The Epistle of James: Chapter 2 - Pastor Brad DeLong

You can be seated and we're going to launch back into the book of James as we are driven by our core value of truth. As brother Reaver said, it's good to have the youth in the room tonight. They've actually been studying the epistles. So, this just worked out perfectly and uh glad to have them and just gets me back in the practice of teaching youth and uh they they'll stay awake. Trust me, they they know they are uh well equipped with the word and I'm glad that they're in here tonight.

We're going to read from James 2 in just a moment. Before we do, I'll tell you that the book of John tells us that we'll know the truth and the truth will make us free. For us to be set free by the truth or free from the truth, we have to know it. James, I would say, just tells the truth exactly like it is. This man drops truth bomb after truth bomb. And just a few verses in, you get a sense of that right away. I feel like I say this for most of the books that we study.

We do this, you know, expository study approach verse by verse, but I I'll say this about James, and I I really mean it. I mean it about all of them, but this really is one of my favorite books of the entire Bible. I've endeavored to memorize its five chapters. I'm still working on that and I encourage you to to dive into it. If you can memorize it, uh you'll realize just how much of what we do as Christians is rooted in this book. It presents foundational wisdom for Christianity and Christian life.

In fact, scholar, teacher, Bible project leader Tim Mackey, he called this book, he calls James Writings, he says they are a beautifully crafted punch in the gut for those who want to follow Christ. a beautifully crafted punch in the gut. That's his PhD level expert opinion about the book of James. There's also an Anglican scholar named Michael Bird. I believe he is from the United Kingdom, so he's using a euphemism here, but he said reading James is like being slapped in the face with a soggy fish.

I guess that's a common thing that happens across the pond. Uh, Brother Mike just came back. Did Did you get hit with any fish? I'll ask Bishop when he comes back too, so we'll make sure he didn't. You get the point. Hopefully, uh, James just tells it like it is. He gives us the wrong honest truth. He pulls no punches. This is probably why it's it's such a refreshing book and reading like his halfb brotherther before him. James calls it like he sees it. And we'll see the great influence of his brother Jesus throughout the letter.

Part of our uh brief review tonight is a reminder of just that we are hearing from a man who many believe is Jesus's kid brother. He's mentioned in Mark 6 and verse three along with Jesus's other siblings. It's hard to imagine being the sibling of Jesus. Uh I have great siblings, but none of them are Jesus. They're looking at me. They're shaking their heads. They're agreeing. They gave me an amen over there. It's kind of hard to imagine that, but uh that's who we're who we're dealing with here.

We find more of his story in the book of Acts where he becomes a key leader, likely the most prominent or one of the most prominent leaders and arguably the the most prominent church in the world there in Jerusalem. He's the pastor of the mother of all churches, the first church itself in Jerusalem. Uh he's even seated as kind of the chairman of the board, so to speak, in Acts 15. there's this great dispute that comes up over the the Gentiles and James kind of near the middle or end of the chapter, he stands up and he just seems to settle things.

They gave a lot of influence to to James. He's a man of great respect and his letter would have reflected that among his hearers and these readers. Speaking of those readers, the the original audience reaver mentioned last week he wrote to the 12 tribes who are scattered abroad. This is important. We got to remember this. Most believe he wrote primarily to the Jewish people, to Israelites. You see a lot of the Old Testament understanding and language throughout the book. He says things like first fruits. That was an Old Testament understanding and concept.

Royal law. They would have known exactly what he's talking about. He talks about Abraham, our father, in this chapter. It gives you some some glimpses of who his audience was. The book itself, I like. It's it's full of Easter eggs. uh just little uh hidden meanings of of truth like this. And there's oneliners in there that the Jewish people would have understood in their day and in culture. And he he talks to them about being scattered, the trials that they're facing. They were likely scattered multiple times uh because of persecution.

After Steven is martyed, they scatter and the church spreads everywhere. There's multiple times when the church just kind of moves out of Jerusalem and the nest is stirred. They're also facing poverty. Uh some believe they were facing famine during this time along with persecution. Just all kinds of things piled on top of them which may be part of the background when he starts the letter and he says, "My brother, count it all joy." And when you think about what they're facing, it's like whoa. Okay. It's not just that they stubbed their toe earlier in the day.

