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The Enemy of Our Faith (Part 1) · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. So this morning I'm going to be speaking
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on faith. the matter of faith and I'm going to
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continue to build from where our Apostles have
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laid a foundation for us especially concerning
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faith and there are some few things I'm going
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to lay as a foundation for these two weeks first
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Timothy chapter 6 verse 10 first Timothy chapter
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6 verse 10 it says for the love of money is a
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root of all evil for which some have strayed
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from the faith so the faith that there's a possibility
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that others will stray away from the faith in
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their greediness and pierce themselves through
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with many sorrows but you oh man of God flee
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these things and pursue righteousness godliness
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faith love and patience gentleness it says fight
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the good fight of faith which means that in faith
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there is a fight hallelujah there is a fight
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and we're going to understand what is that fight
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what is that fight says fight the good fight
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of faith lay whole of eternal life to which you
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were also called and have confessed the good
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confession in the presence of many witnesses
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so if we are to fight the good fight of faith
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we have to understand who are we fighting what
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is the context of the fight of faith you know
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we've been thinking about the victory that we
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have in Jesus Christ but here we see Apostle
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Paul is telling Timothy to fight. Fighting here
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is an analogy for what Timothy is expected to
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do. So I will be laying a foundation on this
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topic, the enemy of our faith, because it's crucial
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for us to understand who the enemy is. In Ephesians
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chapter 6, in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12. Ephesians
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chapter 6 verse 12. It says, for we do not wrestle
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against flesh and blood. So first of all, the
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fight that we are fighting is not against a man.
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All right? We are not fighting a physical fight.
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For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
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but against principalities and against powers.
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So our enemies are spiritual. Hallelujah. Our
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enemy is what? Is spiritual. but against principalities,
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against powers, against the rulers of darkness
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of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness
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in the heavenly. Hallelujah. Because we are spiritual,
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our fight or our wrestling is not against a physical
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being. First current second Corinthians writer
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chapter 10 verse 3 to 5 it says for though we
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walk in flesh The flesh here speaks of our physical
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body though. We walk in the physical body We
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do not war against according to the flesh So
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our method of war or our method of fight is not
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in the physical So at the end of this we'll be
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able to understand what kind of fight are we
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called to fight? Who are we fighting? And how
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are we to fight? In fact, where are we to fight
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the fight? Where are we to fight the fight? How
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are we going to fight this fight of faith? For
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the weapon of our warfare. What do we use to
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fight the fight of faith? For the weapon of our
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warfare are not physical. They are not carnal.
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But mighty in God. For what? For pulling down
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of strongholds. Casting down arguments and every
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high thing. So this will give us a glimpse of
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what we are fighting. Alright? Casting down what?
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Arguments. And every high thing that exalts itself
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against what? Against the knowledge. The knowledge
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of God. And bringing every thought into captivity
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to what? To the obedience of Christ. to the obedience
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of Christ. So let's settle that we are not fighting
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your village enemies. Our fight is not against
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the government of your country. Our fight is
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not against anybody you don't like. But we are
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fighting. The fight of faith is a spiritual fight.
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But as I said today, I'm just going to lay a
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background and then build up a niche. John chapter
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14 verse 12 the theme for the year John chapter
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14 verse 12 to 14 says most assuredly I say to
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you he who believes in me the works that I do
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he will do also and greater works than this he
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will do because I go to my father and whatever
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you ask in my name that I will do and the father
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that the father may be glorifying the son If
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you ask anything in my name, I will do so we
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established throughout The five months and in
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this church that God's plan for us God's plan
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for us is to do greater works and We also say
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that we are divinely appointed for these greater
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works Each and every one of us that is a believer
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has been ordained for these greater works that
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Jesus Christ is saying in this verse And these
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greater works are actually the works Jesus himself
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did from verse 12 give me verse 12. He says the
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work I do right says The works that I do he will
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do also and greater than this will he do And
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the work Jesus did, we said, Elaron, if you've
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been here, to build a context for those who have
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not been around with us, we said that this work
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includes the things that Jesus did when he was
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here on earth, the things he did, and also the
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things that he taught. His actions, his purpose,
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and teaching, that is his ministry. In Acts chapter
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one, verse one to three. Acts chapter one, verse
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one to three. will give us a highlight as Dr.
