Tag Archives: Jesus

James 2- Faith Without Works? Sermon notes

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This teaching of James, , is probably his most famous, yet most controversial teachings , and it might be one the most debated teachings in the Bible. James is teaching us “Faith without Works is Dead” Meaning someone who claims to have faith in Christ, yet doesn’t live their life in faith , is a fake, just like that guy dressed in a gorilla suite, he was a fraud, well someone who claims to be a Christian, yet never acts like a Christian is a fraud. Remember ealier James taught “Be a Doer of the Word and Not Just a Hearer of the Word”

Remember what Jesus said “Somebody who is a doer of the Word, is like a wise man who builds his house on the Rock” but “Someone who doesn’t actually apply the Word of God to their lives is a foolish man who builds his hous on the sand”  

Now the great theologian Martin Luther, who you may remember as the leader of the Reformation Movement, the founder of the Luthern Church, he hated this teaching by James so much, that He proposed the book of James be removed from the Bible. He called the book of James “an epistle of straw” So why are guys like Luther and others so opposed to James teaching here? Because some misinterpret this teaching to mean that works saves you. Not only is this not true, this is a total misinterpretation of James is saying here

Some even claim James and Paul are in contradiction with one another, but I will demonstrate they are not….

Well you might say, if we are not saved by works, then why is our faith dead without works? Lets dive into this teaching….

Faith Without Works?

14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James begins by questioning if someone claims to have faith, yet shows not signs of their faith, are they really saved? James gives a good example here, suppose you see one of your brothers or sisters in need, now notice this a brother or sister, this is a member of the Church, imagine if there is a member of the Church, and they have no food, they are in desperate need, and you do nothing to help them, what kind of faith is this?

You tell them a good word about Jesus , but you don’t do anything to help them, did you really help them? Is this what Jesus really wants from us? To just be words and no action?

But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1 John 3:17

Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13

Jesus said:

35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 

37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25)

Just Believe

18But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without [f]your works, and I will show you my faith by [g]my works. 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is [h]dead?

There are many Christians who will just save , we just Believe in Jesus and do nothing, but the real question is , is this true faith? If you truly believe who Jesus is, but don’t do anything Jesus tells you what to do, do you really have faith in him? Consider what Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) It’s easy for us to just say we just believe in Jesus, 

James uses the example here “Even the demons believe, and tremble” The demons believe and know Jesus is the Son of God, you see this throughout the gospels, however does that mean they are saved? Of course not, they have never repented , they have never submitted to Jesus as Lord.  

“What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?” (Matthew 8:29)

“What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24)

23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [j]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (James 23-24)

James then uses Abraham as an example of being saved by His faith, the Apostle Paul also uses Abraham alot as an example of saving faith. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him. However what did Abrham do then? He responded to Gods calling, He left his homeland and pursue the promise land , which we call Israel today, Abraham was obedient to God in whatever he asked him to do, this is real faith.

Consider what Jesus says 

Known by Your Fruits:

16You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:16-20

Jesus said We will be known by our fruits, 

Going back to the Apostle Paul here

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

The Apostle Paul says we saved By Grace Through Faith in Christ, not by anything we do. Its a gift of God, not by our works, by the works of Christ on the cross, so none of us can boast or brag. 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

However as we are Born Again in Christ, as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, God is working through us. If the Holy Spirit is living inside of you, then you should see evidence of the Holy Spirit living inside of you….consider the fruits of the Holy Spirit

Conclusion:

  1. Faith Without Works is Dead- Don’t be a hypocritical Christian
  2. If we truly believe , then our lives should reflect this- even the demons believe
  3. Abraham is a model of our faith
  4. You will be known by Your Fruits- Your actions (works)
  5. Fruits of The Holy Spirit

Faith and works are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God trusts God; and he that trusts God obeys God. He that is without faith is without works; and he that is without works is without faith. Charles Spurgeon

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

As a Christian, when you truly put your faith in Christ, you will recieve the Holy Spirit, which the Spirit will give you gifts, which these Gifts will enable you to produce works, but all this comes back to grace by faith in Christ

The true works are of Christ, who died for your sins on the cross, and rose again on the 3rd day to give you eternal life, put your faith in Christ alone and Christ will work through you, Amen!

