So good to see you all here this morning.
We're continuing our series in James,
and we're just going to do the last little bit of James chapter 2 together.
But perhaps before we dig into this,
I would like us to just take a minute to think about the week gone by,
just individually, and think to ourselves about this question.
What difference has faith in Jesus Christ made to the week just gone by?
In my life?
What is it about trusting Jesus that has altered the way I would have lived the week just gone by?
Maybe it's your attitudes, your actions, your interactions with others.
Perhaps it's something you did or something you didn't do.
Maybe it was the way you reacted to people.
But let's just take a minute and think,
what difference has faith in Jesus Christ made to the week just gone by?
And then I'll pray, and then we'll get stuck in.
Father God, as we come to this, your word,
and we think of the week just gone by,
Father, we long that as we reviewed a week,
that there might be so much evidence
that we have trusted Jesus and are living for him.
And so, Lord, as we come to this passage,
such a challenging passage about the outworking of faith in life,
about the cost of following Jesus,
Father, would you help us?
Father, would you teach us,
and would you spur us on,
Father, that we wouldn't just have a dry,
intellectual knowledge of Jesus,
but we might have a deep, profound love,
and therefore an active, vibrant service of him in our lives.
Father, bless us in his glorious name.
Amen.
So we're in James.
James is a book that really does make us wiggle and squirm.
As we get into, behind what James is telling us,
it becomes decidedly uncomfortable.
Because James is very practical.
And he shines a light on all of life.
And as the light of God's word shines into our lives,
it makes us squirm.
He's writing to his former church,
his former congregation that has spread among the nations.
That they were once all together,
but now he writes to them,
as they are in the midst of a hostile world.
His congregation are predominantly Jewish Christians.
And therefore they're hated by everyone.
They're hated by the pagans.
And they're hated by those people that are still Jewish.
They're in real trouble.
It is really hostile.
This prejudicial hatred infringes on every area of life.
At work.
On the commute home.
In the marketplace.
Everywhere they are,
they are known as Christians.
And hostility comes their way.
To be a Christian,
to own the name of Jesus,
is to paint a target on your back.
For others to shoot at.
And James knows this.
He knows to be a obvious minority in a hostile world
is a very unpleasant place to be.
And he's really exhorting them,
don't bow to public pressure.
Don't let your faith melt in the heat of hostility.
James says,
don't blend in.
Don't back down.
Don't compromise your Christian faith.
Because the temptation for them,
as is the temptation for us,
when hostility comes in,
we just put on this cultural camouflage.
We just want to look the same as everyone else.
Behave the same as everyone else.
Do what everyone else does.
Say what everyone else says.
That it's very tempting, isn't it,
to be like a hedgehog.
That you'll walk around,
safe on a Sunday,
but Monday through to Saturday,
you'll curl up into a prickly ball.
Just kind of mothball your Christianity.
And then make sure you take it off the shelf
and dust it down,
ready for the show next Sunday.
James says this is a real temptation,
to be one thing on Sunday
and something else during the week.
All through the letter,
as we were looking at in Team Tabitha on Wednesday,
he says,
don't be double-minded.
Don't be too sold.
Don't have disassociative identity disorder,
where you are two people in one person.
You are a Christian on a Sunday,
but just ever so normal during the week.
Don't conceal your Christianity.
And that's a temptation for all of us.
I played cricket yesterday.
It was freezing.
I took a catch that was absolutely hammered at me,
and I thought my hands were going to shatter like glass
because they were so cold.
But the incredible thing about cricket is
most of it is spent just sitting around drinking tea.
And they're always fascinated
because they know I'm the pastor of a church.
And we're sitting over tea,
and somebody says,
what is being part of a church all about?
And this isn't just my team.
This is the other team as well.
I'll tell you, sweat, even though it was so cold,
was dripping down my back.
Because there's a real nervousness, isn't there?
There's a real pain, a real anguish
when we have to stand up and stand out for Jesus.
I told them that to be part of a church
is to belong to Jesus.
I said to belong to Jesus means that you trust
that he died for us
and raised that we might be forgiven.
Once I said that,
suddenly people thought it was time
to start playing cricket again.
We're all sorely tempted
to keep our relationship
with the Lord Jesus on the down low.
James knows that's true,
as we all know that's true.
So he writes this letter
and says,
don't just merge and morph
and become like everyone else
for the sake of ease and comfort.
Make sure you are in the world,
but not of the world,
because we all know the temptation is
to be in the world and of the world.
I live a very secluded life.
Most of the time I work for a church,
I spend most of my time with people in the church.
