FAITH IN GOD MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY ACTION

PROCLAMATION

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.”  James 2:14-17 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the Jewish believers who were scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (James 1:1)  He wrote to them to encourage them to keep the faith in the face of all types of trials. (James 1:2-4)  He told them that faith without works is dead and useless.  He said that a person is considered righteous by what he does and not by his faith alone. (James 2:24)  Then he said, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26)

 

APPLICATION

It is not enough to believe that there is a God.  It is good to believe in God, but if you believe in Him and do not follow Him, obey His Word, and live by His teaching, then your belief has accomplished nothing.  The devil and his demons know and believe that there is a God, but they don’t follow Him. (James 2:19)  We must exercise our faith and put it to work.  It is by our deeds that we will be blessed. (James 1:25)  If all we do is say that we believe in Christ, but our actions do not go along with our words, then our words are not true.  If we profess to believe in Christ but continue to live in sin as we did before our profession without changing our lives, then our professed belief is basically counterfeit.  We are not saved by our works, (Ephesians 2:9-10) but our works demonstrate our salvation.  The indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God is evidenced by the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Consider this, if someone says that they love you but never does anything to demonstrate or show that they love you, how real is that love to you?  Our actions speak louder than our words.

 

 

BE DOERS OF THE WORD AND NOT JUST HEARERS

PROCLAMATION

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires … Do not merely listen to The Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says … not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.”  James 1:19-25 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the converted Jewish believers of the early church who were scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (James 1:1) He wrote this letter to encourage them to keep the faith in the face of all types of trials. (James 1:2-4)  He told them to pray, and to believe and not doubt that their prayers would be answered. (James 1:6-8)  He also told them that blessed is the man who perseveres under trials for he will be rewarded. (James 1:12)  James ends this first chapter by urging them to be quick to listen and slow to speak.  Then he tells them that they should not be just hearers of The Word of God, but they should also be doers of The Word.  They will be blessed for that which they do. (James 1:25)  He says that they should keep themselves from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

 

APPLICATION

Unfortunately, most of the people in the world today do not read The Bible.  They watch and “read” the people of God.  Therefore, James encouraged all believers to be living examples of The Word of God.  The apostle Paul expressed the same thought in his letter to the believers in Corinth. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)  We need to understand that our actions will speak louder than our words, so we cannot just read and talk about The Word of God; we have to also live it.  We have to “walk the walk” and walk God’s way.  It is the behavior of believers that will have the most profound effect on the world.  It is for the Christ-like behavior of believers that we will receive special blessings. (James 1:25)

 

BE KIND TO STRANGERS

PROCLAMATION

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the Hebrew believers and indirectly to all believers.  In this final chapter of The Bible Book of Hebrews, the author begins by telling them to love one another as brothers and sisters.  In chapter eleven he dealt with faith, in chapter twelve he dealt with hope, and here he deals with love.  He reminds them to be kind to strangers who unbeknownst to them may be angels. (Hebrews 13:2)  He told them to be kind to those who are incarcerated and those who have been mistreated. (Hebrews 13:3)  He also told them to honor marriage and that God would deal with those who commit adultery and the sexually immoral. (Hebrews 13:4)  Then he told them not to be in love with money and that they should be content with what they have. (Hebrews 13:5)  He reminded them that The Lord God said that He would never leave them or forsake them.  After that he goes on to tell them to remember, honor and pray for the man who taught them The Word of God. (Hebrews 13:7-18)  He ends the chapter with a thoughtful benediction, (Hebrews 13:20-21) a word of encouragement, (Hebrews 13:22) and the wishes them well.

 

APPLICATION

It is easy to love our family members and friends, even though at times they make it difficult for us.  It is much more challenging for us to love all of our church members and all who claim to be Christian.  However, it requires a special effort to be kind to and to love complete strangers.  The author offers some practical examples for Christian living and behavior.  To do this we need His help. (Hebrews 13:3-6)  We need to pray for our leaders, teachers, preachers, and our pastors. (Hebrews 13:7 and 13:17-18)  We should be careful not to be caught up in strange, non-Biblical teachings. (Hebrews 13:9)  We should compare what we are taught and told with what The Bible says.  It is our guide as we travel on our Christian journey through this sin-sick world.  We are to love one another as Christ loves us. (John 13:34-35)  Christ said that as we have done things for the less fortunate people, we have done it to Him. (Matthew 25:35-40)

WE SHOULD LIVE AS HOLY AS WE CAN

PROCLAMATION

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see The Lord.”  Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the Hebrew believers and indirectly to all believers.  In this twelfth chapter, the author begins by telling them to throw off sin and everything which hinders them as the run their Christian race and to focus on Christ. (Hebrews 12:1-2)  Then he tells them that in their struggle against sin that they have not yet experienced the worst of things. (Hebrews 12:4)  He reminds them, as he quotes Proverbs 3:11-12, that no matter what they are going through or what is to come, that God disciplines His children because He disciplines those that He loves. (Hebrews 12:5-6)  The author then goes on to encourage them to live as holy as they can. (Hebrews 12:14)  Then he tells them of the mountain of fear, Mount Sinai (Hebrews 12:18-21), and the mountain of joy, Mount Zion. (Hebrews 12:22-24)  He ends the chapter by warning them not to refuse God. (Hebrews 12:25-29)

