Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The faith that works requires the wisdom that is from God...


This week we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. Yesterday, we looked on as James address the timeless question “what is true wisdom? And how does wisdom actually demonstrate that it is wisdom?  How does one distinguish what is wisdom from that which is not truly wisdom?      

James began to answer his question by explaining that a person who thinks that they have true wisdom will demonstrate that wisdom by a way of life that is not full of themselves but that through their actions demonstrates the developed skill for living life that produces positive results in their relationship with God and others.

James revealed the reality that true wisdom results in a lifestyle that flows from not being overly impressed with themselves but that reveals the wisdom that produces positive results in their lives. James then contrasted true wisdom from that which is not true wisdom by explaining that one of the ways that we can distinguish true wisdom from that which is not true wisdom is through what motivates and drives a person when it comes to how they live out their lifestyle.

James pointed out that those who have a lifestyle that is driven by a bitter desire to want what others have or to not others to have what they do have should not boast about having wisdom, because such a boast would be to tell a lie. And those who have a lifestyle that is driven from the core of our beings by selfishness should not boast about having wisdom, because such a boast would be to tell a lie.

Instead of possessing true wisdom, such a lifestyle reveals a faulty and false wisdom. Today we will see James reveal the source of such faulty and false wisdom in James 3:15:

 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

Here we see James reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that is motivated and driven by such wisdom demonstrates that this “wisdom” is not from God. This developed skill for living life that is producing these results does not flow from God or the things of God. Instead, James explains that this wisdom, this developed skill for living life is earthly, natural, demonic.

But what is James talking about here? What is James referring to when he uses the words earthly, natural, demonic? When James uses the word earthly here, he is referring to that which comes from the earthly sphere of existence as opposed to the Heavenly sphere of existence.

James point is that this type of wisdom, this type of developed skill from living life that is motivated and driven by jealousy and selfish ambition, flows from human philosophy that finds its source from the thinking of the earthly realm and not the heavenly realm. You see, human philosophy finds its source material in an earthly human mindset that does not have a divine perspective or mindset. James point here is that as a result of the source of human philosophy, such philosophy produces a lifestyle that promotes jealousy and selfishness.

When James uses the word natural here, he is referring to that which comes from the natural world as opposed to that which comes from the spiritual realm. James point is that this type of wisdom, this type of developed skill from living life that is motivated and driven by jealousy and selfish ambition, flows from and finds its source in our old nature apart from God and not from our new nature that comes as a result of the Spirit of God’s indwelling presence in our lives.

And the reality is that our old nature apart from God is selfish and rebellious against God and the things of God. James point here is that as a result of this wisdom, this developed skill for life that flows from our old nature, the result is a lifestyle of jealousy and selfishness.

When James uses the word demonic here, he is referring to that which comes from the spiritual forces who are opposed to God and the things of God as opposed to that which comes from the God. James point is that this type of wisdom, this type of developed skill from living life that is motivated and driven by jealousy and selfish ambition, flows from and finds its source in spiritual forces who are opposed to God and want to destroy the kingdom of God and the people of God.

James point here is that as a result of this wisdom, this developed skill for life that flows from these spiritual forces that oppose God and the things of God, the result is a lifestyle of jealousy and selfishness. James hammers this very point home in verse 16:

 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

James here reveals the reality that when a lifestyle is motivated and driven by a desire to want what others have and not want others to have what they do have; when a lifestyle is motivated and driven to pursue our selfish desires at the expense of others, the result is disorder and every evil thing. Now disorder refers to a desire to oppose the established authority, while every evil thing refers to attitudes and actions that are morally substandard in nature.

James point is that such “wisdom” that is informed and shaped by human philosophy, by our old nature apart from God, and by the spiritual forces that oppose God will result in a developed skill for living life that produces a lifestyle of jealousy and selfish ambition that is marked by a rebellion against authority and a low standard of morality.  And such a lifestyle reveals the reality that such “wisdom” is not from God.

James is revealing for us the reality that the person who considers themselves to be a follower of Jesus that possesses wisdom from God and yet lives a lifestyle of selfishness that wants what others have and that does not want others to have what they do have really does not have the faith that works. They do not have the faith that works because they are relying on wisdom that results in the wrong kind of lifestyle. They do not have the faith that works because they are relying on wisdom that is from the wrong source.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we see James reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless truth is this: The faith that works requires the wisdom that is from God. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works requires the wisdom that is from God.

Now right about now you might be thinking to yourself “Well Dave  that sounds great, but how do I know that this wisdom, this developed skill for living life that produces positive results in my life, is from God? How can I distinguish what is wisdom from that which is not truly wisdom? And how do I find this wisdom? How do I discover this developed skill for living life that produces positive results?

