Wisdom for Living by Faith

Introduction

Useless things in our home:Cuckoo clock - Sentimental value but serves no purpose. We have a broken clock on our wall!

You have useless stuff too. Some has sentimental value - China, etc., but serves no practical purpose.

Useless faith - Sentimental - Christianity gives you warm fuzzies - You remember growing up going to church and going to Grandma’s for lunch or going to VBS, etc. But your faith is a sentimental faith - not a useful faith and a useless faith will send you to an eternity apart from Christ.

Challenging passage! James - God’s Word is a mirror - and we need to look in the mirror - You need to know if your faith is useless so you can once and for all turn to Christ.

Hopefully, for many of us, we’ll discover that our faith is useful. This passage is an encouragement! Praise God for His work!

Three challenges from this passage:

Awaken from a Dead Faith

Imagine - As James writes - little bit of anger as he considers the favoritism and discrimination taking place among believers. This is not evidence of active, living faith. It’s evidence of useless faith! 3xs warns that faith can be dead/useless - vs. 17, 20, 26.

Startling reality: Dead or useless faith cannot save you. James’ point: A profession of faith does not mean you possess saving faith.

A dead faith is characterized by an empty confession. Intellectual agreement to facts about Jesus without heart transformation.

E.g., intellectually, you agree that Abe Lincoln was the 16th Pres. of US, but you do not know Him. Similarly, intellectually you agree with the truth of Christianity, but you do not know Jesus.

You have faith/belief, but your faith is a dead faith.

You might ask, “How is my faith dead? After all, I do lots of things other Christians do.” You can do many things that seem Christian but don’t require genuine faith in Christ at all:

Regularly attend church.

In Bible belt, many of us grew up in church, taught to fear God, give money to the church,

Believe the right things.

Give.

Serve on a ministry team.

Live a moral life.

Stay married.

Avoid the “big” sins: drunkenness, drug addiction, sexual promiscuity, etc.

Beware of a “Bible-belt” Christianity - to think you are a follower of Jesus simply because you grew up around the things of God. Beware if all you can say when someone ask you about how you came to Christ: “I grew up in church and was baptized.” It’s as if James is writing these words specifically to churches in the Southern United States - states that are saturated with churches and people who affiliate with churches but very few people who actually live out their faith.

Could be that you really like God, and you like the church a lot - but you don’t love Him. You are not devoted to Him or His mission.

A dead faith is characterized by a lack of compassion.

How do you know you if you have a dead faith - look at your heart towards people.

You see needs and acknowledge them, but you do nothing about them. Perhaps James is thinking about that poor person who walks into a worship service and is shunned. ()

- Love of God does not abide in you if you see your brother in need and close your heart to Him. Gospel makes us people of compassion. Real faith is not indifferent. It’s involved in the lives of others.

Challenge: you have to look inward. Is your faith dead? Is it an empty confession characterized by a lack of compassion?

https://www.livescience.com/65333-human-composting.html - You are more valuable to God than a pile of dirt - so valuable that He gave His Son for you to give you life beyond this life. You cheapen the work of Christ when you profess faith but do not possess faith.

Beware of a Demonic Faith

Vs. 18 - James assumes objections to what he’s saying. “Come on James. We’re all different. Some of us are ‘faith’ people. Some of us are ‘deeds’ people.” I’m a deeds person - I just like to do things for God. I don’t have time to read my Bible, pray, think about deep things. That’s for the faith people. “I’m a faith person. I just like to read theology books. I’ll leave the “doing” to other people. Or, my faith is private. How I choose to express my faith is my business. Come on James - We’re different.” (My grandfather’s pastor.)

Real faith is evidenced in real works! James - I’ll show you real faith - it’s real belief - theologically informed - and it’s real action based on what you believe.

Back to belief: You believe God is One - Shema - Distinguishing characteristic of Judaism and Christianity - one God!

So what? Even demons believe - and shudder!

Demons believe in the deity of Christ. () “And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’”

Demons believe eternal judgment is coming for them. () “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

Demons believe they just don’t care!

Demonic faith - not simply an empty confession or lack of compassion - but a lack of care about the condition of your soul. How much time do you spend thinking about the condition of your soul? Demonic faith =

No conviction - You sin but you don’t feel the weight of your sin and how it has offended God.

No sensitivity to the Spirit - You’re not asking the question, “What does God want from my life?” You’re not interested in surrendering to His will.

No distinction from the world. You’re not set apart. You’re not pursuing holiness - to live like Jesus. You just don’t care! You are conforming to the pattern of the world.

James: so what if you are faithful to church? So what if you say you believe? It’s simply not enough.

Embrace a Dynamic Faith

James gives two examples of people who embraced dynamic faith: Abraham and Rahab.

However, a potential problem/contradiction. vs. 21 - justified by works AND vs. 24 - person justified by works and not faith alone.

That’s not what Paul says! Central to the Christian faith is that we are saved by faith alone and not by works. (, - “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ...”

Justification = declared innocent. You can’t work for your innocence.

How can James say that we’re justified by works? Is he contradicting Paul? Does he believe in salvation based on works?

Paul focuses on root of justification - faith alone. James focuses on fruit of justification - works. “We’re saved by faith alone, but faith that saves is never alone.” (Martin Luther) 2 sides of the same coin.

Abraham is the proof: Abraham showed the fruit of his faith when he offered Isaac. Faith - Isaac was the child of promise - Abraham knew that the plan of God was wrapped up in this child and his descendants. Sacrificing him made no sense, but God spoke, so Abraham listened.

Scripture fulfilled - - Abraham believed God - made righteous because of faith - sacrifice of Isaac was proof that he had faith.

Rahab - in many ways the polar opposite of Abraham - - Abraham was a patriarch instrumental in God’s plan to bring redemption to world. Rahab was a prostitute - yet her faith was just as significant as Abe’s. () - Willing to put her life on the line for people she did not know believing that their God was the true God!

James simple argument - you don’t have genuine faith unless what you say you believe is lived out. What is a lived out faith?

Spirit-enlightened - a desire to know God through His Word. Are you Spirit-enlightened? Do you desire to know God?

Spirit-changed - - Putting off the old and putting on the new.

Today, be reminded of the Gospel. Jesus didn’t die to:

make you a church attender

Obedient - What does God want me to do?

Spirit-led - What does God want from me? Obedience

make you feel better about life

make you a moral person

make you happier

Jesus came to this broken world, lived the life you could not live, went to a cross, died in your place, and rose again - to make you new!

Spirit-led (Doing) - What does God want from me? Trust and obey - a life on mission.

Spirit-filled (Becoming) - becoming like Christ - Fruit of the Spirit ()

Today, be reminded of the Gospel. Jesus didn’t die to:

make you a church attender

make you feel better about life

make you a moral person

make you happier

Jesus came to this broken world, lived the life you could not live, went to a cross, died in your place, and rose again - to make you new! - To give you a heart of faith that trusts that God knows what is best, so therefore you will Trust and Obey.

This morning, be clear:

Christ is the source of your salvation. ()

Faith is the means of your salvation. ()

Works are the evidence of your salvation. ()

Let this passage expose the truth of what’s in your heart. This passage is not an attempt to condemn you but to help you see your need for grace. If you have not placed your faith in Jesus, turn to Him.

If you are a believer, be encouraged! Give God thanks for the work He is doing in your life.