Bible In A Year - James

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Father in heaven, we thank you once again for the great privilege to be able to be in this place
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We know that we are your people. We are the people of your pasture as your word says the sheep of your very hand
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We're grateful that you have in your wisdom Chosen a people for your very own namesake and that they
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Are yours forever That your son Jesus Christ has died for them in their places their substitute was buried and risen again
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So that we might be justified But thankful that the Holy Spirit has revealed this truth to us that that Christ is the only
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Savior of sinners We've been convicted of our sins. We've we've been born again
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We have been given the gift of repentance and faith To be able to lay hold upon Christ and we are your very own purchase with the precious blood of Jesus and we're thankful for that Thankful that you don't leave us alone.
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Thankful that you keep teaching us and using opportunities like this as we gather for a
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Sunday school to be able to learn more of your word to learn more of Christ more of The master so that we might be more like him.
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We pray that our time would be profitable We pray that the day would be one in which you are pleased with the meditations of our hearts the thoughts that we have for the singing the testimonies the speaking of the things of God the worship the preaching the listening and The obedience and the praise and the honor and worship that we do give you today
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We thank you for it all and thank you for this opportunity in Jesus precious name. Amen Well as we continue through the
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The Bible we are in the book of James this morning and I'd like for you to first turn If you would please to the book of the gospel of Mark the gospel of Mark and in chapter 6
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This is a kind of one of those tucked away verses that It might be hard for some of us to be able to find when it comes to proving something of course, you know that and it's been taught that Not only after Jesus Christ was born of a virgin of Mary That she remained a virgin all the days of her life
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And of course that teaching is not true because of what the Bible tells us in Mark chapter 6
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I'll begin reading in verse 1 speaking of Jesus He went out from thence and came into his own country and his disciples followed him
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Mark 6 2 and when the Sabbath day was come He began to teach in the synagogue and many hearing him were astonished saying from once has this man these things
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And what wisdom is this which give which is given to him that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands
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Is not this the carpenter the son of Mary so it is speaking of Jesus Is not this the carpenter the son of Mary the brother of James and Joses and of Judah or Judas and Simon?
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Are not his sisters here with us and they were offended at him And we see here in in Mark chapter 6 and in verse 3 that Jesus Christ had four
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Half brothers and their names are listed James Joses Judah and Simon and of course the one that we're looking at and one that we're going to consider this morning is
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James James the writer of the book that we're going to look at this morning now at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ We see even if we go back to Mark chapter 3 and verse 31 that the family of Jesus comes to him
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Maybe they don't believe. Oh, of course. They don't believe upon him early on in his ministry Maybe they're going to go there to pull him away to straighten him out to bring him back home
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And of course you remember he says those that are my father and mother and my brothers are those that do the will of my father
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So we see early on that James is is not a believer But later we will see and I'll just walk you through these verses as we get to the book of James if you look in 1st
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Corinthians chapter 15 You may have glossed over this verse but in 1st
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Corinthians chapter 15 Where Paul gives the church at Corinth a summary of the gospel
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Beginning in verse 1 1st Corinthians 51 He says moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which
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I preached unto you which you have Which you have received and wherein you stand By which also you are saved if you keep in memory what
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I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain for I delivered on you first of all that which I also received how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and That he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures notice this what it says
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After he was risen resurrected Lord verse 5 and that he was seen of Cephas of Peter and then of the twelve and After that, he was seen of about 500 brethren at once of whom the greater part remain unto this present
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But some are fallen asleep or some are dead have physically died after that 1st
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Corinthians 15 7 He was seen of James Then of the of the
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Apostles so we see at this time that James is being linked in with the
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Apostles He's beginning associated with the Apostles and at this point It is it is pretty well confirmed that he is a believer
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And if we want to get even even more sure of that turn to the book of Galatians a couple of books to the right 1st
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Corinthians 2nd Corinthians and then Galatians if you look with me in Galatians chapter 1
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Paul is giving his testimony of his former life and what God had did and how it pleased God Who separated from his mother's womb and by God's grace
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God called him and in verse 16 He says that God revealed this is the Apostle Paul saying God revealed his son or God revealed
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Jesus Christ in me I've preached him Amongst the people and then he says in verse 18 after three years
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I went to Jerusalem to see Peter and I stayed with him for 15 days and then verse 19
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Galatians 1 19 But other of the Apostles saw I none he didn't see any of the other
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Apostles except James the Lord's brother It's so clear here who the
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James is. He is the Lord's brother. Jesus is brother Jesus is half brother and that he is being numbered amongst the believers and if you look in chapter 2 notice in chapter 2 and in verse 9 what it says about James and when
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James and Peter or Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars perceived the grace that was given unto me
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They gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we should go unto the heathen and they unto the circumcision and I only went to these verses to show that there was a there was one period of time when
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James was not a believer at the beginning of the ministry of the life of Christ but the Holy Spirit God was pleased to reveal
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Christ even to James to where he was he had been seen and he saw
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Christ face to face in 1st Corinthians 15 7 the verse that we looked at and and we see that he was one who had heard the teachings of Christ and and he was saved of course and now we see him as closely associated with the
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Apostles and He is a pillar in the church and if you even go back and we won't go there but if you go to Acts chapter 15 where there is the
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Council at Jerusalem where the Where the Apostles are getting together to figure out how do we teach or what do we say to the
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Gentiles? concerning their behavior and their conversation and the rituals that they have of the eating of meat and the drinking of blood and you will see that in in Acts chapter 15 after Peter speaks
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James gets up and speaks and you can see that he is a leader He is one who is is in Has some authority in the church there as far as the teaching and the putting together of the letters
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So there's no doubt that James wasn't a believer, but God saved him. He becomes a believer God Uses him in the ministry of the churches in Galatia, Jerusalem.
