This material was presented on Oct 12, 2014 as part of a special message on Salvation and Works. The suggested answers to the Message Based Discussion Questions below are designed to stimulate thinking not replace it. Use these to spur one another to love and good works.

James 2:14-24

How important are works? Can a Christian produce dead works?

1) The Lord created you for good works Eph. 2:8-10

• Rom. 7:24

2) Good works are only produced by the filling and fruit of the Holy Spirit Rom. 7:18-19; 8:9-11; Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:22-23

• Rom. 7:18-19
• Gal. 5:16-17
• Rom. 8:9 The Spirit ___indwells______________ the believer
• Eph. 5 :18 Does the Spirit __fill/control________ the believer? You are not filled unless two things are true:
  • __Dependent____________________ on the HS Rom. 8:10-11
  • __Cleansed/Confessed________________ from sin 1 John 1:9; 2 Cor. 7:9-11
• Bearing fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5:22-23
• You will produce _living__ works or ___dead____ works 1 Cor. 3:11-15

3) Your zealous life of good works reflects the giving character of the Lord Titus 2:11-14

4) A life without divine good works is a waste Luke 14:26-27

• Labor from gratefulness Col. 1:27-29
• Labor to bless 1 Pet. 3:8-12
• Labor to be the Lord’s disciple Luke 14:26-27; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:25; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 15:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thes. 2:9; 2 Thes. 3:7-10; 2 Pet. 1:10.

Salvation opens your eyes to the desire to labor to the point of exhaustion in the Spirit’s power  to honor and glorify the Lord Jesus!

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) When you were growing up, how willing were you to do work (chores) at home?

• I didn’t have a choice. My mother was excellent at accountability and ensured I did them. I wanted to avoid consequences for not doing them.
• I was willing to do the right thing, because complacency was not worth it.

Digging deeper:

2) Is there a spiritual battle between the flesh and the Spirit? __yes____ What does that look like (Gal. 5:16-17)? What are the results (Gal. 5:19-21,22-23)?

• It is a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit.
• The results are either going to be works produced by the flesh (deeds of the flesh) or works produced by the Holy Spirit (fruit of the Spirit). Do the works give glory to God or to the individual?

3) Is it possible to do Christian work and have no reward for it? __yes__ Look at 1 Cor. 3:11-15. What is the difference between the two types of production? How is it possible to produce such different kinds of results?

• One result has intrinsic value and becomes more purified when exposed to fire.
• It’s possible to produce those kinds of works, because of dependence on the Holy Spirit or not.

4) Is there a difference between a life of mediocrity and a life full of zealous good works? _yes_ How do you know the difference? What does it look like for a 15-year-old, 35-year-old and a 55-year-old?

• You may be able to tell by how the person spends his time, but there may be times depending on the personality and temperament of the person that you may not be able to tell if they were divine works or dead works of the flesh. You can be a fruit inspector, but not the judge.
• A 15 year-old may help out on work day, be an assistant with the children or even teach in the children’s ministry. A 35 year-old may teach an adult class, be involved in the worship team, or even serve on the leadership team. The 55 year-old should devote much more time to service than the 35 year-old, who has children at home. He should help out in many areas where he has strengths and even in areas where he is not comfortable so that younger families can have opportunities to grow.

Making application of the message to life:

5) How would you disciple a young man (woman) to learn how to walk in the Spirit rather than the flesh?

• Teach him principles of Bible study and devotions
• Help him understand how to share his testimony
• Encourage him to invite someone to follow him in discipleship
• Stay with him through his discouragements of discipling others
• Teach him about spiritual disciplines and help him put them into practice.
• Demonstrate by your own enthusiasm the tremendous joy of personal discipleship.

6) How can you motivate the youth of our culture to be motivated to live for Christ rather than for the desires of the world (through things, fame, or experiences)?

• Win the right to be heard by loving them where they are.
• Reveal your own enthusiasm for the Lord to help them see what they do not have.
• Help them learn about basics in the Christian life.
• Be transparent enough to help them understand how the things of this world do not matter as much to you as your relationship with the Lord Jesus and His eternal rewards.
• Ultimately, you can only set the example and disciple, because they have to make the choice to become motivated themselves.

7) Are you part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed? Are you willing to come to prayer meetings on Sunday morning at 8:30 am to pray for souls to be saved during worship and during the week? Are you willing to get involved in a home group that multiplies?

• I’m becoming more and more a part of it as the things of this world take on lesser importance and I see the primary importance of discipling others.
• I’m praying for more prayer warriors to join the prayer group to pray for the salvation of souls.