Title: The fruit of faith.
Scripture Base: James Chapter 2 : 14 - 26.
It seems that there is much discussion on the subject of faith today, but there is an aspect of faith that is often overlooked, and that is the relationship between our faith and our works.
In this passage of scripture James leaves absolutely no doubt that if faith is not accompanied by the works of faith, it is not really faith at all. In verse 26 please observe how he describes faith without works as being DEAD.
'Faith' is defined as 'confidence in, or dependence on a person, statement or thing as trustworthy'.
Therefore to have 'faith' in something, literally means that you are confident that it is true and correct, dependable and reliable, and as such it is worthy of your trust.
Another word associated with faith is 'believe' which means to accept as true and real.
Let's examine these definitions and understand how we could use these terms in a secular sense. If you think that when you flick the switch, the light will go on. It could be said that you 'believe' that the light will go on when you flick the switch, because you have accepted this as being a true and real statement. Furthermore, if you are confident in the switch performing as it should, and you believe the switch is reliable and you are depending upon it, to do its job, it would be correct to say that you have 'faith' in that switch.
At this point, let's ask a very basic yet important question. If I have 'faith' in my light switch and I 'believe' that the light will go on whenever I flick the switch, what is the fruit of my faith and belief?
So let's paint the picture! Here I am, sitting in my office, night has fallen and it's so dark that I can't see. I need light to continue my work and so that I can safely move around my office. I have a ' belief ' that if I flick the switch my light will go on. I have depended on that light switch for many years to do its job. It has always proven to be very reliable. It is worthy of my trust. I rely on it whenever I need to have light in my office. In fact I have 'faith ' in this light switch. It has always performed, and here I am, sitting in the dark, in need of its services once again. What is the fruit of my faith in this light switch?
The answer is obvious! Flick the switch! You see, in this simple example, that in order for my faith to come to life an action was required. I had to act on my 'belief' and 'faith' in order for that faith to be real. This action when performed as a result of my faith, is known as a 'work of faith'.
What would you say about my faith if I didn't flick the switch? I professed a particular belief system. I said I had faith in my good old reliable switch. Then I elected to sit in the dark and not perform the action that my faith demanded. I think we would all conclude, that my so called faith was 'dead', and as such it wasn't really faith at all.
As you can see the fruit of your faith is literally performing the action that your faith demands.
And just like the example given above, when we have faith in God, the fruit of our faith in Him, is seen, in doing those things that our faith demands. In other words, if God commands me through His Word or His Spirit to perform an action, then the fruit of my faith in God is literally obeying that direction.
Remember, real faith in God is having confidence in Him, depending on Him and relying upon Him because He is worthy of our trust. If we profess to have faith in God and then elect to do things our own way instead of His way, and we choose not to obey Him and take Him at His word, what kind of faith is that? Where is the so called 'trust' in Him and reliance upon Him?
In verse 17 James describes faith without the works of faith as "dead being alone". In other words it's not really faith at all.
It's interesting to note that in verse 19 of this scripture passage, James reminds us that the devils also believe, and tremble. He continues in verse 20 with a question "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Let's reason this together! We see that the devils believe in God and they tremble. Why are they trembling?
Because they know He is real and they know that judgement is coming because they chose not to obey Him.
The devils believe in God but they don't obey God! It could be said that faith without obedience is a 'devil like faith' and as such it is dead.
James finishes this passage by giving us a couple of examples of real bible faith. The kind of faith that saves us. He shows how the actions, or 'works of faith' that were demonstrated by Abraham, saw Abraham justified in his faith and saw him referred to as a 'Friend of God'. James tells how Rahabs actions on her faith led to her salvation.
Is it any wonder that James makes the statement at the end of verse 18 .....and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Saints of God, in closing I want to encourage each and every one of you to obey God's Word and keep His commandments, because that is the action that your faith in God demands. Your obedience unto God is your 'works of faith' and as we have discussed it is the very fruit or evidence of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Real faith is a faith that is accompanied by the action of that faith or belief system. Put simply it is a faith unto obedience.
