Ep 48-Marks of a Mature Christian Pt 8

Hi there, this is tom mahairas again with it’s all greek to me, Vicki, my wife and I are going to be discussing faith and works and how they interact with one another. What is the basis of our justification or righteousness, Salvation and what what are the results of that? And we need to understand that clearly jump into this conversation with us. I hope you enjoy it. This is one of the most difficult passages to expose it, but we’re gonna try to do our best. So you can understand it. Here we are, faith and works. I grew up as a greek, Orthodox and I had certain things that we had to do and I know that you as a roman catholic, What did you learn? Um I had to go to catechism classes. I had to, you know, be baptized obviously as a baby. Then I had to go and make my confirmation. And then I used to have to confess my sins to a priest and do several prayers and then go the stations of the cross around the church. Those were my works to clear myself of my sins. There is such confusion about faith and works and a lot of it has to do with the word justified. You know, is the man justified? Is his faith justified? Is it before God that we’re justified? Is that before men that were justified? The cassini or righteous made righteous, uh same word. And so we’re gonna look at this right now and answer, try to answer. We’re gonna have a little discussion you and me on verse 12 of this chapter is really important with faith and works, look what it says in verse 12, so speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. Uh you know, there are three things here we could be looking at, but just you talk about this, What do we say? And what do we do is verse 12 three Types of Faith. And what is the explanation for faith reckoned in righteousness. So the law of liberty, we learned that was freedom, The law of freedom God gives us and it was a royal law, there was a perfect law and that’s what we’ve been discussing in the last programs that all of this sums up um jesus, Some summary Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Like we said before, he took all those 613 mosaic and the vehicle laws and turn them into those things. Very simple for us to understand God’s way that he really His focus is on love for him 1st, that transforms us and then flows out of our life to love our neighbor as ourselves vertically and horizontally, when you are right with God and God is feeding you through his word through prayer through the church through other believers that are building into your life. You start growing and you’d be a fellowship, the bible talks about they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread prayer, the church was growing. Then you’re able to go out horizontally and you can love others the way christ loved us, love love other people like you want to be loved and that’s what you’re talking about. And so as we look at the rest of this chapter and you begin to read it Vicki you begin to see there’s there’s a consistency Concerning what we say and what we do, there’s gotta be consistency. You can’t just say it and not do it. So go ahead and read right before we began the session. I counted how many times the word works is in from the chapter 14 22. Excuse Me. Chapter two, verses 14 through 26 And 12 times the word works is in this little portion of scripture and he’s going to explain to us. So what use is it my breath? And if someone says with their mouth, they have faith, but he has no works. Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food and one of you says to them go in peace, be warmed and filled and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, What use is that even so faith, if it has no works is dead being by itself. So that’s dead faith, that faith, that faith is just talking, you know about God, you go to church or sing the songs, you read your bible. But it doesn’t change me, it doesn’t move me out of my own self centeredness to to really uh you know touch people and help people, even the people that are closest to me. But more importantly, even those that are really down, out, down and out cast down and hurting. We need to have that kind of a compassionate heart Verse 18 in James two. But someone may well say you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without the works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one, you do well. The demons also believe in shudder. Well, it’s interesting again in the beginning of this verse but someone may well say so here’s what people again are saying and this is highlighted in this chapter is not about what’s going on inside your heart, it’s about what’s happening with your mouth, You’re saying one thing, but you’re not living up to what you’re saying. You know, you have to practice what you preach, you can’t just say it and not do it Okay, next. The word free. So is properly to bristle or shiver from fear and shudder is used only in James 219 of the hair standing on end, like fearful you but are you willing to recognize you foolish fellow that faith without works is useless. Was not Abraham Our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar. So this is demonic faith where it says even the demons believe and shudder they free. So which is what I was doing in this, in this hurricane, I was actually shivering like this. I couldn’t stop myself from shaking the demons are doing that when they think about God the father God the son God the holy spirit, they are trembling because they know their end is for sure they’re doomed. And uh so that that’s demonic faith, that’s demonic faith. Uh and then uh there’s dynamic faith 1st 22 you see that faith was