[0:00] Please take your Bibles and turn to James chapter 2. James chapter 2.
[0:15] We're going to read verses 14 through 26.! What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?
[0:37] Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 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?
[0:55] In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith, I have deeds.
[1:08] Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good. Even the demons believe that and shudder.
[1:21] You foolish man. Do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
[1:37] You see that his faith and his actions were working together. And his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
[1:55] And he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does, and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab, the prostitute, considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?
[2:17] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Good morning.
[2:28] So good to see all of you and some guests as well. We're in the midst of a study on four graces of the Christian life, and it's been some time since we've had our quiz, so I'm going to quiz the congregation this morning.
[2:41] And I'll explain what it is that the grace does, and you will tell me what grace it is, okay? What is the great receiver? What is the great motivator?
[2:55] What is the great giver? And the great emptier? How'd we do, Charlie? I think we got him.
[3:07] Faith, the great receiver. That's what we've been studying, and we're still on this morning. And it is the great receiver because it receives Jesus Christ and the full salvation that is found in Christ.
[3:23] Now, we've been filling out what all faith does and receives. So if we could have the second slide. What we've seen so far is that faith unites us to Christ.
[3:37] It purifies the heart. It overcomes the world. It sees the unseen. It pleases the Lord. And now this morning we'll see that faith works by love.
[3:52] Faith works by love. Just three points today. The first, all real faith works. Wherever you find genuine faith, you'll find that it's a working faith.
[4:08] It's doing something. When Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica, those who had faith there, he thanks God for them and says, We continually remember before our God and Father your work of faith.
[4:24] Paul's saying, when we think about you as we're in prayer for you, we can't help thinking about what faith has done in your lives.
[4:35] What it's produced in you. And you can read the rest of chapter one or the whole book to find out what faith had done. Faith had turned them from their idols to the living God.
[4:47] To actually serve him instead of themselves and their idols and to wait for his son from heaven. Even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath that is coming.
[4:59] Faith had done that. Faith had made them imitators of Paul and of the Lord Jesus himself such that they were a model. An example for other Christians to follow in that whole region of Achaia.
[5:16] You see, these were just some of their works of faith. But faith was active. It was working in their lives. And the Thessalonians were not some exception.
[5:28] Even exceptionary believers, faithers, know all real faith works. Now, this is so important for us to get right.
[5:41] What it means is that not all faith is real saving faith. And that needs to be said clearly in our day.
[5:52] It needed to be said in the first century. And it really needs to be said today. There is a faith that does not save, in other words. And the difference between the two is the difference between heaven and hell forever.
[6:10] You see, this is an important issue. Not any old faith will do. You didn't choose a wife that way. You don't even buy a car that way. You don't choose a doctor that way.
[6:22] And when it comes to your eternal destiny, you don't just say, well, any old faith will do. No. It must be genuine saving faith.
[6:37] So you say, well, what marks out a faith that saves and one that doesn't? That's a good question. And nobody answers it more clearly than James does in the scripture reading that we had this morning.
[6:50] Chapter two. And I invite you to turn there. Verses 14 to the end of the chapter. If we could boil down these verses in James chapter two, the summary of what James is saying is this.
[7:04] All real faith works. Whether in Thessalonica, whether in Corinth, Ephesus, Colossae, Jerusalem or Bremen, all faith works.
[7:15] Whether in Jewish believers or in pagan Gentiles, black, red and yellow, black and white doesn't matter. If it's real faith, it works.
[7:30] It does something. Now, notice how he begins his argument in verse 14 of James two. What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds, no works?
[7:43] The same word deeds works. Can such faith save him? So you understand the issue. There's a man and he'll tell you he has faith. He believes in God.
[7:54] He believes in Christ. He believes in the cross. The empty tomb. But his faith does not produce the works of faith. The deeds and actions of obedience to God's commandments.
[8:08] So the real question is, and it's not just the question I'm asking, but that the spirit of God is asking through James. Can such faith.
[8:20] Can that kind of faith. That that profession of faith without works. Can such faith save him? And the answer is clear for the rest of the chapter.
[8:34] No. No, not at all. A faith without works will not save you. Notice how he proceeds with his argument.
[8:44] Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. Here's a really poor and needy person. And you say to him, go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed, but does nothing.
[8:58] Do you see that? Works nothing, does nothing about his physical needs. What good is it? Well, the answer is obvious. None at all.
