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On Apr 26, 2009: James 2:14-26 · Teachings On This Day On FerventWord

• You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2009. So we're talking about faith and works this morning. Faith and works, a troubling subject for many and yet one that the Bible has a lot to say about. James here is speaking about faith and he uses the word faith and works together multiple times. But the Bible speaks about this same principle throughout the scriptures in different ways. You remember Jesus in John chapter 15. He was speaking about the same type of subject when he said, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. Jesus said, Telling us that if we abide in him, if we're his disciples, so that we would bear fruit and there would be something that was produced in our life as a result of our relationship with Him, just as a branch has a relationship with the vine, and as a result it produces life, it produces fruit, then you and I, as we are connected to Jesus Christ, as we have a relationship and we're walking with God, it will produce in our lives fruit. And Jesus said abundant fruit will be brought forth from those who abide in him. And that's really what James is talking about as he deals with this subject of faith and works. The idea is that as we have faith in God, as we believe in God, as we have received Jesus Christ, then there will be a product that comes forth as a result of that in our lives. That relationship with God will produce in our lives something new. Well, James calls it works. Jesus calls it fruit. Jesus said in another portion in John chapter 13, verse 35, he says, By this all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Same type of idea, same principle, but a little bit different terminology. Jesus says, look, when you walk with me, when you're my disciple, when you have a relationship with me, the rest of the world will know this. By what is brought forth from your life in love towards one another. And because of that love that is brought forth that is not natural among people, that is not normal among people, this supernatural love that is between one another within the body of Christ will be a testimony to the world around that you are my disciples. He's looking at this fruit, this evidence, this manifestation of a real relationship with God. Paul put it this way in Galatians chapter 5, He says, the fruit of the Spirit, the same principle, what is produced by the Spirit being at work in your life, by you having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and walking in the Spirit as you walk in relationship with God, the fruit of that, what is produced in your life is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And he says, against such there is no law. Paul says, as you walk in the Spirit, the things that the Spirit will be producing in you are these, love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and gentleness and faithfulness and self-control. All of these things will be evident in you. They'll be coming forth from you as a result of the Spirit's work in your life. And so this is the idea that we're talking about today. As we look at this subject of faith and works, we're talking about what is produced in our lives as a result of a relationship with the true and living God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And so there's five things this morning that I want to share with you about faith as we look at the portion that James has written for us to understand the relationship between faith and works. Number one, Faith has works. Faith has works. We look at this or we see this in verse 14. It says, It's an intriguing question there at the end. Can faith save him? The answer is no. No. Faith cannot save him. Now, if you've been around in the church for a little bit, if you've read your Bible for a little bit, you might have a little bit of trouble with this. When the question is asked, can faith save him? Your mind probably goes racing to Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8 and 9. For by grace you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. We know that Paul teaches very clearly, the scripture teaches very clearly that That it's not by works that we are saved. And so he asked the question, can faith save him? Yes, it's by grace we are saved through faith, we might say. But James is, well, James is not talking about the same thing that Paul is talking about there in Ephesians chapter 2. There's a little bit different perspective. Because James is talking about a profession of faith that Not the reality of faith. Look again what he says. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? James is talking about someone who claims to have faith. He professes to have faith. He's made a profession of faith. But it does not mean that he really does have faith. Just like today, many people call themselves Christians. But it does not mean that they are. All around us, there's people who claim to be Christians. But it's not necessarily true. Just because someone makes that claim, does not mean that they are. Just because someone claims to have faith or have a relationship with God, it does not mean that that is true. The claim in itself is insufficient. And so James says, if someone says he has faith, if someone claims to have faith, he professes to have faith, but does not have works, can faith save him? Can this type of faith, can this profession of faith save him? And James, the point that he's making here is that the claim to have faith is proven by works. Faith has words. Now some struggle with this still and feel that Paul and James are in contradiction with one another. But I like what one Bible teacher said. He says, Paul and James do not stand face to face fighting against each other, but they stand back to back fighting opposite foes. They're talking about two different things. They're standing back to back. They're refuting doctrine. But they're not fighting against each other. They're not contrary to one another. They're refuting different types of doctrine and different types of people. Paul the Apostle in his epistles, Romans, Galatians, those that he really emphasizes this idea of faith, he's refuting legalism. And I want to give you an example of that. So turn with me please to Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. There's much that we could look at here, but I'm just going to look very briefly at a couple of verses. We'll be back in James chapter 2 in a moment. But in Romans chapter 4, Paul the Apostle is writing this letter. And as always, wherever Paul goes, there would be those who would go behind him known as Judaizers. And the Judaizers, they would come in behind Paul to this new church, to these new believers, and they would say, that's great that you believe in Jesus Christ, but now that you believe, you must also, and they would add on to say that in addition to believing in Jesus Christ, for you to be saved, you need to also be circumcised. And not only do you need to be circumcised, but you need to keep the rest of the law. Being circumcised was kind of the beginning, the initiation into keeping the law. And then you need to follow the law. And in keeping the law, as well as believing, as you do both of those, then you would be saved. And Paul is refuting that in his epistles. Saying that circumcision and keeping the law, that is not... what salvation is all about. And so we see this in Romans 4, verse 9. It says, Verse 10. And you say, wow, Jerry, that really clears it up. Thanks a lot. Here in Romans chapter 4, Paul is talking about saving faith, salvation. And he's explaining, he's using Abraham as an example. And it's a good example for us today because James uses Abraham as an example. We'll get to that in a few moments. And he uses the same part of Abraham's life, the same time in Abraham's life to make his point. And so Paul here in Romans chapter 4 is making the point, Abraham... received the promise of this blessing, and when did he receive it? When was faith accounted to him for righteousness? He says, was it while he was circumcised or uncircumcised? In other words, was it because he kept the law or was it outside of the keeping of the law? And he explains it was outside of it. It was while he was uncircumcised. It wasn't part of the law. It wasn't part of legalism. That was not what the blessing was based upon. And he goes on to explain, and it was that way so that, well, that the blessing could come upon all men because it's by faith that we're saved. It's not by legalism. It's not by keeping the law. We see this again in Galatians 2, verse 16. where Paul the Apostle is explaining there that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. He says, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. See there Paul explains, by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. When Paul is talking about, when he uses the word works, He's talking about works of the law. And that's the difference between Paul and James. Paul is talking about the works of the law, the keeping of the law, the being legalistic when he talks about faith and works. James, when he talks about faith and works, is fighting a different battle. Again, they're back to back fighting opposite foes. And you can turn back to James chapter 2. James is not fighting the circumcision, not legalism. That's not what he's addressing at all. James is addressing people who claim to be saved... but their life has not changed. He's not talking about the works of the law, but the works of faith. Evidence and manifestation of faith, or using the words of Jesus, he's talking about the fruit in their lives. The evidence that there has been a change. The evidence that God has done a work. James is fighting a different battle. And so they use... The same words, similar words, but they're accomplishing different things with them. They're refuting different doctrines. James is dealing with the person who says, I have faith, but then their life does not demonstrate the faith that they claim to have. So you or I could say, well, I have faith in God. I'm a Christian. I have faith. And we can challenge that statement and ask the question, are you then taking steps of faith? Since you have faith, what steps of faith are you taking? And a person can say, well, I'm not really taking any steps of faith. I mean, I like to see things and know how it's going to work out before I go. I don't really take steps of faith or haven't really done anything that the Lord's told me to do. Okay, well, if you're not taking steps of faith, okay, you say you have faith. So Are you being obedient to the word then? Are you being obedient to what the Bible says? And they could say, well, I think so, but, you know, well, what do you mean? How do you mean? Well, let's just start with a simple one. How about baptism? Have you been baptized? Now, lay