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Luke was writing to Theophilus's former, the
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former account I made of Theophilus of all the
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things that Jesus began both to do, doing by
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his actions and also to teach until the day in
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which he was taken up after he through the Holy
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Spirit had given commandments to the apostles
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whom he had chosen. To whom he also presented
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himself alive after his sufferings by many infallible
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proofs Being seen by them during 40 days and
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speaking of the things Pertaining to the kingdom
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of God the things pertaining to the kingdom of
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God so the summary of what Jesus did and Taught
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all the actions he took the things he did can
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be summarized as the things What things the things
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that concerns to the kingdom of God? And the
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things that concern to the kingdom of God are
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spiritual things. As we affirm every Sunday here,
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if you are regular with us, that we are kings,
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what are we? That we are prophets, right? We
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are priests, and that we work with the message,
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we work with the ministry, and we affirm that
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we work with the office of Jesus Christ. So what
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we are saying invariably is that in the place
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of Jesus, We take our own ministry This means
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that Jesus Christ Rather that works that he did
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on the earth the ministry of Jesus Christ Was
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not concluded All right What he did was not a
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conclusion but that the foundation has been laid
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for us and From where he did and what he did
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and obviously we see what the Apostles right
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they did us as well setting an example for us
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for us and then we also walk in the same light
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so these are the things that we will do the things
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pertaining to the kingdom but the foundation
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by which any man will walk in what Jesus did
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we see in verse 12 is by faith he who believes
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in me that is faith is a foundation faith is
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the very important You know foundation that Amanda
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will do the work of Jesus Christ Must have almost
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work in the only way that a man can do the greater
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works is by faith So believing in Jesus means
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the man Must be born again. Hallelujah That man
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must be born again. Not only that but also the
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man is alive and sustained by faith The man is
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alive and is sustained. The life which is lived
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is sustained by faith. Romans 1 17. Romans 1
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17. Romans 1 17, yes. For in it, the righteousness
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of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it
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is written, the just shall live by what? By faith.
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So the way the believer will live, the man that
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has been made righteous, The man that have accepted
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the truth concerning what Jesus Christ has done
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will walk continuously by faith. So the way we
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come to Christ is by faith and how we live our
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life is by faith. So the believer is a man of
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faith. These are the things that we've already
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established. Alright? The man that is in Christ
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is a man of faith. So the man that is in Christ
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does not lack faith. Amen? Does not lack faith.
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He has the faith in him. He has the faith of
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Christ in him. to do what God has called him
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to do. Everyone who is born again does not lack
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faith. Faith is part of the believer's identity.
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Alright? Faith is our identity. And when we look
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through scriptures, faith is presented in scriptures
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as a normal way the righteous person who lives.
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When we talk about the man that is righteous,
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we're talking about the man that is in Christ.
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Hallelujah. So faith is a lifestyle of that man.
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Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 emphasizes the life
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that the righteous man will live. Galatians chapter
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1 verse 20, chapter 2 verse 20, sorry. I have
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been crucified with Christ. This is Paul's confession.
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He says, I have been crucified with Christ. How
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was he crucified with Christ? By identification.
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What Christ has done by his faith in Christ,
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he identifies in what Christ has done. It is
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no longer I who live All right, it is no longer
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I who live but Christ lives in me and The life
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which I now live the life which I now live in
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the flesh that is the life I live in the physical
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my daily living The life I live in the flesh
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I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved
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me gave himself for me so the life that the believer
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lives is a life that is sustained by faith also
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we see in second Corinthians of the five or seven
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second Corinthians of the five or seven we walk
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by faith and not by sight all right we walk by
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faith the walks that we walk in in the physical
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The inspiration of the life of a man that is
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in Christ should be by faith Not just in some
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space of our life, but every part of our life
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must be influenced by faith and Not by what is
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physical by sight Romans of the 12 verse 3 Romans
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12 verse 3 says for I say through the grace given
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to me to everyone who is among you Do not think
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of himself more highly than he ought to think.
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But to think somberly, as God has dealt to each
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what? To each. Who are they each? Every believer.
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A measure of faith. Hallelujah. So every believer
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has a measure of faith. Now we will not ask,
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is this small faith or low? more faith is a large
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faith or some some people have a quantity of
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faith we're going to explore that in the course
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of this teaching but what we can settle from
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this verse is that everyone has what has a measure
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of faith so the believer is not lacking faith
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all right all right the believer has faith 2nd
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Peter 1 verse 1 2nd Peter 1 verse 1 Simon Peter
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a born servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ
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to those who have obtained What have they obtained?
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like precious faith with us By the righteousness
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of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. So Peter
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is saying that like us You have received a precious
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faith with us by the righteousness of God So
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every believer has received faith 1st Thessalonians
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chapter 1 verse 1 to 3 Paul Silvanus 1 verse
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1 to the S. Paul Silvanus intimately to the Church
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of the Thessalonians in God and the Father and
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the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace
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from our God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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We give thanks to God always for you. All making
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mention of you in our prayers. What are they
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praying for? Remembering without ceasing your
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work of faith. All right, that is the entire
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church, their walk of faith. Their walk of faith.
