“Faith and Works”

The letter that James writes is to believers.

James 2:17

¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

You can’t have profession without practice.

As we talk today about faith and works, I would like to begin by making it clear that we are not saved by works. We are saved by faith.

Many cults based their doctrine on works.

You have to knock on x amount of doors to qualify for heaven.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

But sometimes, we can go to the other extreme and not activate “works.”

SOMEONE ELSE.

We are all saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our church’s most valuable members, Someone Else. Someone’s passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results: "Someone Else can work with that group." Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone’s lists- Someone Else! "Let Someone Else do it" was a common refrain heard throughout the church. It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the largest givers in the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference. Someone Else was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing superhuman; but a person can only do so much. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did? Remember- we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore!

James 2:14

 ¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 ¹⁸But 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.

 ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

 ²⁰You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

1) Faith without works is dead.

The whole area of service is a very important one in the Christian life. The importance can be seen in the difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea in the Holy Land. The two bodies of water are connected by the Jordan River in a direct north-south line along the Great Rift Valley. Clear, sweet water from underground springs flows into the Sea of Galilee. And the Sea of Galilee flows south into the Jordan. Galilee is a gorgeous, active lake, full of life that has sustained fishermen in the region for a long, long time. The Dead Sea, by contrast, is a shallow, selfish basin with no outlet. It hoards the water that flows into it. Some water evaporates, leaving behind brackish, clouded water so dense that swimmers bob like corks. The whole sea is dead. When we as Christians have no outlet of service, we too can become spiritually dead, and stagnant. Instead of our faith being attractive, life giving and fruitful, we become as off-putting as a stagnant pond.

When life no longer flows through us, we become spiritually dead.

James uses the following example here in verse 15 . . .

¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Some people give without faith.

Some people have faith but don’t give.

James says you must have both – Faith and Works!

Faith without works is kind of like someone saying . . .

“Yes, I believe in eating right” – but they don’t eat right.

“Yes, I believe in exercise” – but they don’t exercise. Perhaps they purchase a treadmill and then, it just sits there. Used to hang clothes on.

“Yes, I believe in God’s Word” – but they don’t read the Word regularly.

If you truly believe in something, you are going to do it.

In any typical family, work needs to be done. The clothes need to be washed. The carpet needs to be vacuumed. The grass needs to be mowed. Dinner must be made. Dishes need to be washed. The trash needs to be taken out.

Let’s say, for example, that you have a family of five people. Dad. Mom. Three kids. And a dog. Would it be right for mom to do all of the work around the house.  I would say that would not be fair.

Now, let’s talk for a minute about another family. God’s family.

We have a Heavenly Father. We have brothers and sisters. A big family. Would it be right for one person to do all the work in God’s family? Or should we “share the load”?
Unfortunately, many brothers and sisters in the Lord’s family do not carry their share of the load. They expect others to do their work for them.

Perhaps they have faith, but no works.

2) Faith is hearing, Works is doing.

James 1:22 “Doers of the Word”

 ²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Some people look for an emotional experience with God.

I have nothing against emotions, but I know that it’s not about how high I jump to praise the Lord, it is really about how straight I walk once I land.

Balance.

Faith and Works. A Dynamic Duo.

James 2:18. 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.

Many of the people of that day had the following philosophy:
I have faith. You have works.

I will show you my faith, you show me your works.

So, we are both religious, but we are religious in different ways.

You can either have faith or works.

James says, “This is not an either or type of thing, you must have BOTH!”

Some people pride themselves in being a THINKER. They tend to analyze things – over and over and over. While being a Thinker is a good thing, if it goes to an extreme it can keep you from taking action.

Other people are doers.  They often get into trouble because they speak before they think. That is not always good. But, for the most part, they are people of action.

What the Bible is saying here is this: Get the best of both without going to either extreme.

Think about what you must do, then take action.

Balance.

3) You are justified by what you do. (James 2:24)

²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

I am reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan.

It is found in Luke 10:25

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

²⁶"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

 ²⁷He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

 ²⁸"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

 ²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

 ³⁰In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

 ³⁶"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

 ³⁷The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Here, you have a story of a man who was stripped and beaten by robbers.

A priest walks by and does not stop to help.

A Levite walks by and does not stop to help.

The priest and the Levite represent two “religious” people.

They had Faith, but no works.

But the Good Samaritan had faith AND works. 

When you combine works with your faith, you begin to make a difference in those around you and for the kingdom of God!  Jesus said of the Good Samaritan, “Go and do likewise.”

Let me give you a few axioms that are good for each of us to remember:

Talk is Cheap.

Actions speak louder than words.

Put your money where your mouth is.

You are the only Jesus some may ever see.

Getting involved in Kingdom Ministry is combining Faith with Works!

Another word for works is “Fruit”  Can people see the Fruit of the Spirit in you?  Fruit. 

How many people have you brought to Christ lately? What ministry or ministries are you involved in?
What type of weekly discipleship are you involved in?

How faithful are you in your daily devotionals?

How many people have you encouraged lately?