A Faith That Works

The Reading of James 2 and the Call to Mercy

Please remain standing for the reading of the word from James in chapter 2 and begin reading in verse 8 this is God's holy and infallible word. If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

You do well. But if you show partiality you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point He is guilty of all. For he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder.

Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of Liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.

Mercy triumphs over judgment. What does it profit my brethren if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can faith save him? 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? Thus also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead. But someone will say you have faith and I have works.

Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know Oh foolish man that faith without works is dead.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect. 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. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. Likewise was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and Sent them out another way.

For as the body without the spirit is dead. So faith without works is dead. Also Please pray with me. Oh Lord, we want to be those who have a living faith a Faith that produces good fruit as good trees.

And oh Lord, I pray that you would grant this to us. That we would not trivialize faith, but we would see the depth and breadth of it. And that we would walk in it and I ask these things in Jesus name.

Amen. Please be seated. We have a couple of guests here today the fireworks in the text happened next week. So we're not going to get to the most exhilarating and controversial Parts of the text we know there really is no controversy the seeming paradox or contradiction between James and Paul.

And Lord willing we'll take that up next week. Today the message we consider would be concerned primarily with verses 14 through 20 and I've titled the message faith that works. And as a theme or a thesis kind of statement that might help you with the where we're going in this.

Like you to write down we work because God has been at work in us. We work because God has been at work in us. There are three points of outline that will help you organize your thoughts first. It's very simple saying.

Number one saying and they'll make more sense in just a moment number two is showing. The second point of the outline is showing and third is substance. The substance of faith saying number one. Showing and substance.

The substance of faith. James has been exhorting his readers and us to a life of Christian maturity. He wants us to be mature and complete in every respect. He wants us to honor God with our lips and with our hearts and with the entirety of our lives.

I can imagine in the the preaching of grace in that early days of the church that there would be a controversy that would emerge because This grace seems so free and so easy and we should preach grace that way because it is in one sense but when grace comes upon a man woman or child there is a transformation of life that happens genuine saving faith transforms a man.

And that's what James is saying in our text today. Let's look at it again. James chapter 2 beginning at verse 14. What does it profit? My brethren. And That language of profit is advantage help or gain.

James I think is confronted with either a false teacher or now a false Idea that is beginning to swirl around in the church that it all you have to do is believe and it's true. But not the way this false teacher is teaching it.

What does it profit. What is the advantage to you? What is the gain? What is the help my beloved brethren if someone says? He has faith. But does not have works. Children there is a hermeneutical key here that you can see in the pages of your scripture that really shape The whole of this section it really helps us and we have to pay attention to the words of Scripture sometimes as Mark mentioned in Sunday school.

We can become very analytical and can parse out each word and each verb and and we can make things very technical. And we can isolate it from the rest of the context. But sometimes a simple phrase will Steer our ship in the right direction.

We have that in our text today. It's very exciting because these things are hard to understand for us in some ways because we're the people of justification by faith alone. And it sounds a little different than that.

It's not but it sounds different. So, how are we to understand what what James is saying? I want you to look Particularly you children because you're gonna become excellent hermeneutical interpreters of Scripture today says.

What does it profit my brethren?

If.

Someone says he has faith. That's the key. The man says he has faith. But he doesn't have works. Now when you read this text you think I thought we believed in justification by faith alone. I believe in Jesus Christ.

We've been told to shed that Abominable idea of a workspace salvation. I say yes stay there continue to do that. But a faith That doesn't yield or produce works. There's no faith at all. It's a dead faith.

But we must put things in the right order. We're not working to achieve the blessing of God. The blessing of God has been showered down upon us in Christ the application of his redemption by the Holy Spirit to our hearts.

Then we work. God has been at work in us. Therefore we work. We have a faith that works. The doctrine of justification by faith alone is not attacked in James chapter 2. A Dead faith is a Faith that doesn't produce good works that's under attack in James.

Well another question that has to be answered another Interpretive little key that unlocks something for us is this idea of faith? What word is more familiar to us than faith? In Greek pistis.

