Faith That Works — Manley Beasley

Years ago, we used to have a fellow that come here a great deal. I guess he still comes a great deal. I just don't get to come enough to see him. He'd say, now this is a sermon before the sermon. And this morning, that's the way I want to do it.

God's Way Through the Impossible

This is the sermon before the sermon. There's a passage in Psalm 77 and the 19th verse that I want to talk to you about before I get into the message. It's definitely tied into the message, but I think you and I, we need to look into it.

And the psalmist in this particular chapter is really having an experience with God. He comes out of the valley of despair. He really does. He comes out of the valley of despair that Brother Sonny was talking about.

And he discovers the way through in life. And it says, thy way, the 19th verse says, thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. This passage lays out a very basic issue about the call of God.

When God speaks to man and calls him, it's always in the impossible. That's right. He said, thy way is in the sea. And he's basically talking about the Red Sea here, and he's talking about the children of Israel.

And Beloved, when he called them and said, thy way is in the sea, there is no way for man to handle this problem. And when God touches you and me, he doesn't have to make the way clear. He just tells us that it's always in the impossible.

It's totally in the impossible. I don't know that God's ever called you to do anything you can do. He always calls you to the impossible. And the reason part is that when he calls you to the impossible, his objective is to shut you up to a relationship with the Son of God who can handle the impossible.

And he goes on and he says, thy path is in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. In other words, in the water there is no signpost. In other words, you don't leave any tracks in the water.

You see, Jesus is not leaving you any tracks. You can't follow any signs. There's no post out there in that water. There's no signpost. There's no footsteps. It means that you have to be shut up to the person of Christ to get through the water.

You have to. And it's very important that you and I see that God's objective in all the happenings of life for you and me is to shut us up to him who is capable of handling the impossible and to shut us up to where we're constantly in a proper relationship with the Son who knows the way through the sea.

Because there are no other signposts. There are no other footsteps. There's none at all. You've just got to stay with him. And the whole objective of this passage is to show us that the only relationship that can get through what God wants us to get through, the way of God, is to be shut up to the person of Christ.

And to be shut up with him is to have the way all the way through whatever we are facing in life. Now, because of that, I want to share with you some scriptures out of Romans and out of Galatians and out of James and just show you how important it is for you and me to just stay properly related to the Son.

Justification by Faith and the Evidence of Works

The passage in Romans is found, I believe, in the third chapter. It says there, 27th and 28th verses, Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

And then in Galatians, the second chapter, 16th verse, we have very similar words. As Paul tells us, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.

For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. And then in James, the second chapter, we find, 14th verse, these words, What doth it profit my brethren, though a man say he hath faith and hath not works?

Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding you give them not those things which were needful to the body, what doth it profit?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well.

The devil also believes and trembles. 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?

See thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which said Abraham believed God, and was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. I want to deal with this matter this morning of faith and works, because I do believe that it's right at the heart of man getting involved in the Lord Jesus properly, as well as man making himself available.

And if it's as hot out there as it is on me, it is really hot. And it might have something to do with the spirit of things, but you won't mind me doing this, will you? We may not realize it, but if a man's faith, if a man's faith in Jesus Christ is right, if a man's faith in Jesus Christ is right, every other aspect of that man's life will be in total harmony with God, and total harmony with that man's responsibility.

It really will. And that's fascinating, because we have made our religion a religion of works, rather than a religion of faith. And it's very important that I think that I share this message. Now, when Martin Luther read the Book of Romans, the Reformation leader, read the Book of Romans and read those passages I read, he was gloriously saved by the grace of God.

But when he read the Book of James, he said, that's a book of straw. And the reason was that he could not handle some way the fact that a man is justified by works. And he couldn't harmonize the fact that in Romans it teaches that a man is justified by faith in Christ alone, and yet in James it says a man is justified by works.

He just couldn't handle it. Now, it's incredible how this man lived. We have been, in fact, the year before last, we were in East Germany, and I didn't walk up to this place where he did this, but my wife did, and a bunch of other people.

