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You guys find your seats. 
Let me invite you to open your 

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Bibles to the Book of James, 
chapter 2. 

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This morning we're going to be 
in verses 14 to 18. 

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We've been going through the 
Book of James for several weeks 

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now, and this morning we're 
going to be in verses chapter 2,

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verses 14 to 18. 
Let me read the text, open us 

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some word of prayer and we'll 
jump into the sermon this 

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morning. 
James 2 beginning in verse 14. 

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What good is it, my brothers, if
someone says he has faith but 

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does not have works, can that 
faith save him? 

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If a brother or sister is poorly
clothed and lacking in daily 

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food, and one of you says to 
them, go in peace, be warmed and

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filled without giving in the 
things needed for the body, what

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good is that? 
So also faith by itself, if it 

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does not have works, is dead. 
But someone will say you have 

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faith and I have works. 
Show me your faith apart from 

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your works and I will show you 
my faith by my works. 

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Let's pray. 
Father, we ask you as your 

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people that you would speak to 
us. 

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Lord, Lord, that we ask that 
your Spirit would open our 

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spiritual ears, our spiritual 
hearts, our spiritual minds. 

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That we would be able to receive
the implanted word with 

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meekness. 
That it would conform us to the 

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image of Christ and that it 
would convict us of sin. 

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That it would remind us of the 
forgiveness of Christ and that 

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it would sanctify us, Lord, to 
love and good works. 

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Got to pray as we look at this 
text and as we discuss the 

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nature of faith and whether what
kind of faith saves and what 

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kind of faith doesn't save, that
you would help us to discern 

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where is my faith? 
What kind of faith do I have 

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this morning? 
I pray God that you would help 

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us to discern that accurately, 
that nobody would hear, would 

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leave this place deceived about 
their faith, but that we would 

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have clarity on where we stand 
with you God, I pray this in 

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Jesus name, Amen. 
Imagine if you had a fire 

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without heat, or you had a lamp 
without light. 

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You had a book without words. 
You had a car without an engine.

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You had a clock without time. 
You had a chair without legs. 

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Or that'd be funny, right? 
You had a bicycle without 

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wheels. 
You had a pen without ink. 

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So was a Christian without works
this morning James asked the 

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question to us. 
What good is it if we say that 

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we have faith but don't have 
works? 

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Can faith alone save us? 
That's the question this 

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morning. 
Let's start by looking at 

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expedition of the text. 
I'll go through it verse by 

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verse and try to help us explain
and understand and explain it, 

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and then I'll give application 
to us. 

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So let's start looking at verse 
14. 

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A the first part of verse 14 
where James writes. 

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What good is it, my brothers, if
someone says he has faith but 

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does not have works? 
So James starts off our passage 

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this morning with a question. 
He asked the question of what 

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good is it? 
Or in other words, what benefit 

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is it? 
What advantage is it? 

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My brothers? 
This reminds us once again that 

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James is not asking this 
question to the lost world. 

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He's asking it to the church. 
He's asking it to Christians. 

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He's saying church family. 
My beloved brothers, what good 

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is it if someone if one of you 
says that he has faith? 

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We have to call this a 
profession of faith, right? 

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We use that phrase a profession 
of faith. 

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Someone says they have faith. 
What good is it if you have this

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profession of faith but they do 
not have works? 

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Now, first we need to ask 
ourselves what is faith? 

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How is James using faith here 
and what is works? 

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This person says that they have 
faith. 

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They say they have it, but then 
what does faith mean in that 

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sentence? 
What does it mean? 

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And that's the question, isn't 
it? 

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That's the question. 
The problem with the word faith 

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is the same problem with the 
word love. 

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People mean all sorts of things 
when they use these two words 

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along with other words. 
If I went to 100 different 

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evangelical churches all across 
America, and I asked 50 people 

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at each church, do you have of 
faith, Most if not many, if not 

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all would say yes. 
Now does that mean that most, if

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not many, if not all in the 
evangelical church are saved? 

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Maybe, maybe not. 
So what does faith mean in this 

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verse? 
I think James leaves it 

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ambiguous for a reason. 
The point is not like, let me 

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explain what faith is. 
Yet the point is this. 

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This person says they have 
faith. 

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That's the point. 
This person says they have 

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faith. 
And James asked, what good is it

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if you say that you have faith, 
but you don't have works? 

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Now, how is James defining works
here? 

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Works is a broad Greek term. 
It's used 169 times in the New 

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Testament. 
It can refer to any kind of 

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action, any kind of 
accomplishment, any kind of 

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deed, any kind of labour. 
It's a very broad term. 

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James has already given us some 
examples of works, hasn't he? 

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He said visiting widows and 
orphans and their afflictions, 

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those would be examples of. 
And he's going to list another 

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example in just a minute, caring
for the poor. 

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But these are just examples. 
Works are essentially anything 

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that is done for the Lord in the
name of the Lord. 