They are facing some real problems. And as far as the content goes, brother Reaver mentioned last week it's very practical. Apostolic Study Bible calls it the New Testament book of Proverbs and others compare it directly to the Sermon on the Mount since James seems to cite his brother's teachings quite a bit. He gets just real specific and and down to earth. He he gets in their business quite a bit. Mackey said that James wants to get right in your face and challenge how you're living. Some say James teaches like his brother u teaches a lot from the sermon on the mount.

He offers short challenging wisdom statements full of meaning and oneliners. He's calling them to wisdom. He talks about that in the first part of the letter. You'll notice he's not going to hover on themes for for too long. Uh and it doesn't really go in a linear pattern. He jumps on to the next, but he circles back around later in the letter and he he does hit the theme as a uh kind of intermittently. He gives like this quiltline pattern, but Jason, you can put that picture up.

This is the uh Bible project just kind of their outline of this book. So, for those of you who like to take notes and and you're very linear and you want just one continuous message or narrative all the way throughout, James might throw you for a curve. Just each one of those little boxes was represent a new thought. And uh the next picture shows all those. It's pretty you can't read it. Uh if unless you're Sister Karen can read that uh the Lord's touched her, but I can't read it.

She's 2020. Praise the Lord. 2020 vision. Uh but you can see there's different themes in each one. I love the way that Bible Project depicts those things. You should uh you should take a look at that. But uh he has this quilt-like pattern. If you ever been in a session with Dr. Norris, Dr. Norris teaches little stories here and there and hopefully by the end you see this great big picture and some believe that James is structured in this way although uh you'll see in that there's groupings of themes.

So he has these quick hitters. I just call them like a one-two punch or a jab and then he'll come back with the right hook later. I don't know why I use so many boxing analogies. I don't really know anything about boxing, but this is kind of the way I picture James is like and this and this and then later he comes back and oh yeah, by the way, and he he gets you with it one more time. Here are some of the themes that he hits us with.

See what I did there? All right. All right. Shaking her head at me. I feel like I'm back in the fellowship hall again. Oh my lord. Where's Lola? There he is. Okay. Yeah, he used to He never laughed at my jokes. Uh I love him. He talks about how to face trials and count them with joy. Hearing and doing the word of God. That's a big one. What what true faith looks like. He writes about unity throughout. They were having a unity problem. He gives special attention to the unity of the rich and the poor.

They were in dispute there in the church. And you you saw that in the first chapter last week, verses 9 through 11. You'll see it again. Talks about being perfect. He uses that word translated word seven times in the book which is significant. Seven times. It refers to a wholeness or completion. The overarching theme of the book, you got to keep this in mind, seems to align very closely with the sermon on the mount in Proverbs. He gives practical Jesus inspired wisdom for Christian living. Practical Jesus inspired wisdom for Christian living.

Now that all of that is clear as mud, we will read chapter two together. Remember, chapter one ends with him saying, "Hey, this is real religion." He talks about doing the word and not just hearing it. And then he goes in the first 13 uh 13 verses of chapter 2. He builds on that, talks about how we treat others in the royal law. And then verses 14- 26 talk about true faith in God, taking care of and loving others continued. With those in mind, if you got your Bibles, let's read it together.

All right. My brethren, do you not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality? For if there should come into your assembly or your church service or synagogue a man with gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man and filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "Hey, you you sit here in a good place." And then you look at the poor man and say to him, "You stand there or sit here at my foottool." Anyone think of a verse where someone sat at someone's foottool?

Maybe a psalm, something about an enemy at the Lord's foottool. Yeah. Have you not shown partiality among yourselves and then you become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brother, has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor men. Do not the rich oppress you and they drag you into the court? Do do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you're called?

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, that is that you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and you're convicted by the law as transgressors. Who whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he's guilty of all. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery also said,"O not murder." Now, if you don't commit adultery, but you murder, you've become a transgressor of the law. So you should speak and do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Then he gets into the second part of the chapter. What does it profit my brethren? If someone says he has faith but doesn't have works, can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace. Be warm. Be filled." But you don't give them the things which are needed for the body. What what does it profit?

