Faith and Deeds Always Work Together
First B Jackson
2018-11-18

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Family, how are you? I'm not convinced yet, but what do you say we stand up together? We'll we'll we'll kick this thing off in song, and Bob and Florine will worship, will lead us off in singing, and and Kristen and piano.

Amen. Praise God. You guys think beautiful. Second song, it's a beautiful song. Brand new for me.

I had to study a lot this week to learn it, but it's a beautiful, beautiful song. And the more I sing it, it sounds like a a Christmas song. But I promise you, you're gonna love this song.

You can all have a seat there. Whoo. Alright. We got some morning announcements for you. So glad to have you here at First Baptist Church.

We're just gonna give you a little update on what's going on this week. We're still meeting this Monday. Monday nights, they're for everybody of all ages come. It's gonna be our, Thanksgiving potluck, so bring a side dish, a dessert, maybe both, and a friend. So if you guys are new, this is a great way to get connected.

And if you've been here for a long time, it's a great way to get reconnected. Let's get you there. Awana, this is our children's program. It meets right here, at 05:45, in the evenings, and it's, the kids get to learn about the scriptures and, get to have a great time here. That's what this big circle is here in the floor.

It's so colorful. So, we also could use some volunteers. If you're looking for a great way, you don't have to, like, chase kids around. You can also just read with them, and that's super helpful too. Every Wednesday at 6AM, men's fraternity gets together.

You don't have to look like that guy in order to come, but if you do, you're also welcome. So, yeah, it's 06:00 in the morning. There's a breakfast, and it's for men of all ages. Operation Christmas Child boxes are due today. We actually have to take them over at noon.

So, if for some reason you have special circumstances, we're just taking them over to the Community Bible Church, and they're sending them on from there. So if for some reason you have some trouble or you forgot yours at home, maybe just take it straight over there. Okay? Jake and Jillian Humphrey are getting married today. Whoo.

Yeah. Down there in Vegas, which is why a bunch of folks are gone today, and, we're thankful Carl's gonna be preaching for us today and Florian filled in for the music. But let's let's pray real quick for Jake and Jillian as they start their life together. Is that okay? Lord, I just wanna lift up Jake and Jillian as they unite together today, Lord, and that I pray that their union would last for the rest of their lives and that you would bring joy through the trials and good stick toiveness.

And, Lord, that you would be the center of their lives and would raise them up and grow them ever stronger and closer to you and to each other. Thank you for all the people that could go down there to celebrate, and I pray that they all come back safe after having a great time in Vegas, Lord, in your holy name. Amen. Yeah. And there's also you should check out your bulletin for more Bible studies, but there's also a prayer list in there too.

So if as the week goes on, if you pray through that list for all those people in there, that'd be great. And if you have prayer requests, let myself or Jane Cranenburg know, and we'll get you guys added onto that list too. So stand up, greet each other, say hello to somebody new maybe, and, we'll we'll get back to some music here in just a little bit. Thanks so much.

Give thanks with a grateful heart. Amen. Let's worship God through music. Amen. This song is so good.

We used to sing this one in Romania a lot. I'm sorry. I didn't prefer this. Love it. Sorry.

It's such a great song. And it's not just because it's Thanksgiving week or something like that. It's because we are thankful about what he has done in our lives. Amen? Amen.

As we participate here in the worship you've given, let me take a minute and just give thanks. Lord, these songs have articulated it so well. We give thanks to you. You are worthy and you are deserving of it. You truly do amaze us.

I think of I think of the verse that that says you have you have blessed us with every spiritual blessing. And and truly, what a blessing that is. Like faith. You have given us faith, and that is truly one of the greatest gifts we could ever receive from you. God, as we give, these are gifts, but there are so many gifts we could give back to you, and it's all because you've given to us in the first place.

I pray that as we give whatever it is, whether it's money or time or talents, treasure, all these things, that it would just be an expression. It'd be us living life with an open hand and a grateful heart for all that you've done. God, use all these things to build your kingdom. That's the idea here is that your kingdom would will be built up and expanded and more would come to know that you are God, that you are love, that you've extended us grace, and you've extended us forgiveness, and as we reach out to you in faith and humbly receive what you've given us, this precious gift of salvation that it brings glory to you, gives joy to us, and we want more people to know about it. So, God, would you continue to make this church right here a light that shines bright in Jackson to the ends of the earth?

We pray in Christ's name.

Name.

