Live the Word

Transcript

GRM 977
2/25/2007
Live the Word
James 1:18-25; 2:14-26
Gil Rugh


At our Men's Retreat we were talking about Live the Word and the fact that you do not distinguish in a separating way doctrine and practice. Now there is a sense in which we talk about them differently, but it's important that we don't separate them. We sometimes divide books of the Bible between the doctrinal section and the practical section, but we should understand that what we call the practical section comes out of the doctrine and is simply a matter of how that doctrine is now lived out in our lives.

In James 1, a section I looked at with the men, and let me draw just a couple of things to your attention out of James 1:18. James notes that in the exercise of His will, God's will, He brought us forth by the Word of truth, emphasizing the fact that we are born again by the Word of God, the Word of truth. Romans 10 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. You have to hear the message that God is giving concerning your sin, concerning His Son who suffered and died on the cross and been raised from the dead, and believe that truth to be saved. That's how God brings about the new birth in a life. He brought us forth by the Word of truth.

Then James goes on to talk about the fact that this is something his readers knew, but they needed to hear the Word of God, now, with the proper attitude. Everyone needs to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. That does not develop the character of God in a life. The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness, all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the Word implanted, which is able to save your soul. When you were born again, when God brought you forth, as verse 18 says, by the Word of truth, His Word was implanted in your hearts and minds, in your inner being. Now we are to receive that Word which is implanted, which had been implanted at salvation, in the sense of welcoming it, grasping onto it. And now we are to live in light of it. The Word which is able to save your soul. And that perspective is not only our initial salvation that cleansed us and freed us from the penalty of sin, but it's an ongoing work of the Word in our lives that gives us victory over sin and looks forward to that ultimate culmination when sin will be removed and we will be glorified in the glory of His presence.

So they are to receive, putting off those things which would hinder the growth and development of the Word of God in our lives—filthiness, all that remains of wickedness. With a humble, receptive spirit that is ready to learn, welcome the Word of God and now continue to live in light of it.

You must prove yourselves doers of the Word, verse 22, not merely hearers who delude themselves. When I was speaking to the men I noted the comparison. Some at the university audit a class. When you audit a class you go and sit and listen to what is said, but you are not responsible to do any other work. You don't have to take the tests, you don't have to write the papers. You're just there to listen. But we cannot be auditors of the Word of God. You must prove yourselves doers of the Word. You must become a doer of the Word, one who has been brought forth by the Word of truth and had God's Word planted, now, in their heart. He is to welcome that and become a doer of that Word. One who only hears that Word, and you must hear it, but if you only, that word translated merely is the word only, if you only hear the Word you deceive yourself. For example, you can hear the gospel presented a hundred times, a thousand times and die and go to hell because hearing the gospel doesn't save you. Hearing the gospel and responding in faith to the gospel that you hear brings salvation. We need to remember as believers just coming and sitting and listening to the scripture is important, but it is not enough. We must be doers of the Word.

He uses the analogy of a mirror. When you look in the mirror to see what you look like and see what adjustments need to be made. We all did that this morning. That's the way the Word of God is. We look into the Word and we are not to forget what we see, but we are to respond and make the adjustments that are required as we see ourselves in the Word. There are those who might walk away and forget what the Word has said about them. The Word did nothing for them.

The one who looks, verse 25, looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer. This man will be blessed. So you note, we sit and hear the Word, but if you don't do the Word you don't experience the blessing of God in your life. The person who would hear the gospel but does not respond, would not be saved. The believer who sits and hears the Word but refuses to do what the Word says does not experience God's blessing in the life. We talk about the perfect law, the law of liberty, we're not talking about the Mosaic law. We're talking about the law of Christ, the law that we have that we're reading in James. Up in verse 21 James gave a command, receive the Word implanted. That's a law, that's a command, it's given as an imperative, something required. Verse 22, prove yourselves doers of the Word. We won't take time, but back in Romans 8:2 Paul wrote about the fact that the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. The Mosaic law was the law of sin and death, but now we have the law of the Spirit which brings life.

I want to have you go over to James 2 and we want to pick up with verse 14. James is continuing this same emphasis. Sometimes we look at this section in a contrast between faith and works and a discussion of the relationship of faith and works. But you must understand this is a matter of how we live out the Word of God in our lives, that we have a faith that is a living faith, we have a word from God which is a living Word. Now when we talk about our faith, we're talking about our faith in what God has said, and our willingness to obey what God has said. James is very concerned under the direction of the Spirit that we understand this crucial truth of the importance of living the Word in our lives.

