"14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?"
Good Morning my beloved,
Welcome to worship this Lord's day! We're so glad to have our brothers and sisters from around the world here with us today. Please know, that we continue to lift all of you up in our prayers. We would ask that you would do the same for us. We appreciate those of you who have been sharing our website with all of your family and
friends. May we continue to share God's Word with all those who need to hear, for Christ's sake and God's glory.
Many people who have dead faith, substitute words for deeds. They want you to believe that they are what they say they are. However, I want you to understand that we are not what we say, we are what we do. Trust not words, trust in movement. In the 1200's, St. Anthony of Padua, said in a sermon in "Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak." Simply put, it
means that a person will show his true personality, his real intentions, and his abilities through his actions. True faith will always be seen in works.
Jesus Himself had an expectation that faith would be demonstrated in practical good works. In
Matthew 25, He said "
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did
it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."
Our good works actively demonstrate the reality of our faith, doing good for people in need Sadly, not all Christians understand this most basic truth.I believe that this is a very serious issue, for there are many churches around the world with ballooning congregations filled with pompous pew warmers. While true faith itself cannot seen, it always produces visible evidence.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You for Your Word today, for our precious time together to study these truths. Lord, we pray that You would bind them deep into our hearts. Help us to examine our own hearts, may we discover our faith is true and our salvation is real. If our faith is found to be dead, producing nothing living,convict us, so that there is true repentance, and a changed of life. Then, Lord, forgive us.
Father, if there is anyone who is among us that does not yet know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, may today be that day, that You would touch their heart, convict them, give them no peace until they come to full repentance, that none should perish. We pray this for Christ's sake, Your glory and for the increase of Your Kingdom.
His Jesus' name we ask and pray
Amen
Today's Message: Faith Works
There has long been a theological debate among many Christians, and teachers alike, over whether or not saving faith requires accepting Jesus as Lord of your life. So, as we approach our text for today, I want to make sure that you understand, that is that there is a kind of faith that does not save. There is a kind of faith in God that does not save. There is a kind of faith in Jesus Christ that does not save. It's important that you understand that. This is not just an intellectual matter, or an academic debate, that has no significant impact on your life. This is a very important spiritual issue that has everything to do with eternal destiny. Understanding what the Bibles says is important not only for our own salvation but for those with whom we share the gospel. There is more to having faith than just saying you've got faith.
In
Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said after telling the story about a tree and its fruit, "
Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."
Notice Jesus says "but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." He says doer not sayer. This was a principal Jesus emphasized repeatedly through His earthy ministry.
In John chapter 2, this is again emphasized in verses 23-25, "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man." They believed He was sent from God, they may have believed that He was the Messiah, however, Jesus knew that their belief was less than sufficient. Believing is not enough unless you are transformed.
Jesus gives an a graphic illustration of this in
John chapter 8,
"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
"If you continue in My word," Here He's talking about obedience, "then you are truly disciples of mine."
Many Christians today, believe in God they believe in Jesus Christ, but not to the point of true salvation. Their life bears no evidence of the changed life that comes true salvation marked by repentance and obedience. They manifest no genuine commitment to Jesus Christ. New birth leads to transformation, which leads to obedience.
Open with me your Bibles to James chapter 2, verses 14 through 20. I invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our minds, while we prepare our hearts for what the Spirit of God has to say to us. James 2:14-20.
"What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?"
Genuine saving faith was obviously a big concern for our Lord, He spoke about it in the parable of the soil, the tares and the wheat and again with the abiding and the non abiding branches.
In Matthew 5, Jesus said "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." The light that shines out of the life of a believer is the light of demonstrated good works.
As the church of Jesus Christ, I believe that we must deal with the damning deception that possessing a basic knowledge of the gospel is equivalent to acceptance of saving faith. We must also deal with the soul damning delusion that knowing the truth is equivalent to redemption and belief is equivalent to salvation. In verse 19 of our text, James says "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." It’s as though many professing Christians think, that a verbal profession of faith is sufficient and that if you don’t deny something, then you obviously must believe, and that is equivalent to salvation.
Those who believe in God, believe in Christ, believe in the gospel, who make no irrevocable commitment to eschew sin and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience, must be confronted with their spiritual condition before it's too late. We must understand that false assurance is a soul damning deception. How we live as followers of Christ proves who we really are! We may well come to Christ just as we are with the trust that we will leave differently than we came.
James says in verse 14, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" At first glance, it seems as though James and Paul are contradicting one another. The Apostle Paul, as well we know, taught that we are saved by grace through faith, apart from works.And, many believe that James appears to say that we must have faith plus works in order to be saved. Rather than contradicting one another as many assume, they complement each other. In fact, they are looking at the same truth from different angles.
James and Paul are not standing face to face in a confrontation, rather they’re standing back to back, fighting two common enemies. Paul is fighting those people who want salvation to be by works. James is fighting those people who want a salvation that doesn’t demand anything. Paul is saying salvation is only by grace. James is saying that salvation only by grace produces works. There’s no debate here; there’s no argument here; there’s no tension here.