In the quiet of the night in the music of the forest and meadow blows his breath in the changing of the seasons growing of the grain in the harvest of the orchard and vineyard blows the breath of God breath of God everywhere there in the caring for the stranger in the weeping for the lost in the journey through the valleys in me

Like a car that doesn't drive. A traveler who never leaves town, or paint that is never used, So is the man of faith who does no good deeds. A light without power.

A well without water.

Faith without works. These are all the same. Food that never reaches the hungry. A cure never administered. Love never shared.

Faith without action. How can these things change the world?

From Matthew five that Jesus came as the light of the world so then that we would be the light of the world. And then our good deeds would cause others to glorify God. This is the visual that's kind of coming up in my mind over and over and over again as I think of James, that it all starts with relationship. It really does. It all starts with the relationship with God.

That's the umbrella over all of this. Why else? What what else would be the motivation? We love because he first loved us. And in that loving relationship, God births faith into us.

In the relationship with God, God gives us faith. It is totally from him. It is God's divine persuasion in us. We do not produce faith on our own. Faith comes from God.

And it's one of the greatest gifts that we could ever receive from God to be rich in faith. Would you agree with that? There's a lot of things to be rich in, but I was thinking I've been thinking more and more, how great to be rich in faith? If we're gonna be rich in anything, wouldn't it be great to be rich in faith? And that faith comes through yielding.

Yielding our will to his. And as we yield our will to his, then he brings more faith into us. And as we yield our will to his, he brings more faith into us. And then those faith and and then that faith works itself out through good deeds. And then those good deeds in turn bring glory back to God.

But do you see the cycle there that faith given by God, good deeds toward one another, glory given back to God. Faith given by God, good deeds toward one another, glory back to God. But again, the motivation behind all of it, all of it is rooted in relationship with God. That's where it starts. First John four nineteen, one of my favorites.

Short, sweet, to the point, we love because God first loved us. We love because God first loved us. That is where love comes from. God is love. When we are in him, then love comes out of us.

And his love compels us to do good deeds. It's a compelling love. Would you agree with that? I I I don't like being told what to do. I don't think anybody does.

I mean, are times that that that we need to be told what to do. But I find that I am much more motivated and compelled to do something when there's a compelling example. Would you agree? And Jesus is that example. He came, he lived, he served, he loved, he died, he rose.

His love is a very compelling example for us to do what we do. Otherwise, it's barking orders and that really it can only go so far. It's not that he's twisting our arms. It said he's grabbed a hold of our hearts. It's not that we're trying to earn God's favor, it's that we've already been given God's favor.

It's a it's a compelling love. The early church is a great example. So we're in James two. James is written to a persecuted and scattered church. It was a tough time in the life of the church.

We've got to ask ourselves, why would why would the church continue to do what it did? Why does the church continue to do what it does? Why in James day did they continue to do what they did when it would cost them their lives, or their family, or their home, or they'd have to just up and leave because they were driven out? Why would they continue to do that? And I've got to believe it's because God's love is so real and so compelling that they could not put their faith in action.

And those good deeds were just the outflow of the faith that they had in God because of a relationship with God. Does that make sense? Are we in agreement so far? It's about God reaching out to us with his unconditional, unmerited favor toward us. We didn't earn it, we didn't deserve it, he just did, he just does.

And as he reaches out to us and we reach back to him, he stirs our affections, which then increase our faith. And as that faith works itself out in good deeds, those deeds bring glory to God. James is telling us that faith and deeds work together, always. Faith and deeds always are working together like pieces of a puzzle. Faith leads to action.

Faith leads to action. As God gives faith, deeds follow that faith. But James is throwing some caution our way and I think we ought to listen and heed to this right here. Faith without good deeds is a dead faith. Faith without good deeds that follow is a dead faith.

Like a car that does not drive. Like a light bulb that does not have power. Like a well that does not have water. You're not sticking around to see. Oh, is that broken light bulb gonna work again?

It's done. We've thrown it out. Is that car in the junkyard going to drive again? I mean, possibly, but I'm certainly not gonna fix it because I don't know how. Are we gonna sit sit around and wait at a well for a drink of water if the well doesn't work?

No way. It's useless. It's done. Faith without good deeds is useless. So that's being said.

Let me show you where I'm finding this. We're in James two fourteen through 26. I believe this is that James builds a very compelling case for faith and deeds working together. I mean, really is. I think there's at least six points that James is making here about faith and deeds always working together.

