Ascension Presbyterian Lord's Day Worship 11/19/2023

We're gonna wait a couple minutes the church is turning our folks away even because the parking lot is full

So we have a couple people trying to get in here. So let's just wait a couple All right,

I don't know if this is familiar to us it's it's um, I mean, I don't think it's in the Trinity I might be wrong.

But um, anyway, it's a it is not a complicated tune. It does have a little bit of faster tempo so We'll just do a kind of a quick kind of call and response

I'm gonna go to the first your love. Oh your love. Oh God here on this on this first line and And then you'll see what

I mean the way it starts out is Within your temple we have thought

Do that do up to that point with me. So start with me on three one, two, three

Within your temple We have thought as is your name is spread sorry start with me on three one

One two three Make sure you go up a little bit on that earth particularly

And then it basically well, it's not the exact tune but the the the words repeat

With abroad Going on as is your name. Oh God your praise is spread through rather than starting right in the middle there

Let's kind of just start at the beginning First of the first line here and kind of go all the way to towards the end

So at the very beginning with me one two three Within your time as is your name

Second line with me.

I just kind of get it. I know because we're going really fast through this and so Do the second second verse with me on three one, two three,

I'm sorry The second

I mean it's verse five, I'm sorry, let's just do verse one real quick Again also on three one two three

Within your time is your name.

I just remembered you know those sixteenth notes at sixteenth notes and then the little notes of the dots by it to actually give them a little bit of a

Extra extra length there particularly upon your love. Oh God, so it's not just quarter note quarter note, but We have thought up and so he gives it has a little bit extension there

But other than that, I think we're good to go Grace and peace to you and the name of our

Lord Jesus Christ Welcome to the corporate worship of our God, please stand.

I Will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help

My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth He will not allow your foot to be moved.

He who keeps you will not slumber Behold he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep

The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The Sun shall not strike you by day

Nor the moon by night The Lord shall preserve you from all evil

He shall preserve your soul The Lord shall preserve you're going out and you're coming in from this time forth and even

Forever more What sweet promises and comfort it is to be a child of God come up now.

Let us worship him. Please pray with me Father Son and Holy Spirit We come as a thankful and joyful people

Clinging to your precious promises Knowing that you will be our

God and you have made us your people This delights us. Oh Lord And I pray that you would cause our hearts to swell within us that we would be filled with joy and thanksgiving

And that our worship that we are few in number today and feeble would be actually strong Because our hearts are hot for you.

I ask these things in Jesus name Amen, please kneel for the corporate confession of sin

Let us join together confessing our sins All mighty and most merciful father

We are thankful that your mercy is higher than the heavens wider than our wanderings deeper than all our sin

Refusal to relieve the suffering of others Our obsession with creating the life of constant pleasure our

Indifference to the treasures of heaven our neglect of your wise and gracious law

Love what you love and do what you command through Jesus Christ our

Lord Please stand in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace

Which he made to abound toward us and all wisdom and prudence

Oh people of God take heart today. If you be in Christ, your sins are forgiven

Amen Please take up the hymnal and turn to number 715 the

Trinity hymnal 715 come ye thankful people come 715

Please take up the bulletin insert and we just practice this with DJ And let us sing heartily together psalm 48

C Remain standing for the reading of the word from the book of Jude Jude Jude a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James to those who are called sanctified by God the

Father and preserved in Jesus Christ Mercy peace and love be multiplied to you Beloved while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation

I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith Which was once for all delivered to the

Saints For certain men have kept crept in unnoticed too long ago or marked out for this condemnation

Ungodly men who turned the grace of our God into lewdness and denied the only Lord God and our

Lord Jesus Christ But I want to remind you though you once knew this that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt Afterward destroyed those who did not believe and the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode he has reserved an everlasting change under darkness for the judgment of the great day as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner to these

Having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh are set forth as an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire

Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries

Yet Michael the Archangel and contending with the devil when he disputed about the body of Moses Dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said the

Lord rebuked you But these speak evil of whatever they do not know and whatever they know naturally like brute beasts and these things they corrupt themselves

Woe to them for they have gone in the way of Cain have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit and perished in the rebellion of Korah These are spots in your love feasts while they feast with you without fear serving only themselves

