Okay, we're in James chapter number one this evening, look down at your Bibles at verse
number 20.
It says, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God, wherefore lay apart
all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word
which is able to save your souls.
And what I want to preach on this evening is the subject of salvation in the book of
James, salvation in the book of James.
Here in the book of James we actually see salvation being mentioned at least four times
and the fifth time that it's actually mentioned is actually synonymous with one of the other
times which we're going to look at in chapter number one.
But every single one of these times that salvation is being talked about in the book of James,
it's not referring to what we would think of salvation as being the justification of
the soul, being saved from hell, being given eternal life.
Now you say why would you teach this or why is it important to go over that?
Well because of the fact that the book of James has been twisted to teach a lot of false
doctrine over the years and of course one of the most popular passages of scripture
that people will use is James chapter two.
People use that over and over again, you have Calvinists that use this, people who believe
in a workspace salvation will often use James chapter number two to prop up their false
doctrine.
They'll twist James chapter two to prop up their false doctrine.
Now let me just say this is that every time the Bible mentions salvation, it's not always
in reference to justification as I mentioned.
You know a lot of times it's referencing the salvation of the body because another word
for salvation is deliverance.
When you deliver something, when you save something, it's not always talking about the
soul or the spirit.
James is just referring to the physical body itself.
When you study salvation in the Bible, in the New Testament, you look at phrases and
words and verses that use the word save, salvation, some to that extent, you always got to read
the context of the passage of scripture.
Here in the book of James, we see it being used four different times and none of them
as I mentioned are referring to the regeneration of a person who was dead in their trespasses
and sin.
This isn't the only time this happens.
Go to 2 Corinthians, hold your place there, go to 2 Corinthians if you would, chapter
number one.
I'm going to give you an example where this takes place.
Another example other than 2 Corinthians, what we're going to look at is found in 2
Timothy.
In fact, a couple of months ago, I preached a sermon called different salvations in the
book of 1 and 2 Timothy talking about the different ways that salvation is being used
that terminology and the doctrines that it's teaching and it kind of goes hand in hand
with what we see here in 2 Corinthians.
Look at verse number five.
It says, for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so are consolation also abounded by
Christ.
Of course, he's referring to persecution, affliction and whether we be afflicted, it
is for your consolation and salvation.
So Paul is saying that he's being afflicted, he's going through trials and tribulation
and it's not saying that he's going through those afflictions so that people can be saved.
He's saying that so they can be saved in the sense of they can be delivered when they also
go through the same persecutions.
Verse number six says this, or whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and
salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer
or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation and our hope of
you is steadfast knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of
the consolation over and over.
So what do we see here?
We see that he's referring to this concept of salvation but it's not necessarily referring
to the justification of the Spirit.
He's just simply saying this, when you see me go through afflictions, you see me go through
trials, sufferings and he passes with flying colors so to speak, it's going to embolden
other people to endure the same.
In fact, they're going to experience the salvation of God of their flesh when they
endure as well.
Here's the thing, most of the time in the Bible when someone chooses not to endure afflictions,
they choose not to endure the afflictions of this life, they sometimes perish.
Whether it's because they're afraid, they're getting away from God, whatever it may be.
What the Bible's teaching us when it comes to this form of deliverance, he's basically
saying just endure.
Endure the affliction, endure the trial, endure the persecution and you will experience the
deliverance of God at the end of that.
And what is the greatest example of that?
Well, the great tribulation, right?
All of those deliverances of the afflictions you're experiencing in this lifetime culminate
to the great tribulation when the antichrist is making war with the saints and the people
who endure until the end, the same shall be saved.
He's referring obviously to the salvation of their flesh.
Go to James chapter one and we're going to look at the first mention of this concept
of salvation in James chapter number one.
Let's look at the salvation, saving the body from the destructive nature of sin.
Look at verse number 12, if you would, it says, blessed is the man that endureth temptation
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised
them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil
neither tempteth he any man.
So this is actually contrary to what Calvinists teach, right?
Because Calvinists will teach, well, the evil that's coming upon that individual, the sin
that that person's committing, God is moving that individual to commit that sin.
This is obviously a false doctrine and it's not true.
We believe in free will.
Everyone has their own choice, the autonomous choice to sin or to obey God.
And what he's saying here is this, is that when a person is tempted, no one can say,
well, God is the one who placed this temptation in front of me.
God made me drive to the bar and sit in front of that cup of liquor or whatever and drink
that shot or drink that cup of beer or whatever.
God made me go do these wicked deeds, he placed that temptation in front of me.
Obviously that's a stupid way of thinking and that's simply an individual who's trying
to pass the book of responsibility and blame God for something that they're actually responsible
for.
He says, let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God.
Why?
Because God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
Now this isn't referring to the temptation where God allows someone to go through a trial
because obviously God places that temptation before us, right?
When we go through a difficult time, we're suffering some form of affliction, that does
come from God.
The temptation that he's referring to is the temptation that precedes sin, okay?
And he says, look, if you're tempted to sin, don't blame God, he can't tempt any man, verse
14, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed, then when
lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth
death, okay?
Now the death that this is referring to is like literal physical death, okay?
Because obviously we understand that the Bible tells us in Romans 6 23, for the wages of
sin is death, and in context it's referring to the spiritual death, right?