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Anything, anything that's done 
for the Lord in the name of the 

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Lord. 
And so James is asking the 

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question, what good is it? 
What advantage is it? 

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What benefit is it if a person 
claims they have faith, but they

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don't have works with it? 
And then he's going to answer 

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this question with another 
question. 

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The way he's going to answer his
own question is ask another 

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question. 
Look at 14 B. 

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Can that faith save him and that
save him Now? 

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I'll point out what James 
doesn't ask here. 

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He doesn't ask can faith save 
him. 

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He doesn't ask that he asked can
that faith save him. 

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Literally, can the faith save 
him? 

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James uses the definite article 
in the Greek whole. 

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It's the It's a definite 
article. 

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You should translate it as the, 
but the NET Bible has a helpful 

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note here. 
The article here is anaphoric, 

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referring to the previous 
mention of the noun pistis faith

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in the verse. 
In other words, when James uses 

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the definite article here, it's 
referring back to something, and

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it's referring back to the faith
that he mentioned in 14 A. 

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This is why you will see 
translations such as Can that 

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faith save him? 
This is ESV and NASB translate. 

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Or can such faith save him? 
This is how the OR can this kind

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of faith save him as the net 
Bible translates it Had James 

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asked the question can faith 
save him, the answer would be 

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yes, most assuredly yes. 
But James doesn't ask that. 

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James asked, can that faith, 
meaning a faith that does not 

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have works, can that faith save 
him? 

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And So what is the answer to 
James's question? 

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If you notice, James doesn't 
come out and answer his 

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question. 
He doesn't answer it. 

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Why? 
I think James wants the 

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conclusion on their own. 
He doesn't just come out and say

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yes or no. 
I think he wants us to arrive at

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the conclusion on her own. 
Now, two side notes I want to 

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point out, just really side 
notes #1 next week we're going 

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to see this word that, and the 
word is justified. 

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We're going to see this word 
justified in our text next week.

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And it's going to cause some 
problems. 

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And the reason it's going to 
cause some problems is because 

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we're going to have difficulty 
reconciling what James is 

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writing about justification and 
what Paul is writing about 

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justification. 
If you put Paul and James side 

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by side, they say contradictory 
statements. 

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But before we get there next 
week, I'm going to, I want to 

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point out that when when we talk
about it next week, I'm going to

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point us back to this initial 
word that James uses, Sozo, sozo

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save. 
He doesn't use the word 

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justified first. 
He uses the word sozo first 

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save. 
I'm going to point us back to 

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that. 
Keep that in mind. 

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Why is that important? 
Because sozo is used in the past

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tense, the present tense, and 
the future tense throughout the 

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New Testament. 
We'll come back to that second 

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side note that I want to make. 
Keep in mind that James is 

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asking these questions to 
Christians. 

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He's not asking this to the lost
world. 

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He did not write a letter to the
lost world. 

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He wrote it to the churches and 
the dispersion. 

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He is asking these questions to 
Christians. 

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James is asking the church, 
church family, can that kind of 

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faith save you? 
He's not saying that, well, I'm 

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a Christian, that that question 
doesn't apply to me. 

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No, it does, because he's asking
it of you. 

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He's asking it of me, look at 
verses 15 to 16. 

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If a brother or sister is poorly
clothed and lacking in daily 

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food, and one of you says to 
them, go in peace, be warmed and

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filled without giving them the 
things needed for the body, what

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good is that? 
James is now going to give a 

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practical example of works, or 
more specifically a lack of 

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works, if a brother or sister. 
Let me pause right there. 

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He says, if a brother or sister,
why is that important? 

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Certainly this example would be 
true for the lost world in some 

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measure, absolutely. 
But the reality is that there 

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are always poor, there are 
always the hungry in this world.

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There is no way that the church 
can solve world hunger or world 

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poverty. 
James's point is, let's just 

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start with the church. 
Let's just start with the 

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household of God. 
If a brother or sister walked 

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into this place and they were 
poorly clothed. 

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Now remember, this is during a 
time where people didn't have 20

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different outfits, right? 
Most of us, if I were to go into

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your wardrobe, even if you know 
you college students who are 

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living on ramen, right? 
If I were to go into your 

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wardrobe, you've got at least 
like 10 different outfits or 10 

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different things to wear. 
Except for Josie, she's shaking 

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her head. 
She's like, no, I don't know. 

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I've seen you wear at least 10 
different things. 

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Most of us have many different 
outfits. 

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But remember, this is during the
day where they might have one 

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outfit, literally one thing to 
wear and they would wear it over

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and over and over again. 
And the reason they are poorly 

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clothed is because worn out, you
wear the same thing over and 

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over again, it gets worn out. 
In addition, not only are they 

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poorly clove, but they're 
lacking in food. 

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They're lacking in daily food, 
he says. 

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So it's not like they're, you 
know, they're having to forego 

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going to Chipotle or they're 
having to forego getting sushi. 

