All right, we are continuing our series here in the book of James, and we're in chapter
2.
Now chapter 2, specifically verses 14 through 26, is one of the most abused chapters in
the Bible.
Okay, this is a chapter, and specifically those verses are used to teach a lot of false
doctrine unfortunately, okay?
And it's been the main focus of a lot of false prophets and teachers that have the agenda
to twist and pervert the doctrine of salvation, okay?
Now it's interesting because of the fact that the Bible is so clear when it comes to this
matter of salvation, that it's by faith alone, that all you have to do is believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, you know, that it's not by works of righteousness, which we have done,
but according to His mercy, He saved us.
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
I mean the list goes on and on and on and on, telling us it's not by works.
But yet in spite of all the clear evidence in the Bible, people still go to James chapter
2 to try to prove and prop up their false doctrine that you have to have works with
your faith, or if not, you're just not saved, okay?
And that's mainly what they teach.
Now before we get into that, let me just let you know here that in the book of James, it's
written to an audience that James is trying to encourage to just mature, to grow up, right?
So he's not writing to necessarily, the book is not like the book of John, where salvation
is just being emphasized like every single chapter throughout the book.
There are two different books here.
The book of James is for the brethren who he's trying to encourage to just grow up spiritually,
okay?
Now, we know that because of the fact that the very first verse of chapter 2, what does
it say?
Brethren.
So he's talking to saved people.
This is not a chapter that we're to take unsaved people to, to show them how to get saved, right?
And that's what a lot of people try to do.
They'll say, you got to have works, and if you don't have the works, you're not really
saved.
Or the Pentecostal type crowd where they say the same thing, but only they'll just put
a different twist on it and say, you lose your salvation.
If you don't do the works, if you don't go to church, if you don't get saved out of your
You lose your salvation.
You know, you got to get right with God in order to get saved again, but they're both
false doctrine.
It's not what the chapter is teaching.
We're going to get into what is specifically being laid out here.
Look at verse number 1, it says, my brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory with respect of persons.
Now James chapter 2 is just a continuation of what we read at the latter end of James
chapter number 1.
Look at verse 27 of chapter 1, pure religion undefiled before God and the father is this,
to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted
from the world.
My brethren, right?
Then he goes into chapter 2, my brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory with respect of persons.
What is that talking about?
Well, he's basically admonishing them, hey, if you're going to be a doer of the word and
not just to hear, your works should accompany all types of people, right?
Don't just try to reach those who have money or those who have status.
You know, we ought to love those who are widows, those who are fatherless, those who are afflicted.
We are not to be a respecter of people when it comes to the gospel.
Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons.
So the issue that's being dealt with here is that he's instructing the brethren to not
show favoritism, to not be partial, right?
Not be a respecter of people.
In other words, be a doer of the word, but don't try to accommodate, right?
Don't try to accommodate brethren over others based upon their financial status, based upon
their ethnic or positional status.
This is known as partiality, okay?
Now let me read you from Proverbs 28 and 21, it says, to have respect of persons is not
good for a piece of bread, that man will transgress.
Now what is the teaching here?
He's basically saying if you have a leader, if you have a person who's partial, right?
In other words, they show favoritism to one person over the next because of whatever reason,
this person who's showing that partiality, they'll transgress for any reason.
They will sin just to get their own way.
They will sin just for the sake of pleasing man.
Now how can we apply that today?
Well, let's talk about pastors for example, okay?
Someone who accommodates their sermons, his service, or their behavior based upon the
people, they're going to trespass the commandments of God just to please the people in the pews,
right?
How about if the pastor knows there's some millionaire visiting, right?
And if they're a respecter of persons because they need to pay the bills, because things
need to get paid for, and he wants to have a comfortable life, and you know what, that's
going to help him out, he's going to tailor his sermon for that person.
But you know what God wants?
God wants a servant who just preaches the whole Bible without partiality, without being
a respect of people.
Now look, there's a commandment not to be a respecter of persons, but there's also a
commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.
What does that mean?
That no matter the status, you treat everyone equally the same, and what does that mean?
You love them.
You love everyone exactly the same.
You treat everyone exactly equally.
You don't show favoritism.
You don't show partiality.
You're not a respecter of people.
If you are, you can't be a servant of Christ.
Because at that point, you're not serving Christ, you're serving man.
You know, we as Christians need to make sure that we're serving God, and we're putting
his commandments first, and look, if the message offends, it offends.
You know, a lot of the things in the Bible, they're not very popular to talk about.
And you know, I can see why a lot of pastors don't talk about these certain subjects, because
of the fact that they might lose half of their congregation.
People might just get up and walk out, which has happened here, okay?
And you know, when they get up and walk out, I could be like, oh man, maybe I gotta rethink
the way I'm doing this.
Or I could say, you know what, God, I'm just gonna keep preaching it the way you want me
to preach it, talk about the doctrines you want me to preach on, and not hold back, and
just trust you.
Have faith that God can provide for every need.
And look, you say, well, what if everyone walks out?
Then hey, I got a child on the way, so I know for sure there'll be four guaranteed people
that are gonna have to listen to me every service, okay?
