Gen Hope Sermon Notes - James 2:14-26
1. Who was James
1:1 “A servant of God”
Who is the letter for
a. Jews
b. 1:1 “12 tribes scattered abroad”
c. Believing and unbelieving Jews
d. 2:1 “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ…”
Why the letter was written
a. How to live with each other in this new church
b. How much OT law to keep
c. Who to put into positions of authority in the church
d. Trouble with persecution - especially from other Jews who used to be their
friends
e. Trouble knowing how to pray, and what to pray for
The Profitable Christian Life (James 2:14)
a. Bema - Judgment seat of Christ
2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV
*“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that
each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body,
**Faith alone in Christ alone gets you into heaven. Works earn you reward in
*heaven.***
d. “Why can’t I sin all I want?”
- Caring for our Christian Brethren (James 2:15-17)
a. How have you helped those who were in need?
Matt 10:42
“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little
ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their
reward.”
James 2:17:
*“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is
dead.” “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Dead = Useless, ineffective, unproductive
Battery
Never means “non-existent”
Standing at the Bema seat, Christ looks at our works, not at our faith.
- The Objection to James (James 2:18-19)
a. Determining exactly what the objector says
1 Cor 15: 35-36
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
Rom 9: 19-20
One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?
James 2:18-19
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.”
So James 2:20
* “You foolish person…”The objector says, “Look, you believe that God is one and as a result, you live as you think you should. But there are a lot of people who live their life just as good
as you do, but they don’t believe that God is one. And so actions do not reveal
beliefs.”*
i. Demons are good theologians
ii. Christians living with sin, and their life is in shambles
iii. Other religions living lives better than the Christian
d. Believing God is One doesn’t equal eternal life
- The Response of James to the Objection (James 2:20-26)
a. James 2:20 - repeats v 17
i. Faith without works is dead. Works empowers and energizes faith. Works
make faith profitable.
b. James 2:21 “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did
when offered his son Issac on the altar?”
c. Contradiction?
i. Paul in Romans 3-4 and Galatians 2-3
1. Abraham was justified by faith, apart from works
ii. James - Abraham was justified by works.
d. These are two completely different events
Paul - Justified by faith alone
1. Referencing Genesis 15 - God promises to Abraham that he will
be the father of many nations and that the Messiah would come
through Abraham.
ii. James - Justified by works…when?
1. James 2:21 “…considered righteous for what he did when offered
his son Issac on the altar”
2. This was 15 years later, in Genesis 22
e. Abraham justified, or declared righteous, by God in Genesis 15
f. Abraham justified, or declared righteous again in Genesis 22.
This second time, the righteousness was from man.
g. Justification = to declare righteous
i. Does not mean “get eternal life”
ii. Context is key - who is doing the declaring?
h. Scripture - Two different types of justification
i. Justification through faith alone in the sight of God - Galatians 3:11
ii. Justification through works in the sight of man
What James is writing about - Genesis 22. Paul hints at this
second kind of justification in Romans 4:2.
Justification in the sight of God eventually led to justification in the
sight of men
Faith alone gave Abraham justification in the eyes of God. Works
gave Abraham justification in the eyes of men.
i. James is a Bible scholar - he knows Abraham had faith in Genesis 15
j. James is answering his objector in 2:22 that Abraham’s faith was maturing and
being energized by his works.
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was
made complete by what he did.
Our faith, our relationship, our intimacy, our fellowship with God, matures
and grows and develops only as we live in obedience to Him.
l. Why faith grows cold / Lacking vibrancy, intimacy with God / God seems distant /
Why some Christians seem immature and never grow?
i. Because there is a lack of works
Rahab - The Opposite of Abraham (James 2:25)
She was justified by her works in the sight of men
ii. Rahab was further blessed by God to become a part of the Messianic line
Why We Hesitate with our Actions
n. Transition Season
Ego
Personality - false self
Our search for validation
God rigging your life
p. Imposter Syndrome
i. “An internal experience of intellectual phoniness”.
ii. The many Bible characters who experienced this
iii. Self acceptance vs self esteem
q. Woundedness
i. Lives of quiet desperation - Thoreau
ii. Wounds have themes
iii. A wound denied can never be healed
What Now?
Your New Name
The battle over identity
Rev 2:17
* “…I will give that person a whie stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”*
iii. The joy of becoming who we are meant to be
s. Self Awareness
i. Self awareness is above self consciousness
ii. Levels of revelation corresponding to mystery
Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Your Calling
i. Not a role, position or title
ii. Roles change, callings do not
iii. Resistance to your calling
Conclusion
1. Works in the Christian life:
a. Don’t earn us eternal life
b. Don’t help us keep eternal life
c. Neglecting good works restricts God’s ability to work through us with them
d. They do make our faith profitable, in Heaven and Earth
e. Matures and energizes our faith
Study questions:
1. What works could you do, but have been hesitant to pursue?
What do you feel or sense may be your true calling? Are you moving in it now? If not, why not?
What name(s) have you believed and lived under that are not from God?
Ask Jesus:
● What name(s) do you want to speak into my heart?
● What do you think of me?
● Help me interpret this season as it relates to who I truly am