[9:08] That that person is no better at all for having met you. He's still as hungry and as cold. Since you did nothing for him. Conclusion.
[9:20] Verse 17. In the same way. Faith by itself. If it is not accompanied by actions. Is dead. Faith by itself.
[9:35] If it's not accompanied by actions. Is dead. And what good is a dead faith? No, all real faith is living.
[9:46] It's active. It's working. It's doing. Now, you've got a goldfish at home, kids. And you've been feeding it. And then one morning you wake up and you find your little gill upside down.
[9:59] Belly up. Floating on the top of your aquaria. So you call mom in. And mom looks it over. And you watch it all day long.
[10:11] And there's no action. No action. No action. No deeds that fish normally make. Of swimming around and eating and kissing the side of the glass aquarium.
[10:25] None of that at all. And finally, when dad comes home in the evening. He examines Gil. And he concludes Gil is dead. Well, how do you know, daddy?
[10:37] No action. There's no action here. There's no life here. And that shows him to be dead. In the same way, faith by itself, if it's not accompanied by actions, is dead.
[10:53] If it's just talk. If it's just professed faith. Claimed faith. I have faith. Faith in the facts of the Bible. But not working faith.
[11:06] Not giving faith. Not obeying faith. Then it's a dead faith. And as he closes out his argument at the end of the chapter, he says again, As the body without the spirit is dead, even so, faith without deeds is dead.
[11:26] For all real faith works, it's an active, living, doing thing. So, not only is faith without works dead, James goes on to say it's useless.
[11:38] Verse 20, you foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Remember, the question is, what good is it? Well, it's good for nothing.
[11:49] It's no good to others and it's no good to yourself. It will not do what you need to have done and that is to be saved. It will not save you. It is useless.
[12:00] You see, that's the million dollar question that James is asking and every one of us must ask. Can such faith save him? It's all about salvation.
[12:12] And the point is no. And therefore, since a dead faith does not save, it's useless for such a purpose. It's only a living faith that saves.
[12:25] It's not only dead and useless. James goes on to say it's demon-like faith. Verse 19. So, you believe there's one God. Good.
[12:37] And this is tongue-in-cheek. Good. Good for you. Good for you. Good for you. Good for you. Even the demons believe that and shudder. Did you know the demons are not atheists?
[12:49] They're the most believing that there's a God than anybody. Everybody. Just notice them when Jesus meets them.
[12:59] And they know all about who Jesus is. And his Father in heaven. And a coming day of judgment. They know. They believe. They are orthodox in their belief.
[13:11] They're monotheists. They believe there's only one God. That all the other gods of the nations that people are bowing down to are imaginary gods. The demons believe that.
[13:25] But their faith does not change their lives. It's not producing good works in them. Not at all. They remain the same in opposition to Jesus Christ.
[13:35] Christ. So. Does their faith without work save them? The answer is clear. No. And neither will it save you. James is saying.
[13:47] Now why do we need to. Lift this passage up and preach it today. Well because many today claim to be Christians. Because after all they're not atheists.
[13:57] Especially people in the West. In the United States. They would say. Sure I'm a Christian. I'm not an atheist. I believe in God. I believe in. The Father. The Son.
[14:07] And the Holy Spirit. The Blessed Trinity. I believe in. That Jesus died on the cross. He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven.
[14:18] He's coming back again. To judge. The living and the dead. I believe that salvation is by faith alone. Not by works. James is saying. James is saying.
[14:34] You can believe all that. And still have a faith that doesn't work. You're just believing. Facts. In the Bible. Any good student.
[14:45] In seminary. Or Bible school. Can. Oh I see. And. And say yes. I believe that. I believe that. But it's not just mental agreement. With Bible facts.
[14:56] That is the same as. Saving faith. If it's a faith without works. It's a faith that is dead. Useless. And no better than the demons.
[15:08] Faith. So what is James telling us. Just this. That if you have a faith in Jesus Christ. That receives him. As your Lord and Savior.
[15:20] That puts all of your weight upon him alone. To save you. From your sins. Then that faith. Unites you to Christ. And that faith.
[15:31] Will get to work in your life. And reorganize. And shape. Your life. Because all saving faith works. It will be active.
[15:46] Doing things. Alive. Not dead. And it won't be alone. But will be accompanied. With deeds of obedience. Love.
[15:57] And service to Christ. For all real faith works. And James goes on then to illustrate that in the life of Abraham. The father of the Jewish. People.
