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Bro. Otis Fisher
I'd like for you to open your Bibles to the book of James, to the 2nd chapter, and the 14th verse, please. I'd like to go back and read verse 12 one more time. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
In other words, that which you speak must fit that which you do, and that which you do must fit that which you are. In 14, now, he begins to talk more seriously about faith. He said, what does it profit?
What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith and have not works? Can faith save him? Well, Greg, I thought we were saved through faith. But it's not the faith that saves us. I have found that man is free to say anything he wants to.
He's free to think anything he wants to. I would like for you to tell me just how sovereign God is.
Trudy, that wouldn't leave out much, would it?
Well, go to Proverbs 20, 24, please. Charles, would you read that to me? We think we can understand our way because we dreamed it up. But that's not what the Bible says. Now, go back to Proverbs 16, 9.
Bill, read that to me. Greg, what's that mean? Go to Proverbs 16, 33. David, read that. Can you explain that verse to us?
It just struck him. The events in your life are out of the Lord. And it's like every event in your life, the Lord is holding an apron up. And within that apron, he is there. And that's how powerful and how strong he is in our lives.
That's pretty good.
The lot is cast. The lot means the destiny of man. Each one of us has so many hours to live, so many steps to take, so many years to be here. Our lot in life, the lot is cast. Now, you have seen castings that has been poured into a mold.
You've also cast a lure out from a fly rod or something. It means to put in motion. This means that the destiny of everybody is set in motion and it's fixed, permanent. It's cast into the lap that Brother David was talking about, into the apron.
Only my mother picked up eggs, usually, instead of toys. And the only difference here between this picture and the one of Mother and her apron was that this one is closed. The apron has been pulled up tight, shut.
No one can get to whatever's inside. But that that is inside is the destiny of everybody. And it's fixed. And the disposing of all of it is of the Lord. So we're free to say and to think whatever we want.
But, Kay, when it comes to the doing, the animated part, that is holy of God. Now, we are supposed to make plans. We're supposed to set goals, try to achieve them. We're supposed to take the first step, second step, continue on the way.
But what we must always do is realize that all of it is at the disposal of the Lord. And if it changes from what I have perceived it to be, don't be upset. Because it's He that's changing it. So lots of times we lay plans and they don't turn out like we think they should.
Or like we think they ought to. We just know they turn out exactly as they're supposed to. To have faith and to say you have faith is two different things. We find in Paul's writings that he was writing about saving faith.
James is writing about possessing faith. Paul talked about the works of the law. James talks about the works of faith. Paul taught about the root of faith. James teaches about the fruit of faith. Saving faith is alive.
Professing faith is dead. What is the difference between these three? No faith, dead faith, and live faith. Joy, what would no faith be? You can't use the word. Okay. So no faith, dead faith. Greg, what would dead faith be?
Well, then, Diane, tell us what is live faith? All right. It works. And you know it works. No faith is a person that has never thought about being saved whatsoever. Dead faith is a person that claims to be saved but is not.
He acts like and talks like that he has the faith. Live faith is a practicing saved child of God. What is the one best and the one worst of these three? What is the best? Live faith. That was easy. Dead faith?
The worst one is dead faith. Takes a while for it to get up here. Can you fool most people? Could you fool everybody? Is it possible to fool everybody but God? Sure you can. You cannot fool God. That's right.
So don't worry about other people. How can you know that you have living faith? How can you know this? Charlie? Well, that's pretty good. What was that last statement? How do you know that you are a child of your parents?
They what? They tell you so. They could lie to you. You resemble them? Well, what? It doesn't prove a thing. My birth certificate was made up. They had no record of my birth so I'm not here. Now, I'm going to go through a list of things about the relationship between us and our parents.
And I want you to fill in if it coincides with our relationship with the Lord. Our parents planned for us before we were born. Would that? They have given us their name. Now, you're working on the side of the Lord.
We resemble them. Do we resemble the Lord? I don't think he's bold-headed. Our parents loved us before we knew that we loved them. Would that fit? Our parents guide us as we grow. Our parents lived an exemplary life for us.
Did our Lord? Our parents, even maybe they're not with us any longer, they are still influencing our life. The Lord's not here on earth anymore, but he still influences it, doesn't he? Our parents provided for us an inheritance.
Someday we'll be in the presence of our parents. Doesn't mean we'll look at them like our parents, but we'll certainly be in their presence. Someday we'll be in the presence of our Heavenly Father. There is no way, and it goes back to what Charlie said in the very beginning, you just know you are.
There is no written document that can be, well, that can be one for the law and that is effective, but in all reality there is nothing that proves other than DNA now that proves that you are a child of your parents.