It's too high up for me. And I can't stand altitudes unless the Lord takes me up. So I couldn't walk up that thing, but I'd have liked to have done this. But they saw a slab, they saw a slab like a piece of concrete slab that had all kinds of little particles in it to where this man, Martin Luther, trying to show God that he loved him, would strip his body of clothes and get on this slab and roll his body over until his whole body was just totally covered with blood, trying to show God that he loved him enough so God could save him.

And when this man saw that you could be saved by grace through faith, that not of yourself is a gift of God, he was gloriously saved without any works whatsoever. And so possibly you can imagine why he had a difficult time when he looked at James and said a man is justified by works.

But the amazing thing about it, there's no contradiction between Romans and the book of James. There's no contradiction whatsoever. And Romans does talk about the man is saved by grace without any works whatsoever, saved by grace through faith without any works whatsoever.

And of course we're talking about a man being saved and standing before God justified without any works. And a man is saved by grace through faith without any works whatsoever. He just comes. You don't even repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

When you come believing, you repent. A man does not repent and then believe. When a man believes, he repents. And repentance is necessary to believe. But it's still not a man's works. It's still not a man's works.

In other words, when a man believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, the word believe in the New Testament takes with it the fact that a man repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. If a man repented and didn't believe, then my dear friends, it would be a work.

A man would have to work his work of repentance, and he doesn't do that. He repents and believes. It's all one experience. But nevertheless, a man gets saved by the grace of God by repenting of sin and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, when a person repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, that man is saved. Between him and Jesus, it's all settled. And that's what Romans is talking about. But James is saying, James is saying, hey, if your faith in Jesus Christ is real this way, if you have really real genuine faith in Jesus Christ this way, James is saying there will be some works in your life that proves to the world that you have been saved by the grace of God.

And those works prove that your faith is genuinely real. Now, Jesus Christ taught this. He taught this. Jesus had some Pharisees to come to him one day, and they said, we are of our father Abraham. You know what Jesus said to these men?

He said, if you were of your father Abraham, you would be doing the works of Abraham. Now, that's what James is saying. James is saying, you say that your faith in Jesus is real. James is saying, hey, if your faith in Jesus is real, there will be some works.

You will be doing the works of Jesus. Now, I realize, friend, that there's a possibility of you have to grow in grace and you're not talking about perfect works. But when you're talking about works in the life of a person, you're talking about there be works in you, there be works through you, and there be works for you.

And when a man has real, genuine faith in Jesus Christ, James is saying, there will be some works in you, there will be some works through you, and there will be some works for you if you're really saved by the grace of God.

For I tell you, when I began to see this, I realized that I was a Puritan and didn't know it. Amen. You say, what do you mean? They never separated faith from works. They never separated faith from works.

And my dear friends, we can't stand that kind of preaching in these days. But it's nevertheless the truth. James lays it out. Folks, you don't get saved by works. But when you get saved by grace through faith, there are works in your life.

And if there's not works in your life, then there's no indication whatsoever that you have been saved by the grace of God. Now, you know if you come to Jesus to be saved by the grace of God, you come to Jesus, you realize, friend, that you come into handy.

You don't come with anything except what God has placed in your heart. And you just have to come to Him if you get saved. In fact, one writer said he was a dead dog. He's a dead dog. He described a sinner as a dead dog.

That's right. And God deals with that dead dog and enables that dead dog to be saved by the grace of God. That is something else. And what I'm trying to show you is the way is in the arms of Jesus Christ.

The way through the sea, the way through salvation is none other, absolutely, totally just Jesus Christ. I mean, nothing you bring, nothing you bring except just you're there and it's all on Him. Just completely His.

Faith That Works in Daily Life

Now, what I want you to see is go further with me. In James 2 .14, the Weymouth Translation, which is a real substantial translation, really places it beautifully in what I'm saying. Listen to what it says.

