How to Have a Real Faith

Next week is holy communion. I will be dresses robe stoles.

You are invited to a Town Hall –at the Christian Life Center at Jackson Christ.

Next Sunday, Jan 30, 2022

4:00 – 5:00 P.M.

OPEN to community members, friends, and church family.

Refreshments of cookies and punch will be provided.

1. Explanation relevant to the Feed My Starving Children, Mobile Pack Mission – Pack 101,088 meals, raise $25,000.00 @ .25 cents per meal, and seek approximately 500 volunteers. Funds generated to date approximately $16,000.00

Take your Bibles. Lift them high and repeat after me.

This is my Bible. It is word of God. I will hind its words in my heart, that I might not sin against God.

Good morning Wesley church. I am so excited about being here this morning because we are going to have an opportunity to look at one of the most discussed and challenging passages in all of Scripture.

But, before we do I would like to do a quick review from last week. I suggested last week that there were three traps that we can find herself in if we show partiality to anyone for any reason. Can anyone here remember what those three traps were?

Trap of putting our self in the PLACE OF GOD.

Trap of working AGAINST GOD.

Trap of DISHONORING GOD.

This morning we are back in the book of ... What book do you think we are going to be in this morning. James. In the last few weeks we have discovered that James has a lot to say about the issues we are facing today. First he taught us about trials and temptations, last week he opened our eyes to partiality. This morning, he shifts gears again. This time he moves into a topic that has divided the church, how does Real Faith work. It is a question we still struggle with today.

You probably heard the story of a man who was probably the Evel Kneivel of his day. He was known as the Great Blondin. A man who would do incredible feats for people. Death defying acts to dazzle the crowds.

One day the Great Blondin strung a tightrope across the Niagara Falls. Hundreds of people gathered to see this event where he was going to walk across this tightrope in this life threatening situation.

As the crowds gathered, the Great Blondin stood before them and said, “How many of you believe that I the Great Blondin can walk across this tightrope to the other side.” They all said, “We believe. We believe.”

He walked across the tightrope. He came back again. The people were applauding. They were so thrilled. Then he said, “How many of you believe that I the Great Blondin cannot only walk back across that tightrope, but this time do it while I push a wheelbarrow.” They said, “We really believe.” They yelled even louder because they wanted to see him do this. Then he said, “How many of you really believe it.” “Oh we really believe it.”

One guy was yelling a little bit louder than all the others. Blondin pointed to him and said, “Then get in the wheelbarrow.” That guy disappeared quickly into the crowd.

In the same way that is how a lot of people are today. A lot of us will say, “I believe. I believe.” But how many of us are willing to get into God’s wheelbarrow so to speak.

Greg Laurie Sermon Archive A Faith that Works

A flurry of survey research has found that contrary to the secularism of modern culture Americans believe in God and identify themselves as strongly religious. Recent surveys have shown that 9 out of every 10 Americans say they have never doubted the existence of God. 96% of Americans believe in God. 9 in 10 say they still pray. 7 in 10 believe in life after death. 8 in 10 believe God still works miracles. And this to me is the most interesting statistic of all. 7 out of every 8 Americans identify themselves with a Christian denomination.

And even among teenagers those numbers are incredibly high. 95% of teenagers believe in God. 93% believe that God loves them. 75% say they pray when they are alone, and most of them frequently.

But analysts have said that after studying this data they have found a paradox. That is that the faith of Americans, so called seems to be only skin deep. As one historian pointed out, and I quote, “The paradox is that the United States is at once the most religious and also the most secular society in the Western world.”

I suggest it is because we have divorced faith from action.

Have Belief

James 2:14 NIV84

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive Life of Faith

He says James knows the way he’s putting what he’s saying sounds outrageous. That’s the way he puts it.

Foundations of Pentecostal Theology D. Justification

Paul is telling us that salvation is by faith alone and not by works; while James is insisting that a faith that is genuine will result in good works.

Systematic Theology: A Complete Body of Wesleyan Arminian Divinity Consisting of Lectures on the Twenty-Five Articles of Religion, Vols. I & II § 9. Reconciliation of James with Paul

Luther rashly said that James contradicted Paul, and as Paul was right, James was wrong, and his Epistle “an epistle of straw”—that is, worthless.

But what is really going on here. Here James is talking to a hypothetical person. He says what if someone comes up and says I have faith, and I believe, but then James says it doesn't change how the person lives, is that real faith? James would say no! Because real faith will change how you live. Now don't get me wrong our life with Christ begins in faith. We have to have faith in Jesus Christ as our first step, but it's not our last step is JI Packard put it in his book concise theology...

