Would you turn back to James
chapter 2? I cannot number the times I've
heard this response when I have been attempting to tell somebody
about the gospel. Here's the response I think I've
heard maybe more than any other response. What about James Chapter
2? I've entitled this message, What
About James 2? Let's look at this passage again,
James Chapter 2. As a matter of fact, I'd like
to read verses 14 through 26 once again. What do the prophet, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Now let me give you a hint. The
key word in here is the word say. It's one thing to say you
have faith, and it's another thing to have faith. What does it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith and have not works? Can faith
save him? And then he gives this scenario.
If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food,
and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed
and filled, then shut the door. Notwithstanding, you give them
not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?
Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast
faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy
works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is
one God. thou doest well. The devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man,
that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified
by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect or complete. And the scripture was fulfilled,
which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him
for righteousness. And he was called the friend
of God. God called this man my friend. You see then how that by works
a man is justified and not by faith only. Likewise also was
not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she'd receive the
messengers and send them out another way. For as the body
without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Now, turn to Romans 3 for a moment. I want us to put this passage
of scripture behind or beside the words of Paul in Romans chapter
3. Beginning in verse 19, Now we
know that whatsoever things of the law saith, It saith to them
who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds
or the works of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. All God's law says to me or you
is you've broken it. That's it. By the law is the
knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested. being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there's
no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. You take the most moral man alive
and you take the most immoral man alive. And how much difference
is there of those two men before God? No difference. No difference. for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by works? No, by His grace, His complete
unmerited favor through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God set forth to be a propitiation. That's a big word. It means the
reason for His anger has been removed through the blood of
Christ. Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, the reason
God can be pleased with me, is because Christ died. Period. Amen? Whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His
righteousness for the remission of sins that have passed through
the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness,
that He might be just, and the juster of him which believeth
in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but
by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude, we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Now, is what James is saying
compatible with what Paul is saying in Romans chapter 3? We conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law. Turn back to James chapter
2 and look at these statements James makes again. Verse 17, even so faith If it
hath not works, is dead, being alone. Verse 20 and 21, But wilt
thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified
by works? when he had offered Isaac his
son upon the altar. Seest thou how faith wrought
with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? Verse 24, you see then how that
by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Now Paul
said we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law. And James says, you see then
how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Verse 25, likewise also was not
Rahab the harlot justified by works when she'd 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. Indeed. What about James 2? Now, this scripture in James
2 made Martin Luther conclude that it shouldn't even be in
the Bible. He said this is not inspired and it shouldn't be.
in the Scripture. Well, Brother Martin was quite
wrong about this. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God. And I've heard people talk about
this passage of Scripture and the similar passages in Paul
when it seems like he's saying the direct opposite thing. And
they say, well, here's what's going on. When Paul is talking
about justification by faith, he's talking about your justification
before God. And when James is talking about
justification by works, he's talking about your works being
before men so that they can see you are what you claim to be.
