Faith and Works to Obtain All Blessings:

Transcription

1 James 2:18 James 2:20 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Faith and Works to Obtain All Blessings: To the Lord s Saint, a testimony of the truthfulness of His gospel is the most precious possession we can have. We cannot be purchased it. No one can give it to us. It can only be received by prayer, by study, by faith, by repentance, by righteous living, and by listening to others bearing their testimonies, and through the promptings of the Holy Ghost. If you have a testimony of the gospel and the scriptures, you would know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Heavenly Father), and our Redeemer. Date: 06/20/ Page 1 of 12

2 You would know that Heavenly Father uses His prophets and the world would reject them. We know that the scriptures are true, that God uses a second witness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Having a testimony of the scriptures is a motivating force that will helps you to live the commandments and do our responsibilities for the Lord. Every church member is a missionary when we share our testimony and share the scriptures with nonmember friends, neighbors, contacts, and acquaintances. You might ask yourself; how? What the Lord except of you as a member of His church. 1. By living the principles of His gospel. 2. By keeping the commandments. 3. By being honest and righteous in all your dealings. 4. By letting your word always be as good as your strongest bond. 5. By showing your love and appreciation thru your attitude and by your works. 6. By being friendly and both willing and anxious at sharing the gospel. 7. By bearing your testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. 8. By beautifying your home. 9. By your dress and grooming conforms to the Lord s standards. Date: 06/20/ Page 2 of 12

3 10. By following the admonitions of the Lord. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 11. By baring your testimony that God lives, that we are His children created in His own image, and that if we keep His commandments and are valiant in His cause, we can obtain salvation, exaltation, and eternal life, which are the greatest of all His gifts to us. You need to develop your testimonies through study, through prayer, through service, through keeping the commandments, and through the power of the Holy Ghost. Remember, it is much easier to talk about a testimony than to obtain and keep one. We need to work hard to obtain a testimony, for that will make our own testimonies much stronger, and the testimony will be more able to remain with you. Remember, that no good thing comes without effort and sacrifice. When we work or make the effort to gain these blessings, we gain knowledge, we will develop our own skills, and grow our character, and we will learn to overcome evil in this world. For this is our purpose in life, is to overcome evil. If you do not have a testimony or who has a weak testimony and would like to get one or to strengthen it, a few things that you can do to develop or strengthen your testimony. 1. You need to study the scriptures. Date: 06/20/ Page 3 of 12

4 2. Keep the commandments. 3. Love your neighbor as yourself. 4. Being honest and true with your life. 5. Pay a full tithing and offering. 6. Keep morally clean. 7. Attend church meeting. 8. Associate with good people. 9. Stay out of Satan s lures, temptations, enticements, decoys, and paths by avoiding evil. 10. Repent of all your sins and all of your imperfections, and then forsaking them. 11. You need to pray always to Heavenly Father and close in the name of Jesus Christ. When you gain the knowledge from the scriptures and the Holy Ghost. You need to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, if this knowledge are true; and if you will ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Jesus Christ, He will manifest the truth of that knowledge unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. As you seek to develop and strengthen your testimony, you must always rely on the Lord and place your highest priority on spiritual values you been given. Date: 06/20/ Page 4 of 12

5 You must remember and not to forget, however, that your testimony does not, in and of itself, guarantee that you will inherit the celestial kingdom of heaven. You might know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, but unless we are living it and are valiant, living righteously, and work to build the kingdom here on earth, you will not inherit celestial glory. James 2:18 James 2:20 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Basically, you must have both faith and good works to obtain all of the blessings you seek. The price we pay for happiness is keeping all of the commandments. All of the greatest blessings of this life, together with eternal salvation and exaltation, are available to you only when you keep all of the commandments of the Lord, He has given you. Remember, the Lord has told all of us, that He is bound when we do what He says to us in the scripture and by the Holy Ghost, but when you do not keep all of them and do what He told you in the scriptures, you have no promise. John 14:15 John 15:10 Matthew 10:22 Matthew 24:13 Matthew 24:14 If ye love me, keep my commandments. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Date: 06/20/ Page 5 of 12