And I really feel for you guys
who are actually out there
trying to be different for Jesus,
trying to work in such a way that honors him,
trying to love your friends in a way
that really adorns the gospel
and makes it look attractive.
And as I was preparing this this week,
the one thing that I thought I must do
is pray for each of you more.
Pray for each of you more
as you just live life,
that you might live it in a way
that makes Jesus look glorious.
James starts his letter
by talking about not collapsing
under trial,
but persevering
and getting wisdom from God
that we might be mature in faith
and complete in Christ.
He then says at the end of chapter one,
don't just be hearers of the word,
but doers.
Don't just consume a Sunday sermon
and go out on Monday morning
like you've forgotten what you look like
when you look in a mirror.
And then chapter two is a real call
to be genuine.
The first half is about being genuinely loving,
genuinely loving towards everyone
and not changing how you approach people
depending on whether they're wearing
a gold bracelet or not.
He says show universal love to all.
And then in the second half,
he says have genuine faith.
Have genuine faith that works out in life.
Real faith, vibrant faith,
faith that leads you into works.
He says that famous thing
that we looked at last week.
Don't be a Christian of the platitude.
Go in peace,
keep warm and well fed,
and then get into your BMW,
drive home,
have a three course meal
next to your log fire
all by yourself.
Don't just be the platitude Christian
who just says nice things
but actually has the capacity
and the resource
to do something about it.
Be a whole,
let there be a wholehearted trust
in Jesus that is evidenced
by your good works.
As we move to the end of chapter two,
we'll see that it's not just
do good works,
but also that good works cost.
There's a real cost associated
and we'll see that
particularly as we come to
Abraham and Rahab.
So let me read chapter two
and I'll start at verse 19
and then to the end of the chapter.
Here we go.
You believe that there is one God, good.
Even the demons believe that
and shudder.
You foolish person,
do you want evidence
that faith without deeds
is useless?
Was not our father Abraham
considered righteous
for what he did
when he offered his son Isaac
on the altar?
You see that his faith
and his actions
were working together
and his faith was made complete
by what he did.
And the scripture was fulfilled
that says Abraham believed God.
And it was credited to him
as righteousness.
And he was called God's friend.
You see that a person
is considered righteous
by what they do
and not by faith alone.
In the same way,
was not even Rahab the prostitute
considered righteous
for what she did
when she gave lodging to the spies
and sent them off
in a different direction?
As the body without the spirit
is dead,
so faith without deeds
is dead.
Well, there's one verse in there
that really sets our
theological antennas
twitching, isn't there?
This one verse,
Martin Luther said,
this one verse makes me want
to throw little Jimmy
into the fire.
And this is the problem,
isn't it?
Verse 24.
You see that a person
is considered righteous
by what they do
and not by faith alone,
which seems to be
in direct contravention
of the Apostle Paul
who says,
for we maintain
that a person
is justified
by faith
apart from works
of the law.
This is
one of the most
controversial verses
in the entire New Testament.
One of the second
is Romans chapter 9,
so it's a good job
we're not doing
that one tonight.
So what are we
going to do?
How are we going
to square
this circle?
Well, I want you
to cast your mind
seven weeks forward
to the Commonwealth Games.
And I want you
to think particularly
of women's gymnastics.
And my favourite
apparatus in all
of women's gymnastics
is the balance beam.
It is incredible
that people
can do things
like this
1.24 metres
off the ground
on a bar
that's 5 metres long
and only 10 centimetres
wide.
I find it hard
to walk along
a pavement
without tripping.
I can't even
do a handstand
without breaking
my neck.
And these guys
do it on what
in essence
is a glorified railing.
Have this in mind.
Imagine that we
are walking
along a balance
beam.
For some of us
that's easier
than others.
We're walking
along a balance
beam.
We have to be
very careful
that we don't
lean too far
one side
and therefore
fall over.
So on this side
we've got the
Apostle Paul.
and he's telling
the people of Rome
don't be legalists.
Don't think
that there's rules
you can obey
which will make
you acceptable
to God.
Don't lean too
far this way.
And make out
that grace is
affordable.
If you do enough
stuff well
God will accept
you.
Paul says
we hold
that a man
is justified
by faith
alone.
Faith is all
important.
But on this side
we've got to be
careful we don't
lean this side
and this is what
James is writing
about.
He says
don't fall
for an easy
believism.
Don't fall
for a believism
that is just
oh I said a prayer
one day in my
life.
I declared
I had faith
in God
but can now
live
however I like.
It doesn't
matter.
Paul says
what I do
is important
to make me
acceptable by God
and James
says it doesn't
matter what I do
because I am
acceptable to God
and both are
wrong.