Now let me try to answer that question. I do not want to say that I don't
care what you think about me and what you think about my character
and my conduct. I care greatly. I care greatly. I want to treat
you in such a way as will earn your love, respect, and esteem. And I want you to look upon me
as a man of faithfulness and a man of integrity. I do care
deeply what you think about me. And I want to be an example to
you. in thought, word, and deed. Paul said, follow me as I follow
Christ. So understand, I do care what
you think about me. That being said, if I really
am justified before God, it means nothing to me to try to prove
it to you. I don't care whether you believe
I am or not. It means nothing to me to prove it to you. As long as I am justified before
God, I'm not real concerned whether you think I am or not. And I'm
not trying to prove to you whether or not I am or whether or not
I'm not. As far as that goes, a natural
man can't see grace anyway. They don't understand. You know,
somebody says, I've said this before, somebody says, I want
people to see Christ in me. Well, they didn't see Christ
in Christ. They hated him. They didn't want to have anything
to do with him. And as far as me trying to show you some kind
of grace in myself, I'm not worried about it. I'm not worried about
it. I mean, if I'm justified before God, I'm justified before
God. And the point James is making
is not to try to justify your faith before men, because do
you even care? If you have faith, do you even
care whether anybody thinks you have it or not, as long as you've
got it? If you are justified before God and somebody thinks,
I don't believe you are, so what? So what? There's no skin off
my back as long as I know I really am. I've had people so many times
ask me the question, I guess because I'm a preacher, they
say, do you think I'm saved? Does it make any difference what I
think? If I think you are, does that mean you are? If I think
you're not, does that mean you're not? No. Now, this thing about
James trying to get us to prove our faith to men, that's not
what this passage means at all. It doesn't have anything to do
with that. It's not an attempt to get us to justify our faith
and our salvation and the reality of our relationship with God
before men. Now, the key word, I think, is
found in verse 14 to open up this passage of Scripture. What
doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith,
and have not works? He says he has faith, he says
it, but he doesn't have works. Can faith save him? It's one thing to say you have
faith, It's another thing to believe. Let me repeat that. It's one thing to say you have
faith. I have faith. I'm a Christian.
I walk with God. I have fellowship with God. It's
one thing to say that, and it's another thing to really Now let
me give you an illustration before we look at James' illustration.
A man says he believes what the Bible teaches regarding grace.
God is sovereign in His dispensation of grace. That's who God is.
He's the sovereign God. We believe that. We believe the Bible teaches
that men are totally depraved, dead in sins, without the ability
to save themselves. And we believe that concerning
ourselves. You know, I believe more than the doctrine of total
depravity. I believe I'm totally depraved. I really believe that. We believe that the scripture
teaches that before time began, God elected a people to be saved,
and saved they must be because Christ came and represented them,
and kept the law for them, and died for their sins, and put
them away, and everybody he died for must be saved. We believe
that. We believe God's grace is irresistible
and invincible, and if He intends to save you, save you're going
to be. His grace is invincible. We believe everybody that God
elected, Christ died for, God the Holy Spirit gives His grace
to, will persevere all the way to the end. They won't stop.
They'll continue in the faith, grounded and settled. Now, we
believe that, don't we? Now, a man says, I believe grace.
And he attends a church where grace is not preached. Or it's preached in code language
in such a way that nobody will know what he's saying to keep
from offending people. Question. This man says he believes
grace, but what does his work say? work say, He doesn't. He couldn't be a part of something
where grace is not preached if He really believed. Now what
do you believe? What the man says or what the
man does? Turn with me to 1 John chapter
1. Now John gives us a, this is what John is saying, 1 John
chapter 1 verse 6, If we say that we have fellowship
with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. Now, a lot of people make this
claim. I fellowship with God. I pray. He hears me. I talk to
Him. He speaks to me. I walk with
Him in sweet fellowship. I'm a Christian. I have fellowship
with God. Somebody makes that claim and
yet they walk in darkness. Now, is that referring to somebody
making the claim to be a Christian and yet living some kind of sinful
life underneath it all that nobody knows about? He's walking in
darkness and practicing immorality and wickedness and so on, and
yet he claims to be a Christian. Is that what that's talking about?
Well, that's not good. That's not good. But that's not
what John's talking about. What's John talking about? for
someone to claim to be a Christian, yet to walk in the darkness of
salvation by works. The darkness of trying to earn
God's favor and yet making these claims. That person who makes
that claim is lying. He's lying. He didn't do the truth. Look in verse 8. Well, let's
read verse 7. But if we walk in the light,
the light of how God saves sinners by His grace. Now that's what
that's a reference to. You know when the Lord said,
I am the light of the world? He said that right after. He
said to that woman who was caught in the very act of adultery,
Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned
thee? Neither do I condemn thee. Now he's the light as to how
that could be. Next verse, he says, I am the
light of the world. If we walk in the light as he
is in the light, what do we do? We have fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ,
his son, cleanseth us from all sin. Now if we say, here's that
word again, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. And the
truth is not in us. We've lost all credibility. That
person's a liar. And like I said there, the word
sin is a noun. At all times, no matter what
my condition is, I have a sinful nature. My sin's ever before
me. And for me to say I have no sin,
I'm a liar. And the truth is not in me. Now
if we confess our sins, verse 9, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say, there's that word again, if we say that we've not
sinned, now there the word is a verb regarding anything I do. When I'm preaching this message
that I've prayed about, I've asked the Lord to give me direction,
understanding, I want to preach it in a simple way, in love,
with the right attitude, with the right spirit. I want to preach
the correct doctrine of this. I've asked the Lord to help me.
