Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
The Works of Faith
6/10/01
James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
James 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
James 2:16 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?
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
In the church world of today there isn’t much said about works except to try to downplay their importance in the plan of salvation. We often hear the words, “not by works lest any man should boast” quoted from the scripture and justly so. For our works do not carry with them an ability to purchase our salvation. But these words should never be quoted in an effort to justify those who are idle in the church. I believe that James is telling us that works are as essential to a healthy Christian life as oxygen is to the natural body.
What kind of a church would we be without works?
How could we show the love of Jesus to other people without works?
How can the gospel be preached to a lost and dying world without works?
The question is asked: how can justification take place without the works of the law, even though James says: "Faith without works is dead"?
In answer, Paul distinguishes between the law and faith, the letter and grace.
The ’works of the law’ are works done without faith and grace, by the law, which forces them to be done through fear or the enticing promise of temporal advantages.
But ’works of faith’ are those done in the spirit of liberty, purely out of love to God, and they can be done only by those who are justified by faith. Paul does not say that faith is without its characteristic works, but that it justifies without the works of the law.
Therefore justification does not require the works of the law; but it does require a living faith, which performs its work.
I want to try to present to you a picture of a life that is filled with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and how works prove that faith is alive!
Just this past week we have had a great opportunity to prove that Jesus lives within each of us and that our faith is strong and alive. I was so proud to see the church pull together and work tirelessly at putting together a Vacation Bible School for children. There were 20 kids who came, some of which may have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel or learn about stories from the Bible. We take for granted that our kids have heard these stories and yet, I see more and more that our children, even those raised in church, don’t know these simple stories.
These kids were taught that God can deliver them and that God will be faithful in every fiery trial through the deliverance of Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego from the fiery furnace. They were taught that Jesus is the source of their salvation and that He came to rescue man from his sinful condition through the stories of E.R. the Rescue Dog and the firefighters and puppet shows. Perhaps some of these kids were too young to grasp the full meaning of the truths presented but they will grow up and remember the stories they heard and then the meanings will come.
To a lot of people in the church world, this may have seemed like a lot of work and expense to reach so few kids but what value can we place on a single youngster that is touched and changed. That’s the real test of how well we are doing as teachers and ministers – HAVE WE SEEN A CHANGE IN THOSE TO WHOM WE ARE MINISTERING OR TEACHING?
The hard work, preparation, study and commitment to teaching and preaching are works and those works prove the strength of our faith in God and His power to save.
While it is true that not every teacher spends the same amount of time in preparation and study, if you are going to be effective there has to be a time of preparation. We cannot expect to walk into a classroom without ever having spent time in study of the lesson and expect to make a difference in the life of our students.
I might add that any minister or teacher who walks into a classroom or a church service without having spent time in prayer seeking the will of God for those that they will minister to and asking God for wisdom, guidance and the anointing to bring forth what God wants to be brought forth, is not fit to be called a preacher or a teach or a minister.
None of us, no matter how much or how little experience we have, or how knowledgeable or ignorant we are, can walk into a time of ministry before the people of God and expect to be eloquent and anointed without having first done our preparation.
Personally, I don’t think that you can effectively teach or preach without having spent at least double the time of your sermon or class in preparation for that sermon or class. And I might add that this is a bare minimum for most of the time real preparation requires much more time than the actual presentation.
This week, there were many hours spent in preparation for VBS. Some of you spent a few hours while others spent every night, or at least several nights this week, and some of you spent days and nights planning, gluing, painting, drawing, studying, and doing whatever it took to make sure that this VBS was as good and better than any other. Because of your hard work, the school was a great success and I want to commend you this morning. (Recognize the VBS leaders and workers)
I also want to let you know that not one minute of all of the labor and planning that was committed to the VBS will earn you one instant of salvation. Your salvation is still through grace and by faith in the Blood of the Lamb. But, your unwavering love for kids, and your great commitment to getting the job of ministry done to the best of your ability are absolute proofs of your faith in Christ and in His salvation.
Through your works, this very week, you have proven your faith and the fact of your salvation in Christ.
