FAITH THAT WORKS

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

0 foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so many things in vain?---If it really is in vain. Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?"

Galatians 2:20-3:5

"When I'm with brothers and sisters waiting on God I have faith. Then I go out into the arena of daily life and my faith evaporates."

- Who of us hasn't experienced that?

"When the conditions are right, when the atmosphere has something of heaven in it, I have faith. But when I'm immersed in the world of real problems my faith crumbles." You're reading a book on healing. It all sounds so inspiring and logical. You know God heals!

You believe for healing.

Then you go to the hospital to visit your friend who's wasting away with cancer and you see his sunken cheeks, the pain in his eyes, the sallow skin, and you know that logical as that book on healing seemed it doesn't fit with what you're beholding in the eyes of your dying friend.

- There is a faith that will verily bring
the life of God to your dying friend.

- There is a faith which will bring the power

of the Lord to heal down into our midst to

a degree we never dreamed possible.

- There is a faith that will move mountains and

break through gates of brass and bars of iron.

There are two kinds of faith -

- there is passive untested faith that works beautifully in the church parlor, or in some remote Christian retreat-center, or on the printed page of some thrilling book.

- there is active tested faith that works in the real world of real people and real problems and real evil, real sickness, death, and pain.

How would you feel if you went to the shopping center and bought a suit at the bargain price of $29.00. You're really pleased with your buy. It's a fine looking suit. You wear it to a wedding in late August where they have a reception on the lawn. A sudden storm comes up and as you're helping to carry some things into the garage you get caught in the rain. In ten minutes your beautiful suit shrivels and sags and turns into a substance resembling wet newspaper.

The next day you take what's left of the suit back to the store and complain.

"Why my dear friend," exclaims the salesman, "that material was never meant to be worn in the rain. I didn't sell you a raincoat!"

The average believer is a believer with just such a faith --beautiful -- until he gets caught in the rain.

You have a roof put on your house. A discount special. A beautiful earth color in the latest shade. All the neighbors are asking where you bought it. A heat wave comes along, the temperature rises to 105˚. You happen to look out the window and see tar dripping from the eaves trough. Rushing outside you discover that your lovely new roof has melted away. Only the roofing nails are left tacked into boards which just that morning were covered with shingles.

You call the discount store.

"My friend," replies the salesman, "that type of shingle was not made for extreme heat."

So it is with this untested-faith which satisfies us so well until the heat of trial is applied to our lives.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I Peter 1:3 -7

The same Lord who awakens faith in our hearts leads us by a path where that faith is developed and strengthened. Jesus is bringing us, as He brought the disciples, to the place where we have a faith in Him that survives the bad weather and accomplishes the purposes of God.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father." John 14:12

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:17-18

We're not interested in a faith that looks good, but in a faith that does what our Lord says it will do. A faith that does more than sit and exude piety. A faith that brings the life of God down into this world,

into our bodies,
our minds,
our hearts,

our tongues, and our daily living,

A faith that works!

1. Faith that works is active, not passive.

"The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the

Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."

How does Paul live his life by faith in the Son of God?
By sitting and dreaming? No, he acts,

he moves,

he does things.

When our Lord calls for faith He calls for some kind of action ---

"Stretch forth your hand."

"Rise and walk. "

"Go, wash in the pool."

"Go your way your son will live."

"Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail."

Our Lord awakens faith in us by calling us to do something.

We hear so much these days about "letting go and letting God", "relax and let God carry you", "be still", "rest!" This is part of faith but only after we've stepped forth and done something in response to Jesus' call.

Only when the Israelites had eaten the Passover lamb and had begun their march and saw the Egyptians pressing from behind and the sea blocking them before were they told to,

"Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation of our Lord."

And the much quoted "Be still and know that I am God" from Psalm 46

comes at the end of a long catalogue of upheaval and disruption.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most high. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved....."

Then after beholding the works of the Lord and what desolation He hath made in the earth...

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46

Who is He saying this to? People who are out in the thick of it.

Before we can learn to rest in God and be still before the Lord, we first have to move off dead center.

- If Jesus tells us to launch out into the deep — faith launches out

into the deep even if we've been fishing all night.

- If Jesus tells us to let down the nets – faith lets down the nets even if we didn't catch a thing all night.

2. Faith that works moves in the reality of God....

....not in ideas about God,

not in theological concepts,

but in the living burning presence

of God Himself.

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6

This is true -- not just after death, but now Jesus brings us into God's very heart.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest...." Matthew 11:28

Jesus is calling us to actually pursue Him,
draw near,

settle for nothing less than

His living presence.

This is to be a continuous action,
like breathing,

like thinking,

like the beating of our hearts.

Moving in God's power is living in prayer---prayer becomes the fountainhead, the source of your life with God.

When Paul says,

"The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me!"

he is describing how his life is constantly moving toward Jesus, aggressively pursuing Jesus,

actively knowing Jesus,

listening to Jesus,

obeying Jesus. By faith in the Son of God.

Paul moves in the reality of God.

- He walks and talks with God.

- He draws his life from God.

- He finds his fulfillment in God.

Faith is not hanging on to certain religious principles. Faith is hanging on to God Himself. Knowing God through knowing His Son. No one can do this for you or carry you into it.

But this life is yours for the receiving,
the taking,
the believing.

For the Son is closer to each of us now than our own bodies,
if we will open our hearts and draw near to Him.

3. Faith that works moves in the reality of this world as it is.

Instead of withdrawing into a little sheltered Christian fortress, and instead of insulating itself in the soft materialistic lie of ease and plenty of pagan America, as if that's what life really is, faith,

- draws near the sick,
the sinner,
the hurting ones,
the rejected,
the forgotten, and believes that the Father of Jesus is really here and really cares and really saves.

To live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us is to go where He sends us. And where does He send us? Always into the real world!

"Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

"Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick."

"I come not to call the righteous but sinners."

"Make disciples of all nations." starting with the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind in the streets of your own city."

Only when we move in the reality of this world as it is, its anguish, its pain,

its need --- only when we stay in genuine contact with the people who are

being left behind and forgotten, will we preserve our vision of God.

When we withdraw from the world's pain into our Christian enclave or into a life of pagan self-indulgence, our faith shrivels.

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

I John 5:4-5

We need to understand what kind of faith it is that overcomes the world. Certainly not the untested, passive, sheltered, coddled faith that hides from the world and its problems.

The faith that overcomes the world is fire-brewed faith,
active faith,

faith that moves in the reality of God,

faith that moves in the real world and overcomes evil with good.

God help us to settle, for nothing less.