What doth it profit, my brethren? Let me read it again in King James. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith and hath not works? Can faith save him? Now, listen to the Weymouth Translation of that.

What doth it profit, my brethren, for a man to say he hath faith and doth not have corresponding action? Boy, I'll tell you, that's something. Amen. What good does it do for you to say you've got faith and doth not have corresponding action?

In other words, can that kind of faith save you? Can that kind of faith please God? For you to say you have faith and doth not have corresponding action? Oh, Brother Manley, I believe God can do this.

I believe God can do that. Well, what I'm saying is, is He doing it? In you, through you, and for you. Is He doing it? You say, well, no, He's not doing it. Well, you do not have faith. Amen. You do not have faith.

You just think you have faith. Billy Graham had this experience one time. He was on an airplane, and a man was in first class and drunk. And that's always fascinated me, how that bunch, you know, on these planes will make you drunk and then turn around and try to shut you up and try to calm you down.

And this little old gal had her hands full. She'd got this man drunk by giving him free liquor. And now he's acting like a fool. And so he was just all torn, just making a nuisance of himself on that airplane.

She kept trying to keep him quiet. And finally she said, she realized Billy Graham was on there. And she said, maybe if I just tell this drunk that Billy Graham's on here, he'll have enough respect for him and God that he'll just keep his mouth shut.

So finally she went over to him and said, sir, I wish you'd really be quiet. She said, I really wish you would. Billy Graham's on here, and it's quite embarrassing. Oh, he said, I want to meet him. He said, I want to meet him.

I've been wanting to meet him a long time. And man, he got all stirred up and he's so liquored up. His face was red and he smelled like a blood. And he staggered back down to where Billy Graham was, stuck out his hands and said, Mr. Graham, I've been wanting to meet you a long time ago, a long time.

He said, you saved me many years ago. And Billy Graham said, I must have. It's quite obvious Jesus didn't. Now what was Billy Graham saying? Billy Graham was saying, sir, you are telling me that you've got faith with your mouth, but your life proves to me that your faith is not real.

Amen. Back years ago, folk, I ran into a beautiful, beautiful experience that's helped me out with my family. It really has. And I don't contend today that my family is perfect. Not at all. I'm extremely proud of them.

I think I would be proud of them if they weren't even serving the Lord because that's a dad love for his family. But I'm extremely blessed and proud of my family. But let me tell you something, what I learned many years ago.

I was up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in an old-fashioned revival, really. I don't remember how many years ago it was. And I had been searching for some help about salvation to where I could preach it, to where people could get hold of it, and it really helped them in their family.

Because our kids had gotten to the age, you know, where they were making decisions, asking questions, and wanting to know about Jesus Christ. And so I needed some help. And so I'd seen a lot of church members saved, and I needed some help to help those people.

And I was praying, Lord, give me some help. And in the context of that prayer, there was this elderly man, a preacher in the church. He wasn't a pastor, but he was a member. And he had a daughter in that meeting that was about as wicked as any woman I have ever met in my life.

She was about 19 years old. And I mean that gal was wicked. And that old preacher would weep for his daughter. And I'll tell you, every night he'd weep for his daughter. And I couldn't stand it. I mean, it got a hold of me.

I just couldn't take it. And so one night, that daughter hit the altar. And I'll tell you, when she hit that altar, you could hear her a block away. She was crying and begging for mercy. And I mean, it looked good.

It sounded good. I mean, the tears were there. The brokenness was there. Everything was there. It looked real to me. And I looked over at that old gentleman, and I saw he was rejoicing. But I thought he'd have been tearing the church up, you know, because he had wept so bitterly for that daughter.

And I really was disturbed because I didn't see him acting like I thought he ought to act. Well, the old gentleman read me. He read what I was thinking. And so he came back after the service was over, and he said, Brother Manley, he said, I gathered that you gathered that I didn't get as excited as you thought I should over my daughter's coming.