It's no biggie, you know?
And we need to get to a point where we practice James chapter 2, and we're not a respecter
of people, okay?
The Bible tells us in Galatians 1-10, for do I not persuade men or God?
Or do I seek to please men?
For if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
You know, there's a big temptation for leaders, and just Christians in general, to tailor
their lives to please men.
You know, we can't do that, because at that point we can't serve God, we can't be loyal
to His Word, all right?
Look down at your Bibles, look at verse number 2, and we see more of this in the coming verses.
Verse 2, for if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, this guy's bling blingin'
in other words, okay?
He has that ring on, and he's like, you know he has money, and goodly apparel, and there
come in also a poor man in vile raiment.
He's wearing a fila outfit or something, echo, he's looking kind of ghetto, a little gangster-ish.
And he have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing.
By the way, gay clothing is not referring to homo clothing, okay?
Gay clothing just means like happy clothing, you know, just regular clothing.
And saying to him, sit thou here in a good place, and say to the poor, stand thou there,
or sit here under my footstool, are you not then partial in yourselves and become judges
of evil thoughts?
What is he saying?
So the guy comes in, and you can tell based upon what he's wearing that he has some feria.
He's got some money on him.
And then you see the guy come in, and you know what?
He looks like he's a little down on his luck.
He's not wearing the nicest of clothing, right?
Maybe it's a little tattered, maybe it looks like he got it from the thrift store or whatever.
He doesn't look like he has money, you know.
The one who's a respecter of people will say, hey, hey, get to the guy with the money, just
sit here, you know, let me just hook you up with a good seat, and move out of the way,
you know, this person.
Now look, we do do this in our church to a certain extent.
You say, what do you mean?
Well, we do this, but it's not necessarily being a respecter of people.
We're trying to show love, right?
For example, you know, our church is growing, okay?
And today we're pretty full, and that's with a lot of people missing.
You know, a lot of people are out sick.
I want to say thank God for that, but that sounds kind of bad.
But if they were to be here, it's like, man, we didn't have nowhere to put them, you know.
You know, a lot of the men, even in our church have said, they're like, well, if it continues
to get full, single guys will just move, will just stand in the back, you know.
So they're willing to give up their seats for those who need a seat for a visitor, whatever
it may be.
They're not showing partiality, they're showing love to their neighbors, right?
They're giving up something of themselves so someone can have a better seat.
But this is a different example.
This is someone who is a pastor, for example, who's telling someone to move because they
want to benefit from giving favor to that person.
You see what I'm saying?
Whereas the person, for example, the single who moves, right, for the sake of a mother,
he's not benefiting from that.
Who is the person who's sitting there is benefiting from that, okay?
Now it says there in verse four, are you not then partial to yourselves and become judges
of evil thoughts?
Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him.
But ye have despised the poor.
Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats?
Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called?
What is he saying?
Like, man, you're showing all kinds of favoritism to these rich people, and these rich people
are the ones who are going to be oppressing you.
You know, they're not rich in faith, they're going to be oppressing you.
And in fact, they blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called.
Now this isn't carte blanche for every single rich person in this world, right?
I know people who have money, and they're some of the godliest people that I know, you
know?
But why is that?
Because they're not serving mammon, they're serving God, okay?
And he's basically telling them, look, these people will oppress you.
And this is true in a lot of churches.
Why?
Because of the fact that the guy who has the money, the guy who has the dough, dictates
what takes place in the church, because the pastor doesn't want to lose that person.
And they'll do whatever it takes to keep Mr. Millionaire in the church.
You know, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we just booted out one of the biggest
givers of our church.
But you know what?
His giving doesn't determine whether he gets booted out or not.
You know, he got excommunicated for heresy, teaching damnable heresy at that, for railing
and all kinds of things.
I would be a man of partiality if I said, well, you know, it's okay, you know, I know
you didn't mean it that way.
I get what you're saying, you know, that's being partial.
You know, we're not going to tailor, we're not going to accommodate people who are trying
to, rich people who are trying to oppress, right?
The leader or leaders in the church, just because they got, don't come here flashing
your money.
It means nothing to us.
Okay.
Now look, we do have to pay the bills obviously, but you know who pays the bills for us?
The Lord.
Amen.
Who provides for our needs?
The Lord.
Amen.
Okay.
Who's the one who's going to continue to bless us and give us a building or give us that
which we need, materials?
The Lord.
Amen.
And you know what we need to continue to do in order to receive those things is be pleasing
unto the Lord.
Okay.
That's as a church and as individuals as well.
So what is he saying here?
Well, he's basically telling them about these rich people that they don't have their best
interest in mind.
You don't have to turn to Exodus 23 verse 8 says this, and now shall take no gift for
the gift blinded the wise and perverted the words of the righteous.
You know, a lot of the times this happens a lot where a rich person comes into the church
and uses that, basically pushes their weight around with that, with those finances to try
to pervert judgment.
Okay.
The judgment of the pastor.
Look at verse number eight.
If you fulfill the Royal law, according to the scripture, thou shall love thy neighbor
as thyself.