Thus also faith by itself if it doesn't have works is dead. But I know someone will say, "You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I'll show you my faith by my works. You believe there's one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble." Do you want to know a foolish man that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works?

And by works faith was made perfect and the scripture was fulfilled which says Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. Likewise was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. Also, you're dismissed. Thank you. I mean that it's pretty straightforward.

Again, James pulls no punches and his his letter speaks for itself. But I will also say there's so much weight to these words beyond even just their face value. This is where we're going to put on a hermeneutic lens. Particularly, we're going to look at some of the historical and grammatical uh hermeneutic. We're going to dig a little deeper. And I know we could read it and be done and we could go home, but I I believe we all were here because we want to worship the Lord and we want to know more about his word.

Amen. All right. But that said, let's dive in. The very cool stuff starts in the in just the first verse. Okay. Just go with me here. James says, "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality." Zoom out for a second. This is James, the halfbrother of Jesus, who likely knew Jesus better than most. Grew up in the same family and town and and region with the same parents as far as we know. Jesus said uh when he went to Nazareth that the prophet is not without honor except in his own town.

In other words, he's honored everywhere. apparently except amongst his own people and his own kin. The people of Nazareth and maybe even some of his own family took offense at Jesus. They didn't believe in him. But here, I love this. He just gets a strong vote of confidence and some of the highest of praise from his own halfbrother. The people around you and that know you most believe in you. There's probably something good and true going on. I think it's Mark Batterson who says, "I want to be famous in my own home.

I want the people who are closest to me to believe in me. And this is what we see. It's one thing for Peter to call him Lord and the Messiah. It's another thing for his brother to call him the Lord of glory or literally the glorious Lord, the glory of God himself. James is a leader in the church, a very influential man. He's a a a very influential Christian. He's the halfb brotherther of Jesus. And he affirms in plain ink the deity and the divine nature of his brother Jesus.

It's pretty cool stuff. We can't gloss over this and just skip to the next verse because his words hold great weight. Says this is the Lord of glory. He could have left that phrase out. He could have just said Jesus, but he calls him the Lord of glory. Even Trinitarian New Testament scholar Kenir says this that the title Lord of glory uh meaning glorious Lord was normally applied only to God. James knew what he was doing. James is writing strictly to monotheistic Jews who were familiar with the glory, the theophony of God.

And he affirms to them and to us that the glory of God is in the man Christ Jesus. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It's just big stuff that you don't want to miss. I know I got to move on for time's sake, but I I wanted us to get that right off the bat. I think that's awesome. Verse one again. My brethren, don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly, your synagogue a man who has gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man and filthy clothes, and and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and you say to him, "Hey, I got a good place for you to sit.

You can sit with me." And then you look at the poor man and say, "Hey, why don't you sit back there or stand there or sit at my foottool?" Have you not shown partiality among yourselves? And this is telling. He compares us to becoming judges with evil thoughts. So once again with me, just zoom out, okay? You have a unity issue in the church. James just talked about taking care of widows and orphans and the poor among them. The rich are likely exploiting the poor in many ways, even within the church.

And this actually sounds like a pretty specific scenario. I don't know if this actually happened, but James uses some really specific language, so it probably was happening in one of the the churches. He's calling it out. These New Testament writers did not shy away from calling it out. I mentioned Paul, he calls out Alexander, the the metal worker, which is funny because my brother-in-law, Alex, is a metal worker, but it's not talking about him. I promise. uh he did they called these things out and James again pulls no punches and and if you zoom out even a little further you see that both Roman and and in many ways Jewish society they had a defined social system.

The rich were usually treated especially in the pagan cultures they were treated differently. They were given higher respect and honor. This may be why they intentionally wore gold and and earrings and fine clothing. They were usually treated differently from what James calls the poor man in filthy clothes. They would also seat persons by their rank. They'd seat them by social status. So, think the prophet Samuel. And when King Saul comes in, he says, "Here, you seat, you sit here in the uh spot of honor." And also think of Jesus teaching the Pharisees in Luke 14, he tells them, "You shouldn't desire, you shouldn't take the seat at the head of the table lest someone more important come and take your place." So this is common in ancient Israel.