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He's he's got something. He's a pillar in the church. He's a foundational Person as far as a leader in the church and then of course at this time
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What we're looking at now, you can turn to the book of James James led of the
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Holy Spirit of God to pen a book of the New Testament the book of James The theme of this book is faith in action it is it is a a book
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Written you'll notice on the sheet about 44 to 49 ad James Who is the oldest half brother of Jesus?
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he is the one who who fits best fits the profile for the author of this book that bears his name and He is as I said a key leader in the book of Jerusalem a believer upon the
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Lord Jesus Christ one of the pillars in the church and James writes with an authority as a person
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Who has personally seen the resurrected Christ? He he writes in such a way.
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Um Because he is recognized with the other apostles that he has authority. He is it is penning things
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Not at a whim not an opinion, but these are things that he's received from God These are things that he's been led by the
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Holy Spirit of God to put down Upon paper for us for the of course for the believers back then and for us today some other notable notes about this book
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Is that james alludes more to nature? Uh than in any other of the new testament epistles or the books of the new new testament
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Uh examples of this in chapter 1 verse 6 when it's dealing with an unwavering person who is unwavering faith
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Uh, he talks about waves being driven by wind In chapter 1 verse 10 when he speaks of the rich people
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Uh as they're like when the sun comes up the flowers are the grass that fades of course in that That great chapter chapter 3 you remember pastor mike taught on that just a few weeks weeks ago and in that Teaching about the tongue he deals and he brings out in nature horses winds animals birds snakes sea creatures fig tree olives fountains of water and it's very um, very similar to the teaching of the lord.
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Jesus you remember in his Dealings with people he does the same thing fig trees and he talks about wheat and grain and um, the sun and the grass and birds and um, very uh,
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Very appropriate, uh way to teach and illustrate with simple illustrations and i'd encourage you to do especially those of you that are with that have children
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Uh to teach with those uh circumstances and things that come up around you Other things that you see when a hurricane or a tornado comes or or if um, you know
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If you see a bird you see You see some type of an animal and you can take that that illustration of what took place and bring it into and use a biblical teaching to to get a point across because it's uh,
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It's easier for a mind and a child and for for us that are older to get our head around something
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When it is more clearly and simply illustrated it's a great a great way to teach Also in this book the greek in which it is written of james is of the highest quality um in his writings here james also
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Writes uh with interrelated strings of beads Of one thought being built upon another and you'll see that like an example of that in chapter one notice in verse three
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Where james says knowing this that the trying of your faith works patience He doesn't leave it alone there.
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He goes on to verse four, but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire Wanting and nothing or lacking in anything
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So he's got this this string where he's putting these truths these thoughts together And he's just kind of stringing them right through the the whole book and it's very evident as you go through the book
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I mean he's dealing with he's dealing with having patience, uh and finding the joy in trial
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And then he talks about the the unwavering person. He goes right on to right right on to that in in this chapter here
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There are different uh as he goes through the book, I guess how can I put it this way and i've i've heard it it is um
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It is a handbook. It is a practical handbook. Uh, james is not theoretical. He is not pie in the sky.
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It's not Um stuff that you can't it's not intangible teaching that he's doing here. It's very very practical handbook
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We at work have an employee handbook It is to let you know.
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What are the guidelines? What are the rules? What are the regulations for being employee at the place where I work? How many of you remember getting your hands on that handbook?