And if I say with regard to this sin, this sermon, I've not sinned,
I'm lying. If I do it, whatever it is, it's
sin. You believe that about yourself?
If we say we've not sinned, with regard to whatever we're doing,
we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Look in chapter
2, verse 4. He that saith, here's that word
again, he that saith, I know him. A lot of people make that
claim, I know God. He that saith, I know him, and
keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him. Now, is that talking about the
Ten Commandments? I know him. And I keep the Ten Commandments.
Ain't nobody believes you. I know you don't. You don't in
heart, you don't in spirit, you don't in word. Every one of them
you've broken. And he says the only one who
knows him is the one who keeps his commandments, not says he
keeps them, or not attempts to keep them, but actually keeps
them. Now what is the commandment we actually keep? First John
chapter 3 verse 23, and this is his commandment that we should
Believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another
as He gave us a commandment. Now, there's a commandment I
keep. I really do believe on the name of the Son of God. I
believe His name is the only thing that's going to bring me
into heaven. You believe that? And I love all who love Him. Now, these are commandments we
keep. Now, somebody who says, I know God and doesn't believe
the gospel, he doesn't believe on His name. He doesn't look
to Him only. Huh. He's not telling the truth. If we say we know him and keep
not his commandments, he's a liar. And the truth is not in him. Look down in verse 9. He that saith he's in the light.
There's that word again. He that saith he's in the light.
And he hates his brother. He's in darkness even until now.
Look back in chapter 4 of the same book, verse 20. If a man
say, I love God and he hates his brother, he's a liar. For
he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he
love God whom he hath not seen? Now back to James chapter 2. What doth a prophet, verse 14,
what doth a prophet, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith
and hath not works, can faith save him? The answer is no. No. It's not real. It's not faith
in the first place. A faith without works is not
faith in the first place. That person who claims fellowship
with God but walks in the darkness of salvation by works, He claims
to not sin, but all he does is sin. He claims to know him, but
he fails to obey the command of the gospel. He claims to walk
in the light of the gospel, but he hates his brother. He claims
to know and love God, but he hates his brother. That faith is not saving faith. Now look in verse 15. He gives
us an example of how that is so. Verse 15. If a brother or sister be naked
and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,
now let's picture this in your mind. You're sitting in the living
room and you hear a knock on the door. You open it up and
you see your brother. Your brother is shivering in
the cold, insufficiently clothed. He's hungry, emaciated, weak. You open up the door and you
look at him and you say, hey brother, how you doing? Depart in peace. Be warm. And be filled, be satisfied.
And then you close the door and go back and start watching TV
again and leave him on the porch. What doth it profit? Now, such words, without actions
accompanying them, to help the shivering and hungry one, makes
the person who says them a monster, doesn't it? It makes them a monster. One
who knows nothing of the grace and mercy of God, one who doesn't
have the love of God in his heart. Turn back over to 1 John chapter
3. Verse 16, Hereby perceive we
the love of God, because He laid down His life for us, and we
ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath
this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth
up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of
God in him? My little children, Let us not
love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Now that fellow in verse 14 who
said, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, but doesn't
give those things that are needful to the body, what's he doing?