They are clouds without water Carried about by the winds late autumn trees without fruit twice dead pulled up from the roots

Raging waves of the sea foaming up their own shame Wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever

Now Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men with ten thousand Also saying behold the

Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all to convict all who are ungodly

Among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things

Which ungodly sinners have spoken against him? These are grumblers Complainers walking according to their own lust and that and they mouth great swelling words flattering people to gain advantage

But you beloved remember the words which were spoken before by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ How they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lust

These are sensual persons who cause divisions not having the Spirit but you beloved building yourselves upon the most holy faith

Praying in the Holy Spirit keep yourselves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our

Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life And on some have compassion making a distinction but others saved with fear pulling them out of the fire

Hating even the garment defiled by the flesh Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and presents you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

To God our Savior who alone is wise be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and forever

Amen the Word of the Lord Thank you Let us now confess our faith in the singing of the

Apostles Creed Please take up the

Trinity hymnal and turn to number 521 My hope is built on nothing less

We should be able to sing it great confidence this morning 521

Please kneel for the prayers of the people we are low in number, so please

Jump on one of the Beatitudes if there is a longer pause What a great thing for us to pray through this morning and Seeing the multitudes

Jesus went up on a mountain When he was seated his disciples came to him that he opened his mouth and taught them saying

Blessed are the poor in spirit For theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth

You would allow Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy Ready Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see

God Try Blessed are the peacemakers.

They shall be called sons of God Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake

Amen Please stand and take up the him to look and excuse me the insert again for the psalm of the month

Should we come be well acquainted with psalm 67 by now Oh God show mercy to us

Please remain standing from James chapter 2

We begin reading in verse 14 James chapter 2 beginning at verse 14

What does it profit my brethren as 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 now. Oh Lord, we thank you for your inscripturated word

We know that it is holy and infallible Inerrant authoritative and sufficient

I Pray that your people would be instructed And that they'd have even greater confidence in their salvation in Christ and in The truth of your word today as a result.

We ask these things in Jesus name Amen Please be seated.

Thank you for those of you who are

Needful needing an outline. I have four points for you. I'm not going to follow them very systematically, but they will be

Your notes can be organized into those headings first Abraham an example of living faith.

That's the first point. I'd like you to consider Abraham an example of living faith second faith and works in concert faith and works in cards and concert harmony in the midst of a perceived contradiction

Faith and works in concert third

Rahab an example of living faith that I believe she is going to get shortchanged a little in the message

I'm going to say a couple of things about Rahab, but that will be the third point And we'll close again with the simple statement faith without works

Is dead faith without works is dead one more time very quickly Abraham an example of living faith number two faith and works in concert three

Rahab an example of living faith that same language is the Abraham reference

Rahab an example of living faith and for faith without works is dead faith without works is

Dead are James and Paul at odds over faith and justification

That's the issue that we're going to really be diving into today they both quote

Genesis 15 6 This is the controversial passage in James Both say

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness But listen to the difference in their use of Genesis 15 in this example of Abraham James says you see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only

James 2 24 and Paul says for if Abraham was justified by works

He has something to boast about Romans 4 2 now

One lesson that has to be learned here is that we can't pluck individual verses out of scripture and pit them against others

This is a very common practice we build doctrines off of single verses with be careful not to do that some of the controversy and apparent contradiction is cleaned up and Resolved when you put both of them back into their context

Is there a contradiction? between James and Paul and if there's a contradiction between James and Paul then we'd have to say that there's a

Contradiction in Scripture. I would say to you James and Paul are not at odds and there is not a contradiction in Scripture that the starting place of the people of God is one of implicit trust in the

Word of God If we find ourselves Struggling with what we see is some kind of paradox or contradiction.

We have to understand the deficiency is in our interpretation Not in the most holy

Word of God We don't worship the scripture But we worship the God who authored it and preserved it and protects it for us.

So we have great confidence We don't have to dance around James chapter 2 because we are reformed and we're concerned that the

Protestant Reformation is going to become unraveled by the exposition of a text of Scripture James and Paul Seem to be in contradiction, but they're not the unbelieving

Skeptics believe that the scripture is full of contradictions We do not

Both of these authors inspired by the Holy Spirit are zealous that their audiences would be genuinely united to Christ by faith and Live accordingly

So let's dig into it Historically there have been two ways of reconciling

James and Paul and I'm going to offer The third more simple option at the end, which is my final conclusion of this

Most of this is taken from William Pemble a Puritan The first he does a good job of concisely stating the arguments.

