154 - Faith Without Works is Dead#
154 - Faith Without Works is Dead
(JP Text Group - Xiao Rong 整理)
James 2:14-17
Let us read the Bible together:
My brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works, what good is it? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” yet you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Because you want to renew this person inside us through your words, when we believe correctly, we will live correctly, and our lives will become different. Jesus, you want us to live in this world with the same power and authority as you, to live a victorious life. Today, renew us once again through your words and help us. May the Holy Spirit do that wonderful work among us, guiding us to know your words more deeply. May Jesus receive glory here today. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!
Today, let’s greet each other and say to the person next to you: Faith without works is dead. (Congregation: Faith without works is dead...)
Many people have fear regarding this verse. I know that many people, after believing in Jesus, hear in church: Do you have good works? If you do not have good works, the Bible says: Faith without works is dead. If you only have faith without works, you are dead.
So what does “dead” mean? Does it mean you are not saved?
Many people think: My behavior is not good now. Although I believe in Jesus, one day Jesus might cast me away because my behavior is too bad. So today, let’s explain this to the brothers and sisters through these words, to assure you that you are saved. Because what James said seems to conflict with Paul. James says: Here, faith without works is dead, but what does Paul say? - Believe, and you will be saved. Amen!
It seems that the doctrines of these two people conflict. Let’s clarify this today through some words to help the brothers and sisters understand that the Bible will never have contradictions or conflicts. How does our salvation come? - By believing in Jesus. Amen! Just believe, and you are already saved.
But here it says: Faith without works is dead - it does not mean we are not saved. We must first believe one thing: Faith produces works. Hallelujah! If you only have faith, if you believe correctly, you will definitely produce works.
First point: Faith without works is useless.
I specifically used another word to express this, or today we look at the group of people James is addressing in his letter, which is a specific group of people. James 1:1 tells us: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.” This proves that he is writing to the scattered twelve tribes, Amen!
First, we want to think, is this passage of scripture written to us by God? Yes, it is written to us, are we sure? But some people say that there are words directed to snakes in the Bible, and also words directed to donkeys. Actually, it was the donkey speaking, right? God spoke through the donkey. So is it still directed to you? Actually, don’t get confused. It is true that the Bible is given to us; this is the first thing we need to learn. However, not every word in the Bible is directed at us. Can you understand the difference between these two?
The Bible is for you to read, it is written to you, but it does not mean that every single word is directed at you. Some are directed at certain people, some are directed at the Israelites, some are directed at Gentiles, right? And some are directed at the devil. So we see a passage in the Bible, in Matthew 3:7-8, which says very clearly that John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, and he said to... who? - Them.
So who is this passage directed at? It is directed at the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to be baptized, right? And he said: You must bear fruit in keeping with repentance. But today, many people apply this message to whom? To believers, to themselves: Ah, I need to repent. What if I don’t have good works? I will be cut down because the axe is already at the root of the trees. When we hear this, don’t we feel scared? You must repent, you must bear fruit. If there is no fruit, you will be cut down. We feel like God is saying this so simply, yet it seems not simple at all. The reason is that we have not clearly distinguished who this is directed at.
Matthew 7:21-23 is also a passage that scares many people. Why do I say this? It’s simple, because many people are frightened by this passage. It says: Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many people say: Do you think you can enter the kingdom of heaven? How can you be so sure? Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ can enter; only those who do the will of my Father can enter. What kind of person can enter? Ah, it is clearly stated here, what kind of person can enter? “Only he who does the will of my Father.
Do you know what the will of the Father is?
Some say, the will of the Father is many, is loving one another the will of the Father? Yes, is obeying his commandments the will of the Father? Yes, they all are. But because they have not distinguished who this is directed at, when they apply it to believers, they feel like they might not be able to enter either. So it goes on to say: On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?”
Today, some people say: Don’t think that just because you can perform miracles, you can enter the kingdom of heaven. Don’t think that just because you have prayed in Jesus’ name, or spoken in tongues, you can enter the kingdom of heaven. This passage says: On that day, the Lord will say: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Wow, doesn’t this make our salvation seem a bit shaky today? Who is this passage directed at? The Pharisees?
Look at verse 15, so when interpreting the Bible, we must look at the context, Amen! So now we say that faith without works is useless. First, we must believe correctly, right? If we do not know who this passage is directed at, and we go to interpret it, you will only get more confused.
In verse 15, it says very clearly: Watch out for false prophets, Amen! They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Let me ask everyone a basic question: Why does a wolf wear sheep’s clothing? Is it really to get along with the sheep? So don’t believe the TV dramas that say wolves can fall in love with sheep. They may love sheep, but it is definitely not to get along with them.