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the driver's ed handbook or the the department of motor vehicle handbook you had to get one of those and you wanted to master that because You wanted to be able to get behind the wheel and do a solo right you wanted to drive you wanted your license and uh
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It gave you all the rules and the regulations and the things that you practically had to do when you Buckled up behind the wheel and started that car and got going you knew what you needed to do
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Practically and that's what james is doing in every chapter. It's just full of things like uh,
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Like uh when it comes to trials and your when it comes to the response to the word of god in chapter one
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In chapter two, it talks about partial love not having not not not being partial
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When it comes to loving others and taking care of their needs it talks about One of the key points which we'll be getting into this whole idea.
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Is your faith living? Or is your faith dead in chapter three as I alluded to it?
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Um Pastor mike had preached, uh in out of chapter three on tongues and he also preached
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I believe at least one message I don't know if it was a a series on chapter one being doers of the word and not just hearers only
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And some of you might remember that but in chapter three, how is it that we're supposed to speak?
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In chapter four it deals with prayer as it begins with the air a relationship with god humbling yourself before god and and having clean hands before god and drawing close to god a communion and a fellowship
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With the lord at the end of chapter four he in his handbook. He deals with the idea of planning
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And he doesn't say that planning is wrong planning is right planning is correct. It is good.
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It's wise for us Uh to think about what we're going to be doing in the future But it should be proper planning and these gentlemen in here
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We're thinking we're going to go to this city and we're going to do this that we're going to buy and sell We we we're our plans and god is completely out of the picture
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And the whole idea is that if you're going to plan plan with this in mind god is it's important to bring your plan to the lord
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And have him to affirm it Through prayer through the leading of the word of god through wisdom through counsel
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Affirm your plans and then carry out those plans. Don't be the type of person Uh who breaks the the pastors or the the elder's heart by coming to the pastor and saying hey, it's all set
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It's all set in concrete. Uh, we're we're on the move. We're going we're leaving someplace Uh, and there's no church to go to and it's just for for getting game.
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It's just for for um selfish motives um Our planning should be with this in mind that god we should do it in reference to god
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And we should do it in reference to the fact that we aren't guaranteed a tomorrow Our life is like a vapor so he deals with that there and also then in chapter five
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He talks about prayer. He talks about um, you know Confession confessing your faults one to another praying one for another talks about those that are afflicted sick
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I mean there are just so many different subjects and you see them going one right after another as he goes through the book
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But they do interlink and they do. Um, it's not like I don't know sometimes if you have ever read proverbs and you're reading through the through the chapter and it's like going here and And there and everywhere, uh, although there are threads of um of subjects through proverbs
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Sometimes you get in a chapter and they don't seem to kind of flow. Well james in this book It's just really good.
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It flows just like a handbook and it just kind of all fits together and it makes sense And it um, and it is very very it would be very very profitable and beneficial for us to look at the book that way
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What else about james? Um, here's just a note that I had written in my margin of my bible
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He was known as old camel knees. Why do you think he was known as old? Camel knees anybody got an idea?
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Praying yes. He spent a lot of time on his knees Uh praying, uh to the lord. I don't know who it was, but I it was
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I think a puritan uh who um who after his death, uh, they looked in his room
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I can't remember if it was one of the wesleys or I I really don't remember but uh beside his bed the wooden floor had
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Had indentions in them from where he kneeled to pray at night and would to god that we would
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We would be able to by the grace of god be those who would be on our face praying Before the lord what else?
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About this book the background of this letter um it is
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It is written to notice in chapter one And in verse one when james introduces himself who has the writer and who he is a servant of god
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James a servant of god and of the lord. Jesus christ to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad greeting the writing of this letter is uh, pretty much coincides, uh with a scattering of the of the the the jewish believers um
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The some say it possibly could have been as a result of stephen stoning in acts chapter seven
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You see that at the end of acts chapter seven and at the beginning of acts, uh, eight and eight verse one
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It says that there was persecution in the church was scattered but that was that was a little early that was about uh, 30 the early 30 ads
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It's possibly more likely that the uh that this scattering this persecution scattering of the jews was more
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Around the time of heretic rippa, which would have been about 44 ad and that would coincide
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With the the writing time of the authorship of this of this letter, which was between 44 and 49
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Ad so it had something to do with uh, of course with the persecution and that's why he wanted to get in the scattering
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That's why he wanted to get this letter out to them And there are 15 times in this book where he calls or refers to the christians as brethren
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And this is uh, this is a saying that was used amongst first century jews, uh close endearing term, but also
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Noting that this was a book that was written to a jewish um audience
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And he displays in his writing A distinct a distinct jewish flavor and style of writing and with his uh with his style and with his content and by that It I mean it's very picturesque It's very vivid.