Philemon 1- No Longer A Slave

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For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. Philemon 1:15-16

The question we love to ask God is why? Why did this happen to me? Why did I have to go through this? As we grow in Christ, we learn that God allows these things to happen, because it makes us stronger in the long run. As the Apostle Paul said “And we know that God works for the good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28) This can be difficult for us to grasp or comprehend, however Gods ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8)

The Apostle Paul makes a very divine observation here “For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose” Even though at one time Onesimus may have seemed unforgivable or rebellious, God needed him to go through this hard time to lead him to Christ. You can imagine when Onesimus stole from Philemon, who was his boss, his master, he was disgraced, he had to go on the run to hide for his life. 

And it’s interesting to think about, this situation not only changed Onesimus, but it also changed Philemon, and eventually the whole Church community of Colossae. You could imagine, Philemon was probably extremely angry with Onesimus, he probably even wished harm on him, but Paul was reminding him, you are a brother in Christ now. As Paul taught them “Forgive because Christ has forgiven us” (Ephesians 4:32)

Paul reminds them about Onesimus “No longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother” Powerful reminder of the gospel message, Onesimus was no longer a literal and spiritual slave, He was set free by Christ, He is a brother in Christ to the Church community, including Philemon. This is the same for us! We are no longer slaves to sin and the devil, we are now children of God through Jesus Christ ! (Galatians 3:26)

“Especially to me” Paul reveals how him and Onesimus became great friends while in prison united by Christ. And if the Apostle Paul spoke highly of Onesimus then they should receive him in regards to Pauls witness. “And how much more to you” Paul is telling the Church, Onesimus will be of great service to their community, he went from being a despised slave to a beloved brother in Christ! 

How can this happen? As the Apostle Paul states “In The Lord” its all because of Jesus we can be saved, we can be redeemed, we can be Born Again, from a slave to a brother! Amen!

Romans 8- God Be For Us!

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What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Romans 8:31-33

As a Christian, you are in a spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6) There is an ongoing battle for your soul, Satan wants to destroy you (1 Peter 5:8) while Jesus Christ wants to save you (1 Timothy 1:15) The question is what side of the battle are you on? Are you in The Lord’s army? (Joshua 5:13-15) Or are you another casualty of Satan and his dark Kingdom? Make no mistake, you are in the battle whether you realize it or not, there is only One who can save your soul, thats Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:28)

There is good news, this is what the word gospel means, Christ has already defeated Satan, sin, death, and Hell, we have victory in Jesus! (1 Corinthians 15) As the Apostle Paul states to us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “if God be for us, who can be against us?” (v31) All the demonic forces in the world can’t touch your soul, because you have the Spirit of the Living God inside of You, you are washed and protected by the blood of Christ, you are sanctified by the Holy Spirit , there is no demon that can stand against you! We have Victory in Christ!

That’s what really happened at the cross, while Satan thought he killed the Son of God, the Son of God actually crushed the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) Satan was defeated at the cross, death was defeated at the cross, sin was paid for at the cross , if God is for us, there is nobody who can stand against us in Jesus name! That is the power of the cross, that is what Jesus accomplished when He said “It Is Finished” (John 19:30)

Then of course on the 3rd day, Sunday morning Christ rose from the dead, this is why the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith! Because Christ Is Risen, we can rise again with him! If you want a sign that death is defeated, Christ Is Risen! If you want assurance of Gods promises, Christ Is Risen! If you want to know why nobody can stand against you, its because Christ Is Risen!