Faith is.

Belief its confidence its trust.

Its.

Fidelity and as I always like to say and people don't seem to love as much. There is no difference between faith and faithfulness. In my understanding of language to have real faith means to be faithful in antiquity.

Faith referred to Something like a warranty or guarantee and we hear about this about the Holy Spirit, don't we? And in Scripture faith is God's warranty. Certifying that the revelation he birthed in us will come to pass.

And at the root of faith is this idea of persuasion we believe the argument about Christ and who God is as creator and who Christ is as Redeemer and we believe. There's two texts of Scripture. I'd like us to consider today to help us the most important and I'd like you to turn there with me.

Is Ephesians chapter 2? Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 2 we're wanting to have. The right view of.

Faith.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Is that. The evidence of things not seen it is that. But it's something else and this is another critical piece another critical link in this chain. They're going to be considering the next couple of weeks sorting out faith and works.

Ephesians chapter 2. Begin reading in verse 8. I want you to listen very carefully. The Calvinist in us we're gonna be leaping for joy. But the antinomian in us is going to weep. For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God. Saving faith we have to understand does not come from within. Wicked desires James has taught us has come from within we do not gin up saving faith. So this man who's misguided about his faith. He's looked upon the facts and there's some Intellectual assent to the truth of those things and how important is truth to us?

Are you one who has? Embraced the truth of the Christian gospel and the scriptures and God as creator and all those Implications but not had new life wrought in your heart, then you wouldn't have faith.

You wouldn't have this genuine faith of which Paul and James speak. So we're excited. Calvinism. Yay, Presbyterian Westminster. Yes. It's the gift of God. It's not of works. Verse 9. Lest anyone should boast.

But now the other shoe drops. For we are his workmanship poema. Created in Christ Jesus for good works. So notice the argumentation. You've been saved by grace through faith, it's not of yourselves. It's the gift of God.

Silence, everyone. There is no contradiction between Paul and James. We'll learn more next week. That is the order of things. But if there be saving faith if the grace of God has been rained down on you as his gift.

And you are his workmanship we work because God has been at work in us you were Created in Christ Jesus for good works. Which God prepared beforehand that we should Walk in them. That settles it. Paul and James settle it.

Real saving faith Produces real works. Good trees bear good fruit. Now I'm going to forego The other reference in John 2 you can check that out later. When they saw all of the signs and the miracles that Jesus did many believed on his name.

But Jesus knew what was in the heart of every man and he did not commit himself to them. There's a surface level belief that you can have. That isn't the gift of God. It is not real belief and confidence and trust and fidelity in Christ alone for salvation.

It's not really a belief that God and his mercy has Drawn you in to himself. Let's look at our text again. What does it profit my brethren? If someone says he has faith. But does not have works. Can faith save him.

Now whenever you see save you obviously think of Eternal salvation and it's right to do that and next week we're gonna Really struggle with the idea that Abraham was justified by works. So the Bible says I'm gonna really struggle with that.

Not really, but it's gonna seem like we're going to. Can this man? Who? Professes a faith and and maybe it's it's filled with Orthodoxy. It sounds the part and wouldn't he be esteemed in our churches.

That's our marker, isn't it? Do they talk rightly about God and about the scripture and about Christ. And so this faith has there's a qualitative element to it. It's a matter of kind not degrees. We need the faith the kind that comes only from God.

We can have a an ascent of knowledge and progress by degrees and our knowledge of God and how the world works and be absent the kind of faith that only God brings and gives. Can faith save him. The answer rhetorically is an obvious.

No. And again the context of chapter 2 shines through again. They've been respecters of persons. That's how we started and how it's gone in James chapter 2. They they said if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings.

Well, of course, you're going to jump and you're going to make him feel right at home and. What about the poor man who comes in and you know, so you dirty stinky man sit over there. Contrary to the spirit of God and his character and his revealed will and his word.