And the followup to the Lord's teaching in Luke 14 was to invite the poor and the lame and the destitute to come and give them places of honor. James sounds a lot like his brother. He tells the church, stop showing partiality like a judge with evil thoughts. The judges of that time period were supposed to be impartial, but they did exercise partiality. They often gave preference to the wealthy. So this is a big no no to use a dad language in the law. James wasn't having it.

All right. That's why I just say this at any time if you want to sit in my seat or I don't even have a seat. I just moved around. In fact, Peter Wright asked me tonight where do you sit? And I was like I don't really know like sometimes over here. If you want to sit there sit. We have our own forms of this. We do. And we've got to be careful. Now, it's not as overt, I don't think. If uh I haven't seen anyone here, someone walking in them saying, "Hey, I need you to stay in the back." If you did, you and I probably would come and have a conversation.

All right? That's not us. But we do have some of our own forms of this. Let me just say this for the record. There's a spot out there that says pastor on it. If you ever need that spot, you take it. I tell people, even the office back there, now I'm going to have a hundred people back there. That's all right. This is a communal space that I get to use. We don't want to to show partiality. That's the principle. Here's the principle that uh the same principle that Paul offers in Philippians 2.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in loneliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others. Here, here's my seat. you can have it. That's just a simple analogy and reminder, but we want to make sure we never show partiality. This is how we're to live and to operate. And Jesus taught us to do this for who he'd called the least of these. Give them places of honor.

Show them uh no partiality and and we're endeavoring to do just that. He continues in verse five. Listen, my beloved brethren. I mean, he's he's getting in their grill. Listen. I want to say, listen, Linda, some of you know what that's from. Linda's not here. I'm not talking to her. I promise. I feel like I've said that to her before now that I think about it. Says, "Listen, listen." Linda says, "Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?" He's talking first century Jews.

They know this already. Rich in faith, heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him. But, but you've dishonored the poor men. Do not the rich oppress you and they drag you into the courts and they they blaspheme that noble name by which you're called? Now, it's it's important to note when James mentions the poor, the context seems to indicate he is specifically referencing poor believers and brothers and sisters who are among them rather than the entire populace or at the very least he's talking about those who attend synagogue, those who attend services.

In chapter one, he compares the lowly brother with the rich. And later in this chapter, he mentions a brother or sister who's destitute among them. Now, hear me. This does not mean that we treat poor unbelievers with partiality or cruelty either. Not by any stretch. But it does give special care and attention to those who are of the household of faith. See this pattern in Acts two, Acts 4. We hear Paul say this. Let us do good to all people. do good to everybody, especially those who belong to the family of believers.

So, we should treat all people, we talked about this in our neighbor series, those we should treat all people with love and with dignity and especially those who are brothers and sisters in the family of the Lord and particularly the poor, the destitute, the vulnerable among us. These are precious to God. They're heirs of the kingdom like he said in the sermon on the mount and they're always in his view. They're always in his personal care. All throughout the word of God, there's a special emphasis on the poor, specifically the poor who are working and working hard but also remain deprived.

We see the principle that we need to work. Paul lines that out pretty clearly in Thessalonians. But there are many who serve the Lord. They serve the Lord faithfully. There are some of the the the most faithful and consistent Christians that are among us that would not be in considered rich by the biblical standard or rich in this way. So there's careful consideration for the orphaned and the widow and the poor. And after my reading of James with the backdrop of the history of the first century, I see that while everyone else was exploiting the poor and taking them to court, they didn't even have the means.

They didn't have the influence to defend themselves. They're they're treating them unjustly. James tells the church, "You better knock it off. The Romans and the pagans, even your own countrymen may do that, but not us. Not here. Not those who've been called by the noble name of the Lord Jesus and those who have been baptized in that name, which is likely what that verse symbolizes. Instead, we know by this shall all men know that you're my disciples if you have a love one for another, even especially for those who are destitute among you.

