"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 |
| Faith and Works |
| Written by Jay Yeager |
| Thursday, 18 February 2010 15:19 |
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Faith and Works (James 2:14-26) Goal – to emphasize the need for a strong working faith To have a successful study of faith and works we need to define what faith is and what it is not. The word “faith” is used in the sense of a body of teaching or doctrine.
“But I ___________ you, brethren, that the _______________ which was _______________ of me is not after __________, for I neither _______________ it of man, neither was I __________________ it, but by _________________ of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12) “To reveal his ____________ in me, that I might _______________ him among the ________________________; immediately I conferred ___________ with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:16). “But they heard only, that he which ____________________ us in times past now __________________________ the _____________ which once he destroyed” (Galatians 1:23). “And the word of God ________________; and the number of the ___________________ multiplied in Jerusalem ________________; and a great company of the __________________ were obedient to the ______________” (Acts 6:7) “Beloved, when I gave all ______________________ to write unto you of the ______________________ ____________________, it was needful for me to ________________ unto you, and __________________ you that ye should earnestly __________________________ for the ___________________ once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). Thought questions
Individual “faith” based upon knowledge (I believe because I know) Paul quotes and then affirms the sentiment of Psalms 116:10. “We have the same spirit of ___________, according as it is written, I believe, and therefore have I ______________, we also ________________, and therefore ____________” (II Corinthians 4:13). Peter would respond to the question of Jesus, “…will ye also go away? …Lord, to whom shall we ______? Thou hast the ____________ of _____________ ______________. And we __________________ and are ________________ that thou art that __________, the ________ of the _____________ ___________” (John 6:68-69). John the apostle would write by inspiration, “And we have __________ and do _____________ that the Father sent the ____________ to be the ________________ of the _________________” (I John 4:14) Thought questions
Two kinds of faith that is not really faith at all First - Faith that is never translated into ones life “Nevertheless among the ____________ ____________ also many ______________ on him; but because of the ___________________ they did not _____________ him, lest they should be put out of the _____________________. For they _____________ the praise of ___________ more than the praise of __________” (John 12:42-43). “And as he (Paul) ______________ of ____________________, ___________________, and _____________________ to come, Felix ______________________, and answered, ___________ thy way for this __________; when I have a ___________________ ______________________, I will call for thee” (Acts 24:25) “King _____________, Believest thou the _________________? I know that thou ________________. Then ________________ said unto Paul, __________________ thou persuadest me to be a _____________________” (Acts 26:27-28). Thought question Why is this almost a meaningless faith (knowledge)? ________________ Second - a faith unsupported by evidence People can be sincere and absolutely wrong in their belief “Not every one that saith unto me, _________, ___________, shall ___________ into the _________________ of _____________; but he that doeth the __________ of my ________________ which is in ____________________. ____________ will say to me in that ___________, Lord, Lord, have we not ___________________ in thy name? and in thy name have __________ out ________________? And in thy name done _____________ wonderful ________________? And then will I profess unto them, _____ _________________ _______________ __________: depart from me ye that work _________________” (Matthew 7:21-23). “Brethren, my _____________ desire and _________________ to God for Israel is, that they might be _______________. For I bear _____________ that they have a _____________ of God, but not ___________________ to ___________________. For they being ___________________ of God’s ______________________, and going about to __________________ their own ___________________, have not _________________ themselves unto the _________________of God” (Romans 10:1-3) “And with all ____________________________ of ___________________ in them that __________________; because they received not the ______________ of the ______________, that they might _________ _____________. And for this cause God shall send them a _______________ _________________ that they should believe a ________. That they all might be ____________ who believe __________ ________ ____________, but have pleasure in ___________________” (II Thessalonians 2:10-12) Thought questions Why do many find II Timothy 2:15 difficult to obey? ________________________ What is the root cause behind believing that which is unsupported by evidence? _______ How contemporary is Hosea 4:6? ___________________________________________ Do you find a lack of sincerity in Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 10:2-3; II Thessalonians 2:10-12? _____________________________________________________________ A Faith that works James emphasizes the work of faith “What doth it _________________, my brethren, though a man say he hath ___________, and have ____________ _______________? Can _____________ save him?” (James 2:14). “Even so _________________, if it hath ___________ _____________, is ___________ being alone. Yea, a man may say, thou hast ___________, and I have _____________: shew me _________ _____________ without thy _____________, and I will shew thee ________ ___________________ by my _____________” (James 2:17-18). “But wilt thou _____________, O vain man, that __________ without _____________ is dead?” (James 2:20). “For as the _____________ without the _____________ is dead, so _______________ without _______________ is dead also” (James 2:26). “Remembering without ceasing your ____________ of ____________ and ____________ of ___________, and patience of hope in our _________ __________ _______________, in the sight of _________ and our ____________” (I Thessalonians 1:3). “And I ____________ a voice from _______________ saying unto me, _____________ blessed are the ____________ which die in the ___________ from henceforth: yea, saith the ______________, that they may ___________ from their ______________; and their _______________ do ________________ them” (Revelation 14:13). Class discussion
