Change ... Be New | Witness His Majesty

Witness His Majesty

Change…Be new.

Luke 2:1-7 (ESV) 1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

• A COMPASSIONATE Heart Moved To ACTION brings HOPE and HEALING

James 2:14-19 (NIrV) 14Suppose a person claims to have faith but doesn’t act on their faith. My brothers and sisters, can this kind of faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister has no clothes or food. 16Suppose one of you says to them, “Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well.” And suppose you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done? 17It is the same with faith. If it doesn’t cause us to do something, it’s dead. 18But someone will say, “You have faith. I do good deeds.” Show me your faith that doesn’t cause you to do good deeds. And I will show you my faith by the goods deeds I do. 19You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that. And they tremble!

SOUL TATTOO: Authentic FAITH in Christ CHANGES us, NOW and FOREVER.

1. Faith is BELIEF, but BELIEF ALONE is not FAITH.

Ephesians 4:8-10 (NIV) 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

• A CHANGED LIFE is not the SOURCE of FAITH; FAITH is the SOURCE of a CHANGED LIFE.

James 2:20-26 (NIrV) 20You, foolish person! Do you want proof that faith without good deeds is useless? 21Our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. Wasn’t he considered to be right with God because of what he did? 22So you see that what he believed and what he did were working together. What he did made his faith complete. 23That is what Scripture means where it says, “Abraham believed God. God accepted Abraham because he believed. So, his faith made him right with God.” And that’s not all. God called Abraham his friend. 24So you see that a person is considered right with God by what they do. It doesn’t happen only because they believe. 25Didn’t God consider even Rahab the prostitute to be right with him? That’s because of what she did for the spies. She gave them a place to stay. Then she sent them off in a different direction. 26A person’s body without their spirit is dead. In the same way, faith without good deeds is dead.

• What we BELIEVE about Jesus, will often come into CONFLICT with OURSELVES. 
• Our ACTIONS aligned with our BELIEFS about Jesus, is FAITH in Jesus.

1. Faith is HOPE, but HOPE ALONE is not FAITH.

• Your ACTIONS reveal who you ARE.

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) 1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen.

• HOPE looks FORWARD to CHANGE, FAITH treats HOPE as if it’s a REALITY.

1. FAITH is CONFIDENCE in Christ’s CHARACTER and PROMISES.

James 2:26 (ESV) 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Mathew 7:21 (ESV) 21Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

John 8:31-32 (ESV) 31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14:21-24 (ESV) 21Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to Him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.”

SOUL TATTOO: Authentic FAITH in Christ CHANGES us, NOW and FOREVER.

Matthew 6:25-26 (NIV) 25I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are.

1. FAITH leads to OBEDIENCE; OBEDIENCE leads to an increase of FAITH. 

Philippians 1:22 (ESV) 22For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

• To get to FAITH and OBEDIENCE, you must pass through HUMILITY and SACRIFICE.

Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV) 6Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!