In verse 14 James asks the question, what use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works. Can that faith save him? Can the faith that has no works save a person? So there is the basic question—a faith that produces nothing in the life, is that a saving faith? Now we have to be careful, and track what is going to be said here, let me tell you ahead. He's not saying that it's faith plus works that brings salvation to a life, that causes us to be born again. He is saying the faith that brings salvation to a person is a faith that continues to produce obedience in the life. So it's important. You are not saved by faith plus your works, but the faith that saves you will always produce works in your life, as a result. So James is going to develop this.

If you say you have faith but you don't have works, did you experience salvation with that kind of faith? He uses an example of a brother or sister, a fellow believer, is without clothing and in need of daily food. If one of you says to them, go in peace, be warmed, be filled, yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is it? So in other words, that's just useless words. Here this fellow Christian is freezing and you say, well I hope you get warm, the Lord bless you. They're starving and you say, well, I'm going to pray for you, the Lord bless you. You haven't done anything for them, you haven't changed anything, you haven't helped anything. What use is that? You didn't do anything, you must mouthed words.

Now note his connection in verse 17. Even so faith if it has no works is dead by itself. Now you should have that underlined. Faith if it has no works is dead. Then jump down to the end of verse 20, you should underline faith without works is useless. Then down to the end of verse 26, faith without works is dead. It is the point that he is bringing home, and he's talking about life. Life that begins with faith in Christ but does not end with that. So in the same way, if faith has no works it is dead, being by itself. It's of no use, as he said at the end of verse 16, regarding just words. In other words a person says, I believe, and nothing else happens. I'll often hear people say, well, I have my faith, I believe, you can't say I don't believe. You're right, I can't. But James says I can tell you that faith is no good, it doesn't do anything, it's worthless, nothing accomplished. That's the point, faith if it has no works is dead, being by itself. It didn't produce anything, nothing happened with that faith.

All right, further explanation. Someone says, someone may well say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, I will show you my faith by the works. In other words, faith is an intangible. I have faith. All right, you say, show me your faith. I say, I can't show you my faith, faith is not seeable, it's not visible. That happens within me, I believe this. As James __________, he says, show me faith without works, I'll show you my faith by my works. In other words, without the evidence in the life, the works, living obediently, doing what God says, there is no evidence of faith, there is no manifestation of faith. That declaration of faith is just empty words, like be warm, be filled. It has no value, it has no use, it doesn't do anything. It is dead, it's of no value.

Further driving this home. How could you say you have faith if there is no evidence? What is the evidence of faith? What you do. Before we go on I want to make a point. I remember reading a story, I assume it's true, a hundred years or so ago remember when they, some of you have seen it on the newsreel things and you've read about it. Used to do like a tightrope walk across Niagara Falls. Some of you have been to Niagara Falls, I've been there. I didn't even want to ride the cable car, let alone go across on a tightrope. But there was a man there who walked across and then he took a wheelbarrow across, and then he came back with the empty wheelbarrow and he asked the audience, do you think I could wheel a man across? Yes. He said to the man in the audience, get in the wheelbarrow. That's the kind of faith James is talking about. I believe that man could wheel the wheelbarrow with a man in it across, but there's not a chance in the world I'm getting in the wheelbarrow. I mean, I have faith that he could do it, but I don't have that kind of faith, I don't have active faith, I don't have faith that would follow through. So my faith is empty words. I could believe a lot of things like that. I believe I could dive off a 30-foot platform and do a triple flip and spin three times and then go into the water without a splash. But don't ask me to do it. The last time I was up on a platform I just decided at my age there is no future in this. I just told everybody, get off the ladder, I'm coming down the way I came up—not off the end anymore.

So, show me your faith without your works, I'll show you my faith by my works. Further, you believe that God is one. Now remember who James is writing to. Back up to chapter 1 verse 1, James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad. And that expression dispersed abroad is literally the diaspora. And we still use that word, we've carried it over into English. The diaspora, compound word that means to be sown or scattered about. It becomes an expression used of Israel scattered throughout the nations there in the diaspora. They are dispersed abroad. He's writing to believing Jews who have been scattered in various places.