Friday we will see James provide the answer to these questions...

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

How do I distinguish what is wisdom from that which is not truly wisdom?


At the church where I serve we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who turned from being a doubter in Jesus to being a pastor of Jesus church and an author of this letter that is recorded for us in the Bible after seeing Jesus after He was raised from the dead. And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer has been that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus.

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James, we will see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works.  So let’s discover that timeless truth together beginning in James 3:13:

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

James begins this section of his letter to early followers of Jesus by asking a question: “Who among you is wise and understanding?” Now when we see the word wisdom in the Bible, this word refers to a developed skill for living life that produces positive results. In addition, the word understanding conveys the sense of not only having knowledge but also being able to use that knowledge effectively.

If James was asking this question in the language we use in our culture today, this question may have sounded something like this: Who among you thinks they are wise? Who among you has demonstrated a developed skill for living life that produces positive results? Who among you is effectively exercising the knowledge that you have received?

With this question, James is addressing a timeless issue. And that timeless issue is the issue of wisdom. James here is addressing the timeless question “what is true wisdom? And how does wisdom actually demonstrate that it is wisdom?  How does one distinguish what is wisdom from that which is not truly wisdom?          

We see James begin to answer these questions in the second half of verse 13 when he states “Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” To fully understand James answer, however, we first need to understand a few things. The first thing that we need to understand is that when James refers to good behavior, this phrase refers to a way of life that is of high moral quality.

The second thing that we need to understand is what James means when he uses the phrase “the gentleness of wisdom”. What is so interesting here is that the word gentleness, in the language that this letter is originally written in, literally means to not be overly impressed by a sense of self-importance. This word refers to a person who is not full of themselves, but considers others and the opinions of others. 

So James answer, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: Let the person who thinks that they have true wisdom demonstrate that wisdom by a way of life that is not full of themselves but that through their actions demonstrates the developed skill for living life that produces positive results in their relationship with God and others.”

 James point here is true wisdom is proven by the right lifestyle. James is revealing for us the reality that true wisdom results in a lifestyle that flows from not being overly impressed with themselves but that reveals the wisdom that produces positive results in their lives. James then contrasts true wisdom from that which is not true wisdom beginning in verse 14:

 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.

Here we see James reveal for us the reality that one of the ways that we can distinguish true wisdom from that which is not true wisdom is through what motivates and drives a person when it comes to how they live out their lifestyle. When James uses the word bitter jealousy, this is phrase refers to an intense negative feeling over another’s achievement or success.

You see, jealousy or envy is the desire to want what others have or to not want others to have what they do have. In addition, when James refers to selfish ambition he is referring to a dream or desires for one’s life that is driven by selfishness.

You see, it is not a sin to be ambitious. As a matter of fact the Bible is full of ambitious people. Moses was pretty ambitious; after all he led over one million Jewish people out of slavery. King David was pretty ambitious; after all he was driven to lead the Jewish people and prepare the plans for the Temple.

Paul was pretty ambitious; after all he was driven by the desire to spread the gospel through the known world and to write the majority of what we refer to as the New Testament. And Jesus was pretty ambitious. You see, the Bible is full of ambitious people. The problem is not ambition. The problem is selfish ambition. The problem is the ambition to pursue our selfish desires at the expense of others.

James, in this verse, is basically saying “If you are driven to want what others have and to not want others to have what they do have, do not brag and boast that you have wisdom, because you are lying and you do not have wisdom. If you are driven to pursue your selfish desires at the expense of others, do not brag and boast that you have wisdom, because you are lying and you do not have wisdom.”

James point is that those who have a lifestyle that is driven by a bitter desire to want what others have or to not others to have what they do have should not boast about having wisdom, because such a boast would be to tell a lie. And those who have a lifestyle that is driven from the core of our beings by selfishness should not boast about having wisdom, because such a boast would be to tell a lie.

Instead of possessing true wisdom, such a lifestyle reveals a faulty and false wisdom. Tomorrow, we will see James reveal the source of such faulty and false wisdom…  

Friday, September 25, 2015

What our speech reveals about what is really going on inside of us...


This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James. Wednesday we discovered that the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled. We talked about the reality that the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals our spiritual maturity.
 
The speech that is controlled reveals a spiritual maturity that is necessary for a person who wants to teach the message and teachings that make up the letters in the Bible, because those who teach the message and teachings of Jesus place themselves in greater danger of judgment if unable to control their speech. And those who do not stumble in what they say reveal a spiritual maturity that not only keeps them from tripping up in what they say. Those who do not stumble in what they say reveal a spiritual maturity that keeps their entire life in check.

