Faith Works
Faith Works
Ephesians 2: 1-10 NLT
The Blood of Jesus is what has paved the way…
-Created a path
-Removed the roadblocks
-Gave us a chance to see what we would receive from the great opportunity.
You see, we can’t attain the purpose of God simply by our WORKS, or simply by our own righteousness and goodness.
Isaiah 64:6 NLT
“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”
We can serve God by our own efforts, but without HIS TOUCH, HIS GRACE, we will be spiritual dead bones.
Our Faith must be built by the transformation of the Word of God being ALIVE on the inside of us.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
We can DO all the right things, we can look the part, we can go through the motions, but if our FAITH in GOD’s RIGHTEOUSNESS is not what we rely and hold to, then it’s nothing but our WORKS that will be BURNED UP at the end of this life.
The grace of God is given to each one of us and is extended to us NOT FOR A CRUTCH to sin or compromise. It’s also NOT for a lack of our own PURSUIT of a passionate relationship with God.
We MUST have grace and cling to FAITH in God, but our faith can’t truly achieve all it is meant to be without us putting legs on it!
James 2:18 NLT “Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds (works).’ 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.”
James 2:26 NLT “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”
We also can’t claim that our relationship with God is “STRONG” and not have any works of our faith showing up in action:
-Serving: Serve sacrificially - Instead of feeling entitlement and privilege (Being a CONSUMER or Spectator)
-Sacrificing: Serve without having to be seen. Serve without having to be paid back.
Jesus showed sacrifice in many ways including in the Garden of Gethsemane:
Matthew 26:39 “My Father, If it be possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.”
-Giving: Our giving should be intentional - Giving God “first fruits”, not the leftovers.
It should be done without grudging or allowing our heart to feel obligation, but rather as a sign of worship.
We are in a battle, we are in a fight. The “good fight of faith” as Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:12.
Are we willing to engage in the battle for the sake of what’s important?
We will guard what we love or value the most.
Will we guard our heart?
Will you value and guard your relationship with God?
Will you value His people?
Will you value His Church?
The enemy wants to fight your faith in many ways, but one of the ways he fights is to fight your identity by doubting and questioning what God says.
Matthew 3: 16-17 God the Father said Jesus brought Him great joy (before He even started His ministry) Just because He was His Son. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
A few verses later in the next chapter: Matthew 4 Jesus in the Wilderness:
The Battle Begins With Your Identity
- In Matthew 3, God said “You’re My beloved Son…” and in Matthew 4, The devil questions it by saying, “IF you are the Son…”
God says: You’re My Son
The devil says: Prove it
The enemy always questions what God already established. He wants us to struggle in our own flesh, instead of knowing WHO we belong to by faith.
We can’t fight from a place of insecurity and not KNOWING who we are in Jesus.
Because we are an heir of Jesus, we have access to all the tools and weapons of our Father.
I Corinthians 16:13 (English Standard Version ESV) “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
It takes courage to go against the flow of what everyone else is doing.
Some people don’t stand firm for nothing.
An old song said:
“Have to stand firm for something or you’ll fall for anything.”
Stand firm in stubbornness? Or stand firm in faith?
1 Samuel 15:23 KJV
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.”
Are we accountable instead of just barking orders of what we think is best?
It’s important that we grow in our faith, which will give us wisdom to do good works!
Showing our FAITH by our WORKS goes hand in hand! One cannot achieve anything by itself.
When Abraham declared his FAITH in God, it was asked of him to obey through his works the fact of being willing to sacrifice his promised son.
He had to not just talk the talk (of faith), but walk out his faith in works. We all know that God ultimately just wanted to see his faithfulness and willingness to obey, and God delivered them from having to make that sacrifice.
Isaiah 29:13 NLT “And so the Lord says, ‘These people say they are mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
How well do we KNOW God in order to truly walk out our faith?
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 9:10 NLT “The fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.”
Proverbs 1:7 NLT “Fear (respect and reverence) of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
Wisdom VS Knowledge
As fathers we can get a Knowledge of what to do as a father….but Wisdom comes from experience, and even more so when our wisdom is learned from our faith in God.
When we get Wisdom from God we receive an experience that changes our view of what God has done for us, AND HOW we are to live our lives!
We are given wisdom from God so that we may KNOW Him better!