working with his works and as a result of the works, faith was perfected or brought to leo to like completion and maturity and the scripture was fulfilled, which says, and Abraham believed God and it was reckon that’s that word log easel made that we saw credited to him given to him not really on the basis of his works, but when God saw his works, God credit in his life, righteousness, dynamic faith and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man before other men is justified. Dichio by works and not by faith alone. Now this is very important because we know that uh martin Luther, a great student of the bible hebrew and greek uh you know, among the tremendous uh he was the, you know, the cause for the reformation, he kinda had his doubts about these passages of scripture with a scriptural, I mean, he had a lot of battles because in his uh former faith in the catholic church, he believed that doing these things created the righteousness, keeping all the laws created the righteousness. And yet when he believed that it was by faith alone romans one, you know that a man is justified by faith without any works of the law Galatians two verse 16 and that he believed that and that became his kind of mantra in his life. It was hard for him to reconcile what we’re reading here. And it was only until I read and was talking to several brothers in christ spirit, zodiac keys. Remember john macarthur, Warren where’s Bee? And his phenomenal commentaries explaining uh this, and then I came up to thinking that, you know, there are two different kinds of directions for the justification. It’s justification in front of men. It’s justification in front of God. Faith is the only thing that justifies us before God faith and works is what justifies us before people. People see our works and they believe they, you know, people judge according to what we do in appearance. They can’t see in our heart, but God looks inside the heart in the same way, was not rehab. The harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way for just as the body without the spirit is dead. So also faith without works is dead. And again I put romans for because we’re gonna look at that when I’m speaking and preaching later on, romans 3 27 says where then is boasting? It is excluded by what kind of law of works we’ve been talking about works. No, but by the law of faith, there is a law of faith and then romans 42, if for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about but not before God. So we are not justified by our works. We are justified by faith without any works before God, but the works justify us to ourselves and to other men. You know when God called Adam and Eve ning says Adam, where are you, do you think God didn’t know where Adam was? He knew exactly where he was? And here God is telling us if we really have the right kind of faith, we’re gonna act in a certain way and that’s what it was with Abraham. And so I highlighted but not before God. So if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but here it is, but not before God because before God, only our faith in the death, burial resurrection of jesus christ And in Abraham’s case he had been told by God that they would be this messiah that would die would be buried and rise again. He talked about it in hebrews 11 and verse 19 and 20 and on he Jesus even referred to it in John Chapter eight and verse 45. So we know that Abraham was a believer before he was circumcised before he was given the laws because the laws didn’t come until 400 years later when Moses. So, Abraham is 4000 years ago Moses was 400 years after that, 3600 years ago. You got to remember that so that no man may be may boast before God. That is very important that we cannot be boasting before God because of our works Vicky. Why don’t you proceed First, Corinthians 1 26: 31 for consider your calling brethren. That there were not many wise according to the flesh. Not many mighty, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong And the base things of the world and the despise God has chosen the things that are not like a zero so that he may nullify the things that are so that no man, no woman, no human being can boast before God, but by his doing, you are in christ, jesus who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So that just as it is written, let him who boasts boast in the Lord, I think of, you know, when people share the gospel, it’s so important, that is not, you know, having a religion, it’s having this personal relationship by faith, in what christ did being a living lamb sacrifice. He’s the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. He shed his blood. He not only shed his blood and was completely dead, but three days later he rose from the dead and this is the gospel that christ was. He came, he suffered, he bled, he died. He was a sacrifice for our sins. And every time we go by faith to him and trust in him and what he did, we have a gift of God is eternal life. We have assurance that when we die and stand before God, we’re gonna get into heaven. Not on the basis of our works, Not on the basis of our religion, but on the basis of what Christ did for us. And that’s what it says in verse 30 by his doing. You are in christ, jesus, he did it, you know. And then later on it says uh in second Corinthians 5 12 were not again commending ourselves to you, but are giving you an occasion to be proud uh, of us. So that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearances and not in the heart, but we but he who boasts is to boast in the Lord Galatians 2 16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by through faith in jesus christ, this