Words are on the screen, I would like to read it out loud and then go back just highlighting each of these examples that James gives. So, here's what James says. What good is it dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions, can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister has no food, no clothing, and you say goodbye, have a good day, stay warm, eat well, but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So, you see faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now some may argue, some people have faith, other have good deeds. But I say, how can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.

You say you have faith, or you believe that there is one God, good for you. Even the demons believe this and they tremble and terror. How foolish. Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions?

When he offered his son Isaac on the altar, you see his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the scripture say, Abraham believed God and God counted and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right God right with God by her actions. When she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. Let's pray on that before we go any further.

Lord, I I do thank you for this this very clear and compelling message that faith and deeds always work together, always. And it starts with a relationship with you. I pray that you would stir us toward love and good deeds as we yield our will to yours, that you would increase our faith, that our faith would work itself out through action, and that you would get the glory for it truly. That it wouldn't be for us to get all puffed up, but it would just simply be us pointing toward you for your goodness. Amen.

Again, a compelling clear case for the importance of faith and deeds working together in James. Starting with this question, what good is it? If we say we have faith but don't show it by our actions, can that kind of faith save anyone? It's a great question. That is a great question.

If we say we believe but there is no action to follow that, does it truly reflect that we have been saved by the grace of God through faith in God? Is it truly a reflection? If we if we say, yes, I believe, but there's no action to follow it. Is that really a good reflection of God's unmerited favor toward us? If we were to do nothing about it.

I mean, just thinking a in a in a in a relationship, husband and wife. If there's always one that is extending grace and another that's not, what kind of relationship is that? Suppose you see a brother or sister, no food, no clothing. Goodbye, have a good day, stay warm, eat well. What good does that do?

I always think of Tim, Tim Hodgkins line here from the bar j. If you've been to the show, usually ask, I think every year, is there anybody from Rhode Island? Does this sound familiar? Anybody from Rhode Island? And, and then Tim says, we do this every night and it doesn't do us a lick of good.

It doesn't do us a lick of good. That's what it's like to know what we ought to do, but do nothing about it. It doesn't do us a lick of good. James says earlier, don't just listen to God's word, do what it says. Otherwise, we're only fooling ourselves or we're only deceiving ourselves.

Knowing better only does us good if we're willing to do better. We can know a lot of stuff, but if we're not willing to act on that, it really doesn't do us or anyone else any better. I thought Francis Chan was spot on when he says this about listening and doing. You should take a look at this clip here.

But I'm just telling you, look, that is not the goal, and, we don't wanna be hearers of the word and not doers. I mean, for our own good. I believe that Satan is thrilled with a lot of our church services. I believe the enemy loves it because Satan is the great deceiver. And James says, when you hear the word and you don't do it, you're deceiving yourself.

And so Satan's sitting back going, look at these guys. They gather on Sunday morning to hear a message they're not going to apply. They're deceiving themselves. My job is done. Man, I hope this this country is filled with church.

I hope they fill them all up and preach the word of God, and no one does it. That would be Satan's dream because then they could just deceive themselves, and he doesn't have to do anything. Our God is a God of repentance, of actual change, of turning. It's not hearing the word of God and not do anything about it.

Good point. Good point. We can deceive ourselves into thinking that listening to God's word is our only obligation. That just just by virtue of coming here, just by showing up that was somehow we've done God as this this wonderful service, but it's not true. He wants us not only to be listening to his word, but then to be acting on it.

In fact, the the enemy is thrilled with that kind of thinking of of I'll just take this in, but I don't feel like I need to do anything with it. James says, unless faith produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. The warning the warning there is to not fool ourselves, to not deceive ourselves in the thinking. We don't need to act on what we hear. That's a lie from the enemy.

That when we hear, that we soak, that we consider, that we pray on, and as God stirs, we move in that direction. He goes on to say, some may argue, well some people have faith, others have good deeds. But I say, how can you show me your faith? If you don't have good deeds, I'll show you my faith by my good deeds. The argument, well, some people just have faith and some people just have good deeds.

Kinda it's one or or the other. James says that's not a legitimate argument because faith always does something. Faith always does something. It motivates us to action. And I wanna encourage you.

Please don't think that I I brought this sermon up because I just wanted to to, you know, give it to first b. I that is not it. I I happen to be in James on Monday nights. I I preached this sermon last last week but as I thought about it, I was so encouraged by our church family. That I thought, pray, pray, praise, praise God.

