Faith in Action

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 26th of November, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Family, it’s amazing to realize that Thanksgiving is now past and Christmas is just around the corner.  In fact, next Sunday is the beginning of the Advent season, when we prepare for the coming of our Lord.

But I don’t want us to lose sight of the letter that the Apostle James wrote to the early church, especially since we skipped it last week.  And I also plan to set the letter aside again until after the first of the year.  So I’d like to jump back in for just a spell and finish up chapter 2.

Now, just to refresh our memory…  James is one of Jesus’ earthly brothers, so he would have been very familiar with our Lord.  They probably played and wrestled together as boys, and I’d bet they had many conversations as they grew and matured into men.  So James would have enjoyed a different insight into Jesus than the rest of the disciples, a perspective shared by only one other disciple: Jude, another brother.

So far, James has told us to resist the ways of the world, for the devil will try to destroy our faith.  He encouraged us to live out the word of the Gospel message in our daily lives.  Then he echoed the warning Jesus gave, that we would definitely experience trials in this life, but by living the word, and not reacting as the world does, we can show others the power of faith.  And in the first part of the second chapter, he gave us a little lecture on showing favoritism when dealing with other people.

This morning James is going to challenge us to put our faith into action.  Please listen and follow along to verses 14 through 26 of the 2nd chapter of James’ letter, and I’ll be reading from the Living Bible version of our Holy Bible this morning…

14 Dear brothers, what’s the use of saying that you have faith and are Christians if you aren’t proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone? 15 If you have a friend who is in need of food and clothing, 16 and you say to him, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat hearty,” and then don’t give him clothes or food, what good does that do?

17 So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good works is no faith at all — it is dead and useless.

18 But someone may well argue, “You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can’t prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act.”

19 Are there still some among you who hold that “only believing” is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too — so strongly that they tremble in terror! 20 Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith.

21 Don’t you remember that even our father Abraham was declared good because of what he did when he was willing to obey God, even if it meant offering his son Isaac to die on the altar? 22 You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to; his faith was made complete by what he did — by his actions, his good deeds. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, that Abraham trusted God, and the Lord declared him good in God’s sight, and he was even called “the friend of God.” 24 So you see, a man is saved by what he does, as well as by what he believes.

25 Rahab, the prostitute, is another example of this. She was saved because of what she did when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead when there is no spirit in it, so faith is dead if it is not the kind that results in good deeds.

--James 2:14-26 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, once again we thank You for assuring that we would have Your word to read and study, even thousands of years after it was recorded by the men and women You inspired.  Thank You for these letters from those who walked with Your Son and knew Him best, and especially the ones His brothers wrote and sent out to the early church.  We today can still take guidance, instruction, encouragement, and warning from them, and for this we thank You.  But sometimes, Father, we just get too caught up in the struggles of life to take the time to open our Bibles and seek to know You better through Your word.  Please forgive us these times, Father.  We do thank You for all You bless us with, including Your word.  Please help us find the time to be with You more.  And please help us better grasp and understand what we read.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand what You tell us this day.  Please protect us from those who serve Satan and carry out his evil deeds.  And Father, please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe in the days ahead.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Indira Gandhi was quoted in the April 1990 issue of Bits and Pieces magazine saying, “My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit.  He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.”

We've all seen instances of some folks taking credit for the work of others.  Or of some doing just token work for a photo op or for good public relations.  I think those are the more disgusting, serving in the soup kitchen food line just long enough to get their picture in the news before pulling off their apron and gloves and leaving.

This is not what James had in mind when He called us to service.  Nor is it what Jesus meant when He told us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked.

True service is not concerned with personal recognition, and indeed shuns it.  True service is all about giving, about sacrifice, about putting others above self.  True service is putting our faith into action and showing the love of Jesus to a world so desperately in need of love.  Let’s be sure to follow Gandhi’s advice and be in the group that does the work and not the one that just takes the credit.

James poses some tough questions in our scripture passage this morning.  What’s the use, he asks, of saying we have faith and calling ourselves Christians if we don’t do anything to prove it?  What distinguishes us from anyone else out there?  What about us would allow someone to tell the difference between us and a non-believer?

Someone may answer, “they will know we are Christians by our love”, but how can they see our love if we’re not showing it in some way?  We can say we love others, but what does that prove?  James asks what good is it to see someone who is hungry and needs better clothing and simply say, “stay warm and eat well”, but not help them in their need?  What good does that do?  What good does it do to say we love others without doing anything to show them our love?

And then James slams home his point:  It isn’t enough to just have faith; we must also do good works to prove that we do have faith.  Otherwise our faith is dead.