Now when you come back to chapter 2 verse 19, you believe that God is one. Because foundational doctrinal statement of the Jews is found in Deuteronomy 6, hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. So we believe in the unity of our God, His oneness. So James says, you believe that God is one. Fine, great, super doctrinal statement. You do well. The demons also believe and they believe so much they tremble in the face of a holy God and the reality of who He is and what He can do. So in other words he is saying, you have faith without work, that's a demonic kind of faith. The demons really believe in God, the demons really believe in Jesus Christ and who He is.s

We have to take a moment, go back to Mark 1. You don't have to be a saved person to have good theology. The demons have good theology. Look what they say about Christ. Mark 1, and we pick up the context, Jesus is on earth here, He's in Capernaum, verse 21, He's in the synagogue there and He's teaching. Verse 23, there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, a demonic spirit, a demon is in this man. And the demon in the man cries out, using the man's voice. What does he say? What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. Look at the theology of that. The demon knows exactly who He is, He knows what power He has. Any wonder the demons tremble? You are the Holy One of God. Have you come to destroy us? The demon has no qualms, no question about the power of the Holy One of God. This is not going to be a contest here, Jesus Christ decides to end it here. The demon will be destroyed. I mean, that's good Christology, He's the Holy One of God, He's the One with sovereign power over the spirit world as well as the physical world.

Look over in Mark 5. Here Jesus comes into the country of the Gerasenes and met by this wild, violent man who is empowered by a legion of demons who indwell him. And they tell you about the man, we don't have time to look into the details, but Jesus gets out of the boat and this man comes tearing down to see Him. We think, this is not going to be good, he is a violent man, they can't even chain him. Verse 6, and seeing Jesus from a distance he ran up, bowed down before Him. Shouting with a loud voice he said, what business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God, I implore you by God, do not torment me. I mean the demons believe, they tremble, they know the power the sovereign God and His Son to cast them into the fires of hell for eternity. This is not just one demon, this is a legion of demons, as the account goes on.

One other account, very interesting, a little different, back in Acts 16. This has to do with Paul and those with him. They come to Philippi in Greece to preach the message of Jesus Christ. And Lydia is saved through the preaching of the gospel. Verse 16, it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl, having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortunetelling. This girl, a slave girl, had supernatural powers when it came to fortunetelling. But the supernatural powers were not from God, they were from the devil, they were demonic. So through the power of a demon in her, she has unique abilities when it comes to fortunetelling. A word of warning, we want to be careful that we examine what is taught in the picture of scripture more broadly, not just in what is happening observably or whether _________ ________ in one or two areas. Now note what this demon possessed girl is doing. She starts following Paul and his companions around. Following after Paul she kept crying out saying, these men are bondservants of the most High God who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation. And she continued doing this for many days. That's good doctrine. These were the bondservants of God, they were proclaiming the message of salvation. That's all true. What was being said was true, it just wasn't coming from the right source. So Paul was greatly annoyed. He turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come our of her. It came out at that very moment. The Apostle Paul here is acting with the authority of Jesus Christ over this demon. Now if this were today the church would be saying, wow, what an opportunity. I mean, think of the doors this will open with this fortunetelling girl going around telling everybody we're servants of the most high God and we're telling you the way of salvation. All of Philippi will be open to us. God does it His way. Paul is not willing to have the testimony of demons, he separates himself. He's going to end up in prison after being beaten at Philippi. We'd say he just should have waited and taken advantage of this testimony. We do it God's way, not man's way. Even though this demon is saying what is true, you don't wed the testimony of demons with the truth of God. So Paul puts an end to it.

Come back to James 2 and James says, you believe that God is One. You do well, the demons also believe and tremble. If that's all your faith does.......... In other words, a faith that does nothing more than assent to something like that is demonic faith. Well I believe Christ died on the cross, I believe He died on the cross for my sins, I believe He was the Son of God. Yes. Well aren't you saved by faith? I believe it. Well you understand if you have true saving faith, it will change your life.