And we have to
walk this tension
down the middle.
Paul is all about
affordable grace.
James is all about
cheap grace.
Grace that's given
to us and that's
cheap so it
doesn't matter.
Got to walk
this balance
beam well.
That we are
justified by faith
alone but don't
think that faith
doesn't need to
work.
So James is
particularly
writing against
what we might
call insurance
policy Jesus
where we just
believe in Jesus
and put him in
our back pocket
and it doesn't
matter and one
day we'll cash
in our insurance
policy when we
die.
James says
don't fall for
that.
Don't think
that what you
do on a Sunday
will save you
if it's not
completed by a
consistent life
during the week.
James is saying
that your faith
must be active
fruitful saving
faith.
Not dead
demonic futile
faith.
Do you see what
he says in verse
19?
You believe that
there is one God
good.
Even the demons
believe that and
shudder.
His point is that
even that the
demons have this
knowledge and it
makes them shudder
whereas you just
have this knowledge
and do nothing
about it.
James is saying
this faith has
to be accompanied
by works.
He's saying
faith alone
saves but
saving faith
cannot remain
alone absent of
works in the
believer's life.
Faith alone
saves but
saving faith
cannot remain
alone absent
of works in the
life of the
believer.
That's why he
says verse 20
you foolish
person.
Literally the
word is you
hollow person.
He's calling the
person who says he
has faith but no
works a superficial
charlatan and a
fraud.
He's saying if
you've got all
theology all
knowledge but no
doxology praise and
worship in your
life you're hollow
like your easter
egg.
Nothing in the
middle.
No consistency.
All talk but no
walk.
All icing but no
cake.
All information
no transformation.
You're a cul-de-sac
of knowledge not an
avenue of good
work.
Such a challenge
isn't it?
Such a challenge for
us today to not be
hollow people.
How much substance
is there to our
confession?
When we think about
what differences Jesus
made to our week was
it easy to come up
with stuff?
James says your faith
has got to drive you
to good works.
Your passion for the
Lord Jesus is to
overflow into every
area of your life
that we together might
be altogether new
creations.
People that do
things differently
because we're not
our own but we're
owned by another
the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Don't let your
faith exist in a
hermetically sealed
compartment in your
life that has no
overlap into the way
that you actually
live.
Don't let your faith
be like my mum's
silver cutlery that
you only bring out on
special occasions and
that's normally never to
eat with just to polish
in order that it
might look nice.
James is so clear.
Christian maturity
isn't just what you
know or how much you
attend but it's what
you do with what you
know and the reason
that you serve and
love.
Be persistent in good
works.
Not just education but
equipping for good
works and the
edification of the
saints as it says in
Ephesians 2.
James says the faith
that is dry, dead and
doesn't result in good
works is futile and
sits at the level of
the demons.
This is something we're
just doing on a Sunday.
There were no better
than a demon.
Billy Graham tells the
story of flying from
Chicago to Charlotte
years ago.
Directly in front of
him sat a large man who
had been drinking a lot
in the departure lounge
before they boarded the
plane.
Once the plane reached
cruising altitude and the
seatbelt sign was turned
off the man pressed the
service button and plied
himself with more
refreshments.
He repeated this several
times.
The more he drank the
louder he became and more
abusive he got.
The more he drank the
more he flirted with the
air hostesses despite
wearing his wedding ring.
Finally one of the
embarrassed passengers stood
up and said to the drunk
Sir do you realise that
Billy Graham the great
preacher is seated right
behind you?
The bleary man struggled
to his feet stuck out his
hand and said Billy Graham
put it there.
Glad to meet you.
You have no idea how much
your sermons have helped
me.
I listen to them every
Sunday.
To which Billy Graham said
judging by your behaviour
sir they've not helped you
at all.
James is saying faith alone
saves but saving faith
cannot remain alone absent
of works in the life of the
believer.
To quote Martin Luther who
didn't actually throw little
Jimmy in the fire.
He says oh it is a busy
active mighty thing this
faith and so it is impossible
for it not to do good works
incessantly.
It does not ask whether there
are good works to do but
before the question arises it
has already done them.
And is always at the doing
of them.
He who does not these works
is a hollow man of demonic
faith.
Jesus himself will say there's
lots of things out there
that look like branches but
they're not connected to me and
therefore they're not fruitful
and they're only good for the
fire.
Jesus will tell a story about
three servants who get
different sums of money.
And the bottom one gets quite a
lot of money but only one
talent.
And he puts it in the ground
and does nothing with it.
And what does Jesus say?