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It's very gripping. It is oppressing in its nature uh, and he uses a lot of uh different modes of writing metaphors and similes and illustrations as i've already, um alluded to and in the book too
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There are about 40 uh references or allusions to old testament writings like Uh, he he refers to the law of god
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He quotes in chapter 2 some of the 10 commandments He speaks of abraham
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In chapter 2 and of rahab in chapter 2 in chapter 5. He speaks of Elijah, he speaks of I believe job also the patience of job.
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He makes reference to in chapter 5 He talks about seeing psalms and so on there are there are a lot of allusions to the old testament
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So it's to a jewish audience and then he also because he had seen christ face to face
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And he no doubt had been around the apostles. He was in the church at jerusalem with them with peter and the others
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He he makes about 20 references to the sermon on the mount Matthew chapter 5 through 7 and we see those if you look down in the section
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Where it says at the bottom of the first page christ in james It says james openly refers to christ only twice
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In chapter 1 in verse in chapter 2 and verses 1 of those chapters And yet his epistle abounds with references to christ's teachings particularly the sermon on the mount now
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It might be hard for you to Took me a little while to figure this out But in the parentheses right after the word sermon on the mount there
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You'll see a verse like the first one one semicolon two that's james the book of james chapter 1 verse 2 and To see the reference back to the sermon on the mount.
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You would then go see matthew 5 10 to 12 and then you'll see a um
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Well, you'll see a semicolon there And then you'll see 1 4 1 colon 4
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Then you for that reference in james 1 4 go see matthew 5 40 48 and then chapter 2 13 go see matthew 6 14 to 15, but as one of the examples, let's just see how he did this look in chapter 5 and in verse 2
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Well, he's speaking to rich men in verse 1 chapter 5 verse 1 you rich men Weep and howl for your misery shall come upon you
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Verse 2 your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth eaten What what uh, you you may not know.
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Um What the reference is in at the end there in the in the section that I was alluding to but what what portion of the sermon on the mount does that sound like Yeah storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven
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Where moth and rust does not corrupt and the thief does not break in and steal He says don't you know store them up there so that doesn't take place to you and of course he's
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Talking to rich people and he's talking about the woes to those that uh that look and trust in their uncertain riches
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And uh, he says they're corrupted in their garments and moth eaten So those that's kind of a neat study as you you could kind of take a look at those and you could see
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Um, like one of the one of the other examples in here He talks about I think it's in chapter 2 and in verse 13.
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He says for speaking speaking of those that have um
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A sinful thinking about judgment he says for you will have judgment without mercy That shows no mercy and mercy rejoices against judgment and it kind of makes you uh
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Think back upon jesus's teaching where if you will not forgive someone else the lord will not forgive you If you're just unmerciful and you're not willing to forgive them the lord won't forgive you
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So I think those are those are pretty neat as far as when it comes to the teaching of this book to look to look back upon um
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Let's see backside, uh, pretty much explanatory. There's some key words that you could look up for your um
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For your studies further on under the miscellaneous notes down at the bottom of page two
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I put some things in here that might be good for Um also for further study if you look at the first bullet, uh,
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I I made an addition here to this one It says the believer's response to the word Brought out in chapter one is that we are to receive it 121
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We are to hear it 123 We are to do it 122
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We are to examine it 125 and I also added this we ought to continue in it
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You could write that down as an as an addition. We ought to continue in it also in verse at the end of verse, uh, 25
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In chapter one. Oh before I forget corrections on the first page on the first flip back to the first page
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Uh, you see this the section author and date in the last second to last sentence there is a
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Parentheses with a list of verses acts 12 17 15 13. You see where it says galatians 3 12
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I believe they meant galatians 2 12 so you could change that one to galatians 2 12 And then in the very next paragraph
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The very last sentence there's another parentheses where it says galatians 1 9
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That one should be galatians. It's either supposed to be galatians 1 19 Or galatian and you can also put galatians 2 9.
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I'm not sure which one it was Supposed to be but those are two mistakes that are on there Okay now
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As I said before this is a handbook a a Practical manual it is not theoretical.
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It's not just concepts, but it's rubber meets the road how we are to live how we are to handle ourselves how we are to Behave ourselves before the lord and before others
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And james if you look on the second on the back side of the sheet under the quick overview the outline of the book
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Uh, he gives through this book a series of tests Don't we just love tests?