We also talked about the reality that the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals the trajectory of our lives. You see, while our tongues are small, they exert a great influence in the trajectory of our lives. And while our tongues are small, they exert the great power to corrupt everything around us.

Today, we will see James reveal a third reason why the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled in James 3:7-8:

 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.

Here we see James make a stark contrast in order to reveal the third reason why the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled. James reminds the readers of this letter that humanity throughout history has been able to tame every species on the planet. The word tamed here conveys the sense of subduing. Humanity throughout history has been able to control and dominate the rest of the creation.

However, in verse eight, James reveals the reality that while humanity has been able to tame the rest of the creation; humanity has been unable to tame the tongue and the speech that comes from the tongue. Humanity throughout history, in spite of all its efforts, has been unable to control the tongue.

James then reveals the reality that the reason that humanity has been unable to control the tongue is due to the fact that the tongue “is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." Now this phrase literally means that the tongue is death dealing, full of deadly poison. Our tongues have the potential to be a death dealer.

And because of that reality, the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech is difficult to control. James point here is that controlling our speech is difficult because our tongues are difficult to tame. And controlling our speech is difficult due to deadly power of our tongue. As the writer of Proverbs stated “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eats its fruit”.

The writer of Proverbs point is that our words are powerful. This morning, our words can bring life. And our words can bring death. And those who live the power of words will eat what is produced by those words. If you love the power of words to bring death, those words of death will boomerang back to you and bring death to you. If you love the power of words to bring life, those words of life will boomerang back to you and bring life to you.

So this morning, here is a question to consider: What is the fruit, or what is being produced, by your speech? Are you a death dealer when it comes to your speech? Are you a death dealer with the poison of gossip? Are you a death dealer with the poison of slander? Or are you living out your faith in a way that keeps control on your speech?

But not only is the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals our spiritual maturity. Not only is the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals the trajectory of our lives. Not only is the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech is difficult to control. James reveals for us a fourth reason why the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled in James 3:9-12:

 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.

Here we see James point out to the readers of his letter a timeless flaw that has haunted followers of Jesus throughout history. Now if James was pointing out this flaw in the language we use in our culture today, this flaw would sound something like this: “With our speech we praise Jesus and God, and with our speech we curse those around us who bear the thumbprint of God.  From the same opening our mouths produce speech that blesses others and that curses at others. My fellow followers of Jesus, this should not be the case for us as followers of Jesus”.

James then asks three rhetorical questions to hammer home his point. The reason why these questions are rhetorical is due to the fact that the answer to this questions is so obvious that it does not even require an answer. These questions, if asked in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded like this: “Does the water cooler at your work produce sweet and bitter water at the same time from the same opening? Can an orange tree produce apples? Can a grape vine produce oranges? Can the Pacific Ocean contain fresh water”?

Again there was no need for the readers to respond to these rhetorical questions because the answer to these questions was so obvious that they did not need to be responded to. These questions did not even need to be responded to because everyone then, just as everyone now knows that we know what type of tree we see by the fruit that it produces.

We know what type of body of water we are in by the type of water it produces. And we know that what is produced remains singularly constant. The fruit or water produced is singularly related to what is going inside that body of water or tree. And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals what is really going on inside of us.

James here is revealing for us the reality that our speech can reveal the true state of hypocrisy that is evident within our lives. And our speech can reveal the true state of our heart. The timeless reality is that when we say something that causes us to say “I didn’t mean to say that”, often the reason why we didn’t mean to say that is because what we said exposed what is really going on inside us.

As James half brother Jesus pointed out in Matthew 12:34 “for the mouth speaks of that which fills the heart". And it is our speech that can reveal areas of our heart that need to be dealt with and it is our speech that can reveal hypocrisy that has crept into our lives.

So here is a question to consider: what does your speech reveal about the level of hypocrisy that is present in your life? What does your speech reveal about what is truly going on in your heart? What does your speech reveal about what is attacking your heart?

Because the timeless reality is that the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled. The faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals our spiritual maturity. The faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals the trajectory of our lives. The faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech is difficult to control. And the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals what is really going on inside of us.

So what does your speech tell you about how well your faith is working? Because the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled...


At the church where I serve we have been looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who repeatedly doubted Jesus claim to be God, but became a follower of Jesus who was the pastor at the church in Jerusalem and who was ultimately killed for believing that Jesus was God. And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus.