This is how we're to operate and love one another in the kingdom. And I'm so thankful to say that I've observed this firsthand at APC as well. Anyone ever experienced the help and the care of brothers and sisters around here? Maybe it wasn't financial, but you've you felt the care and concern of the church? I know we can't meet every need of every person in this city or even South County for that matter. Such a great need here. But I've watched time and time again this church take care of its own, bless its own, sacrifice for its own, give generously to those who are in need and not just our own.

I've seen this church take care of those who are outside these walls and haven't yet joined this family that have been blessed time and time again by the giving of this church family. I have the unique view of seeing it and it astounds me how much this church takes care of those who are in need. Now, do we have work in areas to grow? Yes. But I'm thankful to see it and even have been a recipient of the love and the care of the people of God.

I'm thankful for a church that loves and cares for others. Right? Amen. For others, this is exactly what James calls the royal law. Verse eight, if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin. You're convicted by the law as transgressors. There's a lot that I want to say on this. I I'll limit it as much as possible. And I'll start by saying this. I believe this would have struck a nerve in the people of Israel and the disciples of Jesus.

James invokes the royal law which Kenir says was an imperial edict. It was higher than the justice of the aristocracy, the the people who ruled over them. And because Judaism universally acknowledged God to be the supreme king, his law could be described in these terms. I just imagine those early Jewish Christians reading or hearing this and their minds flash back to Leviticus 18 or 19 and their minds go to the Shama and their minds go to Jesus's teachings in Matthew 22 and and his teachings in Mark 12.

They knew he's talking right now about a cornerstone of our faith here in Jerusalem. Uh in NBA terms and basketball terms, there's something known as the dagger. All right? It's the shot that ends the shots. seals the wind. I just imagine this is the dagger. James is like, "Royal law." And they're like, "Oh, okay. Yeah, we better listen up." He says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." He invokes the royal law. And he's really sounding like Jesus now. He's reminding them the why behind the wisdom, the why behind how they treat others.

He's giving them the overarching wisdom for all of life. So, he's telling them, "Hey, quit showing partiality. Make sure you treat others fair fairly. And don't forget the royal law. They're like, "Okay, we're getting it." He builds on their understanding of the law and the royal law in verse 10. For whoever shall keep the whole law, stumble in one point, he's guilty of all. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery also said, do not murder." Now, if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you become a transgressor of the law.

This is important. And I'll briefly pause to say James weighs in on what I hear is a common thought or argument of that day that there were lighter and there were heavier sins and transgressions of the law. So Jewish teachers distinguish heavier from lighter sins, but they felt that God required obedience to even the smallest of commandments. the uh the one I heard that many had thought was the smallest. Deuteronomy 22 talks about uh a bird's nest and taking the eggs and the bird at the same time.

Uh you just don't do that. You know, if you've done that recently, you need to repent. Okay? Uh if you've done that recently, you need to go get checked by a doctor. All right? Uh just because birds have diseases, not well, maybe another anyway. Okay? But what they're saying is that the willful violation of even a minor transgression was akin to to rejecting the whole law. It was one of the most commonly repeated views. Either way, James says it's unacceptable to break even one law. The one he's talking about is when they mistreat their neighbors.

That was a big one. He says, "So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty," which he referenced in chapter one. Thankful for that. God's mercy. Uh God's mercy. uh many times we'd see would win out. So they've agreed with James that the merciless if you are merciless you forfeit a right to mercy and they had their own saying similar to this one in that day. Anyone remember a parable that Jesus taught when a servant was shown great mercy but didn't show someone else.

Anybody remember that one? I think it's called the parable of the unmerciful servant. So Jesus and James are driving home the point. You should love your neighbor as yourself. You should treat others as you'd want to be treated. You should show as much mercy to someone as you'd want to be shown mercy and more. As Christians, he says, "So speak and so do as those who be judged by the law of liberty." Mercy triumphs over justice. Mercy triumphs over justice. I was thinking today just reading that thought, man, you could have an altar call right then and there.

