Works or Faith?	
#L470	The First-Century Gospel Church / Philadelphia	Wed 7-10-02

	The Apostle James answers the question, ‘Works or Faith’ (1:22), by saying, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  
	Doing what God’s Word tells us to do, is not works, it is faith, acting from love for God, and a desire to be a true disciple of Christ.  "If you love me, you will obey what I command,” (John 14:15).  And Jesus commanded us ‘how to do’ regarding many important issues of life.
	The Apostle Paul (Galatians 5:6), reminds us that outward religion means nothing.  “The only thing that counts,” (the Apostle says), “is faith expressing itself through love.”  And that is just what Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
	Obeying God’s Word, (by the power of the Spirit), is not works, but faith.  Obedience to New Testament Scripture is a pure expression of our trust in God and our faith in Christ.
	In giving the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), Jesus said that obeying Him, (because we have faith in Him), was the right thing to do, and we are to teach others to obey Him.  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

	To be a disciple of Christ, we should be baptized, have a new nature (by that rebirth), and to walk by faith in God’s Word.  The devil likes to cause confusion by suggesting that obeying the Law (of the Old Testament), and following Christ’s commands in the New Testament, are both works.
	Under the Law (of the Old Testament), God gave commands that were right and proper, and they were to be obeyed.  But the New Testament, (Galatians 3:25-27), says, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
	Following Jesus by faith, is much different from obeying Old Testament laws by human strength.  Although the Law, (and its precepts), were certainly right, they could not be fully obeyed by human ability.  The Law proved that humans could not obey God. 
	The very basis of our rebellion toward God, is connected with working in the flesh, and wanting to follow our own plans.  We often try to find contentment in life by works, instead of following Jesus by faith.
	For thousands of years (of earth’s history), human beings have proved that they cannot live a right [or righteous] life, without the ability that God provides through His Spirit.  Every generation has proven that they cannot live right, without God.  The Holy Spirit enables us to walk by faith in Christ’s Atonement.
	And Jesus says, "I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  When Jesus ascended, He promised to give us His Holy Spirit so that we could have faith in Him.  Following by faith, is not works of the flesh.
	Deuteronomy 28 tells of great blessings given to those who obeyed the Law (of the Old Testament), and also tells of the terrible calamities befalling those who disobeyed that Law.  Blessings resulted from obedience, and curses from disobedience.
	(Vs 1-2, TEV), "If you obey the LORD your God and faithfully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, he will make you greater than any other nation on earth.  Obey the LORD your God and all these blessings will be yours...”  (15-16), "But if you disobey the LORD your God and do not faithfully keep all his commands and laws that I am giving you today, all these evil things will happen to you...”
	Christians today, are not living under the Law (of the Old Testament, which included burnt offerings, animal sacrifices, etc.), but they are free from those Laws, and are free to follow Christ by faith in His resurrection.
	We are required to obey the commands of the New Testament today (by the Spirit’s power), as the Israelites were required to obey the Law then (by their own power).
	God gave the Law to reveal the sinful nature, and to prove that human ability could not, (and simply would not), obey Him.  His Holy Spirit would be given, however, so that we could live by faith in God’s Word and promises.
	Jesus said that the entire Old Testament Law, (as well as all that the Prophets had predicted), depends on our following two important Bible commands...(Matthew 22:37-39), "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and the most important commandment.  The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'”
	Follow these two, and you will be obedient to all the others.  To, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” means, simply, to live by faith in Christ, and to follow His example.  There are very few professing, (and non-professing), Christians who are doing that today.
	Jesus told us (Matthew 7:21), "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' [faith in words only], will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  ‘The decisive question’ (Jesus means), ‘is whether they love My Father and obey His will, or not.’
	1 John 2:4 is in full support of what Jesus just said, “The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
	A person who is living by faith in God’s Word, will meet things scripturally, they won’t resent insults, they will forgive from the heart, and they gladly help others (in whatever way they can).  That is loving God, and loving our neighbor (as we love ourselves).
	We are to confess our sins, and be ‘born again’ to a new life of faith in Christ Jesus.  We are to surrender our will to God’s will, and to receive His Holy Spirit so that we can live by faith.  Doing God’s will is not works, but an expression of our faith in Christ.
	Church attendance has no merit of itself, but we will want to attend services if the Holy Spirit is in control.  Going to church on a regular basis is all part of living by faith in God’s Word.  “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another ‑‑and all the more as you see the Day approaching,” (Hebrews 10:25).  How can we encourage our fellow Christians, if we don’t show up?
	When the Holy Spirit is within, our decisions will be in divine order.  (John 4:21,23), "’Believe me,’ said Jesus, ‘the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  But a time is coming‑‑when the true worshipers will worship the Father with true spiritual worship; for indeed the Father desires such worshipers.’”
	To worship God, is to thank and praise Him every day for all He has provided, (especially thanking Him for His Son Jesus who paid an incredible price, so that our sins could be forgiven and forgotten).
	Works of the flesh, and walking by faith, are two entirely different things.  Obeying God’s Word is simply expressing our faith in His Son Jesus.
	Everyone must face the issue of trusting God and living by faith in Christ.  The Lake of Fire is too hot, and the terrible suffering there too long, to make any mistake about this.  No one should ever jeopardize their eternal interests by being rebellious--not for a second!
	We follow Christ, because He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6).
	Suppose a road we are to take, splits into two paths.  One was considered safe, and the other was known to be dangerous.  Then our father, (who loves us dearly), advises us to stay on the safe road, and giving instructions about which turns to make and how to proceed.
	When we come to the fork in the road, however, it will be our choice to listen to his advice, or not.  If we disobey his instructions and take the dangerous road, we will have to accept the results of that decision...(and it could be the Lake of Fire).
