November 11, 2007

"Knowing I Have True Faith"

James 2: 14- 26; John 15: 1- 8

When I was a young person in high school, I remember hearing many exciting testimonies in our school's chapel worship and in youth group rallies.  I heard people who had been on drugs and in prison.  I heard testimonies of atheists and people who had doubted God's existence. Many of them had very dramatic conversions.  Some had even reported that they had received miraculous healings from God.  I recall that at the time I was little jealous.  l had never had anything close to that.  In fact, my life seemed rather boring in comparison.

Several years later, as an assignment in an evangelism training course I attended, I had to write a personal testimony.  That was hard.  What could I write?  I grew up in a Christian family.  I knew how to say Jesus about the same time that I could say anything else.  As far as I knew Jesus had always been in my heart.  Even though I knew that I was born again, I never knew a time when I wasn't at least trying to follow Jesus.  As I recall I simply wrote a short paragraph thanking God for my Christian parents and for putting me in a Christian home. 

Now perhaps your testimony is similar to mine.  I suspect for many of you it is.  You probably don't remember a time when Jesus was not a part of your life.  In that way we are like Timothy in the New Testament, who was raised to love and serve the Lord by a Christian mother and grandmother.

Now, I bring up all of these random thoughts to ask the question.  Have you ever wondered, "Is my faith real?  Do I really believe?  In a nutshell, how can I know I have saving faith? " This morning I would like to consider that question.

It is the most important question we face in life.  John 3: 16- 18 tells us why.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

These verses tell us that only those who truly believe have eternal life.  Only they will inherit heaven.  Those, who do not, remain under God's condemnation.  So, the question is very important,

Well, what does it mean to believe in Jesus?  It means to trust that Jesus, God's own Son, paid for all my sins and that if I confess my sins he is faithful and just will forgive my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

But the question is a bit more involved, because not all who say they believe will be saved.  Isn't that what our scripture from James tells us?

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.

How do I know I have true saving faith? Well, what is James point in the scripture we just read.  It's positively stated in the last part of verse 10,

I will show you my faith by what I do.

Our faith is demonstrated by the life we live.  If we truly are sorry for the bad things we do and we believe that Jesus has saved us from such a life, then it makes sense that we would try to live the way God calls us to live. 

A couple of generations ago some people mistook faith as simply believing certain right facts about God and about Jesus.  Now faith certainly includes believing what the Bible says.  And it's important that we make every effort to understand the scriptures and obediently hold to its teachings.  But faith is more than that. 

Today, there is more of a tendency for some to identify faith with feelings about Jesus.  "I feel he is my Savior."  "I love him."  And over the years there is a lot more emphasis placed on emotions, especially in worship.  When people talk about a church being alive or dead often they are talking about the worship service and its emotional appeal.  Now, emotions are important and they are always part of relationship. But, true faith is more than emotions.  James says that true faith is also shown by actions-by what we do.

I remember back when I was a bachelor teacher in New Mexico I received a telephone call from a friend of mine from college.  He was calling me for advice about women.  (Now why he would have called me about this I'll never know.  But he did.)  He was sad that this woman he was dating had told him she didn't want to see him again. 

Oh," I said. "Did something happen the last time you went out with her"

"No, we had a good time"

He began to tell me about going out with her at the beginning of the school year.  The problem was that it was already late spring of the next semester.

"Is that the last time you went out with her?" 

"Yeah I got busy with my school work" 

"Didn't you at least call her?"

"No, but she called me." 

"What did she say?"

"She was lonely."

"I talked with her on the phone for a little while, but then told her I had to go, because I hae too much studying to do"

"Do you like this girl?"

"Yeah, of course!" he protested.

I think you get the picture.  I had to explain to my friend that love is more than just a feeling-you have to take action.  Well, James is saying the same thing about faith.  And he gives two powerful examples.

Abraham, when God tested him, was willing offer his son Isaac on the altar.  I think the kids here this morning know that story.  God told Abraham that he wanted him to offer up his beloved son Isaac as sacrifice to him.  (In those days children were offered as sacrifices   And  so, Abraham had every reason to believe that God was serious.)  What did Abraham do?  The next morning he set out for Mount Moriah to offer up Isaac.  Now, of course, Abraham dearly loved his son he loved, but there was more to it than that.  Isaac was also the God's fulfillment of prophecy.  God had promised Abraham that he would have as many descendants as the sand on sea shore or the stars in the sky.  He told him that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan.  And all of that would happen through Isaac.  But, Abraham trusted God and laid Isaac on the altar.  At last minute God's angel stopped him and showed him another sacrifice.

Rahab, also,  believed God.  And she gave up everything when she hid the spies of Israel.  She betrayed her own people and put her own life in danger.  Now, that's faith

Faith is shown by action.  It's shown by doing what God calls us to do.  Andhow do we know what God is calling us to do?  We find it in his Word.  Specifically, we find it in his law, especially his law of love-that we must love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves.