He's loving in word only and not in deed and in truth. And the precise same manner,
turn back to James 2, verse 17, Even so, just like there was no prophet
whatsoever in that man's words, but didn't have any works to
accompany him. He didn't clothe the scantily
clad and shivering. He didn't feed the hungry. He
just said, depart in peace, be warm and filled. That's loving
in word only and not in deed and truth. And so he says, even
so, in the same manner, I've given you this example to show
you this. Even so, faith, If it hath not works, is dead. It's lifeless. It's not genuine. It will not save. It's like saying,
I have a million dollars in the bank. And you don't have a nickel.
Same thing. Faith, if it hath not works,
is dead being alone. Now let me say this. Every believer,
without exception, is zealous of good works. There's no such
thing as a believer who's not zealous of good works. You want
to live in such a way as honors the Lord. You want to be rich
in good works. Every believer is zealous of
good works. He died purifying to himself
a peculiar people zealous of good works, Titus 2. Now, that
being said, this is not talking about having a bunch of good
works that verifies the genuineness and reality of your faith. Now, let me say this. Can you look at your life and
the good works of your life and think, well, I must be saved?
I have faith. Look at me. I've got all these
good works. I help people so much. I do so
much for people. I'm a servant to people. I must be saved. Listen, let me give you a hint. If you even suspect anything
like that, you've never known the Lord. You're completely blind
to yourself. You have no idea what you're
saying. The only thing that gives a believer assurance that they're
saved is Christ. Christ. If Christ is my all,
I'm saved. If His righteousness is my personal
righteousness before God, I'm saved. If what He did is enough
and nothing else is needed, I'm saved. I have assurance. I have
assurance of His favor toward me. If Christ is all, you know
what that makes me? Nothing. You know what I think
about that? I like it that way. It's simple.
It's simple. Don't try to give me 1% me and
99% Christ. I start getting confused. I don't
know what to do next. No, it's Christ is all by one
offering. He hath perfected forever, then
better sanctified. That's what he did. And that's
where our joy and peace and rest comes from, not our good works.
This is not talking about having a bunch of good works that verifies
the genuineness and reality of your faith. This is talking about
an incomplete faith. Look in verse 22. Seest thou how faith, talking
about Abraham offering up his son Isaac, seest thou how faith
wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect.
Now here's an example of what that means. Let's say there's
a bridge going across a canyon, hundreds of feet down. You can
see the river going through there. And you say, I believe that bridge
will hold me up. And you prove you really believe
it when you get on the bridge. and trust it to support you. You can say you believe it'll
get you across, but you prove you really believe that when
you get on the bridge and walk across it. You can say you trust
the Lord Jesus Christ. You prove it. when you rely on
Him only and put the entire weight of your soul on who He is and
what He did as all that's needed to make you perfect before God.
Now, turn with me for a moment to Hebrews chapter 11. This is
where we're going to end because Hebrews chapter 11 is the antithesis
of the man of James chapter 2. In Hebrews chapter 11, we're
given the example of men who had works that proved the reality
of their faith, not to other men. This is not about trying
to prove yourself to other men. You just don't need to do that.
I don't need to prove myself to you. You don't need to prove
yourself to me. I'm going to take you on your word. If you
say you believe the gospel, I believe you do. I'm just going to take
you on your word. You don't have to prove anything
to me, and I don't have to prove anything to you, but these men
in Hebrews chapter 11, this is called the Hall of Faith, and
let's read it together. Hebrews chapter 11. Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I love the
simplicity of that definition of faith. Now, I've got a hope
that I'm going to stand before God justified, and the substance
of that is faith. It's the evidence of things not
seen. Now, I believe right now when God looks at me, I stand
before him without guilt. I stand before him sinless. I stand before him justified. That's what the Bible's all about,
justification by Christ. I stand before him justified.
Can I look at my life the way I've conducted myself today and
conclude that that's, yeah, I must be justified, look at me. No,
I know that by faith. It's the evidence of things not
seen. Verse two, for by it, by faith,
the elders obtained a good report. Do you know the Old Testament
saints were saved the same way the New Testament saints are?