Or as Revelation 21 8 calls it, the second death, when the soul descends into hell for
all of eternity to pay for their sins against God and for the fact that they didn't trust
Christ as their savior.
This is not that same death that it's referring to.
This death that it's referring to is just a physical death, which a Christian can suffer.
Now when a Christian dies, even if they die in their sin, they're not going to go to hell
because you can't lose your salvation.
It's yours forever.
However a Christian can get involved in such gross sin, can get so away from God that they
actually suffer the consequences of their actions and they die, okay?
Where God allows them to die, they perish for whatever it may be.
I've known people in my personal life who were Christians and they were serving God,
they backslid, they got away from the Lord, and they suffered a very severe death, a shameful
death at that, okay?
You say, why does that take place?
Well, I preached a sermon a couple years ago called, Our God Kills.
You know what?
God kills people sometimes.
He's done it in the Bible.
He'll do it today.
It's something that is very common where you die, but here's the thing.
Sometimes it's not God who's just killing you.
Sometimes it's the fact that you're just suffering the consequences of your actions.
Lust is conceived.
It brings forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death, your death, your demise.
You perish physically speaking.
Now we all want to avoid this, right?
We don't want to die prematurely in this world.
We want to live as long as we possibly can in this world to serve God, to preach the
word of God, to get people saved, to live a prosperous Christian successful life, right?
So how do we make sure that we don't fall to the trap of this, of sin, our own lusts,
our own desires?
What do we do?
Look at verse 18.
He says, of his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind
of first fruits of his creature.
So this is referring to the fact that we got saved through the word of truth.
God saved us through the word of truth, not through an illustration, not through an example,
but through the word of truth, right?
The gospel is preached unto us, the gospel has the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth.
And then he says in verse 19, wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift
to hear, slow to speak, slow to rest.
So get this.
He's saying, look, we were begotten through the word of truth.
So if the word of God has enough power to save us from hell eternally, don't you think
we should give heed to that same word even thereafter, right?
If it has enough power to save our souls, to give us eternal life, obviously it has
power to do even more so than that after we get saved.
It's not like we get saved and we can just, that's it, now time to live however I want
and see what happens and let the chips fall where they may.
No, there's a purpose now, right?
We are as workmanship created in Christ Jesus, created unto good works, the Bible says.
And the Bible's telling us here, look, give heed to the word, obviously, you gave heed
to it when you got saved.
How much more should you give heed to it thereafter?
The word of God saved you from hell, right?
Prior to salvation or when you got saved, it saved you from hell.
Well, now it can save you just from death, okay?
So what should we do?
Well, we need to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to rest.
What is that talking about?
Well, I believe it's actually referring to preaching, okay?
So when the preaching of God's word is being given forth, you know what you need to do?
Be swift to hear.
What does it mean to be swift?
Quick.
It means you're attentive to the preaching of God's word.
Why?
Because it has the power to save you from sudden death.
He says in verse 20, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God, wherefore
lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, look what it says, which is able to save your souls.
Isn't that interesting?
Now, a lot of people could look at this and say, what is that talking about?
Because if this is already talking to save people, why is it saying that the engrafted
word is able to save your soul?
You would almost think that this is saying, you know, you should receive with meekness
the engrafted word.
The engrafted word means it's already in there because it's able to save your souls as though
they're not saved yet.
You understand?
You can see how people can get that from this passage of scripture, but that's not what
it's saying at all.
You see, soul in the Bible, although often synonymously referred to as the spirit, is
also referred to as the body.
Sometimes God in the Bible will call a person a soul and he's actually referring to their
actual body.
The soul that sinneth in Ezekiel, it shall die.
Okay?
It's not referring to your spirit.
It's referring to the physical person being described as a soul can die if they commit
a specific sin, as we see here in James chapter number one.
So what is he saying here?
He's saying this, when you're here preaching, what should be the response?
You lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness.
What does that mean?
You clean up your life.
You need to be swift to hear the preaching of God's word.
Clean up your life from all the filthiness and all the naughtiness, the superfluity of
naughtiness, the sin out of your life, and what do you do?
You receive with meekness the engrafted word.
Now something that's engrafted means it's already been kind of placed in there already,
right?
If he's saying you need to receive with meekness the engrafted word, the implication there
is that the word of God has already been placed in you.
It's already engrafted.
Now you have to receive it.
And it's kind of like this.
When I preach something that I preached before, what am I doing?
I'm basically giving you the word of God that's already been engrafted into your soul.
I'm basically reminding you of a truth that's already in you, but I'm kind of resurfacing
that truth, and you're supposed to receive it with meekness, okay?
So he says receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your soul.
And what is he saying?
Well, if you give heed to preaching, you give heed to the word of God, it can save your
body from what?
From the death that we saw in verse number 15.
So when we're tempted, we're drawn away of our own lust, we know that lust, when it is
finished, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, it bringeth forth death.
We can avoid that if we're swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to rap, if we receive
with meekness the engrafted word, because it takes meekness to actually say, okay, this
is correct, I'm going to obey this commandment, I'm going to obey this instruction.
The opposite of that is what?
Pride, right?
When people hear a certain instruction or a sermon, they're like, eh, I already know
this.