The "works" that James refers to are elsewhere called "fruit."  John the Baptist does so when he cries out,

"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance"

In Luke 3, Jesus declares that just like trees, we can know what is inside someone by the fruit they show.  These fruit are deeds that all can see..

The fruit of faith is obedience.  Faith produces obedience.  Because Abraham believed, he did what God commanded.  His obedience demonstrated that his faith was real.

But, that's where the rub comes in.  Many times we worry about our faith being true, because we know we are not truly obedient-because with Paul we must say,

For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing.

But that's why think about good works as fruit can be helpful.  Fruit does not appear all at once, but grows over time.  And this is where John 15 comes in.  Even though this chapter is not specifically a chapter about faith, it does have a lot to say about how people of faith can begin to grow fruit that demonstrate their faith.. 

Notice that Jesus uses the analogy of the vine and branches to speak about the importance of remaining in him.  Verse 5,

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Faith connects us to Jesus.  A couple weeks ago when we reflected on what baptism meant, we read Colossians 2:12

having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Faith makes us one with Jesus in his dying and rising.  When we are one with Jesus, his Spirit lives in us and enables us to die to sin and live to God.  Works of obedience are also called "fruit of the Spirit."  We don't struggle on our own to change our lives, we do so in the power of the Spirit.

Now, to be connected to Jesus has certain outward signs.  We mentioned baptism.  It's a sacrament that pictures to us what God does.  But, our faith is also involved.  Submitting to baptism or to having our children baptized is an act of faith.  So also is partaking of Holy Communion.  Eating the bread and drinking from the cup is an act of faith. 

And we do not do these acts of faith on our own.  We do them in communion with other believers.  We do it in church.  One visible way we show our union with Christ is by being united with other Christians in worship and fellowship.  A true living faith cannot grow on its own.  It must be nourished by the Spirit of God.  And the Holy Spirit, who connects us to other Christians, uses that connection to nourish our faith and obedience.  As Christians we lament the decline of morals in our country.  But, let's not forget that this has happened in a time when fewer and fewer people are attending weekly worship.  Another way I demonstrate my faith is by my commitment to being one with God and his people.

Finally, we must note that Jesus calls us to abide in him.  The Greek word used for abide is meno-which also mean "to steadfastly remain." 

As pastors we like to collect sermon illustrations.  I was going through a list of sermon illustrations, when I came across one about a church in the Smokey Mountains that built a new building on a plot of land willed to them by a member who had passed away.  Just ten days before the church was to open, the county building inspector told them that parking lot was too small for the size of the building and they couldn't meet there until they fixed the problem.  Sadly, the parking lot was adjacent to the side of a mountain and it would cost much more than they had to chop into the mountain for more parking.  So, the pastor decided to hold a prayer meeting, declaring that Jesus said that if we have faith the size of mustard seed we can move mountains.  Only a few people showed up, but they prayed all night.  When the prayer meeting ended the pastor declared that God had heard their prayers and that they would meet the next Sunday in their new building.  The very next morning a construction foreman showed up at his study door.

"Excuse me, Reverend.  I'm from Acme Construction Company over in the next county.  We're building a huge shopping mall. We need some fill dirt.  Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind the church?  We'll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free of charge, if we can have it right away.  We can't do anything else until we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly."

Great story, isn't it?  I have no idea if it's true.  Like I say found it in a collection of sermon illustrations.  Yes, it certainly is an example of faith.  But, now I'd like to read a description of faith from Hebrews 11:1,

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for.

And then the chapter goes on to list Old Testament believers who were commended for their faith, yet, in their lifetime, did not receive what they were promised.  I can't help but think that Hebrews description of faith would have been better illustrated by a church that didn't get the miracle they prayed for, or a person who didn't get healed, or a person who struggled with their sin and shame, but still clung to the Lord.  Please don't misunderstand.  The Bible certainly tells us that God can and does do miracles.  And they happen today.  But, true faith is trusting God whether the miracles happen or not.  Faith is being sure of what we do not see. 

Jesus said that if we had mustard faith we could move mountains, but he never said how long it would take.  Faith is remaining in him, no matter how long.  And that's what the pruning is all about.  Sometimes our heavenly Father, the gardener tries our faith. The trials he allows to come our way cut us and hurt us.  But in the end we produce more fruit.  Let us not forget Peter's words.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 

And so beloved in the Lord, are you worried about how to know whether your faith is true?  Look for 3 things:  First, has my faith produced fruit?  Second, am I united to Christ and his people?  Third, am I remaining in Christ even though trials come?

And yet even as we think of those three questions we worry whether our faith passes the test.

When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

²⁸"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

²⁹"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

³¹Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God.

As those who sometimes fear drowning in a sea of doubt an as those who strive for mustard seed faith, let us forget that our Savior will not let us drown.  In the end we cannot find comfort in the strength of our faith, but only in his mighty hand of grace.  AMEN!