aside the whole, you know, is baptism necessary for salvation? We're not getting into any of that stuff. But Jesus commands and says, hey, get baptized, be baptized. He commands us to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, those who are baptized. those who become disciples. There's a command to be baptized. So, have you been baptized? Are you turning from sin? Are you repenting? Are you turning away from the things that God has forbidden? A person could say, well, no, I haven't been baptized. No, I haven't been turned from sin. Or, yes, I've been baptized. I'm not really being obedient to the Word of God, though I haven't turned from sin. We could ask the question, well, has your life changed? And see, the point here is, if the only change is that you got wet and now you go to church... That's not enough. James is saying, can that kind of faith save? And he says, well, he doesn't say it, but he means it. The obvious answer is no. That kind of faith is not real faith. The change of, you know, just going to church, a lot of people could do that. Anybody could do that. There needs to be a bigger transformation than just attendance to a church service. The point here is that faith has works. There's going to be some fruit. There's going to be a manifestation, a transformation, a change. There's going to be obedience to what the Bible says for those who have faith. We often define faith as obedience to God at His Word. That's what faith is. It's obeying God. It's receiving His Word and obeying it, putting it into practice. And so there's going to be obedience. There's going to be actions that we take and decisions that we make that are deliberately out of obedience to the Word of God. Because God said it, that's what I'm going to do. There's going to be steps of faith. Because God calls us to take steps of faith. He calls us to grow in faith. We saw this in great detail in Hebrews chapter 11 as we looked at this wonderful example, the cloud of witnesses of men and women who have gone before us, who have taken those steps of faith and stepped out in faith and been obedient to God as He spoke to their heart and called them to go and do the things that He called them to go and do. The point is that faith has works. To make a profession of faith is not enough. Your life must demonstrate that it is a genuine faith. Now the rest of the portion, James is going to be proving this point with some illustrations, five illustrations that he uses in order to prove this point, to make sure that we understand and that we agree that faith has works. So the second thing we find this morning is that faith is more than words. Look at verse 15. If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? So James now asks another question. He gives us an illustration. There's someone in need. They're naked, destitute, They have no food. And we go to them and we say, depart in peace. Be warmed and filled. So someone walks in here this morning, naked and starving. And we say, God bless you. Have a great day. James says, what is that prophet? Now, understand his point here. The point here is not that charity is the proof of true faith. That's an element of it and that's important. It's important in our lives that we respond to those things that God is putting upon our heart. But that's not the primary message that James is sharing here. James is giving us an illustration to help us understand that faith without works is dead. Because look at verse 17, he says, Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. So he's drawing this picture, he's giving us this comparison, this parallel. So someone is naked and starving and we say, be warm and filled. What does it profit? In the same way, there's faith, there's the profession, there's the statement, like be warmed and well filled. But there's no giving of those provisions. There's no works. Well, he says that's dead. It doesn't profit the one who's in need. It's dead. It is not valuable. It's not beneficial. The point he's making, or the illustration that he's drawing, is that when we simply wish someone well, that it does not profit. So, I see this person who is naked and destitute of daily food, and I say, well, I hope you stay warm. But then I don't give them anything to help them stay warm. How have they profited? Have they benefited at all? Is it just that they get the warm feeling inside because I'm hoping that they feel well or stay warm? Is it just that... They're supposed to feel better because I said, I hope you stay warm. They don't benefit from just words. They don't benefit from saying that. They don't benefit from wishful thinking. What benefit have they received? The point is none. Now, it's an entirely different thing to say, I hope you stay warm as you're handing them a blanket. Well, now they've benefited. Now they have something by which to stay warm. Because the wishful thinking was accompanied by action. It was accompanied by something that would indeed help them. And so he's painting this comparison. Faith without works is dead. Wishing someone well without doing anything about it is worthless. To claim to have faith, to make the profession of faith is just like saying, hey, be warmed and well fed without doing anything about it. To claim to have faith and to not have works is not doing anything about it. It's dead faith. It does not profit. And anybody can say the words. Anyone can say the words. If a guy tells a woman that he loves her, but