What Difference Does Your Faith Make?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>What Difference Does Your Faith Make?</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Becoming a Loving Church"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id214.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Using, Not Abusing, the Power of Words"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>“What Difference Does Your Faith Make?” James 2:14-26, </B><B>Berean Bible Church, July 1, 2001am</B></div> <bR> <div>      Mark Twain encountered a ruthless business man from Boston during his travels who boasted that nobody ever got in his way once he determined to do something. He said, ‘Before I die I intend to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I’m gonna climb Mount Sinai. And when I’m up there I’m gonna read the Ten Commandments aloud at the top of my voice!’ Unimpressed, Twain responded, “I’ve got a better idea. Stay in Boston and keep them." We often revere the Scriptures, but fail to keep them.</div> <div>      There is often a disconnection between what we believe and how we live. How is your life different from when you first trusted Christ? From last year at this time? From last month? Last week?</div> <div>      What is the relationship between what we say we believe, and what we actually do?</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. True Faith Results in Good Works</B></div> <div> A. James 2:14-17: Faith without action is useless (vss. 14, 16, also 20). Note the emphasis on the Christian community - people helping and showing love to other people.</div> <div> B. James 2:18-26: Faith and works work together.</div> <div> 1. Vss. 18-19: Objection: “Faith and Works are totally separate.”</div> <div> 2. Vss. 20-26: Reality: Faith leads to good works. (Abraham – Gen 22. Rahab – Josh 2). Abraham was proved “righteous” by good deeds. His good works were the evidence of reality, of having a right relationship with God. In Romans 3:21-24, Paul addresses the extreme view “I can be saved by keeping the law and doing works.” James addresses the other extreme “I am saved by grace and it doesn’t matter if I do good works or not.” The balance - we cannot be saved by doing good works, but the fact that we are saved by grace leads to good works.</div> <div>      Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace, through faith. In verse 10, he said that we have been created to do good works (as a result of God's grace).</div> <div>      Our vision as a church is to develop followers of Christ, people that love him and do his will. Imagine people on drugs, people mishandling money, failing in their marriage, locked in sexual sin, unkind, selfish, gossips – all changing and becoming what God intends for them to be: free of drugs, wise stewards of God’s resources, faithful and loving spouses, free of sexual sin, kind and loving, self-sacrificing, speakers of encouraging words. God expects our lives to change when we receive his gift of salvation.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. </B><B>What Difference Does Your Faith Make In Your Life?</B></div> <div> In order for your faith to really make a difference . . .</div> <div> 1. Read the Word. Know the instructions. In the Word, you will discover the basics of Christian life and growth – worship, faith, purity, stewardship, service, evangelism, love for others (expressed in deeds and words).</div> <div> 2. Get accountable (be connected). We need each other (Heb 10:24-25).</div> <div> 3. Continue to evaluate yourself – are you growing?</div> <bR> <div>      The story is told of a young girl who accepted Christ as her Savior and applied for membership in a local church. "Were you a sinner before you received the Lord Jesus into your Life?" inquired an old deacon. "Yes, sir," she replied. "Well, are you still a sinner?" "To tell you the truth, I feel I'm a greater sinner than ever." "Then what real change have you experienced?" "I don't quite know how to explain it," she said, "except I used to be a sinner running after sin, but now that I am saved, I'm a sinner running from sin!" she was received into the fellowship of the church, and she proved by her consistent life that she was truly converted. The key is attitude!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2001, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>