Yes, it is true that the prophet Habakkuk tells us – and the Apostle Paul reminds us – that the just live by faith.  And Jesus Himself told us that if we only believe in Him, we will have everlasting life and be with Him for all eternity.  Well, James reminds us that even the devil and his demons believe in Jesus and know He is the Son of God, but they’re not going to heaven because of what they do, how they act.

By our faith we have the Spirit of God abiding within us, and the fruits of the Spirit are evident in our actions and deeds.  What we do shows who we are, what we’re made of, far better than a million words ever could.

And speaking of the Apostle Paul, in much of his writings and his speeches he tells us that salvation comes only by God's mercy and grace and through Jesus the Christ.  But he also tells us what God intended us to do with our faith.  Please listen to what Paul wrote to the Ephesian church family in verses 8 through 10 of the 2nd chapter of that letter…

8 Because of His kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. 10 It is God Himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.

--Ephesians 2:8-10 (TLB)

There you go.  We are saved by God’s goodness and grace through our faith in Christ Jesus – by our belief in Him and trusting in Him.  But this faith is not something we can take credit for, because it too is a gift from God.

And here’s the kicker.  God has given us new lives with the intent that we spend these lives in service to others, helping others.  This was God’s plan for us from the beginning, that we should spend our lives on this earth helping others.  And this is what James is getting at when he admonishes us to put our faith into action.

Our faith is the key to our salvation, but our works are the proof of our faith.  Our works are the outer sign of our inner faith, just as our baptism is the outer sign of our inner belief.

Jesus told us to believe in Him so we will not perish.  He invites us to believe and follow Him.  Doesn’t the act of following Jesus imply that we do as Jesus did when He walked among us?  And what did Jesus do?  He helped people.  He cured them of diseases and infirmities.  He taught them the truth of God and His kingdom, trying to see that everyone might be saved, even those who hated Him.  Jesus did good works and He encourages and calls us to do good works, too.

Listen to what He told us in His Sermon on the Mount as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in the 5th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 14 through 16…

14 “You are the world’s light — a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. 15-16 Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.”

--Matthew 5:14-16 (TLB)

I bet you never thought of that as a call to service.  The Apostle John said that in Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men; the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness can not overcome it.  Jesus has passed that light on to us, into us, when we accepted Him as our Lord and God sent His Holy Spirit to live within us.  And He calls us to let that light shine for all to see, so that they too might praise our heavenly Father.  Let the light shine in the glowing of our good deeds.

Now please understand that not all good works require physical labor.  As we age or suffer some debilitating illness or injury, we may no longer be capable of much physical activity.  In fact, we may be at the point of needing help ourselves rather than providing help to others.  But that doesn’t mean we have to stop doing good.

Not being able to get out and around much anymore shouldn’t stop us from letting our light shine.  We can make phone calls, or send emails or texts or greeting cards.  We can smile at folks we pass, wave at them.  And if we get the chance, we can tell them about Jesus and what He means to us.  If nothing else, we can pray for others, giving their needs to God.

God gave us faith – it’s a wonderful gift.  But like many gifts, we put it to its best advantage by using it.  So let’s put our faith in action.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the Son of God, who set the example for us.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for giving us the faith to believe in Jesus as Your Son, Your Christ sent to redeem us of our sin.  Without Him and His great sacrifice, we would be lost and doomed to eternal death.  Thank You for Your loving mercy and grace.  Thank You for salvation through Jesus and our use of the faith You give us.  And thank You for all the opportunities You give us to put our faith into action by reaching our and helping others.  Too often, though, Father, we don’t take advantage of those opportunities.  Too many times we are afraid of what others might think of us, or we worry that we might get it wrong and make matters worse, or we think we’re just not able to get out and do much of anything to serve You.  Forgive us those times, please Father.  Please show us all the many ways we can prove our faith no matter what condition we ourselves are in.  And please help us to not be afraid to share our Lord Jesus with others so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and His sacrifice.  

And Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith and tries to pull us away from You.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what the world throws at us or holds out before us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, throughout Your short ministry on earth, You carried out the will of God in serving others.  You healed the people of their illnesses and infirmities.  You rid them of demons and evil spirits.  You saved them from eternal pain and suffering.  And in Your last act of faith, You took all our sins upon Yourself and carried them to the grave.  Thank You, Lord, for putting Your faith and Your love into action.  By our faith, we accepted You as our Lord, and as such, we should not hesitate to do Your bidding,   Please help us, dear Lord -- help us be more like You in our daily interactions with others.  Help us recognize their needs and help take care of them.  Help us see what we can do, even if we are no longer physically able to lend a helping hand.  And especially please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message with the lost, showing them Your love through our love.

And Jesus, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Please help us be faithful and true to You, putting all our trust in You, all our hope in You.  Heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.