I said, Yes, sir. I thought you'd been tearing this church up. He said, I'll tell you when I'm going to tear this church up. I listened. He said, Brother Manley, he said, I've seen this girl come before.

He said, I'll tell you when I'm going to tear this church up. When I can see the nature of God in her. And when I can see God treating her like he is youngin'. He said, then I'm going to tear this church up.

He said, because, you see, it's not only a person coming to Jesus that saves a person. It's when a person so adequately comes to Jesus by repentance and faith that a holy God commits himself to that person and takes up his abode in their life and makes that person a new creation in Christ Jesus.

And, my dear friends, there's the nature of God in them. And from that moment on, God starts treating that person as he is youngin' and those whom he loves he chastens. And, my dear friends, I went home a different man.

Every time one of my kids made a decision, I was there to say praise God. I rejoiced with them, folks. But I never stopped praying for them until I saw the nature of God in them. And until I, when they sinned against God, my friends, if I could see God treating them like he is youngin', then I began to rejoice and believe that they might be saved by the grace of God.

But not before then. And, my friends, today if we would deal with this matter, that when a man's faith is right, there's works in his life that proves his faith in Jesus Christ was right, I'll guarantee we would quit having so many lost church members, and I'll guarantee you would cease having some problems with your children that you're having.

Because they cannot handle life if Jesus Christ is not in their lives. And there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing in this world wrong with that. I had a woman that tell me the other day, she said, My daughter, my son got saved.

I said, Is that right? That's wonderful. She said, He's two and a half years old. You know, that woman's in for trouble. That woman's gonna let that boy go to hell, straight out of her home. And she's one of the best members of the church.

My friends, we need some correction in this area. The Bible says when a man's faith is right, there will be some works that will show it. And when a man has really trusted Jesus Christ, there will be some works in that life that show it.

But this is not only relative to salvation. This is relative to sanctification. This is relative to substance in life. It is relative to ministry in life. It is relative. This principle of faith in Christ is relative to every aspect of life you can find.

And there's no other way through. There's no other way. That's why He's called you to go through the sea. And there's no signpost there. And there are no footsteps there. My friends, you have to be properly related to the Son to get saved.

If you're going to walk through life and have victory, you're going to have to be properly related to the Son. And the only way to do it is by faith. Yes, sir. He says, faith without works is dead. In other words, you say you have faith and there's not corresponding action, my friend.

Then your faith is not right. Now, I want to change the phraseology just a little bit. It's not faith and works. It's faith that works. That's right. That's what He's saying here. He's saying you get your faith right and your works will be right.

Your experiences in life will always be according to your faith in Jesus. Christ in you, Christ through you, and Christ for you will always be according to your faith. Your faith is not according to your experiences.

Now, I know the charismatic crowd says that. They said you have these marvelous, miraculous, supernatural experiences and you'll fill the house and you'll get hundreds of thousands of people saved. And I'll tell you what you do with that.

You will build their faith on the basis of manifestation, which is humanistic, because they can see it, they can feel it, and that's humanistic. And they will respond to a faith on a humanistic level, and my dear friends, as soon as the emotion is over, it will die.

But my dear friends, when your faith is built on the basis of the revelation of God, my dear friends, and a person is brought to believe according to the revelation of God, then experiences will follow.

And when that person goes out and the emotion dies, and sometimes even the memory dies of that occasion, the Word of God doesn't change and that person will not fall. Our experiences are never the basis of our faith.

It may be the basis of our inspiration, but it will never be the basis of our faith. The Word of God is the basis of our faith. And my dear friend, you and I can just, we can do everything we want to this week, and it's not too difficult.

Stepping Out in Faith Without Signposts

Listen to me carefully. It's not too difficult to surrender all, like I talked about last night. That never has been a very difficult thing for me, and I trust it's not a difficult thing for you. I'll tell you what, it's not too difficult to do what you can afford to do.

But I'm going to tell you where it gets difficult, folks. When he says, come on, and it's right through the Red Sea. And there's no signpost out there. And there's no footsteps out there. And there's no hole in that water.