Do not show partiality. The man in question. Possibly the teaching in view in chapter 2 Says I have no duty or obligation to my brother in need so Considering last week. There's a failure in love in his heart and in his actions.

If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food. It should be pointed out there that this nakedness would be exposure to the elements. Maybe having only the undergarment not having a tunic.

So it's not about fashion. It's about being warm enough to survive. The food is they're starving. They have no food to eat and there's nothing. No prospects of them getting food and the Christian comes along and says to them.

Departed peace be warmed and filled. I'm praying for you. I think that's what we do a lot. How many of us when we hear a prayer request from our brethren immediately say. Well, I've now I'm obligated.

I have to do something. This one has asked me to pray for them about this issue. Maybe a good response a very vibrant body life of our we would take on the responsibility of our brethren in their need.

This man who has an illegitimate faith. Doesn't think that way. I'll pray for you brother depart in peace be warmed and filled. James argues that this would testify to the illegitimacy or The lack of efficacy in this man's faith if you don't give them the things which are needed for the body.

What does it profit? That's also faith by itself. If it does not have works is dead. There's another little hermeneutical lesson. Sometimes our cherished doctrines. We we try to hide them from other verses of Scripture.

We shouldn't do that. We say with James in wholehearted agreement verse 17. Thus also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead. We agree wholeheartedly. We are not interjecting a works-based salvation.

But we're saying legitimate genuine from on high faith produces something God has been at work in us. Therefore we work. Consider the second point in the outline now in verse 18 but someone will say you have faith and.

I.

Have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by your works. I'm gonna have you turn back to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 7, please turn there. This has already been Expressed a couple of different ways, but we're gonna read it here in Matthew 7 again showing a strong connection Between the epistle of James and Jesus's Sermon on the Mount Matthew 7 17 even so every good tree bears good fruit.

But a bad tree bears bad fruit I think maybe one of the best illustrations of this principle for us because I think of The Christian life and I think of the failures. I don't know about you, but I saw omissions and co-omissions galore and are praying through the Ten Commandments in my own life and your life there were great Sins and transgressions there.

And when I thought about this idea of a good tree bearing good fruit I thought it back to a house that we used to live in that had ancient and I mean really old grapefruit and orange trees on it. And one of the cool things about this is that the gentleman who who planted those trees was a very old man in the middle of the last century and.

He.

Grafted together different kinds of Grapefruits. Now my boys my older boys use them primarily as projectiles to throw at one another and suffer injuries. But if you cut open some of these grapefruit you would see that it was not only a red regular kind of grapefruit it was also a Red grapefruit.

You could see both colors and they called it a fireworks Grapefruit because the ruby red shone through the regular white. Let's call it. But but this this idea of good trees bearing good fruit. I say how does this reckon with the Christian life?

Because on that tree which so masterly produced those good fruits. There was also some bad fruit.

The.

Overwhelming evidence was good fruit good tree. And it occurred to me that There can be some bad fruit on a good tree, but it's got to be isolated. It's got to be a smaller part of the tree. And in fact, we saw trees that only bore bad fruit and they just withered away and died.

Their root was bad. And so their death ultimately manifested itself. And I find some encouragement in that for us. Our good tree bearing good fruit is not diminished by our failures. Because the root of our faith is grounded in Christ and and we have nourishment from him and all the means of grace.

We are going to produce good fruit. And some branches are going to be have to be lopped off. Some fruit is going to need to be discarded because it doesn't pass muster but in Christ our fruit bearing is assured.

Verse 18 a good tree cannot bear bad fruit. Nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. And here's the principle again. Therefore by their fruits you will know them false prophets.

Wolves in sheep's clothing their bad fruit is going to come out. But he continues and this is the hard part of the lesson today. Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven.

We love the perfect justice of God and it's part of our rich Calvinism, isn't it? Who gets to enter into the kingdom of heaven he who does the will of my father?

In.

Heaven. Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord Have we not prophesied in your name and done many wonders in your name? Can you imagine being a miracle working preacher who turns? staffs into snakes and Heals people.