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That's not the case, James says.
They're not even eating every 

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day. 
They are so poor that they 

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cannot, that they're wearing 
rags and they don't even eat 

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every day. 
And then someone in the church 

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sees this brother or sister, and
as they're walking out, they're 

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leaving the church, they see 
them and this person who's 

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poorly dressed and is hungry and
out of the kindness of their 

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heart, they say to them, go in 
peace, be warmed, be filled. 

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What a kind thing to say, to 
wish someone peace, to wish them

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warmth from the cold, to wish 
them a full stomach. 

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What a kind sentiment. 
But James asks if someone says 

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these things, they don't give 
them the things needed for the 

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body. 
They don't provide them with a 

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new shirt or new pants, they 
don't even give them a piece of 

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bread. 
James ask what good are those 

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words? 
Now here's the connection that 

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James is making a person who 
says these kind words. 

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They they give the pretense they
care about this person, right? 

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But their lack of actions 
testify that their words have no

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foundation. 
What they really care about is 

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saving their clothes and or 
saving their food. 

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And James is using that as an 
example to say in the same way a

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person who makes a profession of
faith, they say that they have 

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faith, but they have no works. 
They give the pretense that they

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care about God, but their lack 
of works testify that their 

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profession has no foundation. 
Do you see the connection? 

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That's the connection James is 
making. 

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Look at verse 17. 
So also faith by itself, if it 

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does not have works, is dead 
faith by itself, meaning it's 

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not accompanied with works. 
Just as the statements be warmed

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is not accompanied with the 
giving of clothes, be filled is 

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00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,280
not accompanied with the giving 
of food. 

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00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:33,120
Faith, that is by itself and is 
not accompanied by works, is 

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00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,680
dead. 
Now what does he mean it's dead?

231
00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:42,360
Well, suppose you saw someone 
lying in a bed, not moving. 

232
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,520
You walked in. 
You see your maybe your grandma 

233
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,400
or your grandpa lying in a bed. 
They're not moving. 

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00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:50,840
Suppose for what's just 
hypothetical reasons, you 

235
00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,920
couldn't touch them. 
You couldn't go near them, so 

236
00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:56,720
you can't feel for a heartbeat. 
You can't see if they're 

237
00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,040
breathing, you just see them at 
a distance for whatever reason. 

238
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:06,520
How do you know if they are 
sleeping or if they are dead? 

239
00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:16,079
Do they eventually move? 
Do they eventually move? 

240
00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:22,319
If they never move, we would 
conclude they are dead. 

241
00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:29,360
In the same way, James writes 
that a person who says they have

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00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:33,480
faith, but their faith does not 
move them. 

243
00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:43,080
Their faith is dead because if 
you have faith, it'll move you. 

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00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:54,520
Look at verse 18 A But someone 
will say you have faith and I 

245
00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:58,040
have works. 
James now is going to quote a 

246
00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:01,680
hypothetical someone. 
This hypothetical someone says 

247
00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,760
to James, you have faith and I 
have works. 

248
00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,840
Now the new Living Translation 
brings out the sense, I think of

249
00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:10,720
this statement. 
Here's how they translate it in 

250
00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:14,920
the new Living translation. 
Some have faith and some have 

251
00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:17,240
works. 
I think that's the idea. 

252
00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,440
In other words, James 
anticipates a person in the 

253
00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:22,640
church who just listened to this
argument. 

254
00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,280
They just listened to verses 14 
to 17, and he anticipates 

255
00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,920
somebody hearing this argument 
and then objecting to James's 

256
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:31,640
argument. 
And the way that they're 

257
00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:37,400
objecting to it is that they say
to him, listen, brother James, I

258
00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:41,600
hear you. 
But listen, not everybody in the

259
00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,560
church is going to have both, 
brother. 

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00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,520
Some people in the church will 
have faith, Other people in the 

261
00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,840
church will have works. 
It's kind of like spiritual 

262
00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,880
gifts. 
Some have the prophecy, some 

263
00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,840
have the gift of teaching. 
Not everybody's going to have 

264
00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,280
both. 
You can't expect people to have 

265
00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:03,440
both the gift of prophecy and 
the gift of teaching. 

266
00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:07,960
Same with faith and works. 
Not everybody's going to have 

267
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:08,400
both. 
James. 

268
00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:13,200
Now how is James going to 
respond to this objection? 

269
00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:21,320
Look at A-Team B show me your 
faith apart from your works. 

270
00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:26,080
James response is this. 
You say you have faith. 

271
00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:32,280
Very well, show me your faith 
apart from your works. 

272
00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:35,720
In other words, James is asking 
the question, how will you 

273
00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:41,160
testify that you actually have 
faith apart from your works? 

274
00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:48,080
Like if a guy was dating a girl 
and he told her that he loved 

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00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:56,000
her, but he never did anything 
for her before marrying him. 

276
00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:57,760
Doesn't she need some form of 
proof? 

277
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,560
Doesn't she need some form of 
warrant? 

