Please turn with me to James 2.  We are in the part of James’ letter where he is focusing on what faith looks like in action.  James is giving a series of teachings - with illustrations - for us to use - to test our selves - our faith on trial - teachings and illustrations to compare our lives to.

What do our actions tell us about our faith?  Is our faith kind of a shallow faith of convenience and culture?  Is it a deep faith - coming from the core of who we are?  Or maybe someplace in between? 

In October 2005, an elderly man passed away while sitting in his parked car in Melbourne, Australia.  He remained that way for several days before his body was found and identified by city officials.

Sometime after this man had died and two days before the discovery of his body, a police officer had given him a parking ticket and attached it to the windshield of his car.

The head of the Maroondah City Council later apologized for the incident, saying, “It must be just so sad for the family, and we extend our sincere sympathies to them.  It is simply a case of the parking officer not noticing.” (1)

James 2 - starting at verse 14.  James is going to focus on indifference - indifference to the needs of our siblings in Jesus.  Which is going to give us the opportunity to think about our own lives - our relationships with our siblings - and what all that says about our relationship with God - our faith.

James 2:14:  What use it is, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has not works?  Can that faith save him?

Great question.  Without works - without a physical demonstration of faith - can a person claim to have a saving faith - claim to have a real saving relationship with God?

Verse 15:  If a brother or sister is without clothing - literally naked - and in need of daily food - not just occasionally - but every day they’re going without food.  There’s ongoing desperation here - real - visible - unquestionable - impossible to ignore - basic extreme need.

Verse 16:  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled.” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  

Lloyd!  How ya’ doing?  Whatever.  That’s James’ illustration.  Try this.  Turn to the person next to you and ask them how they’re doing.  No matter what they say to you, respond with “whatever.”  Extra points if you can cut them off while they’re answering.

It is so easy for us to fall into this trap.  Superficial conversations while we’re rushing around with the really important stuff of life.  “How’s it going?”  “Well, I just lost my job.  My house burned down.  My daughter ran off to Bermuda with a guy named Spike.  My pet Iguana died.”  “That’s nice.  I’ll pray for you.  Gotta go.”

James is even more extreme.  The response is even more unthinkable.  “Go in peace - be warmed - be filled”  Puts the responsibility back on the person in need.  “I’m starving.”  “Great, why don’t you go get something to eat.  Gotta go.”  Pretty worthless.  Want to solve world hunger.  Eat something.

Verse 17:  Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

What do you call a fly with no wings?  A walk.  Faith without works is not faith.  Its something else.  But, don’t call it faith.

Grab this - James’ teaching point:  Faith without works is dead.  Say that with me, “Faith without works is dead.”

Verse 18:  But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Put another way:  Faith is faith.  Works is works.  Why is it important to have both?  James’ answer is, “I’ll show you my faith by my works.”

An atheist was arguing with a Christian; “Have you ever seen God?”  “No.”  “Have you ever felt God?”  “No.”  “Have you ever smelled God?”  “No.”  “Then how do you know there’s a God?”  The Christian asked, “Have you ever seen your brain?”  “No.”  “Have you ever felt your brain?”  “No.”  “Have you ever smelled your brain?”  “No.”  “Then how do you know you have a brain?”

Faith is something that goes on in the depths of who we are.  The only way we can see the faith of someone else is by what they do - works.

Verse 19:  You believe that God is one.  You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

This is like the start of a bad joke.  What do Jews, Christians, Muslims, demons, angels, and Satan all have in common?  They all believe that there is only one sovereign God.  But, that belief results in very different responses.  Right?  Demons know that God is - and shudder.  They fear God.  That response - works - demonstrates what kind of belief - faith -  relationship they have with God.

Christians believe in God.  James says, we do well.  That’s a good start.  But what does that mean?  What kind of actions does your faith produce?

Verse 20:  But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

“Foolish” is the Greek word “kene.”  It means empty.  About 4 quarts short of a gallon.  Someone who’s lacking spiritual understanding.  James is asking, “Are you understanding this?  Faith is more than what you say you believe.”

Here’s his point:  We can say all we want about our faith - even delude ourselves about the great depths of our relationship with God - pride ourselves on our intellectual understanding of Christian theology and doctrine - but when our faith hits the asphalt of life - opportunities to genuinely demonstrate God’s love to our siblings - what comes out in our actions demonstrates what’s really going on in our hearts.  Are we together on that? 