In Luke 18:8 Jesus asked whether He would find faith when He returned.
I exhort you all to determine in your hearts and minds, "yes Lord you will find faith in me!"
God Bless.
Pete.
Saturday 10 March 2012
Saturday 25 February 2012
Title: 'True holiness' is the result of a heart condition.
Scripture base : Ephesians 4: 24.......And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
God's Word has much to say in regards to the need for us to be living our lives in holiness. Therefore it's important for us to have a good understanding of this subject.
Firstly, let's define what holiness means. The dictionary defines holiness as "the state or quality of being holy". The same dictionary defines 'holy' as "Regarded with or characterised by reverence because associated with God; having a divine origin; sacred; consecrated".
Let's take a moment to reckon these definitions. Holiness is the actual state of being 'holy'. Something is considered to be 'holy' when it is associated with God; or, when it is considered to be of a divine origin; or when it is considered to be sacred or consecrated....in other words, it is set apart for God's purpose.
You may recall in the scriptures that when something was made holy, or was set apart for God's holy purpose, it was said to be 'sanctified' which literally means 'made holy'.
So let's understand, that in order to live a holy life before God, my life must reflect God's principles. The world around us should see the reality of God in my life and readily associate me as someone who is living for God. Therefore the fruit of my Christianity should be obvious. People should be able to see from my actions, that the very source and origin of my life, is indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ. My life must bring Glory to Him! And in order to be truly holy, there must come a time in my life, where I determine with all of my heart, that I belong to God, and as such, my life is set apart and sanctified for His holy purpose.
Therein lies the key to true holiness. 'True holiness' originates from, a heartfelt decision, made by someone who genuinely loves the LORD and wants to serve Christ with all of their heart. When a person reaches this point in their relationship with God, they understand that God knows best; they sincerely love and trust Him enough to willingly yield to God's direction and God's principles, and they have willingly determined to place their own will, in subjection to God's will.
The end result of this sincere heartfelt decision is a dedicated Christian who has set apart their life for the sole purpose of serving God and seeing His divine will fulfilled. This kind of Christian willingly obeys God and follows His direction, because he or she sincerely loves God and they want their life to literally preach God's righteousness and God's principles, thereby bringing glory and honour to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is this willing yielding, willing obedience, and willingnesss to set ourselves apart for God's holy purpose, that encapsulates the very essence of living a holy life before God. Holiness, is the real, down to earth experience of willingly saying 'yes Lord', and obeying God's direction for our lives. It is the very action of willingly yielding to His Word, to His Spirit, and to His will, and it all starts with the right heart condition.
This type of heart condition can only be born out of a genuine love and appreciation for God, and when it exists it will be reflected in everything that we do and say. When we have this beautiful 'God loving' heart condition, it will always bring glory and honour to our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Of course the bible offers direction in every aspect of our lives. It covers such issues as marriage, fatherhood, motherhood, manhood, womanhood, dress, hair, speech, associations and friendships, conduct, worship, family, business and a multitude of other subjects associated with how we should live our lives.
Without a doubt 'true holiness'; that heartfelt yielding to God; will affect every aspect of our lives. It will be reflected in the way we conduct our marriage and relationships, the way we dress, the way we worship, the activities that we allow ourselves to become involved in. However, we should never fall prey to the trap of believing that holiness is like a 'uniform'. A uniform that we wear when it suits, or when we want to impress our Christian peers so that we can be seen to be living a holy life.
Holiness is not a uniform to be worn for some personal gain or to be seen of men. Holiness emanates from a genuine heartfelt condition that causes us to willingly say "not my will, but thine be done Lord". And it is born out of a pure love for Jesus Christ. It's a condition that affects every aspect of our lives, seven days a week, twenty four hours a day, and it creates a willing desire to see God glorified no matter who is around and no matter what circumstances exist.
When a person's heart isn't really in the activity they are involved in.......it shows!