278
00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:08,160
Doesn't she need some foundation
upon which to trust that his 

279
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,040
love for her is genuine? 
Or she just going to take his 

280
00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:17,160
word for it. 
Likewise, James is saying, how 

281
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:22,880
can you possibly testify that 
you have faith apart from your 

282
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:30,160
works? 
Good verse 18 CI will show you 

283
00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:35,960
my faith by my works. 
James says I will show you my 

284
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:41,480
faith by my works. 
Not by my words, but by my 

285
00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:44,600
works. 
James's argument is very simple.

286
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,840
It's a very simple argument. 
It's like this. 

287
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:52,240
Suppose a farmer took you to an 
orchard and he showed you 2 

288
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:56,000
apple trees. 
One of the apple trees is full 

289
00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:01,680
of apples, hundreds of apples. 
The other apple tree has zero 

290
00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:05,040
apples on it, or maybe a few 
rotten ones. 

291
00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:10,240
Suppose the farmer tried to 
convince you that both trees, 

292
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:16,480
both apple trees are good trees 
and the and you're like, how? 

293
00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:22,240
And the farmer says this. 
Listen, listen, some apple trees

294
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:30,520
have apples, others have leaves.
Would you buy that argument? 

295
00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:40,880
The way we know that it is a 
good apple tree is if it has 

296
00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:45,720
apples. 
If it produces apples. 

297
00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:52,360
The way that you will know your 
faith is genuine is if it 

298
00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:58,320
produces works. 
Stop their exposition. 

299
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,640
Application of the text. 
I have 7 points of application 

300
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:10,440
#1 What good is a profession of 
faith? 

301
00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:17,520
What good is a profession of 
faith? 

302
00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:27,880
What do Mark Wahlberg, Denzel 
Washington, Justin Bieber, Tom 

303
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:35,040
Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Mr. T, 
Hulk Hogan, Chuck Norris, Alice 

304
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:38,160
Cooper, and Steve Harvey all 
have in common? 

305
00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:43,600
They've all made a profession of
faith. 

306
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,600
Now, I'm not calling into 
question the profession of 

307
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:49,720
faith. 
I don't know them. 

308
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,280
I'm asking. 
I'm simply asking the question, 

309
00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:59,040
what good is it? 
What good is a profession of 

310
00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:04,320
faith? 
Often when somebody asks me, are

311
00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,200
they a Christian, right, talking
about somebody else or you know,

312
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,000
and they're like, well, is your 
mom a Christian? 

313
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,560
Is your dad a Christian? 
Is, is the person who's been 

314
00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,760
visiting our church for the past
two weeks, Are they a Christian?

315
00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,720
I will often answer, they are a 
professing Christian. 

316
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,400
They are a professing Christian.
What does that mean? 

317
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,800
It means they say that they are 
a Christian. 

318
00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:31,640
They say that they have faith 
and James is asking the 

319
00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:37,600
question, what good is it, my 
brothers, if someone says he has

320
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,760
faith? 
Essentially, what good is a 

321
00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:48,920
profession of faith? 
Nobody is saved by a profession 

322
00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:55,440
of faith. 
Make sure you hear that. 

323
00:23:55,600 --> 00:24:00,320
Nobody is saved by a profession 
of faith. 

324
00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:07,640
We know this to be true because 
on the Day of Judgment, Jesus 

325
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:12,960
says, many will say to me, Lord,
Lord, did we not prophecy in 

326
00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:15,960
your name? 
Did we not cast out demons in 

327
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,800
your names? 
Did we not do many mighty works 

328
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,960
and we perfect faith in you, 
Lord. 

329
00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:26,960
And Jesus says, I will say to 
them, I don't know you. 

330
00:24:33,010 --> 00:24:34,690
Now here's why this is so 
important. 

331
00:24:36,290 --> 00:24:40,520
There are some of you here. 
This is true for every single 

332
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:46,000
church in the world. 
There are some of you here that 

333
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:53,400
are basing their assurance of 
salvation on their profession of

334
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:58,880
faith. 
Whether you would state it or 

335
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,280
not, if somebody asked you how 
do you know that you are saved, 

336
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,280
you would answer because I made 
a profession of faith. 

337
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,920
You may not word it that way, 
but that's what you mean. 

338
00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:15,240
There are some of you here that 
are basing the fact like how, 

339
00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,640
what? 
What are you standing on to 

340
00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,280
believe that when you die you're
going to go to heaven. 

341
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:28,320
I made a profession of faith. 
You are basing that because 

342
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,920
somebody told you, it could have
been your parents, it could have

343
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:35,200
been your youth pastor, it could
have been a disciple, it could 

344
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,560
have been the pastor, it could 
have been a friend. 

345
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,480
But somebody told you that 
because you made a profession of

346
00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:49,720
faith, you're now saved. 
Friend, listen to me. 

347
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:58,880
Your profession of faith in and 
of itself means very little. 