You do well.
So it's like, don't be partial.
Just love your neighbor, you know, regardless of who they are.
Verse nine, but if you have respect to persons, he commits sin and are convinced of the law
as transgressors.
You know, we should love people, all people by default.
Every person who comes through our doors, we should love.
What if they're reprobate?
Well, we don't know if they're reprobate.
So why don't we just love them until we find out that they're reprobate.
So love everyone by default.
Don't suspect everyone coming through the doors.
Well, they look a little funny.
Yeah.
Well, worldly people look funny.
I came to church with a Mohawk.
Not today.
Everyone was like, I missed that.
When I first came to church, when I first got saved, I came to church with a Mohawk.
Okay.
Yeah.
If you could even picture that, you know, but I'm thankful for the people that met me
at the door and didn't judge me according to that.
Okay.
There's going to be people who come to church that don't look like you.
Okay.
They're not going to have their ducks in order.
Hey, they might even be tatted from head to toe.
Oh, yeah, that guy's a reprobate.
No, he's just tatted from head to toe.
They might even have piercings all over their body.
You know, we're not to judge them.
We should just love them by default.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
And when they come, we love them.
We care for them.
We try to get them saved, living for the Lord, you know, and we leave it at that up until
something happens.
Right.
But we're to love our neighbors as ourselves.
And that way we can do well, treat everyone equally in the service of the Lord.
Amen.
You know, we don't want to be characterized as being people who are just jumped the gun
on every single person we see, you know, be hasty in our speech to just condemn every
single person because they're not just lockstep with us.
Okay.
We need to make sure that we love everyone equally when they come to those doors by default.
And you know what?
The Bible tells us that reprobates that their folly shall be made manifest.
So why worry?
Don't worry.
Be happy.
Amen.
Their folly shall be made manifest.
So you know what?
As long as we fulfill our role in loving our neighbors ourselves, God will bless us for
that.
And He will allow their folly to be made manifest so that we can continue to do right, cleanse
the church, and do what we have to do.
Look at verse number 10.
It says here, for whosoever shall keep the whole law yet offend in one point, he is guilty
of all.
Now we use this verse often even in soul winning.
I love using this verse in soul winning, you know, to just basically remove the self-righteousness
of people who just believe that just because they've lied or stolen, but they're not like
a murderer or something like that.
This is a good verse to use.
But again, this is in context of partiality, you know, that's what that's referring to
there.
Verse 11, for he that said do not commit adultery, said also do not kill.
Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the
law.
And by the way, just talking about soul winning, this is just a great passage of scripture
to use for that, isn't it?
You know, you talk to people and they're just like, well, I'm not that bad.
They always talk about the white lies.
Have you ever told a lie before?
Well, a white lie.
It's just like, well, you know what, God's commandments, they're not racist.
So black, white, yellow, green, no matter what it is, a lie is a lie, man.
You know, we need to make sure that we use this too.
This is a great passage of scripture to use in that, that whosoever shall keep the whole
law.
Now by the way, this is not teaching that all sin is equal in the sense of one, you
know, murder is exactly like lying in this world, right?
Now these sins are equal in the sense that they'll take you to hell, right?
If you lie, but you never commit murder, you're still going to hell, according to the Bible.
But in God's law, as far as the law of the land, these are obviously, you know, the sin
of murder is not just a sin.
It's what?
It's a crime.
Daltry is a crime.
Sodomy is a crime.
These are things that are not just considered to be sinful in the Bible, but they're actually
a crime punishable by death as well, okay?
But this is a good verse to use to basically show them that they're condemned in the eyes
of God.
Look at verse 12.
So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty, for he shall
have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Now go to Matthew chapter seven, hold your place there in James chapter two, excuse me.
It says there, mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
And some people will say, you know, you only have mercy and don't judge at all, right?
We're only supposed to show mercy, but here's the thing, we need both.
We need mercy, we need judgment, okay?
And in fact, judgment is in the category of being the weightier matters of the law.
It says judgment, mercy, faith.
These ought to ye to have done and not to leave the others undone.
And it labels it as being the weightier matters of the law.
So just as mercy is important in the eyes of God, guess what?
Judgment is important as well.
We are to judge, not be hasty in our judgment, but judge righteous judgment, amen?
How are we to do that?
Matthew seven, verse one, judge not that ye be not judged.
Most people stop right there.
The chapter has ended, you know, right then and there, but let's read on.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.
And with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considers not the beam
that is in thine own eye?
So what is the measure that's being measured to you again?
Well, if you're guilty of the thing that you're judging, then you're basically guilty of that.
You're being a hypocrite is what it's saying.
At that point, you should not judge because you're guilty of the same exact sin.
Verse three, and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, that speck,
but considers not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold,
a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
So what is he saying here?
This is the way you're supposed to judge.
Don't be guilty of the things that you're judging about.
It's pretty condensed and pretty simple.
This is how you judge righteous judgment.
Don't be an adulterer and condemn adulterers, right?
Don't preach against gambling in your gambling.
Don't be guilty of that which you are, excuse me, don't be guilty of the sins that you're
preaching against.