then he beats her, he proves, he demonstrates he does not love her. He said the words, but the words meant nothing. If we say that we believe the Bible, but we do not read it, we prove, we demonstrate by our actions that we do not believe the Bible. If we say that we follow Jesus, but we do not obey him, we prove by our actions, we prove by what we do or what we don't do, that we do not follow him. Jesus put it this way in John chapter 14 verse 21. He says, he who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. Who's the one who loves Jesus? The one who has His commandments and keeps them. So I can say I love Jesus, but unless that is accompanied by having His commandments and keeping them, I don't really love Him. That's what Jesus said. He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is He who loves me. So you can tell whether or not you love Jesus by whether or not you have His commands and whether or not you keep them. Faith without works... is just a profession of faith. It's just the words. Now, the words are important. In Romans chapter 10, it tells us that we need to confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, or that Jesus is Lord. And that's important. We need to confess with our mouth. But the confession from our mouth must be true in our life. So to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, yes, it needs to be the confession of our mouth. It needs to To be there, we need to say the words. The words are important, but they need to be accompanied by a life where Jesus Christ is Lord. They need to be accompanied with my heart being surrendered and submitted to Him. He must be Lord of my life. It's not just the words, but it's the life that proves those words are true. Profession faith cannot save. The claim to have faith, it cannot save. That kind of faith is dead. It's profitless. It's worthless. Workless faith is worthless faith. So faith is more than words. Number three, he goes on to share with us that faith shows. Faith shows. Look at verse 18. He says, but someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, James says, and I will show you my faith by my works. So as James is speaking to them, he's telling them, faith is more than just wishing someone well. It's more than just claiming to have faith or making the statement. There needs to be works that back it up. And now James is anticipating a counter-argument. He's anticipating someone who would stand up and say, Hey James, not everyone is like you. Okay, you have works and that's great. God's put that upon your heart. But you can't hold everyone else to your own convictions. They could tell James. James, that's for you. You have works. I have faith. I believe in God. I just, God hasn't told me to, you know, do anything else or I don't need to do anything else in order to be saved. I don't have to go to church to be saved. I don't have to be baptized to be saved. All you got to do is keep the Ten Commandments. It's just me and Jesus. All the things that people tell us all the time. So James, that's you. You don't get to hold me to your convictions. We're different. You have faith, I have works. James says, show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. This word show, it means to expose to the eyes. Expose to the eyes. You might want to ask the person next to you, is my faith showing? Can you see it? Has it been exposed to your eyes? Is my faith showing? James says, show me your faith without your works. So to this person who would counter, to this person who would argue and say, Well, I don't have to do any of that to be saved. I don't have to have those things in my life to be saved. James says, show me your faith without your works. Expose your faith to my eyes. And the person could respond, well, I can't really show you, but I believe in God. And the point James is making is that's not real faith. He says, I will show you my faith by my works. I will expose it to your eyes. You'll be able to see my faith by the life that I live, by the decisions I make, by the transformation that has taken place. These are not works that save me. That's an entirely different thing. These are not works for salvation, but they're works of faith that prove that I have saving faith. The works of the proof. Faith shows. It reveals itself by our actions, by the way that we live. by the works that we do. There's a saying that goes around from time to time. If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? It's not yet a crime in this country, but it may be one day. If it were a crime to be born again, to be a follower of Jesus Christ, would there be enough evidence in your life? So you're there. You're the defendant. The state has accused you of being born again. And so they call in your family, they call in your friends, they call in your co-workers, they call in your neighbors to testify, to determine whether or not you indeed are born again. What would that look like? What would that sound like? You know, a person could stand up and testify, well, I think they're born again because, well, I saw them reading their Bible. And yet, the defense could argue, reading your Bible, lots of people do that. That doesn't make you born again. That doesn't make you a real follower of Christ. Hey, literary professors read the Bible. It's part of literature. It doesn't mean that you're saved. So another witness comes up and says, well, I saw him go to church. They went to church pretty