Eh, this ain't for me.
Eh, I'll tune out on this one.
Eh, I'm not going to pay attention to that.
Eh, I don't really agree with that.
Eh, he's misinterpreting that.
That's the opposite of receiving with meekness the engrafted word.
You understand what I'm saying?
And of course, verse 22 goes on to tell us, but be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves.
So aside from the fact that we need to be swift to hear, we need to lay apart all filthiness
and superfluity of naughtiness.
We need to receive with meekness the engrafted word, and then what?
We need to put into practice that which we're listening to.
And the person who doesn't get to verse 22, what are they actually doing?
Deceiving themselves.
Because they walk out and say, I'm a good Christian because I listen to such a great
sermon.
I'm a good Christian because I go to such a great church.
I'm a great Christian because I say amen.
I'm a great Christian because I agree with everything that the pastor said.
Well actually, if all you do is hear it and you don't do it, you're actually deceiving
your own self.
He says, for if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding
his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway
forget it what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueeth therein, he be not
a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work.
This man shall be blessed in his deed, the Bible says.
And so again, when we look at salvation in the book of James in 1st chapter number 1,
we see that it's referring to the salvation of the soul, which is synonymous with the
body.
For example, Luke 21, when talking about the great tribulation and all these things, he
says, in your patience possess ye your what?
Souls.
Now is that saying, yeah, in your endurance you're going to possess your salvation?
I think your salvation of your spirit?
In your patience you're going to, you know, you can maintain your salvation if you just
endure and God will save you, you're not going to go to hell, that's not what he's talking
about.
In your patience, possess ye your souls referring to your body.
It's synonymous with they that endure unto the end, the same shall be saved, referring
to the flesh.
Okay?
You think of Adam, for example, who was made a living what?
Soul.
Right?
And the last Adam shall be made a quickening spirit, again, it's referring to the fact
that he made him a living body, okay?
He's a living person, a living body, et cetera.
Or how about this, in 1 Peter chapter 3, when talking about Noah and his ark, it says that
eight souls were saved by water.
Now folks, were all eight of those people, should I say this, are all eight of those
people in heaven today?
No, because you have one faggot on that boat named Ham.
And that dog didn't go to heaven, folks.
That father molester didn't go to heaven.
So when he said eight souls were saved by water, it's literally referring to what?
The physical body.
Because when they got into the ark, they closed it, they sealed it up, the only thing that
was literally saved was the flesh.
From the destruction that was going to come upon them through the flood.
And it says that is eight souls were saved by water.
It's proof of the fact that the souls that it's referring to is the physical flesh.
So what James chapter 1 is telling us is the fact that when we give heed to the word of
truth, even after salvation, we listen to preaching, we give heed to it.
What is it going to do?
It's going to save us and deliver us from the perils of sin, okay?
Go to Hebrews chapter number 2, if you would, Hebrews chapter number 2.
Hold your place there in James.
And here's the proof of that.
The second time that this concept is mentioned in the book of James is in chapter number
5.
It says in verse 19 of James chapter 5, brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one
convert him, let him know that he which converted the sinner from the error of his way shall
save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Now referring to justification of the Spirit, it's saying, hey, if someone is backslidden,
they're involved in sin, and you're able to convert that person to get right with God,
to be renewed, to be transformed, to obey the Lord, what do you do?
You actually save that soul from death.
Because what happens when you sin?
What brings forth death?
Now, to some, that death comes sooner than later, to others, it comes later.
But we don't know when death comes upon a person who's committing that grievous sin,
but it is going to happen.
So that's the proof there that this is actually referring to the body itself, okay?
Look at Hebrews 2 verse 1, therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things
which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip forth.
The word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received
a just recompense of reward.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him?
God also bearing them witnessed both with signs and wonders and diverse miracles and
gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will.
It's important that we do our best when we're in church to give heed to the things which
we have heard, because the natural tendency is that we just let them slip, okay?
And in the day and age we live in, we need actually a lot of discipline to pay attention
to preaching.
A lot of discipline is necessary to pay attention to preaching.
Now I'll say this, in our church, discipline is definitely necessary, and other churches
is actually a lot worse, because other churches, you know, I mean, that's why they only preach
for like 20 minutes sometimes, because people could only handle 20 minutes of crappy preaching.
They could only handle like 20 minutes of fluffiness and cotton candy and all these
things, and this motivational speech the pastor puts forth, that's all they can handle.
And the thing is, the pastor doesn't study enough Bible, so all he has is like 20 minutes
worth of a sermon.
He's like, this is all I got, folks, you know?
And even then, you have people in church that are checking the scores for the games, they're
thinking about other things, they're just kind of letting their mind wander, and obviously
that's the natural propensity for any individual, even in a church like ours, because of the
fact that, you know, we delight in the law of God after the inward man.
And sometimes the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak, especially after a
sunny afternoon, right?
You're out soul winning, you're preaching God's word, and then you go and eat a hefty
dinner, and it's just settling, and all the blood from your head is just going down to
your stomach and it's trying to digest all the food, and then you're just giving me this
look like...
Sometimes I'm like, I'm losing them, I'm losing them.
Some people I'm like, they're gone, they're gone.
He said, what do you do?
I just go...