But look, if you're not guilty of these things, guess what?
You can judge, because God wants us to judge.
It's important that we judge.
There's an entire book in the Bible called the Book of Judges.
A father is to judge his family, a pastor is to judge the church.
We are to judge.
Go back to James chapter number two, where it becomes sinful is when you become guilty
of that which you're judging, okay?
Look at verse 14.
So from verses one through 14, it's pretty self-explanatory, but here's the thing is
verses one through 14 do have to do what we're gonna see later on, okay?
It's all in context.
And remember, the context is this.
The context is what we saw in James chapter one, to be doers of the word and not hearers
only, right?
When we hear, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God, right?
But then what?
Then we're to be doers of the word.
We're to put in practice what we're hearing, okay?
And what happens if you don't?
What if you just listen to a sermon and you know, brother, he is ripping on the sodomites
and you know, I'm talking about all these things that we hold dear as far as the doctrines
are concerned, but then you just walk away, you don't change anything.
What does the Bible say?
It says you're deceiving yourself.
So if you're only here, but you're not a doer of the word, guess what?
You are deceiving yourself.
Why?
You have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of people, okay?
Look at verse 14, what doth it profit, my brethren, though a man may say he hath faith
and hath not works, can faith save him?
Now keep in mind the context of what we've been reading, right?
We're talking about being partial, making sure that we don't show partiality or favoritism.
He's saying here, what does it profit my brother now?
What does it profit the person who has faith and has not works?
No, what does it profit the brother?
Can your faith save that person?
And by the way, it's not referring to save as unjustified because this entire chapter
has nothing to do with salvation.
Sorry to break it to you.
Has zero to do with salvation.
You say, save from what?
Well, we'll see that their brethren are naked, need food, they're destitute, okay?
Look at James, go back to James chapter one, let's read some verses here, verse 22.
It says here, but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be hearer of the word and not a doer, he is likened to a man beholding his
natural face in a glass.
For he beholded himself and goeth his way and straightway forgetteth what manner a man
he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueeth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
So how can we be blessed in our deeds?
By blessing others.
By taking the faith that we have and putting it into practice and helping others.
That's what it's referring to when you're talking about being a doer of the word.
Now go back to chapter two, look at verse 15.
If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,
depart in peace, be warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give not those things which are needful
to the body, what doth it profit?
So if you say, yeah, I have all kinds of faith, I believe in the King James Bible, you know,
I believe in the right doctrines, okay, what is that profiting those who are in need?
How does that help them?
Well, you know, salvation by faith alone, amen to that, but we're not talking about
salvation right now.
We'll cover that in a different sermon.
Now we're trying to get people to grow up.
And guess what, growing up is not just knowing the totality of salvation and the doctrines
they're in.
Growing up takes you knowing the rest of the Bible.
The entire Bible is not just about salvation.
Now that's one of the main themes that we see throughout the Bible, right?
But there's tons of commandments.
There's tons of instructions that God gives to his people.
And you know what, only people who mature in the Lord are going to be able to get these
things.
Look, you run into people all the time, not so many that get saved and never come to church,
they never come to church, they never exercise their faith, they never get sin out of their
lives, they don't go to church, they don't read their Bibles, doesn't mean they're not
saved, it just means they have a dead faith.
But it doesn't mean that faith doesn't exist, okay?
So it's not profiting those people when we tell them that we have faith, okay?
Verse 17, even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Well put it this way, let's say your friend is stranded and you say, don't worry, I have
a car to come pick you up, okay, I'm going to come pick you up right now.
The only problem is, is my battery's dead.
It's like, well how does that help me then?
Because you're not going to be able to come pick me up, you know?
Now what if that person said, well that means you don't have a car then?
Well it's like, no, I have a car, it's just not working, okay?
It's just the battery that has no energy, no, what you're telling me is that your car
is non-existent, you're lying, you don't even have a vehicle, okay?
It's like, no, I have a vehicle, it's just not working right now.
It just needs to be fixed, I need, you know, what is that, I need a jump is what I need
and then I can go pick you up.
You know, that would be ridiculous for that person to just claim this person doesn't have
a car or a battery, you know, they have it, it's just dead.
The vehicle's dead, it's not working.
But here's the thing, the person who's stranded, it doesn't profit that person anything, right?
On the flip side, well I mean, I'm telling you, I'm going to help you, it's just the
fact that my car doesn't work.
I have a car to pick you up and it just doesn't work, it's like, well how does that even help
me then?
That's not going to profit me anything, thanks for the information that you have a vehicle.
But unless your vehicle can get from your house to where I'm at, you know, it profits
me nothing, in like manner.
We have faith, amen?
But if it's dead, if you don't have brotherly kindness and charity, it profits no one.
You can believe the post-trib pre-wrath rapture, you can believe replacement theology and know
all the intricacies thereof, you can know everything about the reprobate doctrine, but
if you have not works, it doesn't profit anyone.
If you want a mature faith, have all those right beliefs, but have some works to go along
with it, okay?
Now I've gone through this chapter many times, but let's look at it again.
Go to 2 Peter, chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1, look at verse number 5.