By faith. The only way you're gonna get
a good report card is by faith. Is that a good report? That's
a good report card. Straight A's! Straight A's. By faith. By looking to Christ only. Through
faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word
of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things
which do appear. We don't understand, then believe. We understand by believing. By faith we understand. Verse
4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice
than Cain. By which he obtained witness that he was righteous,
God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh."
What proved that Abel really believed the sacrifice was all
he needed? By presenting that to God. Looking to Christ only. Cain proved what he believed
too, didn't he? His works brought, he brought the offering of the
ground, the best he could produce. Proved what he really believed,
he believed works. Verse 5, By faith Enoch was translated that
he should not see death and was not found because God translated
him. For before his translation, he had this testimony that he
pleased God. Well, how did he please God?
But without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of
them that diligently seek him. How did Enoch please God? Same way I please God, by faith,
by looking to Christ only. God was pleased with Enoch. He's
pleased with everybody who looks to his son. That's how. Look in verse 7. By faith Noah,
being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by the which he
condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which
is by faith. Noah really believed that the only place of safety
was in the ark. What proved it? He built the
ark. And he went into that ark before
a drop of rain ever fell. Now after the rain started falling,
all kinds of people wanted in. But he went into that ark because
he believed God. He proved he believed God by
going into that ark. And oh, that ark is such a beautiful
type of the gospel. I think of that ark they made
60 miles north. Don't even know what the ark
means. The ark is Christ. Salvation's in Him. Outside of
Him, there's nothing but wrath. Verse 8, By faith, Abraham, when
he was called to go out into a place which he should afterward
receive for an inheritance, obeyed. And he went out, not knowing
whether he went. Now, God said, Depart from your
house, I'm going to make of you a great and mighty nation. What
if he would have said, Okay, I'll just sit here and wait for
it to happen? No, he couldn't do that, could he? He got up and went,
proving he believed what God said. Verse 9, By faith he sojourned
as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Now Abraham,
this world was not his home. He was looking for another city
wherein dwelleth righteousness. And while he was here, he was
just a stranger. He proved that by being nothing
but a stranger. This world was not his home. He didn't put stakes in this
world. He was looking for a better city. Verse 11. Through faith
also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered
of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful
who had promised." I love that verse of scripture. Because if
you read Genesis chapter 18, when she hears the promise, what
does she do? She starts laughing. She didn't believe. And God said,
why are you laughing? Christ said, why are you laughing?
She said, I didn't laugh. I've been lying right in His very
presence. And yet when the New Testament
gives the account of her, it's all good. You see, the Old Testament
is what we are in the flesh. The New Testament is what we
are in Christ. And it was all good. I mean, look at what he
said. She received strength to conceive
seed after she'd gone through menopause. Abraham was a ninety-some
year old man. She received strength to conceive
seed. Therefore sprang there even of
one, and him as good as dead, as many as the stars of the sky
in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, they were persuaded of them.
They embraced them, and they confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they
had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they
might have had opportunity of return. But now they desire a
better country that is in heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he prepared for them a city by faith
Abraham. when he was tried. Remember how
he was tried? Take now your son, your only
son, Isaac, Ishmael's not acknowledged, whom you love, and take him up
to a mountain I'll show you of and offer him up as a burnt offering
to me. Now this man, young man, Isaac,
God had promised the Messiah would come to him. Now what about
Abraham? Abraham, in obedience to God,
what if Abraham would have said, if I do that, if I kill this
boy that God has promised the Messiah through, it'll mess up
God's promise and the Messiah won't come through him, therefore
I'm not going to do it. What would he have proved by
that? That he didn't believe what God said. But Abraham believed
exactly what God said. He believed that even if he killed
him, God would raise him up from the dead. And that is seen in
Genesis chapter 22 when he tells the men that were with him, I
and the lad will go yonder and worship and return again to you. He believed that as soon as he
plunged that knife in, God would raise him up from the dead. He
believed God. By faith, verse 17, Abraham,
when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that received the
promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was
said that in Isaac should I see be called, accounting that God
was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also
he received him in a figure. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob
at Esau concerning things to come. God told him what was going
to come. He blessed him according to what
God said. Verse 22, Verse 21, By faith Jacob, when
he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph, and worshipped,
leaning upon the top of his staff. He worshipped. Faith worships.