And he says, come. Well, the son of you preached on Malachi 3 .10, son. It says, you know, bring me all the tithes and the storehouse. You know, that's surrendering all, and that's doing what you can do.

But then he turns around and says, now prove me now. In other words, step out on the sea where there's no hole. Where there's no signpost. Where there's no footsteps. I'll tell you, a lot of people have surrendered, and they think that's all there is to it.

But I'm going to tell you something. The faith side of getting properly related to Jesus and following him through the sea. Where there's no hole, and there's no footsteps, and no signpost. There's nothing to go by except a relationship with him.

That's right. Prove me now. You say you have faith, beloved. There's corresponding action in your life. In your life, through your life, and for you. It's your faith. According to your faith. Right now.

Amen. Amen. Right this very minute. It's not faith and works. It's faith, that's what he's saying. Faith that works. Years ago, I had this experience. Some years ago, in Houston, Texas, I was preaching along this line, and the man in charge of that meeting stood up and said, Brother Manley, I understand exactly what you're talking about.

I always get disturbed when a man knows exactly what I'm talking about. And I talked, and I said, What do you mean? And he said, Well, I was reading a book the other day. I was reading a book. And he said, As I read that book, I came across a story, and there was a man walking across a river.

The boat had two oars. And he reached down and took one oar that said, Works, on it. And he started using that oar, and that boat went round and round. He said he put that oar down and picked up another one that said, Faith, and started using it, and it went round and round.

The other way, he said that man decided, Hey, what I need to do is I need to get this oar that said, Faith, and the one that said, Works, and use them both, and I can make it across the river. And so he got his story through, and I said, Well, sir, that is not what I preach.

I did not preach faith and works. I preached a faith that works. You see, folk, you believe that about salvation, a faith that works. Why don't you believe it about sanctification? Why don't you believe it about substance?

Why don't you believe it about everything else? It's not faith and works. It's a faith that works. I was in Dauphin Way Baptist Church last September, October, somewhere like that. And a woman came up to me and said, Brother Manley, I understand exactly what you're saying.

And I remembered about 20 years ago that man. And she said, My mother taught me there was a man walking across the river in a boat and told me the same story. And I said, Lady, your mother did not teach you what the Bible teaches.

It's not faith and works. It's a faith that works. And so, I'm going to tell you, this is what I told her. I said, Lady, when your faith gets right, you don't need an oar. You say, Brother Manley, where did you get that?

In the Bible. Or did you get it from the Bible? I got it from the Bible. There were some disciples out in the middle of the sea one night with a mighty, mighty storm on them. And they looked up, and Jesus was walking on the water.

Scared them half to death. But when they got over their fear, they got properly related to Jesus by faith in that boat. Got Him in the boat with them. And the Bible says they were immediately at shore.

They didn't even need an oar. Amen, folks. They didn't even need an oar. Now, you check it out. It says they were immediately at shore. I bet that's the fastest boat ride that bunch has ever taken in their life.

They were immediately at shore. Amen. When they got properly related to Jesus in their situation. And the only way you can get properly related to Jesus, folks, is by faith. Amen. There's no other way to get properly related to Jesus by faith.

Sanctification Through the Life of Christ

Now, here's what I'm trying to say. Is this. Now, if you're, the work of sanctification is not right in your life today. You are not what you're supposed to be morally in your life. If there is not a reproduction of Christ in you like there's supposed to be.

If there's not the character of Jesus in you. Like the filling of the Holy Spirit reveals the character of Jesus in you. Love, joy, peace, love, and so on. If there is not the character of Jesus in you, my dear friends.

There is no amount of works that can bring the character of Jesus in you. The character of Jesus Christ in you today is based on your revelation of Him. And your appropriation of that revelation. And the measure of your sanctification today.

The measure of the character of Christ in you is not determined by how much you pray. Or how much you read the Word of God. Or how much you win souls. The character of Jesus Christ in you today is based on the fact of the revelation of God to your heart.