This week, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James, we will see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works.  And for me personally, I find this timeless truth to be one of the most challenging in my life as a follower of Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together beginning in James 3:1:

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

James begins this section of his letter to early followers of Jesus with a command: “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren”. When James refers to teachers here, he is specifically referring to those who teach the message and teachings of the letters that make up the Bible. James is specifically referring to those who would attempt to unpack and explain the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

Now a natural question that immediately arises here is “Why would James make such a command? After all, aren’t we as followers of Jesus supposed to tell others about Jesus? Aren’t we supposed to have people who are able to unpack, explain, and tell us how to apply the message and teachings of Jesus to our lives?  So why would James say that not many should become teachers?”

That is a great question. And we see James provide the answer to this question in the second half of verse one. James explains that the reason why not many should become teachers is due to the fact that knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

Now if James was communicating this in the language we use in our culture today, this command would have sounded something like this: “My fellow followers of Jesus, not many of you should become teachers, because all of us who are teachers know that by teaching the message and teachings of the Bible we teachers are under greater scrutiny by God for what we say about God. Because we have chosen to teach the message and teachings of Jesus to others, we have placed ourselves in a greater danger of judgment by Jesus if we fail to control what we say about Jesus. As teachers, we place ourselves in greater danger of being found guilty by Jesus of not controlling our speech.”

Notice that James does not use the word you in verse one. Instead, James uses the word we. You see James placed himself in this category as one who had placed himself in greater danger of judgment by Jesus because of his desire to teach about Jesus. James recognized that if he did not control his speech when it came to what he said about Jesus, that he could be found guilty by Jesus for failing to control his speech.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we see James reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless truth is this: The faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled.

And in James 3:1-12, we will see James reveal for us four specific reasons why the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled. We see the first reason revealed for us in James 3:2. Let’s look at it together:

For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

Now when James uses the word stumble here, this word conveys the sense of losing one’s footing so as to stumble or trip. So when James says that we all stumble in many ways, his point is that as followers of Jesus, there are many ways by which we can trip ourselves up when it comes to living out the faith that works. James then explains that if anyone does not stumble in what he says he is a perfect man.

When James uses the word perfect, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to be fully developed in a moral sense. And as a result of being fully developed in a moral sense, the person who does not trip themselves up with what they say are able to bridle the whole body as well. This word bridle literally means to hold in check. And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals our spiritual maturity.

The speech that is controlled reveals a spiritual maturity that is necessary for a person who wants to teach the message and teachings that make up the letters in the Bible, because those who teach the message and teachings of Jesus place themselves in greater danger of judgment if unable to control their speech.

And those who do not stumble in what they say reveal a spiritual maturity that not only keeps them from tripping up in what they say. Those who do not stumble in what they say reveal a spiritual maturity that keeps their entire life in check.

So here is a question to consider: What does your ability or inability to control your speech reveal about your level of spiritual maturity? Because our speech reveals our spiritual maturity. We see James further unpack this connection between our ability to control our speech and our spiritual maturity and our ability to control our lives in verse 3-6:

 Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

In verses three through five, we see James use three different illustrations to reveal for us the second reason why the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled. First, in verse three, James uses the illustration of a bit and a horse. Now a bit is a piece of metal or synthetic material that is placed in the back of the mouth of a horse where there are no teeth and assists a rider in communicating with the animal. A normal bit weighs from between a few ounces up to one pound.

By contrast, a normal riding horse weighs between 800-1000 lbs. Yet in spite of the huge difference between the size of a bit and the horse, James reminds the readers of his letter that "Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well." James point is that this small piece of material can cause an animal that is 1,000 times larger to follow its guiding and steering influence in its life.

Second, in verse four, James uses the illustration of a rudder and a ship. Now in maritime language, the size differential between a rudder and a ship is referred to as the rudder to ship ratio. The average rudder to ship ratio is between .016 to .035. In other words, the average surface area of a rudder is between 1.6 and 3.5 % of the surface area of the vessel that it is attached to.

Yet in spite of the huge difference between the size of the rudder and the ship James reminds the readers of his letter "Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires." James point is that this small rudder guides and steers this large ship wherever the captain of the ship intends it to go.

Third in verse five, James uses the illustration of a campfire and a forest.  On June 26 2011, some people walked away from a campfire that they had started in Eastern Arizona. And it was this abandoned campfire that started the Wallow fire in Eastern Arizona and Western New Mexico that burned over 538,000 acres.

James then applies this imagery to our tongues and the speech that flow from them by stating “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!" Now if James was communicating this phrase in the language we use in our culture today, this phrase would have sounded something like this: “while the tongue is physically small, yet it accomplishes great things that it can boast about”.

James then hammers his point home in verse six by revealing the reality that in the very same way as a fire, the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body. In other words, the tongue and the speech that comes from our tongues are placed in such a position that they have the ability to stain or corrupt everything around us.