There is nothing visible or tangible that proves you're a child of God. Charlotte, you just know you are. Now we come to a little different aspect. Fifteen, if a brother or sister be naked, destitute of daily food, they're short on food, on clothes, on housing, everything, and one of you saying to them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body, what does it profit?
Did you ever know anybody like that? That could have helped and didn't? Or that needed help and didn't get it? Well, all things that come to you, and all things have, you have nothing but what has been given to you.
Greg, everything, everything that comes to you comes for you to act upon. It does not come to you to ignore. You must take some kind of action, either rejecting it or receiving it or studying it or whatever.
Nothing is for us to ignore and keep just for ourself. It is only by sharing that we can preserve. The thought came to me here that I have been under several different preachers in my life, not a whole lot, but there's been one or two of them that always spent their time condemning the folks, constantly telling them they were sinning because they didn't go out and get people to come to church.
They're dying and going to hell unless we can get them in here. They themselves were doing what was wrong, but not according to their interpretation. The church members need to be taught the truth, and I'm so thankful that he's put my wife and I in a church that does that.
We need to be taught how to apply these truths to our daily life. 17, even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. So faith cannot operate by itself. A man may say thou hast faith, and I have works.
Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Which one of these two would you be more apt to believe? A person that says I can tell you exactly what time it is, but he has no watch.
Another one says I can tell you exactly what time it is, and I have a watch. Which of the two would be the most believable? The second one. So it is with faith. Faith without works is no faith at all.
The works speak for themselves. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou doest well the devils or demons believe and tremble. Now, David, if the demons believe, then why are they not saved? All right.
Trudy, why do the demons tremble? Just had a thought there. If they know that, then there's lots and lots of people on earth that don't know that. And they're just as lost.
Can faith die? Bill, can you lose your faith?
If it dies, where does it go, David? So you say you cannot lose the gift of faith. That's right. Absolutely. Twenty, but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead faith. In fact, it's no faith.
Vain. Greg, what's vain mean to you? Could it mean too high of an opinion of oneself? Could it mean conceited, smug, egotistical, prideful, big-headed? But I'm not through. Does it mean cocksure and cocky, boastful?
That's a voice intended to study that more than I never have. Have you, David? No. That's fine. David can expound upon it.
All right. Continued next week.
Then he goes into asking a question. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Did Abraham offer his son on the altar? But did he offer his son on the altar?
Did Abraham offer his son on the altar? What did Diane say? All right. As far as Abraham was concerned, he offered his son. And it was the same as killing him, only the Lord did not permit it. Now, the Lord said something to the effect, now I know that you have faith.
So, did Abraham's action inform God? What did he mean then? Why did he say that? Right. Absolutely. He said it for Abraham's benefit first and for ours. When he asked Peter, do you love me? Three times.
Was he trying to find out if Peter loved him? If he already knew, why was he repeatedly asking? What about Peter? Peter needed to hear Peter say it. You know, there's lots of difference between reading and mentally speaking to yourself and saying it out loud.
Lots and lots of times he wants us to say it out loud. Because it carries more weight when we hear ourselves speak it. 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, Abraham? And by works was faith made perfect.
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God. And it was imputed unto him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. So the scripture was fulfilled which Abraham, it said Abraham believed God.
And it was imputed unto him for righteousness. What does the it stand for? Faith. Not his belief. His faith. Greg, what's imputed mean?
Alright, you left out one term. What did he leave out, David? You didn't even hear him, did you? Responsibility. He said he replied to responsibility. But I didn't hear the word. I didn't hear the word.
I need for Greg to hear the word. Then I know he knows. James 2 .24. You see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. How are we justified before the Heavenly Father? By faith.
How are we justified before our fellow man? Why not be justified before our fellow man by faith? Can't see it. Why cannot we be justified before the Heavenly Father by works? He doesn't see our works.
That's right. But it is on the inside that he looks. He knows the heart. He knows you better than you do. Or better than your wife or husband does. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works?
When she had received the messengers and had sent them out of the way. Why is it that you cannot plan or schedule righteous work? Alright. You don't know when it's coming. It would be of the flesh. But.
Alright. That's right. Neither can you do his work and claim it for yourself. Well the big reason that we cannot schedule righteous work is simply this. The immediate future is not known to us. How do you know what's going to happen five minutes from now?
You think you're all going to be on your way home. But you may not. So only God knows. And with him it's all past history. The last verse. For as the body without the spirit is dead. And that's pretty self explanatory.
So faith without works is dead also. A rose bush without a root is what? Is what? It's a dead rose. Any words of wisdom from anybody? Well any other kind of words from anybody? Well let's stand and we'll be dismissed.
Greg would you dismiss us today please?