Romans 1:8-17
Getting on the same page as God about:
Putting Faith in Action
Introduction
A. You may have seen today’s sermon title and thought faith in action no problem
B. This one I can sleep though
C. I do that, I have faith, I am moving, no problem
D. If that is what you are thinking, your not alone
E. That is what I said when I first looked over the passage
F. I thought I had this whole faith thing under control
G. I didn’t, when I was working on this sermon God was working on me
H. I had to confess a lot of things
I. I realized I was not on the same Page as God about putting my faith in action
J. I hope that you will open your hearts and let God speak to you today about passage
K. I have broken this portion of Paul letter to the Romans into five sections
a. Praise
b. Prayer
c. Persistence
d. Pursuit
e. Power
L. We are going to what these five sections teach us about putting our faith in action
I. Praise (8)
A. Explanation
1. Vs. 8 is very fascinating to me
2. Remembering the fact that Paul at the point of this writing did not know the Romans
3. But yet he still thanks God for their faith that has been reported
4. While it is true that Paul was never there, I am sure that he ran into people who had been there
5. Being that Paul had this great desire to go to Rome He probably would take every opportunity that he had to talk to someone who was in Rome or who had a relatives in Rome
6. He would ask them what the Church was like
7. More then likely most everyone that Paul talk to gave a favorable report about Roman Church
8. Because of these reports that kept flowing in, Paul does something so simple, but yet powerful
9. He Praises God for what is happening
B. Application
1. Now you might be sitting there and saying if we are talking about Faith what does praise have to do with faith
2. See Paul single was a great Church planter, everywhere he went he planted churches
3. There were a lot of churches out there that would consider Paul their founding Pastor
4. But not the Church of Rome. Paul was not involved in that
5. However, Paul had faith!
6. The faith in the God be powerful enough to plant His Church without using Paul
7. Putting your faith in action is not saying that you have to be the one to do everything
8. To Put faith into action requires trust in the Lord
9. Trust In the Lord that God is all powerful and can accomplish his task
10. You can talk and talk about having faith, but until your willing to let God work His plan out, with or hear is the hard one without you, you do not have faith
C. Illustration
1. There was a young lady who was studying to become a Missionary in India. She felt a call to the mission field at a very young age, and had been preparing for it ever since. When she was in College she received a phone call that her only sister and brother in law were in a car wreck and both died, leaving behind 3 children. She was the only one that was able to care for the kids. So she dropped out of school, got a job, and became a mom. She often asked God, why? Why when you wanted me in India did you let this happen? Why Lord? Well she faithfully did her job raising those precious children. The one day as she was sitting in her rocking chair thinking about India the oldest child came up to her and said, “I think God wants me to go to India as a Missionary” she cried, Here God was letting her raise this kid called to India. She was happy. About two years latter the middle child told her the same things. Two years after that the youngest said that same things
2. All three ended up in India as Missionaries
3. That is putting your faith in action. She never lost focus on God
4. That is faith in action, and that is God showing his faithfulness, AMEN!?
II. Prayer (9-10)
A. Explanation
1. Do you ever wonder what a man of faith is like; a man who puts faith in action is like?
2. Well lets look at vs. 9 and 10 notice what Paul says
3. First thing he does is tells us that he is under the power of Christ
4. That Christ is in control of him
5. Then after that Paul makes it sure that we know he is telling us the truth by letting the Romans know that he is calling God to be his witness
6. Knowing that God cannot lie, that is a credible witness to have
7. Then what he says next is a pattern for prayer
8. I constantly remember you in my prayer at all times
9. Paul has never stopped praying for them, wow
10. Paul has been desiring and desiring to go to Rome forever. He is also constantly asking God to get him there.
B. Application
1. There is faith in action in these two verses lets apply them to our lives
2. To put faith in action we have to submit, I know we don’t like that word but we have to submit, to God. To make him the head of our lives, supreme ruler of our lives, the boss, the man in charge, the ceo… total head of our lives
3. To put faith in action we have to be truthful.
4. Paul uses God as his witness that he has been praying for them
5. To often we say that we are praying for someone and we don’t, I know I do it.
6. To put faith in action we have to be truthful, we have to be willing to let God be our witness, knowing that he does not lie ever
7. To put faith in action we have to be willing to pray for something constantly
8. Now just for a week not for two weeks, but as long as it takes, not getting discouraged and quitting, but rather when we are discouraged praying more
9. To put faith in action we need to pursue Godly desires
C. Illustration
1. I have wanted to go to Africa all my life. Then in college I had the privilege of sharing an Apartment with Barnabas. After spending a year with that wonderful man of God, I have narrowed my desire down to wanting to go to Nigeria (Barnabas home)
2. God has not opened that door as of yet, will he some day? I don’t know.
3. But I am putting my faith in action and praying as Paul prayed now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to Nigeria