In similar fashion, when our heart is not fully yielded to Christ.......it shows!
I am reminded of a story about a young boy who was asked by his teacher to stand up. The boy refused to stand. Once again the teacher asked the boy to stand, and again the boy refused to stand in front of his classmates. Finally the teacher demanded the boy stand or he would be sent to the principal to be disciplined. With all this pressure, and the threat of judgement, the boy finally stood up, albeit very reluctantly, and as he stood he publically pronounced, "I'm standing on the outside but I'm really sitting on the inside"!
That's what it's like with us as Christians when we do our service for God reluctantly, or begrudgingly. We may be doing something that the bible says is correct in principle, but if our heart isn't in it, or if it isn't done out of a motivation of a genuine love for Jesus Christ, it means and achieves absolutely nothing (1 Cor: 13: 1-3). This kind of half hearted, lacking in love service, certainly doesn't bring Glory to God, nor does it reflect the Godly attitude that is the very source of 'true holiness'.
'True holiness' originates from a beautiful heart condition that causes us to willingly obey God because we truly love Him and desire to see Him glorified through our life.
So in closing I encourage each and every one of us to make that heartfelt commitment to God that causes us to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Let's all see God glorified in our lives!
Praise the LORD!
Pete.
Scripture base : Ephesians 4: 24.......And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
God's Word has much to say in regards to the need for us to be living our lives in holiness. Therefore it's important for us to have a good understanding of this subject.
Firstly, let's define what holiness means. The dictionary defines holiness as "the state or quality of being holy". The same dictionary defines 'holy' as "Regarded with or characterised by reverence because associated with God; having a divine origin; sacred; consecrated".
Let's take a moment to reckon these definitions. Holiness is the actual state of being 'holy'. Something is considered to be 'holy' when it is associated with God; or, when it is considered to be of a divine origin; or when it is considered to be sacred or consecrated....in other words, it is set apart for God's purpose.
You may recall in the scriptures that when something was made holy, or was set apart for God's holy purpose, it was said to be 'sanctified' which literally means 'made holy'.
So let's understand, that in order to live a holy life before God, my life must reflect God's principles. The world around us should see the reality of God in my life and readily associate me as someone who is living for God. Therefore the fruit of my Christianity should be obvious. People should be able to see from my actions, that the very source and origin of my life, is indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ. My life must bring Glory to Him! And in order to be truly holy, there must come a time in my life, where I determine with all of my heart, that I belong to God, and as such, my life is set apart and sanctified for His holy purpose.
Therein lies the key to true holiness. 'True holiness' originates from, a heartfelt decision, made by someone who genuinely loves the LORD and wants to serve Christ with all of their heart. When a person reaches this point in their relationship with God, they understand that God knows best; they sincerely love and trust Him enough to willingly yield to God's direction and God's principles, and they have willingly determined to place their own will, in subjection to God's will.
The end result of this sincere heartfelt decision is a dedicated Christian who has set apart their life for the sole purpose of serving God and seeing His divine will fulfilled. This kind of Christian willingly obeys God and follows His direction, because he or she sincerely loves God and they want their life to literally preach God's righteousness and God's principles, thereby bringing glory and honour to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is this willing yielding, willing obedience, and willingnesss to set ourselves apart for God's holy purpose, that encapsulates the very essence of living a holy life before God. Holiness, is the real, down to earth experience of willingly saying 'yes Lord', and obeying God's direction for our lives. It is the very action of willingly yielding to His Word, to His Spirit, and to His will, and it all starts with the right heart condition.
This type of heart condition can only be born out of a genuine love and appreciation for God, and when it exists it will be reflected in everything that we do and say. When we have this beautiful 'God loving' heart condition, it will always bring glory and honour to our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Of course the bible offers direction in every aspect of our lives. It covers such issues as marriage, fatherhood, motherhood, manhood, womanhood, dress, hair, speech, associations and friendships, conduct, worship, family, business and a multitude of other subjects associated with how we should live our lives.