Look at 2 Peter and James, they're like, they're books, they complement each other
very well, because they're talking to an audience that they're trying to encourage to just grow,
you know, and put in some work and have works along with their faith.
Look at verse 5, it says, and beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith.
Now if they don't add to their faith, does that mean the faith is not there?
No, you have to have something there to add to it, right?
Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge, reading the Bible, right?
To knowledge temperance, self-control, and to temperance patience, to patience godliness,
to godliness, brotherly kindness.
You know, that's what we see in James chapter 2, giving to the person's need, if they're
destitute of food and they're naked and they have all these needs, right?
And to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity, love.
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that you should neither be barren
nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let me tell you this, some of the most miserable Christians I've ever met are those who have
faith but they don't have works.
Bunch of selfish people.
Bunch of pure Mormon, selfish people.
You know, and they want to focus just only on their problems and their issues when really
those problems can readily go away if they just go help someone.
If they just go be a blessing to someone.
If they just take their eyes off themselves and put it on someone else who's in need.
You know, a lot of those problems will just go away and if they don't go away, they're
real minimal in comparison to the person you're helping.
Because then you realize, oh man, someone has it worse than I do.
But you know why people don't want to help other people?
Because they don't want to know that other people have it worse than they do.
You know, they want to have this pity party, right?
And woe is me and I got the worst problem, I got the worst circumstance in the world.
No you don't.
There is no temptation taking you but such as is common to man.
Everything you're going through, look, and if you do have a hard issue, a hard circumstance,
cast all your care upon him for he cares for you, amen?
And the command still stands to be, to have brotherly kindness so that you won't be barren
nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we add to our faith, we put it to work, we begin to benefit those who are around us
so that we can be a blessing to others.
That should be our goal, you know, isn't that what the song is?
Make me a blessing, I'm going to sing a special, make me a blessing, right?
That should be the prayer of our lives is like, Lord, help me to be a blessing in anything
that I do, right?
Now look, there's two ways really if you break it down where you can be a blessing.
Number one, soul winning.
That's like the biggest way you can be a blessing because you rescue people from hell.
You know, there's people who need a drink of water, but there's also people who need
that spiritual drink of water, right?
Of salvation.
There's people who need food and they're destitute of food and a meal, but you know, there's
others who need the bread of life, which is Jesus Christ.
And we need to make sure that we continue to go soul winning, preach the gospel, see
people saved.
But you know what?
The second aspect, which is that brotherly kindness, okay?
And look, these are two categories that we as Christians need to constantly work on.
It's good that you go soul winning, but do you have brotherly kindness?
You know, it's easy to just go soul winning, especially in a church like this, where most
of the people go soul winning.
Most of the people get encouraged by your team leaders and you have a great time and
there's accountability.
You're going out there, you're seeing people saved, we're seeing the numbers and the fruitfulness
is great.
But you know, it's another thing to actually have brotherly kindness, where it's not a
team effort.
At times, it's just yourself being a blessing to someone else.
And if you do all the soul winning, that's great, but you know, why don't you add to
your faith brotherly kindness as well?
You say, well, I only, I do have brotherly kindness.
Okay, how's your soul winning?
Got to have both.
Okay.
I'm good at brotherly kindness.
I'm always trying to be a blessing.
Okay.
How's the preaching of the gospel going?
How's your soul winning?
When's the last time you won someone to the Lord?
You know, we need to have both.
The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 8 verse 6, in so much that we desire Titus, that as
he had begun, so he would also finish you, in you, excuse me, the same grace also, therefore,
as he abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all diligence and in
your love to us, see that you abound in this grace also.
God wants us to abound, amen, in faith, utterance, but he says, in your love to us.
Okay.
We should continue to abound.
Look, as the years go by, we should love the brethren that much more.
You know, I can honestly say from the time that we started the church up until now, I
love my brethren that much more.
You know, the fellowship, the times that we've gone through, difficult times, just within
the last two years.
My love for the brethren has just gone up.
It's not where it needs to be, but you know what, I do love my brethren.
And I hope the same could be said for you where you're just like, man, I love my church.
I love my brethren.
Okay.
I want to help my brethren.
I want to be there for them.
That is an area that we need to abound in.
Now, go back to James, I don't know if you're in James, look James chapter 2 verse 18.
So the false doctrine that if you don't add faith to works, you aren't saved.
Right here, verse 18.
This is what they'll use.
Yea, a man may say, thou hast faith and I have works.
Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
Thou believeth there is one God, thou doest well.
The devils also believe and tremble, but what thou know, O vain man, that faith without
works is dead?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works?
Let's go home.
That's it.
He was justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar, okay.
And look, so let's go through these real quick.
Verse 18, yea, a man may say, thou hast faith and I have works.
Now has any new character been introduced into this verse?
Yet a man may say, thou hast faith and I have works.
God is not the one saying, show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my
faith by my works.
So, we're talking about people here, right?
So if you say you have faith and this person has works, this person is saying, show me
thy faith without thy works, that's fine, but I'm going to show you my faith by my works.
Why is that?
