“Dead, Demonic or Dynamic Faith” – James 2:14-26

Before we get started, I have to ask how you like our flower arrangement here in front of the pulpit. (flowers are obviously fake) Aren’t they pretty? And they smell so…something. There’s nothing like fresh flowers to liven up the place, right? I picked them myself. Does anybody know what kind these are? Yes, they are plastic. I did pick them though. I picked them from a selection of fake flowers our church has in the closet but they are actually pretty hideous, aren’t they? How could you tell they were fake? How are these different from real flowers? Real flowers smell pretty. Real flowers are soft and tender to the touch. Real flowers use water and sunlight and they also change as they grow. They become prettier and smell sweeter as they age.

Real flowers just look different, especially up close. From a distance these might look like real flowers – maybe – and technically, you could still call them flowers. They just aren’t real flowers. They aren’t fooling anybody and I bet a real flower would be offended that these are even called flowers. Nobody likes a fake when you are expecting the real thing, especially when it comes to people. Have you ever known a fake person? Maybe they were fake about their happiness or their wealth or how important they were. Nobody likes being around those people and do you know what’s worse than a fake person? A fake Christian. Have you ever known a fake Christian? You probably have and some of them are pretty good fakes. They may come to church, know scripture and even pray but they aren’t real.

Jesus warned us about them in Matthew 7. He said, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

There will be a lot of people who are expecting to live for eternity in Heaven because they claimed Christianity as their religion. They went to church every now and then and they put one of those fish symbols on their car and they typed “Amen” to a couple of Facebook posts. They even walked the aisle and prayed a prayer and got baptized so surely they are real Christians. Right Jesus? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

That’s a scary sentence, isn’t it? How do we know that Jesus isn’t going to say that to us? Well, let’s continue our campout in the book of James. It’s our fifth week and we have finally made it to chapter 2. Starting in verse 14, through the end of the chapter, James writes some things that have been controversial down through the ages.

Martin Luther was one of the greatest Christian minds and thinkers in the world but he misunderstood this passage and because of this passage rejected the whole book of James and wanted it stripped from the Bible. His thought was that it contradicted the Apostle Paul’s teaching that justification came by faith alone and he thought James was teaching that it was faith plus works that saved you. So, let’s look at this passage and make sure we understand what James is saying because it makes the difference between real and fake Christian faith.

James 2:14-26 says, What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Speaking of Martin Luther, he once said, “God our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.” That is truth and it is well said but I submit to you this morning that there is more than one kind of faith but only one kind of faith that will save you. James gives us examples of three kinds of faith.

Look at verse 17 again. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Dead faith is the first kind of faith he shows us and dead faith is illustrated by the person who sees a need and does nothing to meet the need. James says that is dead faith. If something is dead, what is it good for? Nothing. Dead faith cannot save you. James does not disagree with Paul about this either. Paul rightfully said that we are saved by grace and through faith in Ephesians 2. We are saved through faith but the proof of that faith…is good works. It is a changed life. It is sacrificing yourself for the sake of others.

Do you know how to start a campfire? There are any number of ways to start a fire. You can rub two sticks together. Good luck with that. It’s way harder than the movies would have you believe. You can make sparks by banging two pieces of flint together. You can buy one of those magnesium fire starters and I think they work pretty good but I would rather just use a lighter. That’s way easier.  So, how do you know when your fire is lit? There is smoke. Where there is smoke there is fire. You don’t start a fire with smoke but smoke is proof that you have fire. That’s how it is with good works and faith. You aren’t saved by good works but your salvation is proved by them. They go hand in hand and if you don’t see good works along with faith, it’s a sure sign that your faith is dead and you should be very concerned that the last words you hear are going to be, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoer!’

Jesus warns of this in several places but one that comes to mind quickly is His parable of the four soils. You remember that from Luke chapter 8. Jesus uses the seed that is planted to compare to the Word of God and there are four types of soil that receive the seed but only one kind yields a lasting crop. Some of the soil looks good and starts out well but the seed is lost or dies quickly. James is saying that is dead faith and dead faith is useless for saving you.

Some of you know what it’s like to be in need. Some of you know it more than others. I have been in churches that talked a lot about meeting the needs of people but I love being a part of this church that really does help. A couple of years ago some church members came to me and told me how they had been blessed financially with some kind of windfall and they wanted to give something special to the church. They handed me $400 and told me to bless somebody with it.

Now, that is faith that is alive. That is faith accompanied by action. But listen to how it ends. The very next day (I promise this is the truth), the very next day a couple came to me asking for prayer. Their landlord was about to kick them out for not paying the rent and when I asked how much they owed, they said it was $400. There is no way the first couple knew about the second couple and vice versa. That was just a God thing. So, I prayed with them and then read Romans 8:28 to them that says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Then I patted them on the back and said, “I hope it works out. Have a blessed day.” Then they left and I went and made a car payment. Do you believe me? Okay, most of that story is true but of course I gave them the money.