348
00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:16,510
Very little #2 be careful not to
overemphasize or under emphasize

349
00:26:16,510 --> 00:26:20,670
works. 
Be careful not to overemphasize 

350
00:26:20,710 --> 00:26:24,400
or under emphasize works. 
I find that in the church there 

351
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,360
are certain words that people 
think of as always positive or 

352
00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:30,560
always negative. 
So for example, the the word 

353
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:32,440
grace. 
Grace is always positive. 

354
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:35,560
Condemnation. 
Condemnation is always negative.

355
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,640
But then we get to certain words
where it's not so simple words 

356
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:43,080
like law. 
Is law a good thing? 

357
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:48,000
Paul says it is. 
Now we know that the law is good

358
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,560
if one uses it lawfully. 
First Timothy 1/8 And yet so 

359
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,440
often in the church, isn't law 
usually spoken of in a negative 

360
00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:59,400
sense? 
Another another of these words 

361
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,640
is the word works. 
Works? 

362
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:07,440
Are works a good thing? 
Well, it depends. 

363
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,280
It depends on what we're talking
about, depends on what context 

364
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,880
we're talking about them. 
We must be careful not to over 

365
00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:18,360
emphasize or under emphasize 
works. 

366
00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:24,440
How can we over emphasize works?
Luke 18-9 Jesus told the parable

367
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:28,560
to some who trusted in 
themselves that they were 

368
00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,120
righteous. 
This referring to the Pharisees.

369
00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:36,800
You remember that parable? 
The Pharisee said I fast twice a

370
00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,480
week, I give tithes of all that 
I get. 

371
00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:42,680
Now is it bad to fast twice a 
week? 

372
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,600
Is it bad to give tithes of all 
that you get? 

373
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:48,400
No, of course not. 
Of course not. 

374
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,040
The problem is not his works. 
The problem is he's trusting in 

375
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,440
his works. 
The problem is his trusting in 

376
00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:59,120
his works. 
On the flip side, how can we 

377
00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:03,960
under emphasize works? 
Another parable, Matthew 2211 

378
00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:09,920
and 12, when the king came in to
look at the guest, he saw a man 

379
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,240
there who had no wedding 
garment, and he said to him, 

380
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,840
Friend, how did you get in here 
without a wedding garment? 

381
00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:22,120
And he was speechless. 
Then the king said to the 

382
00:28:22,120 --> 00:28:24,800
attendants, bind him hand and 
foot and cast him in the outer 

383
00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,920
darkness. 
Now, people, scholars will 

384
00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,600
debate about what that parable 
means, but one way to interpret 

385
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,120
this is here is a man who 
responded to the call of 

386
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:38,520
salvation. 
He made a profession of faith. 

387
00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:41,680
He said he wanted to be a 
Christian, but then at the Day 

388
00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:43,920
of Judgment he had nothing to 
show for it. 

389
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:49,000
He had no wedding garment. 
All he had was his profession. 

390
00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,520
All he had was his invitation in
hand. 

391
00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:03,040
How important are works well for
justification? 

392
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:09,040
They are poisonous for 
justification. 

393
00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:12,640
They are poisonous Ephesians 28 
For by grace you have been saved

394
00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:15,040
through faith. 
This is not your own doing. 

395
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:21,200
It is the gift of God, not a 
result of what works. 

396
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,680
Works are poisonous for 
justification, but for 

397
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:32,880
salvation, salvation, they are 
necessary. 

398
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:44,760
For salvation they are necessary
#3 We are saved by faith alone, 

399
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:49,280
but saving faith is never alone.
Now I didn't coin this some. 

400
00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:51,560
This is a well known phrase. 
You've heard it before I'm sure.

401
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:57,560
We are saved by faith alone, but
saving faith is never alone. 

402
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:01,080
One of the greatest 
contributions to the church was 

403
00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:02,880
it was a church's father named 
Martin Luther. 

404
00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,480
We started what is known as the 
Protestant Reformation. 

405
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,320
Now full explanation of this is 
beyond the scope of the sermon, 

406
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:12,000
but here's why it matters. 
One of the primary reasons that 

407
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:16,520
we are Protestants, right we 
are, we're Protestants is 

408
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,120
because we hold to a doctrine 
called solafide. 

409
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,440
Solafide. 
It's a Latin phrase which means 

410
00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:27,720
faith alone. 
Luther had read a series of 

411
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,480
verses in the Bible that not 
only changed his mind about the 

412
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:35,240
nature of salvation, but also 
changed the nature of the 

413
00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:38,200
church. 
Romans 117 For in the 

414
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:40,800
righteousness of God is revealed
from faith. 

415
00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:47,080
For faith as it is written, the 
righteous shall live by faith. 

416
00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,120
One more. 
Romans 328 For we hold that one 

417
00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:55,960
is justified by faith apart from
the works of the law. 

418
00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:02,280
Now here's the question though. 
If Luther was right, if Paul is 

419
00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:08,080
right, if we are saved by faith 
alone, why does James ask in 

420
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:11,920
verse 14 if this man's faith can
save him? 