Verse 21.  James is going to give us two 2 examples from Hebrew history.  Remember James is writing to Christian Jews spread throughout the Roman Empire.  So these examples would have really connected with them.  For us - we can see in these examples real people living out what James is talking about.

Verse 21:  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 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. 

Example number one is from the life of Abraham - Father of the Hebrew nation - the Great Patriarch.

When Abraham was 75 years old - God spoke to Abraham and promised him an inheritance - a land inhabited by innumerable descendants through whom God is going to bless all of mankind.  The bottom line necessity to make all that happen was what? a son - through whom all those innumerable descendants would come.  No son - no descendants. (Genesis 12:1ff.)

Years go by and there’s still no son.  In Genesis 15 a conversation takes place between Abraham and God.  Abraham suggests that - since he doesn’t have a son - that someone else from his household - not necessarily a direct descendant of Abraham - someone else could be selected as the heir - the one the promise gets fulfilled through.  Eliezer of Damascus for example - who - according to custom - Eliezer was the next in line to inherit all of Abraham’s possessions and family name.  Abraham tells God, “What about Eliezer?”

God takes Abraham outside - shows him the stars - uncountable.  God reiterates His promise to Abraham.  God says to Abraham - that’s what your descendants - coming from your own body - not some distant relative - that’s what your descendants  are going to be like.

James 2:23 - is a quote from Genesis 15:6 - from this conversation  -Abraham and God.  In the midst of that conversation, Abraham believes that God would fulfill His promise and that means of that fulfillment would be Abraham’s biological son.  Abraham trusts God.

So God declares that Abraham - because of His faith - that Abraham is righteous - living rightly before God.  Hang onto that.  Abraham believes God and is declared righteous.

25 years after God made His promise to Abraham - Abraham is now 100 years old - Sarah is 91 - finally Isaac - the son - is born.  Then - after Isaac grows up - God tells Abraham to do what?  Take Isaac to the mountains of Moriah - what’s now the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 3:1) - take Isaac and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering.

Three days they journey to the mountain.  Abe builds an altar - arranges the wood - binds Isaac - lays him on the altar - on top of the wood.  Takes his knife in his hand ready to sacrifice his son.

At the last minute - God stops him - says to Abraham, “I know that you fear God - I know that you trust Me - since you have not withheld your only son from Me.” (Genesis 22:1ff.) 

That statement by God is the basis of what James says in verse 21.  Listen to how the New International Version puts verse 21:  “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?”

When did God declare Abraham righteous?  When he believed.  Back before Isaac was even conceived.  God knows what’s in Abraham’s heart.  So what’s the point of sacrificing Isaac?  Put another way, who’s suppose to consider Abraham righteous because of his sacrifice?  Us. 

Hold onto this:  The sacrifice is a work - on Abraham’s part - which James declares is an outward demonstration - a justification of Abraham’s faith.  Abraham demonstrated - to himself and all mankind - his inner commitment and surrender to God by his willingness to lay his entire prosterity and the promise of God - Isaac - on the altar. 

James adds - verse 23 - Abraham “was called the friend of God.”  The word for friend is “philo” - as in Philo-delphia.  Brotherly love.  Abraham was tight with God. We see the depth of that relationship proved over and over in the things that Abraham did as friend of God - as He trusts God.

Verse 24:  You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

That’s a scary verse.  It almost sounds like we’re saved by works and not by faith alone.  Like somehow we have to add something to what God has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

Paul writes in Ephesians 2 - starting at verse 8:  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast - then this - notice how Paul agrees with James - For we are His - what? workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for - what? good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  (Ephesians 2:8-10) 

I heard a quote from Billy Graham.  He said this, “There really is no conflict between faith and works.  In the Christian life they go together like inhaling and exhaling.  Faith is taking the Gospel in; works is taking the Gospel out.”

That’s James’ point - genuine faith produces works.  One is the expected result of the other.  Just look at Abraham.

James’ second example comes in verse 25:  In the same way - just like Abraham - was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Remember this account?  Joshua sent two spies into Jericho.  Their presence was detected.  But Rahab hid them on the roof of her brothel.  Sent the king’s soldiers off on a wild-goose chase.  Then - before she lets the spies safely down the city wall - she makes them promise that - when God lets the Hebrews conquer the city - that they’ll spare Rahab and her family. (Joshua 2:1-21)

Rahab was a woman who believed in the power and sovereignty of God.  As a result - she was willing to risk her life to protect the spies.  Rahab - a woman of faith - is declared by God to be righteous. (Hebrew 11:31)

Rahab is a very different person than Abraham.  One is a revered Patriarch.  The other is a women  - a pagan - a foreign prostitute.  But the point is still the same.  God looks at the heart.  Man looks at the works.  One validates the other.