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So there is a walk, what you do of faith, and
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there is a walk that you live of faith. So your
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walk of faith, labor of love, and patience, all
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this, our walk of faith, labor of love, and patience
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of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight
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of our God and Father. Hallelujah. So we have
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the faith to do that greater works those greater
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works we lack nothing all that we need has been
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supplied by god to us to do greater works today
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hallelujah so pastor reminded us last week that
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the believer can be weak in faith amen so the
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idea of weakness in faith obviously is not a
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god problem all right it's not a problem from
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god it's from it's from man it's from us So the
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believer can be weak in faith And when person
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was teaching us about the faith for evangelism
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Of course, which is the same fear that we're
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talking about the greater works. The work of
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evangelism is a greater works, you know the The
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things of the spirit that we teach and practice
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are the things that encapsulate the greater works
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He gave us some two important explanations last
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week about feet of the believer and I quote he
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says to be weak in faith refers to the conduct
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of the believer that does not acknowledge all
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that is found in the scriptures did I quote you
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right sir all right let me confirm he says to
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be weak in faith so we are establishing that
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the believer does not lack faith all right but
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the believer can be weak in faith and he said
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to be weak in faith Refers to the conduct of
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the believer the way the believer live his life
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That does not acknowledge Which means that every
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way we live our life as we read from scriptures
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that we live by faith every activity that we
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do Should acknowledge all that is found in the
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scriptures Should agree with what is found in
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scriptures and I strongly agree with this explanation
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So it means That everything that the Bible says
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about the believer's life. Alright? About the
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life of a believer. About the man who is in Christ.
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Everything that the Bible has said about the
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life of the believer is true. And evidently seen
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in our lives daily, now and always. That whatever
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truth that we can see in scriptures, that concerns
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our lives, that concerns the expectation of God
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for our lives, that concerns our identity as
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men and women of christ it is true and we should
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see the evidence of what god has said daily in
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our lives last week pastor also said that growth
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in faith is when we see the revelation of god's
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word we acknowledge it and we put it into practice
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that is growth in faith all right we see Through
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scriptures the revelation of God's Word We acknowledge
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it and we practice what the word says then we
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see faith Manifesting greatly in our lives. So
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it therefore means that if the Bible says for
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example That the believer is eternally forgiven
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don't have the three verses for example. Let's
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let's look at that one of the realities All right
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John chapter 3 verse 16 That speaks about how
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we it says for God so loved the world that he
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gave his only begotten Son Whosoever believes
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in him should not perish or have eternal life
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So it simply means that if we have belief in
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what the scripture says Then we have eternal
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life This should be our truth. This should be
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our conduct should reflect this reality that
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we have eternal life because we believe in Jesus
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Christ as the scripture says. For example, now
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in Mark chapter 15 verse 16 that speaks about,
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you know, the great commission. Mark chapter
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16 verse 15 to 18. Mark 16, 15, sorry. Yes, yes
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And he said to them go into the world and preach
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the gospel to every creature so we see this as
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a commandment to believers that they should go
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into the world and To make disciples of every
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creature to preach the gospel to every creature
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Yes of assisting he who believes and is baptized
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will be safe but he who does not believe will
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not will be condemned and These signs will follow
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those who believe so if these signs as a scripture
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will say right will follow those who believe
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in my name there were cast out demons so this
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should actually be our realities all right this
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should be our realities because this is what
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the word of god says this is what god has revealed
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to us in his word they will speak with new tongues
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you know one of the challenges we have with some
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of the people here when we we're speaking in
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tongues we're trying to lead them to speak in
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tongues is that they are not aware They are not
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aware that they should speak in tongues. They
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are not aware that it is their privilege in Christ
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to speak in tongues. And when you become aware
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of this reality, then what we ought to see is
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that you practice what is your reality. Hallelujah.
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So the revelation of God's truth in these texts
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and many other things that we can see from the
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Bible, which will come by a rightly interpretation.
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Whenever we are taught, we are interpreted the
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scriptures through proper Bible teaching. These
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things should be our reality and our conduct
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should be seen reflecting this truth The whole
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council of God's word should be our reality daily
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The way we live our life the way we conduct ourselves
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in society The way we conduct the way we make
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decisions the things that influence our decisions
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should be The realities we see in scriptures
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Hallelujah So believers are called To examine
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themselves if they are in the faith number one.
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We've seen an idea of weak faith Okay, and we
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are seeing that the that the believer has fit
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again in scriptures. We'll see also that The
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Bible tells believers believers not unbelievers
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believers to examine themselves If they are in
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the faith, but we said that the faith is not
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a problem for the believer All right, so why
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would Paul for example now in second Corinthians
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about 13 verse 5 to 7 call on Christians not
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unbelievers to examine themselves if they are
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in the fit Examine yourself as to whether you
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are in the fit, but these are believers Test
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yourselves. Do you not know yourself that Jesus
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Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are what
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you are disqualified But I trust that you will
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know That we are not disqualified Now I pray
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to God that you do not evil Not that we should
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appear approved, but you should not Do you should
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do what is honorable? Though we may seem disqualified
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hallelujah what 13 talks about exam exam examining
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yourself Examine yourself if you are in the feet
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What does it mean to examine if you are in defeat?
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The believers are called to evaluate themselves.
