[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 14th of August, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
I’d like to talk today about faith, true faith, and just what having faith entails. And of course I mean faith in Jesus as the Son of God and as our Lord and Savior. And faith in God that He will provide for our needs, as He provides all that we have.
But how do we apply that faith to our daily life? Do we simply give it lip service, telling others about our faith, or do we show it, putting it to work?
Listen and follow along to what the Apostle James, the half-brother of Jesus, has to say about faith, reading from the 2nd chapter of his letter, verses 14 through 18, from the New Living Translation…
But how do we apply that faith to our daily life? Do we simply give it lip service, telling others about our faith, or do we show it, putting it to work?
Listen and follow along to what the Apostle James, the half-brother of Jesus, has to say about faith, reading from the 2nd chapter of his letter, verses 14 through 18, from the New Living Translation…
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” — but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
--James 2:14-18 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, we come together this morning in the name of Your Son Jesus to listen to the message You have for us today. Help us, please Father, to not only listen, but to gain better insight into what You would have us do while we still walk this earth. Please grant us better discernment into Your will. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers across a lake. One day a passenger noticed that the good old man had carved on one of his oars the word “Faith” and on the other the word “Works.” Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of these oars. The old man, being a well-balanced Christian and glad for the opportunity to testify said, “I’ll show you.”
First he dropped one oar and plied the other called “Works”, and they just went around in circles. Then he dropped that oar and began to ply the oar called “Faith”, and the little boat just went around in circles again - this time the other way around, but still going nowhere.
After this demonstration the old man picked up “Faith” and “Works”, and plying both oars together, they sped swiftly over the water. The Scotsman explained to his inquiring passenger, “You see, that is the way it is in the Christian life. Dead works without faith are useless, and faith without works is dead also, getting you nowhere. But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing.”
Have you ever felt like you were just going around in circles, not really getting anything accomplished? The image of a dog chasing his own tail, just going around and around comes to mind. As a kid I used to love doing that, and especially the dizzy feeling that would follow.
But as an adult… well, not so much. I like to get somewhere, accomplish something, make a difference – not just spin my wheels. So maybe I need to balance out my faith and my works a little better.
I know it must seem that I’ve come to you with my hand out quite often lately – or my bucket or basket or collection plate, as the case may be. I’ve asked you to give to groups that come here to share their ministry of music with us. I’ve asked you to give to help needy, at-risk children. I’ve asked you to give to help members of this church family. I’ve asked you to give to help complete strangers with an immediate financial need. I’ve asked you to give to help bury an infant child.
And each time, you have answered my call without hesitation. Each time, you have opened your hearts and your purses and your wallets and given generously. And I can’t help but feel that, at least some of those times, you’ve wondered if there was a real need, or if it was just a real scam. I feel that way, because I often have my own doubts about the legitimacy of a need, too.
Family, for each need I bring before you, we receive many, many more requests of the church. Each week brings phone calls and visits from people pleading for help. The calls are heaviest during periods of low area employment, and they’ll increase with the coming of winter.
I truly believe most are legitimate and I really wish we could help with each and every one. Sadly, we can’t. Sadder still, not all stated needs are real. Some are indeed real scams, perpetrated by those who don’t care who they con out of their money. Those who realize churches are often a soft touch and have little or no way to verify if a need is real or not. I’ve been taken in before, by these con artists. I’ve been in churches that have been conned, too.
But family, what I’d like to ask is, if we give to someone in need and it turns out to be a scam, what does God think of that? Are we to blame for being deceived, or them for deceiving? Does God still see our giving as an act of love even if we were, in effect, stolen from?
The point is, my dear brothers and sisters, running the risk of being scammed must not keep us from responding to the needs of others whenever we can. We cannot be responsible for what that other person does or says, nor will we be held responsible when we face our Judge in heaven. But we will be held responsible for how we reacted to the needs of others.
Now if we know full well that a claim is fraudulent, then we are under no obligation to give. The Apostle Paul cautions us to avoid deceivers, in his letter to the church in Rome, chapter 16, verses 17 through 19…
An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers across a lake. One day a passenger noticed that the good old man had carved on one of his oars the word “Faith” and on the other the word “Works.” Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of these oars. The old man, being a well-balanced Christian and glad for the opportunity to testify said, “I’ll show you.”
First he dropped one oar and plied the other called “Works”, and they just went around in circles. Then he dropped that oar and began to ply the oar called “Faith”, and the little boat just went around in circles again - this time the other way around, but still going nowhere.
