his book points out to three types of faith

Dead faith, without works, demonic faith, believing the same way demons do , dynamic Faith, faith in action.

James was warning the believers about some behaviors adopt in the church, that contradicted our believes and faith.

Throughout this series we will look into different aspects of a faith in action.

Living Faith

Let’s pray,

1 Living faith is demonstrated by our actions.

Jas 2:14 What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient--genuine faith produces good works.]

Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day,

Jas 2:16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves," but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do?

Jas 2:17 So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].

Our actions, our behavior demonstrate the condition of our faith.

When we are filled with joy and the love of God, we want to be good to others and bless them.

It is so exciting to see people who are blessed by the Lord, blessing others, I remember a few years ago, I was looking for one of our members and I couldn’t find her, that morning. I call her husband and he told me she is on the side of the road passing food and water to whoever needs it. A storm had hit the south of the island the roads down south were closed but she drove as far as she could and was passing out food water and supplies. Nobody told her to do anything she heard what happen went to the store filled her car with goods and was helping people, don’t you love people like that?

An act of love and compassion. Her faith at work.

It was very clear that she loved Jesus, she had faith in Jesus and she was blessing others because of her faith.

2 What is a dead faith.

Jas 2:17 So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].

Is a faith with no actions to back it up.

We talk about our faith in Jesus, we know that Jesus was all about loving people, healing the sick and introducing people to His Heavenly Father.

Our faith in Jesus should reflect the same things, not just by what we say but also by what we do.

I remember a few years ago I was teaching a school in Iasi Romania and one afternoon someone came to my room and said that I had a visitor, I didn’t know anybody in Iasi, and was teaching in a Ywam school not a public event in town. I came down and I met this young woman in her middle 30’s, she was a Brazilian who heard that I was coming to the school, she heard it in her church.

This lady worked in a village in the mountains, she was originally part of a missionary organization in Romania that pull out from the village because they were mostly gypsies. She felt from the Lord to stay and do the work with the children. She was running a school at this village. During the raining season the place was very difficult to access, because of all the mud on the streets, to get there she had to catch a bus early in the morning, than walk for 40 min in the mud to get there, but she loved the kids and the families she was serving.

Nobody knew that she was there; she was not part of any organization or big church, but the gypsies believed that God loved them because of her testimony, her faith was alive.

her love and dedication to the gypsies’ families, and children it was very clear.

Jas 2:18 But someone may say, "You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do]."

On the other hand

When we feel unloved and unhappy about our lives, we don’t have much to give to others and our focus is on ourselves. We become addicted to many things trying to escape from our unhappy lives, People who are addicted to shopping have discover that when they are feeling bad about themselves, buying things makes them feel better, if they need it or not, at least for the moment.

3 What about a demonic faith

Jas 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror--they have seen His wrath]! [Deu_6:4; Deu_11:13-21; Mar_12:29]

A demonic faith is to Believe the same way demons do, they believe that God is one

And they shudder. They are terrified of the presence of God, they know that they are bad, that their actions are not blessed or accepted by God.

Filthy rats don’t realize that they are filthy, and they don’t know how much we really dislike them, how scary they are, but demons know their condition and they will run like roaches in the presence of the light, if we are walking in the light, submitting our selves to the Lord they will flee from us.

They know that the day of the Lord is coming and that they are and will be condemn to hell.

Demons want to hurt us and keep us away from the Lord, as much as they can. They will throw as many distraction you allow them in your way.

4 Our works reflect our hearts

Jas 2:20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless?

Jas 2:21 Was our father Abraham not [shown to be] justified by works [of obedience which expressed his faith] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar [as a sacrifice to God]? [Gen_22:1-14]

Jas 2:22 You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience].

Jas 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND THIS [faith] WAS CREDITED TO HIM [by God] AS RIGHTEOUSNESS andAS CONFORMITY TO HIS WILL," and he was called the friend of God. [Gen_15:6; 2Ch_20:7; Isa_41:8]

Jas 2:24 You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not by faith alone [that is, by acts of obedience a born-again believer reveals his faith].

James is confirming that our works reflect our hearts, faith if only in words is dead, our works our actions is what expresses what is in our hearts our deepest convictions.

Our woks will reflect what is in our hearts, even when we do good works for the wrong reason, have you ever had someone come to help you and at the end you owe them a favor? There was nothing wrong with their work, it was great, they were very helpful, but very soon you know that you owe them a favor and they will come back to collect.

When people are just blessing us, there is no strings attached, they are happy to do it, they are always blessing different people. Our reward in blessing others comes from the Lord, not from people that now owes you favor.

Jas 2:25 In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works too, when she received the [Hebrew] spies as guests and protected them, and sent them away [to escape] by a different route? [Jos_2:1-21]

Jas 2:26 For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.

Our obedience to the words of our Heavenly Father are the evidence of our faith.

I remember years ago speaking to a friend in Brazil, I was curious about what would a gang member needed to do after he became a Christian, would they just kill them, I knew that here in the US if a member of the hell’s angels for example would become a Christian and leave the gang, they would kill them as soon as they were found, I had student years ago that this happened to him.

To my surprise he told me, here in Brazil is the only way you can get out of a gang, if you become a true Christian, but they watch you, if you do something a Christian shouldn’t do, they will kill you right then. Of course, they were a little more legalistic, if they saw you drinking a beer that was a good reason to eliminate you, if you are drinking you are backslider.

Our actions, our deeds our work speaks loudly, sometimes we can’t hear what you are saying.

Our works are the evidence of our faith, to ourselves to others and to God.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23

Pro 27:19 As in water face reflects face, So a man's heart reveals the man.

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.

Living Faith

1 Is demonstrated by our actions our work

A dynamic faith

2 we need to Keep away from a dead faith

3 from demonic faith

4 our Works, behavior reflects the condition of our hearts

To have a dynamic faith, faith in action, we need to make Jesus the Lord of our lives

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Joh 3:16

To receive Jesus, we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, and ask Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God.

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

Heavenly Father I’m sinner,

I’m sorry for my sins,

I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

I receive Christ as my savior,

I confess him as Lord

from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

In Jesus name. Amen!

1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:25 In the same manner Healso took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Heb 9:14 dead works, acts, sins

E mau aku ka loko maika’i o ka Haku, Iesu Kristo; me ke aloha a ke Akua, a me ka launa pu ‘ana mai o ka Uhane Hemolele ia ‘olua, a me makou apau. Amene.