Faith and Action: two sides of the same coin
James 2:14
Subject: Faith and Action: two sides of the same coin
There’s this story about a patient that was in the hospital with a potentially deadly virus. The doctors had given up hope because they couldn’t isolate the virus and prescribe treatment. Finally someone suggested Dr. Good. Dr. Good was world-renowned. If you were his patient you were as “good” as cured. When the Dr. arrived the patient perked up. She perked up because she had faith in the Dr.’s skills and ability (and because of all that she had heard about him). The cure was simple and the good doctor. recommended medication. The patient was so overwhelmed by the Dr.’s reputation that she forgot to take the medication and soon passed into a downward spiral..
The point is, faith without action is meaningless. The patient had sufficient faith in the Dr.’s ability but she failed to follow up with the needed action (that of taking the medication). Again, the cure was relatively simple (but it required a follow-up action).
When we give our life to Jesus we are expected to become “new creatures”. There must be a noticeable difference in our “walk”. Things we use to do we don’t do anymore. Things we use to say we don’t say anymore. Places we use to go we don’t go anymore. Faith in Jesus without a change in our lives (without a repenting heart) gets us nowhere.
JAMES 2:14: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?”
Just like the patient we sometimes boast of having great faith. We say, I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came down to earth to be an example to us of how we should love one another. He came to pay the price for our salvation. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for us. He was buried and rose again on the third day as he said he would. I have faith (that mustard seed faith). Nothing, nor anyone, can shake my faith. Jesus, He’s my doctor when I need healing. He’s my lawyer when I need defending. He’s my provider when I need providing. He’s my deliverer when I need delivering. Jesus, He’s my everything. Jesus, He’s never failed me. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death I will fear no evil because He is with me
But sometimes trouble comes our way. Sometimes sickness knocks us down. Sometimes the bills get us down. Sometimes death come our way. Instead praising God anyway and claiming the victory we loose all that mustard seed faith. We start asking, why me? Why me Lord? I praised you all the time. I went to church every Sunday. I went to bible class. I sang in the choir. I worked on the usher board. Why did you let this happen to me Lord?
If we truly believe in the Lord, if we truly had that mustard seed faith, when trouble comes our way we’ll keep on stepping for the Lord. We would continue to stand. We would stand because we know He is a deliverer. We would stand because we know that He would not allow the enemy to put more on us than we can stand. We would step out on faith. We’ll take that old sickness and throw it to the ground. We would sing that old song: “I got the victory, helejuia.”
The Bible tells me that there was a conspiracy to get Daniel. The conspirators got King Darius to sign a decree. It said if anybody prayed for the next thirty days to anyone but the king they would go to the lion’s den. Daniel was a man of God. He had faith and he stepped out on it. Daniel prayed to his God. When threatened with the lion’s den Daniel continued to pray. They threw him in the lion’s den and sealed the den. Daniel had faith and he kept on praying. God sent His angel to bind the lion’s mouth. Daniel had some friends Meshach, Shadrach & Abed-nego. Like Daniel, they held high positions in the king’s court but they loved Jehovah God. King Nebuchadnezzar gave them a chance to turn their back on God. He told them when you hear the music bow down to the image that I made. Meshach, Shadrach & Abed-nego refused to bow. They were threatened with the fiery furnace. They said Our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning furnace. But if He don’t. Let it be know to you that we will not bow or worship your image. They stepped out and acted on their faith. They were put in the furnace, all three of them. Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walking around in the flames and no one was harmed. Our God is a deliverer. He will stand with you to the very end.
Some people say; “that was the Old Testamen”t. God was with His people then. That doesn’t happen anymore. The New Testament is full of stories where people stepped out (acted) on their faith.
In Mark 5: 25-34 The Bible tells us that there was a woman with an issue of blood. She had that problem for twelve years. She had tried all the old folk’s remedies. They didn’t work. She had the best medical care available. It didn’t work. Then she heard that the Son of God was passing through. She had faith in Jesus’ healing powers. She knew that there was something special about this man named JESUS. She believed in His powers. But she didn’t stop there. She knew she had to act on her belief. She knew she had to do something. She said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole”. She didn’t have to touch His hand. She didn’t have to grab His cloak. All she had to do was just touch the hem of His garment. She made her way through the growing crowd. There were people on her right. There were people on her left. There were people in front. There were people in back. But she knew she had to get to Jesus. She pushed her way through the rushing crowd. She couldn’t get to close. So she reached out. She stuck her hand out through the crowd. She touched the hem of Jesus clothes. And she was healed. If she had stayed home and only prayed she might not have been healed. We don’t know. But what we do know. She felt she had to act. So she got up and made her walk.
In Matthew 14: 22-31 The Bible say that after Jesus fed the multitude He (Jesus) “constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side”. There was a storm (out on the sea). The Disciples were afraid. They saw Jesus coming to them walking on the water. They thought He was a Ghost. When Jesus told them who He was. Peter asks to come to Him. Jesus said come, and Peter had that mustard seed faith. He climbed out of the boat. He put one foot on the water and the water held him up. He put the other foot on the water and began to walk. He walked on the water until fear crept in. But if you act on faith and keep Jesus in your heart He’ll see you through. He’ll keep you from sinking.
But people still say that that was back in the bible days. It “ain’t” the same today. God isn’t doing what He did back them. But God is the same YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW. Have you ever been broke, and the lights were about to be turned off, or evicted from your house. Then you called on the name of Jesus and money found it’s way to you. Or the bill collectors told you, “we’re work with you”. That was Jesus bringing you across the waters. Have you ever been sick and the doctors didn’t know what to do. They had given up on you, and you called on Jesus. And the doctor said, I must have made a mistake ‘cause the spot ain’t there any more. That was Jesus cause you had just touched His hem. When the doctor told my wife she had cancer. He said there were multiple spots. We called on Jesus. She went to praising His name. Nine years later she’s still praising Him. JESUS, He’s a deliverer, JESUS, He’s a healer, JESUS, He’s our everything.
Church, when you say you love Him, when you say you have faith in Him there has to be some action. There has to be a change. If you love Him you won’t do the things you use to do. If you love Him, you won’t say the things you use to say. If you love Him, you won’t go to the places you use to go. If you truly love Jesus your actions would be love towards your neighbors. If you have faith in His salvation, there has to be a change. When you follow Him, Jesus expects some action. The bible says that in the END time the goats will be separated on the left and the sheep on the right. Action is needed to be counted as a sheep. God’s sheep’s feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the sick and the imprisoned.
Your action (works) won’t save you, but without them there is no real transformation.