regularly, every Sunday, except for football season and when the waves were good or whatever. But again, you could argue, well, lots of people go to church. That doesn't make you born again. That doesn't mean that you've had a conversion. That doesn't mean you're a disciple of Jesus Christ. What would that look like? Would there be enough evidence? Would they be able to testify of things in your life that are clearly not of you? They're not normal for the world around you. Would they be able to testify this person really does have a relationship with God? They really are born again. There's spiritual life there. Because faith shows. James says, look, I'll show you my faith by my works. James says, if I was put on trial for being a Christian, and later on he was, if I was put on trial for being a Christian, there would be enough evidence to convict me. My faith is demonstrated. It's shown. It's apparent by my words. Or think of another example. We talked about last week in Acts chapter 3 the lame man that was healed. So there's this guy. He's lame. He's laying on a mat in front of the temple gate. Peter and John, they walk by. They lock eyes. They connect for a moment. He's expecting some kind of money, but instead this miraculous healing takes place. Now, the lame guy did not just sit there, lay there on the mat, you know, in the same position and say, I've been healed. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. While he just laid there on the mat. If he did, we could say, well, show me your healing by your works. Acts chapter 3 verse 8 says, So he leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. There was absolutely without a doubt a healing that took place. It was without question. This lame man who was lame before, he was just laying out there on the mat. Now he's walking, he's leaping, he's praising God. His works verified, validated that a healing actually did take place. It proved that that miracle was genuine. Now, that was just a physical healing of some legs. How much more should there be evidence Should there be proof? Should there be that validation? When now there is spiritual life and there was not spiritual life before. Read Ephesians chapter 2. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but He's made us alive in Christ. There's spiritual life. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. You know, Paul tells us there, if anyone's in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have gone. Behold, all things become new. How much more should that be different? Should that be demonstrated? Should that be validated by our life, by our actions, even more so than just a simple healing of some physical legs? Now that there's spiritual life, there's going to be some works. There's going to be some evidence. There's going to be change and transformation because there's life where there was not life previously. Because we have a relationship with the true and living God, the creator of the universe, and the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us. How much more is that going to show than the simple healing of some physical legs? It's going to be demonstrated. Faith shows. Is your faith showing? Look at verse 19. He continues the thought. He says, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. So for those who say, They cannot show their faith. But you know, I do believe in God. James says, even demons show their faith. They tremble. That's how they show their faith. Demons believe in God. You say you believe in God. Okay, good. That's good. Demons believe that. But they show their faith. They tremble. They show that they believe. There's a manifestation of that belief. There's a response to it. They tremble. Demons show that they believe. James shows that he believes. If you do not show that you believe, James is saying, you don't have faith. Faith shows. It's demonstrated. It's proven by our works, by our actions, by our life. And if our faith is not accompanied by those things, James says, can that faith save? And the answer is no. That kind of faith is dead. It does not profit. Workless faith is worthless faith. Point number four, faith is completed by works. Look at verse 20. He says, but do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? So James now goes on. He's like, okay, are you still not convinced? Let me give you another illustration, he says. Let me give you another example. Faith is completed by works. Verse 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? So now... To the foolish man who continues to say, I don't know, I'm not sure about this. I'm not sure that faith without works is dead. He goes back to Abraham and he says, Abraham, our father, he was justified by works. Notice it's not the works of the law, like we talked about with the Apostle Paul, but the works of faith. He was justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. He goes back to Genesis chapter 22 to prove, to show that works complete faith. Without works, faith is incomplete. And incomplete faith cannot save. Incomplete faith is dead. This account here in Genesis chapter 22 is when God, it tells us in Genesis 22 verse 1, that God desired to test Abraham. He wanted to test his faith. And so he gives Abraham a command. He says, Abraham, here's what I want you to do. Take your son Isaac, your only son, and I want you to go to the mountain I'm going to show you, and I want you there on that mountain to build an altar and offer to me