And our speech has the capacity to corrupt everything around us because the tongue is the very world of iniquity. But what does that mean? James point, simply put, is that the tongue has the power to unleash the expanse of the selfishness and rebellion that is within us upon those around us. The tongue has the power to unleash the expanse of the selfishness and rebellion that is within us in a way that corrupts and contaminates everything around us.

And it is in these verses that we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled because our speech reveals the trajectory of our lives. You see, while our tongues are small, they exert a great influence in the trajectory of our lives. And while our tongues are small, they exert the great power to corrupt everything around us.

So here is a question for us to consider: What does the content of your speech reveal about the course that your life is heading? What does what dominates your speech reveal about the direction that your life is traveling toward? Because our speech reveals the trajectory of our lives. Friday, we will see James reveal a third reason why the faith that works is revealed by speech that is controlled…

Thursday, September 17, 2015

The faith that works produces acts of confident trust in God and God's promises...


This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus and is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. So far this week, we have seen James reveal for us the reality that faith without fruit is a dead faith that cannot save. To say that we trust in Jesus but do not live a life that produces attitudes and actions that look like Jesus may mean that we have not really been rescued by Jesus. If the fruit, or what is produced in our lives, looks nothing like Jesus, then a natural question that must be asked is “Do we really know Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus?”

We then saw James explain that a person’s faith in God cannot be demonstrated apart from works. A persons trust in God is revealed by their attitudes and actions. What we talk about, what we think about, how we handle our time and our treasure, and where we run to in times of trouble reveals what we truly trust in. We then saw James begin to unpack this reality with three different examples. First, James uses demons because, just like demons, having all the facts is not enough to have the faith that works and that rescues us from our selfishness and rebellion. The difference between dead faith and the faith that works and that rescues us from our selfishness and rebellion is not having the facts; it is what we do with the facts.

James then pointed followers of Jesus back to a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Genesis and the example of a man named Abraham. We discovered that God tested Abraham to prove his faith in God and His promise to him. The only way that Abraham could prove his faith, however, was to trust. Abraham had to act on his faith and trust that God would keep His promises.

Today, we see this concept of the interconnection between trust and faith in the third example that James provides beginning in James 2:25;

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

James points the readers of his letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history to the life of a woman named Rahab that is recorded for us in a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Joshua. Now, in the letters that make up the Bible, there cannot be two more different people than Abraham and Rahab. Abraham was a man while Rahab was a woman. Abraham was religious, Rahab was irreligious. Abraham was respected as the father of the Jewish faith, Rahab was a prostitute.

In Joshua 2, Joshua sent two spies on a reconnaissance mission to the city of Jericho. However, as the spies went in to the Promised Land before crossing the Jordan, they are discovered. Rahab, this irreligious prostitute, then stepped into God's story to hide the prostitutes in the roof so that they are not caught. We see the story continue in Joshua 2:8-13;

Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, "I  know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. "For we  have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. "Now therefore,  please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my  father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death."

A little further, we pick up the story in verse 17-19:

The men said to her, "We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us     swear, unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your  father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household. "It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him.

By referring to Rahab, James is revealing for us the reality that what rescued Rahab was not having the facts. The faith that worked and that rescued Rahab was acting on those facts by helping the spies escape Jericho and by placing the scarlet cord out her window. I mean, imagine yourself as Rehab. Rahab was placing her life and the life of her family in the hands of two strangers who said that they follow the God that she has just recognized as the living true God. Rahab had to place her faith into action by trusting in the promise made by these two spies who represented God.

James point here is that the difference between dead faith and the faith that works and that rescues from our selfishness and rebellion is that the faith that works is validated and demonstrated by the fruit it produces. And that fruit is only produced when we act on that faith by trusting God and the promises of God. And it is this thought that is shared both by James and by the Apostle Paul.

Both Paul and James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works and that rescues from our selfishness and rebellion has proof and produces fruit. The faith that works produces actions or works of trust that are fruit and proof of a living faith. We see this laid out for us in James 2:26:

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

After sitting at the edge of the pool for about 15 minutes, Rachel decided to trust and act on the facts by jumping into my waiting arms. And for the next 30 minutes Rachel and Kaylee jumped in and out of the pool in a joyful glee that one can only understand if they have experienced the result of being in that type of a living and trusting relationship.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we see James reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless truth is this: The faith that works produces acts of confident trust in God and God's promises. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works produces acts of confident trust in God and God's promises.

The timeless reality is that the faith that works involves more than having the facts; it involves more than an intellectual agreement with the facts; the faith that works involves trusting Jesus by jumping in to a life that is centered around following Jesus. I find it interesting that Jesus did not call His disciples to receive the gift of salvation. Instead, Jesus called His disciples and calls us today to leave lives of self reliance and self trust behind to follow and trust Him. And the faith that works produces acts of trust in God and God's promises that are the proof and fruit of a genuine and growing faith.

