Faith, Hope, Love sept.20/21
Good morning saints,
This morning I would like to discuss what exactly does God want us to do? And when we learn what God wants us all to do, personally and within the body, what motivates us to do it, to take action, to carry out God’s will for our lives?
I would like to start this message by looking at three amazing scriptures that will help us to understand what motivates us.
The first scripture;
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This amazing scripture reveals so much to us about God; it reveals God’s heart to us and it reveals what motivates God to act. He loves us therefore He acts on our behalf. Love motivates Him, and then “He gave His only begotten Son..
that is His action, that is the outcome of His love for us. Jesus dying on the cross.
And us receiving everlasting life is the outcome of God taking Action.
Love, action, outcome.
And if we are to be like God, love should also be our primary motivation to take actions that reveal God’s love, that glorify God and produce blessings for others.
John 3:16 is an amazing scripture because it explains so much about God and His actions toward us. Is there a scripture that explains something just as profound about us taking actions for God and our neighbors?
I think so; lets look at..
1 Corinthians 13:11-13
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Faith, hope and love are the essence of every mature follower of Christ. And just as God is motivated by love we also are to be motivated by love.
Love is the primary motivation for this entire universe being here. This creation is the overflow and outcome of love. God is love. And for us, love has to be the primary motivation for every action we take.
And just as God’s primary motive to take action is love, we also need to express our love, and to act out from that love just as God does.
How do we live out our love?
We take action, we express our love to God and to our neighbors. We act out or perform acts of love,
Or at least that is what God does and that is what God wants us to do. To express His love in us.
So knowing this;
Does God tell us how to carry out these expressions of love? I think so. Paul tells us in..
Romans 7:14-20
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
What a dilemma.
In these verses Paul explains a conflict that arises inside of him. The conflict has to do with, as he says, performing what is good. Paul admits he has a problem and I believe every Christian has dealt with the same problem.
When preparing this message I hesitated using the word performing because some relate this word to legalism. But Paul used this word in helping us to better understand the conflict within us. How to perform good.
My message has to do with living out from a pure heart of love. I mean, we all have the ability to pretend to be loving or to be good ,but that’s not the issue here, the bible makes it clear we can express our love just as God does, without hypocrisy. So..
How do we express love to a lost world? Or to each other?
How do we perform what is good?
How do we glorify God?
How do we stand up to the high calling that God has placed upon us?
How do we make a difference for the kingdom of God?
Paul closes Romans 7 with this solution;
Romans 7:24-25
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Do you think he was being a little hard on himself when he calls himself a wretched man? I don’t think so. In this confused state of being, he is not glorifying God.
He defines the struggle that is going on inside of him, and, and I believe we all struggle with this. And, of course his solution to the struggle is found in our Lord Jesus Christ.
God provides the grace and the power to serve the law of God and not the law of sin.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that We have everything we need to live a Godly life, in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 9:8
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Good works, bringing Gods love to this world.
This scripture helps us to understand, the law of God that Paul mentions in the previous verses. The law of God is simply this, all good works have their source in God. Good works originate with Him and come out from Him. But this takes faith on our part, we need to believe that He supplies everything for good works.
Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
God has provided everything that we need to live Godly lives, everything.. we are..
Strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man
We have Christ abiding in our hearts through faith.
And the enabling for us to be rooted and grounded in love..
And to know the extent of Gods love
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. We have everything we need to perform Gods will in our lives. Everything.
He supplies..
He provides.. exceedingly abundantly..
But…but… we need faith!
1 Corinthians 13:13
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
We live to love..and we do this by having faith in Jesus Christ. It is by faith that we manifest the love of God into this world. And love means wanting what’s best for others, and whats best for everyone is knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Faith is the conduit from love inside to love outside.
Paul says..
Colossians 2:4-7
4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Paul says he rejoices at seeing their steadfastness of faith in Christ. How do you see steadfastness of faith. In this case he sees it in their good order. Their good order is the outcome of their faith. It is by faith that we manifest all that God is into this world, His love and His goodness. Its almost like Christ is living His life in us again. Christ in us, here on earth again. Paul says; Rejoicing to see your good order..,
because Paul see’s the evidence of Christ in their lives. The steadfastness of their faith .
James 2:14-26
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Faith is an action that brings out and manifests the goodness of God to others. faith has real outcomes. James says faith produces good works, and if there is no visible results of faith, that faith is dead. those are Strong words. Their not mine, their Gods.
He then goes on to say in verse 18.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
He is telling us that faith is more than just believing, real faith results in good works. Real faith manifests the goodness of God.
Going on, verse 20
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
By works faith was made perfect. Its like faith has a beginning and an end. It starts with the love of God and then brings out that love to others, completing the act of faith.
Verse 23
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Good works complete our faith. Good works are the end result of faith. Our faith is perfected when it is displayed, when you can see it. When you can see the evidence of God in our lives.
Verse 25
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Faith is a complete transaction that has a beginning and an end, and we know that God is glorified through our good works.
Faith expresses the love and goodness of God to a lost world. Our faith leads to good works which reveals God to a lost world.
Faith is not self centered, our faith is centered on Gods word, and God’s word is centered on Who He is. Gods word is based on Gods character, and we base our faith on Gods word and Who God is. God is faithful, and we believe Him and we trust Him.
Ok,
Luke 6:43-45
43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
We are not saved by good works, we are saved by grace through faith but once saved the natural outcome of faith is good works. A tree is known by its fruit.
And a good man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth good..
Its almost like faith is circular, it is rooted in God so it starts with God, the bible says;
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..
it starts with Him and it ends with Him. He is the author and finisher of our faith. Our faith is rooted in His love, His goodness and then it supernaturally comes out in the form of good works to others, and then it ends up back to God by Him being glorified by our good works. Faith is a circular action.
Faith that is rooted in Christ will grow up into a good tree that will bear good fruit unto the glory of God.
1 thes.1:2-3
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,
Paul makes it clear that true faith based on God will produce good works. In the unsaved it leads to repentance and salvation. To the saved it leads to definite actions that are for our good and for Gods glory.
Final scripture;
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Faith has so much more to do with than just believing, but is starts there. We believe every word that proceeds form the mouth of God.
I need more faith so what do I do.
Lord I believe, help me my unbelief.
I pray, and I ask, and I seek.
And then
Its God who provides, and He will provide everything we need.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Have you ever heard it said that faith is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets.
Let us exercise our faith, this coming week. To Gods glory.
Amen