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I was just talking to somebody at at work and their Their child is in college And uh did not do so well because they don't do well on tests
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Um, and this isn't just a test just to see if we have something stuck up here if we know the facts
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This test here is a test that we can use and these tests through the book that james gives us
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It's kind of like the book of first john. He does the same type of thing Believer lives this way
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Acts this way speaks this way Carries themselves the deportment is this way james is is doing the same thing and he's giving these series of tests but the key one is and the key the key, um
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Theme behind the test. So the the key reason for the test of what james is trying to get at Is so that we can evaluate
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Whether the faith that we have Is genuine or false
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The faith that we have is living or dead The faith that we have is useful or useless profitable or unprofitable
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Alive or dead real or fake? That's the that's what's behind each one of these and you see and you see him um
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Dealing with the different portions as he goes through the chapters to show that practical religion or true faith or real christianity or real belief
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He shows the contrast between that and someone who has only a profession
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He throughout the book Giving these contrasts of the marks if you want to put it that way the marks of true religion upon a person and the absence of those marks upon someone who just has a profession and by A bia or false profession of christ and maybe i'm going to stop there.
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I'm going to take pastor steve's Suggestion and not just use terms and just blow on and just go go
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Teaching through without maybe somebody in here not really fully understanding. What does that mean a false profession?
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um You might hear you know You must have a not possession not a false profession of christ or just merely a profession of christ
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But there must be a possession of christ. Not only we know him, but that he knows us
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What uh, what is meant by that a false profession anybody want to help me out here? A false profession
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Yes, daniel an intellectual assent
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They it's not genuine. They don't uh, they truly haven't repented christ is not lord in their life
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Um, would you say would it be would it be fair to say that there's no change in their life?
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It's the same as it was before they just have words Uh, there's a lot of there's a lot of uh talk
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But there's no walk right there's a lot of there's a lot of words and there's a lot of um,
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You know as daniel put it there's a lot of assenting to doctrine. There's an intellectual assent to truth
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But there's but there's no True gripping of that truth and no real transformation of that person's life
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Anything any other thoughts when it comes to a false profession? Can it happen in any church?
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certainly Can happen anywhere where where to be? Uh on guard for we should be careful that and I think that's the warning not only of the apostle paul
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But of the apostle james that we should be very very careful that we don't We don't have notice what he says in verse chapter 2 verse 1 2 1 my brethren
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Have not the faith of our lord. Jesus christ the lord of glory with respect to persons or with personal favoritism
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It's it don't say that you have the faith in christ, but but but don't have that faith in christ and And then be have favorites with other people or have this impartial love you love a certain group of people
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But you're going to stay away from another group. I don't want to touch them. I don't want to talk to them I don't want them to get get near me
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I know one time I I shared this with you But one time in the early 1980s in the church that we were at we we had the rescue mission the men from the rescue mission come to the church for a church service and we were going to Feed them afterwards and then we were going to just spend the afternoon with them
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And I know one of the families, uh who had been coming to the church for several months said who had two small boys
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They said we're not coming to church. We don't want that them men sitting beside us We don't want you know, basically we you know unclean.
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We don't want them near us And it just remembers it just reminds us of the love and the mercy and the and the kindness of the lord jesus
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Would he have been there would he have sat beside the publicans and the harlots and the sinners? Of course and we're to follow in his example.
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I saw a hand over here mike Yes For the tape when what what mike was saying was is that a person who who hears it and is converted
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Truly comes to see the beauty that's in christ and not just hearing what christ he's another teacher
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Numbered among all the others And you can take your pick What he says what he says is optional and really, uh, the prophecy is when it comes of jesus in isaiah 53
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There is no beauty that we should desire him. What is there about christ that that is beautiful? But god even the picture of the old testament tabernacle if you were ever to see that and look at it from the outside there was that badger skin that that just not too pretty looking
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Edifice there, but if you were to get underneath it and you would see the woven
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Veil and you'd see the gold and laid over the wood and and the beauty of the jewels upon the priest's garment
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From the outside doesn't look good and for most people when they look at christ They don't want to have anything to do with him.
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They don't want to have him rule over him over them They won't submit themselves to him. They see nothing beautiful in him, but through the ministry of the holy spirit
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God the holy spirit opens up the heart of the of those that god purposes to set his love upon and christ becomes altogether lovely and there is no one else like him and it's uh, and it is uh,
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It is a conversion. It is a reality and it is so contrasted to those people who uh in this book so many of the different examples that love partially or They will uphold the royal law the sovereign law of god that is over their heart that demands
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For us to love god with all of our heart soul mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourself And we go all the way and we and we and we submit to the word of god and we love the law of god
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And we want to walk in obedience Um another I wanted to bring this out also chapter 2 verse 1 kind of gives this contrast but notice about this
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False professor or this person who who has a profession or its words? It's just what they say in chapter 1
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Notice with me if you would verse 26 If any man among you seem to be religious
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And does not bridle his tongue But deceives his own heart this man religion is vain or it is worthless
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So we have this idea also if this person has said I believe in christ and i'm coming to church
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And I park myself here And you heard me say this before just because just because you park a horse wagon in your garage doesn't make it a car and just because you park your body in a church and just because you put yourself on the
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On the church membership role does not make you a christian It all has to do with has god got a hold of your heart
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Have you been converted by god as our as our brother said have you been regenerated born from above? Have your has the old stony heart been ripped out and a new heart of flesh that beats for god been given to you?