It always does. It worships God. Verse 22, By
faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the
children of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Now, in Genesis chapter 15, God said, you're going to be brought
into Egypt after 400 years, I'm going to bring you out. Joseph
knew it was time. He knew what God said. He said,
when you all leave, bring my bones out. That's going to happen
in several hundred years. He believed God, and he proved
it by making this request. By faith, Moses, when he was
born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw
he was a proper child, and they were not afraid of the king's
commandment. By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused
to be called the sons of Pharaoh's daughter. He refused identification
with Pharaoh, choosing rather, here's faith's choice, choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season. Here's what faith does. He esteemed
the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of
Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.
Now here's another one of those things where if you read the
Old Testament account, what did he do? He was scared to death. He buried the body, tried to
hide it, and fled in fear. That's exactly what he did in
the Old Testament account. But here in the New Testament
account, look at what it says. And you know, this is, beloved, as frustrated as you
are with yourself, the New Testament account is what's true regarding
you. This is how God sees things. By faith he forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him
who was invisible. Through faith he kept the Passover and the
sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn
should touch them." What proved he believed there was safety
only in the house with the blood over the door? What if he stayed
outside? Proved he didn't believe, didn't
it? But he went in the house with the blood over the door.
By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, which
the Egyptians are saying to do, were drowned. You think about
the Red Sea parting. By faith, they walked through.
Now, if they said, I'm not going to take a chance, what if it
comes in? That means they didn't believe, didn't it? What demonstrated
they believed? They walked through. Verse 31,
by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed
about seven days. He said, compass about seven
days in the fall down. That's what they did. By faith,
the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when
she had received the spies with peace. She knew God was going
to destroy everybody. And she knew the only hope she
had was receiving those spies with peace and saying, have God
have mercy on me and my house. So she received the spies with
peace. Her works proved that she believed what she said she
believed. And what more shall I say? For
the time would fail me to tell, and he goes on to name all these
different people. But here's the last example I
thought of. God said to Naaman, the leper,
you go in the river Jordan and you dunk down seven times. And when you come out, you'll
be white as snow. Your baby, your flesh will be
like a baby's flesh. The leprosy will be gone. Now,
when Naaman first heard this, he got mad. He said, I thought
he'd come out and strike his hand over the place and mighty
things would take place and kill the leper. I'm not going to go
in that filthy River Jordan. Why, the rivers in Syria are
a whole lot cleaner than these. And he went away in a rage. He
wasn't going to do that. And his servant said to him,
if the prophet would ask you to do something great, you would
have done it. Why not just go dip down in the
River Jordan and be clean? And so he did it. One, two, three,
four. Leprosy's still there. Five,
six, seven. He comes out and the leprosy's
gone. Now, did dipping down in that
water take away his leprosy? No more than being baptized back
here washes away your sins. Would he have been cleansed if
he would have refused? No. Faith without works is dead,
being alone. What proved that Naaman believed
that God would heal him? by him doing what the prophet
told him to do, to go dip down seven times in the river Jordan. So, Hebrews chapter 11 is the
opposite of James chapter 2. And we'll, may the Lord enable
us to have a faith without works that has works. Let's pray. Lord, in Christ's blessed name,
we ask that you would deliver us from a dead faith. Deliver us from making claims
that are not so. But give us that faith in thy
son. that causes us to be like Abel and bring the right sacrifice,
the only sacrifice, causes us to be like Enoch who believed
you, causes us to be like Noah who got in the ark, causes us
to be like Moses who knew the only place of safety. was in
the house with the blood. Oh, Lord, deliver us from a dead
faith. Save us by your grace. In Christ's
name we pray. Amen.