Without a doubt 'true holiness'; that heartfelt yielding to God; will affect every aspect of our lives. It will be reflected in the way we conduct our marriage and relationships, the way we dress, the way we worship, the activities that we allow ourselves to become involved in. However, we should never fall prey to the trap of believing that holiness is like a 'uniform'. A uniform that we wear when it suits, or when we want to impress our Christian peers so that we can be seen to be living a holy life.
Holiness is not a uniform to be worn for some personal gain or to be seen of men. Holiness emanates from a genuine heartfelt condition that causes us to willingly say "not my will, but thine be done Lord". And it is born out of a pure love for Jesus Christ. It's a condition that affects every aspect of our lives, seven days a week, twenty four hours a day, and it creates a willing desire to see God glorified no matter who is around and no matter what circumstances exist.
When a person's heart isn't really in the activity they are involved in.......it shows!
In similar fashion, when our heart is not fully yielded to Christ.......it shows!
I am reminded of a story about a young boy who was asked by his teacher to stand up. The boy refused to stand. Once again the teacher asked the boy to stand, and again the boy refused to stand in front of his classmates. Finally the teacher demanded the boy stand or he would be sent to the principal to be disciplined. With all this pressure, and the threat of judgement, the boy finally stood up, albeit very reluctantly, and as he stood he publically pronounced, "I'm standing on the outside but I'm really sitting on the inside"!
That's what it's like with us as Christians when we do our service for God reluctantly, or begrudgingly. We may be doing something that the bible says is correct in principle, but if our heart isn't in it, or if it isn't done out of a motivation of a genuine love for Jesus Christ, it means and achieves absolutely nothing (1 Cor: 13: 1-3). This kind of half hearted, lacking in love service, certainly doesn't bring Glory to God, nor does it reflect the Godly attitude that is the very source of 'true holiness'.
'True holiness' originates from a beautiful heart condition that causes us to willingly obey God because we truly love Him and desire to see Him glorified through our life.
So in closing I encourage each and every one of us to make that heartfelt commitment to God that causes us to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Let's all see God glorified in our lives!
Praise the LORD!
Pete.
Thursday 23 February 2012
Psalm 11 verse 3 (KJV): If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
It never ceases to amaze me how many professing Christians deny that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. I have even had discussions with so called ministers who have said that only parts of the bible are inspired whilst other parts like the account of creation in Genesis chapter one, are simply a collection of stories.
I guess these individuals have their own reasons for denying the inspiration of God's Word and no doubt those reasons range from sincerely having accepted and believed a lie about the origins of man, to simply being so convicted and challenged by the truth of God's Word that they simply don't want to accept its authority.
As Christians, surely we must realise that denying the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures is an absolutely foolish practice. In doing so we are undermining and totally destroying the foundations upon which the LORD's church must be built. When we deny the inspiration of the 'Living Word of God' we literally rob the scriptures of their authenticity and their authority, and without God's authority in His Word, we would no longer be subject to the Bible's commandments and teachings.
Have you ever had your teenagers ask you "but why?' I've gotta tell you, that it has always been a blessing to be able to teach and show from the scriptures exactly why we as Christians, do the things that we do, and to respond because "God's Word says"!
You see when you hold fast to the truth that is found in 2nd Timothy 3:16 and 2nd Peter 1: 20-21; you can teach a bible principle to your teenagers and be standing in the authority of God's Word. It's not just your own opinion, it is a God established principle for living our lives!
God has given us His Word so that we may know His will, and with that knowledge He wants us to stand confidently in His righteousness (Hebrews chapter 3). If I am questioning the authenticity and authority of God's Word, how confidently will I stand on a righteous principle if my stand comes under attack or persecution? As Christians we need to have the confidence and conviction that comes from knowing that we are standing exactly where God wants us to stand. There is comfort in knowing that where we stand, and what we believe, is authorised by God, and it is in this knowledge that 'Strong Christians' are born.