This is supported through Calvin and other places So this is a good place for us to consider. I've taken his works with some modification, but he's the original source of these

How are Paul and James reconciled? How do they both quote? Abraham believed

God and it was accounted to him for righteousness Saying what appears to be very different things

These are the two most common answers to this and I believe these are supported by Scripture as well the first way of reconciling

James and Paul is by distinguishing the word justification and this may be taken either for the absolution of a sinner and God's judgment on the one hand or for the declaration of man's righteousness before men

When reformed people see justified they see capital J doctrine of justification

They put that in everywhere that it says the word justified is and that is not always appropriate to do.

There is a systematic theological principle of justification Which cannot be denied but in every instance the word justified doesn't mean in total the doctrine of Justification does that make sense?

there are two options here the absolution of a sinner in God's judgment or The declaration of a man's righteousness before men.

This is going to be very important in James, I believe We're going to see more of that in just a moment

This distinction this author claims is certain and has its ground in Scripture Which uses the word justify in both ways for the acquitting of us in God's sight and for the manifestation of our innocence before man against accusation or Suspicion of fault

They apply this distinction to reconcile the two apostles in this way

Paul speaks of justification in the forum of God James speaks of justification in the forum of man

For Paul in God's sight a man obtains remission of sins and Reputed to be just only for his faith in Christ Not for his works sake and we say hallelujah.

Amen Reformation doctrine, right? For James a man is justified by works

And not faith only in man's sight we are declared to be just by our good works

Inward and invisible Graces are made visible to man in the good works

The good works that they see us perform

Now that's a general overview of the first Position the text and James supports this in our section in chapter 2 verse 18

James says show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works

The true Christian calls out the hypocrite the hypocritical professor by a real proof and not just a verbal profession in The James text

Abraham is said to be justified when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar

James 2 21 it's scripturally evident that Abraham was justified in God's sight long before at least 25 years

Genesis 15 Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness

He started walking after God in faith Years later he is put to the test and he is called by God to offer his son

Isaac on the altar and Abraham's belief

Was testified to by his actions his obedience to God Therefore in his offering

Isaac his son He was declared before all the world to be a just man and a true believer

And it seems for this purpose that God tested Abraham in this great trial of faith that all believers might see a rare pattern of lively and justifying faith and See that Abraham was called the father of the faithful Abraham's faith produced works which made his faith complete

That language of perfect we've already touched on it in James it's where we get the idea of Teleological it comes to its end its completion its purpose so Abraham could make great declarations about God, but It really is

Evidenced in his actions. It's true for us, isn't it? We can say we really love

Christ but if we live like pagans it really betrays our declaration that we love in Christ and last week we learned that the the kind of faith is very important in this discussion that the

Qualitative nature. Do we really have a genuine faith in Christ? It is our salvation and if we do have this it's also going to be our

Transformation. We're not going to live as the worldly live Well, that's the first one

There's a second. It's really dealing with the language and use of justification in the first one the second one is the use of faith the second way of reconciling these passages is by distinguishing the word faith

Which is taken in a double sense Is first taken for that faith, which is true and living

Faith which works through love and is fruitful in all manner of be of obedience

Second it is taken for that faith, which is false and dead and this is what James is talking about The man professes

I have faith and James says your faith looks like dead faith Because there are no corresponding works that flow out of your faith

Only a bare Acknowledgement of the truth of all the articles of religion accompanied with an outward formality of profession

It's yet destitute of a sincere obedience even

The demons believe and have some kind of faith and tremble

But they don't have that kind of faith. They don't have saving faith when

Paul affirms that we are Justified by faith only he speaks of that faith, which is true and living working by love

When James denies that a man is justified by faith only he disputes against that faith, which is false and dead

And without power to bring forth any good works Here there is not a contradiction because Paul teaches that we are justified by a true faith and James affirms that we are not justified by a false faith

Are you thoroughly confused yet? Let's go back to the book of Romans really quickly I hope to bring some clarity to you and help you understand this

I'm going to give it to you now so that it comes up a couple of times

Paul and James are refuting two different errors

That's why they sound different They both esteem and treasure

Genuine faith in Christ, but they're they have a different problem that they're addressing in each of these books

That's why plucking those verses out and causing a contradiction Is unwise because it doesn't take into account the circumstances of which

The authors are speaking Paul says clearly we are not justified by works

James Emphatically says we are justified by works James understands works to be a working faith.

