“Faith In Action”

James 2:15-20

15) If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16) And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17) Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.

19) Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20) But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Introduction

W

e are victorious not because of the natural things that we can do, but rather, by believing what God says that He has done. Generally, when we cannot “understand” what God says, we say that we have failed to do as He has commanded because we “don’t know how.” Somehow, we feel that this “excuse” will get the Lord to lets us “off the hook.”

This is not the way that “it” works. We have never been required to understand or know how to serve God in order to do as He instructs us. All that we need to know is that if God requires us to do something, it will be done simply because He has said it!

Main Thought

Over the years, we have heard people declare many things that they are going to do for the Lord. Without a doubt, they intend for these things to get done, but when it gets down to “where the rubber meets the road,” many find themselves without the means to fulfill their promise. This is in direct contrast to the Lord, for when He speaks, He never has to wait for things to “happen,” for “His (very) thoughts are His deeds.”

Throughout the Bible, we are shown that the blessings of God are bestowed to His people through obedience, and obedience is nonexistent where there is no faith. Much is said about “faith,” and those who believe they have it cross all racial, economic, and religious boundaries. Whatever one is, if he would be “just” in the sight of God, then he will have to live by his faith. If one is willing to do this, it does not matter his “denomination.” If one happens to be “apostolic,” yet, persists in living through his five senses, not only is he not “just,” but is unsaved, as well.

The church world is in such “bad shape” because of trying to be “saved” human beings. This is, indeed, an impossible task, for “saved” means “spiritual,” and by definition, this is the opposite of that which is human.

Without a doubt, we are living in an increasingly “God-less” world. More than ever before, one’s “human-ness” is highly valued. If one checks he writings of early theologians and Christian philosophers, he will find that the peril of being mankind has long been recognized, and God, as his hope, glorified.

Not surprisingly, Man’s intellectual capacity is highly valued in a world in which we live. Even amongst the redeemed of God, there has been a move toward bettering the intellect of Man at the expense of his spirituality. The message that few will be willing to accept as we proceed closer to the coming of the Lord is that though one is intellectually “smart,” capable, and able, his life is not, necessarily, “on track,” spiritually.

Now, repeat after me: “When we were put to death with Jesus (through baptism in His name), we became new creatures, different from what we were, before.” Obviously, if something is “new,” it is without a “past,” and therefore, what is “old” (specifically, one’s previous life) cannot be brought to bear on what happens from that point forward.

What we must realize is that the enemy is forever determined to keep us right where we were at the point of salvation, therefore, he will use whatever he can against us. Frequently, his “ammunition” is whatever he can “dig up” that he knows we feel guilty about. This is the “hurdle” of salvation: once one is willing to accept his utter helplessness and hopelessness before God, he must also be willing to accept His utter forgiveness. When this becomes the truth for you, as an individual, the Lord will occupy His proper place in your life, and there will be no problems with trust, gratefulness, or anything else.

So, what does this mean? It means that Man resists accepting what the Lord has already done because it makes him accountable and indebted to Him. This “resistance of submission” then leads to his deprivation of all that Jesus died that we might have. Can we really afford to continue in this mode?

“Faith in action” means that the faith that we profess, we must act upon. This is true for whatever is of value in our lives. If we value family, then we will care and nurture that family. If we value material goods, then we will work for their acquisition, often at the expense of all else, including family. If we value God and the things of God, we will allow nothing to stop us from pleasing Him.

Most of us came to the Lord for a variety of reasons, and most of those reasons were self-serving. However, if we have spent any time in His presence at all, we have come to know that the only way that we will stay with Him will be that we make our goal to serve Him.

As “blessed” as you may feel that you are; as divinely directed that you may feel that your life has been, you must accept that Jesus died to save more people than you! Once He “got” you, not only was He not “through,” but He was also not “satisfied.” There is a world awaiting us that deserves what we have—and truth be told, might appreciate it more.