[16:08] And then he does it. In Rahab. A pagan. Canaanite. Immoral woman. Who came to faith. And he shows how that in both cases. Jew and Gentile.
[16:20] Their faith was not alone. It produced actions. It was accompanied with good works. Proving it was real. Genuine. Saving. Faith. Well.
[16:31] Faith then. Is not a. A dead theory. That does nothing. It's a living. Active. Powerful.
[16:43] Shaping. Principle. It's. Something that does things.
[16:54] I mean. Just. Just look at some of the things faith does. And tell me if it's not active. It unites us to Christ. It marries us to him.
[17:05] So. Once we're married to him. Nothing's the same. OK. Faith does that. It purifies the heart. Real faith.
[17:15] It gets to work scrubbing. On our sinful hearts. Sanctifies us from the inside out. it overcomes the world faith and this is not just some super christians this is all faith all faith overcomes the world every believer is an overcomer read revelation you'll see it eight times every believer all with faith are overcomers who by face powerful influence upon them refuse to be carried along by the stream of this world and conformed and squeezed into its mold in its way of thinking and valuing things and prioritizing life no no faith overcomes the world faith sees the unseen wherever you have faith there is a there's this enlightening whereby we are able to see unseen things faith makes the unseen world so real that it changes the way we live faith pleases the lord because faith always redirects the life from one of pleasing self to pleasing our lord and master jesus christ and it works by love it expresses itself by love for god and for neighbor and not just in word but in deed and in truth so faith is a living active powerful principle at work in our lives in our hearts it does things or or think about hebrews chapter 11 the the the faith chapter we're told at the end of chapter 10 the righteous live by their faith and and what is faith it begins well faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see so well what kind of things does faith do what does it do in the lives of people who have it and 22 times we're told in chapter 11 of things that faith did by faith they did this they did that and what we see is that faith causes people to do things that they otherwise would never do without faith faith uh causes a man to search out the commandments of god to find out what pleases the lord and to do that rather than what pleases himself that's that was our challenge last week to read the word of god to find out what pleases that's the new goal you see that faith establishes in the heart of the christian and that's what enoch did by faith by faith he pleased god faith moves people to obey difficult commands even sacrificing uh their own plans scrapping their plans for their lives in order to embrace god's plan for their life faith does that like like noah when he's told to build an ark that's so big he can't find water to float it in would he have ever done that without faith no that's what faith does you see face action face work is to to cause us to do things we otherwise wouldn't do like abraham who left the comforts of home and took up a gypsy lifestyle of living in tents and just moving around from place to place just because god had told him i'll lead you to a place a promised land home and he spent his life in tents they never never did he settle in a home because he was looking for a city whose builder and maker is god you see who would ever do that you ready to pack up this afternoon and leave just
[21:18] because god told you to you wouldn't without faith by faith abraham left home not knowing where he was going faith will make you willing to sacrifice things as dear as isaac was to abraham the unique son of his love of his old age and hey what what caused moses to give up the ease and luxury of palace life in order to join the mistreated and enslaved people of god to trade in uh what were immediate gratifications of sinful desires for an unseen future reward he'd never done that if faith did not make real those unseen future rewards faith made the israelites march around the city of jericho seven times in the full expectation that on the seventh time when they all shouted the walls would collapse and they would go in and take the the city never would have done that without faith walk through the red sea with it standing up as walls on either side of them faith made a canaanite prostitute rahab to welcome enemy spies and to hide them and to help them to get away from her own people faith made a teenager david to fight a philistine giant warrior with just a slingshot faith did that he never would have done that without faith makes a shadrach meshach and abednego willing to go into the fiery furnace rather than to bow down to an idol it made isaiah willing to be sawn in two in order to remain true to the lord you see it was faith that made these people do things that they otherwise never would do and it's the same with you believer faith is making you do things you otherwise would never do like deny yourself like take up your cross the instrument of death to self and follow jesus no matter what you'd never have done that without faith you'd never still be following hard after jesus without faith faith is no inactive thing that that we dust off and take to church once a week on sundays it's a powerful life shaping principle the ruling principle of our lives all week long and it supernaturally works to reorganize the whole of our lives in obedience to god faith never leaves us as it finds us it works in us to change us so challenge for today sit down and think what are you doing that without faith you would not be doing what difference is faith making in your life and i don't think you'll have to think long before you'll see faith's power at work in your lives faith but you are doing things you're saying things and not saying things because of your faith you're doing certain things and not doing other things you're you're thinking some things and not other things just because of the power of faith it's influencing your mind your desires your will your practices your habits your lifestyle that's the power of faith moving you to do what you otherwise wouldn't do just because god says so and god has become so real to you by faith that it doesn't let you live the way you used to live doesn't let you live as if there is no god which is the way the world around us is living they can do that but you can't
