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Review of last week James 2:1-13:

• During a life challenge we often fail to trust the Word of God and default to our human instincts which is often in disarray—Vestibular Illusion where your body misguides you because it operates from a faulty view. Not trusting the instruments but only your instincts.
  
  
• Must not walk by sight, which can deceive, we must walk by faith with the instruments of the Word of God.
  
  
• Faith by sight can cause us to value things by the wrong standards—favoritism.

Read James 2:14-19 

Can faith that has no evidence of deeds be a saving faith? (14)

At question is “Justification by faith alone” which states that works mean nothing in our standing with God. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

• James may be addressing some issues related to those who are abusing justification by faith, suggesting that “orthodoxy” is sufficient. Barnes If you simply believe, then you are good to go you are saved. 
  
  
• James is appropriately asking is it even possible for true faith to not be evidenced by works of that faith.

Words of faith offered to someone in need without addressing the need lacks the power of life—they are dead words. (15-17)

• “Their walk does not measure up to their talk.” Wiersbe
• A person in need is not going to give a flip what you say if you are ignoring their evident needs.
  • No true care.
  • Your words are not sourced from any power that gives them life, because there was no life coming from you.

A transformational journey requires being exposed to something real. 

1. A secularist can provide food and care. The provision keeps a person in need alive for another day of misery with no hope. “That’s it?”
   
   
2. A religious person could offer words of hope without care for the need. They might qualify as being nothing more than moralistic punk.
   
   
3. Food and clothing offered with the message of the gospel. Addresses the “now” and points to something lasting.  Earning the right to be heard!  I want to hear more.

Example of Jesus:  How can I be saved?  A: Love God, love people.  Who should I love?
A: Love the one you see in need.  Good Samaritan—His faith was a saving faith.
Luke 10:25-37

It is equally flawed to say compassion is sufficient without the gospel as it is to speak the gospel without the active work of compassion. (18)

People want to understand and experience a saving faith.  They will know it when they see it!

A true faith does not merely believe accurately, it is evidenced in a transformed life. (19)

• The demons believed accurately who God is.
  
  
• Their accurate belief even gave them fear.
  
  
• They chose to defy instead of submitting to his lordship.
  
  
• The fruit of that reality is the fearful rage they display the fruit of their lord—Satan.

Read James 2:20-26 

James gives two illustrations to make his point. 

1. Abraham- He believed God and was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.

Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^[a] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

• Abraham in his heart fully trusted God and was willing to not withhold his son from him.
• He trusted that Isaac was indeed the heir to carry on God’s promise. I don’t know how God will make this work, but I am going to trust him.
• He was called God’s friend as his faith was evidenced fully and called righteous. True faith that transformed Abraham.

 2. Rehab

• A prostitute who heard the stories of the God of the Hebrews.
• She chose to submit to that God and plead for mercy for her and her family.
• The rest of Jericho chose to resist and fight him.
• Her belief led to faith and evidenced in righteous actions.
• She is now part of the direct lineage of Jesus.

Illustration: Charles Blondin July 15, 1859 Niagara Falls, USA to Canada strung a tight 1,100 foot tight rope across and 160 feet above the Falls.  He walked across more than 300 times that summer, but on this day he walked across in a sack, grilled on omelet on a stove attached to him, rode a bicycle, and walked across with stilts.  At the end of this day, he ended by taking a wheelbarrow across backwards towards Canada and then forwards towards the US.  The crowd was roaring.  He was truly the showman.  The crowd was chanting “Blondin, Blondin, Blondin.”  He then asked “do you think I can do this with someone in the wheelbarrow?”  The crowd responded saying “Yes!”  Then he asked who is willing to get in the wheelbarrow to prove it?  No one volunteered.  A month later his manager got in that wheelbarrow and went back and forth across the falls with Blondin. 

You can believe, but if you are not acting upon that belief, do you truly have faith?

Three questions to respond to this text:

1. Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?
   
   
2. Do you believe enough to entrust yourself to His Lordship?
   
   
3. Can others see the evidence of that work of God in your life?
   • If not, is it fear that keeps the evidence suppressed?
   • If not, is it doubt that keeps you from freely living for him?
   • If not, do you truly have faith?

 Come to Jesus.  Ask for his help (help my unbelief).  Submit to his lordship.  Let him work in and through you.   Our faith is in what he has done not what we have done!