When a wolf wears sheep’s clothing, the purpose is very clear: to devour them. To be precise, what does it want? To devour them. So these are two different kinds of lives. So we say, you see, the wolf, although it wears sheep’s clothing, does its behavior match that of a sheep? No, it will always reveal its true nature.
As soon as it opens its mouth, it is different, right? So brothers and sisters, whether it is a wolf or a sheep, let’s see what comes out of their mouths, Amen! So today we say what comes out of your mouth represents what you believe. Here it says it is directed at false prophets.
So this passage in James is directed at believers, not at those who are not saved, Amen! You must understand this. The Bible also sometimes has Jesus personally saying: Did I not choose twelve disciples? Yet one of you is a devil. Who do you think of?
If you have accepted, hasn’t Jesus chosen you? But one of you is a devil. You might think: Is it me? So when you are under the law, you will always think of yourself and condemn yourself, right? But who is this passage directed at? It is referring to Judas Iscariot. Amen.
So I make it very clear, the Bible is written by God for you, but not every word is directed at you. Amen? Well, we have already given examples. Now let’s look at today’s text: What does faith without works being dead refer to here? It does not mean he is not saved; it means he will not bring any benefit to anyone. Amen.
Look at verse 15, here James gives us an example: If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, is this a problem in life? Those who are already saved, just like us today in the gathering, you find that some people around you have already believed in Jesus, and suddenly one night they come knocking on your door saying: I have guests at home, and I have nothing to offer them. Can you give me something to entertain them?
You say: Go in peace! May God’s grace fill you and your home. Can this person see God’s grace at that moment? What do they see? They see someone who only sings high praises, right?
So this is what James wants to say: You see your brother or sister naked and lacking daily food, and among you, someone says to them: Go in peace, be warmed and filled, yet does not give them what the body needs. What good is that? Amen? So James gives us a conclusion: “So” refers to the above matters, and gives us an answer. Right?
This is why interpretation must look at the context, saying that faith without works is dead, Amen? Such faith, if it has no works, will not bring even a little benefit to oneself or others. What they need now is not just to go in peace. What they need is a piece of bread or money for a meal, Amen?
When we help others in this way, your faith and your works will bring benefit to others. Amen? If we use the previous example, then if someone comes to ask for your help, and at that moment you say: Okay, I don’t have food at home, but I can give you, for example, 500 yuan, you go entertain your friend! At that moment you say: May God bless you, may you be warm and filled. What does this person see? - God’s grace! Hallelujah!
This is the distinction between the faith and works of Christians. So the topic we are sharing today [Faith Without Works is Dead (Useless)], Amen! Good.
Second point: Justified by Faith Before God, Justified by Works Before Men
These are two very important parts. Unfortunately, many people confuse this, and after getting confused, they have no certainty about salvation. They will desperately try to evangelize, thinking that this will lead to their salvation. Once, in our church, there was an elderly lady who had believed for many years and then left. After she left, she went to another place to gather.
But one time I ran into her on the street, and she said: Oh, Teacher Ren, I am now working hard to evangelize! I said: That’s a good thing! Isn’t that wonderful? Then the next sentence almost made me fall. Guess what she said? I can go to heaven soon. I asked her: How many do you have to evangelize to go to heaven? She said: About 100, and then I can go in. I asked her: How many more do you need? She said: Almost there.
I said: So you haven’t gone in yet? She said: I’m working hard to get in. So they believe: Just believe and you will be saved; you think it’s too easy. So you are wrong because you say it’s too easy to enter heaven; you say just believe and you will enter.
Actually, it’s not me who said it, right? The Bible says this. Because many people do not understand this passage from James, they say: Just having faith is not enough; I must also have good works. Faith without works is dead.
I say that faith without works is dead. Actually, this is not about being saved before God; justification by faith is before God, and justification by works is before men, Amen?
Let’s briefly explain this: God does not look at your works; you believe and you are saved. But people must look at your works because the Bible says that the Lord does not look at outward appearances; He looks at the heart, Amen? Why do people only look at your outward appearance? Because our eyes are too limited; I cannot see through your heart. Even if your heart is beautiful, I cannot see it; my eyes can only see your outward behavior, Amen!
So we serve as an example to those who are not yet believers, letting them see the love of Christ. You should not expect them to have the same spiritual vision as you, “I can see through you completely.” Don’t expect them to have such faith, okay? You should only hope that they can see your outward situation, see your love, see the good deeds you do for them, and then they will see God, Amen. We will share this issue in detail later.