We are putting our faith to action. And it this is more of a let's continue on. Let's continue to do what we're already doing. By no means, are are we finished. No, we are a work in progress.

God is continuing to do good things through this church body. We're not we're not, this isn't over. But we're motivated to action. And I and I also don't say this to puff us up. Love builds up, knowledge puffs up.

But I see and hear your faith in action every day. I I get to be in this this, I I get to work here. This is this is my job where I get to see you putting your faith in action. And what amazes me, I think, one of the things that amazes me most is how far and wide you reach, that we reach as a church body. It is incredible to see how God stirs your affections toward different parts of the body, and you do it.

For some, it's kids. Twenty plus years as a wanna leader, thank you. You've got to be crazy. You're wonderful, really. That's faith in action.

Just thinking of all the things that happen here throughout the week, there's always someone in this building. Men's and women's ministries encouraging and sharpening one another. Just downstairs, as we speak in the nursery and children's Sunday school during the 09:00, I mean it gets wild down there. There's kids flying everywhere, loving and pointing kids to Jesus. Bible study leaders, which is thinking, we've got a wealth of of great Bible teachers in this church.

Filling up on God's word, they're pouring out on people throughout the week. Just think about our our our volunteers in in in the living center. Just going to visit, sit with, sing with, loving on people. Immigrant hope meets out of here on Mondays, acting justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with God. Our mission team relentlessly keeping the great commission on the forefront of our thinking.

This is this is just these are just some of many many many. And then there are the untold stories every day of how you're carrying out your faith in this valley. Things that you you're not necessarily gonna tell us. You're just doing because God's love is compelling you to move and your faith is an action. You're just doing.

You're loving. You're caring. You're serving. You're sacrificing. You're being just, you're being fair, you're representing Christ, you're being a light.

It truly makes me proud to call you my church family, and this my church home. That when I mentioned, yes, first b people go, oh I've heard of that church. I've heard of you guys. Are you the one at the hospital? No, no, no.

We're the one on Cash And Kelly. No, I've heard good things about your church. You have that really tall pastor who speaks Spanish. He's everywhere, right? Your relationship with God increases your faith, motivates you to good deeds, builds up the body, brings glory to God.

It's an incredible cycle. If we would just kind of yield to it, this is what God naturally does. And so let me encourage you to keep on. The work is far from over, but to keep shining bright. To keep shining bright.

I truly see this place as a light to this valley. I really do. That we're bringing people in and when people come in here, they're not feeling judged, but they're feeling loved. That God refuses to leave us right where we're at. He wants to transform our lives, but I see how you meet people right where they are at.

And you're loving them into the kingdom with that compelling love that God has shown us. Is that is that sound fair? Is that a good assessment? Here's another argument from verse 19 for going beyond belief to action. For the person that says, well, believe in God, I I even believe that there's one God.

James says, okay, demons believe that and they tremble because of it. That's something to consider. That's something not to take lightly. That only believing that there is one God, that simply puts us on par with Satan and demons. That's scary to think about.

Just to say that, sure, I believe there's a god doesn't do us, again, a lick of good. It's what we do with what we believe that really matters. It's what we do with what we know. Gives the example of Abraham. Abraham was asked to to offer his only son as a sacrifice.

Can you imagine what kind of faith it took to move forward in obedience to that? And down the road, his son's going, dad, I see the wood. Where's the sacrifice? And I can't imagine what's going through Abraham's mind in that in that moment. But even then he says, God himself will provide that foreshadowing Jesus that God would give his only son for us.

That through him, our faith would then produce good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. God prepared to consider that for a second, that God prepared good works for us to do in advance. That it wasn't his idea wasn't just that we believe but that he prepared good works for us to do when he created us. Verse 22, his actions and faith work together. His actions made his faith complete.

Complete. Let's consider that as well. That without actions, we have an incomplete faith. An incomplete faith. That's my daughter, Addy.

Addy and I love to do puzzles together in the winter. That's one of our, that was one of our Jackson Hole puzzles that we did together. And occasionally, we'll get to the end of the puzzle and there's a missing piece. Has that ever happened? First of all, does anyone like puzzles?

Am I weird? Oh, good. Good. Good. Good.

So you get this. You get it. You've done a puzzle. You've missed a piece. You go, what good is this thing right now?

And you walk past it and you go, missing piece, missing piece, missing piece. I gotta find that missing piece. It's frustrating because one of the greatest motivators to start a puzzle is to finish the thing. In the same way, our faith is only complete when our faith and our actions are working together. That's what makes our faith complete.