Verse 26 - James’ conclusion:  For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Dead in Greek is “nekros” - physical death.  No heartbeat - no breathing - no brain activity.  Dead.  Bottom line:  No works.  No faith.    

Examining our own lives - comparing our faith in action to what James teaches here - let me suggest two thoughts of what can we take from this for ourselves.

First:  There is a challenge here for us to examine our faith as its lived out before others.  As others look at our lives, what do our actions demonstrate about our faith?

This summer - when we were in Ashland, Oregon - we stayed at a campground just outside of town.  Driving into town - on this two-lane road - off to the right - just before getting into town - there was sign.  The sign said this:  “Your Actions Effect Others”  Next line down:  “Drive Sober”  Next line:  “Remember Adam.”  The last line had Adam’s date of birth and the date in 1994 that this 10 year old boy - riding home on his bike - was killed by a drunk driver.

Not too long ago I was having a conversation with a friend of ours who’s not a believer.  Someone we’ve been praying for.  That we are concerned about - his salvation and relationship with God.  We we’re talking about the immorality in this country - the crud on TV and in our schools and what goes on in the workplace.  He was talking about the people at work and their vocabulary and the things they talk about.  Pretty immoral stuff.  Then he made this statement.  “Those are Christians.”

I wanted to scream.

Have you heard this? “What goes on in Las Vegas, Stays in - where?  Las Vegas.”  What a lie.  Our actions demonstrate what’s in our heart.  Which is the same in Las Vegas and in Merced and wherever.  We can pretend here.  But, when we live out there - where faith meets the asphalt of life - our faith is demonstrated.

Other people judge our faith by our actions.  Why shouldn’t we?  Are our actions drawing others closer to Jesus or giving them another excuse to go their own way?  Do they see Jesus in us or hypocrisy.  If we start asking ourselves those questions and honestly listening to the answers - those answers will tells us a lot about our relationship with God.

Second thought:  There is a challenge here for us to examine our actions towards our siblings in Jesus.

Do any of you remember a guy by the name of Larry Walters?  Larry Walters was a truck driver from North Hollywood.  On July 2, 1982 - Larry took 42 helium filled weather balloons - that he’d purchased at a local surplus store - took them to his girlfriend’s house in San Pedro - strapped these weather balloons to an aluminum lawn chair.  Got some supplies - something to drink - a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich - a CB radio - and a BB gun - so he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he wanted to come down.  Larry’s idea was that he’d go up about 100 feet or so and kind of float around.

Larry strapped himself into the lawn chair.  When his friends released the first nylon line - which was tied to his jeep - the second line snapped.  Larry shot up to 16,000 feet and eventually drifted into the traffic patterns at Long Beach and LAX.  Larry - too scared to shoot any of the balloons - actually he dropped his BB gun - he stayed up for hours.

He was first sighted by a TWA pilot who radioed seeing a guy in a lawn chair at 16,000 feet.  Can you imagine the guy in the tower.  “Say again?”  Larry finally landed in a residential neighborhood in Long Beach where got tangled in some power lines - causing a power blackout. 

I’ve read that - Larry was asked questions by reporters.  “Were you scared?”  “Yes.”  “Would you do it again?”  “No”  “Why did you do it?”  “Because you can’t just sit there.”

James is writing about indifference.  “Whatever.”  Just sitting there.  Indifference - especially to the needs of our siblings in Jesus.

Being a Christian is not about coming to Church - visiting with friends - worshipping God - hearing a sermon.  That all does have its place.  But, Church isn’t entertainment - like watching TV or going to a concert.  Church isn’t about us - what makes us feel comfortable about ourselves.  Church is about God - God using people who believe in Him - to accomplish His purposes in us and through us to His glory.

Abraham risked everything.  Rahab risked everything.  They are an example to us of what faith in action looks like.  Being a Christian involves risk.  Total commitment to what God desires to do in us and through us.  Setting self aside - caring for the needs of others - upholding - uplifting - reaching outward beyond our comfort zone.

What do our actions towards our siblings demonstrate about our faith?  Faith without works is - what? dead.

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1.  ABCNewsOnline, 10.21.05

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.