We get this Wisdom by being humble and continually asking God for direction and being able to admit our need of Him; sometimes admitting we have never been at this point before and don’t know what to do!
I remember having a conversation with my grown kids and telling them I don’t know how to parent a 30 year old, I have never had to do it before!
I had a knowledge of what to do, but with no experience I had no wisdom as to HOW to do it!
Whether you’re a natural dad or not, you are still called to be a Spiritual Father / Mentor to others.
Psalm 68:5-6 Talks about being like Jesus and be a Father to the fatherless, and a defender of widows, standing as a pillar of spiritual strength and stand in the gap for others.
God has called men to be protectors and defenders…but they also need a faith community of men MORE THAN THEY THINK they do.
It’s sacrificial to rise up and be the Man of God that God is counting on us to be - To be a father (figure) in a spiritual way and call to the greatness in other kids AND EVEN OTHER PEOPLE.
That’s what we’re doing by the little gift we’re handing out to the men today. Although this message applies to ALL of us.
You may have made mistakes, you may have even had a Father make mistakes with you; but the thing is that if we lack wisdom, God said He will give it to us and not hold it back if we seek for it!
James 1:5, 6 NLT “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.”
We get Spiritual Wisdom by our Faith!
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11
We talked about Hope a few weeks ago….Faith and Hope work hand in hand!
When we put our HOPE in the Cross and what is to come ETERNALLY, it builds our Faith and HOW we react and make decisions now as well as in the future!
Faith is more than just wishing for someone and hoping it will come to pass….it is BELIEVING on what is to come without ever seeing the signs that it will take place!…EVIDENCE
As Father and Mothers…even Spiritual parents, we must always have our faith in God regarding our children. Not just our Children but HOW we live our lives!
We are instilling or passing on our Faith by our example….from our experience which equals wisdom.
Find our identity based on being Sons and Daughters of God.
You may not have had the greatest example in life in a Father, but we have God and HIS example to model our lives after.
1 Peter 2:21 NLT “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.”
1 Cor. 11:1 NLT “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
Philippians 3:17 NLT “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.”
Titus 2:7 NLT “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching and faith.”
We may not be able to see how things are going to work out, but by our faith in God, we can know that it will work out!
Romans 8:28 KJV
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
The Blood of Jesus is what has paved the way…
-Created a path
-Removed the roadblocks
-Gave us a chance to see what we would receive from the great opportunity.
You see, we can’t attain the purpose of God simply by our WORKS, or simply by our own righteousness and goodness.
Isaiah 64:6 NLT
“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”
We can serve God by our own efforts, but without HIS TOUCH, HIS GRACE, we will be spiritual dead bones.
Our Faith must be built by the transformation of the Word of God being ALIVE on the inside of us.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
We can DO all the right things, we can look the part, we can go through the motions, but if our FAITH in GOD’s RIGHTEOUSNESS is not what we rely and hold to, then it’s nothing but our WORKS that will be BURNED UP at the end of this life.
The grace of God is given to each one of us and is extended to us NOT FOR A CRUTCH to sin or compromise. It’s also NOT for a lack of our own PURSUIT of a passionate relationship with God.
We MUST have grace and cling to FAITH in God, but our faith can’t truly achieve all it is meant to be without us putting legs on it!
James 2:18 NLT “Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds (works).’ 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.”
James 2:26 NLT “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”
We also can’t claim that our relationship with God is “STRONG” and not have any works of our faith showing up in action:
-Serving: Serve sacrificially - Instead of feeling entitlement and privilege (Being a CONSUMER or Spectator)
-Sacrificing: Serve without having to be seen. Serve without having to be paid back.
Jesus showed sacrifice in many ways including in the Garden of Gethsemane:
Matthew 26:39 “My Father, If it be possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.”
-Giving: Our giving should be intentional - Giving God “first fruits”, not the leftovers.
It should be done without grudging or allowing our heart to feel obligation, but rather as a sign of worship.
We are in a battle, we are in a fight. The “good fight of faith” as Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:12.
Are we willing to engage in the battle for the sake of what’s important?
We will guard what we love or value the most.
Will we guard our heart?
Will you value and guard your relationship with God?
Will you value His people?
Will you value His Church?
The enemy wants to fight your faith in many ways, but one of the ways he fights is to fight your identity by doubting and questioning what God says.