This has been a great week of ministry to the kids, but in this VBS, as in all occasions of work in the ministry, there are three kinds of workers. Those who push the work through with all their might, those who get out front attempting to lead and pull some of the weight and those who catch the work that others leave behind.
For example, when a piano is to be moved, the first kind gets behind and pushes, the second pulls and guides, and the third grabs the piano stool.
There were those who jumped into the work with both feet and put everything they had into it, there were those who were very quick to lend a hand at anything that needed to be done and there were those who stood by and watched and then saw a job that needed to be done and did it when no one else saw. Thank God for all of you. Thank God for your faithfulness and your living faith.
I know this morning that you did what you did because you love Jesus and you love people. I know it wasn’t because you didn’t have anything else to do.
For those of you who did not get involved, I know that sometimes circumstances limit what you are able to do but here is a little illustration that I read that you might think about:
The sign in the store window read: NO HELP WANTED. As two men passed by, one said to the other, "You should apply--you’d be great."
I am being both serious and facetious at the same time. If your reasons for not being involved are good enough to stand as acceptable when you stand before the Bema (Judgment Seat of Christ) then I too can accept your reasons.
If your reasons won’t stand at the Bema then I must question your faith, whether it is living or dead! I know that’s hard but I don’t want anyone to have dead faith. The life of your faith is shown only in the works that you do for Christ and no other way.
We can talk faith, confess our love for Jesus, claim salvation all we want, but unless there are works to prove that faith, then our claims are on shaky and sinking ground.
I know that there are a few teenagers in our church today who have not known the Lord as their Savior for very long and yet they have shown greater faith, greater love for Jesus and greater examples of their salvation than many in the church who have claimed to love Jesus for many years.
Their works for Christ in ministry this week has proven their faith while those of any church, not just Victory Temple, who have sat home watching TV and not getting involved in ministry have proved their dead faith.
There is always so much work to be done that none of us have the luxury of taking a lot of time just to waste in leisure activity! How much do we love Jesus? We love Him just as much as we are involved in His work!
A young boy, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry. A few people gathered to see if he was OK and to tell him how sorry they were. In works of pity, one man handed the boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, "I care 25 cents worth. How much do the rest of you care?" James 2:16 points out that words don’t mean much if we have the ability to do more.
The question to each of us this morning is HOW MUCH DO WE REALLY CARE?
Many have proven the limits of their care this very week. There are several projects on the Schedule of Activities being planned already for the next several months. How much will we care for those activities and for those times of ministry? Will we prove our faith once again by putting the full weight of our ability behind those projects, will we let someone else bear the heaviest load while we give second best and pull the load that they are pushing, or will we give just enough to say we helped by picking up the work that others seem to miss?
It doesn’t matter if it’s a Children’s Church, Nursery, Work Day, Youth Ministry, Young Adult or Adult ministry, we should all get in there and do our best to make the ministry the best it can be. I know that some projects require far less work and planning than others but let’s make sure that every one is done to the best of our ability that God may be glorified and the ministry to people is effective.
In closing, let me say that I am so very proud of those who have proven their faith, not just this week in VBS but every week, since the foundation of Victory Temple. Your faith is truly alive! I can see your living faith by the works that you have performed.
Let’s keep that faith alive! Let’s continue to put our shoulder to the wheel, nose to the grindstone, hands to the load and feet to the floor. I know that is an uncomfortable and inconvenient position to be in, but that’s how ministry works and that’s how we show that our faith is strong and alive.
I was so blessed this week when one of the workers at VBS came to me and said, “I can’t stand to come to church and not be involved. I have to be doing something useful.” That is a sign of a Christian that really loves God, loves people and has living faith.
Paul said, “…by my works, I will show you my faith”. That’s what you have done. That’s what we all must continue to do.
Is your faith living today? Are you involved in the works of ministry?
Allow your faith to come alive. Prove your faith through your work. Get involved, stay involved and your life will be the most fulfilling and rewarding life possible.
You will be able to stand before the Bema and hear Jesus say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joys of your Lord.”
When you hear those words, all the works that have proven your living faith will be rewarded. You may not receive the recognition you deserve or want in this life but that reward will make it all worthwhile.
Prove your faith is alive – do the works of God who has called you!
The time is short and we must be about our Father’s business!
