CRCF””10-25-09
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 don”™t really trust Jesus.
“A bodybuilder was visiting an African tribe, and the tribal chief was just amazed at his physique. So the tribal chief asks the muscle builder, ”˜What do you do with all of those muscles?”™ The bodybuilder said, ”˜Well, it”™s probably easier to show you than to explain.”™ So he went into all these different presentations of his physique to show off the different muscles””the biceps, the triceps, the back, and the obliques. He just stood there, changing poses. After the presentation, the tribal chief said, ”˜Now that”™s impressive! But, I have a second question. What else do you do with all of those muscles?”™ ”˜Well,”™ the bodybuilder said, ”˜that”™s pretty much it. I work out to pose.”™ The African chief said, ”˜What a waste. What a waste.”™
Many [church folks] work out only to pose. They don”™t work out to use the muscles they”™ve 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”™ve learned.” (Tony Evans, 39)
WE:
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don”™t really trust Jesus.
It”™s important that we understand this because we can be deceived about our relationship with Jesus.
Matthew 7:21-23
Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ”˜Lord”™, but they still won”™t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, ”˜Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.”™ But I will reply, ”˜I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.”™
GOD:
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don”™t really trust Jesus.
James 2:14-26 (NLT)
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don”™t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
The Message: Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? (14)
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)
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”””but then you don”™t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn”™t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
The Message: Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (17)
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don”™t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 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”™t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
“Demonic Nonsense!”
The 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)
21 Don”™t 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: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
The 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)
24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
25 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.
The 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)
CEV: 26Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!
John 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.
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don”™t really trust Jesus.
YOU:
So, what do we need to do about this today?
Examine yourself.
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.
Do your actions prove your trust in Jesus?
If not, you may only have “demonic faith” that knows the truth about Who Jesus is but doesn”™t personally trust Him with your eternity and follow Him as your Master.
And to be deceived about where you stand with God is to put your soul in jeopardy.
Tony Evans: Faith is acting like God is telling the truth.
Do you act like God is telling the truth?
Jesus said it this way: “If 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”™t 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” (John 14:15, 21, 23-24””NLT).
What do we you need to do about this today?
Make sure that your relationship with Jesus is real by examining your own heart.
If your belief in Jesus does not affect your actions, then you don”™t really trust Jesus.
So, right now, “trust and obey” Jesus!
WE:
As we get ready to celebrate the Lord”™s Supper””for 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)
For others, this needs to be a time of self-examination””you”™ve said “Lord, Lord” to Jesus, but your life just doesn”™t match up. You don”™t 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.
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.
Celebration of the Lord”™s Supper
–Warning/Prayer
John 6:35, 51, 53-57
“I 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.”