This is the two aspects of the cross. The cross has a horizontal and a vertical! The vertical side represents our relationship with God, which is personal, brothers and sisters! This vertical side is individual; no one can replace your relationship with God. So, you believe, you are saved; he believes, he is saved. Can anyone replace that? If I believe, my whole family will be saved because the Bible also has a passage that says in Acts: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved!
Many people use this verse to say: Teacher Ren, you are wrong. The Bible says: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved. So as long as one person in my family believes, the rest will be saved.
Can they be saved? Why do they misunderstand? Because they did not read the following verses completely and jumped to conclusions. The following verses clarify: He and his household believed in God, and they rejoiced. Amen! We did not finish reading, and we said: Oh, as long as one person in the family believes, the others will be saved.
Actually, that is incorrect, brothers and sisters. This is a wrong belief. So the vertical side of the cross represents your relationship with God, which is vertical; no one can replace it. Amen! At the same time, no one can deny your faith. You say I believe, I truly believe that Jesus is my Lord, I believe that His precious blood shed on the cross has washed away all my sins, then I am saved, Amen!
Jesus is resurrected for me, and I am now called righteous before God. Do you know how many people still do not dare to call themselves righteous today? They prefer to use a very beautiful term called - a sinner saved by grace. So let me ask, if you can pass the language test, (sinner), are you righteous or a sinner? A sinner, that’s right. Isn’t the front just a modifier? No matter how you describe yourself, in the end, you are a sinner, and sinners cannot be saved, right?
Now let’s look at the parentheses. When you are here today, I want to tell you that when you believe in Jesus, you have another identity called “righteous,” Amen! The parentheses (the righteous) can be filled with anything; you are still righteous. I will fill in a word for you, for example: today, a sinful... what person? “Righteous.”
Are you sure you are still righteous? Yes, you are still righteous. Today, we have been talking about the vertical side, believe and be saved, Amen! So even if you sin today, you are still a sinful righteous person. Amen, it’s just that simple. Many people cannot understand this.
A person debated with an elderly lady in our church, who is over seventy years old. She said: Oh, don’t think it’s so easy to get in. I tell you it’s impossible; just believing is not enough; you need good works. Think about it, do you still sin today? We can only be called “sinners saved by grace.” How can we be called righteous?
Did you say you are righteous?
I confirm that I am still righteous.
Do you still sin?
The lady said: I sin, but I am still righteous.
Then she finally said: No, you are definitely wrong. Tell me why you are righteous? Then this lady explained very simply: I will tell you, you love your child very much, right? Yes!
If your son makes a mistake, does he stop being your son? She said: “Well, he is still my son!”
Brothers and sisters, when we accept Jesus as our Lord, we become children of God. Even if you make mistakes, you are still a child of God who has made mistakes. This identity should not be taken away from you by anyone. Hallelujah! So today, as long as you believe in Jesus, you must believe that you are already saved, and you are already justified before God. Amen! Where is the scripture? Let’s look at:
Romans 10:9-11,
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, for it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Amen!
Do you find that the words Jesus gave us are very certain? Is there any possibility in it? For example, if this verse were slightly altered by Paul, I will read it to you, and you can see what kind of reaction you have: “If you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you might be saved.”
Now, if such a verse were applied to you, would you think you are saved or not saved? That’s right, your first thought would be: Maybe I am not saved. And then it says: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, so would you think you are justified? Because “might” includes what? - “Might not.”
Then that “might not” will make you think: Oh, you see, I am sinning, my behavior is not good, my relationship with my mother-in-law, my relationship with my child is not good, so I might not be saved; maybe I belong to that “might not” part. If Jesus said that confessing with your mouth might lead to salvation, that would be troublesome. So Jesus’ words are very certain, Amen! The Bible says very clearly: Yes, say yes; no, say no. What is in between? That comes from the evil one. Amen.
The devil always likes us to be uncertain. God also used certain words to say to him at the beginning: You may freely eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die. Do you know how the devil changed it? “You will not surely die.” Isn’t that the meaning of “might”?
You eat, you might not (surely) die. So today, many times, we inadvertently use the devil’s words in our lives. We often fill our lives with doubts. Let me give you an example. For instance, brothers and sisters, how have you been doing lately? Generally, when we Chinese meet, we say: How have you been doing lately? They say: Not bad, okay, just so-so, still okay.
Now, according to such an answer, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Not bad, but is it really good or not? So-so, but how much is so-so? So this belongs to what? Ambiguous words. So let’s try not to use such words, Amen! Many times when I ask people in some places: Are you doing well today? They say: Good! I say: Answering good actually means not so good. When you are really doing well, that person will answer: Very good! Amen!