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And you are a new creature in christ Second corinthians 5 17. It's not just talk It's not just talk but there's a talk and a walk and i'm going to kind of Get into that as we look in chapter 2 and I better get there for time's sake in chapter 2 notice another reference to a person who may have a
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Have a profession And not a possession In chapter 2 verse 14
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What does it profit my brethren though a man say he has faith And he has not works.
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Can that faith save him and there we have it again a man says A perfer a person professes to be a christian
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But they have not works can that type of faith save them and this is serious And this is so critical because I believe that in in our churches
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I believe that in our country in christianity We have I mean you hear the surveys I mean, you know that it's well over 50
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Of those in the united states are christians I mean the numbers are high if you've ever heard the surveys and my question is
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I'd like to know where they are because Because i'm not i'm not seeing those types of numbers because if you saw those types of now if that was a reality
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Then then it would be widespread across the country and you'd be bumping into believers everywhere
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But the fact remains that we have a lot of people who profess christianity They they understand the facts about jesus and they say that sounds really good to me and you know what
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I have the social aspect of my life and I have the educational aspect of my life and I have the
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I have the um Entertainment part of my life. I have the family part. I have my relationship part of my life
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And i'm just going to put this little addition on my my house And i'm going to call that christ or christianity just a little addition
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And christianity is not just an addition Christianity is a demolition. It has to do with laying flat the whole house
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And christ being the foundation and our life being built upon jesus christ and everything else from that That time on is totally affected and comes into focus and and is looked under the perspective
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The perspective of the word of god and of what would christ have me do? That's the difference a professing person just kind of attacks christ on and it's just another
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You know, it's just another part of my life and it's uh, it's not one that totally Uh transforms or or sweeps through or threads through the whole person's life
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And here he says though a man say Doesn't remind you of the lord jesus christ in in matthew chapter 7 where when he says um the the people who say lord lord
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And haven't we done these mighty things and jesus says depart from me I never knew you you workers of iniquity or you people who live in lawlessness
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And you remember he goes on in that chapter and he says those that hear my voice And they and they obey or they do it are likened under a person who builds his house upon the solid rock
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And that goes back to james chapter 1 being not just hearers only of the word of god
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But doers of that word now i've got to get through chapter 2 a little bit of this portion because it's so critical
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And and sometimes I remember early on When I was a younger believer, uh, sometimes this chapter would present, uh some issues it was uh,
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It was like what is really being said here? I mean, is it saying that works you're saved by works?
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Is that what that's saying? Or should we totally uh get rid of works and all we're going to do is is trust in in our faith
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We're just going to look to our faith and that's all that we're going to have and I think that's what um That's what the apostle.
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Uh, that's what james is talking about here um He's saying I believe as we go through here
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That we are not saved by works because he's already asserted this in chapter 1
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And in verse 17 where he says every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the father of lights
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With whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning in verse 18 of his own will begat
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He us with the word of truth that we should be the kind of first fruits of his creatures He's saying there that salvation is a gracious gift of god.
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It has nothing to do with us and nothing to do with works so in chapter 2 though James is going to teach here or to to instruct in this testing as we evaluate our lives
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And show that there is such a thing as dead faith and you'll remember pastor mike's message in chapter 2
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When he talked about demon faith he talked about intellectual faith and uh And you can get get that tape and i'm going to kind of kind of allude to some of that here
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But there is a faith that does not save There is a faith that people have that does not bring salvation and what was happening here probably
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Could the hit the background of this book was? Is that james was writing to these jews who had been so wrapped up in judaism?
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And the ceremony and all that they did um And and they in their former religion
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It was a works righteousness if you did work you would be saved if you did these things you would be saved
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And what happened was is they came to a wrong notion in that? since righteous works
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Of obedience were not good enough for salvation then maybe they weren't necessary at all
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That's what they were doing They were jettisoning of the baby with the bath water and saying that these works are not necessary at all and it's just faith
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And what they've done is they've reduced faith as we've talked about already
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As an intellectual ascent to the facts about christ or just a an intellectual ascent to the doctrine of christ
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But there's no evidence of a changed life and what james is doing. He is asserting most surely and most uh most clearly that that type of faith
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Which is devoid of righteous works and holy living is dead It's fruitless.
