Sermon Tone Analysis
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Order
In Christ Alone
All I Have Is Christ
O Lord My Rock and My Redeemer
Announcements
Combined Service
Parent Meeting
Pancake Fundraiser
Discussion Questions
What are some ways to tell if someone has a genuine faith?
Try to think of at least one specific example.
Do you personally find it difficult to apply what you’ve learned from church to your life?
If so, then what makes it difficult?
Explain your answer for #2.
Introduction
Turn to
Turn to
Two weeks ago, I have spoken about faith that is dead.
I mentioned that dead faith is only a verbal claim.
It is the kind of faith where someone simply professes to believe, but does not live out what he/she believes.
Because this kind of faith does not lead to action, works and obedience, it cannot save you.
Just because you claim to believe in God does not always guarantee that you’re truly saved because demons also believe in God, but they are in rebellion against God and refused to obey Him.
Faith without works is workless.
In other words, faith without works does not work.
It is inactive.
It is dead and useless.
If you truly have faith in Jesus, then your life should demonstrate that you truly follow Him because true and living faith always results in wholehearted commitment and obedience to Jesus as Lord and King.
True faith would always lead towards being a hearer and doer of the word.
Genuine faith calls us to show compassion and mercy towards the helpless.
Living faith guides us and empowers us to live a holy and godly lives.
Big Idea: Living Faith Results In Works; Dead Faith Does Not.
Big Idea: Living Faith Results In Works; Dead Faith Does Not.
Today, we will explore the meaning of living faith.
If we are to live out our Christian lives, then we need a kind of faith that works and is alive.
READ and we will focus on verses 21-26.
James introduces us to two characters from the Old Testament as examples of people who demonstrate living faith by their works: Abraham and Rahab.
Perhaps some of you may not be familiar with those two, but I hope that this lesson would encourage and inspire you to read the Bible and learn who they are.
Abraham was introduced back in .
Abraham is one of most famous and important characters in the Bible.
Abraham is known to be the father or ancestor of the Jews.
God called him out of his own country and go into the land that Abraham doesn’t know.
And God made many promises to Abraham, but one of the important promises was that Abraham would have a descendant, a son.
And through Isaac, Abraham would have many descendants who would come after him.
Abraham and his wife Sarah were very old and they did not have children.
When God promised Abraham that he would have a son through Sarah, he thought that was a crazy idea because they were already too old to have children!
Nonetheless, God promised Abraham that he would have a son, and Abraham had faith and believed in God.
Abraham was not a perfect man, and he has made sinful decisions.
Nonetheless, he walked by faith and trusted in God’s promise.
In my Tuesday evening Bible study, I have been leading a study on the life of Abraham, and it has been richly rewarding.
So, Abraham received a son through Sarah, and his name was Isaac.
After around 30-33 years of having Isaac, God told Abraham to do something radical, and that is to sacrifice Isaac to God.
You would have to read on your own if you want to understand the story more deeply.
In summary, Abraham would have to give up something that is deeply precious to him for the sake of obeying God.
So, Abraham showed his willingness to obey God and to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
But, just before Abraham slaughters Isaac, the angel of the LORD, God Himself, stops Abraham.
This would have been something that
Therefore, James picks this particular example of Abraham’s life to demonstrate what living faith looks like.
Take a look at verse 21-24
1. Living Faith is obeying God completely no matter the cost.
I want to draw your attention to verse 21 and 24 and specifically the way James uses the phrase “justified by works and not by faith alone.”
Living Faith is learning to
That phrase has stirred up a lot of controversy regarding how a person is saved.
Martin Luther - from the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s - had issues with the letter of James because of that phrase.
When you read , Paul says:
Paul says that we are justified by faith and not by works of the law while James says that we are justified by works and not by faith alone.
So, who’s correct here?
Is Paul correct?
Is James correct?
If they are both true, then isn’t that a contradiction?
The first thing we need to address is the definition:
Justified - For Paul, justified means being declared guiltless and righteous before God by faith in Christ.
For James, justified means proving yourself to be righteous by obedience.
Second, since James wrote the letter earlier than Paul, his definition and meaning for justified would be different than Paul’s.
James and Paul are not contradicting each other; rather, they have a different definition.
Remember, James is not teaching that works saves a person.
He already mentioned back in that it is the God’s will to cause us to be born again by the word of truth:
James point in this passage that we are studying is this:
2. Living Faith Proves That We Already Have Salvation
2. Living Faith Proves That We Already Have Salvation
If you are genuinely a follower of Jesus, then you will demonstrate your faith by your actions.
Jesus makes this point clear in
Look at verse 22. Abraham did not simply have faith by verbal statement.
His faith went much further than that.
James explains that Abraham’s faith in God is the active force for his obedience and works.
NOT: Faith + Works = Salvation
THIS: Faith = Salvation + Works
Look at verse 22. Abraham did not have faith by verbal statement.
His faith went much further than that.
James explains that Abraham’s faith is the active force for his obedience and works.
His faith went much further than that.
James explains that Abraham’s faith is the active force for his obedience and works.
Just before Abraham sacrificed Isaac, he told the young men who followed them:
Abraham and Isaac would go to the mountain to worship God - which includes sacrificing Isaac, AND both of them will come back to the young men together.
What’s the motivator of Abraham’s obedience to God?
It is his faith in God’s character.
God made promises to Abraham, and he believed that God will never break His promises.
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In other words, even though Abraham will sacrifice Isaac, he trusted and believed that God will ultimately fulfill His promises that Abraham’s descendants will be many.
Even though Abraham will sacrifice Isaac, he trusted and believed that God will ultimately fulfill His promises that Abraham’s descendants will be many.
Back to : “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.”
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