It’s very interesting. So sometimes when people answer: How have you been doing lately? They say: Good! You know they are not doing well. When you hear someone say: Very good! Then they are really doing well! Hallelujah! So we do not use the devil’s ambiguous way of saying: Oh, you believe today, you might... don’t use such words; use certain words, Amen!
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved! That means you believe, and no one can take away your salvation. Works are the fruit of faith; correct belief will inevitably produce correct works. Amen! Let’s look at a person, Abraham.
In James 2:22, it mentions something: Our ancestor Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar; isn’t that justified by works? You see that faith was working with his works, and faith was completed by his works. Many people have applied this verse to the issue of salvation. Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar, and then he was justified by works. This is where they confuse another aspect. We have been emphasizing that we are justified by faith before God, Amen! Justification by works refers to the other side of the cross, the horizontal side. Why is it horizontal? Why not diagonal? Have you ever thought about it? Why is the cross horizontal and vertical, not vertical and diagonal? In fact, the vertical side represents our relationship with God.
The horizontal side represents our relationship with people, which is equal before God. So when you understand this, you will not look down on your brothers, nor will you think too highly of yourself. Why? Because we are equal, Amen! Now our ancestor Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar; isn’t that justified by works?
Brothers and sisters, please remember this: It says that faith and his works were working together and were completed. Right? What does “completed” mean? In fact, the original Greek meaning of this phrase is that faith is realized by works. Amen! That is to say, when you see Abraham offering his son Isaac on the altar, it was because of his faith that such a work was produced.
He realized this thing. So the focus is not on his works, but on the works produced by his faith, Amen! When was Abraham justified? Was it when he offered Isaac on the altar that he was justified? No, he was justified shortly after he came to know God. Where is this passage? Genesis 15:4-6, right? Let’s take a look together.
Genesis 15:4-6
Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Have many people read this passage? In fact, at this time, Abraham’s faith was such that he had not yet seen his son Isaac born, right? During this process, he kept thinking... Oh, who will my offspring be? God said: No, it must be from your own body, Amen! At this time, he still did not have a child, did he? God said: Abraham, come here, lie down in the rocking chair and take a break. Do you see the stars in the sky? Count how many you can see. Abraham earnestly began to count: one star, two stars... and then fell asleep. Oh, I didn’t count clearly.
God said: The offspring I will give you in the future will be so numerous that you cannot count them. If you can count them, that would be a problem. So brothers and sisters, when we count God’s grace, it is the same; you cannot count God’s grace. So God wants to give such grace, uncountable grace, to you.
So God said: Your offspring will be like this in the future. At that time, although he did not see his son, because his only son had not yet been born, let alone the offspring, those were things he could not understand. But Abraham believed the Lord. This is a very key word, Amen! Although he did not see, he believed that God’s words would surely come to pass, Amen! Hallelujah! The Lord credited it to Abraham’s belief as righteousness. It was not when he offered Isaac.
Brothers and sisters, this matter occurred about forty years later. During these forty years, had Abraham already been justified? Did the justified Abraham make mistakes? In fact, before Isaac was born, he made two very fatal mistakes. That’s right, so I encourage some brothers. Some brothers say: Teacher Ren, I must marry a beautiful woman.
I say: Beautiful does not necessarily mean suitable for you. Hehe! I’m not saying that brothers and sisters should not marry beautiful ones; of course, they should marry beautiful ones. But I say beautiful does not necessarily mean suitable for you. Back then, Abraham married a very beautiful woman. Wasn’t this beauty the cause of some trouble?
In those barbaric times, Abraham thought this woman was too beautiful; having her around was simply a time bomb. As a result, she was always seen by the king. This was not a good thing, right? Because of this, Abraham lied twice. Brothers and sisters, today we must believe that at that time, Abraham was already considered righteous by God. Did he make mistakes? If God said: You can forget it, Abraham; don’t think about entering heaven. Look, you made the same mistake twice. You are in trouble! So brothers and sisters, we must understand one thing: God calls you righteous today, not based on what you have done, but because you have believed in Him. Amen!
So when Abraham believed in God, God called him righteous. Now let’s look at what kind of God Abraham believed in. Why could he offer Isaac on the altar? In fact, after the incident with Isaac, he believed that God was an extremely great God.
Because when Abraham had Isaac, he himself had no function anymore, right? His wife also had no function. This is when people have no hope; God moves His finger. This is a miracle, Amen! The concept of a miracle is actually very easy to understand; what God does is a miracle, Amen!
