Sermon Tone Analysis

Outline

Real Faith results in Real Works

There is a difference between Belief and Faith

Faith without Works is Dead

NOT You Must Work to become Saved

OR

Dead Faith

Demon Faith (v19 - sarcasm)

Useless Faith

I even memorized it in Greek

James was speaking to believers.

Perhaps it wasn’t so much questioning their salvation as exhorting them to walk it out, work it out.

Our story

Talk is cheap

Sports, UFC, and the Holy Spirit

Dead Faith, Living Faith

Who is my neighbour?

Response

What if I can’t see any works that I’ve done?

Am I saved?

Salvation by faith, not by works

How can I walk the walk?

Response

The Challenge

Encouragement / Shine

Conclusion & Response

1. Talk is Cheap

“I even memorized it in Greek!”

I have 3 daughters, Sierra, Cassia, and Destiny.

Let’s pretend I’m having a conversation with my eldest, Sierra, right now.

“Sierra, Go, and put away all the toys in your room.”

30 minutes later..

“Okay Papa, I heard what you said.”

“Sierra, Go, and put away all the toys in your room.”

Another 30 minutes later...

“Okay Papa, I heard what you said AND I memorized it.”

“Sierra, you’re not hearing me.

Go, and put away all the toys in your room!”

A couple of hours later...

“Papa, I got it this time.

I spent A LOT of time thinking about it.

I really looked at the room and all the toys.

I know what are toys and what are not.

I’ve considered what it means to really put them away.

And I understand what it means to GO.

I wrote down a plan for how to put them away.

I memorized WORD FOR WORD what you said.

I even memorized it in Greek!

What do you want me to do next?”

That’s ridiculous right?

You’ve thought about it, you’ve studied it, you’ve memorized, now what’s next?

Seriously?

But when our Heavenly Father tells it to you and to me it becomes a tragic story.

For God spoke through James saying:

Now that’s a funny story when I tell it, right?!

But when our Heavenly Father tells it to you and to me it becomes a tragic story.

For God spoke through James saying:

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

Can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

(, ESV)

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

Can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

(, ESV)

Wow.

The believers were having a rough time of it - remember this was written to the diaspora, the scattered Jewish believers.

Rome was trying to stamp out the Christian faith which they saw as a growing cult.

But God didn’t tell them “During these days it will be well if you can just hold on to your profession of faith”.

He calls that dead faith.

It is no real faith at all.

"I even memorized it in Greek!”

To the persecuted and hiding believers He told them to care for the needy.

To put their faith in action.

Wow.

What does it look like to put our faith into action?

Jesus said it like this in the Gospel according to Matthew:

Wow.

And yet for many of us in the church that’s exactly the case.

We’ve read the truth.

We’ve studied the truth.

We’ve heard countless sermons on the truth.

We’ve spent our cell time discussing the truth.

And then we’re ready to move on to the next thing.

Without ever having practiced the truth.

Is that right?

How can that possibly be true about us?

And yet it seems to be true!

““When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’