 

APPLICATION

Some people will not let you live in peace with them because they are not at peace with themselves.  It is better for us to avoid those people. (Proverbs 21:9 and 21:19)  While none of us is perfect, we should strive to be as Christ-like and as holy as we can.  We should all strive to be holy because The Christ which is within us is holy. (1 Peter 1:16)  We should treat people as we would like to be treated (Matthew 7:12) and not as they treat us. (Romans 12:17)  When we know better, we should do better. (2 Peter 2:21)  Striving for peaceful living is a good thing, however striving to live holy is even better and much more important.

 

WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”   Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)  In other words, “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the Hebrew believers and indirectly to all believers.  In this eleventh chapter the author discusses “faith,” including what it is and how it is put into action.  He begins with a definition of what “faith” is. (Hebrews 11:1)  Faith depends on The Lord God and He is the object of our faith.  It is based upon our belief in Him and not in the things that we can see.  The author then presents several practical examples of how faith was demonstrated in the past by certain individuals. (Hebrews 11:2-11 and 11:17-31)  Then he mentioned some of the things that people went through and endured because of their faith. (Hebrews 11:32-38)

 

APPLICATION

Faith requires a belief in God.  Our salvation is based upon our belief in The Lord God.  Our earthly and heavenly rewards are based upon our works, living a Christian life.  Our salvation comes by faith, and our Christian walk also depends on our faith.  It was by faith that Enoch walked with God. (Genesis 5:24)  The faith which guides our walk cannot be seen, but the people around us can see the effects of our faith in our behavior and actions.  We are blessed for believing without seeing. (John 20:29)  The only way we can please The Lord God is by having faith in Him.  If we have faith in Him, then we must walk, talk, and act in such a way as to demonstrate it because faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)

 

LET US HOLD ON TO OUR FAITH

PROCLAMATION

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings … Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see The Day approaching.”  Hebrews 10:22-25 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the unknown human author, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the Hebrew believers and indirectly to all believers.   The author begins this  tenth chapter by continuing the discussion of Christ’s sacrifice once and for all and the covenant He made with His people. (Hebrews 10:1-18)  Then he presents a call to the believers to persevere in the faith. (Hebrews 10:19-25)  After this he discusses the implications which could result if they keep on committing the same sin and falling away from God after they have received the knowledge of the truth. (Hebrews 10:26-35)  He ends the chapter encouraging them to persevere and not to shrink back from their faith. (Hebrews 10:36-39) 

 

APPLICATION

We need to hold on to our faith and exercise it, for The Lord God who made the promise to us is coming back. (Hebrews 10:36-37)  He will not be pleased with us if we shrink back from our faith. (Hebrews 10:38)  Not only are we to keep the faith, we also are to encourage one another to do likewise, and we are to do good deeds (Hebrews 10:24) so that God may be glorified. (Matthew 5:16)  Instead of tearing one another down, we ought to be encouraging one another and building each other up.  “The Day” is approaching; the end is closer than we think.

 

AFTER DEATH THEN THE JUDGMENT

PROCLAMATION

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”  Hebrews 9:27-28 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the unknown human author of The Book of Hebrews under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the Hebrew believers, and indirectly to all believers.  In this ninth chapter the author begins by discussing the early earthly tabernacle. (Hebrews 9:1-7)  Then he goes on to discuss the blood of Christ versus the blood of ceremonial animals. (Hebrews 9:11-14)  Then he presents the importance of the blood and concludes by stating that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin. (Hebrews 9:22)  He ends the chapter stating that Christ did not offer Himself again and again as the high priest did by entering The Holy of Holies in the tabernacle each year. (Hebrews 9:25)  Christ came to earth once to sacrifice Himself for all sin. (Hebrews 9:26)  He will come again, but that time will not be to sacrifice Himself for sin, it will be to gather the believers unto Himself. (Hebrews 9:28)

 

APPLICATION

When we think about the birth of Christ, we need to remember that He came to earth to redeem us and pay the price for our sins.  The price for sin is death. (Roman 6:23)  Jesus, The Christ, shed His blood and died for our sins. (John 1:29 and 19:30-34)  The next time that He comes it will be to gather all of His believers unto Himself (Hebrews 9:28) and we will meet Him in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)  He will also come back again to bring judgment to all of the non-believers.  Bible scholar J. Vernon McGee put it this way, “either your sin is on you, or it is on Christ.”  If you have not accepted Christ as your personal savior then you must pay the price for your sins and you will see Him after death as judge at the Great White Throne judgment. (Revelation 20:11-15)  Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)