2 July 2006: Works v. Faith

TOPIC: CONSECRATION; Belief, Faith, Fruit, Sanctification, Walk, Works

TITLE: WORKS v. FAITH - Essentials of Christian Living

TEXT: James 1:21-25; (supporting text Matthew 22:34-40)

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we understand the apparent gap between works and faith?
CONCISE OUTLINE:

I. WE SHOULD SEE THE VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP – The Great Commandment!
II. WE SHOULD SEE THE HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP – The Second Great Commandment!

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Christian organizations are fond of issuing "Statements of Faith" ... we at SCCC have one on the back of our bulletin.

Have you ever spent any time considering its significance? (Yea, right!)

How do you think our “Statement of Faith” stands up to John 15:8?

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

How about Romans 12:1-2?

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

How about Luke 9:23?

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

I could go on with all of the other "follow Me" verses (19x in 4 Gospels), but they all prove the same thing ... as do hundreds of other verses ... Jesus rarely asks us what we believe, rather He asks us to follow Him in doing His work.

I am of the opinion churches would be better served if they issued "Statements of Works" (or Actions)! And those proactive not reactive!

One states what we believe; the other would state what we are doing as a result of what we believe!

[STRADLE SADDLE] When our son Justin was in grade school Rita owned a mule ... Justin wasn’t big enough to get on so he sat on the fence and waited for the mule to saunter by and he jumped on its back and off he'd go for a ride. He was five-years-old.

One day he decided to try something different by leaving one foot outside the fence as he jumped (his mother was worried about safety and he thought perhaps it might be "safer"). Immediately the mule sidled away from the fence. Needless to say, after his little legs stretched as far as they would go, he fell on his face.

You'd think experiences like this would teach us a lesson. Yet we all find ourselves trying to "straddle the fence." The results are always the same as at the first.

This is disastrous for a Christian. The fence isn't a real fence and the mule is Christ ... and because of our lack of commitment to Him we fall on our faces. Believe me; a fall from this fence hurts a lot more.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we see in the apparent gap between works and faith?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. WE SHOULD SEE THE VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP – The Great Commandment!

If we had a Statement of Actions, I believe it should start like this …

Those who Worship at SCCC are keepers of the Great Commandment ... we love the Lord our God with all our being (Matthew 22:34-40; focus directed upward)

1. Those who Worship at SCCC Seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, first before all else (Matthew 6:33)
2. Those who Worship at SCCC Prove they are disciples by bearing much fruit (John 15:8)
3. Those who Worship at SCCC are living and holy sacrifices, acceptable to God (Romans 12:1)
4. Those who Worship at SCCC are not conformed to this world but are being transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2)
5. Those who Worship at SCCC Walk by the Spirit if indeed we live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)
6. Those who Worship at SCCC Resist the devil, they submit to God (James 4:7)
7. Those who Worship at SCCC Focus on things above and not on the things of this world (Colossians 3:2)
8. Those who Worship at SCCC Use wisdom from above (James 3:17) and not of this world (James 3:15)

I. WE SHOULD SEE THE HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP – The Second Great Commandment!

Again, I believe, if we had a Statement of Actions we would separate the faith components from the works components …

Those who Worship at SCCC keep the command and love their brothers and sisters as themselves (Matthew 22:39; focus directed outward)

If … you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well.

James 2:8

1. Those who Worship at SCCC run the race set before them and earnestly desire to win (1 Corinthians 9:24)
2. Those who Worship at SCCC lay aside every encumbrance and entanglement of sin in order to run the race set before them with endurance. (Hebrews 12:1)
3. Those who Worship at SCCC witness for Christ; first to families, then neighbors, then countrymen, and then to all the world (Acts 1:8)
4. Those who Worship at SCCC “do” for the least of men, in order to do for the greatest of men (Matthew 25:45)

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Which is greater, The Great Commandment or the Great Commission?

The former is obviously the most important! Why? First, because it is the "great" command and, second, because great works only come from those whose heart desires to love the Lord their God with all their being?

James 2:14 tells us "mercy triumphs over judgment" ... that is, the spiritual triumphs over the walk ... the latter is external, the former is internal; the later is horizontal, the former is vertical; and the latter can be done out of the flesh but the former can only done with a right relationship with the Lord.

As you might guess, this is only a handful of those things we should be doers of, not just believers in!

One of the great mysteries of the church/faith is how the visible church doesn't grasp the simple truth that all those things which bother her so much (discord, war, crime, immorality, debauchery, abuse, anger, etc.) would all but disappear if the invisible church ... with a united voice ... would but stand and say, "We have decided to follow Jesus!"

Like our son, too many true believers lack commitment to the object of their faith.

[AVAILABILITY] People acquire great abilities which they cultivate and demonstrate. In the service of God, there is an ability which is the greatest ability of all. Is it sociability, compatibility, accountability, adaptability, or reliability?

The greatest ability is availability. If we don't step out in faith and make ourselves available to God, no matter what other kind of ability we have, it is of no value. Ability without availability is a liability to God. Just as faith/belief without works/action is useless!

What does availability mean? It means to place one's self totally, absolutely, completely at God's disposal for Him to do anything and everything He wants to do in us, through us, with us, for us, when He chooses. Anything less than that is straddling between commitment to Jesus Christ and commitment to the world.

[REAL MEN] There is a story that a certain social organization in South Africa once wrote to David Livingston … "Livingston - have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you."

Livingston replied, "If you have men who will come ONLY if they know there is a good road, I don't want them.

God is of the same opinion.

RELATED LINKS:

The SHEEP'S CRIB

GENERAL TAGS: Homiletics, Preaching, Sermons

SPECIFIC TAGS: Belief, Consecration, Faith,
Fruit, Sanctification, Walk, Works