Sermon Tone Analysis
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Setting the Sails
When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it was in a sailing vessel.
Very close to the shore of cannibal islands the ship stalled because the wind stopped blowing.
It was slowly drifting shoreward unable to go about and the native cannibal’s were eagerly anticipating, well dinner I guess.
The captain came to Mr. Taylor and besought him to pray for the help of God.
“I will,” said Taylor, “provided you set your sails to catch the breeze.”
The captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by unfurling in a dead calm.
Taylor said, “I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails.”
And it was done.
The ship was helplessly floating toward a beach with cannibals waiting for them to shipwreck.
The situation was dire.
The Captain was so afraid he solicited divine help.
“Hudson, will you pray for us?” “Yes.”
Hudson replied.
“But only if you set your sails.”
In calm seas?
With no wind?
My men will laugh at me.
They will see me as a fool.” said the captain.
Why did Hudson make the captain set his sails before he would pray, while the sea was calm?
In my estimation, he wanted to see the Captain’s faith.
How would Hudson know of the Captain believed God would deliver them?
The Captain would have to demonstrate his faith by hoisting up the sails, even as the seas were calm.
Hudson understood that true living faith always reveals itself with good works of faith.
Charles Spurgeon, a contemporary of Taylor, described the relationship between faith and works as the something “bound up in the same bundle” and “a blessed relationship.”
Spurgeon says,
“Faith and obedience are bound up in the same bundle.
He that obeys God, trusts God, and he that trusts God, obeys God.
He that is without faith is without works; and he that is without works is without faith.
Do not oppose faith and good works to one another, for there is a blessed relationship between them; and if you abound in obedience your faith shall grow exceedingly.”
Charles Spurgeon
Spurgeon and Taylor capture the point of James’ argument in James 2:14-26.
Living faith will reveal itself through obedient works of love for God and neighbor.
Last week, we thought long and hard on James’ warning about deceptive faith.
We asked the question, “What good is your faith if it sends you to hell?” What kind of faith sends you to hell?
Deceptive faith!
Deceptive faith is the kind of faith that hears the word, but does not remember it by doing the word.
It is the kind of faith that believes it has true religion but fails to express love toward orphans and widows.
Deceptive faith makes evil distinctions between the rich and the poor.
In short, deceptive faith is nominal Christianity, that is, Christian in name only.
One of the major themes James is addressing in his letter is nominal Christianity.
Nominal Christianity believes that you can walk down and isle and say a prayer, and then live like a pagan for the rest of your life, believing you and God are just fine.
Jesus makes it clear that at his judgment he will separate the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-42).
The only ones who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who “do the will of his father.”
New Testament theologian Patrick Schreiner makes James’s point as well when he says,
“Though some claim to have faith, faith is revealed by a person’s works.
Works are the tangible expression of faith.
They are the clothes on top of the flesh of faith.
Mere intellectual assent to God is inadequate.
Even the demons believe.
What matters is the combination of faith and works.”
Patrick Schreiner
James moves his argument forward by using an imaginary antagonist who brings a rebuttal question.
The person rebutting James seems to believe you can have faith apart from works.
The argument goes, “As long as I profess faith, I’m fine.
It doesn not matter if I have works.
I mean, Paul says we are saved by grave though faith, right?
Its not works that save you, right?
So as long as I profess faith I am fine.”
James takes issue with this kind of faith.
Faith, true living faith, can only be seen by your works.
That is what James means when he says, “I will show you my faith by my works.
Jame is not at odds with Paul’s view of salvation.
Both men believe you are saved by grace through faith.
And both men hold that faith will expresses itself in works.
Paul, for example, right after he says you are saved through faith, also says,
James and Paul were addressing two different situations.
Paul was addressing legalism.
There were Jews are who were saying one is not truly justified with God unless that add works to their faith.
James was addressing the other extreme of Christian nominalism-no works are necessary.
Just faith.
In James’ eyes, that is nominal faith-faith in name only.
According to James, nominal faith is no different than demonic faith.
Demons have faith.
They believe God exists and they have really good theology.
They believe God is one, which is like confessing the shema (Deut 6:4).
Demons recognized that Jesus was the Son of God.
It was the demons that said,
The demons even shudder, that is they are fearful of Jesus.
In one episode, Jesus confronts a legion of demons in a man,
Take a second to ask yourself a question.
What is the difference between your faith and faith of the demons?
The demons recognized Jesus as the Son of God and that he has the power to send them to hell.
Their theology is better than most church goers in the Western Church, and yet James says their belief in God is not sufficient to save them.
They do not have the good works of love for God and neighbor.
They do not submit to the will of God with joy and gladness.
To the person who has mere belief in God, like the demons, James says you are foolish and your faith is useless (James 2:20).
A useless faith should cause one to shudder.
Douglas Moo insightfully notes,
“[If] Demons, knowing something of the true God yet lacking true faith, shudder in fear of judgment, [then] so also ought people whose verbal profession is not followed up with actions.”
Douglas Moo
James offers his readers two examples of living.
One is a patriarch and the other is a prostitute.
The Living Faith of a Patriarch (James 2:21-23)
James is reaching back to Genesis 22 for his example of living faith.
We know he speaking of living faith because he drops the word “justified”in verse 21.
He is speaking of genuine living faith, and James connects Abrahams works to his justification-being made right with God.
What were his works?
I remember having a conversation with a young student at Boyce College.
His home church gave him the opportunity to preach one Sunday, and so he chose this text.
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