421
00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:18,880
Why does James ask that? 
The answer lies in one tiny 

422
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,440
little Greek word. 
It's like one letter in the 

423
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:28,760
Greek whole. 
It's the definite article in the

424
00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:35,240
Greek translated as that. 
Can that faith save him? 

425
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,440
The word that clearly refers to 
the first part of the verse, a 

426
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:45,680
faith without works. 
Can a faith without works save a

427
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,760
person? 
And the answer is no. 

428
00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:57,720
The answer is no. 
We are saved by faith alone, but

429
00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:03,920
saving faith is never alone. 
One of the questions we have to 

430
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,840
ask is this. 
What is the difference between 

431
00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:12,520
faith and saving faith? 
You ever ask yourself that 

432
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,200
question? 
What is the difference between 

433
00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:22,600
faith and saving faith? 
More, more, more pointed. 

434
00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:28,200
How do you know that your faith 
is saving faith? 

435
00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:39,870
How do you know some of you here
will hear that and will 

436
00:32:39,870 --> 00:32:42,070
immediately think, Don't, Don't 
try to. 

437
00:32:42,710 --> 00:32:44,150
Don't you try to convince me I'm
not saved. 

438
00:32:45,590 --> 00:32:47,030
Don't you try to convince me of 
that. 

439
00:32:49,230 --> 00:32:56,110
That's the devil speaking. 
That's not the Spirit speaking. 

440
00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:08,600
How do you know that your faith 
is a saving faith? 

441
00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:15,640
This question will get answered 
next week, but for now, James 

442
00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:19,800
says that saving faith has 
works. 

443
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:29,680
It has works for Christian. 
Words without Christian works 

444
00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:36,600
are empty and meaningless. 
Christian words without works 

445
00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:43,240
are empty and meaningless. 
Imagine Meriton and we expanded 

446
00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:44,280
it. 
Now you should never do this. 

447
00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:45,880
I'm just doing it for effect, 
right? 

448
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:48,120
You should never take the word 
God and add to it or anything 

449
00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:50,160
like that. 
But just bear with me. 

450
00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,480
Imagine if we took the parable, 
the Good Samaritan, and we 

451
00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:56,360
expanded it. 
A man was going down from 

452
00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:01,080
Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell
among robbers who stripped him 

453
00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:02,760
and beat him, leaving him half 
dead. 

454
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,120
Now, by chance, the priest was 
going down that road and when he

455
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:11,320
saw him he said, I hope you were
able to find medical care. 

456
00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:15,719
So likewise A Levite, when he 
came to the place and saw him, 

457
00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:19,080
said, it's going to be cold 
tonight. 

458
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:27,520
I hope you make it home in time.
Those are kind words, aren't 

459
00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:31,800
they? 
But they're empty. 

460
00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,000
They're meaningless. 
Why? 

461
00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:41,520
Because they give the pretense 
of caring when in reality all 

462
00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:48,040
they care about is themselves. 
James gives this real life 

463
00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:51,719
example of the emptiness and 
meaninglessness of a profession 

464
00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:56,000
of faith without works. 
In the same way that a person 

465
00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:59,600
says they have faith, this 
person says they care about 

466
00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:02,480
their brother. 
And in the same way that this 

467
00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:07,120
person's faith is absent of 
works, this person is absent of 

468
00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:09,400
love for their brother or 
sister. 

469
00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:14,760
There are many Christians who 
can talk the talk. 

470
00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:21,600
They know Christian words. 
They know Christian phrases. 

471
00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:29,080
They know Christian lingo, but 
the question is, do they walk 

472
00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:33,440
the walk? 
Do they actually go and give 

473
00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:36,840
this brother and sister some 
clothing and some food? 

474
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:42,640
That's the question. 
Church family, be careful that 

475
00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:45,920
we don't use prayer as a cover 
for action. 

476
00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:55,710
I'll pray for you. 
Be careful that we don't use 

477
00:35:55,710 --> 00:35:58,070
kind words as a cover for kind 
action. 

478
00:35:58,750 --> 00:36:02,160
Be careful that we don't use 
theology as a cover for 

479
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,880
compassion. 
Christian words without 

480
00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:13,240
Christian works are empty and 
meaningless. 5A. 

481
00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:19,040
Christian who does not live out 
their faith does not live, they 

482
00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,520
are dead. 
A Christian who does not live 

483
00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:26,840
out their faith does not live, 
they are dead. 

484
00:36:26,840 --> 00:36:31,480
Now, I don't want to belabor 
this point, but James Brit, he 

485
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,200
wants to emphasize it. 
James says that faith by itself,

486
00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:36,840
if it does not have works, it is
dead. 

487
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:40,400
And if the faith is dead, so is 
the person. 

488
00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:44,800
If the faith is dead, so is the 
person. 

489
00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:48,280
Here's why this matters. 
Let me ask a question. 

490
00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:50,040
This is a very important 
question. 

