Sermons from Good News: Faith in action

Note before sharing the sermon: even though this was shared just a few days before Christmas, the title of this sermon already feels like the theme for 2024. I learned two key phrases in my first couple of years at the Vineyard (and I heard these said often):

• "Faith is spelled R-I-S-K"

and,

• "Faith in action is spelled O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E"

Considering Saturday's post, this sounds like both a prayer and a mission statement. Now, to the message, which will go in further detail what God's Word has to say about faith in action:

Church 12/20/2023

Sermon message:

Thesis: Faith in action.

Faith is believing and acting on God’s Word.

James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Point #1: Faith is acting on what you believe.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Faith is a gift of God.

Romans 10:9-10

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

You’re saved by grace but you also have to believe it and speak with your mouth.

Speaking is important.

Point #2: Joshua acted on what he believed.

Joshua 6:1-5

1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

First, God tells Joshua He wants him to believe what He said, and then tell the others.

But sometimes we want the walls to fall down before we shout. This is a stumbling block.

Joshua 6:6-8

6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.”

8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

The people were ordered not to talk until the appointed moment to shout.

Joshua 6:9-16

9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.

15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!

The result of obedience (faith in action):

Joshua 6:20

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Faith is believing God, and then acting on what He has asked you to do.

Point #3: Friends acted on what they believed.

Luke 5:18-19

Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

Faith in action: you have to keep at it.

Luke 5:20

When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

Jesus saw their faith because He saw their actions.

Luke 5:24-25

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

Salvation and healing are both available to all.

Jesus has the power to forgive sin and to heal.

Focus: Luke 5:24. (see above)

Jesus turned to the man who was still paralyzed. Then He commanded the man to stand up. The man believed, and acted, and he was healed in the moment of acting upon his faith.

Focus: Luke 5:25. (see above)

Believing and acting when it doesn’t look like it yet.

Point #4: Joshua received from God the ability to believe.

Romans 10:9

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Also from the Old Testament:

Joshua 1:1-2

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.

Context: Moses did a great job leading God’s people. Joshua followed after him.

Joshua 1:3

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.

God saying that He is promising Joshua what He promised Moses.

Joshua 1:4-7

From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

God telling Joshua to be strong and courageous.

He is also telling him to study the Book of the Law (i.e. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy which is what Joshua has at the time).

Joshua 1:8

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Faith is action. If you have fear about taking action, get back in to the Word of God.