Sermon Series
How to Face Our Future! – Part 7
"How to Have Real Faith"
Pastor Jerry
James 2:14-26
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Today, our culture is literally overrun with fake products. Almost anything real can now be faked and purchased at a much cheaper price.
We have been overwhelmed with fake news during a period of great upheaval
in politics and during a critical
crisis with a pandemic! And both have literally been
killing us!
Now, there are
some areas in life where fake works just fine, just as well as the real thing. But
there is one area where you have to have the real thing. And it is this, you
have to have real faith, not fake faith or it doesn't work.
So, in the book of James, in Chapter 2, we have help for you to
know the difference between real faith and fake faith. James talks about the
difference between real and counterfeit Christians.
He talks about how you have a real faith.
The Apostle Paul teaches that we are saved by faith alone.
"By grace, through faith, we are saved." James comes along and says,
“It's not just faith but faith and works.”
Paul was fighting the problem of
legalism. James is fighting
laxity. They are fighting two different enemies. Paul focuses on the root of salvation. James focuses on the fruit of salvation. Jesus said,
"By their fruits you will know them." Paul is talking about,
“How to know you're a Christian.” James is talking about,
“How to show you're a Christian.” Paul is talking about how to
become a believer. James talks about, how to
behave like a believer. It's summed up in Ephesians 2:8-10
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, for a life of good works that God has already prepared for us to do."
How do I show I am a believer? James says there's five ways you can know you've got the real thing.
He gives us five steps or principles.
- REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU SAY
(v. 14) Real faith is not just something you talk about.
"What good is it my brother if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such `faith' save him?" It doesn't say he, actually has faith, he just claims to have it. He talks about it. It's more than just talk that is involved in real faith. Jesus said,
"Not everybody who says to me `Lord, Lord' is going to enter into the kingdom of heaven." Anybody that claims to be a Christian, you’ll see evidence of that in their life. Real faith is not just something you say.
- REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU FEEL
It's more than emotions. A lot of people confuse emotions and sentiment with faith. James gives an illustration. (v. 15)
"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him `Go, I wish you well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" He's saying real faith is more than just sympathy. You do something about it.
You act on it. Christians
are a lot better at verbalizing faith than practicing it. James is saying that if my faith doesn't lead me to share with others something's wrong. (v. 17)
"In the same way, faith by itself if it's not accompanied by actions is dead." James is laying it on the line. He says,
“Do you want real faith? It's more than just something you say and it's more than just something you feel.”
- REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOME SOMETHING YOU THINK
For some people, faith is an intellectual trip.
James says faith is not something to simply debate over. Real faith is visible. You can see it. If you claim to be a Christian, people will be able to see it. If I think my health is very important. But I don’t eat right, I don’t exercise, I don’t get proper rest. It doesn't matter what I think. What counts are my actions. You can prove it. 2 Corinthians 5:17
"Any time a person becomes a Christian he becomes a new person inside, the old things have passed away. All things become new." James says, if God doesn't change you there's a question whether He's really in your life. How do you know you're a believer? You'll see some changes in your life. Real faith always produces change.
Real faith is not just something you say. It's not just something you feel. It's not just something you think.
- REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that -- and shudder!" There are a lot of people who have strong beliefs in God, the Bible, about Christ. They can quote bible verses.
James says, "big deal!" Just saying I believe in God is not enough to get you to heaven. Even the devil believes that. The devil believes in God! The devil knows a lot more about the Bible than you do and he trembles. Real faith is not just saying
"I believe". It is easy to believe. You can believe without practicing faith. If it's not just something you
say or
think or
feel or
believe, what is real faith?
- REAL FAITH IS SOMETHING YOU DO
In the next couple of verses James gives two illustrations that say real faith is something you do. It's a commitment. Two illustrations of two very different people, Abraham and Rahab -- exact opposite extremes. Abraham is a man. Rahab is a woman. Abraham is Jewish. Rahab is a Gentile. Abraham is a patriarch. Rahab is a prostitute. Abraham is a somebody. Rahab is a nobody.
They only had one thing in common -- their faith in God. Their faith in God led them to an action.
v
. 20 "You foolish men. Do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. His faith and his actions were working together. His faith was made complete by what he did. Scripture was fulfilled when it said, `Abraham believed God.'" How do we know it? We saw it. He behaved in a way that his belief came out visibly.
It was just to show how much he believed. Abraham obeyed God. His works proved his faith. He held nothing back from God.
The story
about Rahab is in Joshua 2. It's the story how a prostitute helped a couple of spies when they were coming into Jericho. Rahab ends up in the family line of Jesus.
She risks her life to save the spies. She obeyed the Word from God. Our faith is not
determined by what we do, it is
demonstrated by what we do. Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Our behavior shows what we really believe. 2 Corinthians 13:5
"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." So, let’s check ourselves out. Let’s see if we're really a believer or not.
Let me ask you a couple of questions: In the light of what James says, he’s gives us some insight into what kinds of questions to ask to determine if I am really a Christian?
(1) Is my lifestyle any different at all from unbelievers?
(2) Do you know for sure you have a relationship with Christ?
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, for a life of good works God has already prepared for us to do." God's grace. God reaches down. He says,
“I want to have a relationship with you.” That's grace. And you look up and say
"I want to know You, Lord. I want to have a relationship with You." That’s faith.
When God's hand of grace comes down and your hand of faith goes up, and you
surrender -- that's called
salvation. That's what it means to be a believer.
Surrendered! Saved by grace, through faith to do exactly what God made you to do and to be.
He has a plan for your life. Jesus is calling. What is your answer?
