Faith AND Works

 

How many times have we heard today that all we have to do is “believe on the name of Jesus and we shall be saved?”  Did you know that Satan believes in Jesus and that Jesus is Satan’s worst enemy?!!!

John 14:12 says, ” Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Galatians 5:22 is a very important verse and tells us what the GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT are.  We are told that we all have one outstanding gift to use to help the body of Christ.  We are the body of Christ, His church, and we should use these gifts for His glory. Seek to know your gift and then use it to the best of your ability.  When you use your gift, you will enjoy doing it, you will be noticed by others that you do it well, and you will have lots of energy to perform it.  The gifts are:

PROPHECY:

The ability to know the truth, and what is right and wrong in God’s eyes according to scripture.

SERVING:

The ability to spontaneously help others, not expecting any personal gain of money or notoriety

TEACHING:

The ability to understand, clarify and communicate the truth in scripture and be able to apply it to the personal needs of every-day life.

EXHORTATION:

To be able to inspire others to live out the truth in scripture, to do what God asks of us to do, for the benefit of not only self but others around you.

GIVING:

The ability to gain and give away money and resources with the energy, will and sense of need to do it.

LEADING:

The ability to envision, plan and carry out a dream or task that you or a fellow believer has, until it is completed.

MERCY:

The ability and desire to help those in need, not only to say that you are sorry for their loss or need, but to help them through it or overcome it; to be by their side withy prayer and the giving of your time, friendship and empathy.

 

Matthew 28:18-20  EVANGELIZING:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to do all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”   (Please read the page on this site WDJD&S or WDJD Abbrev. (abbreviated) to see what Jesus did and commanded us to do!  It’s not about what would Jesus do (WWJD), but what Jesus did do and say to do!  It’s all there.  We don’t have to wonder what Jesus would do, but we can see what He actually did and said.  All we have to do is take time to read it and then to do it!  Can you think of anything more important than taking time to read the very Word of God?!!!

Ephesians 2:8-10 is perhaps the most well known verse on faith , but most people stop after verse 9, so they don’t have to deal with verse 10.  The real fun in life is in the doing of God’s will and carrying out His plan for your life!

 

Ephesians 2:8  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9  not by works, so that no one can boast.

10  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James 2:14  What good is it my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?   So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Mark 16:16  Jesus said, after He had come back from the dead, after His crucifixion, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” 

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Matthew 25:31-46  (So where are you going according to this verse, below?  What is God saying here?!)

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

35  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40  “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

43  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44  “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45  “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46  “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

What have you been doing lately for the hungry, the thirsty, the stanger, those needing clothes, the sick, the imprisoned, (the poor, those in rest homes, the elderly, the shut-ins, the blind, the lame, those in hospitals, those who haven’t heard the saving truth, and it goes on and on and on)?   If we don’t reach out, all those who are lost will remain so and possibly even end up in hell.

Matthew 7:21  Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.  (Anyone can say they believe in God or Jesus, but those who do His will are saved.  Only God can truly judge and we are told not to judge others, but these are some guidelines for you so you can take a good hard look at yourself and your behavior. It’s about doing good for others and our relationship with them and God.  Love and care for each other.)

    

I Corinthians 6:9-11 (Does this verse sound like it’s okay to continue to sin?  We are saved and we are called to the life that Jesus lived, to be holy and sanctified by living according to the words and deeds of Jesus.  Please don’t think that, because God has forgiven you your sins because you are saved, that you can continue in the life of sin that you were in before.  Work very hard to live a holy llife for Jesus.  Don’t continue to fall into sin.  Ask for forgiveness when you do and flee from it!)

9  Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

10  nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

If Abraham didn’t go from his kindred and his father’s house to the land that God showed him, Abraham would not have shown his faith by doing what God said.  End of story.

If Abraham did not do what God told him to and he was not willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac, there would never have been the Nation of Israel then or now.

So what is the difference then between Satan and a real believer in Jesus Christ  (Yeshua HaMashiach)?   After all, Satan believes in Jesus, too!  A real believer in Yeshua does what He asks us to do.  Satan does not do what Jesus asks us to do, such as pray, do good works, worship God and Jesus as Lord and Savior of your soul, and display the “fruits of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22.   To save you some time, I will list them for you, and as you read, please ask yourself if this is how you are living.  By the way, you will probably say that you are doing well in some areas, but need work on others.  Good!  We have until the day we die to work on those areas that we need work on.  Fight the good fight.  Keep working.  Be steadfast to the very end.  Put on the whole armor of God and fight sin and temptation.

FOLLOW JESUS AND DO THESE

Galatians 5:22 reads:

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 

Galatians 5:24 reads:

Now those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.  Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another. 