Because at the end of the day, we can't see anybody's heart.
You know, it's only God who can look upon the recesses, the inner recesses of the heart.
God is the only one who can see the inner recesses of our minds, our motives.
People can't see that.
You say, well, you know, I believe in the King James Bible, I believe the right doctrines.
It's like, okay, I guess I got to take your word for it because your words have to match
up to that.
Not to justify you as if you're justified, you're saved, but just to justify you in my
eyes.
You know, you claim to be a Christian, you claim to be a Baptist, independent, fundamental,
hell-breathing, fire-damnation, preaching, chicken-eating, all biscuit, the list goes
on and on and on.
It's like, okay, well, thou says that thou has faith, but, you know, show me your works,
you know, because that's the only way we can validate if it's true, right?
Well, I don't need to prove myself to anybody.
That's fine, but the Bible says you have to have brotherly kindness, so God is commanding
you to do that, okay?
A mature Christian will work, will work, because if not, you're not a mature Christian.
You're a babe in Christ, and there's nothing wrong with being a babe in Christ.
What's wrong is if you stay a babe in Christ.
There's nothing wrong with being a babe in Christ because we all started that way.
What's wrong is if you stay that way.
That's wrong.
What's wrong is if you have a good church to go to, you're in the preaching of God's
word, you're encouraged to read the Bible, you have a plethora of soul winners here,
a myriad of people that can help you grow in the Lord, and you remain a babe, grow up,
you know, add to your faith virtue, seek to grow in the Lord, you know, measure yourself.
I mean, are you the same Christian today that you were last year?
That's a good thought to think.
Are you the same Christian at the same spiritual level today that you were last year?
If you can say, well, no, I feel like I've grown a lot, I feel like I've learned a lot,
I feel like I've done what works, then hey, you're on the right path to maturing and having
a perfect faith, as the Bible puts it, okay?
But if not, hey, you know what, this is a wake-up call, you know, grow up, stop spiritually
playing video games, and physically too.
You know, with your video games, and Minecraft, and someone call out a video game.
I call it, aha, he just condemned himself.
By thy words, thou shall be condemned.
By thy words, thou shall be justified.
Call of duty, give me another one, Mark, hey, look, I'm not against all video games, I like
Tetris.
You know, but you know, it's time to put those away.
You know, when I was a child, I spake as a child, and understood as a child, I thought
as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
You know, and we need to make sure that as Christians, we're, especially, I'm talking
to the men, man, we gotta grow up, okay?
Hey, let's get our priorities in line.
Let's get our priorities in order.
Let's make sure that we're growing up.
How do we do that?
Adding to our faith, right?
Making sure we have those works there.
Verse 19, or let's skip down to verse 21, was not Abraham our father justified by works
when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Now this is so easily debunked.
Go to Romans chapter number four.
Because Abraham was justified by works, but not before God.
And it's a blessing that James, inspired by the Holy Ghost, added when he had offered
Isaac his son upon the altar.
Thank God for that, amen.
Because that gives us a marker to reference to know when that took place, right?
You are in Romans chapter four, I'm gonna read to you from Hebrews 11, verse 17.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac.
And he had received the promises, offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said
that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from
the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure.
Look at Romans four, verse number one.
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.
Verse number three, for what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
So we see here that if Abraham were justified by works, as James puts it, he hath whereof
to glory, but not before God.
So obviously, the scriptures are not contradicting themselves.
We see that Romans chapter four is talking about the same exact character by the name
of Abraham, who was justified by God by just believing, right?
Which by the way, just destroys dispensationalism, because of the fact that Abraham was found
in the dispensation of promise, okay?
Well, no, here he says that he believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,
okay?
Look what it goes on to say, verse four, not to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned
of grace, but of death.
But to him that worketh not, okay, worketh not, you don't do anything, that means you
don't work.
Worketh not is just the old way of saying you don't work.
To him that worketh not, but believeth on him to justify at the ungodly, his faith is
counted for righteousness.
Now, here's the thing, I've talked to people who believe in like works-based salvation,
they always take me to two places, where?
James two and what?
What's the other scripture they use?
Matthew seven, those are like the two main scriptures, right?
Matthew seven and James chapter two, because in Matthew seven, you know, you have the person
saying, Lord, Lord, you're like, see, you guys believe in calling upon the name of the
Lord, this person is calling upon the name of the Lord, he's going to hell.
Well, yeah, but that person is a false prophet, though, you got to read it all in context.
When they take me to James two, I just show them Romans four, and I just obliterate them,
and what do they do?
They just say, well, go to Matthew seven, it's like, well, hold on a second.
Can we just address the fact that you were just wrong about this scripture?
And then at the end of the conversation, it says, they say, well, I showed you all kinds
of scriptures.
They're wrong on every single one of them.
I just showed you that James two doesn't say what you believe or what you say, and it says,
you know, Romans four just completely abolishes that, that way of thinking that doctrine.
And yet what do they say?
Well, you know, we quoted all kinds of scripture.
That's what the Bible says.
No Romans four is talking about salvation.
James chapter two is talking about people who are saved, people who got saved and how
they got saved.
