We Have Come this Far By Faith: Part Two, The Faith Habit (PODCAST)
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James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things [do nothing] which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Habit Defined: A settled or regular tendency or practice. Now there are good and bad habits.
Anyone who would boast about believing in God should be reminded that demons believe in God too. However, the devil and demons are not in the habit of obeying and following God.
Faith is not a mysterious force. Faith is habit. Faith is believing and acting on God’s word all the time. Faith speaks and believes. It also provides what is needed.
Saving faith pledges allegiance to God and is not ashamed of him.
John 12:42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Practices of the Faith Habit:
1 Tim. 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
“Pursue” is a faith-filled word in relation to the things of God.
What are the things that you are pursuing in relation to what God wants you to do? Paul instructed Timothy to pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
1. Faith looks like a Spirit empowered pursuit of the Grace of God.
2. Walking in faith is full of Grace.
Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
3. The habit of faith requires focus and excellence
Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.
“Magnify” means “render it excellent”
5. Nothing is impossible with faith, but faith is not possible without the habit of believing and acting on God's Word according to grace.
6. Faith always requires sowing a seed...taking a action.
Your seed is an action, something you do to show faith. Again, “faith without works is dead.”
For salvation, the faith action or seed is confession.
Romans 10:10, For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
7. For believers in Christ, being a doer of the word keeps us authentic and genuine in our witness. Being a doer also keeps us out of self-deception.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
