Sunday, July 8, 2018

Is My Faith a Mirage?

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?  Can that kind of faith save anyone?  Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough.  Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.  Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.”  But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds?  I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”  You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.  Good for you!  Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.  How foolish!  Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?  Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see, his faith and his actions worked together.  His actions made his faith complete.  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say:  “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  He was even called the friend of God.  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.  Rahab the prostitute is another example.  She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.  Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.  James 2:14-26(NLT)
Mirages are an interesting phenomenon.  They don’t just occur in the mind of a thirsty wanderer.  Science tells us mirages have to do with a dense layer of hot air rising from ground surface, reflecting the image of distant objects. 
The problem with a mirage is that it disappears when you come up close to examine it.  A mirage isn’t real, it is only a reflection; it isn’t the genuine article.  There is no fountain of gushing, cool spring water for the thirsty traveler.  There is only more heat, frustration and despair. 
Imagine yourself walking in the desert wasteland.  The canteen is empty, hope is about gone, when, suddenly on the horizon, you see the golden arches.  Visions of chocolate milkshakes surrounded by ice cold cokes and a meal fit for a fast-food king.  You sprint to the counter (in your vision there's no line).  But, as you approach the counter, alas, it vanishes from sight.  There are no cool cokes, milkshakes, or even a drop of cool water; it was only a mirage.  How disappointing - How empty! 
Just like mirages offer empty hope to a desperate traveler, there is a faith that never delivers.  It’s the self-deceptive “faith” James warned us about in the first chapter:
But don’t just listen to God’s word.  You must do what it says.  Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  James 1:22(NLT) 
The deception of a mirage-type faith is perhaps the saddest story of all.  So close to the real thing (like the traveler seeing a wonderful oasis, and immediately thinking he has been rescued), yet as far as forever from real, genuine satisfaction. 
What makes the difference between mirage faith and real faith?  Is it possible to tell if your faith is genuine?  Can you really know? 
The answer is decidedly YES, and James gives us the measuring stick; the answer is determined in how your life changes…or doesn’t.  Here’s the key:

GENUINE FAITH REVEALS ITSELF IN DEEDS OF LOVE 

And the opposite is also true; mirage faith reveals itself in the absence of loving deeds.  In place of action there are only excuses why such service can’t be done, or why others don’t deserve what you could do, if they behaved better. 
There are many good translations of verse 14.  Mine would be: 
What is the use of declaring your faith to the world if your actions don't correspond?  Is that the kind of faith that saves?
James contends that true Christianity is seen in the person that is willing to be involved in the things of Christ ON CHRIST'S TERMS!  "Mirage faith", on the other hand, only becomes involved to the degree that is comfortable.  And it disappears when the rubber meets the road.
The old expression is so true about the first three principles of selling real estate being: location, location, and location (in that order)!  For a genuine faith, the first three principles are involvement, involvement, involvement - involvement with Christ daily, involvement with His church daily, involvement with His world, sharing His love.
We are converted to Christlikeness according to James.  That part (v.15,16) about feeding and clothing those who are needy…Jesus did that; He spent His life serving, giving and telling.  On a desert hillside Jesus fed thousands with a few sardines and pieces of bread.  That was no mirage, it was an act of genuine faith.  He wrapped a towel around his waist and washed 12 sets of filthy feet.  That was no mirage, it was demonstration of faith in the principles of servanthood.  On a hill outside Jerusalem He died an agonizing death. 
It was more than just being an example...Jesus became the gospel, living it out in faith, defining the meaning of love.  It was the ultimate expression of receiving the Father's word and submitting to His will in deed. 
Genuine faith reveals itself in deeds of love.  What could it possibly mean to ACCEPT Christ, if not to accept His lordship over your life; to accept His choosing of your life's work?  Genuine faith reveals itself in deeds of love.  And then there is this…

YOU CAN FIND ETERNAL LIFE IN THE KIND OF FAITH THAT REVEALS ITSELF IN LOVING DEEDS.