We learned that in the last couple weeks a Faith that produces something in us in opposition to the idol and dead faith of the hypocrite that empty profession that James seems to be fighting against Paul says we are not justified by works

James says we are justified by a working faith There's almost a positive and negative doctrine in each both

Paul and in James Paul severs works from our justification, but not from our faith

We say that again Paul severs works from our justification, but not from our faith

James joins works to our faith, but not our justification

It's interesting It's two sides of the same coin Two very different angles arriving at the same place the supremacy and preeminence of Christ in union with him and faith in him and An outward way of living that's reflective of an inward reality of faith in Christ Let's look at our text here.

I Think I'm going to help set the stage for us for Understanding this a little bit better First off there is a discussion about the

Jews and the Greeks turn back to chapter 3 of Romans I'm going to cite a couple of these for you and Then it's going to help us

I believe Romans chapter 3 What advantage this is verse 1 then has the

Jew or what is the prophet of circumcision? much in every way

Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God for what if some did not believe

Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect the argument the question here is

The Jews have the oracles they have the covenant signs Does the unbelieving

Jew render the promises of God of no effect? The answer is no

Certainly not Indeed, let God be true. But every man a liar as it is written that you may be justified in your words and May overcome when you are judged

It should be noted. This is not James. This is Paul from chapter 2 For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God But the doers of the law will be justified

That's Paul in chapter 2 That sounds a lot like James, doesn't it?

The Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do the things in the law These not having the law are a lot to themselves who show the work of the law written in their hearts

Their conscience also bearing witness in between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them

Indeed you are called a Jew verse 17 of chapter 2 and rests on the law and make your boast in God and know his will

And approve the things that are excellent And are confident that you yourselves are guides to the blind a light to those who are in darkness an instructor of the foolish a teacher of the babes

You therefore who teach another do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal do you steal you who say do not commit adultery?

Do you commit adultery you who a poor idols? Do you rob temples? Do you make your boast in the law?

Do you dishonor God through the breaking of his law for the name of God is blasphemed among the

Gentiles Because of you as it is written Now it's important to see

That what Paul is combating is certainly a works law righteousness

In context, he's going to even invoke the circumcision of Abraham He's gonna say you guys are putting your confidence in your circumcision your

Law -keeping and your works, but you have missed the more central more crucial matter

And that is faith in Christ In James the hypocrite says oh

I have faith in Christ His life betrays it. He has no concept of obedience

Both of them fail to have genuine faith in Christ and to walk in his ways

Paul confines all Jews and Greeks under sin So if you've got a works righteousness

Paul is going to shatter it. He says verse 9 of chapter 3. Are we better than they know not at all for we have previously charged both

Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin as It is written.

There is none righteous No, not one. There is none who understands there is none who seeks after God They have all turned aside.

They have all together become unprofitable There is none who does good.

No, not one Their throat is an open tomb with their tongues. They have practiced to see the poison of asps is under their lips

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness their feet are swift to shed blood Destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of peace.

They have not known there is no fear of God before their eyes Now we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and All the world may become guilty before God therefore by the deeds of the law

No flesh will be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin

Skipping down to verse 28 of chapter 3 again. Is there a contradiction? Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law

The Gentiles also since there is one

God who will be justified the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith do they we then make void the law through faith certainly not

On the contrary we establish the law. I appreciate your patience continue down into chapter 4

What then shall we say that Abraham our father is found according to the flesh

For if Abraham was justified by works he has something to boast about but not before God For what does the scripture say?

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness the same text that James quotes

Now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace But as debt but to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly

His faith is accounted for righteousness Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom

God imputes righteousness apart from works Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin Here's a very important part of this discussion

The Jews are gonna say Abraham is our father and we followed after him.