[25:21] because you believe he exists and that is such a reality in your life and who he is and what he says is it carries such weight in your because of faith that it's working in you now that's not to say that there aren't times when our faith sleeps and the lord must come to me and say john where was your faith in that oh you of little faith but i'm talking about the overall lifestyle of the one with faith you will see the difference that faith makes because all real faith works two weeks ago at prayer meeting our brother who works in a funeral home shared his burden with us as he often meets with the families of the deceased and and here's what they say about their departed loved ones and recently it was said of the deceased well he was a christian just not a practicing one and that statement grieved our brother as he said it reflects so much of what he hears about the deceased the claims of salvation when there was no life of practical biblical christianity it was faith without works now i'm not sure what all was meant by not a practicing christian but be sure of this no one is a true christian that is not a practicing christian and that is true because real faith always works wherever it's found it rolls up its sleeves and goes to work in the person's mind affections will lifestyle it really changes things it's a working thing and it works down in the nitty-gritty of our personal private lives and in our relationships with others it makes a difference there which is to say if you don't have a faith that works it's not working a new obedience a gospel obedience to jesus christ and his commandments then you don't have a saving faith i would just urge you not to rest in such a useless thing if it's dead ditch it there is the real thing there's the real thing that saves and i know many of you have had testimonies and i've heard you testify that you thought you were saved but there was no power to purify the heart to overcome the world to see things unseen to please the lord and to work by love and the lord finally opened your eyes to show you i've got the kind of faith that james was talking about it's dead it's useless it's the same kind the demons have and you repented of that and you sought the lord and threw yourself upon him and what did you find you find that he's delighted to receive you he rejoices to save you as he always does for any who come to him by faith i will in no way cast them out blessed be god there is such a thing as a real faith that works well that's the first point we're saved by faith not by our works but the faith by which we are saved works that's the point for all real faith works the second point and we're we're going to have to be much more brief with these is all real faith works by love works by love some teachers in galatia were telling the the folks in the churches
[29:28] there in the region of galatia that you had to be circumcised if you were a man you had to be circumcised in order to be saved and paul wrote to expose this lie and he says in galatians 5 and verse 6 in christ jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value the only thing that counts is faith that works through love the only thing that counts not not your your circumcision or no the only thing that counts is a faith that works by love the love that faith works is it's expressed i think the niv has faith expressing itself through love that's the only thing that counts do you have that kind of faith a faith that is expressing itself through love it must be a real faith in order to save you and a real faith works by love galatians 5 6 tells us you see it's carrying the thought further point one was all real faith works now we're seeing that all real faith works through love by love that faith will move you to love god and man not just in words like be warmed and be filled but in deed and in truth i don't want to say too much about love since lord willing next week we'll be moving on to the next grace the grace of love the great giver and we'll say more then but but we we can't help but point out here the connection and interaction between the different graces that we're studying we saw it with humility and faith what is humility do it empties us of any trust in ourselves in our works in anything we've done it brings us empty handed in faith to receive jesus alone for salvation humility and faith they go together and so does faith and love because faith works by love that's the way faith expresses itself it shows itself it's by love love is our main duty jesus said the greatest commandment what is it it's love it's to love god with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength and by the way the second commandment is like it is to love our neighbor the way we love ourselves you see on those two commandments hang all the other commandments all the other commandments are just ways of expressing love to god and to man take any number of them take the ten commandments the first four what are they doing they're talking about your love to god if you really love god you will have him as your god you will serve no other gods but him and you'll not worship him through idols and objects and you'll not misuse his name or his day and if you really love men then you'll submit to those men that god has put over you whether it be father and mother over children you will not murder them or do anything to harm their life you will not commit adultery with their wives you will not steal from them you'll not lie to them or about them and you won't covet what they have that's what loving man means so all the commandments are fulfilled by love because love will not do harm to its neighbor so the great duty of man is to love and it's faith that works that love in the hearts of those where it is found well that's the power of faith here's the power of faith faith looks to christ the supreme and perfect lover