Concise Theology Works: Good Works Are an Expression of Faith

In the New Testament, faith (believing trust, or trustful belief, based on testimony received as from God) is crucially important, for it is the means or instrumental cause of salvation.

The way to salvation is always through faith.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV84

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Our walk with Jesus Christ begins with believing in him as the only son of God, The savior of the world, and the long awaited Messiah. You cannot be a Christian, a follower of Jesus, or saved from your sins, without faith in Jesus.

Knowing Jesus is important. It is the most important decision you will ever make. Is the beginning of a whole new life. But it's just the beginning. After we get to know Jesus we need to get to know the word of God. And knowing the word of God is important for us, it will strengthen us, encourage us, and empower us. But James would remind us that knowing Jesus and knowing God's word is still not enough. You have to have believe, but you also have to act on that belief.

How many of you drove in here this morning? How many of you started your car? You're like the Duh... Of course I started my car how else could I have gotten here. When you started your car this morning, whether used a key or a pushbutton you had faith that the car would start. But it wasn't until you acted on that faith that the car started. I remember when I was younger that I had some cars that improve my prayer life. You see every time I turn the key I prayed that the car would start, and sometimes I was surprised when it did. We have faith in a lot of things in life, and we act on that face on a daily basis. When you flip a light switch, you have faith that the lights will come on. When used start your car, you have faith that the car will start. What James is saying is that our faith affects what we do. Our actions are a direct result of our faith.

Life Application Bible Commentary, James Introduction

Knowing God’s Word is not enough. That knowledge must be applied to our everyday lives. Real faith is the application of God’s truth to ourselves.

Greg Laurie Sermon Archive A Faith that Works

The issue here is not does faith save you. The issue is does a phony faith, does a pseudo faith, does a devil’s faith save you. The answer is no.

Have Belief Plus Action

James 2:15 NIV84

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

James Explanation of Text

Probably he highlighted the “sister” because women often comprised the more desperately needy and were the more easily overlooked in his society, especially when they lacked provision and protection by a father or husband.

Jesus himself dealt with this issue of faith divorce from action. He realized you could not have one without the other. They are joined together look in Matthew 7:21

Matthew 7:21 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus said calling him Lord Lord or having belief was not enough. Instead he tells us that heaven is reserved for those who do the will of my father in heaven. There's an element of action, of doing, of behavior, that is married to faith. James would say if there is no change in behavior, there's no faith.

The faith by which one lives in union with Christ is vitally active. It walks. Unattended by good works, it proves to be not a living but a dead faith.

But if “good works” (activities of serving God and others) do not follow from our profession of faith, we are as yet believing only from the head, not from the heart: in other words, justifying faith is not yet ours.

Sad some people will miss heaven by 12 to 18 inches. Their faith has not moved from their head to their heart.

James 2:16–17 NIV

If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

John MacArthur Sermon Archive Dead Faith

Now inevitably, people with dead faith always substitute words for deeds. They want you to believe that they are what they say when you must understand that we are what we do

Have Belief Plus Action Plus Witness

James 2:18 NIV84

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 28.47 δείκνυμι or δεικνύω; ὑποδείκνυμι

δείκνυμιa or δεικνύω; ὑποδείκνυμιa: to make known the character or significance of something

If you have had a life altering life-changing experience with Jesus Christ it is going to show. People are going to know something significant has happened in your life. And if it doesn't show in how you treat others then you can truly question whether there's been a change. Because when Jesus comes into your life and you should have turned from selfishness to selflessness, from using people to loving people, from looking out for number one to a concern for everyone, it is going to show. It's going to show up in how us your time and how you use your money. If you have stepped off the throne of your life and Christ has taken that throne, people are going to see the difference. And when people see the difference you need to tell them it's because of your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Mark 9:41 NIV

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

So I guess the only real question I need to ask this morning is,

how well does your faith show.

What we learned this morning is that we are not saved by works, but if we are saved then works will be a natural byproduct. Just like an apple trees natural byproduct is apples. So a Christian's natural byproduct is helping others. We help others because we have been helped ourselves.

So how well does your faith show, in your home, your place of business, your church, your school, in your community?

Let us pray

Heavenly father

We come this morning after struggling with the whole concept of faith and work. And we want you to know that we are committed to following you. We rejoice in the fact that you have saved us by Grace and grace alone. But we also rejoice that we can be messengers of your grace to those around us through our good works. May we as a church known for the byproduct of love in everything that we say and do. Amen.

Next week: How Tame Your Tongue