Verse 20, are you willing to recognize, oh foolish fellow, oh vain fellow, oh vain man, empty man that faith without works is useless. You know there are no saved demons. They believe that God is one, the unity of God, they believe that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit comprise the one God. We saw their testimony concerning Christ. They're not saved, nothing has happened in their life. They had a great doctrinal statement, they assent to it, they are on their way to hell. Nothing changed in their lives. Those who claim to believe in Christ, claim to believe in God, claim to believe in the Bible, but nothing has happened in their lives, have a useless faith, a worthless faith, a dead faith. It does nothing. You are like the demons. Yet people will say, when I was 6 I trusted Christ and you can't tell me I didn't. I can tell you your trust in Christ wasn't saving faith if your life is lived........... I go the bar every night, get drunk, I cheat on my wife, but I know I'm saved. There have been times that I've had, as I'm sure you have if you've been a believer long, __________________ you can't tell me I haven't believed. Now I have to say, no, I can't tell you you haven't believed, but I can tell you in light of the Word of God, the belief you have is like the demons have because there is nothing in your life. There are no works, there is no evidence. So I'm not saying you don't believe that, I'm saying you're not saved by the faith that you have. You're like the demons who believe that. They're not saved by that faith. You say, now this is getting confusing. We're saved by faith alone in Christ alone, now you're telling me I'm not saved by faith alone. I'm telling you you're saved by faith alone, but when you're saved by faith alone your life is changed. ________ think that James and Paul disagree. I was reading a commentator this week who was making that possible point. That's not a possible point. What does Paul write to the Corinthians in II Corinthians 5? If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold new things have come. Same thing James is saying. If you are really in Christ, He has made you new and the old things are gone, new things have come. That's the same thing James is saying. You must recognize, foolish fellow, empty-headed man. I mean, do you think this could be true? Do you claim this? Faith without works is useless, worthless.

Now examples, two examples and two totally different examples. Abraham, the father of the faithful, and Rahab, the whore. Both demonstrate faith, a saving faith, it's a living faith. First Abraham in verse 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar. How many times people have come to this verse and say, you have to be justified by works, you have to be justified by works, we are justified by works. I have a quote. Remember Luther was in a battle over justification by faith. In the context of that he made a statement something to the effect that James is a right strawy epistle. Saying that in the context of the battle he was in and when he compared it with Paul and let me compare it. You know there are some verses in the Bible, when you talk to someone who believes that baptism is necessary for salvation you might say, I really wish God hadn't put that verse there. Like Acts 2 when Peter said, repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. And I'm talking to people from the Church of Christ and they want to come to that verse. And I say, Lord, I wouldn't have said it that way, I would have said, repent for the remission of sin and then be baptized as a testimony of your repentance. Wouldn't that have been a lot clearer? Too bad God didn't have the advantage of my wisdom. But there are portions like that. Martin Luther has put his life on the line in the days of the Reformation back in the 1500s to stand for the fact you are justified by faith alone, not by faith plus doing works. And then you have James who writes, was not Abraham our father justified by works? You say well, there's the scripture, don't we take the scripture literally? We interpret it literally. Doesn't it say Abraham our father was justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar. And that's what it says, and I believe it, and you have to believe it. But we understand what he has said in the context here. Abraham our father was justified by works when he offered up his son, Isaac, on the altar.

All right we have to do a little bit of history and to save time we won't go back to the Old Testament, we'll go to Hebrews 11. And Hebrews 11 we are getting examples from the Old Testament of various men and women who lived a life of faith. Verse 6 said, without faith it is impossible to please Him, referring to God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. But important to understand in the context of Hebrews 11 faith is not just agreeing to a certain doctrinal statement. Look at verse 8, we'll pick up with Abraham. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Remember the end of Genesis 11 and then you move in to chapter 12 with the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham dwelt with his father and his family in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans. And God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to the place that He would tell him. And he went out, verse 8 says, didn't even know for sure where he was going. That's probably when Abraham was saved, because the context of Hebrews 11 in demonstrating pleasing God by faith, you wouldn't say Abraham wasn't saved when he left Ur of the Chaldeans because he did it by faith, trusting God, going where he didn't know he was going. So keep that in mind, that's the end of Genesis 11, beginning of Genesis 12. Timeline is important here.

Let's move on. Then he went and lived in the land. Verse 9, by faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise as in a foreign land. He dwelt in tents, he had his son Isaac and so on. People say he lived in tents, the point being he never even got to build his own city, but he dwelt as an alien, a foreigner, in the land that God said would belong to you and your descendants. He was living there by faith.

Verse 11, by faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive so they had a child in their elderly years. Sarah is 90, Abraham is 100 and here they're going to have their first child together. They believed God for it. Down in verse 17, by faith Abraham when he was tested offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son, who was the one of whom he said, in Isaac your descendants will be called. All the promises that God had given to Abraham depended upon Isaac. And now God says to Abraham, take Isaac out and kill him, make him a sacrifice, an offering to me. I mean, that's the greatest challenge of anything in Abraham's life up to this point. But note, in Hebrews 11 it's presented here as the last thing in their list of a number of things in Abraham's life that marked him out as a man of faith.

