True Worship: The Lifestyle of Spirit & Truth 

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"How to Stand Victorious in Faith by Grace in Times of Compromise"

At the beginning of this series on faith, we defined faith in two ways: 1) Faith has belief, trust, obedience and acting on God word and promises. 2) What we believe, the doctrines that guide our actions, our understanding of the Bible.

By grace we stand in faith, but make no mistake, WE NEED TO STAND.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Jude 3:3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

1 Timothy 4:1, Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron

2 Tim 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

2 Thessalonians 2

The Great Apostasy

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

 Apostasy:  A total desertion of or departure from one's faith, principles, and cause. People turning away from the principles of the gospel

John 6:66 - From that [time] many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

2 Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

How do you test yourself? How would you test yourself as a driver? Operation of vehicle, understanding of rules of the road, physical capability.

Testing your faith involves:

Corresponding actions (Words and deeds)

Attention to the one who saved us an to Whom we belong

Obedience to basics: Prayer, reading the Bible, doing the word (obedience), worship (vertical love), fellowship with believers at church meetings (horizontal love), giving and serving.

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"Faith and Corresponding Action" 

The faith walk is about believing God's promises and acting with confidence on those promises. Faith is not a leap into the dark. Faith in God is a leap and a walk into the LIGHT!

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 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[d] 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.”[g] And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Paul wrote Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We don’t work to be saved, but good works is the best evidence of a saved lifestyle.  

Galatians 2:16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Our works are distinctive to believers in Christ. Every lifestyle and “religion” or “non-relligion” has their form of works. 

Exodus 23:24, You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars 

Matthew 23:5, But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments

We are doing the works of God that need to be seen. These works glorify the Lord, not ourselves.

Matthew 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven 

John 9:4, I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work 

We are empowered by Jesus Christ.

John 14:12  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father 

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