Listen to what James says at the end of this section:
 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.  James 1:26(NLT)
James here uses the negative to illustrate the positive.  He tells us a very simple but accurate fact:  a body without spirit is dead...and therefore, so is our faith without works.  That basic fact teaches the opposite also:  When the body has a spirit it is alive. 
When your faith is not a mirage there are loving deeds of prayer, presence, gifts, worship, and service sprouting out of that faith all the time; your faith is alive and pulsating.  It is like the budding limbs on a young tree; sprouts on the limbs don't cause the tree to be alive, they simply announce the reality that there is life. 
A friend of mine owned some orange groves in McIntosh, Florida where I served a little Baptist church.  He was dying, and his family had set him up in the living room in a hospital bed.  There was a huge window that overlooked his life's investment in growing oranges.  After the freeze in December of '83, he told me that the only trees that would survive were the ones that were producing fruit.  The rest would have to be plowed under.  But what tree will be alive, and never put forth leaves, or fruit?  If it is truly alive, it must! 
Yet it is true that there are many folks today who are content never to be involved in putting their faith to the test.  James says this is foolish:
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough.  Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.  Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.”  But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds?  I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”  You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.  Good for you!  Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.  How foolish!  Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?    James 2:17-20(NLT)
Simply saying you are a Christian and associating yourself with a church does not mean you have genuine faith.  Jesus told a parable about seed that was scattered.  True, some of the seed grew and took hold in good soil.  But there was some (much) that only sent down a shallow root, and when the shoot came up it quickly withered and passed from the scene. 
You see that played out many times over in churches across the nation today.  A person makes a profession of faith...but it is only a mirage.  They never bother to send down deep roots, joining in the Bible Study program of Sunday School regularly, or worshiping often.  There is no regular, Biblical giving or serving.  If called upon to pray they wouldn’t have a clue how to begin.  They starve that little seed to death, and the possibility of genuine faith becomes just another statistic of back-door syndrome. 
It takes a mature tree to bring worthwhile fruit.  You cannot expect a seedling to bear crops; but seedlings that won't grow aren't worth the effort to water, feed and weed. 
The point is not vague here.  James is telling us that unless we are willing to grow in Christ, allowing the faith to become works, we are the false professors.  Like an orange tree that won’t produce fruit is bound to be plowed-under to make way for a new planting, our so-called faith without the fruit of the spirit, is empty, dead, without hope! 
You may be a long-time church member or have never joined a church; frankly, church membership is not at question here.  I met a person many years ago who was reportedly a member of the church I was serving at the time.  He hadn’t worshipped there in many years.  He told me his philosophy was to do as much good to as many people as he could...and even though that didn't include going to church, he and the ol' Master had a real good understanding about it.  Now those are almost pious, Wesley-sounding words from a church member…except for the fact that they’re a lie, and they smell like smoke, right out of the pit of hell.  More like a smoke screen for the reality of wanting to be free enough to answer the "call of the Beach, fishing hole, or golf course on Sundays.  God has no such understanding of a Christian that ignores the first three principles of a disciple’s faith:  involvement, involvement, involvement!  All else is a mirage.
There is a balance between "faith and works" that will make a true believer want to be close to his Lord in worship.
The rituals you went through to join a church identified you with a local body of people; and that is good.  I recommend it!  But it is the deeds of love, born of an alive faith that identifies you with Jesus and the Father.  It tells the others if His Holy Spirit is within you. 
And so…back to the main question:  How can I know I have a genuine faith, not a mirage?  How can I be sure?  Look at the examples James gives: 
·      Abraham was justified...(that means God accepted him) based on his faithfulness.  God asked Abraham to burn the bridge behind him, leave his home and follow God out to the wilderness.  Abraham said Alright, I'll go.  That was faith.  But so was the loading of the camels, the endless ridicule he endured that was works.  I can picture the scene:  Abraham and Sarah packing up the family stuff, and the neighborhood wag leaning over the fence; Hey, Abe...Don't you know there's snakes out there in that sand?  I know another fool that went out there without a map.  He never came back.  Abe, maybe you'd better reconsider this.  But he went.  Faith that came alive in deeds. 
·      Rahab the prostitute burned her bridges behind her.  When the children of Israel were marching her way, she made the decision to throw in with God's people, and she helped the spies Joshua sent out.  Think of the scene inside the walls of Jericho that night.  Sister Rahab, are you nuts, girl?  Here we are inside the most fortified city in Canaan.  Those silly Jews don't know how to fight, all they can do is walk around the outside.  You'd better reconsider this; the city fathers aren't going to like it when they hear you've been helping those spies.
But Rahab hung in there, and those silly Jews kept on marching seven days around the walls of Jericho.  And then 7 times on the 7th day....and the walls came down.  The faith of Rahab, a common streetwalker, is chronicled in her genealogy in Matthew's gospel.[2]  Rahab's grandson was named Jesse who had a son named David…King David.  And out of the lineage of David was born a king in a manger…his name was Emmanuel, God with us; we call him Jesus.  Rahab had faith.  She put it all on the line in deeds.
How can you know for sure that your faith is alive?  Throw yourself wholeheartedly into deeds of loving service to others.  I guarantee you will know inside of a month what is genuine and what is mirage. 
Where do you start?  Begin with forgiving your neighbors, and fellow church members.  Start to give OF yourself, instead of concentrating ON your own needs.  That is the model Jesus gave us.  Depend on the Father to supply what needs to be given.... don’t concentrate on what you don't have to give.  But, most of all...Do Start!
Near the end of the Civil War, a northern general wrote to Lincoln, I believe if the battle is pressed now we will have the surrender of Lee within a month.  He had received orders to back off, and had voiced his opinion for going full steam ahead.  President Lincoln simply wrote back:  Then let the thing be pressed!  It was a final turning point. 
How can you know for certain that your faith is genuine, and not a deceiving mirage?  Let the thing be pressed.  Get yourself involved in loving service others.  JOIN IN...GET BUSY.  A true conversion in faith will take over your life, your family, your pocketbook, and you'll never feel so alive! 
·      Are you alive?  Or does the world seem dead-end with only struggle in sight? 
·      Do you find no joy other than gratifying your desires, collecting toys and trophies? 
·      Do you ever have questions about the strength of your commitment to Christ? 
I invite you today to make a commitment in your heart to the Author of faith, Jesus Christ. 
In this church we offer you an opportunity to press the thing, to make an outward sign of your inward commitment.  That's where the loving deeds of faith begin. 
Come in this invitation time to offer yourself as His SERVANT.  If you're ready, we are ready to have you..... gladly. 
And I can guarantee, on the promise of God's Word that if your faith is genuine in coming, it will not be a mirage, it will set you firmly in the pathway of the Carpenter from Galilee, where you’ll learn to practice genuine faith of loving deeds, pleasing to our Father in heaven. 
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let the church say “Amen”!

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[1] Title Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
[2] Matthew 1

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