so as a kid, there was a time where my father, along with being a professor at Cedarville University, um he would go around and he would actually um fill in the pulpit and preach um in different churches and help them as they were kind of in between times. And so as a kid, I would actually go around and and I would just kind of be that snotty nosed kid that would tag along with dad and go as he would preach at these different churches. And so a lot of times, you know, I'm sure I would, I would, you know him a little bit like dad, can we go to Mcdonald's? Can go here, can I have this, can I color this? Can I take this? No, don't do that. Okay. And so, um, but I would go with them and and so I was just along for the ride for the experience. Well, one time he was preaching and he actually shared an illustration that stuck with me. And so I want to start this morning off with that. And it's about a guy named Charles blondin who was a french tightrope walker and who in the 18 sixties was famous for actually crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope. And so Charles blondin would cross, it's over 160 ft high across Niagara Falls, people from Canada than the U. S. Would gather and it was just amazing that this man could walk back and forth over this tightrope. And so he started carrying different items across back and forth, and then one time he actually took a wheelbarrow filled with a bag of potatoes and he walked with a wheel barrel. Um, and I think we actually have a picture of it, a wheelbarrow across the tightrope. And um, and so he would actually walk across and it was incredible. And so the crowds cheering and it's awesome. And then he actually said, do you believe that I could carry someone across in this wheelbarrow? And the crowds like, yeah, yes, I believe you're the greatest. You can do it. He said, do you believe that I can do this? Like, Yeah, okay. So who's jumping in? And the, the crowd kind of got a little bit quieter because see it's one thing to say that you believe something, it's one thing to say that you believe something. It's another thing to actually put action behind belief. The crowd was saying, yes, we believe you can do it, but they weren't quite ready to jump into the wheelbarrow with Charles London. Well, this morning, I want to talk to you. Um, as we continue our series called Faith Works, we want to talk about how faith and works go together. And this morning's message is actually kind of the crux of the chapters of James and actually, and really this issue of faith and works comes to head here in James. Chapter two. Now, before we jump into it, you got to understand and have, let's have a little bit of understanding of what is faith in the first place. And so let me read a couple of passages to you. Hebrews chapter 11 verse one reads this, that now faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen, so assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen. And then um romans 4 21 paul is writing about this guy named Abraham, we're gonna talk about him more in a little bit, but it actually says in chapter four verse 21 that Abraham lived fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised, that he lived, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That's an awesome, awesome definition of faith. That's your life is lived in light of the promises of God. And then in Colossians, chapter two verses 6 and seven paul Wright says, he says therefore, as you receive, jesus christ the Lord. So walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established and faith just as you were taught abounding in thanksgiving. And so simply put, what is the, what is the connection between faith and works? If you're taking notes, you want to write this down is that faith is the root, works. Are the fruit, Faith is the root and works are the fruit the heartbeat behind the very name of Mission Grove churches that no single tree makes a grove, but that a grove can start from just one tree and that it's when you plant the seed of the Gospel into the soil of your heart and let that establish and to grow and establish the roots into your soul and that your identity is tied with who jesus is, that you can start to grow in your faith and you start producing fruit. And so faith is the root and root and and works are the fruit. See this passage that we're gonna look at today, James Chapter two is actually seen as a theological scandal. Everyone, everyone just do that. Okay, so in in seminaries around the country and other places, they get in these heated debates that no one outside of seminaries talked about, but there's a debate here in James chapter to say, no. James is saying something in contradiction to Paul, Because you see in James chapter two verse 24, he writes, he says, you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Now, Paul writes something kind of different, and he says in Galatians chapter two verse 16, he says, and yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we have also believed in jesus in order to be justified in faith and not by works of the law because by works of the law, no one will be justified. Wait, hold on a second, James has said, I will be justified by by works. And then paul says, no, you won't. And then even in romans 3 28 paul writes for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. So the scandal is does the bible have a contradiction in it? Did they fight? Did they argue what happens here? Well, really, it's not a contradiction. It's an issue of context. And so I'm gonna put up a little chart here just so that we can have a framework for when we go through this passage. So you have paul and you have James and you have the problem that they were riding too. They have their definition of works and then they have the purpose for which they talk about works they