God did not spare His own son, Jesus Christ, God so loved the world, God so loved you, He gave His Only Begotton Son, to die for our sins, to defeat sin, death, and Hell, repent and believe the gospel, repent and give your life to Jesus Christ, because Christ has already given his life for you! 

We are justified by the Father, we are atoned for by the Son, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, All glory to God, Holy, Holy, Holy , Amen!

Romans 8- Will of God

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And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30

One thing we have to remember is “God is in complete control” Many people will argue against the existence of God because of the evil in this world, but understand this world is under the curse because of sin (Genesis 3:17) However even though this world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19) God is in control, and “God will work all things for our good” (v28) This is a difficult concept for our minds to comprehend, how can anything good come from this fallen world, but in Christ we have the final victory as Jesus has already overcome the world (John 16:33)

Let me ask you, are you fulfilling your calling in Christ? As the Apostle Paul reveals here “to them who are called according to His purpose” You might say I don’t see God working in my life or I don’t see spiritual fruit being produced, the question you should be asking yourself are you following Gods will for your life? Or are you trying to enforce your own will on God? As the Apostle James says “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3) You are enforcing your own will instead Gods will for your life, therefor you never grow in The Lord

So what is Gods will for our life? Here is good insight by the Apostle Paul “to be conformed to the image of his Son” The goal in our life should be to be like our Lord Jesus. This is a process call sanctification of the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5) you should be growing in The Lord, The Holy Spirit is working on you every day, to be more like Jesus. The carnally minded person says “I don’t want that”, well then your not Born Again in Christ (John 3:3) 

Then the Apostle Paul gives us some great theology here , first God calls, then justifies, then glorifies. You are first called by Christ to be saved (1 Corinthians 1:9) Yes we need to respond to this calling, but God has called you to come home! But of course we are separated from God because of our sin (Isaiah 59:2) This is what Jesus did for us on the cross, he died for our sins and made us justified before our Father (2 Corinthians 5:21) You might say, but I’m still stuck in this sinful body, one day you will be resurrected into a glorified perfect body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) During this process our souls are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and we are sealed for the day of our redemption (Ephesians 1:13)

This is the will for your life, be more like Jesus, how to be more like Christ? Repent and turn to Jesus , Christ will save and transform your life, Amen!

Romans 8- Pray for Us, Holy Spirit!

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Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God Romans 8:26-27

Jesus said “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) The Holy Spirit was sent to us for our advantage, for many reasons, the Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our Teacher, our Comforter, our Advocate, (John 14:26) But also as we learn from the scriptures today, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray

We have all been there , when our life was in desperation, maybe we were going through a trial or tribulation, and we wanted to cry out to our Heavenly Father, however the pain we were dealing with is so great, we don’t know where to even begin or what to say. As the Apostle Paul teaches us “The Spirit helps us in our weakness/infirminities” This might be why the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, (John 14:26) You are not alone, you are never alone, because the Spirit of the Living God lives inside of You as a Born Again Believer in Christ

“For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (v26) When we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit will pray for us, the Holy Spirit will intercede to the Father and Son for You. This is how connected you are with God in Christ. So even if you don’t know what to say, get on your knees and allow the Holy Spirit to pray for you. 

As the Apostle Paul also reveals “ He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is” God searches your heart and mind, God already knows what your going to say before you even say it, God knows whats on your heart and mind even if you don’t say it, this is the relationship we have with our Father through Jesus Christ. If the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, the Holy Spirit knows your life, there is nothing that can be hidden from God. If you are suffering, the Holy Spirit knows your suffering, if your rejoicing, the Holy Spirit knows your rejoicing. This is why the Holy Spirit can intercede for you to God.

If you want to connect with God and don’t know what to say, pray and allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for you , as the Apostle Paul says here “because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” The Holy Spirit makes intercession for you according to the will of God. If you reject the Holy Spirit, you are rejecting the will of God. It is to your advantage that Christ has sent you the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Romans 8- What Is Your Hope?