Faith and compassion “But now I go unto _________________ to _________________ unto the saints. For it hath ____________________ them of __________________ and _________________ to make a certain _____________________ for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem” (Romans 15:25-26). Thought questions Was Paul concerned that the offering would not be accepted by the poor saints in Jerusalem (Romans 15:31)? __________ Why? ____________________________ Did the Jews accept the offering (Acts 21:17)? _______________________ “I speak not by _________________, but by occasion of the ____________________ (earnestness A.S.V.) of others, and to prove the ___________________ of your ____________” (II Corinthians 8:8). “As it is _____________________, he that ____________________ abroad; he hath _____________ to the _______: his righteousness ____________________ for ever” (II Corinthians 9:9). “As we have therefore ___________________, let us do __________ unto all _________, _____________________ unto them which are of the ___________________ of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Thought questions
Faith and obedience Abraham, the father of the faithful (Romans 4:11) “Was not ______________ our father justified by ___________, when he had offered ____________ his son upon the altar” (James 2:21)? “And God said unto _________________, as for ____________ thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but _______________ shall her name be. And I will ___________ her, and give thee a ___________ also of __________: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a ________________ of _______________; kings of people shall be of her” (Genesis 17:15-16). “”And ________ said, Sarah thy ________ shall bear thee a ________ indeed; and thou shalt call his __________ _____________: and I will ______________ my _______________ with him for an everlasting covenant and with his ___________ after him of” (Genesis 17:19). “And it came to pass after these things, that ________ did tempt __________________, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, behold here I am. And he said, take now thy _________, thine only son _____________, whom thou ____________, and get thee into the land of _________________; and offer ________ there for a _____________ offering upon one of the ________________ which I will tell thee” (Genesis 22:1-2). “”And they came to the place which ___________ had told him of; and _________________ built an _________ there, and laid the ___________ in order, and _____________________ Isaac his ________, and laid him on the ___________ upon the ____________. And Abraham ________________ forth his hand, and took the ________________ to ____________ his son” (Genesis 22:9-10). “And the angel of the ____________ called unto him out of _______________, and said, ___________________, __________________: and he said, here am I. And he said, lay not thine ____________ upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto _________: for now I know that thou _________________ ___________, seeing thou hast not withheld thy ____________, thine only son from me” (Genesis 22:11-12). Though questions
Faith and trust “And the _____________ took the two _________, and hid them, and said thus, there came men unto me, But I ___________ ___________ whence they were: And it came to pass about the ____________ of _______________ of the _________, when it was ____________, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: _________________ after them ________________; for ye shall ________________ them. But _______ had brought them up to the __________ of the house, and ________ them with the _______________ of flax, which she had laid in ___________ upon the roof” (Joshua 2:4-6). “And as soon as we had ___________ these things, our ___________ did _________, neither did there ______________ any more ______________ in any ___________, because of you: for the ___________ your ___________, he is _________ in _________________ above, and the ____________ beneath. Now ________________, I pray you, _________________ unto me by the ____________, since I have shewed you ____________________, that ye will also shew _______________ unto my ___________________ house, and give me a ___________ token. And that ye will save ______________ my ____________, and my _______________, and my __________________, and my _______________, and all that they have, and ________________ our _____________ from ___________” (Joshua 2:11-13). “Behold, when we come into the ____________, thou shalt bind this line of _____________ _______________ in the _____________ which thou didst let us _____________ by: and thou shalt bring thy _____________, and thy ______________, and thy __________________, and all thy father’s _________________, home unto thee” (Joshua 2:18). “And the ________________ men that were ____________ went in, and ______________ out ___________, and her ___________________ and her _______________, and her _________________, and all that she had; and they _________________ out all her _______________, and left them without the __________ of Israel. And ________________ saved ______________ the ____________ alive, and her father’s household, and all she had; and she _______________ in _______________ even unto this day; because she ________ the _____________________, which Joshua sent to spy out _______________” (Joshua 6:23; 25). Thought questions
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