have. Um and so first it's a problem the problem that paul was facing was one of legalism, legalism. So he was writing to jewish believers and said, okay, now that these people believe and now other people are coming to faith to they're saying, wait, hold on a second. They have to do all the rituals, all the practices and all the law that we had to do. And so they battled legalism. But James is actually talking about the battle of laxity or apathy in other words. He's saying, okay, you can't just say you have faith and then nothing happens. It doesn't work like that, you actually have to back up or show evidence to of what you say you believe. And so in paul's definition of works, he's actually talking about jewish law. In other words, you cannot be saved by just simply obeying rules and that he's battling this concept of just being saved simply by religion. And instead Paul writes about it's not about religion, it's about a relationship with jesus and therefore Grace. Okay, faith by Grace, you are saved. And then James is actually talking about the christian lifestyle. Okay, if you say you believe then your life needs to back that up. So their purpose in writing, paul is actually writing how to know that you are a christian, whereas James's writing how to show that you are a christian. So when you see these two passages side by side, you understand that it's not actually a contradiction, but it's different context addressing different problems. And so we're going to focus in on James for the rest of the morning and talking about how really it's about showing your faith, you say you believe something. But then what does it look like further proof here from that? Is that James chapter two verse one says, my brothers show no partiality as you hold faith in our Lord, jesus christ. And so James himself is even saying no, it's about faith in jesus is what counts and then check out what paul writes in Ephesians chapter two, he says this, he says for by Grace, you have been saved through faith and it's not of your own doing it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. So there you have it john it's not about works. You can't talk about works ever. It's not about works. That's great. If you stopped at verse nine, now, some of you cheated and already read on the screen verse 10. But let's go ahead and read this together. He says, for we are his workmanship created in christ jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. You see it's about actually living out your faith. You claim one thing and then you do it. If you say something and then you do absolutely nothing. That's not called faith, that's called politics. Right, okay. Two months too harsh on someone. Sorry about that. Sorry about stepping on toes. Um No. And so your faith, when you claim something, you have to back it up with action, you have to actually say show evidence of what you claim to be true. And so we're gonna spend all of this is set up. So, if you have your bibles now, open up to James chapter two, we're gonna look at verses 14 to 2 26 and we're gonna actually look at three types of faith. We're just gonna walk through verse by verse in this passage and we're gonna see three types of faith that people claim to have, I'm gonna give you a heads up here to the first two are not good. And the last one is the one that we're actually striving for. So the first bad type of faith is actually described as dead faith. Dead faith In James chapter 2: verse 14- 17. Let's go ahead and read this here together. What good is it my brothers? If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can that faith save him? Notice? He says here, it's not. Does he have faith? He says, what good is it? If someone says he has faith in other words, this person in this passage is already claiming, yes, I'm a christian, I believe. So he's saying what good is it, if he claims it, But then he doesn't have works. And then he gives an example if her brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to him, go in peace be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body. What good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead. I played basketball in high school and um, and we had possibly the world's worst water boy and I say that his, his name was Grace and he's actually a nice kid, He's growing up, He's not like a worship leader in a church and doing awesome things. So he's doing awesome right now. But I'm Grayson, if you happen to watch this dude, you're the worst water boy in the history of high school basketball. And I say that because he wanted just a free entrance into the game back then. And so he would ride on the bus and stuff and so we'd be in the game and it's really intense and we're battling, it would be, and I'd come off the floor and I'd sit down and I'm like Grayson, he's like, yeah, I have some water. No, you're, you're the water boy. Like you water, you're not just, you're not just the team boy, you're the water boy. And so like every time we get a time out, I come to the bench and be like Grayson, you're like, what, what do you think, man, you're in the water where you gotta do your role man, you gotta help us out. And so it wasn't good. And so, you know, a water boy does not get to be a water boy if he's not actually handing out water in the same way though, you can't claim to have faith. If your action does not back it up, it would be like if I claim to travel the world, but I had no stamps on my passport, I've been all over the world and I haven't been, but I've, I've had the privilege at least of going um over a dozen or so years of ministry, I've had the privilege of leading teams on mission trips to several different countries in different places and um, I had the humbling experience of actually, so I was leading a team and I was in my mid twenties and I was excited, I