ATTRIBUTES OR ACTION?

TEXT; 1 Cor 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Introduction; The purpose of this message is to provide a challenge to God's people and to point up the tragic shortcomings of the lost.
The text speaks of the three remaining gifts of the Spirit. Like the other gifts, these too, must be translated into ACTION to be of any practical use.

I. Faith in action.
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:18 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.

A. Faith Built an Ark.
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

B It founded a Nation!
Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Heb 11:11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Heb 11:12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

C. It fed a prophet with a handful of meal and a cruse of oil.
1 Ki 17:12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
1 Ki 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
1 Ki 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
1 Ki 17:15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
1 Ki 17:16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

D. It delivered Israel out of Egypt, Three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, and Daniel from the mouths of the lions. (Daniel 3; 6:7 - 27)

(Why can't we duplicate these acts of faith today? Ans. Because God has not told us to. He HAS told US how to serve Him and by faith we CAN do it!

A. By faith, the apostles preached to beggars and to kings.

B. It has carried the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

C. It will speak to the man next door.

D. It will build for God. If it is God’s will, He will open the way.

E. It knocks on doors.

F. It brings people to their knees before God.

II. Hope in action.
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

A. It opens our hearts to the joy of serving God.

B. It makes us to rejoice in;
1.The resurrection.
Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
2.Our labors for Him.
1 Cor 9:10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

C. It makes us not ashamed.
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

D. Provides us with clean minds and bodies!
1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

III. Love in Action = obedience.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Love in action will enable us to do what we could never do without it!
A. Clean up the mess in a sick room? Christ never drew back from the festered sores of a beggar nor caused him to shrink from the touch of a woman of the streets.
B. Love manifests itself in DOING what it can for its object.
C. It will sacrifice for the welfare of the Church.

IV. For the Lost-
A. Faith must come from HIM.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
B. Hope is nothing without Him.
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
C. We were without love until God showed us what love is.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.