[33:31] of god and man and so it receives that love and faith works in us to love like he loves both god and man if you receive christ by faith then you have this love that you've never had before for god and for your fellow man and especially for your brothers and sisters faith works and works by love now hear this we come to our third point so true is this fact that all real faith works and works by love that the final judgment will be the examination of our works talking about saved lost the final judgment what will be the thing before us what will it be that will be checked into to decide whether we go to heaven or go to hell read the bible on the final judgment and you'll see that it proceeds according to our works what we have done
[34:37] I have to be quick 2nd corinthians 5 10 for we must all appear before the judgment seat of christ that each one may receive for the things done what is due us for the things done while in the body whether good or bad the things done is what's at stake at the judgment romans 2 6 and following when god's righteous judgment is revealed god will give to each person according to what he has done to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory honor and immortality he will give eternal life but for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil there will be wrath and anger there will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil but glory honor and peace for everyone who does good you come to the end of the bible in revelation 20 takes us to the final judgment where the books are opened what are these books for well the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books and the sea gave up the dead that were in it and death and hades gave up the dead that were in them and each person was judged according to what he had done you're familiar with Matthew 25 the end last half of the chapter
[35:55] Jesus speaks when I come again in my father's glory and all the nations are gathered before me and I separate everyone into two groups and on my right hand the sheep and on my left hand the goats and the issue of that judgment will be that then the wicked will go away to everlasting punishments and the righteous will go away to eternal life so this is it the final judgment and you remember what Jesus says there at the final judgment well you did this and you didn't do that our deeds are put on for examination on the block for examination you see I thought I thought the critical issue for salvation is faith in Jesus Christ it is it's always been Jesus Christ and faith in him believe believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved period then why will the judgment be according to what we have done our deeds our works think with me here because our deeds will make clear our relationship to Jesus
[37:11] Christ God whether we had real faith in him or not and not one will be misjudged on this basis of works because all real faith works by love where the life of good works are there's the cause faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and this fits with the purpose of the final judgment why is there a final judgment since at death all men are judged right that as soon as a person dies their body goes in the ground but their spirit returns to its maker and God sends the spirit into torments of hell or into the pleasantries and joys of heaven that's what he told the thief on the cross who repented and believed on Jesus in his last hour today you will be with me in paradise immediately a judgment was to be made when that man died he went to heaven
[38:18] Paul says for the one with faith in Jesus real faith in Jesus to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord immediately Luke 16 he had the unbelieving rich man and outside at his door the believing beggar one living in luxury the other living in pain and poverty and at death their situation flipped at death the rich unbeliever found himself in the agonies of hell and the believing beggar found himself enjoying the good things of heaven so if at death there's an immediate judgment to heaven or hell why the final judgment since most men that have ever lived from since Adam will have already been judged well the answer is for the vindication of God's judgment how do we know that
[39:21] God was fair to that man how will it be seen that God was fair to that woman I mean we weren't there when they died and went to the judge no but God wants to vindicate his truth his righteousness his justice and show forth in his judgment both his wrath upon those who are sent to hell and his amazing mercy to those who are given heaven and so it will be seen it will be shown to others this one had faith in me and you could tell it by the things that she did and didn't do this one yes he's over here on my left with the goats and the reason is is because he didn't have real saving faith for all he said it didn't do anything he went on living as he always had he didn't have faith in me that united him to me and made us one and brought all my righteousness over to him you see the final judgment will make that clear so that there will be none speaking every mouth silenced none with an excuse so the final judgment will be according to a man's works every tree is known by its fruit and so is faith for it always works by love and
[40:51] Jesus says there are many who call him Lord without obeying him as Lord and they go through this life thinking their faith without works can save them when Jesus is saying to them why do you call me Lord if you don't do the things that I say because not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven but hear me only he who does there's that word who does the will of my father who is in heaven many will say to me on that day Lord Lord did we not prophesy in your name drive out demons in your name perform many miracles in your name all things that Judas Iscariot did and he's in hell today then I will tell them!