I just make some sort of point, and they're just like, amen, amen, amen.
Sometimes people have to fight being tired.
I remember I went to a church one time, and one of the brothers came up to me and said,
I just want to let you know, Pastor Mejia, I love your preaching, he goes, but on Sunday
night I might fall asleep.
He's like, it's not because you're preaching, it's just, I do it all the time, I do it to
my pastor, and I'm so sorry, and he's like, I'm so tired, and I'm just like, I fall asleep.
I'm like, no, don't worry about it, man, you're not going to fall asleep, I'll keep you awake.
So he sat in the front, and sure enough, sure enough, the dude was out.
And he was trying, he was trying to stay awake.
So what did you do?
I slapped my Bible and just scared the crap out of him.
But sometimes that happens, and the important thing is this, is that we need to make sure
that we are disciplined as possible to listen to the things which we're hearing, less than
any time we let them slip.
You know, you think about this, and by the way, you know why I don't feel bad when people
fall asleep, when I'm preaching, because even Jesus had disciples who fell asleep on him.
Now it's not a noble or honorable thing to fall asleep, okay, but here's the thing, you
know, three times, okay, and you know, I'm preaching for an hour, and what did he tell
Peter, couldn't you watch with me for one hour?
Hey, I don't feel bad because Eudacus fell asleep on the Apostle Paul, but I wish we
had more people like that who would just fall out of a window, and then they probably wouldn't
fall asleep after that, you know.
So the point is this, is that preaching can save your life, it can save your life, okay.
It can, it can save your life, and you know, you'll hear something, and literally, because
you got to understand something, God has manifested his word through preaching, and we never want
to be these people that, well, you know, in order for me to pay really good attention,
it has to be like a really bombastic sermon where you're yelling, you're telling 50 jokes,
you know, we just need discipline to listen to preaching, whether it sounds interesting
or not, if it's in the Bible, you understand, because we never want to create this appetite
or culture in the church where he's just like, well, I only tune in if it's interesting
to me.
Folks, if it's the Bible, it's interesting, amen.
He said, who is it interesting to?
The inner man.
The inner man delights in the law of God after the inward man, he delights in the Bible,
he delights in preaching, he delights in the truth, that's what he wants to hear, okay.
And a commercial break, just want to encourage you to take advantage of quiet time, this
is why we created quiet time in the church, okay, you know, you go take a 15 minute nap
or something like that, but it can save your life and again, he says, receive with meekness
the engrafted word, receive the truth that you've already received in times past.
The apostle Paul said in Philippians chapter three and verse number one, finally, my brother
rejoiced in the Lord to write the same things to you to me indeed is not grievous, but for
you it is safe.
You see, to remind you that salvation cannot be lost, it's not grievous, it's safe.
To remind you of the consequences of sin and the wages of sin, it's not grievous, it's
safe for you, okay.
To remind you of hard biblical truths that you can get kicked out of church for fornication,
for covetousness, for railing, you know, it's not grievous, in fact, it's safe.
Because here's the thing, more often than not, people have the propensity to let these
things slip, they forget about these things, I forget about these things, if these things
are constantly not being reinforced in our lives, people are going to forget them, okay.
Go with me if you would to, go back to James.
So he says, lay apart all superfluity of naughtiness, lay apart all the filthiness, receive with
meekness the engrafted word, and he says, which is able to save your soul, it can save
your body.
The preaching of God's word can save your body, and obviously it can only save it if
you obey it.
It's only going to benefit you if you actually obey what the preaching actually says, right.
The Bible says in Titus 1, 9, holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught,
that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers,
for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision,
whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought
not, for filthy lucre's sake, one of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretans
are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
This witness is true, wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.
Preaching should help you to maintain soundness in your faith, by reinforcing these doctrines,
et cetera, okay.
Now we know we see that there.
Now James chapter 2, we're going to look at the salvation of a brother from hunger and
or the elements, okay.
Look at verse 14, if you would.
Verse 14, Calvinists love using this, I mean this is people's go-to.
Matthew 7 and James 2 are just like their key passages, and you know, from a fleshly
perspective when people bring these things up, you're just like, you messed up, you messed
up.
You know, people come up to you and they're like, well James chapter 2, faith without
works is dead being alone, and it's just like, oh man, you just walked right into my trap.
It's the best, isn't it?
And we love James chapter number 2.
The truth of James 2 is wonderful, it's an amazing truth, okay.
The problem with these false prophets is the fact that they're false prophets, number one,
but number two is that they view everything in the Bible as an indication of salvation,
the justification of the Spirit.
They don't understand that the Bible is layered, they don't understand that there's different
definitions to salvation in the Word of God, okay, and this is one of them.
Verse 14 says, what doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith and have not
works, can faith save him?
Now we obviously understand that what this is teaching us here is that faith needs to
be coupled with works in order to profit.
Who does it profit?
We'll get into it in just a bit, and the main gist of James chapter number 2 is the fact
that we need to make sure that we couple our faith with our works in order to profit someone
else, and in fact in verse 1 it says, my brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect to persons.
You should have it with works, but you shouldn't have it with respect to persons.
So the people that he's talking to here, the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad in
these areas, they were favoring these Jews.