Matthew 3: 16-17 God the Father said Jesus brought Him great joy (before He even started His ministry) Just because He was His Son. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
A few verses later in the next chapter: Matthew 4 Jesus in the Wilderness:
The Battle Begins With Your Identity
- In Matthew 3, God said “You’re My beloved Son…” and in Matthew 4, The devil questions it by saying, “IF you are the Son…”
God says: You’re My Son
The devil says: Prove it
The enemy always questions what God already established. He wants us to struggle in our own flesh, instead of knowing WHO we belong to by faith.
We can’t fight from a place of insecurity and not KNOWING who we are in Jesus.
Because we are an heir of Jesus, we have access to all the tools and weapons of our Father.
I Corinthians 16:13 (English Standard Version ESV) “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
It takes courage to go against the flow of what everyone else is doing.
Some people don’t stand firm for nothing.
An old song said:
“Have to stand firm for something or you’ll fall for anything.”
Stand firm in stubbornness? Or stand firm in faith?
1 Samuel 15:23 KJV
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.”
Are we accountable instead of just barking orders of what we think is best?
It’s important that we grow in our faith, which will give us wisdom to do good works!
Showing our FAITH by our WORKS goes hand in hand! One cannot achieve anything by itself.
When Abraham declared his FAITH in God, it was asked of him to obey through his works the fact of being willing to sacrifice his promised son.
He had to not just talk the talk (of faith), but walk out his faith in works. We all know that God ultimately just wanted to see his faithfulness and willingness to obey, and God delivered them from having to make that sacrifice.
Isaiah 29:13 NLT “And so the Lord says, ‘These people say they are mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
How well do we KNOW God in order to truly walk out our faith?
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 9:10 NLT “The fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.”
Proverbs 1:7 NLT “Fear (respect and reverence) of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
Wisdom VS Knowledge
As fathers we can get a Knowledge of what to do as a father….but Wisdom comes from experience, and even more so when our wisdom is learned from our faith in God.
When we get Wisdom from God we receive an experience that changes our view of what God has done for us, AND HOW we are to live our lives!
We are given wisdom from God so that we may KNOW Him better!
We get this Wisdom by being humble and continually asking God for direction and being able to admit our need of Him; sometimes admitting we have never been at this point before and don’t know what to do!
I remember having a conversation with my grown kids and telling them I don’t know how to parent a 30 year old, I have never had to do it before!
I had a knowledge of what to do, but with no experience I had no wisdom as to HOW to do it!
Whether you’re a natural dad or not, you are still called to be a Spiritual Father / Mentor to others.
Psalm 68:5-6 Talks about being like Jesus and be a Father to the fatherless, and a defender of widows, standing as a pillar of spiritual strength and stand in the gap for others.
God has called men to be protectors and defenders…but they also need a faith community of men MORE THAN THEY THINK they do.
It’s sacrificial to rise up and be the Man of God that God is counting on us to be - To be a father (figure) in a spiritual way and call to the greatness in other kids AND EVEN OTHER PEOPLE.
That’s what we’re doing by the little gift we’re handing out to the men today. Although this message applies to ALL of us.
You may have made mistakes, you may have even had a Father make mistakes with you; but the thing is that if we lack wisdom, God said He will give it to us and not hold it back if we seek for it!
James 1:5, 6 NLT “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.”
We get Spiritual Wisdom by our Faith!
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11
We talked about Hope a few weeks ago….Faith and Hope work hand in hand!
When we put our HOPE in the Cross and what is to come ETERNALLY, it builds our Faith and HOW we react and make decisions now as well as in the future!
Faith is more than just wishing for someone and hoping it will come to pass….it is BELIEVING on what is to come without ever seeing the signs that it will take place!…EVIDENCE
As Father and Mothers…even Spiritual parents, we must always have our faith in God regarding our children. Not just our Children but HOW we live our lives!
We are instilling or passing on our Faith by our example….from our experience which equals wisdom.
Find our identity based on being Sons and Daughters of God.
You may not have had the greatest example in life in a Father, but we have God and HIS example to model our lives after.
1 Peter 2:21 NLT “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.”
1 Cor. 11:1 NLT “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
Philippians 3:17 NLT “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.”
Titus 2:7 NLT “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching and faith.”
We may not be able to see how things are going to work out, but by our faith in God, we can know that it will work out!
Romans 8:28 KJV
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
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