If we do something, we would not call it a miracle. If today you are thirsty, pour a glass of water and drink it, can you say this is a miracle? What is a miracle? You understand what I mean. You want to drink water, and suddenly the water is already in your mouth; that is called a miracle. Isn’t it? It’s not something you can do. That’s called a miracle. Hallelujah!
Today, you pray for someone, in Jesus’ name, to heal your disease, and they get better. Then this person suddenly has their disease disappear; you know this is God’s doing. Because you cannot touch the person, you cannot see what effect it has. But when you pray in Jesus’ name, it is because your faith has gone out from your mouth. Hallelujah!
Let’s look at Romans 4:17-24,
As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him: “So shall your offspring be.”
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Amen!
If Abraham’s faith only saved Abraham, we wouldn’t need to read about him today. But God has a promise that if you can believe in the God Abraham believed in today, you will see miracles like Abraham did. This promise is not only for Abraham but also for those who believe that our Lord Jesus was raised from the dead. Doesn’t that refer to you?
So is this word in the Bible for you? You must hold on tightly to this promise! Hallelujah! A few years ago, a group of special people came to our church. Many of them could not get pregnant. One time, while I was preaching, suddenly a sister gave a testimony that she was pregnant. She had wanted a child for many years but had not been able to conceive, but now she was pregnant. We said, thank the Lord! God’s promise has been fulfilled in you, Amen!
She went back, and then she brought another woman who could not get pregnant. After listening for a while, she also became pregnant and then left. As a result, some strange things began to happen in the church. Some people started spreading the word outside: If you can’t get pregnant, go to that church! As long as you listen to the sermon, you will get pregnant.
I said, what are you all spreading? As a result, this spread out, and many people started taking long-distance buses just to hear a sermon. And you know, miracles happened; indeed, many became pregnant! Someone on the street asked me: Teacher Ren, do you still remember me? I said: Who are you? She said: Half a year ago, I went to your church and listened to a sermon. I heard that as long as I went and listened, I would get pregnant, and I am pregnant now. I said, thank the Lord! In fact, it is not the ability of a certain person; it is the promise in the word they heard that has been fulfilled in them today. Hallelujah!
What kind of God did Abraham believe in? He is the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were, Amen! He believed in hope against all hope. So do not say: It’s over! There’s no chance! This is what the world says, Amen! In fact, this statement is very important. When the world says: It’s over, what did Jesus say on the cross? What is it? - Finished! This word in English, for those of you who understand English, can be translated as: It’s over! Do you know? It’s over, it’s finished, it’s done.
So once someone joked with me and said: Jesus is actually quite funny; you see, he said one word on the cross: It’s over. I said: When is it over? He said: He said it’s over on the cross! Oh! I said, I know you are looking at it in English, right? Yes! I said, because you do not believe in the Lord, I said in the Lord, it is not called over, it is called accomplished!!! Hallelujah!
You have received God’s grace again. Unbelievers often say: It’s over! It’s over! It’s over! It’s over! But you should not say it’s over; you should say what? Accomplished! Hallelujah! So Abraham believed in such a God. When others said: It’s over, there’s no chance of having children, Abraham said: Accomplished! I believe God has accomplished it for me. I believe that God, who raises the dead and calls things that are not as though they were, has accomplished it for me. So God gave me a name: Father of many nations. Hasn’t it been accomplished? This is what Abraham believed. Here it says: And he believed in God’s promise.
When you are weak in your heart, do not look to any person; look to God’s promise. When you look to God’s promise, and you believe in your heart, your behavior will change. So think about it: When Abraham and his wife lived together without children, every time they had a meal, Sarah would call out: Abraham, please eat!
In fact, that means Father of many nations, right? This is called faith. You have not seen it yet, but you first use your mouth to say it, and then as you say it, what happens? It is accomplished!!! You will see it; hasn’t it been accomplished? Don’t go back! As you say it, your eyes will see it. Hallelujah! So this is the essence of Hebrews 11:11, Amen!
Faith is the substance of things hoped for. (Faith is the substance of things hoped for.) That’s right; you have not seen the substance happen yet, but you have already seen it with your spiritual eyes. Amen! Of course, for those in your family who have not yet believed, you should look at it this way too, Amen! I have corrected many people who have made mistakes in this area because wrong beliefs lead to wrong dead behaviors, which are useless behaviors.
Some people often tell me, Teacher Ren, you don’t know how stubborn my husband is! He is rebellious! Is there any way he can believe in Jesus? Do you know how I respond? I say: He really cannot believe. She says: What do you mean he cannot believe? I say: If you declare that every day, can he not be stubborn? Can he not be rebellious? Can he believe? She says: Oh, I understand. Do you understand? That’s great! You must first see with your spiritual eyes that he has already believed, Amen! Then every day say: Dear brother, please go to church with me today. Hahaha!!! Isn’t it that in your heart you have already thought of him as your brother?