If you read the beginning of chapter number 2, they're favoring the Jews because they
have gay apparel and they're bringing them in, goodly ring, that's what it says, right?
They're favoring the people who have gay apparel and they're giving them the best seeds
and they're just kind of treating them with first class, and they're undermining the poor
in their church.
What are they doing?
They have faith of Jesus, but they're having it with respect of people.
They're being a respecter of people, and then he's rebuking them because they're obviously
not taking care of the poor, and this is why he says this, what doth it profit?
Now when he says what does it profit, he's not talking about what does it profit you.
He's saying what does it profit your brother?
Though a man say he hath faith and it hath not works, can faith save him?
Who's the him?
The brother or sister that is destitute of daily food.
You say, so yeah, you prove what I say, faith without works is dead, that's how you get,
that's it right there.
Yeah, but the saving is not referring to the justification of the spirit, the saving is
referring to the deliverance of the body.
He says in verse 15, if a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and
one of you saying to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give
them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?
He's like, what good does it do to your brother or sister who's suffering for you to hear
about their needs and say, well, hey brother, I'll pray for you.
Be warmed and filled, God's with you, God will take care of your needs, just pray.
Is that going to save them from being destitute and from being naked and destitute of daily
food?
No, it's not.
You have faith, you believe that's going to happen, but your faith does nothing to the
individual who's lacking these things physically speaking.
He says, verse 17, even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone.
Now, I want you to notice something, it doesn't say is non-existent, right?
It doesn't say even so faith, if it hath not works, is non-existent, probably says that
one of the modern versions, I don't know, doesn't even, is not even there, is a figment
of your imagination, never even happened.
It just says it's dead.
And if something is dead, the implication is that at one time it was what, alive, right?
So your faith, if you're not exercising your faith by providing for the needs of others,
by helping them when they're naked and destitute of daily food, and you just say, depart from
me, I was going to say, depart from me, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, you have a
dead faith.
In other words, it's there, but it's not really doing anything.
The Bible tells us, as we therefore have opportunity, let us do good to all men, but especially
they of the household of faith.
So the Bible over and over encourages us to take care of the brethren.
When you hear of a need arise in the church, whether it's a financial need, it's food,
maybe someone's destitute of a specific necessity, and you catch wind of it, God expects us as
his people to basically exercise our faith and be a blessing to that individual and help
them.
If it hath not works, even so faith, if it hath not works is dead being alone, yea, a
man may say, thou has faith and I have works, show me thy faith without thy works, and I
will show thee my faith by my works.
He's basically saying this, I will show you, I will show you my faith by my works.
Now who is he talking to?
Is he talking to God?
No.
Right?
Because God can see our faith.
Who are the people that need to see our faith?
The people who are naked and destitute of daily food.
So he says, I will show thee my faith by my works.
In order for someone to see how great faith you have, you have to actually do something
with it.
You understand?
You know, if someone says, I have tons of faith, I have lots of faith, I know God can
provide for people and I know God can use me and I have all kinds of faith, but you
don't do anything with it?
Because you do a lot of talking, but I don't see a whole lot of walking.
You talk a big talk, but you're not walking a big walk.
So he says, I will show you my faith by my works.
Verse 19 says this, thou believeth there is one God.
Oh, I'm sorry, I misread that.
Sorry.
Thou believeth that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Is that what it says?
Thou believeth there is one God.
Thou doest well.
The interpretation that I just put in is what everyone else thinks it says, because remember,
they add salvation to this all the time.
Thou believeth, you know, we talk about the salvation.
All you have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and these Pentecostal heretics
will tell you, oh, thou believeth, you know, even the devils believe.
Your point?
Thou believeth there is one God, thou doest well.
The devils also believe and tremble.
Okay.
Now, people will try to use this to say, you know, because they're against once saved,
always saved.
They're against in faith alone.
They're against this something that's clearly taught in the Bible that you just believe
on Jesus Christ for salvation.
And so when you say that, they're like, well, hold on a second.
Even the devils believe and tremble.
What does that change at all?
What point did you even make by telling me the devils tremble because they believe in
God?
It does nothing for you to say.
That does not question my salvation at all.
You understand?
Here it's telling us that if a person is saying, you know, I believe there is one God, he's
like, you're doing well, but here's the thing.
Devils do the same and they tremble.
Okay.
You have devils in the New Testament going to Jesus and, you know, talking about how
he's the son of God and doing other things.
And here's the thing.
Devils believe and also tremble, but they often forget that there's, even in the Bible
and the gospels, there's dumb devils that don't proclaim that Jesus Christ is the son
of God.
You know what a dumb devil is?
A dumb spirit.
People think that it's referring to like a spirit with like no IQ or something like that.
It's like, oh, it means like no IQ.
No, dumb means mute.
You understand?
So when it talks about a dumb spirit, it's referring to a spirit that manifests itself
in other ways other than verbally because you have like, for example, Legion, you have
all these devils and they actually speak out and say something to Jesus or they speak out
and say something to the disciples, whereas you have other devils in the gospels where
they tear an individual, they throw them into the fire or to the water.
They're dumb spirits.
They're not necessarily speaking.
They're manifesting themselves through other means.
That's what a dumb devil is, okay?
So the devils also believe and tremble.
So what is the major teaching of James chapter number two?
It's saying this.