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All right, the Christians in Corinthians are
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called to examine themselves To see whether their
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profession All right, their profession that is
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their confession what they have professed with
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their lips To examine to examine their life to
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see if their confession what they have professed
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and their daily work align with the faith they
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have in Christ. So also to us daily we are called
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to do or to examine if what we have said concerning
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us we are born again we believe in Jesus Christ
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does our life our daily living our experiences
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align with the truth that we profess with our
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lips. Because faith is not invisible in his act
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in his activity hallelujah wherever there is
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faith there will be an activity Okay, wherever
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there is faith we see an activity if you read
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through Hebrews and exploit of the of the of
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the of the the cloud of witnesses Hebrews 11
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we see how faith influences their action and
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what they did the great works they did Not only
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that we live daily by faith, but we do even the
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work of ministry by faith so faith is not invisible
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in its activity the manifestation of faith becomes
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evidence it becomes an evidence all right how
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can we know that you are a believer how do we
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know that you are a christian by your fruit what
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will happen we'll know who you are and who you
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are hallelujah so it becomes necessary that we
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what that we give expiration that our life and
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our conduct should always align with our profession
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of faith. So a believer's life should display
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the evidence of faith through his conduct. As
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you look at your conduct, your character, your
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obedience, and even in ministry, we should see
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that you are a man of faith. Of course, faith
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may begin in the heart. Okay? But it becomes
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visible in conduct in our actions and in the
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work of ministry We have seen that faith is located
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in our hearts and in the mouth for example in
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Romans chapter 10 Romans chapter 10 verse 9 how
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we become born again Romans chapter 10 verse
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9 and 10 We see faith in two places Faith active
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in two places that if you confess with your mouth
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the lips the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
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that God has raised him from the dead, you will
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be safe. For with the heart, what happens? A
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man believes. Faith is exercised in the heart,
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onto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession
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is made unto salvation. Hallelujah. So we see
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the activity of faith in the heart of a man,
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and also in the words of his profession, the
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confession he makes. We see the operation of
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faith in the heart, and also in the mouth but
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most importantly faith must be seen in our daily
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action amen it's not only in our hearts it's
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not only in our words what we say and what we
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believe should be seen in our activities our
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heart what we have inside what we believe in
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and the things we say with our lips to align
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with our daily actions and what we do faith must
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be seen In our daily activities. All right, so
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why don't we see fits in our daily activities?
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It's not that we don't believe hallelujah. It's
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not that we don't believe it's not that we don't
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know They think so we off as we see in scriptures
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So what is that enemy? What is that obstacle?
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All right, what is that obstacle that restrains
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us from putting our fit to action? That is what
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we're going to be dealing with in the course
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of this teaching James of the two, let's look
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at this text. James of the two verse 14. James
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of the two verse 14. Let's read from verse 14.
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It's gonna be a little bit long reading. Then
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this text is one of the texts that has been misunderstood
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or misinterpreted concerning faith and actually
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works. Okay, let's read verse 14 to 26. What
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does it profit, my brethren, if someone says
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he has faith but does not have works? Can faith
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save him? Here's a big question. Can faith save
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him? If a brother or sister is naked and desist
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of daily food, and one of you says to them, depart
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in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not
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give them the things which are needed for their
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body, what does it profit? Alright, what does
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your faith what advantage is your faith? That's
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what the verse is saying Thus also Thus also
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by faith but is safe if not If it does not have
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works is what is dead That is is ineffective
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But someone will say you have faith and I have
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works show me your faith without works And I
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will show you my faith by my works You believe
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that there is one God. All right, you do well.
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This is right But even the demons believe and
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what did they do they tremble But do but do you
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want to know all foolish man we are not foolish
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here, but it's speaking to a certain kind of
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men That faith without works is what is dead.
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All right It's dead Was not Abraham our father?
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Justified by works when he offered Isaac his
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son on the altar Do you see that fit was working
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together with his works fit and works and By
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works fit was made perfect And the scripture
30:34
was fulfilled which says Abraham believed God
30:37
which is fit and he was accounted to him for
30:40
righteousness And he was called the friend of
30:43
God. Verse 24. You see then that a man is justified
30:48
by works. Very critical. We're going to explain
30:51
this. What does it mean? And not by faith only.
30:56
Likewise was not Rahab the harlot also justified
31:00
by works when she received a messenger and send
31:03
them out another way. For as the body without
31:08
the spirit is dead. So faith without works is
31:13
what? Is death also. So as I said, Aaron, some
31:19
Christians interpret these verses as teaching
31:23
that salvation involves faith and work. That
31:32
is to say, for you to be born again, all right,
31:36
it must be a combination of faith and works,
31:38
what you do. Without the works, then you are
31:41
not born again. While many Protestants argue
31:47
that the works are not a condition for salvation,
31:51
okay? That the works are not conditions for salvation,
31:57
but the evidence of a genuine faith. And one
32:03
of the greatest reformers, Martin Luther, He
32:07
described this epistle of James because of this
32:10
particular this verse he described the book of
32:13
James as an epistle of straw that is That is
32:19
the epistle believing is is empty that his emphasis
32:21
is on works appear to be in in conflict with
32:26
Paul and his teaching on justification by faith
32:30
so he sees in his own understanding he sees this
32:33
book of James as is not carrying anything weighty
32:37
because it goes against the teaching of Paul
32:39
which speaks about faith as a means of salvation
32:42
only. Now the central question for us is whether
32:45
James, do James and Paul contradict? It's very
32:52
important. Are we saying that salvation is by
32:55
works and faith or salvation is by faith alone?