Say Lord, you gave me all of this power. Look at all of that. I have done. And then he declares to them. I never knew you. Depart from me you who practice Lawlessness, there's danger and disobedience.

Now I'm going to turn back here just because of the time it's not actually the order that I want to do but I want to put this in now just because we're here turn back to Matthew 5 and the same Sermon on the Mount and This is going to echo a principle for last week, but but there's going to be a sharper edge to it for us today.

Matthew 5 17. Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For surely I say to you till heaven and earth pass away one jot or one tittle. Will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Remember last week. Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men. So shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever does and teaches them he shall be great called great in the kingdom of heaven now.

Here's the hard part. Imagine sitting and hearing these words. And we're thinking about faith in works. Okay these ideas Jesus says for I say to you that unless your righteousness Exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes in the Pharisees.

You will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. The most scrupulous the most externally pious. The ones who are the caretakers of the law of God, there's only six thousand Pharisees in the land. They let you know that they were holy and holier than you and you had a long way to go and their outward performance.

Seemed.

Exemplary. But Jesus elsewhere Calls them a brood of vipers and he warns them of the wrath that is to come. Who warned you to flee the wrath. That the wrath Justly falls on you. Now I'm a if I'm a scrupulous Jew trying to to sort this out and I want to be obedient.

I want to be faithful to God. I want to walk in his ways and he says to me. You have to have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees. I might be want to despair.

But as Saving faith is the backdrop for for all of this particularly in James. You and I have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees. Do you know what that is children?

We have the righteousness of Christ. And part of what Christ is saying is you need someone who will fulfill the law and all of its demands and I have come that that I might be the one to do that and the qualitative character of your faith and your works is so strong because they find their Origin and purpose and fulfillment in the person and work of Christ.

So my feeble attempts at obedience are now sanctified. My striving is improved because it comes from saving faith the gift of God. We are his workmanship. He's created us to walk in his works. That he's provided for us in advance.

We need to show it. Come back to James. That's how our righteousness exceeds. The righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees and I think they had the inverse problem of the man in our text. They had an outward appearance of works but no faith.

They didn't really believe they didn't love God. They love themselves. They love to be called teacher. They love to hear men praying. They love to have the honor of of the nation as the righteous ones, but they didn't love God.

We must be sure to not have the sin of either side. Of that coin as we have thought about in Paul's own writings this idea of Imitation at first makes us think that are they being prideful and we learn that they are not.

Because they are following Christ. It's not their virtue. It's their obedience and faith that we're trying to model or follow. He says you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works.

Brethren, how many of our friends do we know went to a summer camp at a church in eighth grade? Sometime in that window of life and there was a compelling speaker and compelling music and compelling emotion and the pastor said Pray these words.

After me and and you'll be saved. I so worry about them because they're told to never ever question the legitimacy of their commitment. And reciting words after someone else is not salvation my friends if you believe.

And it's a gift from God. It's salvation. But if you just say the words. How many of those people took that card and wrote it in their Bible? Went home went and lived their debauched life and their whole life.

They said but I'm saved. The pastor told me that to never let anyone doubt. The legitimacy of my faith and decision I made. Oh what shaky ground. To not have fruit worthy commensurate with repentance.

Look at verse 19 drives the point home. You believe it's the believing right? You believe there is one God you do. Well, even the demons believe and guess what they tremble. There's no salvation for them.

They have greater orthodoxy in many respects than many people in the church. They understand who God is they understand who Christ is and they understand what's happened and and they believe there's an ascent to the truth.

But they don't.

Really believe. They have a surface level belief. He says but do you want to know a foolish man? That faith without works is dead. We need to demonstrate not as Performance and you know, there's a lot of performance in the church.

We shouldn't be performing for one another to show how spiritual we are. We should be that thing. We should be a praying people. We should be a worshipping people. We don't want to put on the costume of Christianity.

We want to be something that that comes out of our pores. In Christ a couple things on the third point and then we'll get some application. Negatively stated this idea of substance the substance of faith.