Okay, with that as the background, come back to James 2. Now remember who James is writing to—to the Jews who have believed in Christ and are scattered throughout the world. The Jews are well aware of Abraham's history, they are well aware of their Old Testament. They know when James says in verse 21, was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac on the altar. They'd say, Abraham, he was justified, so that's when he got saved and it took his works to save him. They are well aware of the history of Abraham. I mean no matter what else a Jew is familiar with, he is familiar with the history of Abraham.

So let's look at this account, then. He offered up his son, Isaac, on the altar. That happens, incidentally, in Genesis 22. So we started the end of Genesis 11 and then Genesis 12 with Abraham called and he leaves his land and then he goes and lives in the land. Then when he's going to quote from Genesis 15 here in a moment, but it's not until Genesis 22 that he offers Isaac. So years go by here when he offers his son Isaac by faith on the altar. Now you'll note verse 22, it helps explain what he means when he says Abraham our father was justified by works when he offered Isaac. You see that faith was working with his works and as a result of the works faith was perfected. There is a close inseparable connection between faith and works. The faith that saves always leads to works, obedience in the life.

Let me read you a quote from Martin Luther, I mentioned him before. Like I said, he had his struggles with James because of the battle he was in over justification by faith. But here is what Martin Luther wrote in another context. Faith is a living, restless thing. It cannot be inoperative. We are not saved by works, but if there be no works there must be something amiss with faith. It is quite impossible to separate works from faith as to separate heat and light from fire. He was very clear. True saving faith changes a life and always results in works, obedience to the God that you now believe and trust.

Back in James 2:22, you see that faith was working with his works and as a result of the works, faith was perfected, completed. I mentioned, we have this series of events brought to our attention out of Abraham's life. And I have to say, as I look at Abraham's life I have to believe in my heart that the most difficult thing that Abraham was called upon to do was to offer Isaac. I mean leaving Ur of the Chaldeans was a demonstration of his faith in God to trust Him. By faith he obeyed going out. You say, faith acts. It does. But you know that wouldn't have been near the challenge. It was a great act of faith, but that wouldn't have been near the challenge as to take his only son that you waited 100 years for and your wife had to wait until she was 90 years to give birth to, the one person, this son, in whom every promise that God has given you depends upon his life. And now you're going to go offer him. We say, Lord, I could follow you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, I could live as an alien............. But to offer Isaac? I can see no reason. Abraham just gets up in the morning, packs the donkey, loads the firewood on, off they go. Remember Abraham follows through, he has the knife up in his hand, ready to slay Isaac, the offering, who has been bound on the altar when the angel of the Lord intervenes and says, stop. I mean, this man is serious about his faith. I mean, I talk about the example of getting in the wheelbarrow to be wheeled across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. That's nothing like this. Here is Abraham, this is the son. Apart from him every promise of God I've received fails. And I have the knife in the air, ready to kill him and then burn a fire so he'll be a burnt offering to the Lord. No wonder verse 22 says, faith was working with his works, as a result of the works faith was perfected, completed. His faith developed to a level of maturity it had not been before. Our faith doesn't work by us sitting there just working ourselves up to believe. I believe God and I take that step in light of that faith, and I believe God and I take that step in light of the faith, and I believe God and I take that step, and my faith is growing through my obedience in believing.

An example of this. Verse 23, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, and Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. The scripture was fulfilled which says. Now remember, with the offering of Isaac we are in Genesis 22. With the scripture that says Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, we're in Genesis 15:6, years earlier. Now was Abraham righteous when he believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness? Yes. No Jew would deny that, no believer in scripture would deny that. What does it mean, then, verse 21, was not Abraham our father justified, and that word means to declare righteous. Declared righteous by works when he offered up Isaac? Yes. Then we are saved by works. No. No Jew would make that mistake here. Only Gentiles that are not well familiar with the Old Testament account of where we are in the history of Abraham make that mistake. His faith was perfected, brought to completion, it developed to a new level of maturity through this experience. And so the truth of Genesis 15:6 is manifested. James says, show me your faith without your works, I'll show you my faith by my works. Did Abraham really believe God back in Genesis 15:6? Yes, and he was declared righteous. Did Abraham really believe God back when he left Ur of the Chaldeans in Genesis 12? Yes, through that he would be declared righteous. So see all these things along the way are demonstrating the reality of faith by obedience, which demonstrates indeed the righteousness we have from God through faith as His obedient people. That's the whole context of Hebrews 11 where we just selected out some events from Abraham's life. But read it, by faith they did this before Abraham, talking about by faith Noah built an ark. He didn't just say by faith Noah sat on a stool and said I believe that some day the earth will be flooded. No, that wouldn't have been the kind of faith that brings the righteousness of God into a life. It's by faith he built the ark, he had to obey God. That's true faith. So that's the context here.