So here is a question to consider: What does the fruit, or what is being produced by your life reveal about your level of your faith in Jesus? Does your day to day life produce acts of confident trust that strive to follow the message and teachings of Jesus? Do you trust Jesus enough to do the right thing, even if it is not the easy or the popular thing to do? Do the attitudes and actions of your day to day live demonstrate and validate a confident trust in Jesus?

Or do you trust Jesus with the “big” areas of your life; but you still want to hold on to other areas in your life. What does what you talk about, think about, how you handle your time and your treasure, and where you run to in times of trouble reveals what you truly trust in?

Because the timeless reality is that the faith that works produces acts of confident trust in God and God's promises...

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Two examples of the true connection between faith and works...


This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus and the is recorded for us in the New Testament of the bible called the book of James. Yesterday, we looked on as James basically asked the question “what use is faith if that faith does not do anything? Does a faith that does not do anything really rescue anyone from an eternity separated from God? How can you say that you trust Jesus, when you do not do anything that demonstrates that you are trusting and following the message and teachings of Jesus?” 


 And it was in the answer to this question that we discovered that faith without fruit is a dead faith that cannot save. To say that we trust in Jesus but do not live a life that produces attitudes and actions that look like Jesus may mean that we have not really been rescued by Jesus. If the fruit, or what is produced in our lives, looks nothing like Jesus, then a natural question that must be asked is “Do we really know Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus?” 


We then began to address the potential question and objection that James was saying that we are saved by works. James anticipated the person who would say “Well you think you are saved by trusting in Jesus. Well look at everything that I do for Jesus so that I can be right with God. You go ahead and trust in Jesus; I trust in what I do for Jesus."

We talked about the reality that the motivation behind this statement, however, is the idea that faith and works are not necessarily related to each other. In other words, it is possible to be right with God as a result of our performance for God without trusting in God. And it is possible to trust in God without doing anything for God.

 But is that true? Can you have either one without the other? And specifically, can you really trust in Jesus without living a life that looks like Jesus? Today we will see James begin to answer this question in the rest of James 2:18-20: 

show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 

James responds to those who would say that faith and works are not necessarily related to each other by stating "show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." But what does that mean? James point here is that a person’s faith in God cannot be demonstrated apart from works. A persons trust in God is revealed by their attitudes and actions. Think about that for a second. 

I mean, regardless of whether or not you buy the whole Jesus, Bible, church thing, doesn’t that make sense? We are unable to know what each other believes and trusts in apart from what we do. What we believe and trust in is reflected by how we live out our day to day lives. What we talk about, what we think about, how we handle our time and our treasure, and where we run to in times of trouble reveals what we truly trust in. 

James begins to unpack this reality with three different examples. First, in verse 19, James uses the example of demons. James states that the demons believe in God and shudder. But why would James use demons as an example of dead faith? I mean, obviously demons are not rescued by Jesus. 

James uses demons because demons have a full awareness of who God is. The demons have all the facts about the nature and character of God. Demons have better theology than anyone in this room. But the demons shudder and this shudder is a shudder of fear. The reality is that the demons shudder in fear because their destiny is eternal separation from God in hell. 

The demons are destined for hell because having all the facts is not enough to have the faith that works and that rescues us from our selfishness and rebellion. The difference between dead faith and the faith that works and that rescues us from our selfishness and rebellion is not having the facts; it is what we do with the facts. 

Think about Rachel at the side of the pool. She had the facts. She knew that the floaties were able to support her as she had been in the pool earlier with them. She knew from watching her dad that he was a good swimmer. She knew that her daddy was able to catch and support her because he had been doing that all morning. 

Yet Rachel had not acted on the facts to jump into her daddy’s arms. But, this morning why didn’t she act? James then continues by giving us a second example from the life of Abraham in verses 21-24. Let’s look at these verses together;

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.



Here we see James point followers of Jesus back to a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Genesis.. But to understand why James is talking about Abraham, we need to go back and look at Abraham’s life. James begins by referring to a passage in Genesis 22, starting in verse 1-10:

 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you." Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 



Now, I don’t know about you, but this conversation provokes several questions doesn’t it? I mean what is going on here? The first question that naturally comes to mind here is “well why is God testing Abraham anyways?” The word test here literally means to test so as to prove and provide evidence that demonstrates the truth of what someone or something is really like. So, God is providing a test to Abraham to see if there was any evidence to prove that Abraham was in possession of something. 