It's not referring to salvation, justification of the spirit.
It's simply saying this.
In order for you to save your brother, to save your sister of being naked and destitute
of daily food, you have to exercise your faith to help that individual.
How does that individual know that you love God and you love your neighbor if you don't
actually go out and help someone when they're in need, when you don't help your brother
or sister in need?
Now this matter of being destitute of daily food or being naked is not necessarily an
issue I don't think in our church, but this could apply all across the board to any need
that someone may have.
And look, one of the best needs that I see that is on a constant rotation in our church
is when women have babies, right?
Women have babies.
Families are having babies in our church.
Thank God for that.
And you know what?
Here's a way to exercise your faith by bringing a meal to that family, okay?
Now here's the point where you don't tune out.
Don't let this slip.
It seems that sometimes the instruction, it just goes through one ear and out the other
and you just let it slip.
Folks, be a blessing to the people in our church because there's going to come a time
when you want them to exercise their faith on you, right?
Be a blessing to the couples in our church when they're going through a difficult time
or they just had a baby, there's a lot of transition there, get them like five boxes
of Little Caesars if you don't know how to cook.
I mean, somebody's giving me weird looks, but I mean, if you don't know how to cook,
do what you got to do, buy Pollo Loco or something.
Get whatever you can get, but be a blessing to the people in our church.
And look, if you're single, I think you should still do that.
I mean, doesn't the Bible say that the singles, because they're single, they ought to tend
to the things of the Lord, how they may please the Lord, right?
And I don't think it's much to ask of the singles to go out of their way to be a blessing
to the couples in the church when they go through a time of transition when they have
a baby.
And let me say this, singles, when you get married, you will appreciate that and you
will reap what you sow, amen?
First Corinthians 13.1 tells us this.
By the way, again, in verse 19 where it says, thou believeth there is one God, thou doest
well, he's basically saying this, what you believe or what you know about the Lord, what
you know about the Bible, does nothing to help your brother or sister in Christ if you
don't actually put any work into it.
Your theology could be right, you got all kinds of doctrine, you just know exactly what
you're talking about, but if you're not exercising your faith, it profits them nothing.
First Corinthians 13.1 says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and
if not charity, I am become a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, this person is able
to decode the Bible, understand the deep things of God and all knowledge and though I have
all faith so that I can remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned
and have not charity, it profits me nothing.
The Bible says.
What is it telling us?
You need to have that knowledge coupled with charity or as we would also call it love.
Exercising your love, helping people in that manner.
Look at verse 20 of James 2, but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works
is dead.
Here's the key.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the
altar?
And here's the thing with these people who want to use James chapter two to prove their
doctrine.
This is the funny thing about them, they don't know the Bible.
They don't know the order of sequence of things.
They don't understand that Isaac being offered on the altar happened after Genesis 15, Genesis
12, Genesis 15, where he believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
It's when he was justified before God.
And this is why it's good that when you study James chapter number two in this way, you
also study Romans chapter number four, which also talks about Abraham being justified before
God because he believed God, it was counted unto him for righteousness, but to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
So when it says here, Abraham our father was justified by works, it's true, but when
did that happen?
When he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar, why?
Because he exercised his faith.
Happened after he believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
See us now how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect.
Now what does that mean?
It means complete.
In other words, God wants us to perfect our faith.
He wants us to complete our faith and the way we complete our faith, the way we perfect
it is when we become doers of the word and not hearers only.
When we actually put some feet to these commandments, that's what God wants.
We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good hearing, unto good works.
You understand?
God is far more concerned with you doing the work of the little that you know than you
knowing a lot, but doing a little.
He's far more concerned with doing a lot with the little that you know rather than you knowing
a lot, but only doing just a little bit, because who's that going to profit?
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 a friend of God.
Now when it says the scripture was fulfilled, Abraham believed God and it was imputed to
him for righteousness, it's referring to the fact that that faith was made perfect.
It's complete.
It doesn't mean his salvation was complete, it just means his faith was completed.
It's basically what Colossians chapter number two says, that as we receive the Lord, so
walk ye in him.
Well how do we receive the Lord?
By faith.
How does God expect us to walk on this earth?
By faith.
Verse 24, 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.
Oh, is this like another dispensation where people are saved by receiving spies into their
house or something like that?
Receive the spies into your house and thou shalt be saved.
Don't be stupid.
It's referring to the fact that she was justified before man.
When the spies came in, they saw that she was willing to receive them into her house.
When they came and demolished that place, they knew, hey this lady is a righteous person,
she welcomed us, she saved us and therefore we're going to save her and her family alive
as well.
She was justified.
So faith toward God for salvation justifies us before God because of our faith in Christ.
When we exercise our works before another person, it justifies us before man.
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
People don't get this part right here.
They don't understand the fact that if you're a Christian and you're saved but you're not
doing any works, they say, well you were never saved to begin with.
That's like saying that the carcass inside the casket is not even really there.
This person was never alive to begin with, a person who didn't really live a long life.
He's never even there.
He's invisible.
He's a figment of our imagination.
It means the spirit has gone from that.
Which by the way is another spiritual application that in order for us to have good works, we
need to be what?
Spirit filled.