Okay.
Look at verse six, even as David also described it, the blessedness of the man unto whom God
impudeth righteousness without works.
But this is a good verse to use when you're out soul winning as well, because of the fact
that when people struggle sometimes understanding eternal security, just because they don't
understand that once you're saved, you're actually forgiven, exonerated of all sins,
past, present, and future.
So it's not like you're just, your past sins are forgiven.
Your future sins are forgiven.
And I often tell people at the door, do you believe that God knows everything?
They say, yes.
And I said, so do you think he knows all the sins you're going to do in the future?
Yeah.
Well, you know what, when he died on the cross, he even paid for those as well.
The future sins.
And then I'll take them to a verse like this verse seven saying, blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Future tense.
Some of this blessedness then upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also.
For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
How was it then reckoned?
So what's the question being asked here?
When was Abraham saved?
Right?
How was it then reckoned?
When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision, not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
So the Bible's telling us that Abraham got saved before he was circumcised.
Now if you go back to Genesis chapter 12, that would basically show you that he got
saved when he was about 75 years old, approximately 75 years old.
You know when he got circumcised?
When he was about a hundred, close to a hundred years old.
So if he got saved at 75 approximately before the circumcision and he got circumcised at
a hundred, well when was it that he offered up Isaac?
That was close to being a hundred and ten.
That was way later because he got circumcised way prior to him offering Isaac upon the altar.
Now go back to James chapter two.
So this is a proof text.
This is like an ironclad proof text to show us by Abraham.
He got saved when he was 75.
He got circumcised around a hundred years old and he actually offered up Isaac upon
the altar approximately a hundred and ten.
Some say it would be a hundred and thirty years old, but it was long after he got circumcised.
So we see that in James chapter two when he says he was justified by works, when he had
offered up Isaac his son upon the altar, that took place long after he believed on the Lord
and he called upon him in Genesis chapter 12.
Okay?
Look, same thing with us.
When we get saved, our works should follow after that, amen?
The Bible says that we are as workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
You know, that we should walk in these works, amen?
But the fact is, is that salvation always comes prior to that, right?
Salvation comes prior and if someone doesn't do the work, it doesn't mean they're not justified
before God.
It just means they're not justified before man, all right?
And look, this is a good reminder to show us, hey, have work so you can have a good testimony
before people.
Don't be some worldly Christian, you know, some gang-banging worldly Christian or some
just out there Christian because you're just, oh, I'm saved so I can live however you want.
Yeah, you can, but here's the thing, first of all, God's going to punish you, God's going
to chastise you, but number two, you're just being a bad testimony before people, you know?
You don't want to do that.
You want to make sure that you let your light so shine before men that they may see your
good works and glorify your God, which is in heaven, okay?
Now we don't believe in lifestyle evangelism here, but we do believe in having a good testimony.
Have a good testimony, amen?
Look at verse 22, so see us then, see us thou how faith wrought with his works and by works
was faith made perfect.
Now here's the culmination of what we're reading here in James chapter two.
What is it?
To make your faith perfect.
Now perfect does not mean sinless.
Perfect means complete, entire, right?
So in order for us to perfect our faith, in order for us to be entire, complete, we need
to have works.
Look at James chapter one, let's look at some verses here.
James one verse one says, James, the servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the
12 tribes, which are scattered abroad, greeting my brethren, counted all joy when you fall
into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience,
but let patience have a perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing.
So what does God want to do after you get saved?
He wants to perfect your faith.
How does he do it?
Well, he does it by allowing trials into your life, but he also does it by you putting in
some work.
So those are the two avenues there.
Diverse temptations.
Now look, some of the godliest Christians that I know are those who I've seen go through
trial and tribulation and they come out like gold.
They don't quit on God, they don't draw back, they don't go back to the world, they just
remain consistent, they do what they're supposed to do, and they pass with flying colors.
What is it?
It's the person who is falling into diverse temptations, their faith is being tried.
But the patience had their perfect work and now what?
They're perfect and entire wanting nothing.
And look, this is very much important.
Go to Hebrews chapter 11.
So again, we're talking to Christians who want to mature in their faith.
Hey, if you want to have perfect faith, you got to go through some troubles.
You got to go through some trials.
You need hardship, you need pain.
No pain, no gain.
You need to go through emotional problems, you need to go through circumstantial financial
problems, and you just need to stick with the stuff through it all.
Oh, I think I'm going to take a break from church.
Wrong idea.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
You're wrong.
Well, I just need to take a break, I just need to gather my thoughts, gather them in
church.
But look, coming to church does not work either.
Unless you're driving from afar, all you got to do is sit right there and just hear me
scream at you for an entire hour.
You could even space out if you want.
It doesn't take much.
You know what it's going to do when you come to church, it's going to help you.
When you're going through a trial, when you're going through a difficulty, the worst thing
you can do is separate from your brethren, because the brethren are there to exhort you,
to encourage you, to help you to continue to go forward.
And sometimes when you think stupid things, your brethren is also there to just kick you
in the rear end, to say, what are you thinking?
No, no, no, that's not going to work.