On the one hand that makes total sense doesn’t it? I mean, that is why we take tests, isn’t it? It isn’t enough to say that we know how to drive a car; we have to take a driving test to prove that we know how to drive a car. It is not enough to say we are patient. It is only when we have our patience tested that we prove, or demonstrate whether or not we are actually patient. But, this morning, what does Abraham need to prove and provide evidence about? What does he need to demonstrate that he possesses that requires God to test him? And doesn’t God already know the answer?

A second question that comes to mind here is “why would God command Abraham to kill and offer his son Isaac as an act of worship? I mean that command seems extreme.” By commanding Abraham with the words please take, we see the Lord acknowledging to Abraham that he is fully aware of the gravity of what He is commanding him to do. God knows how much Abraham cares for Isaac and how much this will cost Abraham. 

Now this leads to a third question, which is “why would Abraham even consider following this command?” The reason that Abraham would not object to God’s command as being strange can be explained by understanding two aspects of the context that this conversation takes place in. First, at this point in God’s story, the Ten Commandments had not been given. And God had not given any instructions regarding the worship of Him, as we will see later in the Bible. 

Second, the cultures that surrounded Abraham and his family frequently killed their children and offered them up as an act of worship. While we look at this as morally reprehensible today in light of what God has revealed to us through His word and character, Abraham had not been exposed to that yet. 

You see, the test for Abraham was not the unusual and potentially morally objectionable nature of the command. The test was for Abraham that God was asking Abraham to kill and sacrifice as an act of worship to God the one person who could fulfill God’s promise that had been made to him. God commands Abraham to give up to death what was closest to himself, which would put to death God’s promises to Abraham. A promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 15:1-6; 


After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.



You see, Isaac was to be the beginning of a great nation, a nation so large that it would compare to the stars in Heaven. It had been around 30 years since God made that promise to Abraham and Isaac is now a young man, at least in his late teenage years. Imagine being in Abraham’s shoes. You had seen God give you a child in your old age, when you were 100, when it seemed beyond possibility. You had seen Isaac grow up and developed a close bond with him. 

As you head up the mountain Isaac is carrying the wood and questioning you about where you are going to get the lamb for the offering. When and how did Abraham tell his son that he was the offering? What was he feeling as he bound his son on the altar; what was he feeling as he raised the knife? Can you imagine? Just at the point of striking with the knife, we read the following in verse 11-12:

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 

We know from the rest of the story that God provided a lamb to take Isaacs place, a dramatic foreshadowing of what Jesus would do by taking our place, when God gave His one and only son to provide us the opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God when we trust in Him. But what is the point of the test and why is James using it as an example of what the faith that works looks like? 

God tested Abraham to prove his faith in God and His promise to him. The only way that Abraham could prove his faith, however, was to trust. Abraham had to act on his faith and trust that God would keep His promises. The idea of Abraham being justified, or declared not guilty of having a problem with God, in verse 21, is the idea that Abraham’s faith was demonstrated and validated. Abraham's faith was perfected, as it says in verse 22 by his works, his actions. What Abraham did in Genesis 22 was the outworking of the faith that was described in chapter 15. And those actions were based on trust. 

In the same way, for Rachel to jump into the pool she needed to not only have the facts; she needed to act on the facts by faith. But to act on that faith she needed to trust. If we do not trust, we will not act. 

Tomorrow, we will see this concept of the interconnection between trust and faith in the third example that James provides...

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

What is the connection between faith and works?


At the church where I serve, we have been looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who turned from being a doubter in Jesus to being a pastor of Jesus church and an author of this letter that is recorded for us in the Bible after seeing Jesus after He was raised from the dead. And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus.
 
This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week.  And as we jump into this next section of this letter, we are going discover a timeless truth that occurs in the life of a faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus. However, before we jump into this section of this letter, I want to set this section of this letter up with a story.
 
My wife Julie, my daughter Rachel, and I lived in Kingman Arizona for about ten years. Then, in 2000, we moved from Kingman to Portland, Oregon so that I could attend seminary. After our first year in Portland, a family who were close friends with from Kingman, Jody and Wiatt, along with their daughter Kaylee, came to visit us.
 
We had shared several milestones as families together, including the birth of our children only two weeks apart. It happened that Jody was going to be in Portland to attend a conference for a week in July, so the entire family decided to join her for a vacation. During the time that Jody was involved in the conference, the rest of us would go out for some sightseeing of Portland.
 
One day during the trip, we decided to hang out at the hotel and swim at the pool. Jody and Wiatt were staying at the Marriott in Portland, which had a beautiful outdoor pool that was surrounded by the different wings of the hotel. Now, at this point, Rachel and Kaylee were both three years old.
 
As we began to swim, I immediately noticed that Rachel was a little apprehensive. Rachel had taken her first swimming lessons, but she did not seem totally comfortable. As time went on, however, she seemed to relax and was enjoying riding on her daddy’s back and floating in the pool with those little arm floaties and other toys.
 