So just as the body needs to be filled with the spirit in order to be alive in like manner
in order for our works to be to profit, we need to be spirit filled.
Amen.
Go to chapter four if you would.
We're looking at salvation in the book of James, the salvation of the body as a result
of hearing preaching and obeying preaching.
The salvation of our brothers and sisters in Christ when they're in need of a specific,
they have a necessity that we need to meet.
And then we also see the salvation from God's earthly judgment in chapter four verse number
10 it says, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up.
Speak not evil one of another brethren, he that speaketh evil of his brother and judgeth
his brother speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law.
But if thou judgeth the law, thou are not a doer of the law but a judge.
There is one law giver who is able to save and to destroy.
Who are thou that judgeth another?
He says, go to now ye that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there
a year and buy and sell and get gain.
So what is he saying here?
He's basically saying this.
Don't judge what God says in his law because God is obviously the one justified in carrying
out the condemnation or the judgments that come with breaking his laws.
And this is actually referring to his laws' laws.
For example, his moral laws.
You understand?
And you know what?
There's people today that want to stand in judgment of God's moral laws.
It's insanity, folks.
When you quote God's laws, oh, that's Old Testament.
Murder is Old Testament?
Adultery is Old Testament?
No ye not that murder was bad before the Mosaic law ever came to fruition?
No ye not that adultery has been wrong even prior to the Mosaic law being established?
Folks, the law of the Lord is perfect.
It's complete.
It's always existed.
That's why he wrote the law in our hearts, not the sacrifices, the Sabbath and all this
other stuff that was a shadow of things to come, the meats, drinks and diverse washings.
You talk about God's moral law.
Yea, you have people today that do what?
They stand in judgment of God's law.
We talk about the death penalty.
Oh, that's so evil.
That's so evil.
How can you say that?
That's Old Testament.
Well, first of all, shame on you and shut your mouth for standing in judgment of God's
law as though it's something wicked, as though the death penalty is something that's evil
and wicked.
You better watch your mouth because guess what's going to happen if you don't?
If you stand in judgment of God's law, it's God that saves and destroys, the Bible says.
There is one lawgiver and it's not you.
There's one lawgiver and that's God Almighty who is able to save and to destroy who art
thou that judges another.
Ain't it interesting that people want to criticize us.
Oh, you guys are so judgmental.
What are they doing?
They're standing in judgment of God.
They're standing in judgment of his law, saying that it's so bad and evil and wicked and it's
unloving.
God has obviously far more patience than we do because he can strike them down at any
moment and the only reason he doesn't is because he's long suffering.
He's patient.
He's forbearing.
He's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
But there's people out there that want to stand in judgment of his law and here's the
thing is that this lawgiver, God, is able to execute justice upon our lives or to show
us mercy because obviously every single one of us are worthy of death to a certain extent.
We've sinned against God.
We deserve hell, all of us, but we experience the mercy of God.
And you know what?
I've met people who have done things that merit execution according to God's standards.
And I'm not talking about faggotry.
I'm talking about save people who committed things that are worthy of death.
You say, why aren't they dead?
Well because God is able to save and to destroy.
I mean think about David who committed adultery and murder and what did God do?
He put away his sin.
Yeah but he should have been killed.
Yeah but there's one lawgiver and who art thou that judges another?
It is God who is able to save and to destroy.
So the principle here is the fact that sometimes God, he doesn't compromise, he shows mercy
towards individuals and doesn't allow them to suffer the consequences of their actions.
Go to Hebrews chapter number 10, Hebrews chapter number 10.
You know sometimes people don't really realize how fragile their lives really are.
And you can be the healthiest, most muscular, just diabetic free person in the world, but
with just like a snap of a finger, God can just stop you from breathing if you wanted
to.
He can cause your lungs to cease from expanding and retracting and bringing in air and at
that point you're just powerless if you wanted to.
And if God were to kill you today, if God were to kill me today, he'd be justified in
doing it.
Who's going to stand in judgment of God and say that shouldn't have happened, he shouldn't
have done that.
No there's one lawgiver who's able to both save and to destroy.
The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10, he said, why are you saying this because I want to
put the fear of God in your life, amen.
He says, and let us consider one another to provoke and to love and to good works, not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one
another and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
Same context, for if we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the
truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins.
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fire indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries.
Now keep in mind, in the Old Testament, excuse me, people would do animal sacrifices not
to go to heaven, right?
It was to atone for what?
For their earthly sins that they did.
You guys understand that?
That's why they were done every single day, morning and night.
The sacrifices were done morning and night, not to justify them before God, but to atone
for their earthly sins that they were doing on a daily basis, you understand?
So people, you know, they're saved, they believed on the Lord in the Old Testament, they still
committed sin, therefore they needed to bring a sacrifice unto the Lord, okay, to atone
for that sin.
Well here it says, if a person willfully sins after they received the knowledge of the truth,
there remain no more sacrifice for sins.
That's already been done away with.
So you can no longer bring yourself, bring an offering unto the Lord to atone for the
sins that you've committed, you understand?
People could do that back then.
You say, what do you do now?
Well, the Bible says to confess and forsake your sin.
He that confesses and forsakes their sins shall obtain mercy.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
But you know, it looks to me as though this person is willfully sinning and has no interest
in doing that.