Do not use wrong declarations. What did Abraham believe? He believed in the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. So when he had such faith in his heart, when he offered his son Isaac, he was not worried at all because he believed that even if God let this child die today, God would resurrect him. Even if God took this child away, He would give me another one. This is something God can completely do. So many people do not understand this issue. They think they are using their own behavior, and as a result, when they demand behavior from others, it becomes very bad. The teacher asked us a very difficult question, especially asking the sisters: Do you have a son at home? If God wants your son, would you be willing to offer him? As a result, many people did not answer.
“Just by looking at you, I can tell you don’t have faith!” They always use this to hit you. In such a situation, can we answer: Oh, then I will offer him? That would be what? - Saying one thing and meaning another. They do not understand that Abraham could offer because Abraham did not rely on this behavior to gain God’s favor; it was because he had already believed in this God, who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were, Amen!
So he could do what we ordinary people (I mean ordinary people) cannot do. If you can do what ordinary people cannot do, you may also become an example of faith for others. So Abraham offering Isaac today is not to set an example before God, but to set an example for us who believe, Amen!
Earlier, it was also mentioned that this promise is also for those who believe in Jesus from the dead, Amen! This means that if you have faith like Abraham, you will have behaviors that ordinary people do not have, Amen! So did God want Isaac? Did He kill him? No, in fact, that passage is not about Abraham offering Isaac and how he was justified by works. That passage is about the love of our Father.
Despite this, Abraham offered his only son, but God did not want his son; instead, He gave us His only begotten Son. Hallelujah! So Abraham believed in such a God. He believed that today God can do such a thing for me, which is why he had such a behavior, Amen! Thank the Lord! So God has called Abraham righteous, not because of his good works, but because of his faith, right?
When he believed correctly, his subsequent behavior would become a model for those who believe in Jesus! In fact, this all happened about forty years later. Brothers and sisters, do not expect the people around you to believe today and be completely transformed tomorrow. They need a process, a renewing process. Amen!
Abraham believed for forty years; in fact, you are renewing much faster than Abraham! Right? So truly, you are a blessed group of people. Because you are listening to such teachings every day. The God who raises the dead and calls things that are not as though they were, the correct teachings. This continuous teaching will lead you to produce correct behaviors. Amen!
What this article talks about is when Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar; at that time, Abraham had known God for a long time, and he had experienced God’s greatness and wonders. Amen! So many times, when we continuously experience God’s grace in life, your faith will grow larger and larger, right, brothers and sisters?
If you have never experienced God’s grace, you might as well start with small prayers, okay? It’s not to say: Lord, I want to pray for something big today! If this matter does not come to pass, you say it’s over; God does not hear my prayers. In fact, it’s not like that. Hearing the word has a growth process. Amen.
So every day, we have to listen to God’s words, and then renew our thoughts inside. It is clearly mentioned here that Abraham believed in God, and this was counted as righteousness for him. He was also called a friend of God. So it seems that a person is justified by works, not just by faith.
So if you want to have good works, you must first have correct faith. Correct faith will definitely bear the fruit of correct works. Hallelujah! I often use a fruit tree as an example. For example, if an apple tree is healthy, it will definitely bear fruit in three years, right? You cannot say that in the first year after it is planted, you shout every day: Bear fruit, bear fruit! Can you bear fruit by shouting every day? No.
What do you need to do? That’s right, water it, weed it, fertilize it, and ensure that the food this tree takes in is healthy. It will definitely bear abundant fruit when the time comes! So I also believe that in our church, as you continuously receive the correct message every day, one day, you will bear abundant fruit that cannot be stopped. Amen!
At that time, no one will be able to stop you from evangelizing; you will speak non-stop, you cannot help it; you just have to say it. Is it bearing fruit? Hey, you don’t need to shout every day: Go, go, go, go! You don’t need to tell the tree: Hurry up and bear fruit! It’s useless; shouting every day will not make it bear fruit, right? When the time comes, it will continuously bear fruit every year, Amen!
So one day, when you know this God, just like the God Abraham knew, He is the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. When you see that the environment is not so good now, but you believe that God has already prepared strength for me and has already overcome it, Amen! At that time, no matter what environment you face, your heart will be at peace!
Because this is the effect brought about by faith. You see, isn’t Jesus a person who believes in the Father? He completely believes in all the promises of the Father. So in all situations, he is very peaceful. To put it another way, he is very restful, Amen!