your son Isaac as a sacrifice. I want you to put him to death, to slaughter him there on the altar. What did Abraham do? Well, it tells us the next morning he got up early. He took his son Isaac, he took some wood, he brought the knife, he brought the fire, and And he set out for the place that God would show him, which turned out to be Mount Moriah. He gets there. He builds the altar. He puts his son upon the altar. Now, it's very easy just, you know, we've heard these stories to just kind of like jump over it, broad brush it, whatever. But just take a moment. Put yourself in that situation. There's Abraham. He's got his knife raised over his son Isaac. God has told him to do this. He wants to be obedient to God. He believes in God. He's He's been given the promise about Isaac that his descendants would be as many as the stars of the sky through his son Isaac. He's about to bring down the knife. Now God stops him, but Abraham was fully committed. He was prepared to complete it. He was going to do what God had told him to do. And in Genesis chapter 22, verse 12, God tells him at that moment, before he brings down the knife, he says, do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. God says, you passed the test, A plus. Now I know that you fear God. Why? Because your works demonstrated that. Your obedience proved that you fear me, that you believe in me. Your works prove that you have faith, Abraham. Verse 22. Do you see that faith was working together with his works? And by works, faith was made perfect. Do you see that? That's what he says. Do you see? Faith was working together with his works. And by works, his faith was made perfect or complete, right? His faith was brought to completion by works. Faith is completed by works. Abraham believed God and obeyed Him. Even though it was extremely difficult, none of us have been asked to do anything by God that was as difficult as what Abraham was asked to do in offering his only son. But he believed God. He had faith. Even though it was extremely difficult, his works proved what he did. His actions proved that his faith was real. Even though it didn't make sense. Why in the world would God ask someone to do this? Why would God want this? How could a God of love desire this? All of the things that we could think through. Even though it didn't make sense, Abraham believed God and his actions proved it. Even though it seemed to contradict the promise. The promise that had been given that through his son Isaac his descendants would be multiplied. How could that be fulfilled if this was done? Abraham believed God. How do we know that Abraham believed God? Because it tells us the next morning he got up early and he went. He didn't sit on the couch and then just start to make excuses. Well, you know, God, I was waiting for you to show me that place and he didn't show me. So, you know, no, he got up, he set out, the Lord directed him as he went. He didn't sit there while, you know, I was waiting, um, I didn't have an altar yet and I wasn't sure. I was kind of going to do some research about how to make an altar. And so I wanted to get that done first before I started to go. He didn't have reasons. He had faith. He had action. God told him. He obeyed. He went. He did it. How do we know Abraham believed God? God said, get out of Ur. Leave your family. Go to the place that I will show you. And Abraham went. God said, take your son, your only son. Go offer him on an altar for me. Abraham got up early the next day and went. Abraham believed God. And his faith was working together with his works. His faith was backed up by his actions. It was proved by his actions. It was manifested by what he did and his obedience to God. And so verse 23 tells us, and the scripture was fulfilled, which says, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. Verse 24, you see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. So the scripture was fulfilled. Genesis 15, six, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. So James says, you see then we're justified. We have right standing with God. By works and not by faith only. You cannot have right standing with God with a faith that does not have works. You cannot have right standing with God with the claim to have faith, the statement that I believe in God when your life does not demonstrate that. That is why along with salvation is the subject of repentance. There needs to be a change. Our life needs to demonstrate, needs to prove that we believe in God. We have right standing with God by works along with our faith. The faith is important, believing in God. The works are important, but it's only when they come together in agreement that we believe in God. We have relationship with God and we're being obedient to Him and the things that we do, we do out of obedience to Him. And because we believe in God, that's why we do the things that we do. When those are together, that's when we have right standing with God. Abraham shows that. that both faith and works are necessary for justification because he believed God has accounted for him, to him for righteousness. That would not have happened. It wouldn't have been counted or accredited to his account as righteousness if he had just stayed home and thought of excuses of why he couldn't do it. As they were working together, his faith, his works, he had right standing with God. Now, you may object at this point. You may say, well, you know, Abraham, he's the