That's powerful. But I think we'll just try to round out the chapter and then we'll pray at the end. All right. Last half of the chapter builds on the first. I hurry along. Just as we saw earlier in that diagram, it stands alone in some ways in this quilt pattern. Before we read it, I need you to remember James is writing to the 12 tribes of Israel scattered abroad. He's a has a primarily Jewish audience. He's teaching them the wisdom of the kingdom of God. this Christian faith is new to them and and of at least a couple maybe a decade or so or probably three or four decades if depending on the writing and they're they're trying to figure out they're trying to figure out how it conflates with Judaism and it kind of seems like he takes a hard right turn here.

He just talked about mercy triumph over judgment but he is using a similar theme. You'll see it. So mercy triumphs over judgment. What does it profit my brethren? Someone says he has faith but doesn't have works and they're like okay where are we going here? Can faith alone save him? He elaborates. He goes back to the theme of how we treat one another. He says, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you don't give them the things which are needed for the body." What does that profit?

Faith by itself does not have works, is dead. I'll say this is where some people try to take aim at either James or Paul and they they try to build a case that Paul and James are at odds in their theology since Paul says it's by grace we're saved through faith and that not yourselves it's the gift of God and they they try to stir the pot and say well uh Paul says faith and James says works obviously I disagree and I would say that James and Paul who are both for faith and works with the right understanding that they would both agree as The Apostolic Study Bible says in verse 14 that the understood negative answer to the question of can faith save us apart from works.

His convinced son that James is contradicting Paul on salvation by grace through faith. This controversy though can be resolved by defining the words in their context. We're using that grammatical historical hermeneutic. Paul employed works in a negative way to describe activity done mostly uh from the law not from the basis of a genuine faith but a vain attempt to try to get favor with God in merit or deserve salvation. We know we don't deserve salvation. Paul's uh going against works that would try to earn that.

By contrast, James used works to signify the natural result of genuine faith. If you believe this, you ought to live like it. In Paul and James have used the word faith differently. In Paul's writings, faith is a vibrant act of belief in God that that alters one's behavior. In James context, faith is a mental spoken ascent to the facts of Christian doctrine without that necessary uh subsequent change of behavior. So when you really distill it down in the historical context, the grammatical meaning, the context of James letters, you see he's not arguing against Paul's letters.

They were being misinterpreted that day in time. They're still being misinterpreted today. James believed in salvation through faith and the subsequent obedience to the plan of salvation. He also believes that you shouldn't just talk about it. You should be about it. If you believe that royal law that you profess, you should live like it. Uh good works should be coupled with your faith. James says nothing about earning salvation here. He's likely talking to people who have already followed the plan of salvation, but they're just not acting like it.

And like Paul who said, "I believed and therefore I spoke," which is faith and works. And like Paul who said, "Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." And like Paul who received the revelation of the one God in Christ and was transformed and and had repentance and baptism and Holy Ghost and then still did works, good works. James believes we should not just believe that Christ died for others and and that he told us to love others.

We should actually love others and do what he says to do. He writes to those already in the church, tells them, "Show your faith by your works." And when it comes to their destitute brothers and sisters, make sure you take care of them. He doesn't uh uh or he tells us not to look at someone who is destitute and say, "Hey, I really hope the best for you. God bless you." No, help somebody if you love them. Help take care of them. He ends the chapter by appealing to their foundational core beliefs as well as a national hero, Father Abraham.

Again, just this part, man. James pulls no punches. All right, he uses I just call it a couple knockout punches here, even though he's got three more chapters. He says, "But someone's going to say you have faith and I have works." He's using kind of an imaginary opponent to drive home his point. Kind of like when you're having the argument before you have the argument. Anyone ever done that? Like and I said this and they said this and you're planning for all the things that they're going to say back.

He says, "Show me. If you have faith, show me. I want to see it." This is a common argument tool of the day. Show me your faith without your works. I'll show you my faith by my works. And then he appeals to one of their core believers. You believe that there's one God. You do well. I don't think he really meant that. Good job. Give you a pat on the back. And then he says, "Even the demons believe, but they don't stop there. They also tremble." They got to get this.