We've had circumcision And we're pretty good at keeping the law Therefore we should be accepted in the sight of God Look and see how

Abraham is perfectly able to represent both the Jew and the Gentile as a father of faith

Look at verse 9 and following it says does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised also?

For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness How then was it accounted?

This is very important Was he declared to be righteous while he was circumcised or uncircumcised?

Not while circumcised Paul writes but while uncircumcised and he's received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had while still uncircumcised

Paul is combating and even in Romans just like Galatians this Judaizing tendency to cling to circumcision and law -keeping and works

Apart from sincere and genuine faith in Christ He smashes their argument here

Abraham Didn't have to be circumcised in order to be called right in his standing with God God declared him to be righteous in that standing before circumcision but enter

James But in his faithfulness, he was circumcised And he lives 25 to 35 years as a faithful man following God then

God puts him to the test and he says Take your son your only son and offer him on the mountain and Abraham says yes, sir

And he goes and he begins to do it He received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had while still uncircumcised

That he might be the father of all those who believe Though they are uncircumcised that righteousness might be imputed to them also

Paul invokes the Jew and Gentile Salvation issue here and he uses

Abraham exquisitely to show That God is not respecting persons

He's not pre qualifying them on the basis of circumcision or uncircumcision that faith is the real issue verse 12

And the father of circumcision to those who are not only of the circumcision But who also walks in the steps of which our father

Abraham had while still uncircumcised so there is a very strong interplay in Paul between faith and works and justification just like We have in James For if those who are of the law are heirs faith is made void and the promise made of no effect

Because the law brings about wrath For there is no law.

There is no transgression. Let's go back to the book of James Thank you for your patience and going through that with me

We're gonna get back into the language of our text in James 2 We're not going to go and read

Genesis 22 is very familiar to us as a church If you have some questions about that, please go back in and reread this afternoon

Genesis 22 But the declaration of Abraham as a righteous man is made long before Genesis 22 that's very important in our text

Genesis 22 reveals the Sincerity and the genuineness of Abraham's faith and his obedience the hypocrite that James is confronting in his book

Here he would not be found faithful 20 -something years later Because he had an empty hollow faith a mere profession of faith

I'd like to offer an additional solution.

I think it's pretty basic But I think it could be helpful to you to this perceived problem The contradiction between Paul and James Paul as we saw was preaching faith in Christ alone and Combating that law and works righteousness.

He was refuting that Circumcision law keeping and works were sufficient to save The reality is

Paul's hearers and the error that he is Refuting is they didn't have faith and we're not believing on Christ.

They were trusting on other things and James is rebuking the opposite James is combating a faith profession that is devoid of fruit a work and it has no works of Righteousness, it's very different things the professor in Paul's Argumentation says

I'm a child of Abraham. I've been circumcised. I keep the law. I have good works

I'm accepted by God and Paul says no you need to put all of your faith in Christ James has a guy who's saying

I have all of this faith in Christ and he has nothing to show for it

He says your faith is dead both of these errors are

Resolved by a genuine faith in Christ, which is transformative in the heart and life of a believer causing them to perform good works

It's interesting, isn't it? Let's look at our text again Was not

Abraham our father? justified That word means to make or render righteous but it also means to show or exhibit or Evidence that you are righteous

So we have the doctrine of justification where God declares a man to be righteous and we have a man who

Does things that show that he has been declared to be righteous because he walks in righteousness

Abraham our father was justified by works When he offered

Isaac his son on the altar This verse is very important verse 22

Do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect Abraham's faith was shown to be complete because he walked with God and he obeyed him brothers and sisters

Is that true of you Everyone here would make a bold profession of their faith in Christ But do the works

Adorn your profession your good deeds Flowing out of a transformed heart a completely a work of God in his grace.

You've done nothing for it But but if it's happened, is there evidence is there fruit in your life that that God has transformed you?

Abraham was living in err of the Chaldeans and he became the father of all the nations

There's evidence that he really believed God and he walked in his way as you can see he got up and left everything changed for Abraham Has everything changed for you?

This isn't sinless perfection, but do you have a new appetite for God and his holiness?

as we pray today, do you actually hunger and thirst for righteousness if Christ has saved you if God has

Elected you and called you if the Holy Spirit has applied the work of redemption to your heart you are transformed

Verse 23 says in the scriptures which fulfilled which says Abraham Believed God and was accounted to him for righteousness to usages of Justified to usages of faith seemed to be as supported very well by the scriptures to very different problems being addressed by the authors and the power of the

Holy Spirit both a needful message Do you know I was talking with one of you?