491
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:56,800
Does a lack of works testify to 
a lack of sanctification or a 

492
00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:01,720
lack of salvation? 
If you were to look at your own 

493
00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:04,880
life or get your brother and 
sister's life, you see a lack of

494
00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,280
works either in your life or 
your brother and sister's life. 

495
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:13,320
Is there a lack of works, a lack
of sanctification, or a lack of 

496
00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,840
salvation? 
It depends. 

497
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:22,600
Here's why. 
It depends, because every true 

498
00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:24,960
born again Christian will not 
have perfect works. 

499
00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:28,000
None of us love God with all our
heart, soul, mind and strength. 

500
00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:30,360
None of us do. 
None of us love our neighbor as 

501
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:34,040
ourselves. 
And that's OK. 

502
00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:37,240
It's that we are all being 
sanctified. 

503
00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:40,440
We're all being conformed into 
the image of Christ. 

504
00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:48,240
But we must be careful here. 
We must be careful here, because

505
00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:51,920
sometimes a lack of works 
doesn't testify to a lack of 

506
00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:56,480
sanctification. 
Sometimes it testifies to a lack

507
00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:02,760
of salvation. 
In other words, what this person

508
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:05,920
needs is not sanctification, but
regeneration. 

509
00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:10,720
They don't need sanctification, 
they need regeneration. 

510
00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:11,920
Why? 
Because they're dead. 

511
00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:17,600
They're dead. 
They are not unsanctified. 

512
00:38:17,720 --> 00:38:24,480
They are unregenerate. 
Trying to sanctify a spiritually

513
00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:28,680
dead person is like taking a 
corpse to a gym to work out. 

514
00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,000
They don't need a better workout
plan. 

515
00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:36,200
They don't need heavier weights.
They don't need a better 

516
00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:39,440
trainer. 
They need to be made alive. 

517
00:38:45,230 --> 00:38:53,270
A Christian who does not live 
out their faith is not living. 

518
00:38:54,720 --> 00:39:05,440
They are dead. 6 The measure is 
Christ, not anybody else's faith

519
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:11,080
or works. 
The measure is Christ, not 

520
00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:16,560
anybody else's faith or works. 
James gives this example of an 

521
00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:20,400
objector to his argument. 
You see, James has just made 

522
00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,400
several arguments in verses 14 
to 17. 

523
00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:26,360
I love these kind of examples 
because it reminds me of like, 

524
00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:30,680
oh, like I'm not the only pastor
that gets objected to, right? 

525
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:35,120
James is like, someone in the 
church is going to say this to 

526
00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:38,560
me. 
He anticipates his argument 

527
00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:42,880
being objected. 
He writes, someone will say, you

528
00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,640
have faith. 
I have works. 

529
00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:49,280
The argument is this. 
This is this is the premise of 

530
00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:51,280
the argument. 
Hey, brother James, people are 

531
00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:53,240
different. 
People are different. 

532
00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:57,000
Just like spiritual gifts. 
Some have the gift of teaching, 

533
00:39:57,240 --> 00:39:59,320
some have the gift of 
leadership, some have the gift 

534
00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:01,520
of mercy. 1 is not better than 
the other. 

535
00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:05,800
They're just different, you 
know? 

536
00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:13,880
So Fred has works, I have faith.
He's got the the gift of faith 

537
00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:16,120
or works. 
I have the gift of faith. 

538
00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:22,400
Here's where this argument is 
dangerous. 

539
00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:28,600
We must not start comparing 
ourselves to other Christians, 

540
00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:33,720
either in faith or in works. 
Why? 

541
00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:37,440
Because the measure is Christ, 
not anybody else. 

542
00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:41,200
The measure is Christ, not 
anybody else. 

543
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:46,880
Here's why this matters. 
Suppose you are at a church. 

544
00:40:47,240 --> 00:40:49,760
You walked into a you moved to a
brand new city. 

545
00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:54,520
You walk into a church and 
here's who's in your church. 

546
00:40:54,840 --> 00:41:02,040
John the Baptist, Moses, King 
David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, 

547
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:07,360
Abraham, Joseph, the prophet 
Daniel, and the Apostle Paul. 

548
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,600
You know what we might think? 
This is what I would think after

549
00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:17,160
being there for like a few 
weeks, maybe after one week, I 

550
00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:24,440
don't even know if I'm saved. 
I mean, I mean, I have faith 

551
00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:28,920
and, and I thought I had works, 
but good grief, these men put me

552
00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:33,440
to shame. 
I, I was, I mean, I was 

553
00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:38,680
convinced, I would say, but like
getting stoned and walking back 

554
00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:44,240
into a city to share the gospel.
I'll be honest, I don't even 

555
00:41:44,240 --> 00:41:47,360
know if I'm saved anymore. 
I mean, I, I don't even know. 

556
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:54,840
Now, on the other side, suppose 
we walk into a church that is 

557
00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:57,880
still with the Levite and the 
priest and the Good Samaritan 

558
00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:09,070
and Demas and Justin Bieber. 
We're all saved. 

