We Must Do the Work
The New Testament calls us to a life of active obedience, where we respond to God's truth and promises with practical action.
J. Stuart Holden delves into the profound demands the New Testament places on believers, emphasizing the inseparable link between divine truths and human actions. The sermon highlights the call to not only receive God's grace and truth but also to actively respond by living out the implications of faith in daily life. It underscores the necessity of aligning our beliefs with our behaviors, acknowledging God's transformative work in us while taking responsibility for our spiritual growth and character development.
Text
"My soul is continually in my hand"
(Ps. 119:109).
See how entirely unanswerable is the logic of those demands which the New Testament makes upon us. It lays foundations, and then says "Build!" It declares truth, and then says "Act!" It unveils fountains, and then says "Drink, and be renewed!" It reveals a pathway, and then says "Walk!" It discloses an enemy's dispositions, and then says "Fight!" It says "You have been transplanted; now grow!" In short, it couples the Divine and the human in indispensable association. It proclaims what God has done and is ever doing for His children, and then it lays down what they, in consequence, must also do. It makes known what He is, and then announces what they must become--and why. It unveils the faith of God, and then indicates what must be the responsive and active quality of their faith. It publishes the fact that "it is He that hath made us," and then it goes on to insist that we fashion ourselves. Its unqualified assurances lift us to the very heavens. And then its inescapable imperatives bring us back to earth, to work out here the implicates of our belief and the obligations of our moral and spiritual insights into the concrete realities of Christian character.
Sermon Outline
- The Logic of New Testament Demands
- The Association of Divine and Human
- The Imperatives of Christian Character
- Work Out Our Belief
- Moral and Spiritual Obligations
- Fountains and Renewal
Key Quotes
“My soul is continually in my hand” — J. Stuart Holden
“It says 'You have been transplanted; now grow!'” — J. Stuart Holden
“It makes known what He is, and then announces what they must become--and why.” — J. Stuart Holden
Application Points
- We must take action and respond to God's truth in our lives, rather than simply believing without doing.
- Our Christian beliefs should shape our character and inform our actions, leading us to work out our faith in practical ways.
- We are called to live out our faith in concrete ways, rather than just going through the motions of Christianity.