And the fact that you have appropriated Him, my dear friends, to the measure that you know He can handle your life. And I've got news for you. The works of man, you can do all of it you want to do. And it will still not bring the character of Christ in you.

And you know, today, if you're not what Jesus wants you to be, it's because you're not properly related to Jesus by faith. What good does it do to you to say, I've got faith, and just not have corresponding action?

Lord, it's awfully quiet. Am I that dead? Huh? You're so quiet on me, I thought maybe I just wasn't even saying anything up here. And I may not be saying anything to you. But I'll tell you one thing. I'm saying something to myself.

That's right. If Christ working through you is not what God's Word teaches that it's supposed to be, folk, there's no amount of human activity on your part that can get the job done. You have to come back and get your faith properly related to Jesus Christ.

And then, my dear friends, you can say with Paul, I labor and I strive, but it's according to his workings which worketh in me mightily. Yes, sir. You see, it's religious to do something for Christ. It's Christianity to trust Christ to let him do it through you.

And by the way, letting Christ do something in you and through you and for you is definitely based on the law of God in the Bible. Let me just say this. I am extremely disappointed in preachers across this country that have abused the grace of God and given people a license to sin.

Grace, the Law, and Life in the Spirit

The Bible says, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. And that does not mean when you get saved by the grace of God and you're washed in the blood, that does not mean that the law is destroyed.

It does not mean that at all. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus is in the context of a man being saved, a man being brought to the end of himself, the old man crucified, raised in new life, and my dear friends, that man, the good man being brought to the end of himself in Romans 7, and a man walking in the Spirit.

And today, right now, in this parish, right here, this parish, if they're ethical people, cannot arrest me. You know why? Because I am making the law of this parish void. You say, what do you mean? Well, see, you can either do two things with the law.

You can do away with it, or you can measure up to it. And when you do away with it, that's what a lot of Christians are doing today, and they have become lawless. But when you leave the law there, you, by the grace of God, being saved by the grace of God, learning how to be filled with the Spirit and walk in the power of the Holy Ghost, you can make the law void where the law cannot arrest you, and there is therefore now no condemnation to those which are in Christ Jesus, not because the law is being done away with, but because the law is being fulfilled in your life and my life.

And if that law is not being fulfilled in your life and my life, by the fact that we have the character of Jesus expressed in our lives, that we have the life of Jesus working through our lives, and that we have the manifestation of God working on behalf of our lives, if that law is not fulfilled and made void, then, my dear friends, you and I are failing to make use of the grace of God, either out of ignorance or out of rebellion.

And the only way to get that in its proper perspective is to get back to Jesus by repentance in faith and trust Him. And if you want to see the measure of your faith in Jesus today, look at the character in your life.

Look and see if God is measuring up and manifesting in your life and working through your life as He said He would in the Bible. Look and see if He is doing things for you, that the only explanation for them is God.

He says, listen, you say you've got faith. He said, if you've got faith, there's works that let the world know you've got faith. No wonder James said, hey, you show me your faith without your works. He said, I'll show you my faith by my works.

It's not faith and works. It's a faith that works. Amen. When your faith is right, the works will be rightful. You can come down these aisles all this week. By this type of preaching that's been done, there's not possibly one person in this building that hasn't been deeply, deeply, deeply, deeply moved.

And you can dedicate your life to do these things and this thing and this thing, but I want you to know it will not amount to one hill of beans. Until, my friends, you come back into a proper relationship to Jesus Christ and trust Him by faith, going out of here trusting Him.

To do the impossible and to be in you and through you and for you. What God is dealing with you about. Amen. All you'll go away out of this meeting with is some kind of emotional stir or maybe a little intellectual enlightenment.

You will not go morally changed by the grace of God. Amen. You will not. Folks, it's not faith and works. It's a faith that works. He said, my way is through the sea. You know why he said it? He said, there's no footsteps out there.