Faith without works is dead. To take that principle and to try to make a positive statement an affirmative to posit something that to help us to to latch on to. Faith with commensurate works is alive if you love the brethren if you hate your sin, and if you See in Christ your only hope for salvation.

I would say you should have great confidence today if you see a lack of fruit in your life, and we talked about the blessings of obedience. Go get a a very Fruitful tree in your yard. Start laboring in service to Christ and his people that your good fruits Would be evident to all the Pharisees were Whitewashed tombs.

The otter Marble or whatever material. Those things were the mausoleums. They were clean and ornate. But can you imagine if we cracked those babies open? The rotting bones. You and I could perform and try to have an exterior kind of Righteousness.

That people say isn't that a holy man? Oh what knowledge he has in theology. How well read he is in philosophy and theology and. Wouldn't it be terrible if that we were split open in our faith. We'd find not life, but death.

Necrosis of our organs. That would be terrible. A couple of words of application here, and we'll close. You and I need to seek the advantage. The profit of a living active Demonstrable everyone can see it.

Christian life. Secondly. Faith is Belief. We have no faith in faith. We we have faith in a person Christ. This belief is a belief that is acted upon. If you say you have faith, but you do not act upon it your faith is dead.

Some of you mark you mentioned an adult conversion. Some of you. I know other friends here were converted as adults. There's something about this principle of faith without works being dead that new Believers are have a better handle on than it seems that mature ones do.

What happens when people come to Christ. They naturally begin a process of sanctification with great zeal and energy and joy in Putting sin to death. And they show it by putting off the old desires. They they throw away stuff and they say I'm not going to go with those people anymore.

They do radical things. Why do we lose that? Revive that zeal even if you didn't have to go through that because you were a Christian from a young age. Get some of that zeal in your own hearts. To be eager and zealous and earnest to put sin to death and to walk with Christ with whatever it cost you.

Isn't that the the tenor and the flavor the aroma of the new believer? Let's let's recover that in our maturity.

Third.

Love is the grand outworking of Christian faith. And as James has cited the Christian who has genuine faith would want to Clothe and feed the brother or sister in need. It was a big theme of last week.

And I hope this week too that that you will see the privilege the duty the obligation and the opportunity to show love to the brethren. There's something else. I think we are different things to different people and I don't mean in the Pauline way.

I'm asking you today to show your faith in every environment and in every relationship. When someone cuts you off in the car, what kind of Christian are you there? You would never say that in the church, but what do you say out there?

How do you act up there in? Every environment that means every place that you are. Every relationship. I am a faithful Christian and I'm walking in his ways. I'm seeking to be salt and light that I might glorify him and Bring the loss to a saving knowledge of him that they might be discipled.

It's your you're the ambassador For Christ out there wherever you are and I want you to take that more seriously again. We renew the commitment to that and finally We like to we like to talk about nouns in Relation to our Christian faith, there's some great nouns, but who we are in Christ.

We need to celebrate those nouns we've you preached on this to a great degree recently. Made the verbs of our life be equally prominent On display in our lives loving serving being long-suffering. Being patient all these verbs.

Putting off the old man putting on the new maybe James would be pleased with us if we were to take this and as Result of being reminded of these very basic truths that that we would possess a genuine faith that would be marked by maturity and completeness and a striving to that greater end that God Is filling our lives with actions.

Consistent with real genuine saving faith and brethren so exciting. I Love the dead theologians in my library and they are alive. Because they have faith in Christ. Brethren, it's so exciting. It's such a great adventure.

To have faith in Christ is to truly be alive. Let us live life to the fullest in Christ. Obedience to his holy name. Why do we work? Because God has been at work in us. What a glorious truth, please pray with me now.

Oh Lord you are More beautiful More glorious in our eyes. We thank you that real faith has divine origin. Oh Lord, help us to not be intimidated by the the concept of works, but to see it in its proper place.

Oh Lord, whatever your.

Scripture.

Requires. That's what we want to be help us to plumb the depths of these wondrous things. We ask this in Jesus name.