So you see we can't separate out that ongoing, the just shall live by faith, in the book of Habakkuk, repeated three times in the New Testament. That's not just initial saving faith. Initial saving faith begins at a point in time but then it's the ongoing characteristic of my life. That faith is who I am, I live by faith, I walk by faith. That involved obedience, the obedience of faith.

It was reckoned to him as righteousness, and that last statement of verse 23, remarkable statement, he was called the friend of God. Twice in the Old Testament Abraham is referred to as the friend of God—II Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8. Let's just take a moment, come to John 15. This ought to excite you. I say what an honor given to Abraham that God should call him his friend. John 15, Jesus speaking with his disciples shortly before his betrayal and crucifixion. Verse 13, greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends. The things I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. And note in that context, I have told you these things. In the context of this, what will you do with it if you are my friends? Verse 14, you are my friends if you believe these things. We could say it that way, but more clearly defines it, you are my friends if you do what I command you. Isn't it amazing we can be called the friends of God. Jesus Christ, the second person of the triune God, you are my friends. Do the things that I command you, you are my friends. I am in awe, I read the Old Testament and say what an honor that Abraham could be called the friend of God and I can be called the friend of God, you can be called the friend of God. One who walks in fellowship with God, in obedience to God, communes with God. One commentator said, a friend of God is not one who talks about God, but one who walks with God. And that is true.

Come back to James 2. So you see, verse 24, that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. We have to take that in its context. We'd say, oh yes, we are justtified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Martin Luther, John Calvin, the Reformers would have stood for that. But you understand, a man is justified by works and not by faith alone, you have to put that in the context. In other words, it is just not declaring yourself a believer. I believe in Jesus Christ. Some of you come from some more liturgical churches, you stand and recite the Lord's Prayer or the Apostles Creed or both every Sunday. The demons could stand up and recite it, too, you know. And they know it even more clearly than mankind generally does because the devil and the demons have been in heaven. They've seen God on His throne, they saw Christ enthroned as Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 6, I saw the Lord lofty and exalted. The train of His robe filled the temple and so on. I mean, they could stand up and recite it. There is no........ what has it done in your life? Is that truly transforming faith if you become a new creature. The old things have passed away, the new things have come. No, but I know I'm a believer. I don't doubt you're a believer, the devil is a believer, the demons are believers. I want to know if you have saving faith, the faith that is illustrated by Abraham who is called the father of the faithful, who lives a life of faith. We've come to think that salvation is an instantaneous event, which it is, but that's not all there is to it. Whether a person goes on or not. I take comfort in knowing that I trusted Christ, my life doesn't show it, I don't live it, but I know I've believed. Foolish fellow, empty headed thinker. Faith without works is useless.