You need to just keep doing this, you need to keep doing that, you need to make sure
you stick with the stuff.
Let's go get a burger.
Let's go get, amen to that, who said that?
You know, the trying of your faith worketh patience.
And when you come out of that trial, you become that much more mature, because it humbles
you, it causes you to depend on God more, it causes you to pray more, and it causes
you to appreciate your brethren more too, because they're there with you during those
times, amen.
And look, don't isolate yourself from your brethren during hardships.
I know there's times when you have to kind of isolate yourself and you just got to kind
of grieve, whatever, you know, depending on the circumstance, you know, you got to just
be allowed to just be alone for a little bit, to gather your thoughts, to read your Bible,
to pray.
But for the most part, be with your brethren, okay?
Seek your brethren.
It's so important.
Fellowship is so important.
Why?
Because fellowship resonates with our spirit, it resonates with our soul.
We need it.
You know, it feeds the spirit, the spirit desires fellowship.
You know, hey, preaching is good, amen.
We need preaching, we need to learn, we need doctrine, but we also need fellowship.
Okay?
We need to make sure that we hang out with each other, talk, you know, get it all out.
Okay?
And that's going to help you continue to go forward.
Don't isolate yourself during the time of trial.
But if you're going to have a perfect faith, you need trials.
Don't get out of church, don't throw in the towel, don't take a break, just plow through
it.
Because if thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small, amen.
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
And if you get out of church, you're going to come back worse than when you first came.
You're going to come back worse.
And you know what?
It's going to be harder to do the things that you used to do with ease.
The things that you used to do with ease will be harder to do when you get out of church.
Because it just is.
It's just the nature of the beast, it's just harder to get back into them.
Plow through it, grind your teeth, you know, have a sour attitude if you have to, but just
do it.
Plow through it.
Look at Hebrews 11 verse 17.
By faith, Abraham, when he was tried.
What did he do?
Offered up Isaac.
And he that hath received the promises offered up his only begotten son.
Hey, we kind of breeze over the story of Abraham, but that's a trial.
Offer up my son?
I mean, I'm thinking of my son, Bruce.
Like put myself in his sandals, amen.
Abraham's sandals are just like, I got to offer up my son?
By faith?
That's a trying time.
You know, by the way, God's not commanding anybody to do that today, okay?
Just let me put that disclaimer out there in case there's some psycho over in YouTube
land and just like, brother, he has said, no, this is something that was very unique
to Abraham, okay?
That is a trial that he went through of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be
called accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also
he received him in a figure.
So what we see in the life of Abraham is that when he passed that test, shortly thereafter,
he actually received the promises that God gave to him in Genesis chapter 12.
And you know what?
There's some promises for you and I, amen, but you got to make sure you plow through
the trials.
You got to make sure when you're tried, you come forth as gold.
You know what?
With tears, with blood and sweat, but you go through it and then you will receive those
promises that God has for you.
Go to 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1.
Look at 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse number 6, it says here, 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 6,
wherein ye greatly rejoice, though not for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness
through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than
of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, ye love and
whom though now ye see him not, yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
glory.
You say, what if things never, you know, turn out right in this lifetime?
Well, they will turn out right at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What if things never just, you know, turn out the way I want them to, things don't work
out for me?
It will, because Jesus is coming, amen.
And at that point, you might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ.
So let me say this, it'll probably fix itself even prior to that, okay?
More than likely, it'll fix itself prior to that.
But if not, you can rest assured it will one day, okay?
This is the goal, is to perfect our faith.
Now, let me skip some things here, because we're pretty much out of time.
Go back to James chapter 2.
You know, the goal is to be thoroughly furnished into all good works, okay?
By reading the Bible, by hearing preaching, by getting fellowship.
So on and so forth.
Verse 23 says, And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it
was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers
and had sent them out another way.
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
What's the sermon this evening?
The sermon is simply this.
You know, you need to make sure that you revive your faith, if you have dead faith, okay?
And some Christians go through their entire life with dead faith.
They're just like a corpse.
You know, rigor mortis is set in, and they're just a stinky corpse, because they do no works.
We need to make sure that we always take inventory and say, Lord, am I doing the works?
Am I seeing people saved?
Am I showing brotherly kindness?
Am I adding to my faith virtue?
Am I growing?
You know, we need to make sure, hey, we need to make sure that we earnestly contend for
the faith, amen?
That we know about salvation, that we defend eternal security, that we defend that it's
by faith alone, but you know what, after that, let's go ahead and start adding to our faith.
Let's go ahead and start putting some works to that faith, amen?
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father, we thank you so much for your word.
Thankful for the book of James, and thank you for the Holy Spirit that teaches us, Lord,
the meanings of the words found therein.
I pray, God, that you continue to help us to mature, to grow.
Thank you for saving us, but now that we're saved, Lord, we can understand the Bible.
We have the supernatural power to see people saved, to do great works, to be kind one to
another, to love people with brotherly kindness, with the love of God, and I pray, God, that
you'd help us to do so.
Help us to have not just faith, but works that accompany that faith as well, and I pray,
God, that you bless us for it.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.