James 2:14-26
Notes
Transcript
James 2:14-26
James 2:14-26
Good morning church! I hope you all had a blessed thanksgiving and took the time to thank the Lord for all that He has given to you. James tells us in the first chapter of this little letter that, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, and he warns us not to be deceived about that. I hope you’ve recognized that pattern in his writing already, how he presents a principle, then gives us examples, but next to every principle, or statement in context you could add, don’t be deceived about this.
James loves the brothers and sisters he is writing to and doesn’t want them to have false assurance, so there is warning after warning to not be deceived, alongside the directions on how to have assurance. We are going to pick up this morning where we left off, in fact with the same verse we ended with. Turn with me to chapter 2, vs. 14. And I’ll read through the passage.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Jas 1:17.Picking up
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 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?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 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.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Let’s pray....
Now I read all that together, so that maybe you could see the point of emphasis that James is making here in our passage this morning. I’ll return you to our title slide...
James 2:14-26
James 2:14-26
Remember, James introduces a principle and then follows that principle up with examples, which we will dig into in a moment. But he challenges his reader here to not deceive themselves, but rather to consider what a true biblical saving faith is…by pointing out that there is a difference between someone that has a saving faith and someone that’s just a sayer. They say they have faith, but there is nothing to back up what they say. Then in verse 17 he says, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Verse 20, “that faith without works is dead.” And finally in verse 26, “faith without works is dead also.”
Remember, James is writing to his beloved, and he doesn’t want any of them fooling themselves, or having a false assurance in something that they don’t really have. Again, we went over this last week, in some detail. James is not saying that the good things we do save us. He’s not saying our works play a role in saving us, so that when our balance sheet is reckoned, there better be more good works than bad works. No,... James is in agreement with Paul, who wrote.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
But,... then James is saying this kind of faith, where it is not of yourself and not in yourself, it will change yourself. It will make you do stuff for Jesus. The stuff that you do doesn’t save you, but it is the evidence that Jesus did save you. So our faith is not in the things we have done, but our faith is in what Jesus did for us.
So again verse 14
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
I want you to consider the word profit here. He uses it here and again in verse 16. See this a good example of why you should be following along in your bibles, because when you hear the word profit in a religious context we automatically assume it is talking about a different kind of prophet. We might think of one who prophecies, a seer or a teller. One who speaks forth the Word of God through the gift of prophecy.
But the word profit in our text, p-r-o-f-i-t is a financial word. When we think of profit in that way we think of money, or a currency of exchange. So how does that tie in here? Let’s take another offering and then I’ll tell you the secret. No, I’m kidding, but in a sense it is talking in regards to bonus, or blessing, or profit that is tied into this idea of currency. But we are talking Kingdom currency, not U.S. currency, and he is attributing that to faith. Not a prosperity doctrine, trust God and He will give you money. The idea here is that everything we need in the kingdom, and everything we receive from God, comes through faith.
James is clear in his writing, when he says things like, “let not that man suppose, and do not be deceived.” That it is very possible for us to believe one thing is true and for it to be a counterfeit. Some of you have worked in banks, or in retail and perhaps have seen a counterfeit bill. As a federal probation officer on more than one occasion I had opportunity to work cases with the secret service as they investigated counterfeit currency. It is a crime, because someone can actually receive a counterfeit, believing it to be something that it isn’t. They think it has value, but they have been completely ripped off.
Since James started this chapter in a corporate setting talking about preference and favoritism when we assemble together. I want to show you a church example of a counterfeit, or believing something that is completely not true. The most obvious would be Judas, but I want to show you another one. Jesus is talking to a church in Revelation chapter 3.
You can turn there in your bibles and look at it with me. Revelation is the last book in your Bibles. Jesus is addressing this church that has a bunch of problems, but what I want you to see this morning, is that their primary problem, was that they were deceived. Or their primary problem was that they didn’t think that they had any problems, they thought they were all good. Consider this as we look at it. Not just a brother or sister that is messed up in their theology. Not just a handful that read a goofy book, or watched a you tube video of a sermon got twisted up in their thinking. Jesus is talking to a church here. I’m sure the people in this church, trusted those leading this church and so Jesus is addressing them and He begins (verse 17), You Say...