Rahab, we can summarize her quickly. Verse 25, in the same way, just like Abraham, Abraham is not a unique case. He just pulled out another example at the other end of the spectrum—the harlot. Rahab, the harlot, don't forget what she was, also was justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way. Same thing. She just didn't say I believe that Israel is going to conquer Jericho, I believe that Jericho is going to be destroyed by the Israelites, I really believe it. That wouldn't have saved her, she had to act. True faith in God is an obedient faith, a responsive faith. That's why I say we're not talking about adding something on, this is what happens when God comes into a life. I began my walk by faith that day when I placed my faith in Jesus Christ. I believe He died for me, I committed myself to Him, I died with Him, I was buried with Him, I was raised as a new man. Old things pass away, new things come. Not perfect in every way, but I've been growing and maturing and as I walk the life of faith as you have walked, you've seen your faith become more mature, more perfected. And each trial and each difficulty that's come into your life as you look back has been an opportunity you have grown. As you have committed yourself to be obedient to the Lord through the pressure, through the heartache, through the pain, through the tears, I have to be faithful. The Lord is God, I don't understand. How would you explain to Abraham, this is how it all will work out with Isaac. The only thing he could think of is maybe God is going to raise Isaac from the dead. He is prepared to stab him with a knife, burn him to ashes, and in Hebrews 11 the only answer Abraham had in his mind was, I guess God is going to raise him from the dead. God will have to honor His word. But Abraham didn't have to worry about that, did he? All Abraham had to do was be obedient, the next step. He didn't have to solve God's problems for the future after all that's left of Isaac is a pile of ashes. All he had to do was be obedient, trust God the next step. We get into problem because we're down here trying to think, how is God going to work this out, and that won't work out. It doesn't matter, I couldn't see any way it would work out, I don't know if I'd have the faith of Abraham to think after I stab Isaac, light the fire under him and he is burned to nothing but ashes, I guess God will have to raise him from the dead. I don't have any other answer. He didn't have to have any other answer. The one he thought was right, wasn't the right one. Doesn't matter. God wasn't looking to Abraham for answers, He was looking to Abraham for obedience. Think what was going through Abraham's heart and mind, the pain and difficulty, I have to give up my son, my son of promise. Doesn't matter, just trust God, take the next step with him. That's what obedient faith is, that's how we talk about we walk by faith and not by sight. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in II Corinthians 5, we walk by faith and not by sight. But that faith is an obedient faith, it's not just something in my heart and mind and you never see it. You see, don't you, believers who are walking by faith. Sometimes we look and say, I wonder how they have the grace to go through that. They have the grace to go through it because God gives it. They have determined they will walk with God through this trial, through this situation. And none of us grows without it.

Rahab had to do it, put her life on the line. But she believed God was going to do it. So, verse 26 wraps it up, for just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. We come to this verse often to explain what happens in physcial death. In physical death the spirit moves out of the body. What do you do with the body? You dispose of it—you cremate it, you bury it, you embalm it. You do something with it because the body is not useful anymore, it's dead. The body without the spirit is dead and that helps us understand what happens when physical death occurs—the spirit, the person has moved out of their body. They as a person are still alive and conscious, they've either moved to heaven or to hades. But the body is useless, that's James' point here. It's dead, it does nothing. That's the pain of it. You see that loved one, they can't do anything, they can't respond, there is no action. So the body is not usable, so we put it in the ground. What are you going to do with it? Faith without works is dead, it's useless, it's no good. People say, well at least I had my faith. You realize you had nothing in the context we're talking about. That would be like periodically you hear about someone who has been living with a corpse of a relative in their house for the last 20 years. We say, that's morbid. I mean, sick. What do you say? Then you have people walking around and saying, well, I have my faith. A faith that doesn't do something in your life is pathetic, it's empty, it's worthless, it's dead. How many different ways can God say it. That's the beautiful thing, we as believers in Jesus Christ understand it, He changed my life. We sing the song, I'm not the man I used to be. We're not, we are new in Christ. That's the beauty of it. So we're not talking about as a Christian I'm going to _________ _________________remind me as a Christian, now a child of God, I want to be careful I understand my walk. That's what James is driving home. You can't separate this out, folks. Like Luther said, it's like trying to separate light and heat from fire. I mean, it's just the natural flow and outflow of the new life He has given us.

Now what other kind of life would you want to live than being a friend of God, walking with Him, communing with Him, having Him bring His blessing into your life. Who else would I want to talk over the trials and difficulties of my life with than my friend, the One who will never leave me nor forsake me. That's what I enter into when I enter into God's salvation. I enter into new life and I enter into a new relationship. And God is my Father, Christ is my Savior, and the Spirit of God within me to enable and empower me.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the life we have in Christ, a life of faith. Not just a moment of faith, but a life of faith; not just a moment of obedience, but a life of obedience; not just a moment with you, but a life walking with you as a man with a friend. Lord, I pray the truth of your Word will grip our hearts. How sad we should think of a dead faith that is something precious. Thank you that we are saved by grace through faith. Thank you, Lord, that it is not the end, but it is the beginning of a life, a life lived in relationship with you, a life lived walking with you day by day, obeying your Word and your instructions so that we might grow. Thank you for the trials and the pressures that come into our lives by your grace so that we might grow and our faith might be perfected and completed. May we look at our lives in that context and rejoice in every situation, in every circumstance, in every trial. You are our God, you are our friend, and you are our strength. We pray in Christ's name, amen.