He says in verse 27, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fire indignation
which shall devour the adversaries, he that despised Moses' law died without mercy under
the two or three witnesses, of how much sore punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought
worthy who hath trodden under the foot of the Son of God and accounted the blood of
the covenant wherewith he was sanctified in an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto
the spirit of grace.
For we know him that hath said, vengeance belongeth unto me.
I will recompense, saith the Lord.
And again, the Lord shall judge his people.
Folks, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
What is it saying?
There's only one, there's one law giver.
He can save you or he can destroy you.
So the salvation that we see in James chapter four, this is the salvation that we see in
James chapter one is the salvation of the body through biblical preaching.
The salvation that we see in James chapter two is the salvation of the body who is in
need of food, of necessities, and we can save them by exercising our faith.
The salvation that we see in James chapter number four is the salvation from God's wrath
upon our lives for our disobedience and our willful sinning against him.
Now go to James chapter number five, verse 13, here's the last one.
He says in verse 13, is any among you afflicted?
Let him pray.
Is any married?
Let him sing psalms.
Is any sick among you?
Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise them up.
And if you have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Now here we just see the simple act of being saved from a sickness in chapter number five.
And this is actually a lost practice today.
Because it literally says if people are sick, people are sick, you don't go get a vaccine.
You don't go get a vaccine.
You don't go get any of this.
What do you do?
You're actually initially supposed to go to the elders of the church and they'll pray
over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.
And it's not like I have any superpowers or something like that, I slap you on the forehead.
You know, just these weird things that people do.
What it is, is just the prayer of faith.
Now I'll be honest with you, that's a lot of pressure, okay?
Because the fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much.
So if nothing happens, I'm like, oh man, you must be involved in sin.
I just put it on them or something, you know?
Sometimes it's God's will to heal a person, sometimes it's not.
And if that person is suffering because of maybe a fault, a sin, the prayer of faith
shall save the sick.
It can actually heal them, okay?
We anoint them with oil and et cetera.
And this actually works.
I mean, my father-in-law, I remember years ago, there was a couple that came to him.
They couldn't have children, you know, for whatever reason.
They're like, we can't have children, I don't know if there's something wrong with our bodies
or something.
And he's like, all right, let me pray for you, you know, let me anoint you with oil
and pray for you.
And he anointed them, they prayed, and then nine months later, they had a baby.
And then they had another one, and another one, and another one, and another one, and
another one.
They came back, they're like, can you like reverse this or something?
I was like, man, this thing won't stop.
But there's plenty of stories that I've even heard like that, even for Brother Howell's
just healing the sick, not because he has any special powers or he has some apostolic
ability to heal people, it's just the affection, fervent prayer of a righteous man that avails
much, can save an individual form of a specific sickness.
And look, there's people in the Bible who were sick, and what did they do?
Some of them went to the physicians rather than to the Lord.
Some of them went to the man of God, right?
Jeroboam, his hand just completely withered away when he's like pronouncing judgment on
the man, the nameless man of God.
He's like, get him out, his hand just withers away.
And what did he do?
He went to the man of God and said, can you pray to the Lord that I be healed of this?
He prayed and his hand was restored again.
And so the concept there is this, is that when we're sick, we should pray.
Come to me, and I can anoint you with oil, I'll pray over you.
We need to seek the Lord first, and I'm not saying don't go to a doctor, don't get Amish
on me or something, you know what I mean, it's just like, no, because that's out there
where people literally take this to such an extreme that their children will die because
they refuse to go to a doctor.
I don't believe that at all.
I don't believe you should do that at all.
I just think you should get your priorities straight and go to God first for any issue,
for any problem.
And then you seek that which is practical second.
So I hope that helped, just looking through the different salvations in the book of James.
And the main thing is this, is just understand, as you read through the New Testament, as
you read through the Bible period, and you see that term being used, saved salvation,
just understand this is that you always need to read it in its context.
And the reason I say this is because I remember when I first got saved, I would read through
some of these passages.
I knew that salvation was by grace through faith, but I would stumble at some of these
and be like, I don't know what this means, I guess I'll understand it later.
And I always think to myself, this is something that people can use against me because they
know what I believe about salvation.
But then later on, you just recognize that it's not always about the justification of
the Spirit, it's often, not always, but sometimes it's also referring to the deliverance of
the body.
Amen?
Father, we thank you so much for the salvation of our spirit, but we're so thankful for the
promise of the deliverance of our body as well.
And it's great to know that even while we're here on this earth, we will experience the
deliverance of our body, the salvation of our body through various and diverse tribulations
that we're going to experience.
And I pray that God, you continue to give us a greater and deeper understanding of it,
to depend upon you, to call upon you, Lord, when in need.
And I pray also, Lord, that you help us to give heed to preaching, that we will not despise
prophesying Lord, but that we would seek to walk in the Spirit so we can delight in the
law of the Lord after the inward man.
I pray that you'd help us to exercise our faith, Lord, to meet the needs of the individuals
around us so that we can save them from being naked or destitute of daily food.
Help us, Lord, to recognize your mercy and your grace, and may we never stand in judgment
of your law, Lord, as well.
And Lord, may you bless us as we go on our way.
Thank you so much for all that you do for us.
We love you.
We thank you.
We pray these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.