You wicked lazy servant.
And he isn't welcomed into his
master's rest like the other two.
It is good works that we are not
to tire of doing.
James says faith alone saves but
saving faith cannot remain alone
absent of good works in the life
of the believer.
And James gives us two case studies.
He gives us the patriarch Abraham.
He points us to the first and
principal Jewish man.
The man Abraham.
And he wants to show us that faith
did something in Abraham's life.
He talks about Abraham who was a
former moon worshipper in Ur of the
Chaldeans and God says leave all
this take your family and go to the
land that I promised you.
And God makes amazing promises to
Abraham about descendants and land
and that they would be his people and
that he would be his God.
And in Genesis 15 verse 6 we read
what's quoted here.
Abraham believed God and it was
credited to him as righteousness.
That Abraham had faith that what God
said God would do.
But notice that this faith didn't
remain dormant in his life.
He didn't just sit back in his
hammock in the promised land and
think I'll just wait for this
dividend to be paid.
I could do with some descendants.
I'm getting quite old and this land
is quite tough.
Notice what does he quote?
He quotes sacrificing Isaac.
Do you know how long there is between
that declaration in Genesis 15 verse 6
and Genesis 22?
At least 30 years.
At least 30 years it is said of
Abraham that he believed God and it
was credited to him as righteousness.
That this faith started but it
completed its work.
Because when God says I want you to
take this son that you've waited so
long for.
This son that I've miraculously given
you.
I want you to take him up Mount
Moriah and I want you to kill him as a
sacrifice to me.
And Abraham could have gone well we did
this faith thing a while ago.
I'm just kind of like life now.
But he takes his son up and he trusts
God and his faith does something.
And he's prepared to pay the highest
price because his faith means that
much to him.
The highest price of obedience no
matter what the cost.
You see Abraham's faith and Abraham's
actions were working together.
Faith produces good works.
Good works complete faith.
A virtuous circle.
Faith produces good works.
Good works complete faith.
See how it finishes?
And he was called God's friend.
He was called God's friend.
That's from Isaiah 41.
Where Isaiah is detailing the history
of Israel.
And he says over all of Abraham's life
he was a friend of God.
Why was he a friend of God?
Because he not only trusted God but he
did what God called him to do.
Do you know what that means?
That means over our lives can be
written a friend of God's.
Because we not only trust what God
says but we do what God says we are to
do.
Faith alone saves you see but saving
faith cannot remain alone.
Absent of good works in the life of
the believer.
But James is a brilliant pastor.
Because he knows what we're all
thinking well I'm not like Abraham.
Abraham's kind of like the first and
he's this real picture of faith.
And he's like I'm not like him so I
can't trust and do what he has
trusted and does.
So look who he brings up in verse 25.
In the same way was not even Rahab the
prostitute considered righteous for
what she did when she gave lodging to
the spies and sent them off in a
different direction.
He is a brilliant pastor James because
he knows all of us exist somewhere
between that spectrum.
Somewhere between Abraham the
patriarch and Rahab the prostitute.
And if Abraham showed his faith by what
he did in being prepared to sacrifice
Isaac then Rahab showed her faith by
giving shelter and a means of escape to
the spies.
Abraham is not a special elite that we
cannot copy.
He is someone that we're called to
emulate by trusting God.
It's a remarkable faith.
Rahab's.
She's in the city of Jericho.
She understands that God is God in heaven
and God on earth.
She makes that declaration.
She harbors spies.
If this goes badly for her she will be
executed and Jericho is particularly
barbaric.
They even sacrifice children so they're
not going to struggle to put a
prostitute to death.
And yet because she has faith in this
God who has revealed himself to her in
this way.
She's prepared to put her life on the
line.
In order that his work might be done.
If you know her story she puts the
spies under palm branches on the roof.
She says oh they're not here they've
gone this way.
Well she lets the spies down off a rope
and says go this way.
She put her life on the line.
Her faith had a real cost.
Because she knew what God said and she
wanted to do what God wanted.
I'm sure we're getting this by now but
faith alone saves.
But saving faith cannot remain alone
absent of good works in the life of the
believer.
Now all of us are somewhere on that
spectrum.
So all of us cannot dodge this command
that our faith must work.
It's not just James that's got this.
Hebrews 11 is littered with them.
Talks about Noah was a man of faith
who built an ark in the desert.
That's great faith.
That's like opening a vegetable shop in
the middle of Glasgow.
Moses who gave up life in Egypt
didn't consider himself one of Pharaoh's
sons.
Because he knew who God was and what
he was going to do.
Let us not just hear the warning
that faith without works is dead.