After this demonstration the old man picked up “Faith” and “Works”, and plying both oars together, they sped swiftly over the water. The Scotsman explained to his inquiring passenger, “You see, that is the way it is in the Christian life. Dead works without faith are useless, and faith without works is dead also, getting you nowhere. But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing.”
Have you ever felt like you were just going around in circles, not really getting anything accomplished? The image of a dog chasing his own tail, just going around and around comes to mind. As a kid I used to love doing that, and especially the dizzy feeling that would follow.
But as an adult… well, not so much. I like to get somewhere, accomplish something, make a difference – not just spin my wheels. So maybe I need to balance out my faith and my works a little better.
I know it must seem that I’ve come to you with my hand out quite often lately – or my bucket or basket or collection plate, as the case may be. I’ve asked you to give to groups that come here to share their ministry of music with us. I’ve asked you to give to help needy, at-risk children. I’ve asked you to give to help members of this church family. I’ve asked you to give to help complete strangers with an immediate financial need. I’ve asked you to give to help bury an infant child.
And each time, you have answered my call without hesitation. Each time, you have opened your hearts and your purses and your wallets and given generously. And I can’t help but feel that, at least some of those times, you’ve wondered if there was a real need, or if it was just a real scam. I feel that way, because I often have my own doubts about the legitimacy of a need, too.
Family, for each need I bring before you, we receive many, many more requests of the church. Each week brings phone calls and visits from people pleading for help. The calls are heaviest during periods of low area employment, and they’ll increase with the coming of winter.
I truly believe most are legitimate and I really wish we could help with each and every one. Sadly, we can’t. Sadder still, not all stated needs are real. Some are indeed real scams, perpetrated by those who don’t care who they con out of their money. Those who realize churches are often a soft touch and have little or no way to verify if a need is real or not. I’ve been taken in before, by these con artists. I’ve been in churches that have been conned, too.
But family, what I’d like to ask is, if we give to someone in need and it turns out to be a scam, what does God think of that? Are we to blame for being deceived, or them for deceiving? Does God still see our giving as an act of love even if we were, in effect, stolen from?
The point is, my dear brothers and sisters, running the risk of being scammed must not keep us from responding to the needs of others whenever we can. We cannot be responsible for what that other person does or says, nor will we be held responsible when we face our Judge in heaven. But we will be held responsible for how we reacted to the needs of others.
Now if we know full well that a claim is fraudulent, then we are under no obligation to give. The Apostle Paul cautions us to avoid deceivers, in his letter to the church in Rome, chapter 16, verses 17 through 19…
17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18 Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 19 But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong.
--Romans 16:17-19 (NLT)
We’ve all seen the people standing at busy intersections, holding signs saying they need work or food, taking money from kind-hearted motorists. Don’t we wonder if they are just faking it to make an easy dollar?
But the problem is, we can’t always be sure if someone is serving Christ, or their own personal interests, as Paul puts it. We can’t be absolutely certain if their story is nothing more than smooth talk and glowing words, meant to deceive rather than express the truth.
And if we’re not sure, if we’re not certain, why take a chance on not doing what God would have us do? I think Jesus spoke volumes on this subject, such as this, recorded in the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew, chapter 16, verse 27…
But the problem is, we can’t always be sure if someone is serving Christ, or their own personal interests, as Paul puts it. We can’t be absolutely certain if their story is nothing more than smooth talk and glowing words, meant to deceive rather than express the truth.
And if we’re not sure, if we’re not certain, why take a chance on not doing what God would have us do? I think Jesus spoke volumes on this subject, such as this, recorded in the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew, chapter 16, verse 27…
27 “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.”
--Matthew 16:27 (NLT)
Did Jesus say we would be judged on our ability to detect and avoid being deceived? No, He said we will be judged according to our deeds, according to what we do!
James tells us that if someone comes to us in need and we send them away with well wishes and kind words, then we have done nothing to help them. If we actually see that they have need of food or clothing, and we just tell them to “stay warm and eat well”, but give them no food to eat nor clothes to keep them warm, then what good does that do?
Faith by itself is not enough. Faith must be given expression. Our good works, our good deeds, give proof to the world of our faith. The world itself is faithless. It requires proof. Faith does not – that is the very definition of faith: believing, even when there is no proof.
