How Is Faith Not a Work? 08/14/2016

Summary: How is FAITH NOT a Work? 1 Corinthians 12:3b “no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” 1 Thessalonians 1:5 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. Romans 3:27 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. Romans 10:9–11:6 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But,…here is the problem… 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” 16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.” 19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved. Believing then receiving grace = works salvation Receiving grace then believing then receiving more grace = grace Faith is the sign you have received GRACE John 3:36 36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” Notice how John ties believing and obeying together. Those who believe, because it is by the power of the Holy Spirit, will obey by the power of the Holy Spirit (see the beginning of John 3) Believing is the sign you have received grace. Atheists have commented that there is nothing more impossible than to believe. If you have FAITH this morning, rejoice that you have been shown grace. But, does anyone here ever worry that they might stop believing and drift away? Have you ever had a job where you were in constant fear of losing it or being fired because it was known that the company was doing lay-offs? Have you ever been in a relationship where you thought the other person might leave you or cheat on you? Have you ever had a house where you worried that the bank was going to foreclose on you? Does this seem like the way God would want you to live, always worrying about whether he was going to leave you and forsake you? What kind of Christian life would we have if we had no security or stability? John 6:38–40 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” What kind of life is it? Eternal life. Eternal life that lasts 5 minutes is not eternal life. Having Eternal life guarantees we will be raised up at the last day. John 10:27–30 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” John 5:24 24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 1 John 5:13 13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. So we see clearly and repeatedly the connection between believing and eternal life. Its not merely the connection between believing and salvation, but eternal life. Those who believe have the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that we will forever remain God’s people. Ephesians 1:14 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Philippians 1:6 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. The Holy Spirit will cause you to persevere. We are talking about Eternal Security, but this is also known as “The Perseverance of the Saints.” John 8:31–32 31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Matthew 10:22b But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. Hebrews 3:14 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO DO DRIFT AWAY? John clearly states that when people fall away from fellowship with the church and from belief in Christ they thereby show that their faith was not real in the first place and that they were never part of the true body of Christ. 1 JOHN 2:19 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. So we say, those who drift away never truly had the Holy Spirit. Remember, we interpret the obscure passages of Scripture through the lens of clear passages of Scripture. Matthew 26:22 20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” 22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” So we see the disciples had no idea who it was. John 6:64 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) Parable of the Sower Mark 4 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” 14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come—6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. 7 When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. 8 But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it. 9 Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. The writer is talking about those who live within the life of the church but eventually fall away. Vv. 7–8 give us a clue who he is talking about. Matthew 3:8–10 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. Therefore the author wants to give a severe warning to those in danger of slipping away from their Christian profession. He wants to use the strongest language possible to say, “Here is how far a person can come in experiencing temporary blessings and still not really be saved.” He is warning them to watch out, because depending on temporary blessings and experiences is not enough. To do this he talks not of any true change of heart or any good fruit produced, but simply about the temporary blessings and experiences that have come to these persons and have given them some understanding of Christianity. I want to leave you with this challenge: Hebrew 3:11–4:3 11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. 2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. Philippians 2:12b Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. Have you been drifting away? Have you allowed sin in your life? Are you growing cold? Are you hiding your gifts and refusing to use them? For the honor due His name lets work hard, lets give it our all to the One who is worthy, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, the Lion from the tribe of Judah. Let’s not hold back but lets give it our all. LOVE ON THE LINE To the One who has rescued my soul To the One who has welcomed me home To the One who is Savior of all I sing forever

How Is Faith Not a Work? 08/14/2016

Directory

Click for all Categories