Let us rejoice
in the glorious promise that faith with
deeds
is alive.
And it is life.
It's not just a warning not to do this
but it is a real
emulation of what it means to trust God
and do what he says.
Because we serve a God
who did more than Abraham.
Who didn't just
wasn't just prepared to sacrifice his son
but sacrificed his son
for us.
And we worship the Lord Jesus.
Who wasn't just prepared
to give us shelter
at personal risk
or give us a means of escape.
He actually died that we might have rest forever.
And he actually died that we might have a means of escape
forever from the wrath of God to come.
In response to all this good news
this outrageous grace
why would we not want to live
lives of gratitude
joyously involving ourselves
actively in good works.
Why would we not live
all of life as friends of God
with our faith producing good works
and our good works completing
our faith.
That when we think next week on
what have I done differently
because of Jesus
we say everything
absolutely everything
because of the God
who loves me.
This is Michael Jordan
when he leaves North Carolina University
and he signs for the Chicago
Chicago Bulls.
He signs an endorsement deal
for seven million dollars
with Nike Athletics.
And when Jordan signed
he also bought out
Nike Air Jordans
that exist to this day.
The first Nike Air Jordans
were red and black
which in the mid 80s
as today
was a great fashion faux pas.
And no one thought
they would sell.
No one thought
anyone would want
a pair of Nike Air Jordans
because
they were so hideous.
Another sports company
tried to hijack the deal
and the one stipulation
that was different was
we won't bring out trainers
that are red and black
in your name.
However,
Jordan signed with Nike
and in March 1985
the first Nike Air Jordans
came out.
By May 1985
just three months later
these shoes
had bought in revenue
of a hundred million dollars.
They'd sold
every pair
that they'd made
and there was
a massive crisis
that they couldn't make more
fast enough.
And why?
Because everybody
wanted to be
Michael Jordan.
Everybody
on the basketball courts
all around the world
wanted red and black shoes
because they were
Michael Jordan
and when people
saw those shoes
they would think
they were Michael Jordan.
Such is the delusion
of advertising.
Jesus says
my endorsement deal
involves doing good works.
to be associated
with me
or my team
means that you do
good works.
That all over the world
people that are
associated with Jesus
will adorn themselves
in good works.
Will dress
in righteous deeds.
Our good works
show our association
to Jesus Christ.
It is adorning ourselves
with good works
flowing from the gospel
that people see
who we are
and striving to be like.
Our good works
are to faith
in Jesus Christ
what Nike
and Jordans
were to basketball
in the 1980s.
There was the phrase
that went alongside it
I want to be like
Mike.
Wouldn't it be great
if we go on from here
and say
I want to be like Jesus
and I'll do whatever
wherever
whenever
with whoever
in order that I can
make him
look good.
You see it's quite simple
I think you're getting
this by now.
Faith alone saves
but saving faith
cannot remain
alone
absent of good works
in the life
of the believer.
I want to finish
by reading
Titus 3
verses 3 to 8
then I'll pray
and then I'll hand
back to Ian.
At one time
we too were foolish
disobedient
deceived
and enslaved
by all kinds of
passions and pleasures.
we lived in malice
and envy
being hated
and hating one another
but when the kindness
and love of God
our Saviour appeared
he saved us
not because of
righteous things
we had done
but because of his mercy.
He saved us
through the washing
of rebirth
and renewal
by the Holy Spirit
whom he poured out
on us generously
through Jesus Christ
our Saviour
so that
having been justified
by his grace
we might become
heirs
having the hope
of eternal life.
This is a trustworthy
saying
and I want you
to stress these things
so that those
who have trusted
in God
may be careful
to devote themselves
to doing
what is good.
These things
are excellent
and profitable
for everyone.
Let's pray.
Father God
save us
from dry
meaningless
demonic
dead faith.
Save us
from just being
lovers of the Lord
Jesus
for an hour
and a half
on Sunday.
But Father
send us out
from here
send us out
as people
who love him
who want to
serve him
who want to
make him known
who want people
to see our good
deeds
and give you
thanks on the
day that you visit.
Father
keep us
from a dry
intellectualism.
Father
spur us
to a real
vibrance
that works
out in
every area
of our lives.
Father
we do want to
say that
faith alone
saves you.
You've done it
all for us.
But Father
save us
from ever
thinking
that faith
remains alone
in our lives
absent of good
works.
Father
send us out
to love
what you
love
to hate
what you
hate
and to do
all that you
command us
to do.
Father
may this week
there be
real evidence
that we are
not our own
but we are
owned by another
even your
son
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Amen.