Galatians 5:16 reads:

I say then:  live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.

DON’T FOLLOW SATAN AND DO THESE

Galatians 5:19 reads:  (These are Satan’s tools, below!)

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, dringking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I heard a friend explain the difference between someone who is born again of the Spirit and someone who is not (someone who is saved and someone who is not) in this story:

The Non-believer:  This person goes walking down the street and comes across a mud puddle right in the middle of the sidewalk.  He loves mud (sin) so he walks in the mud, jumps in the mud, rolls around in it and gets totally covered with it.  Then he gets up and walks on toward his destination.  When he comes back, he does the same thing.   He is muddy, filthy and he loves it.  When he comes back this way again, he will do the same thing all over again, no matter if his clothes are dirty already or clean.

The Believer:  This person goes walking down the street and comes across the same mud puddle.  This person does not like to get dirty (he hates sin).  He starts to walk around the mud puddle, but he steps in a corner of the mud puddle and happens to slip and falls in, getting one of his pant legs dirty.  When he comes back, he not only tries to avoid it, he walks on the other side of the street and totally avoids it, so he doesn’t get dirty again.  The next time he has to go this way, he even takes another street to get to his destination.

When I did prison ministry for 20 years, I actually told the people that I witnessed to that all you had to do is believe in Jesus.  My wife set me straight and I started to focus on this when I read Scripture.  Please do not misunderstand me!  It’s not the works that save us but believing in Jesus, but when we truly believe, our lives have to make some serious changes, unless you are perfect that is.  Scripture says that none is perfect, not one, except Yeshua Himself, who was the perfect Lamb of God.  As this page unfolds, you will see that God expects us to “do” His perfect will.  This is called Sanctification or making ourselves Holy in His sight by doing what He said to do.  If you want to see what Jesus did and said to do, please read the page on this site called WDJD & S or What Did Jesus Do and Say.  This is a very practical guideline for us to follow.  We should live as Jesus did and do as He said to do.  Of course we will never completely live up to this lifestyle, but we should get closer to this image that God gave us every single day of our lives!  Since we will never attain perfection, we always have something to shoot for or strive for.  There is always room to grow and improve.  So, let’s get going now, and let’s see what God said!

Even if our works had nothing to do with our salvation, wouldn’t and shouldn’t you try to do everything that God asks of us and tells us that we should do?!  If we tried to do everything God told us to, do you think this would be a very good life for you?  Do you think it would please the God who created you and the universe?  God inspired men to write the bible.  He spoke to men and through men and women and to the prophets.  If we love God, we should want to please Him with all our heart, mind and strenght as it says in the V’ohavtah in Deuteronomy 6:5.  Jesus added a little more to this by saying in the New Testament, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  Do you think your plan for your life or God’s is best for you?  People who have everything, but don’t know the Lord, have nothing.  How many times have you heard on the news lately that people who seem to have it all, have nothing at all.  They turn to sex, drugs, alcohol, work, etc. and end up drinking or drugging themselves to death.  There is only one happiness in life, the Way of the Lord.   Nothing else will make you truly happy.

Some people have a very hard time being obedient to God, because they think that they are going to have to give up something, namely their old ways.  Again; who’s plan is better for your life; yours or God’s?  Please read the page entitled WHAT DID JESUS DO AND SAY and/or WHAT DID PAUL DO AND SAY.  Then you can either live for yourself or for God.  It’s your choice, but your creator has a wonderful plan and way to live, here and now, and later in Heaven.  You might want to check it out.  The more you give up of your way of life and live God’s way, the happier you will be.  You aren’t giving up anything but sin, degredation and perversion in God’s eyes.

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In this section below, you will see the whole picture.  HEAR, BELIEVE, REPENT, CONFESS and BE BAPTIZED.   Again, though, please read the whole bible.  A lot of people are turned off when you pick and choose certain scriptures.  They say that you can make the bible say anything you want, so please read the whole thing; the Tanakh or Old Testament (39 books) and the B’rit Chadasha or New Testament (27 books).  Jesus said to repent, believe and be baptized. That’s good enough for me!

Hear:  To hear the Word of God, someone has to either be told what it is or read it.  This is why witnessing to people is so important.  There is nothing like reading it directly from the bible by yourself!  Pray before and after you read for understanding.  Attend a good bible preaching church so you can go to class and discuss the Word of God with others. It took me 8 years of studying, going to church, and asking lots of people lots of questions to believe that Jesus is God and my Lord and Savior.  Isaiah 9:6, or 9:5 in the Tanakh, was the clincher for me.

