Living Your Faith

Pray

This morning we will journey into the book of James. James was written to a group of Jews who recognized Jesus as the Christ - the Messiah - and who were scattered all throughout the Roman empire.

There were Jewish communities all over the place in those days, with some dating back two or three centuries. They were called the diaspora - the dispersion. Far from home, sometimes these Jews were hated and mistreated, and other times they had favor among their neighbors.

As the early church began to preach Christ, some of these Jewish Christians had to move away from Judea and Samaria. Some accepted Christ at Pentecost and returned home, taking Jesus with them. Others were chased out by persecution from Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem and beyond. Some were expelled by Roman officials. But what ever the reason, they brought the gospel with them as they went, and God’s church began to expand its reach.

James is writing to these individuals. But James does not only have something to say to those dispersed believers 2,000 years ago. If God wasn’t that big, if he wasn’t in control, a letter like this would be dead today. But God is in control: he is a mighty, powerful, all-knowing Creator, and these are his words.

Now that we know a little about his audience, let’s listen to James’ message.

Theme: Faith Is Not Faith until It Is Actively Obedient to God’s Commands

Think about this: faith in the biblical sense is what saves us from our sins - or it is the vehicle which God uses to save us. God saves us through faith. But not just any old faith. This isn’t faith in positive thinking or faith in ourselves or even faith in the goodness of man. Those faiths are doomed from the start. You’ve heard me quote Adrian Rogers before: faith is only as good as what you put it in.

We need someone in whom faith is valuable. If you are not a Christian: if you have not heard the call of the Holy Spirit and responded in repentance of your sins, trusting in Christ alone to save you, then I have nothing for you but the bidding of God to be reconciled to Christ. Do not turn away from God’s call to repent. You are a sinner and are doomed for eternity, but God offers grace and forgiveness this morning.

But if you are a Christian, James calls you to make your faith active. A faith that doesn’t work is a faith that cannot save. It is not true faith - it is just agreeing with God on the premise but not being transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit. No, dear believer, faith is not faith until it is actively obedient to God’s commands. That’s the thrust of this entire letter. I’m sure that James, as he sat down to pin these words, heard the echos of Jesus’ words:

John 14:15 ESV

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Faith that follows God’s commands is complete, genuine faith, and it affects every aspect of life. James gives us several ways this works out, and I want us to see the breadth of this truth, so we’ll take a brief scan through chapter 1 and look at a number of ways that this faith impacts how we live. As we go through the book, we’ll unpack each of these areas more fully. But for now, let’s climb to 50,000 feet and get a sense of the big picture.

Faith Is Lived Out in How We:

What are the ways that we live out our faith? First:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Respond to Trials

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:12 ESV

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Faith’s response to trials is patient endurance that produces steadfastness and results in God’s rewards. Faith is lived out when we endure. We don’t quit - that’s not faith! We don’t complain - that’s not faith! We don’t become jealous over someone else’s “better life” - that’s not faith! We live out our faith when we endure to the end. That’s how Jesus lived: he took obedience all the way through the cross and grave to resurrection Sunday, and we must be willing to do the same. That’s faith lived out in response to trials. Second:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Ask for Wisdom without Doubting

James 1:5–8 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Notice that faith is not lived out by some proud pretense that I can get by on my own - I’ll pull myself up by my own bootstraps. No, through faith we have the humility to admit our deficiencies and depend on God to supply our needs, especially for wisdom. But faith doesn’t cross it’s fingers and hope for the best either. Faith KNOWS that God will respond positively to the prayer for wisdom because faith knows that God is a good Father and will provide what we need. Faith is lived out when we humbly and confidently ask God for wisdom. Third:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Hold our Possessions Loosely

James 1:9–11 ESV

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Many of his readers were poor or oppressed, so James appeals to them with the assurance that their endurance through mistreatment on earth is a guarantee of future reward in heaven. Faith looks beyond the problems of today to the glory of eternity future. But faith also sees our current possessions, not as permanent but as temporary, so faith doesn’t put confidence in what we have. When we live out our faith, we don’t need lots of stuff. The stuff is merely what God has entrusted to us to use for his glory, so faith doesn’t get white knuckles grasping it tightly. Fourth:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Deal with Temptation

James 1:13–15 ESV

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Faith recognizes that our sinful nature, not God, is the source of temptation. Some people think there’s a little devil on their shoulder, egging them on to do bad stuff. No, you are the devil that’s egging you on, and genuine faith sees that the problem isn’t God or something else - the problem is your sin. Fifth:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Receive God’s Gifts

James 1:16–18 ESV

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

So God doesn’t give temptations, but he does give good gifts. In fact, he gives every good gift. Living out our faith means we receive God’s gift. We do not look at his gifts to others with jealousy or covetousness - we receive his own gifts for us and we exercise those gifts for his glory. That’s what true biblical faith looks like in practice. Sixth:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Control our Anger

James 1:19–21 ESV

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Y’all, living our faith ain’t always easy. Sometimes it means stopping short of what you feel like doing to someone and putting a check on your anger. Our anger often contradicts faith, so it must be bridled. We don’t have the luxury of “giving them a piece of my mind” or “telling them what I really think.” We live by faith, and faith produces in us the self control to listen much faster and be more forbearing toward others who don’t always deserve that kindness. Seventh:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Hear and Do God’s Word

James 1:22–25 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

This is the key here: faith is more than just what we agree with or what premises we intellectually acknowledge or accept. Faith works. We’re not like men who look at a mirror, then forget what we see. That’s not faith. Faith listens, then follows God’s Word. Eighth:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Bridle our Tongue

James 1:26 ESV

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

Faith is lived out when we become masters of our tongues. You see, what goes in comes out, and often it comes out through the tongue. So what we say shows the world what’s in our hearts. Faith controls the tongue by controlling what comes in in the first place. Ninth:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Care for the Needy

James 1:27 ESV

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Do you really want a pure religion? Do you want a faith that is genuine - saving faith? Then love your neighbor. Live out that faith by loving the needy near you. Visiting orphans and widows is more that just dropping in: its a continuous provision of care. When you do that for people that cannot do anything in return: that is true faith being lived out. Lastly:

Faith Is Lived Out in How We Protect our Purity

James 1:27 ESV

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

You are not pure by your own efforts: that requires God’s intervention. But you are called to keep yourself unstained. When God saved you, he began the work of sanctifying you until the day that his work is complete. Faith’s role is to keep you unstained - to maintain the level of purity that God has wrought within you. Only by God’s help can we do that.

In fact, only with God’s help can we do any of this. Living your faith requires God’s help, from start to finish. This morning, we are going to sing a song of invitation, and I want to invite you to seek God’s help. Every single one of us needs his help. Just ask.

Transition to Invitation