The Apostle Peter's inspiring confession of faith in
Matthew 16, caught Jesus attention. "
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
However, allow me to point out, that even demons made amazing confessions of faith. Mark 1:24 "What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"
And, in Mark 5:7, "and shouting with a loud voice, he *said, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!"
They knew who Jesus was; they made the right confession; but I can assure you of this, no demon is ever going to heaven!
James wants to point out the characteristics of dead faith. "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" May I be so bold to say, no one is saved by works. The Bible does not teach that we are saved by works. If we were, that would adulterate grace. However, the Bible does not teach that anyone is saved with producing good works.
Here is a person who is destitute, they're cold and hungry. They're starving. Not enough food to eat, not enough clothing to keep them warm. They are lacking the basic necessities of life. How you respond to that person indicates what is truly in your heart. And one of you say to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," aren't you generous? You may well be saying "Go feed yourself, warm yourself, but don't trouble me with your problems." That is very, very cruel! You are withholding from them the things which a body needs. What kind of faith is that? You claim to love God, you claim to be redeemed a new person in Christ. Yet, you can’t concern yourself with someone in need?
So, James is dealing with non saving faith, dead faith, that's the issue. A life that's marked by empty confession and false compassion. As many of you know, this subject holds great passion for me, it's a very personal subject. There have been several people in my life, who walked away from Christ, everything that I thought they believed, revealing to me the evidence of the deadness of their faith. No matter their profession of faith, no matter how much they claimed to believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ, in the end, their faith proved to be dead. It left such a mark on me, I was literally devastated. Then, I began to wonder, how many more are there like them? So, you know, this is a very passionate issue for me.
Now, there are many professed Christians who say you can believe, have no fruit and still be saved. And to that, Jesus says, "If I look at your life, and I see not the fruit of mercy, there will be no mercy for you!" Jesus has the ability to evaluate faith based upon the product of the faith. If you are indeed a new person, you will conduct your life in new ways. If salvation is new birth, if it is transformation, if salvation is a complete change, then there will be evidence of that change in your in lifestyle. What we do indicates who we are, that's the point. t doesn't matter what you claim, it only matters what you demonstrate.
I'm sure that most of you are aware that James and 1 John are very close parallels. They both provide us with tests of true faith. Allow me to share a passage in I John with you.
I John 3:16-20, "
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him, that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things."
Verse 17, "In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." Faith with no fruit is dead faith, marked by empty confession and false compassion. What good is that kind of faith? You know, it amazes me just how many people will cry over fiction, but won't shed a tear over reality! We cry like babies over a movie, and turn a blind eye to someone who is destitute. Our emotions are all spent on fantasy, to the point we have nothing left for reality! It's as though the reality of real human tragedy doesn’t elicit tears out from us.
In
Matthew 25, our Lord speaks us such clarity on this that even a fool need not miss it, "
But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."
Again, Jesus makes the point, judgment is on the basis of works. Not that our works earn salvation, rather our works manifest whether or not our faith is truly saving faith.
In verse 18, James point to shallow conviction. "But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." I believe that the point here is very clear. To the man who possesses faith, show me your faith without works. You can't do it! The word used for show is deiknumi, it means to make know, to demonstrate, to exhibit. So, James is saying Go ahead, show me, you cannot exhibit saving faith without a product. It's impossible!
You can well say I believe, I have faith, but if there is no righteous deed, you cannot prove the validity of your faith. By the way, nobody can show their faith without works. You can take that as a challenge if you'd like.
Then, James says I’ll show you the reality of my living faith, by my works. That really puts the hypocrite on the spot doesn't it? When someone says I’m a Christian, the typical response it, That's great, how long? Try this the next time someone says I'm a Christian. "Tell me about your life? Show me your salvation." Just see what kind of reaction you get from that! If someone is really a follower of Jesus Christ, wouldn't you notice that? You cannot see the reality of salvation in disobedience.
Verse 19, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." What James is saying here is, "You believe that God is one? That's really great, well let me go one better, even demons believe that! And they tremble! Demons believe in the deity of God, but at least they have the sense to tremble. You don't even do that!" Demons go one better than a religious phony, they shudder! They are afraid. They know the inevitability reality of what God's Word indicates.
In verse 20, he says "But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?" Are you willing to recognize this about yourself? Or are you that vain? Your dead faith profits you nothing, its shallow, it's empty, it's fruitless. You are spiritually destitute!
In Closing..
It is possible to believe; it's possible to be baptized, it's possible to listen to the Word of God, and still be damned. That’s the dead faith of the unregenerate heart! When it comes to issue as to whether or not our faith is the kind that saves, the evidence will be how we treat others, how we respond to their needs. I believe that it is a foolish gesture for a pastor to declare with any certainty, that he knows someone to be saved or lost. Though there are always unmistakable evidences of salvation in the lives of those who possess true faith.
One day stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and on that day, we will each need, the faith that saves. True faith is not characterized by empty words, it is characterized by movement, by compassion and love. A willingness to sacrifice, to give of itself in order to meet the needs of others.
Idle faith is impotent. A faith that does nothing is nothing!
Will your faith stand the test of Judgement Day? May you be found with a wonderful testimony of saving faith!
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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