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It's useless and therefore it cannot save and that's what he's saying Now some might look at what he's saying here notice if you if you go with me here
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Verse 15 if her brother or sister be naked and destitute destitute of food And one of you say unto them depart in peace be warmed and filled
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Notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body. What does it profit? Well, he's saying there he's using this little illustration here
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And he says if a brother or sister came to you and they had need of food Or or clothing they needed something and you just said be warmed
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Be filled and go away and you know go away in peace Is that did that help them?
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Absolutely, not. It was just again what talk? And no walk It was it was words, but but no help
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So even so verse 17 faith if it does not have works is dead being alone
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It is faith is dead if it's all by itself he's saying there there's there's no profit
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To it go let's go on so we can get through it verse 18 Yea, a man may say
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Thou has faith and I have works Show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my faith by my works
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And what he's saying here is you've got somebody who comes and says I'll I have just faith alone
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And that's the position that i'm going to come from all I have is faith And james says
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There's a person who will say well, I have faith but it is not alone It is it accompanied by works and how can
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I put it put it better? Um, I think Somebody I I had heard put it this way before god
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When it comes to the complete work of salvation Yes, it is faith and the faith alone that justifies and that's what that's what the emphasis was of the apostle paul
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When he was teaching that faith alone justifies And we are accepted before god by faith
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But what james is doing? he his tests Or the point of view that james is coming from Is after a person professes to have that type of faith
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And after a person professes to have that type of faith that the apostle paul so heavily dealt with what james is saying is
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Is that it must go further than that there must be some evidence of that there has to be some fruit in your life
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If there is no fruit in the person's life Then it is a dead faith a useless faith a faith that cannot save but if a person has the fruit
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And this person it's kind of like I heard somebody put it this way If we were to have a ticket that we were to hand to in order to get into heaven that ticket would be two -pieced
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With a perforation in the middle and one side would be faith on the other side would be works And what and don't let me confuse you here works does not save because he's already he's already asserted that But if you're going to say that you're a believer a true believer in christ
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You can't rip that ticket and just say faith and faith alone And that's it and I had no works at all because if you have just the the faith and faith alone you're missing
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All that god has intended in our lives as far as the working out of that faith And he's going to get into this as as we go forward, but if you just hand the other side works
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Then that is not going to do it either because we know that it's not by works of righteousness Which we've been saved by notice as he goes on he talks about the devil's belief
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Yeah, they you believe there's one god this intellectual ascent you do well, but the devil's believing it doesn't save them
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Verse 20 but well But wilt thou know oh vain man that faith without works is dead
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And he's this vain man is uh, this means he's empty He's devoid of something and really it means foolish stupid a person who believes that faith without works
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Is you can only have faith without works. That's a that's a position basically Holding an opinion that can't be defended scripturally
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It cannot be defended when it comes to the fact that a person who has faith Will not show forth the evidence of works
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And and james is this whole idea of don't be people who get caught up in this thought thinking that you can just jettison all types of any type of work or holiness of living or obedience or Coming under the will of god or manifesting holiness or righteous living in your life
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Because god intends for that to happen in the life that's part of the the work that god begins and finishes in our lives verse 21
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Here's this can get pretty deep was not abraham our father justified by works when he had offered isaac his son upon the altar
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He says abraham was justified by works. I thought we were justified by faith Well, we are justified by faith
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In genesis chapter 15 Abraham believed god and god accounted it to him for righteousness
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Genesis 15 20 years later in genesis chapter 22
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Abraham is offering up isaac And what james is saying here? is that He was saved of course in genesis chapter 15
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But in genesis chapter 22 He proved that his faith that that was back in genesis 15
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Was was genuine and he truly is justified It's not just by faith.
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He's saying that i'm justified but he proved in his life to the point where he would obey god He would live holy and he would sacrifice do whatever god called him to do scott
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Yeah, we all yeah, we all we all increase in faith and the point the point that uh, well, let's read on here in verse 22 seest thou in abraham's life see thus how that faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect or His his works that he did
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Proved the fact or finished or made it made his faith entire finished real perfected
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So that verse 23 the scripture was fulfilled with said abraham believed god and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called
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The friend of god so good works prove the genuineness of our faith
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That's what james is teaching and don't get confused here to think that james is teaching that a person is justified by work steve
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No Right never saved in the first place. If we don't walk in ephesians 2 10, we're ordained to walk in those good works um
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I need to yes another question or comment the question of discipline.