III. Persistence (11-13)
A. Explanation
1. We often read the bible with little emotion and feeling.
2. The men that God used to write the His word had passion.
3. When we look at verses 11-13 I can feel Paul’s emotions
4. He is at one hand has a huge desire to be there, he wants it so bad
5. He is also frustrated to a point that he has not got there yet
6. He is also actions to get there, wanting so bad just to be with them
7. To encourage them as he would be encourage
8. His love for the Romans is unquestionable
9. I am sure there were days Paul wanted to say forget it, I will never make it
10. But he hung in there
B. Application
1. Putting your faith in action require persistence
2. Anyone can put their faith in action when life is easy
3. Anyone can put their faith in action when everything is going their way
4. Anyone can put their faith in action when they have what ever they want
5. But what happens when it get tough
6. What happens when things don’t go your way
7. What happens when you don’t get what you want
8. Where does the faith go?
9. Persistence folk, Imagine if we were to put our faith in God and trust no matter what that God will do what he said he will do
10. That God is faithful to complete what he started
C. Illustration
1. There are many times when we look at something successful and we think, I wish we could do that. Take the single Parents resident facility at the Lighthouse. It is now 98% done, it is by far the best looking building in the whole community that it is
2. It took an amazing act of God to pull it off
3. I am sure there are many people out there who will say something like “I wish God would do something that amazing in my life”
4. If you knew that whole story, you might not make that statement. If you knew it took 10 years to build, if you knew all the bumps in the road. If you knew all the failed attempts, all the setbacks, all the delays, you might not make that statement
5. To put faith in action you have to be persistence, not quit when things are rough, to hang in there and pray and trust God
6. And you to can have the nicest building for Homeless Families All because of the Greatness of God!
IV. Pursuit (14-15)
A. Explanation
1. Paul lived in a day were racism, class distinction were ramped
2. It was a huge issue back then
3. Paul, being once a Pharisee, would be one of the least likely candidates to be willing to cross these color and class lines
4. Put that is what Paul did
5. Paul realized something
6. Paul realized that God forgave him
7. Paul, the chief of sinners, as he called himself, was forgiven
8. If God’s forgiveness was good enough for Paul
9. It is good enough for anyone
10. Therefore Paul went and found the people who needed salvation
B. Application
1. To put faith in action we need to realize we are not better the anyone else
2. To put faith in action we need to realize that God is willing to forgive us, and is willing to forgive anyone
3. Putting faith in action is not sitting back singing people need the Lord
4. Putting faith in action is pursing those people who need the Lord
5. I like the word pursing here, by definition pursuit means to keep going until we get them
C. Illustration
1. When a cop is in pursuit of a stolen vehicle he does not quit, he does not say ok I see him, he does say pull over and if the driver refuses to lets him Go
2. No, a cop hangs in their pursuit that person until He gets him
3. To put faith in action we need to pursuit those who need the Lord
4. Not sing about it, not just agree that they need the Lord
5. Pursuit them.
6. Not giving up, not just quitting because that don’t pull over right away
7. Pursuing them until they are not the ones we are singing about
8. That is faith in action
V. Power (16-17)
A. Illustration
1. Before a big football game, you will have the leaders of the team, maybe the coach, get everyone together, and pump there fellow teammates up. Get them ready to go out there and win the game
2. Well the Paul gets us all together and gets us pumped up in verses 16 and 17 (Read them)
B. Explanation
1. Paul is exited folks he is ready to Go
2. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel, you would think that he would worry about his Pharisee friends making fun of him
3. That he would shy away from admitting his Faith in the Gospel
4. No, no, no, Paul is not ashamed, he want to tell everyone about it,
5. Why, Because it is the Power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes
6. He tried to find salvation through following the Law
7. But he never did, the Experience he had on the road to Damascus
8. He discovered the Power of God
9. He discovered it is possible to be righteous in Gods sight
10. Something that is impossible for a sinful man
C. Application
1. Why are we able to put faith in action?
2. Because we have the Power of God for salvation
3. Without this, putting faith in action is impossible
4. Without this their wouldn’t even be any faith to put in action
5. We have power
6. We can put our faith in action
7. We know that God will be with us
8. We know that we can go out their and have the Victory
9. Now go out there and act like you mean it
10. Go out their and show that your faith that your are putting in action has Power
Conclusion
A. Imagine with me for a couple of moments
B. Imagine if we were to live in a constant state of putting our faith in action
a. Imagine if we realized allowed God to get the credit instead of worrying what Credit we would get
b. Imagine if we were praying like Paul did constantly!
c. Imagine if we followed God with great Persistence
d. Imagine if we kept pursuing those who needed the Lord
e. Imagine if we lived life knowing that we have the power
C. Imagine what that would be like
a. Imagine what the how much the Gospel could be advanced
b. Imagine how our prayers would be answered, we would have two sheets of praises ever week
c. Imagine what task would actually get done because of our persistence
d. Imagine our friends who would find God if we keep perusing them
e. Imagine the power we can live with
D. Is your faith in action?
E. Have you not been putting your faith in action, you are at red light
F. Have you been putting your faith in action equivalent to a yellow light
G. What will it take to put your faith in action to a green light equivalent?
H. If you need to deal with God I invite you to do so now,
I. It time, it time we get on the same page as God, and Put our faith in action