totally would contradict what James is talking about. If James was talking about the man being justified by his faith and his works. No, it says here nevertheless, knowing that a man is justified by knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law. But through faith in christ, jesus very, very clear. Even we have believed in christ jesus so that we may be justified by faith in christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law, no flesh, no man, no woman can be justified or would be justified. It goes on in Ephesians 28 or nine for by grace, We’ve been saved through faith, not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, not as a result of works lest we boast but notice it is not by our works that we are saved, but it is for good works that we are saved. Notice the second part, verse 10, for we are his workmanship. The word there is Prima, which is like his poem created in christ jesus for good works were not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works and which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them and we’re gonna be looking at this whole message of good works. The theology of good works in a in a few moments, I like the time that, you know, God prepared good works for us. So when God saves us, he gives us special gifts and and he has special people for us to talk to and special things for us to do on this planet. And that’s how we have a great fulfillment in our life. Amen, that is incredible. And then of course, also in titus 35 and six and seven, he saves us, not on the basis of these, which we’ve done in righteousness, again, confirming that our salvation is not by what we do, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Spirit of God, which he poured us abundantly through christ, jesus. Yes, he’s our savior. So that being justified by his grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. You see all these clear passages that deal with how a man is justified before God only on the basis of grace and mercy and faith in the death, burial and resurrection of jesus, christ, that’s the only way. And our good works then will help us to go forward and will proclaim to other people that we have been saved and God like Vicki said, prepared us beforehand so that we could do these good works. They are not the basis, but they are the proof and and the blossoming of our salvation. They’re not the basis. They’re not the reason for our salvation. The good works are the profession of our salvation and the revelation and the proof of our salvation uh in front of other people. That’s the way it goes. We’re talking about the theology of good works and how faith and good works relate. Now before we can deal with good works, which we’re going to do in a moment, I want us to go back to this whole idea of salvation and from chapter four of romans, the basis of salvation were given two illustrations, were given Abraham and David as illustrations and it talks about the fact that Abraham believed God and it was louis’s unaccredited into his life is righteousness and he became righteous before God, Not because of his works, but because of his faith in the death burial resurrection of christ. Now we know this because there are 11 times that the word Louisiana is used and at the end of the chapter it says in romans chapter four and verse 24. But for our sakes, also to whom it will be reckoned or louise. Oh, man, that means credited or imputed reckoned. All of those words mean the same thing that is to put something into someone’s ledger, accounting term, a legal term or take something out of that ledger and it says reckoned as those who believe in him who raised jesus, our Lord from the dead Hugh who was delivered up because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification. So everything in the chapter Romans four That is said is now applied to every believer notice again, verse 24 for but for our sakes, verse 23, for not for his sake only was it written That it was reckoned to him? This is Abraham, but for our sakes. Also verse 24, to whom it would be reckoned to those who believe in him who raised Jesus, our lord from the dead, he who was delivered up because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification. Now, you got to know that this happened not before. Uh, it happened here. As you see in verse one through 25 the illustration justified by faith, not by works and the definition justified by grace, not by the law versus nine through 17. And this application justified by the resurrection power, not by human effort. So he put our sins in on christ account, that he might put christ righteousness on our account. This is how God justifies us. And uh, I just thank God for this incredible insight because when you look at the works that were commanded the theology of good works, that we are not saved by good works, but we’re saved onto good works. So let’s look at James chapter two and verse 14 through 26 also compare it to titus. Uh, the book of titus is a fantastic little book that also deals with five times this word good works, Good works, Good works, Good works and good works are not a prescription, but a description of salvation. It is very important and it is not the foundation, but the Fruit of Salvation. Good works are not the basis of salvation, but the behavior of salvation. An example of good works Titus chapter two verse seven And all things show yourself to be an example. This is what God wants us to be an example of good works. Kick push. We get the word strike repeatedly from that word of good works, good that inspires or motivates good deeds with purity and doctrine and dignified. Ask the