Another point that I would ask you to reason with me for a moment.
Have we ever considered the ramifications of believing that the bible is not the inspired Word of God, and that the account of creation in Genesis is merely a story or a legend?
It would literally mean that we have not been saved yet!
Why? You may ask.
Well let's think about it for a minute. Jesus gave His full sanction to the writings of Moses ( Matthew 5:17 - 20; Luke 24: 44). Moses was used of God to write the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament).
Therefore if when Moses wrote 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth' Gen 1:1 then that must be truth. If it is not truth then Jesus gave his full sanction to a lie and as such He would have lied Himself. If Jesus lied then He sinned, and if He sinned He could not die for our sins, because God required a perfect sinless sacrifice and therefore we are still in need of a Saviour.
Praise God that Jesus was our perfect sinless Saviour and that He came to save His people from their sins!
When Jesus gave Moses' writings His full sanction He was also affirming that this wonderful Book that I hold in my hand, this Word of Life is truly the inspired Word of God. As such you can trust in its authenticity, and you can rely on its authority because man may have been used as a vessel to pen the words but in reality God is the author!
It never ceases to amaze me how many professing Christians deny that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. I have even had discussions with so called ministers who have said that only parts of the bible are inspired whilst other parts like the account of creation in Genesis chapter one, are simply a collection of stories.
I guess these individuals have their own reasons for denying the inspiration of God's Word and no doubt those reasons range from sincerely having accepted and believed a lie about the origins of man, to simply being so convicted and challenged by the truth of God's Word that they simply don't want to accept its authority.
As Christians, surely we must realise that denying the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures is an absolutely foolish practice. In doing so we are undermining and totally destroying the foundations upon which the LORD's church must be built. When we deny the inspiration of the 'Living Word of God' we literally rob the scriptures of their authenticity and their authority, and without God's authority in His Word, we would no longer be subject to the Bible's commandments and teachings.
Have you ever had your teenagers ask you "but why?' I've gotta tell you, that it has always been a blessing to be able to teach and show from the scriptures exactly why we as Christians, do the things that we do, and to respond because "God's Word says"!
You see when you hold fast to the truth that is found in 2nd Timothy 3:16 and 2nd Peter 1: 20-21; you can teach a bible principle to your teenagers and be standing in the authority of God's Word. It's not just your own opinion, it is a God established principle for living our lives!
God has given us His Word so that we may know His will, and with that knowledge He wants us to stand confidently in His righteousness (Hebrews chapter 3). If I am questioning the authenticity and authority of God's Word, how confidently will I stand on a righteous principle if my stand comes under attack or persecution? As Christians we need to have the confidence and conviction that comes from knowing that we are standing exactly where God wants us to stand. There is comfort in knowing that where we stand, and what we believe, is authorised by God, and it is in this knowledge that 'Strong Christians' are born.
Another point that I would ask you to reason with me for a moment.
Have we ever considered the ramifications of believing that the bible is not the inspired Word of God, and that the account of creation in Genesis is merely a story or a legend?
It would literally mean that we have not been saved yet!
Why? You may ask.
Well let's think about it for a minute. Jesus gave His full sanction to the writings of Moses ( Matthew 5:17 - 20; Luke 24: 44). Moses was used of God to write the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament).
Therefore if when Moses wrote 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth' Gen 1:1 then that must be truth. If it is not truth then Jesus gave his full sanction to a lie and as such He would have lied Himself. If Jesus lied then He sinned, and if He sinned He could not die for our sins, because God required a perfect sinless sacrifice and therefore we are still in need of a Saviour.
Praise God that Jesus was our perfect sinless Saviour and that He came to save His people from their sins!
When Jesus gave Moses' writings His full sanction He was also affirming that this wonderful Book that I hold in my hand, this Word of Life is truly the inspired Word of God. As such you can trust in its authenticity, and you can rely on its authority because man may have been used as a vessel to pen the words but in reality God is the author!
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