father of faith. I mean, he's quite an extraordinary guy. I'm not at that level. I can't be, you know, responsible for that type of action. I can't do that type of activity. He had some extra help. I mean, he was an incredible man, you might say. I don't compare to him. And so James, just in case we say that, gives us verse 25. He says, Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? Surely you can relate to Rahab the harlot then. She's not the father of faith. She's not some prophetess or priestess or some super special. She's Rahab the harlot. And yet she demonstrated the same type of faith as Abraham. See, this is not exclusive to the Abrahams or, you know, the Billy Grahams of society or of the world or of history. This is for every person. Faith without works is dead for every one of us. There's no exceptions to this. Faith without works is dead. And workless faith is worthless faith to every one of us. Rahab the harlot, he says, is justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way. He goes back now to Joshua chapter 2. Reminds them of this event that happened there in Joshua chapter 2. Where Joshua has just led the people into the promised land. They haven't conquered anything yet. But they're about to conquer their first city. The first city is Jericho. Jericho is well fortified. It's well defended. It's got two lines of walls. The people, you know, they feel pretty secure in there. But here's Joshua leading this, you know, big group of farmers there. They're to conquer Jericho. So Joshua sends in two spies. And these two spies come into Jericho. They spy out the land. The people of Jericho hear about it. They know, hey, some spies came in here. They get freaked out. Well, Rahab comes in contact with these guys, these two spies. She's not from the Jewish people. She didn't come out of Egypt with them. She wasn't in the wilderness. She's from Jericho. But she's heard about God and she believes in God. And her faith in God is demonstrated by the actions that she takes. In verse 9 of Joshua chapter 2, she tells these two spies, she says, I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. She says, I know God has given you this land. This is your land. God is giving it to you. She believes God. She has faith. God said He was giving them this land. She says, I know that God said that. I know God is going to do that. God has given you this land. She says, everybody else has heard about this too and they're faint hearted. They're somewhat like the demons. They believe they've heard and they tremble. They're freaked out. They're unsettled. But they don't take the action that she takes. She knows that God is going to do this and so she takes some steps to make sure that she is redeemed or preserved. She knows that God is real. She knows what God has said. And so she responds to it in order to preserve her and her family. And so she says in verse 12 to those two spies, Now therefore I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house and give me a true token and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that I have and deliver our lives from death. You see, she saw the judgment that was coming. She believed in God. And so she took steps because of her faith, because she believed. Her faith was proven by the fact that she protected those spies and sent them on her way in order to preserve her and her family from the coming judgment. To believe and tremble like the inhabitants of the land, that doesn't save all those people. They were slaughtered. They were judged. But to believe and respond, that's a genuine faith. To run to God, that's genuine faith. That's real faith like Rahab had. That's the faith that God commands. You see, we can say, I believe in God, but not draw near to Him, and not draw close to Him, and not enter into His presence, and not receive the Son that He sent to die on the cross in our place. And that kind of belief, we can even be freaked out and believe that God is big and holds the universe in His hands, and we can be all freaked out about Him. That doesn't save. That's not saving faith. That kind of faith is dead. It doesn't help you. It doesn't profit you. But when you believe God at His Word and then you respond to Him and you receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and you turn to Him and you draw near to Him and you seek Him and you pursue Him, that's saving faith when you walk in relationship with God. God has commanded for us to do that, to walk in relationship with Him, to not... walk in relationship with Him, to not pursue Him, to not seek Him, to not draw close to Him. We could say, well, you know, I'm a big sinner and I've got all kinds of problems and that's why I don't draw near to God. Well, that's still rebellion and that kind of faith is not saving faith. You say, I'm a big sinner, but God's a big God, and Jesus Christ sacrificed His Son, and He said it is finished, and all my sin is taken care of at the cross, and that is why I draw near to God. That's faith. Believing God in His Word that He said, look, all your sin is taken care of, and you have right standing with Me, and now you can approach Me, and you can come into My presence, and you can seek Me, and I'll have relationship with you, and I'll walk with you, and I'll come in and dine with you, and you with Me, and we're going to walk together and have relationship together. That is faith. That's what God is looking for. That is the faith that saves. It's accompanied by our action. It's not just a believing in God and trembling. It's not just believing God and being afraid. It's not believing God and running away. It's believing in God and obeying Him when He says, draw near to me. It's taking those steps like Rahab did to preserve ourselves. Hey, the judgment is coming. Preserve yourself. The scarlet thread, the blood of Jesus Christ. Preserve yourself. Receive what God has said. And obey it. Works complete our faith. If our faith is not coupled together with obedience to God, it is a worthless and dead faith. And so he says in verse 26, the final point, faith without works is dead. