Faith Works by Love # 2
Last week we started on the subject of “Faith which Worketh by Love,” but I wasn’t able to finish it, so we’re going to continue on it today.
I. Knowledge of the Word of God has really grown, God’s people today know more about the Word of God than ever before, especially those that go to Word of Faith churches.
A. We know what the Word of God says, we know what God promises in His Word.
1. We’ve come to understand the importance of faith.
a. Faith is the hand that receives the things that we need from God.
b. Everything Jesus purchased for us on Calvary can only be obtained by faith.
i. This includes salvation. (“For by grace are ye saved through faith.”)
ii. It would include the fullness of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit, victory over the world, over the principalities and powers of this world. It would even include the gifts of the spirit.
a. You won’t be used in the Gifts of the Spirit if you don’t believe that God will use you.
2. I don’t think we’re missing it so much in these areas. We always need to increase our faith in God and in His Word.
a. But what I’ve seen happening is that some people are standing on the Word, but NOT SEEING ANY RESULTS.
i. They come up to me and say, “Pastor, I’ve been standing on the Word so long and I don’t see any improvement. What am I doing wrong?”
ii. I can’t answer that for you. I can’t see what’s in your heart. Not unless God shows me something, but most of the time He doesn’t, nor do I see it in the natural.
iii. When people are around me, they know how to act and how to talk, but when no one is around sometimes people are completely different.
b. So I don’t know what’s stopping you from receiving the victory.
i. It might be faith. You need to build yourself up in the Word of God. (Meditating on the promises of God.)
a. Your miracle hold up could be “Unforgiveness.”
b. Or it could be “Holiness.”
c. That would be putting away sin. It could be an act of sin, it could be sin in the mind (Thinking unholy things), it could be verbal sin. The Bible says, that we should not let any corrupt communication come out of our mouth.
i. Christians should not be involved in telling dirty jokes, talking bad (evil) about 1 another, or swearing.
ii. We need to examine ourselves.
B. 1 area that we might be missing it, is in the area of Love.
1. All of the promises of God, come to us by faith, But it must be faith that works by love.
a. Again (Gal 5:6) Says, “Faith which worketh by love.”
2. If we want our faith to work and to receive the promises and blessings of God we need to walk in the Perfect Law of Love.
a. Look at James 2:8
i. James calls this “Perfect Law of Love” or “Royal law,” and it means the “Chief Law.”
b. James says that this “Royal Law of Love” is fulfilled in loving your neighbor as you do yourself.
3. Notice what James says in V 9 (James 2:9)
a. Notice the 1st part, “but if you 5show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”[1]
i. He ties this in with the LOVE WALK.
ii. In other words the Love that God wants us to have is a “non-preferential love.”
b. That you don’t walk in love toward 1 person more than another.
i. If you do, James says that is sin.
i. We haven’t fulfilled the Royal Law of love until we put others before ourselves.
C. ROM 12:10
1. The words “Kindly affectionate” here means “To love as a family member, like the parents do to their children, or the children do to their parents.”
a. Turn to (JOHN 13) Before the world will get saved, they have to SEE YOU as 1 of Jesus disciples.
b. JOHN 13:34-35
i. To many people the only Jesus that they will ever see is the Jesus in you.
ii. It’s through your Christian life style and your walk of love that they will see Jesus the hope of Glory and this will bring them to repentance.
c. When we walk in love toward 1 another, people are going to be drawn to it.
2. This love that we have toward 1 another is not just a commandment from the Lord, but it is something that is now part of us, that is if we love God.
a. 1JOHN 5:1-3
i. When we love God, it’s now part of our being that we love 1 another.
ii. But now we have to show the Love of God.
iii. (Philippians 2:12) Says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” KJV
iv. The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts, but now we have to bring that from our heart to an outward manifestation.
b. Most of the time it’s easy to love those that we fellowship with, but what about Christians that made fun of the Word of Faith teaching, or that mock you?
i. Look at 1JOHN 4:20-21
ii. Again, if we love God, then we will love 1 another, even if they are unlovable.
c. 1JOHN 2:9-10
i. John makes it so clear.
ii. If you’re not receiving the promises of God in your live, check your love walk.
3. Now go back with me to ROM 12:10
a. The last ½ of this V says “In honor giving preference to one another”
i. The word “Honor” literally means, “Value.”
ii. PHIL 2:1-3
iii. In these Vs here Paul is telling us, “to walk in love, to be in unity, and to esteem (think or consider) the other better than yourself.”
b. The true God kind of love that we need to have one for another is “TO VALUE OUR BROTHER OR SISTER MORE HIGHLY THAN OURSELVES.”
4. Look at MATT 23:11-12
a. In other words, “He that is greatest among you will serve others.”
i. The Living Bible says, “To be the greatest, be a servant.”
5. In (MARK 10:45) Jesus said, “For even kthe Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and lto give His life a ransom for many.” [2]
a. Paul said in (1COR 3:12-15) that all of our works will be made manifest and tried by fire, some works will remain and we’ll receive the reward for it, others will be burnt by the fire.
i. I want my works to remain, in order for them to remain, they have to be done by love.
ii. The greatest work or fruit that we could have that will remain is for us to walk in love.
II. It’s possible for a person to be part of the family of God, know the Lord and even be serving the Lord, even to be a minister and not walking in the Royal Law of Love.
A. If they’re not walking in love they’re not walking in faith.
1. Faith worketh by love.
B. ROM 13:8-9,10
1. Paul said that we are to love thy neighbor as thyself.
a. Paul said it, James said it, but Jesus even said it.
b. Jesus said in (Matthew 19:19) “Honor thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (KJV)
2. Sometimes people have a question about who thy Neighbor is.
a. According to Jesus, it’s any man, woman, or child.
i. That means that we are to walk in love to everyone.
3. Go back to what Paul said in ROM 13:8b-11. (“Comprehended” (kjv) means “Summed up.”) (nkjv)
a. If we want to be free from sin and to keep God’s commandments, we must walk in love.
C. Look at EPH 4:30-5:2 (No breaks between chapters.)
1. Paul said in order for us to walk in love, we have to put aside the differences that we may have and walk in unity.
a. In (Psalm 133:1-2) David said, “Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity! (2) [It is] like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, [even] Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.” (KJV)
b. The ointment that David refers to is in reference to the anointing.
i. The anointing of God is where the church has its power.
ii. More than anything else, the Devil wants to destroy the anointing of the church.
a. It the anointing that shall destroy every yoke of bondage (even those burdens that are caused by the enemy). (Isaiah 10:27)
c. There’s power in that anointing, but it only will come as we put God 1st, Walk in love and stay in unity.
III. (1COR 13:8) says, “Love never fails.”
A. Why is it that love never fails?
1. It’s because when you’re walking in love, you’re keeping all of God’s commandments.
a. You are opening up the channels to receive all that God has for you.
2. And faith works by love.
a. Your faith will be powerful and effective. (If you’re walking in love.)
B. Paul said in (Ephesians 5:1-2) “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; (2) And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.” (KJV)
1. We have a God of faith. We are to be a people of faith.
2. We have a God of Love. We are also to walk in love.
3. Remember Love never fails.
Faith Works by Love # 2.docx End of series
WOLCC Sun AM 12/18/94 and Sun Am 10/6/96 & Sunday 5/27/2007
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5 Lit. receive the face
[1]The New King James Version. 1982 (Jas 2:9). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
k Luke 22:27; John 13:14; [Phil. 2:7, 8]
l Matt. 20:28; [2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Tim. 2:5, 6; Titus 2:14]
[2]The New King James Version. 1982 (Mk 10:45). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.