That’s what James means when he says how can you show me your faith if you don’t show me your good works, your good deeds. He is taking the role of the world there, of those who need some sort of proof. Our good deeds show them our faith in Jesus. They prove our commitment to serving our Lord.
James concludes, “I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” “I will prove to you just what I believe in by the example I set.” Testimony is great. Telling someone about Jesus is wonderful and can be a true blessing to them if they listen and accept what you say. But words alone carry little weight without action to back them up.
Earlier in his letter, in verse 22 of the 1st chapter, James says this about words…
James tells us that if someone comes to us in need and we send them away with well wishes and kind words, then we have done nothing to help them. If we actually see that they have need of food or clothing, and we just tell them to “stay warm and eat well”, but give them no food to eat nor clothes to keep them warm, then what good does that do?
Faith by itself is not enough. Faith must be given expression. Our good works, our good deeds, give proof to the world of our faith. The world itself is faithless. It requires proof. Faith does not – that is the very definition of faith: believing, even when there is no proof.
That’s what James means when he says how can you show me your faith if you don’t show me your good works, your good deeds. He is taking the role of the world there, of those who need some sort of proof. Our good deeds show them our faith in Jesus. They prove our commitment to serving our Lord.
James concludes, “I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” “I will prove to you just what I believe in by the example I set.” Testimony is great. Telling someone about Jesus is wonderful and can be a true blessing to them if they listen and accept what you say. But words alone carry little weight without action to back them up.
Earlier in his letter, in verse 22 of the 1st chapter, James says this about words…
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
--James 1:22 (NLT)
Words are great, and especially God’s words. But don’t just listen to them, take action based on what they say! We can’t fool ourselves into thinking that we are righteous – right with God – just because we read and believe in His word. We must do what His word says. James is speaking for God when he says that our faith must be accompanied by our deeds.
Actions speak louder than words. Good deeds show our faith in Jesus because they show our love for our fellow man. We do great deeds here, my Pilgrim family. We just finished one up yesterday, and provided much needed funding for an area need.
But let’s not get caught up in worrying about whether any other need we gave to is real, or a real scam. Let’s trust in God that our help will be applied to real needs. And let’s keep doing good deeds.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we consider all of our Holy Bible to be Your word, even if it was penned by another because we know You inspired that author to write Your words. So Father, help us not only to listen and hear Your word, but to take action and do what Your word says. Give us the courage and resolve of our faith to put our belief to work on behalf of our Lord and Savior. And Father, please direct our good deeds to serve You and not the selfish desires of man.
Hear us now, Father, as we speak to You from our hearts in the silence, seeking Your forgiveness for our doubts and Your strength for our endeavors…
Lord Jesus, You commanded us to love one another, unconditionally and without regard for personal reward. Your brother James told us that one way to honor that command is to do good deeds for our fellow man. Our good deeds serve as proof to the world of our love, and of our faith in You. Strengthen us, dear Lord, as we strive to do good, knowing all the while that we may be taken advantage of at any time. If we do fall victim to a scam, Lord Jesus, please soften the heart of the deceiver and let them know You so that they may be saved.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our Master, in whom we place all our trust, and all our hope. Amen.
Actions speak louder than words. Good deeds show our faith in Jesus because they show our love for our fellow man. We do great deeds here, my Pilgrim family. We just finished one up yesterday, and provided much needed funding for an area need.
But let’s not get caught up in worrying about whether any other need we gave to is real, or a real scam. Let’s trust in God that our help will be applied to real needs. And let’s keep doing good deeds.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we consider all of our Holy Bible to be Your word, even if it was penned by another because we know You inspired that author to write Your words. So Father, help us not only to listen and hear Your word, but to take action and do what Your word says. Give us the courage and resolve of our faith to put our belief to work on behalf of our Lord and Savior. And Father, please direct our good deeds to serve You and not the selfish desires of man.
Hear us now, Father, as we speak to You from our hearts in the silence, seeking Your forgiveness for our doubts and Your strength for our endeavors…
Lord Jesus, You commanded us to love one another, unconditionally and without regard for personal reward. Your brother James told us that one way to honor that command is to do good deeds for our fellow man. Our good deeds serve as proof to the world of our love, and of our faith in You. Strengthen us, dear Lord, as we strive to do good, knowing all the while that we may be taken advantage of at any time. If we do fall victim to a scam, Lord Jesus, please soften the heart of the deceiver and let them know You so that they may be saved.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our Master, in whom we place all our trust, and all our hope. Amen.
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