Sermon Series over the Book of James, Part Four - Jan 24, 2016

This past Sunday I preached the fourth in the series of sermons that I am doing over the Book of James.  This week we got to the meat of the matter so to speak, we dove into the "Faith -vs- Works" section of this scripture.  The sermon is a bit over 20 minutes long so it's not a daunting task to take a listen.  Go ahead, maybe you'll come to enjoy James as much as I do.

I also finally was able to post about the funeral we did last week.  I've posted the script from the service in a separate Blog post.

Janice Altermeier Funeral

The verses from James that I preached over are found in Chapter two, verses 14 through 26.

James 2:14-26 New International Version (NIV)

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

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

20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 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. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

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? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

In the sermon I also quoted from 1st Corinthians Chapter three, verses 10 through 15:

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 New International Version (NIV)

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

It's interesting that it is clear in these verses that Paul and James really are not that far apart in their beliefs.  Our foundation is our faith in Christ, but what good is it to others if we just have that foundation and walk away without doing any of the work we are called to do in this world for God?  Can we honestly say that we are the hands and feet if we have a belief and no deeds?  Certainly not, and Paul makes that abundantly clear in his words to the church in Corinth.  

Here we are served well to recall James words in Chapter One verse 27:

James 1:27 New International Version (NIV)

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

We are called to help those who are at a disadvantage, clearly there are none that are at so disadvantage in James world as the widows and orphans.  They are the ones unable to help themselves, we are called to help each other.  But as I stated in the sermon, we don't have to perform large deeds.  Often we are called to help in small ways that make a big impact on others, and I firmly believe we are called to help without being boisterous and visible about it.  Let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing, but keep that right hand busy...

May this day find you very, very richly blessed in the love of our ever gracious and always merciful Lord.

In His Grace,

Roy

Road in South Dakota, Photo by Kobus Boertjie Langenhoven