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Sermon Notes

Get In The Game!
Part 3
“Good Works Bring Spiritual Growth”

James 2:17-18, 26 “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 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…26 As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Genuine Bible faith, saving faith, manifests itself in good works.
Ss s in bin
And what are good works?

• Good works are good deeds motivated by faith, done in Jesus’s name, in obedience to God, for His glory and not our own.

• Good works are the evidence of a transformed heart, and are a key factor in spiritual growth.

Christianity is not a spectator sport!

We’re not called to live life from the spectators bench, but to be on the field contributing to the game!

Whereas in our old life we did bad works, giving our lives over to sin and wickedness—we NOW do good works, giving our lives to do righteous things through Jesus’s name!
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When the Bible talks about works it’s talking about your actions,
what you spend your life doing,
the words and actions that flow from your heart.

Jesus said, “…those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”–Matt 15:18-19

So according to Jesus, ‘WORKS’ are the words and actions we spend our lives doing.
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The Bible has a whole lot to say about ‘works’ and lists several different kinds of them.

• There are WICKED WORKS:

Col 1:21 “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.”

• There are WORKS OF THE LAW:

Gal 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.”

Seeking salvation by obeying the 10 commandments, or abstaining from certain foods, or by honoring the Sabbath day, and so on, is fruitless.

The works of the law cannot save your soul!

• There are DEAD WORKS:

Heb 9:14 “How much more will the blood of Jesus wash our consciences clean from dead works in order to serve the living God?”

“Dead works” are actions or deeds that may appear good or religious—but at the end of the day are spiritually lifeless—not being rooted in faith in Christ or love for God.

Dear works cannot produce spiritual life, salvation, or a genuine relationship with God.
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• And then there are GOOD WORKS:

Good works are good deeds motivated by faith, in obedience to God, in Jesus’s name, for His glory and not our own.

Good works flow out of a saved, redeemed, Spirit-filled soul!

As we saw at the beginning of this series, we are not saved BY good works, but FOR good works!

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”–Eph 2:10
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There are so many Bible verses on good works, I can only read a few:

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Colossians 1:10 “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work…”

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

1 Timothy 6:18 “Let them (the believers) do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share.”

Hebrews 10:24 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
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Jesus, our ultimate lifestyle model, filled his days with good works:

Acts 10:38 “And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Jesus spent his days, not just teaching and doing outstanding miracles, but ‘doing good deeds’ on behalf of the suffering.

Jesus’s days were filled with good works!
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Now, good works in Scripture are NOT limited to some big act of charity—like someone giving thousands or millions of dollars to a particular cause.

—It is simply giving your time, energy, and abilities to do something in Jesus’s name in obedience to God for His glory and not your own!

They include everyday acts of:

kindness,
hospitality and,
generosity.

Jesus taught that even giving a cup of water in His name is a good work that will not go unnoticed (Mark 9:41).
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Within the four walls of your own church home it can be:

Greeting others at the door in Jesus’s name,
The parking lot ministry,
Ushering,
Working cameras
Helping in the children’s dept

It is simply giving your time, energy, and abilities
in Jesus’s name,
in obedience to Him,
for His glory and not your own that it becomes a ‘good work!’
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Now, as we read in our text, James tells us that:

• Good works produce spiritual growth!

Faith is literally perfected or matured by doing good works for the right reason.

Listen to what James says about Abraham’s faith:

“Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?”–James 2:22

Notice the phrase: “Faith was working together with his works.”

And what was the result?—”By works (his) faith was perfected or matured.”

• Good works do not save us, but they do help grow us.
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So let’s break this down:

Good works are the Spirit‑empowered actions through which God:

Shapes our character,
strengthens our faith, and
displays His glory
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First, good works:

I. Shape our character

You are what you DO,
and you do based on what you ARE.

One of the great benefits of “always abounding in the work of the Lord,” is that it shapes, molds, and fashions us into the character of Christ.

Sow a thought, reap an action;
sow an action, reap a habit;
sow a habit, reap a character;
sow a character, reap a destiny.”

So good works create good habits that shape us!
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II. Strengthens our faith

We’ve already seen how Abraham’s faith was perfected:

“Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?”–James 2:22

The word “PERFECT” here means “to add what is lacking—to make a thing complete.”

So good works added what Abraham’s faith lacked in order for it to be complete!
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And good works:

III. Display His glory

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Christians aren’t flashlights shining our own light, we are mirrors reflecting the light of the Lord.

Good works done in Jesus’s name are like a shining light that says to our lost world, GOD LOVES YOU!—and bring glory to His name!

I close with a true story:

Years ago, there was a small bakery in a quiet town. The owner, Mrs. Thompson, wasn’t wealthy, but she had a heart for people. Every morning, she baked extra loaves of bread—not for profit, but to give to anyone who came in hungry. She never advertised her generosity, never asked for recognition.

One winter, a young man who had been sleeping on park benches came in for bread. Months later, he returned—not as a beggar, but as a worker in a local factory. He told Mrs. Thompson, “Your bread kept me alive, but your kindness gave me hope. I realized God must be real if someone cared like you did.”

Mrs. Thompson didn’t just feed a stomach—she pointed a soul toward God. Her good works became a mirror reflecting His compassion!
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• Good works shape our character
• Good works strengthen our faith
• Good works display his glory

LET’S PRAY