"What does it take to really please God?"
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
The only way you can please God is by faith.
What does that really mean? We say we are believers -we believe Him.
Many people may say that they believe Him. What does that really mean?
I want to please Him - I want to have the faith that truly pleases Him.
James gives us the answer – what kind of a faith is God expecting from us?
James tells us 4 things that faith is not – and then he tells us what it is.
WHAT IS REAL FAITH?
James 2:14 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?"
1. Real faith is not just something you SAY
Take note of the word here - "claim". This man claims to have faith…
It cannot just be something you SAY. It cannot be something you just TALK about.
Jesus criticised the religious people in His times - "These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Matt 15:8).
You can say the right things and yet without love for God.
SHOW YOU CARE
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 the midst of the words of pity, one man handed the boy a dollar. Then he turned to the group and said, "I care a dollar worth. How much do the rest of you care?"
James tells out that words don’t mean much if we have the ability to do more.
Real faith is not just something you SAY…
James 2:15-16 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?
2. Real faith is not just something you FEEL
You may feel sorry for those who do not know Jesus.
You may feel sad for those who are struggling in this world of pain and suffering…
You may sympathise with those who are poor and sick, but what good is it?
Sometimes we confuse emotions and feelings with faith. We thought God will be happy as long as there is this feeling of sympathy for others. “If I feel for those who are lost without Christ, God is happy.”
James says, you feel sad for them, but “does nothing about it, what good is it?”
Real faith is not just something you FEEL…
James 2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
3. Real faith is not just something you THINK
Some people think of faith as a philosophy – I choose to believe in this, you believe in that. It is something up in the mind; a belief in certain facts and knowledge.
In order words, you can have it and do nothing about it.
• You can believe in God and yet live anyway you like.
• You can believe in the Bible, and not do what God says.
• You can believe that smoking kills, and yet continue to smoke.
But real faith is not just something you THINK about…
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.
4. Real faith is not just something you BELIEVE
A lot of people have strong beliefs about Jesus Christ, strong beliefs about God, strong beliefs about the Bible. We sometimes here people says, “I believe in this… I believe in that…”
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.
He probably knows Him more than you – because he shudders when he knows about God.
The Christian faith is not about saying… feeling… thinking… believing…
These are not enough. Jesus did not come to give us a set of doctrines. He came to give us a new life. So? We are expected to LIVE it!
James 2:20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
5. REAL FAITH IS SOMETHING YOU DO
The words that James uses are “deeds” (v.14), “action” (v.17), “what I do” (v.19).
James 2:18 Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
Our faith can BE SEEN. It can be displayed for the world to see.
It is not on paper. It is living! I can let the world SEE my faith!
D. L. Moody says, “We have the love of God in our hearts. We don’t have to go up and down the earth to proclaim it (don’t need to TELL)… We will show it in everything we do.”
Hebrews 11 tells us that the men & women of God in the past were able to accomplish God’s purposes because they act in faith.
If I believe God hears me – then I must spend time praying!
If I believe God cares – then I must visit people who are hurting and help them!
If I believe Jesus is our only Saviour – then I must find ways to bring my friends to church!
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Ephesians 2:8-10.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The Bible says that you have a ministry if you’re a Christian. Something you need to do.
You are to serve God by serving other people. God has prepared in advance for you to do.
God’s work is going to be done through you and me. True believers are workers.
If you claim to have faith and no deeds, it’s useless. Nothing will be achieved.
Remember the words of Jesus… Matt 25:35-40
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 "The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
ROWING THE BOAT
A Sunday School teacher brought his students to the lake, wanting to teach them a lesson on faith. They got into a rowboat and the teacher began to row the boat across the lake.
He had painted the word "Faith" on one of the oars of his rowboat and "Works" on the other. When they got to the middle of the lake, he stopped and began to row with only the one oar marked "faith," he caused the boat to go in circles to the left.
Reversing the process, he pulled on the other oar marked "works," and they circled in the opposite direction.
By this time the bewildered students were waiting for an explanation. He concluded, "You see, neither faith nor works can stand alone. They are twins that cannot be separated!" (James 2:20)
But when we “feed the hungry, help the poor, reach out to the dying, serve one another, do something for God’s church”, then we’ll see His purpose being fulfilled and His work done.
We can prove our faith by our commitment to doing God’s will and in no other way. (Tozer)
Jesus: “I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) What have you given up for the Body of Christ, for others?
A VISIT TO THE BATHROOM
While serving with Operation Mobilization in India in 1967, tuberculosis forced me into a hospital for several months. I did not yet speak the language, but I tried to give Christian literature written in their language to the patients, doctors, and nurses. Everyone politely refused. I sensed many weren’t happy about a rich American (to them all Americans are rich) being in a free, government-run hospital. (They didn’t know I was just as broke as they were!)
The first few nights I woke around 2.00am coughing. One morning during my coughing spell, I noticed one of the older and sicker patients across the aisle trying to get out of bed. He would sit up on the edge of the bed and try to stand, but in weakness would fall back into bed. I didn’t understand what he was trying to do. He finally fell back into bed exhausted. I heard him crying softly.
The next morning I realized what the man had been trying to do. He had been trying to get up and walk to the bathroom! The stench in our ward was awful. Other patients yelled insults at the man. Angry nurses moved him roughly from side to side as they cleaned up the mess. One nurse even slapped him. The old man curled into a ball and wept. The next night I again woke up coughing. I noticed the man across the aisle sit up and again try to stand. Like the night before, he fell back whimpering.
I don’t like bad smells, and I didn’t want to become involved, but I got out of bed and went over to him. When I touched his shoulder, his eyes opened wide with fear. I smiled, put my arms under him, and picked him up. He was very light due to old age and advanced TB. I carried him to the washroom, which was just a filthy, small room with a hole in the floor. I stood behind him with my arms under his armpits as he took care of himself. After he finished, I picked him up, and carried him back to his bed. As I laid him down, he kissed me on the cheek, smiled, and said something I couldn’t understand.
The next morning another patient woke me and handed me a steaming cup of tea. He motioned with his hands that he wanted a tract. As the sun rose, other patients approached and indicated they also wanted the booklets I had tried to distribute before. Throughout the day nurses, interns, and doctors asked for literature.
Weeks later an evangelist who spoke the language visited me, and as he talked to others he discovered that several had put their trust in Christ as Savior as a result of reading the literature. What did it take to reach these people with the gospel? It wasn’t health, the ability to speak their language, or a persuasive talk. I simply took a trip to the bathroom.
...Doug Nichols, Bothell, Washington. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 2.
CAN I SEE YOUR FAITH TODAY?
Conclusion:
Maybe for some of us, we have not trusted Jesus yet. You need to settle that issue.
You need to put your faith in Jesus. He is your only Saviour and Lord. Make that commitment, and then you’ll experience a new life – a new desire to live for Him.
Bros/sis-in-Christ, what about you? What are we going to do? You can say, "Oh, I heard it. And I thought about it. And I felt it. And I believed it.” But that’s not enough.
You need to ask God, "What’s the next step in my life?
- For some, we need to decide to be baptised.
- Others, we need to be involved in a ministry – in some kind of work that I can do to bless others.
- Some of us may need to reach out to people outside – in your workplace or schools.