You believe and stop them. Not you, but he's talking to the You believe and you stop there. The demons, the enemy, the lowest of the low, they believe and they act on it. They actually tremble. The demons have faith and works. Yikes. He's not done because here comes Father Abraham for good measure. But do you want to know a foolish man that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father? And they're like, "Oh, there it is. He pulled in Father Abraham. We're done. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar." Do you see that faith was working together with his works?

And it was by works that faith was made perfect. The scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God. It was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, not by faith only. There's a gif, gif, whichever one you call it, of a group of young men with their hands over their mouth doing one of those like because someone just zing someone else. That's a word that we used to use. I don't know what decade that zing word is from, but I use it.

uh someone just someone just got somebody and there's a group of young men that that's kind of what I imagine the people around James doing. If there was any counterargument to to good works, I feel like James is putting it to rest here. He's fed up with Christians who say they believe but do not act like it, who say they love others but have no fruit or works or actions to back it up. They're hearers of the word but not doers. And he lines out a very convincing ar argument especially in their day.

He focuses on the oneness of God and the example of father of faith himself. If anyone could get away with faith only, it'd probably be Abraham. But faith caused Abraham to march up a mountain with his only son and offer him to God as a sacrifice. He had faith in works. Just in case his detractors tried to just get up off the mat in this boxing analogy, James drops one more hay maker in the form of a national hero on them. Likewise, was not Rahab, a harlot, also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Raab was a notable hero and and part of the lineage of Jesus and David and others. But the Apostolic Study Bible mentions this and I never thought of this. You have Father Abraham on one side, faith and works and on the other end of the spectrum of life, you have Rahab, faith and works. Hopefully, we're somewhere in the middle. And if they needed faith, their faith produced works. Our faith ought to do the same.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. So James is trying to stir the believers, hey, you believe this. You profess it. You are you're telling people that you believe it. You know the royal law. You know the oneness of God. You know what father Abraham did. Now live it out. And I am looking at a group of people that I see living it out regularly and I'm hoping and endeavoring to live it out myself. But when I read this, it it stirs me all the more.

Especially the specific nature of you need to be looking out for your brothers and sisters. Look out for them. Love them as you love your and not just them, but love your neighbor as you love yourself. James just gives it to us plain. I know I was using some boxing humor and all that, but it's just the power and the wisdom of the word of God stirring us to action and to works. We're going to pray to that end together. I invite you to stand with me this evening.

I imagine that's about all the punches we can take for tonight. So, we're going to pray. I just asked this, how many of you, by show hands, you just love the word of God? Anybody? I I love James again just because of how straight he I I don't have to peel back too many layers to figure out what he's talking about. And James, as as much as he was written to a first century audience, he's written to a 21st century audience as well. Because it can be so easy to become a professing Christian and to walk in faith that I believe in God, but do I tremble?

Do I act like I believe in a holy God who's coming back soon? That's a pertinent question tonight. I feel the presence of God stirring us again. A church and a people who I see you. You're you're doing the works uh of faith, but the Lord may be calling you to do a a new a new work or another work or to change some of the works that you're doing. We're going to invite the Lord to help us. Would you pray with me that we would fulfill the royal law, that we would truly have faith and works?

Join your voices with mine right now. Let's pray together. Lord, we're so thankful for the word of truth. It is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. And I know that even this week and in recent times that this chapter has stirred my heart and helped me, Lord, and even some ways convicted me. And I pray that you would help me and help all of us. If there's a a work that you're calling us to do, if there's something uh you a way that you want us to act out our faith and to walk in faith, I pray that you would help us to do that, Lord.

Not to just be Christian in name and in profession only, but help us to be Christian in our action, in our speech, Lord, in our lifestyle. Let everything we do in word or deed to be done in your name and for your glory, by your power, and by your spirit. We're asking for your help and covering and we're thankful for the word of truth to guide and help tonight in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. No matter what work the Lord's calling you to do, we know this.

We're supposed to go and make disciples. And I I wasn't uh playing this night to set you up. But one work that we can do tonight, tomorrow before Sunday, go out and find somebody who needs to know about Jesus. Don't come to Sunday alone. All right? Uh work on somebody who who you know is in your life.