James 2:14-26

Saving Faith

Prayer: God of my salvation, let my faith be put into actions. Please help me to obey you, to fear you and to have peace and freedom as i preach. ring clarity to confused believers, bring conviction to unrepentant sinners and may your name and your word be lift high above everything else.

MPT: The faith that saves is the faith that works

Intro: Tension

p1 Faith w/o works is dead

p2 Faith without works is demonic

p3 Faith without works is detached

The faith that saves is the faith that works

A faith without works is a faith that doesn’t work to save

P1: Faith without works is dead (14-17)

[READ v14]

-Faith that works, not faith or works

-Not dividing the coin in half, showing the other side of the same coin.

We do believe we are saved by faith, and so does James.

-But what kind of faith saves?

Faith that results in faithfulness, obedience, love.

Jesus and the Lawyer: How can I be legally justified?

Jesus responds with another questions, “What does the word of God say?”

Then Jesus responds with an illustration. A picture.

The faith that saves is the faith that results in good fruit.

-What kind of faith does God hate?

-[READ v15-17]

-God hates dead faith, useless faith, hypocrisy, lip service, lukewarm faith

Sheep and goats- Matthew 25:32-46

Faith that serves, faith that feeds, faith that clothes, faith that repents, faith that takes action.

-Vertical love, horizontal love

-“If someone says”/”If someone claims”

-claims.

-thats all it is, a claim.

Faith without works is a dead faith. Dead faith does not save. Dead faith is useless.

Pastor, where do i start? How can I exercise my faith as a sheep not a goat?

ABC’s:

Ask- Literally ask God. AS KB says, “I dare you”

Benevolence

Budget

Community

Dead faith does not justify, Dead faith does not save. Dead faith only offends.

And dead faith is demonic.

P2: Faith without works is demonic

[READ 18-19]

“but but but…. I have faith/ I believe in God/ I know about theology

The angels

Shudder

-At least they shudder

P3: Faith without works is detached

[READ 20-26]

How are God’s saints saved? By a faith that works, acts, responds

Repentance, etc