[41:44] I never knew you depart from me you evil doers you workers of iniquity so according to Jesus judgment will be based on that day not on mere profession of faith but on the works of faith on the practice of faith not what was claimed but what was done and done from the heart since God's x-ray vision will uncover the secret motives of what men have done and many Jesus says many will find out too late after death that their faith was not the real thing and it could not save them and they clung to a lie a faith without works that was unable to save them or as Paul says it in Titus 1 16 they claim to know God but by their actions they deny him they're detestable disobedient and unfit for doing anything good so consistently true is the fact that real faith works that a judgment of our works will prove the presence or absence of real faith in
[43:02] Jesus so what about your faith is it a faith that can save can can such faith as what you have hold up to what we've seen this morning is it powerfully shaping your life is it making you more like Jesus is it working a new obedience to his commandments is it working don't wait to the day of judgment or the day of death to find out that will be he doesn't want you showing up deceived in the day of judgment isn't that kind have you ever seen such a kind judge let me tell you what's going to be done at my judgment seat when you come before me I want you to know what's going to be done so that you can be prepared so you can throw away any kind of profession of faith claim to faith that's not real and come to know me of a certainty kind Jesus warning us about a faith that cannot save well if you come to him today he will receive you let me close with two clarifications just to be sure
[44:16] I'm not misunderstood the first is your works of love do not and cannot save you nothing we do contributes any merit to our salvation we're saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone takes away all boasting we rest our whole case for salvation on what Jesus has done his perfect life his atoning death his resurrection and we receive him with nothing good to say for ourselves but Lord have mercy on me a sinner and that unites us that faith in him unites us to him and brings all his righteousness onto our account in the books that will be opened Ephesians 2 8 9 is the classic text on this isn't it for by it is by grace that you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves it's the gift of God not of works so that no one can boast you know what most professing
[45:20] Christians do they put a period and they close their Bible and they say that's all that the Bible has to say about works it won't save you so I don't care about good works I don't care about whether my life is obedient to God's commandments or not because I'm saved by grace through faith not of works but you know something Paul doesn't stop there he keeps going he goes on in verse 10 and he says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them why is it that God saves us by grace alone through faith alone it is for the very purpose of making us those who will be a people zealous for good works that's the whole reason salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone it's that we might get busy and show our faith to be real faith in Jesus and show that it does really make a new creature in Christ so we're not saved by doing good works but by faith alone in
[46:23] Christ alone but that faith in Christ alone will not remain alone but will then produce good works because all real faith in Jesus works by love second disclaimer this is not meant to be a depressing message sobering searching one it cannot be anything short of that that's why it's in our Bibles that's why Jesus gave the warning that we might examine ourselves and see whether we really do have a saving faith a real faith but this is an encouraging truth to the true believer I don't just have a faith that takes me to heaven when I die and leaves me just hanging for the rest of my days here on earth to try to screw up enough strength to get through this Christian life no the faith that saves me is now powerfully work in me this faith is doing something in me that's tremendously encouraging do you see the preciousness of this grace gift of faith that's what we're talking about a grace a gift that
[47:37] God works in the hearts of his people that faith is I think too many think of faith just justifying us and it does that therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ we are justified we are declared righteous but faith does so much more it unites us to Christ forever it purifies our hearts it overcomes the world it sees the unseen it pleases Christ and it works it works it powerfully works in you to think that you have that faith what a precious faith to do all of that and our faith only does all that because it looks to and lays hold of the object of our faith the Lord Jesus Christ precious faith because we have a precious savior faith is the great receiver and it receives all of this from him faith looks to his blood that purifies us and cleanses us from all sin faith looks to his victory that overcomes the world and makes us overcomers faith receives from him the healing of our spiritual blindness so that now the unseen world is real to us faith looks to his atonement and intercession for us that makes us and our efforts pleasing and acceptable to him and faith receives energy that so powerfully is at work within us his wonderful love filling and flowing through us working real love for
[49:20] God and neighbor the great receiver faith receives all this and so much more from our precious savior precious faith in a precious Jesus he's the author and perfecter of our faith isn't there a comfort here believers to know that he's the one that sustains that faith if I had to sustain my own faith I'd be terrified but he's the author and perfecter of this gift of faith this grace of faith he's committed to seeing my faith work in me to the end Jesus Jesus precious Jesus oh for grace to trust him more let's stand and sing that together is our cry our response to his word about faith let's pray our father in heaven thank you for this precious grace gift of faith faith that works and thank you for the precious gift of your own son and for a faith in him that will never end that once he begins it it will be perfected he's been perfectly faithful to us he's never failed us so forgive us for such little faith and such a faithful friend and work in us that grace to trust him more and now may the grace of our
[51:18] Lord be poured out on you abundantly along with the faith and love that is in Christ Jesus amen thankyou