question, Am I an example of good works? Are you an example of good works? What good works are in your life? What example are you to other people of these good works? And then number two, it says in Titus 2 14, Zealous for Good Works. Not only am I an example, I’m he gonna do it? Who gave himself for us to redeem literally all to purchase. It’s the purchase out. The price paid to purchase something from every lawless deed and purify for himself, a people for his own possession, Zealous for good works deeds or works. Carlos era. In other words, we were redeemed and purchased by jesus christ. So we could do these good works even as it says in Ephesians 289 and 10 that he we are his poem created in christ on to good works. That’s what it says here in titus chapter two verse 14 He redeemed us so that we could do these good works. Ask the question, am I zealous for good works? Am I excited about doing good works as a, as a result of my redemption? As a result of fact that jesus christ forgave me, cleanse me, change me now. He wants me to to go. He prepared these good works before the foundation of the world that I should walk in them. Yes, this is what he wants and my zealous for good works. Are you zealous for good works? Not just to do something good, but to be excited about doing it, whether it’s for my, my relatives, my Children, uh neighbors, church people, strangers that God brings me in contact with and then I’m ready for good works, Titus 31 remind them to be subject to rulers to authorities, to be obedient to be ready for every good deed, ready for these good works. So important am I ready for good works and might do it. And my preparing myself every day and to be ready to asking God show me what I can do for you and for others. Very important. And then correctly prioritizing Peter Hell occurs four times in the scriptures uh in Acts 5 29 Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than man. And Acts 5 32 and we are witnesses of these things. And so is the holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. We have to prioritize the good works that he wants us to do. Acts 27 21 when he had gone a long time without food. Then paul stood up in a in their midst and said, Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss peter here again and tie this 31 remind them to be subject to rulers, authorities, to be obedient to be ready for every good deed about getting one’s priorities right in accordance with God’s preferences and my prioritizing my life so that I can do the most important things first and and and do and please God so important. And then I need to plan to do good works and my planning and my schedule with my money with my gifts and energy to do good works. This is a trustworthy statement concerning these things. I want you to speak confidently so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. So that’s the question here, in my planning to do good works. Now there is a portion of scripture I want to end with and that is found in Luke in chapter 10 And uh the uh young man that wanted to justify himself. So who is my neighbor and Jesus Christ answers the question in Luke chapter 10 concerning who his neighbor is. It says um in uh in this beautiful passage of scripture concerning the good samaritan, jesus replied, concerning who your neighbor is, if you’re going to love your neighbor as yourself. And and he talks about a man who was beaten up and robbed and left to die. And then a certain priest comes and looks the other way. He’s too religious and too busy and too clean. A Levite also comes and he goes, the other way Does’t even go to see what the man what happened, but a certain Samaritan who most people didn’t respect in those days, a business guy, he’s going down there, he comes to him verse 30 for bandages up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, put him on his own beast and brought him to an end. He took care of him and on the next day he took out two denarii to two days wages and gave them to the innkeeper and said, take care of him, whatever more you spend when I return, I will repay you. Look at this probing question, which one of these do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber’s hands and he said, the one who showed mercy toward him and jesus said to him, go and do the same. Listen, that’s loving your neighbor as yourself, you can’t just see somebody down and out beaten up robbed, hurting and just have no emotional connection with that. We have we have become so callous that this is a normal thing in our lives to to see people who are broken and hard hearted. I want you to know that we have opportunities to reach out to the hurting and the broken and the needy and we could do the job of taking the person to an end and really helping people out and not just saying we love God and our neighbor but actually showing people through our good works what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves. This by the way was answering this uh this uh certain lawyer who was asking jesus and answered and said you shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. And he said to him you have answered correctly and then the man wishing to justify himself, he said to jesus who is my neighbor, look this is what it’s about, it’s not just about knowing that we’re supposed to love God and love are actually doing it, not making excuses. I gotta go here, I gotta go there, I don’t have time for this but doing it and reaching out to those people that are broken, that’s true religion that’s real having real genuine transparent unhip a critical faith, God bless you as we continue with It’s all greek to me until the next time