But we probably all know situations that really did turn out with somebody that was able to help but didn’t and basically just said, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed.” I have great concerns about that person and that person should have great concerns because James says that kind of faith…is dead and if your faith is dead, you are spiritually dead.

James also mentions another kind of faith besides dead faith and that is demonic faith. Do you see that in verse 19? He says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” This is pointed directly at the religious Jews who recited the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4 every day that says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” They would quote that every day but too often their lives didn’t reflect anything deeper than their ability to memorize and James says that even demons can do that. They know there is a God and at least they are afraid of Him.

We also see this kind of faith today in religious skeptics. You know the guys. They are so-called scientists who like to be interviewed on TV and wax eloquent on the “truth” behind the “myths” of Jesus and the Bible. They can tell you from carbon dating how old the earth is and how the Israelites crossed over on dry ground and how Jesus didn’t really die on the cross; he just fainted. They know all about Jesus but they don’t KNOW Jesus.

Let me give you another example. Who is this guy? (Picture of Billy Graham) Everybody knows Billy Graham, right? Do you know him? Sure, you do. So, if you know him, tell me what his phone number was. What was his shirt size? What were his dreams? What was his favorite ice cream flavor and how did he take his coffee? We say we know Billy Graham but it’s just a passing head knowledge and if your faith in God is just passing head knowledge, I don’t care how much knowledge it is, you got nothing the demons don’t have. Ephesians 2:10 says that when we truly know God we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works. That’s the only kind of faith that can save and James gives us two illustrations of dynamic faith.

As a master teacher, James drives his point home with two biblical examples of true, inward faith demonstrated by obvious, outward actions. Though he has at his disposal a host of examples of faith from the Old Testament, James chooses two extremes: Abraham and Rahab, and hopefully we all find ourselves somewhere between the two; Abraham, the father of our faith and Rahab, a harlot. (Charles R. Swindoll, pg. 61) Both showed their faith by their good works and both will be in Heaven. Now, we know, as we talked about last week that not everybody’s experiences in Heaven will be the same and there will be rewards given to those who earn them but we know that we will see both people there. Both believed God’s word to them and both were obedient to do what God said.

In John 14:23, Jesus said, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” You will do what God’s Word says to do and you will do it, not to be seen, but it will be obvious when you do it, just as obvious as it is when you don’t.

Now, I hear you. I hear you asking the questions, “How much good stuff do I have to do? How many little old ladies do I have to help across the street? How many times do I have to come to church a month? How many dollar bills do I have to put in the plate? How much good stuff do I have to do to prove I am a Christian?” Well, there is some good to those questions and I understand the thinking behind those kinds of questions but they are not good questions. The good part is that you are thinking in terms of yourself. The absolute wrong thing to do is to ask those questions of other people and then compare yourself to them.

“Well, I go to church, give money, help old ladies, whatever, fill in the blank way more than that person does so I must have some serious faith. I know God is pleased with me because I’m better than they are.” That’s way off the track James wants us to be on. That may be true or it may not but God looks at your heart. He judges by your motives so let’s start there by asking some different questions of ourselves.

What does your quiet time look like? Are you truly doing business with God or just checking a box when it comes to your private prayer and study time? Do you look forward to it or is it a chore? You can’t do God’s will if you don’t know His Word. Are you memorizing it? When was the last time you had a fun and lively debate over the finer points of scripture with a friend? What do you talk about in your free time? Are you growing spiritually? Can you tell a difference in where you are today and where you were last year? What about that bad habit or even that addiction? Are you praying about it but not seeing any change? Does God seem distant? When was the last time you shared your testimony or even mentioned the name of Jesus?

Is church a priority? I will say again that the greatest problem this church has is making the Lord’s Day a priority and not just an option. It is not just God’s will but a command that we meet together and that we are here for each other using our gifts to build up the body, the bride of Christ.

Those are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself because a dynamic faith will manifest itself in good works. It just will and you don’t have to ask if you are doing enough. If you wonder if you are doing enough then something is wrong with your faith and it’s not the quantity of it. Jesus said that if we have just a little bit of faith, we can move mountains. That’s because a little bit of dynamic faith will always do more than a lot of dead or demonic faith.

We pray a lot around here for revival. Everybody wants revival and everybody knows we need it but it never seems to really happen. In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church's integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation, without repentance." C. Swindoll, John The Baptizer, Bible Study Guide, p. 16. Repeat quote.

Does that sound like you? Don’t compare yourself to somebody else. Has your life truly changed since you walked the aisle and prayed the prayer or whatever you did? Are you truly seeing God do good works through you, that you never did before or even wanted to do before?

If you have any doubts about your faith, I would love to talk to you and pray with you about it right now. Don’t be fake like these flowers down here. There’s no good in living life like that here and now and we all want to hear our Lord say, “Well done good and faithful servant!” Ask Him to be Lord of your life and to change your life right now and to forgive you of all your sin. Your life won’t be perfect and some things will always be difficult but there is such peace and joy in this life knowing you will spend eternity with Him in the next life. Don’t leave here without knowing for sure.