17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
So the beginning of the verse is their self assessment, this is how they see themselves. I’m rich, wealthy, and in need of nothing, I’m perfect just the way that I am. Jesus sees things very different. OK, pop quiz class, who is right when we disagree with Jesus? He is 100% of the time. So another way to put this is here is how they see themselves, and then here is the truth, and Jesus says…actually, the truth is, you don’t see…(fill in)...quite a different picture.
So they are deceiving themselves, and Jesus says, you say and you think you need nothing, but that is not the case, but what you are lacking can be found in ME, I want you to buy it from ME. Look at the next verse.
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Jesus says I have gold for your poverty, I have white garments to cover your nakedness, salve for your blindness. You say, or think, or feel that you need nothing, when the truth is you need me, you need to buy from Me, so you can profit from Me. How do we buy stuff from Jesus? Not that we really buy stuff from Jesus, but speaking in terms of profit or receiving, the Kingdom currency James is talking about it faith. Placing our faith fully in Jesus.
Look at this, you don’t have to turn there, but it is a great verse...
1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
Everything we receive from God is by faith. God makes a promise in His Word, and how do we receive that? By faith. By grace we are saved, by what? By faith. I’m going to try to stay on track here, or I’ll never get to the Growth Group questions. But look back at James chapter 1 for just a second, and the 6th verse.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
So we receive from the Lord by faith. But then we get to chapter 2 and James is talking about something that might look real, but isn’t. He’s talking about a counterfeit.
James is saying that there is a faith that might look real, but it isn’t real. It’s not a saving faith. A saving faith produces works, and one that does not is a dead faith, there’s not life in that kind of faith.
So I’ve beat the principle to death, now lets look at the example James gives us in verse 15.
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 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?
What is the profit in that? What is the value, the benefit, or the purchasing power of that currency? If you came into church this morning and you haven’t yet eaten today. Things were a rush this morning, the kids wouldn’t cooperate. Your husband, your wife, maybe even yourself hit snooze too many times, and you had to leave without breakfast. The cafe was closed for service when you got here because you were late.
Maybe that’s you this morning and you’re sitting there thinking, man, I’m hungry. I hope that the Pastor is going to talk about food this morning, so that my belly feels better. No, no, no, better yet. Thanksgiving afternoon, you sit down to celebrate all that you are thankful for and you can’t wait to dig in. Your host then says, you know this year I thought we would begin by talking about our favorite holiday foods, and describe them the best you can so that everyone can enjoy them too. But then no actual food was brought out...
Would you be satisfied, would you be filled? No way, it’s not real! Some of you really are hungry right now, and you are in no way less hungry as I bring turkey sandwiches, and stuffing and gravy, and pumpkin pie to your minds. No one is saying, man I’m glad Brian talked about food this morning so we don’t have to go out to lunch afterwards, that will save us a few bucks. Maybe one or two of you are feeling so stuffed right now from my food talk and are thinking, man, I’m going to have to hit the gym after church, I’m just feeling so bloated. That’s not how it works is it? Just talking about it does nothing for those in need.
James brings us back in verse 17
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James is saying in the same way that just talking about food, does nothing for those that are hungry, just saying you believe, like in verse 14, just saying I have faith, just talking about it, that’s not going to save you. But a saving faith, has works as a result of it. Believing results in doing, results in action, results in a changed life. A life that looks less like you and more like Jesus.
Now as a good pastor, James anticipates objection from the hearer before they even hear it, so he addresses it in verse 18...
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
But, he says....someone will say… you have faith, and I have works. So James is recognizing right off the bat that there are those that see a difference between the two. One will say I have faith, I believe and that’s all I have to do. Someone else will say, well I’m a good person, that does good things, and I think God will recognize that. I treat people well, I’m generous to those in need, I’m all good. You have faith, and I have my works…and James is saying this is not a matter of sides, that’s not how this works, the two are not separated from each other.