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Um, If we read hebrews chapter 12, we understand that god only spanks his children
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God deals with his children to get them back to the place where he wants them And if and if you're of course when it comes to sin
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If you're i've heard this recently said and and we know that it's true in our own lives for the believer
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When we sin and the spirit of god convicts us we're miserable And we know that we're powerless and we're ineffective and we're just uh, we're we're just miserable plain miserable
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Uh when we were lost and we sinned we could care less It was just life and that was the way it was and no guilt.
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No, no, um, no conviction But when it comes and when it comes to discipline, uh god disciplines his children he judges
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Uh the lost That's what he does Well, he disciplines his children. He he he loves those whom he receives and he and he spanks or chastens
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Uh his own, I don't know we can talk about this that's a whole a whole different subject um
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Let me just try to finish this chapter though here Deals with rahab same thing
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Uh, well, let me finish up abraham verse 24. You see then How that by works a man is justified and not by faith only
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See because again, he's saying only a faith. It's only the faith of god Which justifies a person of course and only that faith will produce good works
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And then lastly i'd like to look at he deals with rahab kind of the same similar situation how she obeyed
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Because she believed in god, but look in verse 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead
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So faith without works is dead. Also a great illustration to kind of bring it all home And basically what he's saying here is if you find a body
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That has no spirit or no soul Find a body that has no spirit or no soul
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Where will that body be? I mean if we want to find it funeral home right in a coffin dead if you find faith or professing faith
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Without works or holiness or obedience Same thing it's not living faith.
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It's not saving faith. It's dead useless worthless Unprofitable and it cannot save that's what what he's saying there barnes put it this way faith without works
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Faith without works Would have no claim to being true religion Then a dead body without a soul would be regarded as a living man as a living person
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Okay, last couple quick questions and then we'll close dan Yeah, it's a result of it.
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Very good true salvation Uh is the works comes after yes and over here carol
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Faith is the fire works is the smoke. That's pretty good comes after And what god does it is that work that god begins and all that james is trying to say is don't be deluded chapter one
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Don't be deceived to think that if you just have a mere profession if you have a mere profession and your life isn't radically changed
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There is not a fruit there's not the fruit that christ or the apostles speak about Then that faith that you have needs to be thrown away
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It needs to be run from it needs to it needs to be just uh jettisoned And you need to come to true faith in jesus christ alone
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Realizing that he's the only substitute The only one who died for you was buried and rose again
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And when you believe upon him to the saving of the soul then when god changes your life then as steve brought out in hebrews
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Ephesians 2 10 god has ordained For his people as new creatures to walk
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And even when we think of baptism walking in what newness of life from romans chapter 6 having a different deportment and having a different way that we
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Deal with people as far as loving them in chapter 2 as far as the way that we pray in chapter 5
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The way that we make plans in chapter 4 the way that we respond to the word of god in chapter 1 and so on This handbook all these things you're going to live differently
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If you're a child of god into the glory of god into the praise of god We're not left to ourselves, but by his grace.
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He works this in us this this energy this this power of god working upon us so that we
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Uh, we can walk in a way that pleases him not in our own strength By the strength of the spirit of god renewing the inner man
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And and we grow in faith as somebody said from faith to faith from grace to grace We grow in the grace and knowledge of the lord into the glory of god
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We can look back and step back and look at our lives and say I am what I am by the grace of god God has done it all it's not me, but it's god working in me
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But don't think that you can have just a piece of it and not the whole submission not the whole
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Kneeling and bowing to christ not coming in in and putting our lives In under the authority of the word of god are not desiring to to walk in the will of will of god because there are just thousands in america who profess
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But don't possess They walk they talk but they don't have walk and let's not be numbered among them.
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Let's pray Father for your word. We are so grateful for this great book that you've given to us.
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We pray that it may Come even so more special to us As we consider the work that you've done
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In our lives to choose us to call us your very own To bring us to christ to put your spirit within us
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To grace us and favor us to strengthen us so that we can live for the glory of the lord
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And we can take a test the test like this. We're not perfect in every way and we know that and we confess Before you we ask you to be merciful to us and give us grace so that we may more
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Can be conformed to the image of christ and to walk in the way that pleases you But we're thankful that as we evaluate our lives and see the fruit in it
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We can see that it is the fruit of god the fruit of the spirit It is the fruit of repentance the fruit of righteousness and holiness in our lives
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Which only you bring when you bring salvation to us We're thankful that we don't trust in our works, but we trust in christ
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But that those works follow and they do come and we're glad to see them I'm glad to see the way that you work in our lives
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So, please continue to teach us Continue to be with us as we worship this morning so that we might leave this place
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A better focused and better prepared and equipped to serve the true and the living god