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. The body without the spirit is dead. Here he gives us the final illustration. He's shown us the person in need. He's shown us the demons and how they believe and they tremble. He's shown us Abraham. He's shown us Rahab. And now he shows us the final example, the body. The body without the spirit is dead. When your spirit leaves your body, your body is dead. Anybody want to argue against that? I think it's pretty clear. The body is dead without the spirit. In the same way, faith without works is dead. Is that clear enough? Does it clear it up? There's no middle ground. There's no halfway. There's no gray area. Faith without works is dead, just as the body without the spirit is dead. And so we need to have faith, a genuine faith, which is proven. It's demonstrated. There's evidence of it by the life that we live, by the choices that we make, by the actions that we take. Our life proves whether or not our faith is real. Because faith has works. It produces in our life fruit. There's evidence. It's more than words. It's more than just saying, I believe in God. It's more than just making a statement. It's more than just saying, Jesus is Lord. It's more than just saying a prayer. Faith shows itself in our lives. It's visible. It's manifested. It can be seen. Because faith is completed by works. Faith is completed by works, and faith without works is dead. We see every year at the Harvest Crusade a lot of conversions. The question is often asked, how many of those are real? Well, we don't know, but time will tell. The fruit will become apparent. But not everyone who professes is actually converted. And that's true on the field of the Harvest Crusade. That's true here in this place. It's true wherever you are. The profession of faith doesn't make it true. When it is true, it will be accompanied by a life that demonstrates it. And here's the thing. To have saving faith is a choice. It's a choice that we make. Real and genuine faith, it's a choice that we make. It's not something that has to be worked up. It's not something, you know, someone's born, well, you were born with a little bit more saving faith than me, so it's a little bit easier for you. It's a choice that every one of us has to make. It's not an emotion. It's not a feeling. It's a choice. It's a decision. You and I must make the decision to believe Jesus Christ at His Word, to receive His offer of salvation and forgiveness, and to follow Him. We must make a decision this day to have faith, to believe God at His Word and put it into practice. We must make a decision to believe God when He says, draw near to me and I'll draw near to you. We must make the decision to believe God. to have faith and to join that together in our life with works, to prove it, to show it, to demonstrate it, that it's real. I really do believe in Jesus Christ and you can see the evidence in my life is your faith showing. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, I lift up all of those who are gathered here, those who are listening to this. I lift up myself to you as well. And God, I pray that you would help us to decide, to make the choice, to believe you and be obedient to you. But even if it's difficult, like what you asked Abraham to do is difficult, God, may we not make excuses, but Lord, help us to believe you and be obedient. Even if it doesn't make sense, God, it's not about us figuring out everything. Lord, it's about following you and obeying you. Lord, even if it seems to contradict us, So often we rationalize, we try to figure out, and we determine, well, it just doesn't make sense. God, I pray that you would forgive us. Help us, Lord, to be obedient to you regardless of what we think, regardless of how difficult it is. Help us to choose to have faith in you, to believe in you. And I pray, Lord, that our lives would demonstrate that. Jesus, you told us that by abiding in you, there would be produced much fruit. abundant fruit. So Jesus, we draw near to you. Keep us close to you, Lord, that this fruit might be produced in our lives, that the world around us would recognize that we're your followers because of what is produced by you in us, by the transformation that is taking place, by the work that you are doing, by the fruit of the Spirit, by the love that is supernatural. Help us, God, to choose to believe in you. And God, for those who are lacking, Lord, for those who today would say, I have dead faith, for those who have made professions of faith, but their life has never changed, God, I pray that you would remove the barriers and obstacles and help them this day to make that choice, to make the decision to really believe in you in such a way that their life will be transformed just as you promised. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.