You can have a life that is all about good works, and that will not get you to Heaven AND a faith that has no works, no evidence of change will not save you either.
Now I mentioned last week, and again this morning as we began that James and the Apostle Paul are not in contention with each other, they are not in conflict with each other…but yet that is often the argument and the debate. I understand the concern, and perhaps you do to. In fact, I could see it on some of your faces this morning as I read the verses about Abraham and Rehab being justified by their works…I mean come on James, we are saved by grace through what? Faith, so what gives?
I’ll tell you what I think part of the issue is here. We have talked about good biblical hermeneutics. The study of the Scriptures should include things like who wrote it (their perspective, back ground, world view, place in history, culture in which they lived) who are they writing to directly. What else was happening in the world, etc. When we look at the lives of the Apostle Paul and the life of James, they are very different. Paul is way more theological and James gives us the practical, the what does this look like lived out in our lives perspective.
Over the centuries, some theologians have wanted to discard the book of James, but I want you to see that the message James gives us is consistent throughout the New Testament from others. We see it in the ministry of John the Baptist. You can turn to Matthew Chapter 3…and while you’re turning, let me set the scene. This burly guy that the bible kinda describes as some kind of a wild man living out in the wilderness. He dressed with camel’s hair clothes, a big leather belt wrapped around him, he ate locus and wild honey, and he was sent to prepare the way for Jesus.
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ”
SO John was faithful to preach and did so boldly. John had a ministry of repentance. As he grew more and more in popularity, the crowds that would come to hear him also grew. Some of the religious leaders of the day became jealous that some of what they saw as their followers, were now following John. But here is what I want you to see about the ministry of John. He didn’t preach repentance and then give an invitation to come up to the front of the church and meet privately with a prayer counselor.
I’m not knocking that, there is a time, a place and a necessity for those things. But when it came to a saving faith it wasn’t to just say some words, or pray a prayer, it was to come up in front of everyone, get baptized to publically identify yourself as a follower of God, and then live a life that demonstrated that it was all real. That the action you took that day would lead to further action. Look at what he says to the religious leaders that came out to check him out. Verse 7 in that same chapter.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
This sounds a lot like James! Saying you believe, even publically professing you believe through the ordinance of baptism, that act isn’t what saves you, but a saving faith that results in a changed life, that produces or bears fruit worthy of repentance, that is a saving faith.
Let’s look at what Paul says about works…in Titus chapter one he writes this, setting the context, Paul is talking about the work of Elders in the church. When the elders see people like he is talking about they are to rebuke them sharply, that they might become sound in their faith. Paul says there is a group of people that, lets look at it...
16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
This is not an isolated thought from Paul. In fact, let’s look again at that passage we started in Eph 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
And if we keep going and allow Paul complete the thought, this is why we never want to read a verse in isolation, but have to consider it in the context that it is written in. Paul continues in verse 10 and says this...
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We are new creations in Jesus, and as new creations in Christ we are made that way for good works, that we should walk in them, not talk of them alone. God saved us. Our lives belong to Him, and they should be lives of action, lives that are so changed that our love compels us to walk in the works He has for us.
So we’ve got James, we’ve got John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, now John the Apostle on the same topic, not mixing words at all…let’s look at it.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
John says, if you are a sayer. If you say you love God, if you say you believe in God, if you say you know Him even indicating a relationship, but you don’t do the things He says to do, then you’re lying. James would say deceiving yourself, because you probably aren’t fooling anyone else around you.
These guys are all in great company. Let’s hear what Jesus says…it’s in Matthew chapter 7, and He flat out bottom lines the issue for us…lets pick it up in verse 17...
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Pay attention to verse 20
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
What you see is what you get. If you’re not seeing anything, there is nothing to be seen. One more verse, look what Jesus says next,
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
A little further down in the chapter, and after this we will go back to James, but look at it with me starting in verse 24...
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Doers, not sayers, but the sayers that do, they have a true saving faith.
A question for each of us to consider. If the faith that we have hasn’t been strong enough to change our life here on earth, why would we think that faith would do anything to change our eternity? James would say my beloved brethren, hear and understand that a dead faith, will not save your life, not your eternal life.