Verse 24. So you see we're shown right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. For some that raises the question, oh, oh, oh, well does this mean that we did do I need to run my way to God then? No. No.

No. No. No. No. No.

Ephesians two eight nine. It is by grace that you have been saved through faith. This isn't from yourself. This is a gift from God, not by works so that no one can boast. It just means that our works are the living proof that we are saved by grace through faith.

That's what our works are. They're the living proof that we have been saved by grace through faith. Thief on the cross, saved at the moment of belief. No doubt about it. Today, you will be with me in paradise.

But why would we wait until the eleventh hour? Why wait that long? When we can have the joy of putting our faith into action right now. I bet if we were to ask the thief on the cross, not that we can obviously. But if we were to ask the thief on the cross, hey, would you have trusted in Christ earlier?

I'm willing to bet he would have said, of course. I'm also willing to bet that his faith would have motivated him toward good things. Rahab, another example, faith and action. No squeaky clean record for her, no squeaky clean record for us. God reaches out to her, She reaches back in faith.

That faith turns to obedience. She proves her faith to be real by what she does. But you get the point. Faith without deeds is a dead faith. That's the point.

In James two, faith without deeds is a good is a dead faith. There isn't one without the other. We can't say, I just list I have lots of faith, but no deeds. We can't say that. James says, no, no, no, no, that's not a legitimate argument.

Deeds follow faith, always. You know we live next door right here, if you didn't, you do know. There's a crab tree, you can see it through the window. That's my daughter Rachel, she was picking crab apples last summer. Every summer that thing produces a ton of crab apples, sometimes more than more than we want.

And so we decided we'd pick them and then we made crab apple juice. Don't make crab apple juice. At least don't make it like we made it. It was awful. It was it was terrible.

If you have a crab apple recipe that you'd like to share, that works and it actually tastes good. Bring it on up. I I just because I'm not doing that again. The thing is, that thing produces fruit every year. Every year it does, and for that reason it's going to stay.

But you better believe, if it did not, if it didn't and it just had no leaves, no apples, just dead branches, it's gone. I'm gonna take it out. In the same way, if our faith isn't producing fruit, it's a dead faith. It's a dead faith and it doesn't have any use. So my encouragement is, let's make the most of our faith.

It really is. Let's make the most of our faith. That as we abide in Christ, As we work on that relationship with him, as we walk with him each day, moment by moment, day by day, yielding our will towards his. That that produces more faith, which in turn motivates us into action, and that brings glory back to God. John fifteen five, this is another great visual of this truth.

I've always loved it. He is the vine and we're the branches. That as we remain in him and he in us, that's when we'll produce fruit. Apart from him, we don't. We don't.

Again, relationship is the umbrella over all of this. That's where the motivation comes from in the first place. Place we love because he first loved us. It's a compelling love. And as we affirm that he is indeed the true vine, the source and supply, and we're just the branches, that's all we are.

We produce fruit by remaining in him. It's in him that we've got life, and we've got breath, and we've got meaning, and we've got purpose to keep putting our faith into action. And that that's just that's by my encouragement to you. You're already doing this. My encouragement to you is to continue on, to putting your faith in action.

Keep going and doing as God leads. As he's stirring you, you don't always need to ask for permission for for prayer for for for my. If God is stirring you and this is consistent with God's word, continue on. Do what he's calling you to do and produce faith and and produce good deeds and give glory to God. Really, it is about it's about him.

It's about bringing glory to him, not ourselves. Amen? Alright. I'm gonna invite, Florine and Bob and Kristen back up. And as they're coming up, let's pray on this.

Okay? This is certainly something that this this we need the Lord's help if we're gonna carry this out. Lord, I do thank you again for this simple and clear and compelling message. Faith and deeds work together. It starts with a relationship with you.

You're the vine, and we're the branches, not the other way around. If we remain in you and you and us, we'll bear fruit. Would you continue to stir this church body toward love and good works. And that as we yield our will to yours that you would increase our faith, which indeed which which in turn works itself out through good deeds, which in turn brings glory to you. In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thank you, pastor. Great sermon. Thank you. Yes. Will you please stand up and let's worship God in this song?

It's a great, great song. Wrap up exactly the sermon as well.

Let me leave you with this, from from Matthew that you are the light of the world. Town built on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify. God's help. Amen.

Amen.