33:03
This is very important for us. Hallelujah now
33:06
in James 2 verse 14 I want us to read in the
33:11
King James version James 2 verse 14 and also
33:14
we're going to read on some some other translation
33:16
What does it profit new King James, please new
33:22
King James is okay What does it profit my bread
33:27
and if someone says he has faith but does not
33:32
have works, can fit, saved him. I want us to
33:37
read that sentence in the NLT. Yes, thank you.
33:44
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if
33:49
you say you have fit, but don't show it by action,
33:55
all right? But don't show it by action, by your
33:58
action. Can that kind of fit save anyone? In
34:04
the New King James or in the King James translation
34:06
or some other translation says can faith save
34:10
you? All right, what we see here in the NLT in
34:14
the NLT It says can that kind of fit? All right
34:19
that that kind of fit the definite article that
34:23
Redefines the content of that text. All right
34:26
So he's speaking about a particular kind of faith.
34:30
And what is that kind of faith? That kind of
34:32
a faith is a faith that does not have action,
34:34
that does not produce result. Amen? He says,
34:39
what good is it, dear brothers and sisters? If
34:42
you say you have faith, but don't show it by
34:45
your actions, this faith that does not show it
34:47
in action, can this kind of faith save anyone?
34:53
In the Amplified, give me the Amplified Bible.
34:56
And let's remain in the amplified amplified.
34:58
Yes What is the benefit my fellow believers if
35:04
someone claims to have faith But has no works
35:09
good works as evidence Can that kind of faith
35:13
save him? No a mere claim of faith No, that's
35:18
a certainty answer. This is by the interpreters.
35:19
He says no a mere claim of faith is not sufficient
35:23
The new faith produces good works. Hallelujah
35:27
Now James is not questioning whether faith is
35:29
safe saves. We must understand the conversation
35:32
in this verse But whether that kind of faith
35:36
saves that kind of faith that is explained the
35:39
faith that does not have works can that kind
35:41
of faith saves The emphasis falls on the definite
35:44
article as I said earlier on There's some translation
35:48
some translation some English translation or
35:51
meat If you read it in the Greek right it has
35:59
the definite article there which points to specific
36:05
kind of faith that already has been described
36:11
in the preceding words it says what is the benefit
36:16
my fellow believers if someone claimed to have
36:19
faith but has no work as evidence now can this
36:23
kind of faith save him what is the benefit of
36:26
this kind of faith What is the benefit of this
36:30
kind of faith? So when we look at the Greek translation
36:37
of this particular verse The definite article
36:42
in the case that James is not rejecting the salvation
36:45
by faith All right, because he has a particular
36:49
if you look the previous verses He's talking
36:51
about the life of the believer the man that is
36:54
already born again Indicating that he's not rejecting
36:58
salvation by faith but distinguishing between
37:01
true. All right, what is true? Living faith and
37:05
empty profession of faith He gave an example
37:09
even angels say that they believe that there
37:11
is existence of God. Does that mean that they
37:12
have faith? Even demons, sorry not angels, even
37:16
demons believe in God. All right, so This is
37:20
not the kind of profession of faith that brings
37:22
life So James assumed that salvation comes through
37:27
faith yet argues genuinely that faith Inevitably
37:32
produces visible evidence in the life of a man.
37:35
It transforms a life of a man So works do not
37:42
end salvation rather is It reveals it shows the
37:46
evidence of the fact that a man has believed
37:48
now, let's look at verses 15 and 16. Let's let's
37:51
be lobby the understanding in the amplified verse
37:54
15 and verse 16 he continues he says if a brother
37:59
or sister is without clothing and lacks food
38:03
for each day verse 16 and of one and one of you
38:07
says to them go in peace with my blessings keep
38:10
warm and feed yourself but it does not give the
38:13
necessity for the body what good does that do
38:16
what benefit is that So we see here that James
38:21
gives a practical example of what faith does,
38:25
what faith does. Hallelujah. I said earlier on
38:28
that wherever there is faith, there is what?
38:30
There is activity. All right, there is activity.
38:33
So this is what faith does. So James gives us
38:36
a practical example of that kind of faith mentioned
38:39
in verse 14. A faith that is prophesed but lack
38:43
action. All right, a faith that is prophesed
38:47
but lack action. He describes someone who sees
38:50
a needy brother or sister and not only offer
38:54
an only offer kind words such as go in peace
38:57
and be warmed and filled Without providing help.