After about 20 minutes, Kaylee decided to start the fun game of getting out of the pool so that she could have her dad catch her as she jumped back in. As soon as she hit the water and was caught by her dad, she would head straight to the ladder to start the process over again. After seeing Kaylee having such fun, Rachel and I decided to join in.
 
Rachel followed Kaylee out of the pool and walked beside her up to the edge, laughing with excitement the entire time. Rachel watched Kaylee jump into her daddy’s arms with claps and a loud yell. Then it was Rachel’s turn. And something very strange happened.
 
As Rachel inched closer to the edge of the pool, her joy and laughter turned to uneasiness and nervousness. As Wiatt and I gave words of encouragement, a fearful look came over her face. Rachel began to say “Daddy I’m scared. Daddy, I want to jump in, but I’m scared”. I began to reassure her, by saying that I would catch her and that she would be safe. I pointed out to Rachel that she still had her floaties on. I pointed out that I was standing there and would not move. I even held my arms out to show that I was ready to catch her.
 
I asked her if she thought I was a good swimmer. She said that she did, but that she still was not sure if she wanted to jump in. I then told her that once she jumped in the first time, she would enjoy it so much that she would want to do it over and over again. I continued to reassure and encourage her to take the step and jump in, yet Rachel was paralyzed with uncertainty.
 
Can you relate to this story? As a parent, can you remember a time that you were in a similar situation with your son or daughter? And even if you are not a parent, can you relate to being in Rachel’s position? Maybe for you it was not jumping into a pool, it was jumping into college. Maybe for you it was not jumping into a pool, it was jumping into a new job. Maybe for you it was not jumping into a pool, it was jumping into a major decision or transition in your life.
 
Have you been there? Have you faced that point in time where you needed to “jump off the ledge and into the pool” so to speak? I mean, we have all been there, haven’t we? So with that in mind, let’s jump back into this next section of this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus and is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, beginning in James 2:14-17. Let’s look at it together;
 
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
 
James begins this section of his letter with a question, an illustration, and an answer. In verse 14, James asks “What use is it, my brethren, if someone has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”
 
In other words, James is basically asking “what use is faith if that faith does not do anything? Does a faith that does not do anything really rescue anyone from an eternity separated from God? How can you say that you trust Jesus, when you do not do anything that demonstrates that you are trusting and following the message and teachings of Jesus?”
 
James then provides and illustration or example of such a faith that does not do anything in verses 15 and 16. If James was providing this illustration in the language we use in our culture today, this illustration might sound something like this: If someone was to come to the Emergency Assistance Window asking for help and we responded as a church by saying “I hope that everything works out, we’ll be praying for you. I will be praying that God provides you some food and resources. Good luck and have a nice day”.
 
James then answers his own question in verse 17 by stating that “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” And it is here that James reveals for us the reality that faith without fruit is a dead faith that cannot save. James point is that to say that we trust in Jesus but do not live a life that produces attitudes and actions that look like Jesus may mean that we have not really been rescued by Jesus. If the fruit, or what is produced in our lives, looks nothing like Jesus, then a natural question that must be asked is “Do we really know Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus?”
 
Now right about now you might be thinking to yourself “Well isn’t James saying that we are saved by works? Isn’t James saying that we are rescued from our selfishness and rebellion by what we do for God? Isn’t that what James is talking about?"
 
There are some religious systems, that would day that it is our performance for God that results in us being right with God. That is the position of Islam, for example. Or in the case of Mormonism and even Catholicism, it is faith plus our performance, such as keeping the sacraments, which make us right with God.
 
However, if that is the case, if we are saved by works, or performance for God, that would seem to contradict what the Apostle Paul stated in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace through faith alone. So is James saying something different from Paul? And if so, who is right, James or Paul? We see James anticipate and articulate this challenge for us in the first part of verse 18;
 
But someone may well say, "You have faith and  I have works;
 
In other words, James anticipates the person who would say “Well you think you are saved by trusting in Jesus. Well look at everything that I do for Jesus so that I can be right with God. You go ahead and trust in Jesus; I trust in what I do for Jesus."
 
The motivation behind this statement, however, is the idea that faith and works are not necessarily related to each other. The assertion behind this statement is that it is possible to have either one without the other. In other words, it is possible to be right with God as a result of our performance for God without trusting in God. And it is possible to trust in God without doing anything for God.
 
But is that true? Can you have either one without the other? And specifically, can you really trust in Jesus without living a life that looks like Jesus?
 
We see James answer this question in the rest of verses 18-20. We will look at James answer tomorrow….