was married, we had kids, it was awesome and I'm sharing this because you know why in a second? And so, um, I was excited. We had a team of about 25 people going on an international mission trip. You know, we got prayed over by the church, you know, they raised their funds, everyone's pumped up, everyone's excited, I'm excited, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Like, man, we got this team, we're gonna go serve for jesus, it's gonna be great, but I don't like being cramped on a plane and so I asked for exit row and so I asked for exit row and I got the exit row, so I'm sitting next row feeling good. I got like our whole team right behind me, like, man, we're gonna go surf for jesus, I'm a leader now, whatever, it's gonna be great, I'm feeling so good and mature as a pastor, I didn't have a goatee at the time and that's important because at the time that the lady came right before the announcement that no one pays attention to and so she came and was like started going through all the details of what it means to be an exit row and I was like, yeah, I'm in, I'm in, I'll save the day and you need to open that door you know I'm I'm in and so he says okay great one last thing um so you have to be at least 16 to sit in the seat. I looked at her, I'm I'm thinking lady I have kids which has made an even more confusing look On the lady's face because apparently without a goatee I look like a 12 year old boy. And so she wanted to confirm that I was at least 16 and I really prayed and hope that my team did not hear that go down. Um but sure enough the entire team heard that go down and so all 25 of our team members started bursting out laughing. And so the entire mission trip um leaders were bringing me baby bottles and they were saying like do you need me to drive for you and you know I have one leader come and say I know you're going through a lot of changes right now it's just I was like and I did not hear the end of it but I share that because when you travel as a team and you travel overseas or you travel to a different country you have a passport both for your identification but then proof of where you've been and so in every country you go to you get a stamp on that passport. Well if someone claims to be a world traveler but yet they're passport has never been stamped, then you're gonna start to question the validity of that person's claim in the same way. Spiritually. I believe there are people who claim to be a world traveler for jesus that they have this robust faith. Yes, I believe in you, jesus. Yes, I do. But if you take a look at their faith passport, they got no stamps in it. They haven't been anywhere. They haven't done anything. Their works do not back that they're not willing to meet the needs of the person of their neighbor right across from them. And so you don't want to have the dead faith. The dead faith is kind of like a dead plant. Um It doesn't matter how much you water a dead planet. It's not gonna change. Okay. And so I don't think anybody wants to have a dead planet, doesn't, it doesn't go well if you have the science project and elementary school where you're supposed to grow the lima bean or something and you kill it. It doesn't work okay. It doesn't work. If you have a dead plant. Well, dead faith is like a dead plant. Well, the second thing, the 2nd 2nd type of faith is actually what's known as the deceased Deceived faith and dead faith is like a dead plant. Deceived faith is like a fake plant. It's not real. It looks real. On the outside, but there's no substance to it. I can't grow and it can't produce fruit. Let's continue reading here in James chapter two verse 18, but someone will say you have faith and I have works and I will show you my faith by my works. That says you believe that God is one you do well. Even the demons believe and shuddered. So he's addressing this issue of in the day where people claimed that they knew God simply because they acknowledged that he existed. Oh, I believe in God. Honestly, this is a very common view in our culture today. Oh, I believe in God, but there's no substance there. In fact, it says even the demons believe in God. So it's not about just acknowledging God's existence, but it's about acknowledging jesus as Lord. There's a difference there and here's what scares me about apathy. I think one of the dangerous most dangerous things facing our culture today is actually spiritual apathy. The idea of where we just don't care. It's like, I don't know, I don't care right if you have kids and you ask them a question and you get that little right, like you know what I'm talking about, Some people do that spiritually. Yeah, I got there. Cool, whatever it doesn't impact my life. Here's what's scary about that. Okay, when we have no response to God notice in this passage that even the demons have response to God and they shudder and tremble. So if demons are more afraid of God than you are. You might not be in the best spot. But think about deceived faith in this way. This is not simply an acknowledgement. It's it's about actually putting your works behind it and believing. So um let me just grab a chair real quick. Okay, If I were to say that, I believe that this chair can hold me up. Yeah. And you had two people talking about this chair, I believe this chair will hold me up. Well, there are a couple of different ways to prove that you believe in the chair. Okay. He's like, oh I believe that the chair is there. We gathered together as a group and we all agreed that the chair can hold us up. We sang songs about how the chair can hold us up. I'm telling other people about all the science behind how this chair can hold people like I believe that this chair can hold me so we can make all kinds of claims. But what's the easiest way to show people that you believe the chair can hold you is to sit