39:01
So we see the James is asking they says what
39:04
good is that? So the point is that words without
39:10
action are what are unprofitable hallelujah what
39:14
you profess without an action is what is unprofitable
39:18
there's no profit in that kind of action likewise
39:21
faith that is only verbal spoken out faith that
39:26
is only verbal produces no visible evidence is
39:31
empty and ineffective hallelujah look at verse
39:38
17 verse 17 of that verse so too faith If it
39:44
does not have works as an evidence, right? It
39:49
is by itself dead. What does that dead means?
39:53
It means it is inoperative and ineffective. All
39:58
right? So if there is a faith in you, okay, we
40:01
should be able to see the operation of that faith
40:03
in your conduct, in your action, in your daily
40:06
activity, what you do. Hallelujah. So we see
40:09
him continue with the argument. by stating that
40:12
faith by itself does not, you know, that without
40:16
work is dead. So what it means here is that faith
40:24
that exists only as a profession by just laying
40:27
claim. Oh, I believe what the Word of God says.
40:31
I'm a new creator and we don't see the evidence
40:33
of it. It is unprofitable. Look at verse 18.
40:38
Verse 18 you continue to build the case, but
40:41
someone may say you claim to have faith And I
40:46
have good works Show me your faith your alleged
40:50
faith With a works if you can and I will show
40:54
you my faith by works. That is what I do If you
41:00
have faith Show evidence of it How do we show
41:04
evidence of the faith by the actions we do the
41:07
things we do? Hallelujah, so we see the emphasis
41:12
is not showing fit It's not Just to say okay.
41:18
I have fit but rather The fit has to be examples
41:22
to show in our actions and our conduct therefore
41:25
works are not the basis for salvation, right?
41:28
But the evidence of a genuine fit saving fit
41:31
that is seen in your life as you have We should
41:33
be able to see the evidence in your life. Look
41:34
at verse 19 verse 19 It says you believe that
41:39
God is one, you do well. To believe that. The
41:45
demons also believe that. They shudder and bristle
41:49
in awe, filled with terror. They have seen at
41:54
this, they've seen the wrath. So in verse 19,
42:00
it shows that correct doctrine alone, all right,
42:03
let me say this carefully and you hear, correct
42:06
doctrine alone, right does not show the proof
42:11
of what you know okay to have correct doctrine
42:16
to be taught correct doctrine you know some people
42:20
if you have opportunity to share you know you
42:24
can say the right things because you've been
42:26
taught So here James points to the confession
42:32
that God is one and the evidence of that where
42:35
he got that from is in Deuteronomy chapter 6
42:37
verse 4 Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4 And he
42:43
says that you do well by that but then he adds
42:46
even the demons even the demons they know about
42:49
the existence of God Hallelujah So his point
42:54
is that demons possess right knowledge. They
42:57
know God who God is. Alright they know that God
42:59
is God and he exists they have the knowledge
43:03
of God and even response emotionally yet they
43:07
do not obey him therefore genuine faith is more
43:11
than just intellectual belief it's just more
43:13
than just you know or you have the knowledge
43:15
of who God is you know the knowledge of God's
43:17
word you know okay I should speak in tongues
43:19
for example you know okay I can heal the sick
43:21
you know okay I can I can do I'm called to do
43:24
the work of ministry that's knowledge about what
43:26
God has called you to do But without doing it
43:29
your faith is ineffective Hallelujah So in verse
43:34
20 he gave an example with Abraham as as an example
43:38
and of course we look at in verse 26 He gave
43:39
an example with with rehab James uses Abraham
43:43
as an example to show that genuine faith is proven
43:46
through obedience Abraham was counted righteous
43:50
because he believed God All right, but that but
43:54
that fate was later demonstrated and brought
43:57
to maturity when he offered in his action of
44:02
offering. Hallelujah. So it's not because he
44:04
offered that God counted him faithful, no. It's
44:07
in his obedience that we see that this man has
44:10
faith. So when James says a person is justified
44:18
by works and not by faith alone, he means that
44:21
true faith is shown to be genuine through action.
44:25
saving faith is never alone it is expressed in
44:29
what in a life of obedience so as we hear the
44:32
word as we are taught the word as we reveal our
44:34
identity as we are revealed about who God is
44:37
what he has done what he's doing and what he
44:40
intend to do through our lives and what he's
44:42
doing in our lives is expected that that should
44:45
influence our daily lives of course verse 25
44:51
we see him mentioning rehab as an example Okay
44:57
Like Abraham Rehab has shown to be justified
45:00
by her works. How when the spies came to Jericho
45:04
And they told her about what God will do or what
45:07
God is about to do through the nation of Israel
45:10
Her action of saving them protecting them is
45:14
an act of faith. We see in Hebrews chapter 11
45:17
So James used two different examples Abraham,
45:23
Rehab, as we saw in the text, to be justified
45:28
by her works, not in any, you know, acceptance
45:30
before God, but in demonstrating the reality
45:33
of what she believed, right? Through faith. So
45:38
why would James use Rehab? Rehab is a Gentile,
45:41
okay? Rehab is not part of the nation of Israel.