Do you remember once when the disciples were with Jesus on a boat, and there was a great storm? The water was flooding into the boat, and the disciples were desperately trying to bail the water out, but it was all in vain. Finally, the disciples woke Jesus up: Teacher, we are about to drown! Don’t you care?
Jesus opened his eyes, and oh my! You scared me to death! Did it happen like this? You will find that Jesus, in this passage, you can meditate on it. Turn the words of the Bible into a picture. In fact, when Jesus opened his eyes and saw that the boat was full of water and the storm was still raging, He stood up calmly and stretched out His authoritative hand and said: Be still! Be quiet! What happened when this word went out? The wind became calm! Amen! So many times, when you have such faith in God, you will not be furious: Oh! How can he say that to me? That’s so unfair! I’m so wronged!!! Why do you have to calculate like this? Isn’t it? Or when you encounter something, you say: Oh, I’m so annoyed! I’m so worried! I’m so scared! I’m so miserable! In short, you use all kinds of ways to curse yourself, and you feel like you must die.
In fact, this is because your faith at that moment is not focused on Jesus; you are looking at the environment, so the more you look, the worse it gets, the more you look, the worse it gets, Amen! Isn’t that so? We have the best way, no matter what problems you encounter in life, remember, do not look at your problems; you should look at the Lord Jesus, who is always greater than your problems and can overcome your problems. Amen!
Do not tell others how big your problems are; in fact, this is exactly the way the devil wants to deceive you. You will find that originally it was a very small problem, and after you tell ten people, you find that the problem suddenly becomes bigger. This is the devil’s trick, brothers and sisters, do not be fooled.
Correct faith will produce correct works. So you find that after you tell someone, you add a little weight to it, and then you tell others, and as you keep talking, this wrong faith inside you will be magnified by the devil, right? As a result, when you walk on the road, you will no longer have certainty.
If you have a little doubt in your heart, the devil magnifies this doubt a thousand times, and as a result, when you walk on the road, you see others, and you will think: Those two people are whispering; are they talking about me? You will develop suspicion towards everyone. But if you believe that God is protecting you today, then no matter what the environment is like, you will be at peace like Jesus, Amen!
Jesus treated all things this way. Because He had a correct faith inside Him, He always believed that the Father would surely listen to His prayers, even in front of the tomb of the dead Lazarus, He prayed this way: Father! I know you always hear my prayers!
So you should often pray like this: Father, I know you always hear my prayers. Today, I am not trying to please you with my good works; today, I know that I am pleasing to you because I believe in you. Because of the blood of Jesus, you are already pleased with me! So please grant me strength to glorify you before men. So this is what we say today; when you have a correct relationship with God, at that time, your relationship with people will also be correct. Amen!
Hebrews 11:17-19 says:
By faith, Abraham, when tested, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
You will remember to use such scriptures to face your current life, no matter how bad the situation seems, you must believe that God has already overcome this environment and will repay me double. This is what Abraham’s passage mentions; he could offer Isaac because he saw that God could let him regain this son.
In fact, before this matter, he said to his servants: You stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you. Amen! We will go up to worship, and we will come back. So Abraham never sadly said: I will come back alone.
He believed that God would surely let him and his son come back together. Amen! Although at that time the matter had not yet happened, he believed that God had accomplished this matter for him. So this is what we said earlier: Faith is completed by works. Amen!
You first see in your spirit that God has already accomplished this matter for you, and then when it is accomplished, you will not be surprised at all! Then it also mentions a woman named Rahab the prostitute, right? The situation of Rahab the prostitute is actually the same as Abraham’s. Rahab received the messengers and sent them out by another route, and for the same reason, she was justified by works?
Well, it is very clear that when the Israelites surrounded the city of Jericho, they sent two spies to explore the situation of the city. At that time, something happened. When they entered, they saw that the people in the city were not normal, right?
When they arrived at Rahab’s house, Rahab told them: You don’t know! The people here have heard of your God’s great and wonderful deeds, so the hearts of the entire city have melted!
Then we come back, and I tell everyone that wrong faith will lead to wrong behavior, while correct faith will lead to correct behavior. Now let’s go back to when the first generation entered Canaan and came back; at that time, they said some words. Do you remember? That place is truly beautiful! It is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey; you see, two big men are carrying a cluster of grapes back. Hmm? Isn’t that great? But, but means it negates the previous meaning, right? We cannot enter; they said the city walls are very high, and the enemies are very tall; they are giants. In our eyes, to put it simply: We are like grasshoppers.