down? It's a sit down. And what what James is saying here is that when it comes to instead of having a deceived faith or a fake plant faith, be willing to sit down in the chair. If you say you believe that God has freed us from sin and that God has loved us and forgiven us of our sins and that actually frees us to love others. Like jesus loved us. So don't just claim to have faith, but actually show people your faith through sitting down in the chair through actually your actions proving your belief faith is the root works or the fruit crime. Um in being a youth pastor for 12 years, one of the activities we would do in recent times was we would have a lip sync battle. It was grade first grade lip sync battle. Actually see Colin here, front row Collins group was awesome. They, they won a few lip sync battles in their day. Um and I remember I had one year I had the senior guys and uh and we did um staying alive, okay, And there's a reason lip sync and not saying so um and so we would do this and we choreographed this whole dance and it was awesome and then we had judges and it was, it was humiliating and hilarious at the same time, but remember with our small group of guys, I think Joey was in that back there running lights for us and uh and he was in that group with us and we did all these actions and it was great. Um and then it went to the judges of our staying alive performance and they looked and said, hey, great movement, but she didn't actually sing the song, We're like, I know i it's a lip sync, we didn't sing, it's like, no, you didn't actually move your mouth one time. And I was like, oh, I was so worried about getting the moves right, that I did the whole lip sync like this. So like it was not believable at all. Um and so the thing behind the lip sync is that when people do it really well, you almost can't tell that they're not singing. Have you seen those? Have been really awesome and it's so much fun. Um but have you ever been on a performance where someone is supposed to be singing? But then you find out that they were lip singing and it goes off like Mariah Carey on New Year's Eve or something like that. And it's just, it's not good, right? Like when you're supposed to be singing and then it comes out that you were lip sinking the whole time, like it doesn't come out well, well, I'm fearful as christians with a deceived faith, how many of us are just simply providing lip service instead of actually living out a lifestyle, right? We pretend like we're singing the songs, we act like we're living the faith, but really our actions are not backing up. And if, if somebody would actually listen to us closely, don't understand that we're actually not singing were we have received faith. We have a fake plant. We want, we want to act like we're safe, but we're not yet. Great. So you have a dead faith. It's like a dead plan. You have a deceived faith that's like a fake plant. But then the kind of faith that we pray for that we long for the kind that changes the world. Is seen as a dynamic faith. A dynamic faith. This is a plant that grows and produces fruit and multiplies and the type that we long for here at Mission Grove Church, A dynamic faith can be described in this way. Let's read together here in James chapter 2: verse 20. Do you want to be shown a foolish person? That faith apart from works is useless was not Abraham Our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar. You see that faith was active along along with his works and faith was completed by his works. The scripture was fulfilled. That says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. So, we have this first picture of a dynamic faith of Abraham and the reason there is controversy between paul and James is because paul highlights actually we don't have time to dive into it. But um he actually highlights genesis 15, where God gives the promise to Abraham and Abraham lives out in light of that promise But then James talks about this idea of him actually acting on the promises of God found in Genesis chapter 22. And so simply put the promise that God gave Abraham was I want you to go and I'm gonna make you a father of many nations and I'm going to give you a son and from that air you're going to create the nation that's going to ultimately become Israel And the Jewish faith as we know it. And so we have this promise in Genesis chapter 15. But then he actually goes 25 years, 25 years before they actually have the son Isaac. And then when he has the son Isaac, god actually asked him to make a sacrifice of his son. So the same thing that he had been longing for God asked for a sacrifice of But at the moment where Abraham is about to uh sacrifice his son Isaac, he provides a replacement or a replacement sacrifice there And then and his son is saved. And in the Jewish faith as we know it really was born. And that's in Genesis 22. And the reason that's important is because his faith was credited as righteousness in Genesis 15. But then his faith was demonstrated in Genesis 22. And so you see that Abraham, this, this rich educated, religious awesome example said, you know what I'm not saved by religion, I am saved by faith. And I demonstrated that with my works. And so you have this incredible picture of Abraham and I highlight that because his very next example is the most extreme opposite of that. So you have Abraham, the founder of the jewish faith. Okay, and then check out this next example Here in verse 24 or 25. And in the same way. So in other words, equally equally credited as righteousness was not also rehab. The prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out on another way. So here it is this this prostitute in rehab and a lady who was seen as a gentile, not a jew poor, not rich, uneducated, not educated, very sinful, very rebellious. He she checked every possible box