45:45
He used Abraham and also used Rehab. To show
45:51
that regardless of your background Okay, regardless
45:54
of your background whether you are of of the
45:57
nation of Israel or a gentle as possible You
45:59
know if I has been teaching us We all when we
46:04
have the faith of God we will see it expressed
46:06
in our action So it shows clearly that regardless
46:10
of background or status Genuine faith is always
46:13
evidenced by action It's not just by merely profession
46:18
But it reveals itself through the act of obedience
46:21
as we believe Okay, we often see that what we
46:27
believe produces a result and that result is
46:30
the action that we take daily our lifestyle our
46:33
character our Mindset is changing and that mindset
46:38
change, you know informs the way we take our
46:41
actions daily So it's not to come to church every
46:51
day and then be receiving word Okay, it's not
46:55
to be coming to church every day and receiving
46:56
knowledge How much of that knowledge have you
47:01
put to work? How much of the information that
47:04
you've gathered the Riley divided word of God
47:07
in itself does not work on his own So your faith
47:12
was we put to use was we practicalize that's
47:15
how we see the profitability of that fading you
47:19
So he concludes in verse 26. He says, for just
47:24
as human, the human body without the spirit is
47:28
dead. So faith without works, that is obedience
47:33
is also what? Is also dead. That dead talks about
47:38
uselessness. It's useless. All right? For as
47:43
the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also
47:46
faith apart from works is dead. Using an analogy
47:50
of life, a lifeless body for example, a body
47:54
without life. James explains that works are to
48:01
have, works are to faith as breath is to our
48:08
body. Alright? As breathing is to our physical
48:11
body, so also our actions work towards faith.
48:17
So works and faith work together. Are we together?
48:21
You believe and you come into salvation, all
48:24
right? And then that salvation you receive gives
48:29
you the ability, the empowerment to do what?
48:32
To do greater works. Hallelujah. So the reason
48:35
why we have to lay this foundation is when we
48:38
begin to emphasize on works, you will know clearly
48:41
that scripturally there is an expectation on
48:44
you. The word you've received inside of you must
48:48
show, must be, must be evidence. Okay? And when
48:52
there is no evidence of this, then we can say
48:55
that you are not grown. Because the growth of
48:59
a believer is seen in how much, alright, is seen
49:04
in how far. It's not in how much of scriptures
49:07
you know. It's not in how long you've been a
49:11
believer. It's not even in how much you can teach.
49:15
In fact, it's not even in how much you can speak
49:17
in tongues. It's not in how much you can pray,
49:21
how many hours you can pray, how many, you know,
49:26
Bible scriptures you can memorize in your head.
49:29
It's not by how many church services you've attended.
49:31
It's not by how many teams you belong to in a
49:34
church. It's not even by how many degrees you've
49:37
acquired in theology. But do we see the evidence
49:41
of this faith in your character? Okay? Because
49:46
there must be a demonstration of this faith.
49:50
There must be an evidence of this faith. Because
49:54
the faith we receive is a faith that has life
49:57
in it. And that life influences what we do in
50:00
the natural. So as we go about our normal day
50:04
and our normal activities and our normal, you
50:06
know, jobs and whatever we do, can we look at
50:11
your life? And we say truly this man is a man
50:14
that has faith in Him. In the circumstances you
50:19
face, because daily we are faced with situations,
50:23
we are faced with circumstances, can we believe
50:27
the reality of God's Word concerning every experience
50:31
we have in our daily life? That is the walk of
50:37
faith. Do we live in obedience to what the Word
50:42
of God says about us? Do we live in obedience?
50:48
Do we allow the life of God has given us? All
50:53
right, the believer come alive by faith and the
50:57
believer lives by faith So to examine ourselves
51:04
whether we are in defeat is to examine Do my
51:08
life align with my profession? Do the activities
51:12
I take every day, even in church, the sacrifices
51:19
of leaving your home, joining a team, coming
51:23
to church. It's not to just come out here and
51:27
be socializing, no. It's that there will be an
51:30
evidence in your life that will show that indeed
51:32
this man has something in him. This man has something
51:38
in him that must be seen Okay, that must be seen
51:42
So what we want to explore is why or what is
51:47
the reason that we are not seeing this effective
51:50
in our lives What is this what is the reason
51:55
why we are not exercising what we already have
51:57
what is the reason why we don't see these expressions
52:00
in our lives Alright, why do we not express these
52:07
things in our lives? Faith in our hearts, in
52:12
the things we say and where, and also in our
52:15
actions. Okay? And I can tell us now that we
52:19
don't lack faith in our hearts. And you've been
52:21
in church for a long time, we'll find words of
52:24
faith in your lips. In the songs we sing, alright?
