CRCF\u201d\u201d10-25-09<\/p>\n
Demonic Nonsense
\nJames 2:14-26<\/p>\n
[Slide with German shepherds and a cat]<\/p>\n
These dogs have learned obedience. They are fighting every instinct within them to obey their Master.<\/p>\n
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don\u201d\u2122t really trust Jesus.<\/p>\n
\u201cA bodybuilder was visiting an African tribe, and the tribal chief was just amazed at his physique. So the tribal chief asks the muscle builder, \u201d\u02dcWhat do you do with all of those muscles?\u201d\u2122 The bodybuilder said, \u201d\u02dcWell, it\u201d\u2122s probably easier to show you than to explain.\u201d\u2122 So he went into all these different presentations of his physique to show off the different muscles\u201d\u201dthe biceps, the triceps, the back, and the obliques. He just stood there, changing poses. After the presentation, the tribal chief said, \u201d\u02dcNow that\u201d\u2122s impressive! But, I have a second question. What else do you do with all of those muscles?\u201d\u2122 \u201d\u02dcWell,\u201d\u2122 the bodybuilder said, \u201d\u02dcthat\u201d\u2122s pretty much it. I work out to pose.\u201d\u2122 The African chief said, \u201d\u02dcWhat a waste. What a waste.\u201d\u2122<\/p>\n
Many [church folks] work out only to pose. They don\u201d\u2122t work out to use the muscles they\u201d\u2122ve developed. They carry their Bibles, stand during praise and worship, raise their hands in praise to the Lord, and absorb the Word of God from the sermon, only to leave the church and never use what they\u201d\u2122ve learned.\u201d (Tony Evans, 39)<\/p>\n
WE:<\/p>\n
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don\u201d\u2122t really trust Jesus.<\/p>\n
It\u201d\u2122s important that we understand this because we can be deceived about our relationship with Jesus.<\/p>\n
Matthew 7:21-23<\/p>\n
Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as \u201d\u02dcLord\u201d\u2122, but they still won\u201d\u2122t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, \u201d\u02dcLord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.\u201d\u2122 But I will reply, \u201d\u02dcI never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.\u201d\u2122<\/p>\n
GOD:<\/p>\n
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don\u201d\u2122t really trust Jesus.<\/p>\n
James 2:14-26 (NLT)<\/p>\n
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don\u201d\u2122t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?<\/p>\n
The Message: Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? (14)<\/p>\n
CEV: what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith? (14)<\/p>\n
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, \u201cGood-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well\u201d\u201d\u201dbut then you don\u201d\u2122t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
\n17 So you see, faith by itself isn\u201d\u2122t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
\nThe Message: Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (17)
\n18 Now someone may argue, \u201cSome people have faith; others have good deeds.\u201d But I say, \u201cHow can you show me your faith if you don\u201d\u2122t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.\u201d
\n19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can\u201d\u2122t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
\n\u201cDemonic Nonsense!\u201d
\nThe Message: Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? (20)
\n21 Don\u201d\u2122t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: \u201cAbraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.\u201d He was even called the friend of God.
\nThe Message: The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” (23)
\n24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
\n25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.
\nThe Message: The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse. (26)
\nCEV: 26Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!
\nJohn Piper: Faith alone unites us to Christ for righteousness, and the faith that unites us to Christ for righteousness does not remain alone. It bears the fruit of love. It must do so or it is dead, demon, useless faith and does not justify.<\/p>\n
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don\u201d\u2122t really trust Jesus.<\/p>\n
YOU:<\/p>\n
So, what do we need to do about this today?<\/p>\n
Examine yourself.<\/p>\n
John Piper: The glory of Christ in the gospel is not merely that we are justified when we depend entirely on Christ, but also that depending entirely on Christ is the power that makes us new, loving people.<\/p>\n
Do your actions prove your trust in Jesus?<\/p>\n
If not, you may only have \u201cdemonic faith\u201d that knows the truth about Who Jesus is but doesn\u201d\u2122t personally trust Him with your eternity and follow Him as your Master.<\/p>\n
And to be deceived about where you stand with God is to put your soul in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
Tony Evans: Faith is acting like God is telling the truth.<\/p>\n
Do you act like God is telling the truth?<\/p>\n
Jesus said it this way: \u201cIf you love me, obey my commandments . . . Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me . . . All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them. Anyone who doesn\u201d\u2122t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me\u201d (John 14:15, 21, 23-24\u201d\u201dNLT).<\/p>\n
What do we you need to do about this today?<\/p>\n
Make sure that your relationship with Jesus is real by examining your own heart.<\/p>\n
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don\u201d\u2122t really trust Jesus.<\/p>\n
So, right now, \u201ctrust and obey\u201d Jesus!<\/p>\n
WE:<\/p>\n
As we get ready to celebrate the Lord\u201d\u2122s Supper\u201d\u201dfor some here, this needs to be the time that you trust Jesus as your Savior and surrender your life to Him as your Master. (Explain the Gospel briefly)<\/p>\n
For others, this needs to be a time of self-examination\u201d\u201dyou\u201d\u2122ve said \u201cLord, Lord\u201d to Jesus, but your life just doesn\u201d\u2122t match up. You don\u201d\u2122t see any obedience to prove your love for Jesus in your life. This morning, you need to move from knowing about Jesus to personally trusting Him as your only hope and surrendering to Him as the Master of your life.<\/p>\n
For those of us who know Jesus today and, by His grace, are growing in love\/obedience to Him, this time should be a time of gratitude and fresh commitment to love Jesus more by obeying Him more consistently.
\nCelebration of the Lord\u201d\u2122s Supper<\/p>\n
–Warning\/Prayer<\/p>\n
John 6:35, 51, 53-57<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst . . . I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; this bread is my flesh, offered so the world may live . . . I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day. For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. All who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CRCF\u201d\u201d10-25-09 Demonic Nonsense James 2:14-26 [Slide with German shepherds and a cat] These dogs have learned obedience. They are fighting every instinct within them to obey their Master. If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you … Continue reading