of what you should not do. But yet when push came to shove, she believed in the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. She believed in that God and she believed that that God would provide and protect her. And so her actions was she protected spies and actually saved their lives. And so now here we are, thousands of years later talking about this lady, not because of her past, but because that moment where she put her faith into action. And so you have two extremes of faith at work. You have Abraham, the religious guy. He said, it's not about religion, it's about living persuaded that God has the power to do what he promised. And then you have the uneducated sinful, not religious woman who is equally credited as righteousness and her face was demonstrated through her works. And then we have that last verse there in verse 26 it says for as the body apart from the spirit is dead. So, faith apart from works is dead. Adrian Rogers says it this way, he says, it's it's not the works that bring life, it's the life that brings works. And John 15, we find out that this concept of abide in Jesus, we are merely branches, but Jesus is divine. That if we abide in him believe in him, then naturally we produce fruit. What is the fruit? What what is work supposed to do? What works can be described as um we found in Galatians 5 22 to 23 It talks about the works of the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. So are you becoming these things, Are you becoming love? Are you becoming more like jesus? When he says that faith is connected with works, What he's saying is that when you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, it is a natural expression to love others. So just as the body is dead without breath. So the spiritual body is dead without spirit. And so as we breathe in the breath of God, we can breathe out and love others as jesus has loved us. Mount Rushmore was completed in 1941. Mhm. In the black hills of Keystone South Dakota And the sculpture includes 60 ft carvings of a President George Washington Thomas, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln according to the National Park Service's it's visited by 2.5 million people every single year. They created this monument to celebrate what has happened in our country. But can I tell you something, a monument has no power. A monument is is simply a reflection or look back at something done or who someone was. And I feel like churches today sometimes are described as monuments to God. But I want to end this morning by telling you that the church is not a monument to God but a movement of God and a movement for God and that when people believe and the power of jesus christ and then live in a way that loves people unconditionally that offers light in the midst of darkness that offers peace in the midst of restlessness that offers joy and purpose and meaning and is forgiving and it's filled with grace and mercy and serves when we live a life of faith expressed through works, we can change the world. The church is not a monument. We don't come here and just talk about a God that once was. We talked about the God who is living now and he's in this place and he is present and he is here and we believe it and we live it and we do that. We can change the world, every relationship, every conversation, every community, every school, we want to see God radically changed the North Valley with the Gospel so that more people will know the glory of God and experience eternal life with him and we do that when we live out our faith with how we love our community, amazing things happen. Our faith is not dead, Our faith is not deceived. Our faith is dynamic and alive and moving this morning. Amen. So let us be reminded as a church not to simply acknowledge God's existence, but to establish the root of faith in our hearts and grow in community that you can't do it alone. It's not about perfection but about progress and that we can actually live in a way that God is glorified. You talk to some of the leaders in the back, join a growth group, get connected so that you can take that next step in your faith. And it starts by believing in him. And I just want to, I just want to encourage you with this, You could close your eyes, close your eyes and bow your heads for just a moment as the band comes back up on stage, I'm passionate about this because I truly believe that the gospel changes everything and you've never prayed to receive him. If you never actually put your faith in him. I want you to pray along with me right now, dear heavenly father, I am a sinner and God, I can't make it to heaven on my own, but God, why I could not reach up to you, you reach down to me and by dying on a cross, God, you, you forgave my sins and by rising again on the third day God, you give me eternal life. Don't simply acknowledge that you exist, but I acknowledge you as Lord gotta be the Lord of my life. And God, I pray and I commit my life to you. I want to sit down in that chair, I want to show my faith through action. God, I pray that if there's somebody here that has never taken that first step after salvation of getting baptized that they would mark on that connection card that they want to get baptized. They want to take that next step and step and and they will get baptized next sunday God, I pray that if they need to talk to someone about their faith or how they can live that out and that they acknowledge that they've had a dead faith or to see faith, but God, they want the dynamic, life changing faith of knowing you and living that out. God, I pray that we can just be changed by that. Yet we believe this not just in our minds, but in our hearts and our soul and our hands. And so God may our works be the fruit as our faith in you is the root in our lives, We love you got it in your son's name. We pray amen