52:28
In the things we say, in our prayers. But faith
52:33
must leave our hearts and the words in our lips
52:37
and be seen in our conduct and in our actions
52:40
If not, then the faith we have is what is not
52:46
profitable All right. We are not doing the call
52:50
the greater works of God is calling us to do
52:53
We are not exercising the faith in evangelism
53:01
so my prayer is that every one of us will understand
53:07
why we have this limited expression in our lives
53:13
of the faith we have and how by the help of God
53:17
we can deal because earlier on we read that what
53:21
that we are not fighting against what this fight
53:23
of faith listen let me tell you this because
53:26
you have faith right That is the reason the devil
53:32
Who is our? Adversary is coming for is coming
53:36
for that thing is to ensure that that thing that
53:38
you have does not what does not manifest Being
53:45
a believer is already a life of war let me say
53:47
this you are already in war And you're not in
53:52
war against governments against people know you
53:54
are in war against the devices of the enemy And
53:59
the plan of the enemy every day is against the
54:01
faith that you have. Of course, he knows he has
54:04
lost you as a believer. Now, we're not speaking
54:06
to a man that is not born again here. We're speaking
54:08
to a believer. The enemy is arranging every method.
54:12
He's inventing new methods to ensure that what
54:16
you have does not manifest. In the things you
54:23
hear, in the things you see with your eyes, In
54:28
the realities that happens around you in your
54:30
family in your life as an individual He ensures
54:36
that you have you have you have another understanding
54:39
of of what is happening around you and Then you
54:43
don't believe what God is saying Hallelujah But
54:50
we have all it takes to overcome hallelujah,
54:52
we are not helpless. Amen We're not helpless.
54:55
We have the spirit of god We have the word of
54:57
god the weapon by which we will deal with the
55:00
divisive enemy are not are not natural Their
55:03
spirit and the spirit of god is the word of god
55:05
has given us And we're able to withstand the
55:09
adversary the enemy Who is coming for what god
55:12
has placed in us? And let me tell you brothers
55:16
and sisters god is not the one that will fight
55:17
it for you. Amen God jesus said it is finished
55:21
on the cross We sing every day we have the victory
55:27
All right. So what we ought to do is to put the
55:30
victory to use Amen To put the victory to function
55:38
The enemy has been defeated By what Christ has
55:44
done the enemy has been defeated We see where
55:49
Paul is telling Timothy the spirit you have is
55:51
not a spirit of fear All right But the spirit
55:55
of war of some mind which means that God has
55:57
given you the ability to withstand the devices
56:00
of them because we saw a lot on that that we
56:03
will fight against against what? In In second
56:12
Corinthians of a 10 verse 3 given that takes
56:14
again second Corinthians of a 10 verse 3 Says
56:22
for we work For though we work in the flesh as
56:26
mortal men We are not carrying on our spiritual
56:30
warfare according to the flesh and using the
56:32
weapons of man. All right The weapons of our
56:37
warfare are not physical weapons of the flesh
56:39
and blood our weapons are Divinely powerful for
56:43
what for the destruction of fortresses. We are
56:47
in war. All right So, the weapon we have is able
56:50
to bring down fortresses. Fortresses are the
56:53
stronghold of the enemy. Okay? We are destroying
56:57
what? Sophisticated arguments. The weapon of
57:00
the enemy are arguments. And every exalted and
57:05
proud thing that does what? That set is... So,
57:09
knowledge. Knowledge. And that knowledge, that
57:13
warfare happen in our mind. Hallelujah. by the
57:17
spirit and by the word we are coming to see how
57:21
we can deal with the devices of the enemy and
57:23
how we can put to use our feet and allow our
57:27
faith to flourish and be profitable and then
57:30
we see God glorified by our lives and we see
57:33
ourselves daily living in victory in all areas
57:36
of our lives it is not God's desire that the
57:39
believer suffers by the enemy but he has given
57:44
us victory hallelujah I just want us to just
57:47
pray for ourselves, pray for yourself that as
57:50
we go through these teachings that you have understanding,
57:54
that you are able to handle the devices of the
57:56
enemy, that you are realizing that you are in
57:59
a warfare and a soldier is not meant to be asleep
58:02
daily anticipating the attack of the enemy. Every
58:08
single day is an opportunity. The Bible says
58:10
the devil moves like a rolling lion looking for
58:13
a man to devour. And as a believer we have the
58:16
victory in Christ And what we ought to do is
58:20
to allow what God has done in us To find expression
58:24
in our lives. So let's appreciate God for his
58:26
word and for his understanding that we have That
58:29
indeed we are men of faith We appreciate you
58:34
being here today. We hope you carry this word
58:37
with you throughout your week Don't forget to
58:40
check the show notes for additional insights.
58:42
Stay connected with us through our website or
58:45
follow us on social media. If you were encouraged,
58:49
share this message with someone you care about.
58:52
Until next time, stay blessed.