I don't remember a few weeks ago about this If if a man was talking to me about all the ways and all the things he does to perform all

These religious duties I would hammer him like Paul hammers in Romans 2 and through 4 in this section and If someone says oh,

I have a great profession of faith in Christ, and it doesn't really matter what I do I would be hammering on James chapter 2.

Does that make sense? the the occasion calls for the use of these different texts

Paul and James are not at odds Genuine faith living faith in Christ is salvation and guess what it always produces good works

How's your fruit today? Last week.

I invoked an illustration about the fruit trees the citrus trees in our yard, and I was thinking about this when we think about fruit

We have to think about the root of the tree Good trees bear good fruit

The real health of the tree is unseen It's the inner man

The root structure and the health of all the things going on inside of that citrus tree

The real health is there It's unseen from the world.

It's it's between God and the man But if that inner man is healthy

It's gonna bear fruit, and I think both authors are supporting this argument very strongly well

I'd like to be called the friend of God wouldn't that be amazing last half of verse 23 and Abraham was called the friend of God Verse 24 he continues this argument you see then that a man is justified by works not by faith only the kind of faith that James here speaking of is not the same qualitatively

Same kind of faith that Paul speaks of this is an empty profession Then there's another example here, and it's that of Rahab And what's amazing about the invoking of the name of Rahab in this section is

Another Sabbath day reading for you in Joshua chapter 2 And then later in chapter 6 of Joshua She is brought basically into the nation of Israel and given a place to live with her family

Rahab is a Harlot a quintessential wicked woman and she's a

Gentile But she's transformed Now Abraham we can understand because he's going to be the father of many nations

He's gonna be the father of Isaac and Jacob But God is going to take a harlot prostitute from Jericho and she's going to become the grandmother of David and Jesus a

Living faith is implanted into the life of the harlot Rahab, and she is transformed

She becomes a righteous woman and there's some dispute in terms of if you ever do the

Genealogies of this of whether she's a grandmother or mother of Boaz. There's year gaps and hard to figure out

Her son or grandson Boaz Would take a

Gentile woman to be his wife To be the kinsman

Redeemer in Bethlehem and to be A picture of Christ.

Where do you think he had the substance of that? It's his family history

It's interesting that there are two Gentile women

Pretty close together in the genealogy of Israel's greatest earthly King David and the

King of Kings Jesus It seems that God wanted us to see that His mercy and grace extends to the ends of the earth

Rahab didn't continue in her harlotry. She became a daughter of the

King living in Amongst the people of God and she had a reputation of godliness and holiness.

Why because she had a living faith so her life was transformed in Christ and we have to remember for all of our friends and Extended family and the wicked people even here today at the festival

Christ can transform their lives and bring them into the covenant You see this is no impotent gospel, this is a powerful gospel an all -powerful

Christ who saves Ape Rahab is transformed by God And she hides the spies

And she becomes the grandmother and many generations of David and even the grandmother of the

Blessed Lord Jesus Christ Verse 26 for as the body without the spirit is dead.

It's a great way to think about death, isn't it? And the spirit departs the body life is gone

So if you have a faith that doesn't have any Fruits of faith if you don't have any works to testify to your faith, then you have a dead faith faith without works

Is dead a couple words of application and then we'll conclude here today, we're going to have a off -site fellowship meal of Thanksgiving.

I Think it'd be appropriate for us today to rejoice and give thanks for the great salvation of our

God We've been transformed by his grace

You and I need to reject both errors Sometimes we like the

Galatians start in the spirit and end in the flesh We start taking in stock of our lives and say look at all these things.

I do that make me right with God I I bring my children to church and I read the Bible and I do these things and that's what makes me righteous

No, you do those things because Christ has saved you and made you righteous

Those things have not made you righteous they are the fruit of what Christ has done

There's also a tendency in our day to to have an easy believism Just pray a prayer and say you believe in Christ and never don the the church again

Never read your Bible never put sin to death. That is no salvation You have to reject both errors

Brethren this is a hard question. It's not meant to discourage you but to to spur you on to love and good works

Does your life match your profession? That's the real issue.