	Any plan for living apart from the Bible, comes from the evil one.  It is the devil who wants us to take the road that goes to Gehenna.  He is out to destroy as many lives as he can, and, (unfortunately), he is having much success with that.
	Everyone is tempted, and sometimes very seriously.  Even Jesus was tempted, but He held to the Word and obeyed what it says.  “The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’  Jesus answered, ‘It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,'” (Matthew 4:3-4).
	‘To live by every Word given in the Bible,’ means living by faith in what God told us.  Jesus obeyed His Father’s Word on Baptism even when He didn’t have to.  (Matthew 3:14-15), “John [the Baptist] tried to deter him, [but] Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."
	Jesus showed His faith in His Father, by the way He met things, and how He responded to persecution.  And God’s Word tells us to, “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 2:5).  The safe way, is the Christlike way.  He is our example in this ‘walk by faith.’  “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did,” (1 John 2:6).
	So, the question is this: ‘Is it outward works, or living by faith?  1 John 2:4-5 answers that...“The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in him.  This is how we know we are in him....[we] walk as Jesus did.”  And He always walked by faith.
	The Apostle Paul tells us, (Philippians 2:12-13), “As you have always obeyed‑‑not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence‑‑continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” 
	We are to be very careful to meet things, (and people and situations and persecutions), as Jesus did...(not as works of the flesh, but simply proving our faith in Christ), “So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold on to the word of life–-“ (Philippians 2:15-16).
	Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount gives plain directions concerning the attitude we are to have toward those who dislike us, how to consider the money that passes through our hands, the prayers we should offer, and many other issues of life.
	Then saying, (Matthew 7:24-27)..."Anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house.  But it did not fall, because it was built on rock.
	“But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell.  And what a terrible fall that was!"
	Many people think that obedience is works, and that they are not required to obey God’s Word on finances, divine healing, or other Bible commands.  They don’t think that obedience to God’s Word, is directly connected to faith in His Son.  To label obedience as ‘works,’ is an attempt to excuse unscriptural ways and disobedience to God’s Word.
	If a difficult situation is met, and we need advice, there is only one place to get it...from God’s Word.  If we have faith in God, (because we love Him with all our heart), we will always follow His directions.  If we follow the world, it shows we love the world, more than we love God.
	CASES IN POINT: If someone insults us, criticizes us, or does some mean thing, the world says to resent it, don’t forget what they did, ignore them for now, but get even when you can.
	Jesus gives this advice: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44).  That scriptural advice is opposite to the world’s [unscriptural] advice.
	We are to forgive those who wrong us, and we are to forget that it ever happened.  Our attitude toward them, and our treatment of them, is to remain unaltered.  No matter what they did to us, (or didn’t do for us), it should not affect our attitude toward that person.  If we believe that God’s advice is better, we will meet it as Jesus met it...to say nothing, and to place it in God’s hands.
	Concerning money...the world says, lay up treasure, (and store up possessions and assets), on earth.  Have your money gain interest, and make sure you have more than enough for the future.
	God’s advice is, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (NIV).
	The KJS & NIV translations say “where your ‘treasure’ is, (there will your heart be).”  The Living Bible uses the word ‘profits,’ and the Weymouth’s “where your ‘wealth’ is,” (there your trust is).
	God is to be in charge of our finances and possessions.  If we place our money in His hands, we are promised 10,000% interest.  That is a five-digit interest!  The world gives 1% or 2%.
	If we really believed that God would give 10,000% interest, (on money we give away, or give up, to obey God’s Word), we would immediately place our profits in His bank.  The reason people don’t place their treasure in Heaven, is because they don’t actually believe that God will do that, (even though He controls everything on earth).
	God’s supreme love for us, compels Him to supply everything for us.  If He takes care of birds and animals, He will surely take care of human lives committed to His care.  Human beings have a soul and a spirit, and they live forever in one place, (or the other).
	If we are physically oppressed, the world says to place your faith in the medical profession.  God says, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven,” (James 5:15).  
	Matthew 8:8 reminds us that the centurion responded in faith by saying to Jesus, “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”  Because of the faith he had in a word, Jesus replies to him, “Go!  It will be done just as you believed it would.  And his servant was healed at that very hour.”
	If we truly love God, (and if we believe that He is more faithful than anyone else could ever be), we will call upon Him whenever we need healing, help, or guidance.  The limit of our obedience to God’s Word, is to trust Him at the risk of our life.  Obedience to God’s Word, proves our faith in Him.  It is not works, it is faith (in action).
	There is not one command in the Bible for self to accomplish anything.  Obeying God’s Word, (and following His Son by faith, through the power of His Spirit), results in our being protected, healed, blessed, and receiving Eternal Life.
	We find our way to God’s kingdom by no other pathway than following Jesus by faith.  No matter how religious a person may seem to be outwardly, if they are not actually living by faith in Christ, (through the power of the Holy Spirit, which God gives to everyone who asks), they will be left behind at the Rapture, and will have to go through the 7-year Tribulation.
	Everything that happens in life, is a test of our faith in Christ, (and our obedience to God’s Word).  Circumstances are met, and insults heard (at times), to reveal resentment, wrong attitudes, or rebellion to God (that may be in our heart).  If there is any self in control, we want to know it, because that can hinder our receiving what God wants to give us...every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).
	When outward works mean nothing, and truly walking by faith in Christ is everything, we will be on ‘the narrow road of the few that leads to life eternal,’ because we will be truly walking with Jesus, (who alone can present us to God).  And “No one comes to the Father except through [Him].”
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	The First-Century Gospel Church
5744 NORTH FRONT STREET
PHILADELPHIA PA  19120-2404  USA
FAX: 215 549 6590 * E-mail: naclark@bellatlantic.net