It is written in the prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.  John 6:45

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Romans 10:14

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the work of Christ.  Romans 10:17

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Revelation 1:3

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  James 1:22

Believe:  Even Satan believes that Jesus is Lord and God.  It is very important to do what Jesus did and/or said to do.  Please see the page WHAT DID JESUS DO AND SAY(WDJD&S).  To believe, you must know what God said so you know what to believe in.  If you read 4 pages a day, you can read through the entire bible in a year.

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

You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.  James 2:24

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  Mark 16:16

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.  John 5:24

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”  John 6:29

I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”   John 8:24

They replied, “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.”  Acts 16:31

Repent:  In Hebrew, the word is T’shuvah or to turn or return (to God) and away from your sinful ways.  Some people think all you have to do is believe in Jesus and you will be saved.  Again, I remind you, Satan BELIEVES in Jesus.  The difference between a believer and Satan is that a believer will want to live and love as Jesus did.  They will want to know what God said to do and change their ways to conform to the ways of Jesus.  When we say that Jesus is Lord of our life, this means that He is the example we follow and we give up more of our sinful ways every day of our life!  When we sin, we ask God for forgiveness.  Of course, He will forgive you, but it is important to ask for forgiveness, since this is telling God that you are aware of your sin that you have just committed and that you are sorry for it and intend to do something about it!  If you wrong God or someone else, just go up to them and say, “I am so sorry for…”  This works wonders.  It may be hard at first, but it gets easier.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
II Corinthians 7:10

I tell you that in the same way there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…
Acts 3:19

In the past God over looked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30

First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.   Acts 26:20

yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  2 Corinthians 7:9

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:10

Confess:  This type of confess means to tell others about Jesus, to witness to them about what He has done and is doing in your life.  Jesus said that if you are affraid to tell others about Him, He will not tell His Father in Heaven about you.  If we truly think that Jesus is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to us, we will want to tell the world about Him and our changed life in Him.  You won’t be able to stop telling others!  It’s the focus of your life and effects everything you do, think and say.  If you don’t save everyone you talk to about Jesus, or you haven’t even brought one person to say that he has accepted Jesus, please don’t feel guilty.  Everyone who heard Jesus didn’t turn to Him either.  As a matter of fact, His own people called for His crucifixion.  The Word of God will never come back void, scripture says!  This means that you may be someone who starts that person thinking.  You never know when that person will accept Jesus.  Without you talking to them, they might never come to the Lord in the future.  God will never look on you as a failure because that person you are talking to doesn’t accept Jesus right then and there.  You are doing what God wants and calls us all to do.  God will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven.
Matthew 10:32

But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.  Matthew 10:33

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9

For it is wih your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Romans 10:10

Be Baptized:   Many people will say, yeah, but, the thief on the cross wasn’t baptized and Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”  So, does this mean that you don’t have to be baptized?  When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove, and God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  It appears that God was pleased with Jesus at the time of His baptism, and the Holy Spirit came upon Him!  Do you think that this is what God wants you to do?!

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  Mark 16:16

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38

…and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also–not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good consciene toward God.  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:21

who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand–with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. 
1 Peter 3:22

Well, that will give you a pretty good idea of what God expects of us.  Now, please remember, that if you Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess and are Baptized, you are saved from all your sins.  This does NOT mean that you can go out and do any sinful thing that you want to.  Jesus died for you.  Now, you have to live like and for Him.  Ask for forgiveness when you sin and give up your sinful ways. Conform yourself to the image of God.  Be holy and more like Jesus every day of your life.

You are now saved from sin.  Now it’s time to take the next step on your walk with Jesus.  Help others like Jesus did.  Help the poor, the needy, the broken-hearted, the sick, those in the hospital and prison, the orphans and widows, the homeless and it goes on and on.  We are the light of the world.  Don’t hide it under a basket, but let your light shine in all the world.  Be the mouth, heart, hands, feet, eyes and soul of Jesus to those who need Him and you.  We are all blessed with certain gifts.  Try to find out what yours is and then use it for the glory of God.  I’m sure you have heard that it’s more blessed to give than receive!  That’s an understatement!!  When you work for God, He wil work for, with and in you!  Watch what God does in your life.  Wait to see all the miracles that God will work in your life as a result of your faithfulness to Him and His purpose in your life.  God has called us to serve Him.  He has equipped us with gifts so we can carry out the work that He wants us to do for Him.  The more we live for Him and help others, the more blessed you will be.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you are saved through faith; and that is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them.”

God bless you on this walk with our Lord and Savior.  The Holy Spirit of God is in you.  God will give you the power to do His will and conquer Satan.  Remember this saying, “If God is your co-pilot, move over.”  Allow God to lead you. “Let go and let God.”                     Shalom and may the Lord bless you and keep you!