Faith that Works by Pastor Don Lee Jr of Alaska - a podcast by Pastor Don Lee

Genuine saving faith is a loving trusting relationship and it always produces loving “good” works. Faith in Jesus is not a license to neglect your duty; it is not a conscious killing drug that frees you to live a selfish, sinful life. Faith in Jesus purifies the soul, crucifies self, and can realistically be considered as the opening salve in an awful battle. All of us have habits corrupt sinful ones that must be overcome. A Christian cannot be a crook, you cannot be hardhearted, you cannot talk like a sailor, you wont be critical and condemning. You represent Jesus; you cannot be a racist or sexist pig. Yet our backgrounds, our experiences, burned some of those grooves into our minds. Thus the fight of faith, the good fight.

 

Galations and James should be read together

James: faith + works

*Faith without works is dead

 

Salvation is a gift from God

            -It something God does on our behalf

            -It’s the relationship

 

Galatians Chapt 5:  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 

 

The Change in your life will require a fight, but it’s a Christ empowered fight

 

Faith and Works go hand in hand

James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right.

 

 

Let your light so shine…Matthew 5:16

Work out your own….Phil 2:12-15

Walk as children of the light…Eph 5:8

Gal 5:6 Its faith that works thru love that matters

 

Faith without works is dead- For sure

Faith works by love, Love for Jesus is John 14:23, John 14:15

 

Gal 5:16 Works by Love

5:14 Law fulfilled by one word love

 

Faith that WORKS-BY-LOVE

Further episodes of Tok Ak SDA Church Sermons

Further podcasts by Pastor Don Lee

Website of Pastor Don Lee