Are you as transformed as Rahab and Abraham are

Are you a transformed Christian bearing good fruit?

You might have to prune some dead branches off your life You might have to take in some water and some fertilizer and get healthy in Christ again that you might bear more fruit each of Us needs to ask.

Are we living in a way that matches our profession and For Oh Calvinists.

Do you believe that our God can transform lives like he did with Abraham Rahab? James and Paul, I believe he can because I have experienced it and you have to There is no one out there who is too far gone for Christ and his gospel and his grace.

It's very exciting encouraging, isn't it? let us proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ saves sinners and this salvation includes the glorious Transformation of their lives.

I think that's what Paul and James are really teaching us faith without works is dead, but faith with works is

Spectacularly alive Let's rejoice in these things. Please pray with me.

Oh Lord, we thank you that there is no contradiction in your word We thank you for an emphasis on faithfulness on the one hand and faith

Simply trusting in Christ alone on the other Lord, I pray that you would grant your people both.

Oh Lord if there be a legalist tendency in our hearts We pray that you would smash it with grace

And Oh Lord, if there be a libertine spirit within us We pray that you would crush it with the call to repentance and obedience that we might be a well -ordered well -rounded people of God or we thank you so much for the hope of your gospel a

Salvation that doesn't leave us but changes us and transforms us and a lord

We we ask that you would even transform us more in this process of sanctification That would be more holy and we'd love your ways more and more

Increasingly so until we reach glory You know

Lord help us to not be bashful about this salvation And call the

Rahab's and the James's and the Paul's To salvation and you that they might see the great wonders and works of God Lord give us a great heart for evangelism

And missions Lord help us to be an example that others

Would like to follow that they would say those are no hypocrites over there. They have a living faith

They they love to follow Christ and look how much they love one another

Oh Lord Make us that kind of people we pray in Jesus name Amen It's a time of the service when we continue to worship through the presentation of tithes and offerings

Please stand and let's pray together. Oh Lord, we thank you for the work.

You have given us to do stewardship of life We pray that these tithes and offerings would continue to advance

Your gospel work and this church and in the world abroad.

We ask these things in Jesus name Amen Let us reflexively

Respond to the goodness of God in Christ and the singing of the glory of pottery

Let us give thanks to the

Lord It is right and a good and joyful thing that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you

Oh, holy Lord Father Almighty everlasting God Because you sent your beloved son to redeem us from sin and death

To make us heirs and him of everlasting life That when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world

We may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we praise and magnify your glorious name evermore praising you and Singing, please be seated.

Let's pray together. Oh Lord, I'm so Enamored with your mercy and grace for us the condescension of your coming in the flesh your transformation of Humanity by fulfilling all righteousness

Imputing that righteousness to sinners like us declaring us righteous

Taking that which was formerly profane and making it holy And Lord we thank you for the process of consecration where whereby you take

Creaturely orderly things like bread and wine you set them apart for us

That the body and blood of Christ may be conferred and conveyed to us

That we might eat his flesh and drink his blood. Oh Lord. We thank you for Your mercy to us

We thank you for the glorious provision of these things. We ask this in Jesus name.

Amen Our Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread

Likewise he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant My blood for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup proclaim the

Lord's death Therefore we proclaim the faith

Let's approach the table now in humility and expectancy, let's pray together in unison

We do not presume to come to this your table. Oh merciful Lord Trusting in our own righteousness

But in your manifold and great mercies We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table

But you are the same Lord who always shows mercy And It's drink of his blood that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body and our souls washed

It is most precious blood We may evermore dwell in him and he and us

Amen Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us

The Gifts of God for you the people of God 100 % true exciting consider.

Let's make this commitment together now Almighty and ever -living

God we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food precious body and blood of your son our

Savior Jesus Christ and Assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the body of your son

In the heirs of your eternal kingdom and Oh Lord grant us this other benefit

You will never allow us to forget these things But having them imprinted on your hearts may we grow and increase daily in the faith

Which is at work in every good deed? To Love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our

Lord to him to you and to the Holy Spirit the honor and glory

Please stand. It is

God bless you

The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and grant you peace