In their eyes, we are like grasshoppers. If you declare this kind of faith all the time, please, you will become like a grasshopper too. Right? So these people, after receiving the message from the ten lawgivers, did a strange thing. Every one of them sat at the door of their tents and cried loudly. Isn’t this the result of wrong faith? As a result, the entire Moses was horrified. Can you imagine two million people sitting at the door of their tents crying loudly? What kind of scene is that? This is the sound of crying brought by wrong faith.
Now let’s look at correct faith. When they really entered the city of Jericho, what was the real situation they saw? The people in the city did not see them as grasshoppers; now the Israelites were extremely tall in their eyes! Amen! Isn’t that reversed? It should be: You don’t know! In the eyes of your God, we are like grasshoppers. Isn’t that so? Because the hearts of the people in the entire city had melted.
They heard of your God’s deeds, but the Israelites saw God’s deeds with their own eyes, and they still did not believe. Correct faith will bring about correct behavior. So in the end, when they believed in God’s words, they were led by Joshua to march around the city walls and said: Do not speak; absolutely do not speak. Have you ever thought about why God did not let them speak? These people really did not have faith, right?
So God said: Do not speak; just quietly march around the city for me. On the last day, after marching around seven times, God said: Shout! Hehe... not shout, but cry out, right? You don’t need to analyze what they are shouting about; God did not say what you should shout. Just shout! If you have been holding it in for seven days, you can shout! When you shout, your enemies will fall, and the walls that block you will fall. So if you have not gathered for a while, when you come here, you can shout! When you shout, all your sorrows, regrets, and things that make your heart feel wronged will fall away.
So although it seems like the strong city of Jericho will all disappear under your shout, during Sunday or gathering times, do not be stingy with your praise; it is very important! Your praise is as powerful as that of the Israelites! Hallelujah!
Finally, let’s look at a verse: Ephesians 4:32. In fact, we are not saying that today we talk about grace and do not need works, but this behavior comes from the fruit of your correct belief. Amen!
We look at Ephesians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Amen!
In Christ Jesus, or let’s say that today, those of us who are in grace can also have good works, but this behavior is absolutely not something you squeeze out desperately; it is a naturally produced result. In other words, this verse has already told us very clearly that under the law, there is also a verse about forgiveness, there is also a verse about being kind to one another, and there is also a verse about having a compassionate heart, right? Didn’t Jesus also say: You must be kind, you must have compassion, you must forgive one another, right? But under the law, how did Jesus say it? The distinction between the New Testament and the Old Testament lies at the cross. Before the cross, it all belonged to the Old Testament, Amen! Before the cross, Jesus also said: You must forgive others; if you do not forgive others, what will happen?
Your Father in heaven will not forgive you either, nor will He forgive your transgressions. But after the New Testament, God made some changes to this statement: You must be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. This is where our power to forgive lies. Every time you cannot show love to others, cannot forgive others, cannot show compassion to others, you must think: How much grace has Jesus given you? You must think about how Jesus forgave you, how Jesus treated you with grace, how Jesus showed you compassion. Then you will have the power of compassion. Amen! This goes back to what we talked about today: When you see this person in need, you think of how Jesus has richly blessed you, and at that moment, you can take out to help him! This is a way we understand that the God we believe in has already treated us with grace, so we can treat others with grace. Hallelujah!
So John 13:34-35 says:
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.
So, who is the representative of Christ? Who is the representative of Christ? Think again, who? - Me! Do not say we; you must boldly say: I am the representative of Christ! Because I have a very loud name called: Christian. I am a disciple of Christ. When I go out, I represent Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ has a huge characteristic: Love! Amen! So when we can love one another, at that time, you will be able to show the likeness of Jesus from yourself. Then the world will see: Wow! This is a different group of people! I have never felt such strong love in one place.
In fact, our church is already doing very well, isn’t it? Just now, we saw new family members come in, and you went to shake hands and hug; that is actually wonderful! This shows them that we are not a hypocritical group of people; our mouths and hearts are completely the same. Hallelujah! Amen!
We hope they understand the grace of Jesus, and we also wish for them to join us, so we can enjoy the love of Jesus Christ together. When we love one another, we are justified by works before men. At this time, the world will be attracted to us. Hallelujah.
Let’s review again: How can you have good works today?
It is by establishing a correct relationship with God, and then the deeper you establish this correct relationship, the more normal you will be towards people. The more you understand Jesus’ forgiveness, the more you will be able to tolerate and forgive others.
This is the love of Christ, or the fruit produced by your correct faith towards others. So I wish that all our brothers and sisters can believe in the words of Jesus Christ more correctly; you will surely bear abundant fruit, Hallelujah! Glory be to our God!