6 John 6:27 John 6:28 John 6:29 John 6:30 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? If you want to be happy and to be a good parent, you need to keep the commandments of God. You need to make every effort to keep the commandments and you must make every effort to gain and retain a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Once you have gained, and continuing to develop a testimony, you can never stop working to strengthen it. When your testimony becomes lacks, Satan becomes stronger in misleading you. You testimony today, has to be gained tomorrow again, you will not have it with you always, you need to make it grow every day. Once you stop, your testimony stops, you need to work on it every day. A testimony is not something that once you get it, it will be with you always. Any testimony is very fragile. How can you catch and hold a moonbeam in your hand. A testimony is something you have to create every day of your life. Date: 06/20/ Page 6 of 12

7 You must endure by creating your testimony every day. You need to study, pray, and obey the commandments every day of your life, so that the Holy Ghost will continue to strengthen your testimony. It has to be good works with faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. When your testimony is stopped or growing very slow each and every day, your testimony is in danger of becoming weaker. You need to be concerned not only with strengthening your own testimony, but also your spouse, your children, your whole family and those around you. Our greatest responsibilities is that of being parents. As parents, you need to be an example to your children in the gospel. You need to teach your children about maintaining a testimony in their lives. The prophets and church leaders in the scriptures have borne their testimonies to strengthen us. They all bore testimonies that He lives! And they bare record in the scriptures that He is the Only Begotten of the Father. That by Him, and through Him, and of Him, our world was created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. I know that the gospel which we teach is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Date: 06/20/ Page 7 of 12

8 The scriptures will give us revelations form God which makes it possible for Jesus Christ to guide our efforts in spreading His gospel throughout the world. May the Lord bless you with the desire to build a strong testimonies every day? Pray always, have faith, study, work His will, and by righteous living keep such testimonies growing and vibrant every day of your life. James 2:26 James 2:18 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. James emphasizes works within the context of faith in Jesus Christ, not as a negative but as a natural, positive outgrowth of faith. James clearly teaches that faith and works complement each other and belong together. It is impossible to separate them. In a way; faith is like water. We think of water most often in its liquid form, but when the temperature is substantially increased or decreased, the water eventually changes to steam or ice. In comparison to each other, ice and steam may look different, but they are still essentially the same compound of chemicals. In the form of steam, water can serve to power engines. Date: 06/20/ Page 8 of 12

9 When it converts to ice, it can be used as a cooling agent or to provide a solid layer over bodies of water on which vehicles may drive. So it is with faith. Our service in the Church, our enduring of trials and tests, our obedience to commandments; these works are all expressions of our faith. Faith and works are of the same compound. They are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other. In other words, good works are to faith as steam and ice are to water. This is the essence of the epistle of James. Both faith and works should be centered in Jesus Christ. True faith in Jesus Christ will lead to good works. James emphasizes the need to exercise faith and identifies appropriate works that grow out of true faith, such as prayer, help the poor, visiting the sick and afflicted. James also shows that lack of faith is demonstrated through inappropriate works such as double-mindedness, deception, pride and riches, and sin in general. James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Afflictions try faith, which then strengthens patience. Date: 06/20/ Page 9 of 12

10 James clearly teaches that to gain perfection one must perfect faith through good works. James 2:19 James 2:20 James 2:21 James 2:22 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? There is a difference between knowledge and pure intelligence. Satan possesses knowledge, far more than we have, but he has not intelligence or he would render obedience to the principles of truth and right. As with James that faith (pure intelligence) and obedience (works) are inseparably connected. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. James gives counsel on what the faithful should do to reach perfection or spiritual maturity. The tongue is the most dangerous, destructive, and deadly weapon available to mankind. This faith is manifest by good works such as patience and control of the tongue. These sins of pride are opposite of the fruits or works that grow out of true faith. Date: 06/20/ Page 10 of 12

11 Jesus taught that to enter the kingdom of heaven a person must become converted, be humble, and become as a little child (see Matthew 18:1 4). 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 1 Corinthians 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Date: 06/20/ Page 11 of 12

12 1 Corinthians 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 1 Corinthians 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen Date: 06/20/ Page 12 of 12