Action Makes Faith Complete
5/4/03
Faith is more than belief.
Just because you believe something doesn't mean you have faith.
The devil believes in Jesus Christ, he certainly doesn't have "faith in
Christ!"
Ja. 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has
no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is
without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I
wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical
needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it
is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe
that—and shudder.
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds
is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for
what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see
that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made
complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that
says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and
he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by
what he does and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered
righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off
in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without deeds is dead.
Faith is not passive!
Passive: “tending not to participate actively.”
Faith without action is dead.
Works without faith is dead.
Ro. 9:30 What then shall we say? That the
Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness
that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness,
has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by
faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” 33
As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a
rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to
shame.”
Action makes faith complete!
Jo. 12:42 Yet at the same time many even among the
leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they
would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the
synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from
God.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you act on
it?
Saving faith is action faith!
It’s impossible to be passive with genuine faith!
Ps. 40:10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I
speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your
love and your truth from the great assembly.
Heb. 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than
Cain did.
Heb. 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet
seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.
Heb. 11:8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he
would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went...
Heb. 11:17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered
Isaac as a sacrifice.
Heb. 11:27 By faith he (Moses) left Egypt...
Heb. 11:29 By faith the people passed through the
Red Sea...
Heb. 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the
people had marched around them for seven days.
Heb. 11:31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed
the spies (hid them), was not killed with those who were
disobedient
McCandlish Phillips rightly said, “We have a shortage of effective Christian
action at the real centers of national influence.”
Imagine this--if all true believers were more
active with their faith, the world would be a different place!
Christianity is not private, it’s not just
personal, to be genuine it becomes public!
Have you ever heard of a secret revival? I’m
not talking about the underground church.
Lk. 8:16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed.
Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed
that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore
consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does
not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”
Look what preceded what Jesus said about your light...
Lk. 8:11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The
seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear,
and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that
they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones
who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They
believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on
their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do
not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a
noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce
a crop.
In other words, you cannot hide your light and
produce a crop!
Prayer should not be used to avoid action.
It’s a copout to say you will pray about something
when you already know what to do!
It’s a copout to say you don’t feel led when you
already know what to do.
Ex. 14:15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are
you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
(Living Bible) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Quit
praying and get the people moving! Forward, march!
Josh. 7:10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand
up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has
sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep.
Often, action faith produces humility and
complete dependence upon Jesus!
Read about Naaman--2 Ki. 5:1-15.
Can’t you just hear Naaman say to himself, “boy,
I’ll look like a fool!”
Read Jo. 9:1-41--the healing of the man who
was blind.
Action overcomes a sense of God’s absence.
Hab. 3:17 Though the fig tree does not bud and
there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields
produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the
stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in
the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.