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For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance Romans 8:22-25

Many non-believers will ask the question “How can there be a God, when there is so much evil in the world”? What most of them don’t understand, by them acknowledging evil exists, they are acknowledging God exists. If God didn’t exist, then there would be no standard of good and evil, how do we define evil without God? If we are just random molecules that have evolved into humans with no purpose or future, what does it matter if there is evil in the world? But as the Apostle Paul reveals under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” (Romans 1:20)

So the whole creation groans and labors until the return of Christ! You hear it everyday, people complaining about the status of the world, the difference is us Christians have hope because of Christ, while the rest of the world has no hope, just misery in the suffering of the fallen world. The Apostle Paul describes our current state like a woman in labor pains, Jesus actually described it this way also “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” (John 16:21)

The Apostle Paul goes on to describe it “we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” What is the Apostle Paul referring to here? Paul is referencing the final resurrection, when we are raised and given our glorified bodies (2 Corinthians 5:2) There will be no more pain, suffering, or death (Revelation 21:4) For death has been defeated at the cross by Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) Jesus has already overcome the world (John 16:33) So I will ask you, what gives you hope in this fallen world? 

“For we were saved in this hope” (v24) We have hope and victory in Jesus Christ, again I ask what is your hope? Without Christ there is no hope for you in this world, the world will continue to groan in its pain and suffering because of its sin, but Christ has given us victory. As the author of Hebrews states “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

And this should be the motto of the Church “we eagerly await for it with perseverance” (v25) I have good news for you brothers and sisters, Jesus is coming back! Wait for it with perseverance and patience, don’t fall away to the miseries of this world, stay on the narrow path of life! Amen!

Romans 7- Are You Good?

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For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  Romans 7:18-20

Are you a good person? Most people when asked this they will say “Yes”, I do this and that, I’m not as bad as this other person, the majority of people have a false sense of security in their own salvation. And if you ask people, are you going to Heaven? Oh yes, why should God let you into Heaven? Well I’m a good person, I give to charity, I did this and that. God will surely let me , right?

Jesus said “Nobody is “good” except God alone” (Mark 10:18) What does Jesus mean by this? If you look at the Greek word translated as “good” here its “agathos” that word means morally excellent. What Jesus is saying is “Nobody is sinless except God” So let me ask you again, are you a good person? Well maybe? The Apostle Paul said “For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23) All mean all, that mean myself, you, and everyone. There is nobody “good”, there is nobody who is going to make it into Heaven based on their moral character. 

As the Apostle Paul states here “For I know that in me dwells nothing good” That’s a pretty strong statement. But the Apostle Paul understands his sinfulness and need for Christ, do you understand this? Someone recently asked me “Why do so few people actually accept Jesus”? And we can go into a deep theological debate, but to simplify I believe its because most people don’t understand their level of depravity. Most people think of themselves as “good” people who really don’t need a Savior. Just give us the golden ticket to Heaven and we’ll be on our way! But that’s not how this works, Jesus said “You must be Born Again” (John 3:3)

The Apostle Paul said “My flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit” (Galatians 5:17) How many people would be honest enough to admit this? As Paul says here “The good that I will to do, I do not do, but the evil I will not to do, I practice” (v19) This is a shocking statement from the Apostle, right? Imagine if your Pastor was honest enough to tell you this? Are you honest to state this? We must crucify our flesh daily, every minute , every hour, every second (Galatians 5:24)

We hate our sin, but our flesh desires it, this is why we desperately need Jesus Christ, we need Jesus every second, every minute, every hour. As soon as we unyoke from Christ, we are like dogs back to our own vomit (Proverbs 26:11) I reflect upon the woman caught in adultery, (John 8) On here knees about to be executed for her sins, but she cries out to The Lord and clings to Him. You do the same, cling to Jesus for salvation and go and sin no more! (John 8:11) Amen!