559
00:42:10,470 --> 00:42:16,640
Everybody here is saved. 
We all have faith. 

560
00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:21,760
We're all God's children. 
We all have works. 

561
00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,800
Everybody has works. 
Everybody here has faith. 

562
00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:29,240
Brother and sister, the measure 
is Christ. 

563
00:42:31,720 --> 00:42:36,040
If you turn inwardly and look at
your faith, or you turn 

564
00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,280
outwardly and look at other 
people's faith, you will do one 

565
00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:41,080
of two things. 
You either question your 

566
00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:43,920
salvation or you will applaud 
your salvation. 

567
00:42:45,280 --> 00:42:48,960
If you turn inwardly and look at
your works, or you turn 

568
00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:51,840
outwardly and look at others 
works, you will do one of two 

569
00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:53,800
things. 
You will either question your 

570
00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:56,520
salvation or you will applaud 
your salvation. 

571
00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:03,040
So what are we to do? 
We look upwardly. 

572
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:09,600
We look upwardly, we look at 
Christ. 

573
00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:22,680
The measure is Christ last .7 
Works may not be sufficient for 

574
00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:25,360
assurance, but they are 
necessary. 

575
00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:30,320
Works may not be. 
Works are not sufficient for I 

576
00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:33,560
said it's not may. 
Works are not sufficient for for

577
00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:35,720
assurance, but they are 
necessary. 

578
00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:40,360
James writes show me your faith 
apart from your works and I will

579
00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:44,120
show you my faith by my works. 
James's argument is that works 

580
00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:48,440
are not. 
His argument is not that works 

581
00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:50,720
are sufficient to show faith. 
That's not what he's saying. 

582
00:43:51,720 --> 00:43:54,680
He's not arguing that works are 
sufficient to show your faith, 

583
00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:57,120
but rather that they are 
necessary. 

584
00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:01,040
Now here's the question. 
Why are works not sufficient to 

585
00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:03,480
show faith? 
In other words, why is it like, 

586
00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:05,720
if, if anybody right now 
question their assurance 

587
00:44:05,720 --> 00:44:07,640
question if they were a 
Christian, you go out like, you 

588
00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:09,880
know, you write a big check to 
the church, you go and start 

589
00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:15,480
feeding people outside and you, 
you go donate all your clothes 

590
00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:18,560
right to your, to your college 
roommate or whatever, right? 

591
00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:23,160
Like what? 
And you're like, OK, I'm saved. 

592
00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:29,480
I have works. 
Why are works not sufficient for

593
00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:30,080
assurance? 
Here's why. 

594
00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:34,720
Because the lost world can do 
works, the lost world can do 

595
00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:38,720
works. 
The lost world can go to this 

596
00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:41,000
brother, sister and give him 
some clothes and give him some 

597
00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:42,520
food. 
Does that mean they're saved? 

598
00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:49,920
No, no. 
Works are not sufficient for 

599
00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:52,120
assurance. 
We cannot look solely to our 

600
00:44:52,120 --> 00:44:54,040
works for assurance of 
salvation. 

601
00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:57,720
When we think of assurance, we 
always want to think in terms of

602
00:44:57,720 --> 00:44:59,920
objective warrant and subjective
warrant. 

603
00:44:59,920 --> 00:45:04,920
I've talked about this before. 
Subjective warrant is our works,

604
00:45:06,320 --> 00:45:10,400
but subjective warrant is not 
sufficient for assurance. 

605
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:15,960
Why we need objective warrant? 
What is objective warrant? 

606
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:18,240
Jesus Christ crucified and risen
from the dead. 

607
00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,440
But just because subjective 
warrant is not sufficient 

608
00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:31,640
doesn't mean it's not necessary.
They are. 

609
00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:37,000
They are necessary. 
And let me be clear here, this 

610
00:45:37,000 --> 00:45:38,880
is so important, especially for 
our church. 

611
00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:43,320
This is so important for us and 
our culture and our church. 

612
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:50,200
Don't turn works into solely a 
spreadsheet of horizontal 

613
00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:56,600
actions. 
Don't turn works. 

614
00:45:56,600 --> 00:45:59,320
Like I don't know if I'm say 
man, that that sermon by Matt 

615
00:45:59,320 --> 00:46:01,680
really shook me or it really 
caused me to question. 

616
00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:04,120
I don't know. 
Let me see what I need to start 

617
00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:07,560
doing. 
Don't turn works into a 

618
00:46:07,560 --> 00:46:10,000
spreadsheet of horizontal 
actions. 

619
00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:16,880
The 1st and greatest work that 
we do is to love the Lord your 

620
00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:20,320
God with all your heart, soul, 
mind and strength. 

621
00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:30,000
That's the first and greatest 
work that we do. 

622
00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:39,840
Works starts with a love for God
and affection for Christ, a joy 

623
00:46:40,040 --> 00:46:48,600
in the Holy Spirit, and when we 
have that, it produces love for 

624
00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:51,360
our neighbor. 
Let's pray.