August 30-31, 2003     LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT!    James 2:14-26

FAITH THAT WORKS!

*** Proverbs 26:4 “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.” [New International Version]

*** Pr 26:5 “Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”

*** Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” [NIV]

*** James 2:24 “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” [NIV]

Þ PAUL IS WRITING TO PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THEY COULD EARN HEAVEN BY DOING GOOD WORKS AND FAITH WAS UNNECESSARY!

Þ JAMES IS WRITING TO PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THEY HAD EARNED HEAVEN BY FAITH AND DOING GOOD WORKS WAS UNNECESSARY!

*** Ephes. 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” [NIV]

A FAITH THAT WORKS IS…

1. NOT A DEAD FAITH!

*** James 2:14-18 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” [NIV]

Þ James’ formula: FAITH + NOTHING = NOTHING!

*** James 2:17 “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” [NIV]

*** James 2:20 “…faith without deeds is useless?” [NIV]

*** James 2:26 “…faith without deeds is dead.” [NIV]

Þ FAITH EVALUATION: MY FAITH-WORK NEEDS: £ CPR; £ Life Support;

£ Vitamins; £ Exercise; £ A Clean Bill of Health?

2. NOT A DEMONIC FAITH!

*** James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.” [NIV]

Þ A DEMONIC FAITH IS A PURELY INTELLECTUAL FAITH!

ÞA DEMONIC FAITH MAY EVEN BE AN EMOTIONAL FAITH!

ÞA DEMONIC FAITH IS AN UN-SURRENDERED FAITH!

*** Titus 1:16 “Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live.” [New Living Translation]

***. Titus 3:8 “This is a trustworthy saying…those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.” [NIV]

Þ FAITH EVALUATION: MY FAITH-WORK WOULD: £ Mere Intellectual Assent;

£ Makes me Shake but not Surrender; £ Leave the Demons in the Dust!

3. A DYNAMIC FAITH!

*** James 2:20-24 “You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” [NIV]

*** Hebrews 11:17-19 “It was by faith that Abraham, when God tested him, offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. God made the promises to Abraham, but Abraham was ready to offer his own son as a sacrifice. God had said, "The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac." Abraham believed that God could raise the dead, and really, it was as if Abraham got Isaac back from death.” [New Century Version]

Þ A SAVING FAITH IS A FAITH THAT WORKS!

*** James 2:25 “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?”[NIV]

*** Hebrews 11:31 “It was by faith that Rahab, the prostitute, welcomed the spies and was not killed with those who refused to obey God.” [NCV]

Þ FIVE WAYS DYNAMIC FAITH IS DISPLAYED:

A. BY CARING FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHERS!

*** John 13:35 “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." [The Message]

B. BY OBEYING EVEN WHEN WE DON’T UNDERSTAND!

*** Hebrews 11:1 “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.” [NCV]

C. BY RECOGNIZING GOD IS THE OWNER AND WE ARE THE MANAGERS!

*** Hebrews 11:6 “So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith.” [NLT]

D. BY BEING WILLING TO STAND ALONE FOR GOD!

*** Acts 5:41-42 “The apostles left the meeting full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. Every day…they continued teaching the people and telling the Good News…!” [NCV]

E. BY LIVING THE ABUNDANT LIFE!

*** James 2:26 “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” [NIV]

*** John 10:10 "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” [NASB]

Þ IF YOU’RE A CHRISTIAN AND YOU KNOW IT

THEN YOUR LIFE WILL SURELY SHOW IT!