On more than a few occasions during the ministry of Jesus, He had life changing encounters with people. I think of the woman caught in the act of adultery, or when He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. In both of those occasions Jesus said to them, go and sin no more. We need to understand Christian, that when we have a real life changing encounter with Jesus, and its more than just words, it’s not OK for life to go on as usual. Real repentance brings a change in direction, a changed life. Don’t say that you know Me and not live like you do.
So what do we make of a life that shows no change? Before we go back to James, lets dig in a little deeper to that church that thought they were all good and see what Jesus said about them. Do you guys remember what He called the church of Laodicea?
15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Question. If you go into the cafe after church. And like any reasonable person would, you first greet the cafe server, tell them how much you appreciate them and then you politely request a coffee with hazelnut and cream, what are they going to ask you? Probably if you got saved or something because you’re being nice. No, what are they going to ask you? Would you like that hot or cold?
We like our coffee one way or the other right. I know if my wife orders a hot drink, and they have been keeping the creamer in the deep freezer, or put so much in that when she sips it, it is lukewarm, what happens? I shouldn’t say, but you know it’s something bad right? Or you order an ice coffee and the wonderful, sometimes under appreciated worker in the cafe, grabs the hot coffee pot, fills a cup up about 3/4 of the way and then drops in a few ice cubes and it results in it no longer being hot, but in no way could it be called cold either, it’s just blah.
For us to give you hot coffee or for us to give you cold coffee, both of those options require an expenditure of electricity, an expense of power. Right? To make it cold, we refrigerate it. We add ice that we get from our electric ice maker. If you want it hot, we brew it in a commercial coffee maker that we set the exact temperature to make it just right.
What do we have to do to make it lukewarm? Nothing at all. No energy, no power. We would do nothing. Just give you last weeks left overs. Put in a bucket on the counter, and ladle it out into a cup. You know, of all the sins that we see in the bible it is this one, doing nothing, being lukewarm. It’s the only one we see Jesus say that it makes Me sick, makes Me want to puke.
What do you and I have to do to become lukewarm? Nothing, and that’s the problem. Consider the church Jesus spoke to. What was His instruction to them? Repent! Now again, reading into it some, it’s not in the text. But how do you imagine a church that didn’t think that had a problem might respond to Jesus telling them to repent? Repent? You want me to repent? I didn’t do anything! Not seeing, not knowing that that is exactly the problem!
All of this is not to condemn, but as Jesus instructs if this is you, then just repent, change direction and go for it.
Quickly, lets look at the examples James gives us here of Abraham and Rehab. We’ve talked a lot about faith without works being a dead faith, so what should a living faith look like practically in our lives? Verses 19-20 we kinda hit last week, but quickly...
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
Verse 21 the example of Abraham.
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 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.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Interesting passage from James here, see the quote in verse 23 about Abraham believing God and it being accounted to him for righteousness, if you look at the reference in your bibles, that comes from Genesis chapter 15, which was years and years before the example James gives us about his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac on an alter. That doesn’t happen until Genesis chapter 22. I just want to look at one verse there, because I think it reveals why James is giving us this example for practical application in our own lives.
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
The love of his life, and God is saying I need to be above all that you love.
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Abraham put God as number 1 in his life and everything else was less than.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
We talked about Rahab in Hebrews how Joshua sent the spy's in to check out Jericho and Rahab received them into her home, risking her own life. She believed, she had faith. She said to them, I know that the Lord has given you the land. We heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea to save you as you came out of Egypt. This is from Joshua chapter 2. Then she says, the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
So Rahab believed and she had works. She hid the spy’s in her home. So James tells us practical application...Abraham chose God above all others. He loved God above his other loves. Rehab's work and the practical application for us was her choosing the company of God’s people over her own to show her devotion to God. Love God, love people…that’s what my coffee cup said this morning....
25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
So Rahab said and by her actions proved...I am a follower of God and I am going to identify with His people. Last verse...
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Grace and Peace