JESUS’WORKS,

YOUR WORKS

JAMES 2:14-2614 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, 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.

JAMES 2:14-2616 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.

JAMES 2:14-2618 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.

JAMES 2:14-2620 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?

JAMES 2:14-2622 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.

JAMES 2:14-2624 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?

JAMES 2:14-2626 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

TRUSTING IN THE

ONE WHO’S DONE

EVERYTHING

Friends, everything Jesus did is everything that needs to be done.

”It is finished!” The work of salvation was completed.

It’s all Jesus, it’s only Jesus, it’s always Jesus, and Jesus alone saves.

We are not to do anything; we are to trust the one who has done everything.

And the Bible calls that faith.

PLUGGING IN

As we trust Jesus and have faith in him, we are plugging in to the life of Jesus.

We no longer love what we used to love, we no longer do what we used to do,

because we are no longer who we were.

Jesus’ work for us then continues with Jesus’ work in us, and it culminates with Jesus’ work through us to love, and to

serve, and to give.Not so that God would love us, but

because in Christ he already has. Not so that God would accept us, but because

in Christ he already does.

It’s the life of Jesus for us, in us, and through us so that all of that—all of

that is the work of Jesus.

THREE

CATEGORIES OF

FAITH

TWO

COUNTERFEIT

FAITHS

The first two are counterfeits, and the last is authentic.

DEAD FAITH

The first counterfeit faith is a dead faith.

JAMES 2:14-2614 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, 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.

JAMES 2:14-2616 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.

We’re saved from Satan, sin, death, hell, torment, and the wrath of God.

Being saved is incredibly important.

LIP SERVICE

AND NO

LIFESTYLE

Dead faith is all lip service and no lifestyle. Dead faith is a profession of faith that you do not practice because you do not possess. Dead faith is lip

service, not lifestyle.

FRUITLESSNESS

You don’t give, you don’t serve, you don’t care, but you believe in God. This

is classic lazy, lukewarm, lifelessreligion. And some of you have gotten

theological about it and you’ve got arguments for why you are fruitless.

Because church doesn’t save; Christsaves. Tradition doesn’t save; Christsaves. Religion doesn’t save; Christ

saves. It’s not what you do, it’s not what the church does, it’s what Jesus does

and whether or not you trust him.

A good tree bears what kind of fruit? Good fruit. A bad tree bears what kind

of fruit? Bad fruit. It’s not rooted and as a result of not being rooted, it’s not

fruitful.

Some of you are like that. You’re rooted in morality, you’re rooted in religion, you’re rooted in spirituality, you’re rooted in tradition, but you’re not

rooted in Christ, so there’s no life in you, there’s no life through you. The result is, it’s fruitless.

DEMONIC

FAITH

JAMES 2:14-2618 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.

This functions oftentimes formally in religion. And depending upon what

religion you go to, they’re going to hand you another job description. Do these things, and then God will love you, and God will save you, and God will forgive

you.

Religion and Christianity are different, and all religions are works. You work hard and save yourself. In Christianity, Jesus does all the work, you just trust

him.

SAVIOR IN THE

MIRROR

These people are having this argumentwith the faith people. So, the works

people are having an argument with the faith people. And the faith people are

faith minus works.

LIKE A DEMON

There are versions of this in Christianity. There are whole churches and

denominations that basically take one of these options: the faith option or the works option, and both are demonic.

RELIGIOUS

PEOPLE DON’T

KNOW HIM, BUT

THE DEMONS DO

MARK 1:3434 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

LUKE 4:33–3433 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,34 “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Some of you have dead faith, and some of you have demonic faith. You know who Jesus is, but you don’t love him.

You’re not responding to him. His life has not overtaken your life.

THREE ASPECTS

OF DEMONIC FAITH

Demonic faith has information but not transformation.

ITS

KNOWLEDGE

DOESN’T

TRANSFORM

You can’t say, “I met Jesus and nothing changed.” You can’t. You can’t meet the Creator of the universe and not change.

IT

DOESN’T

LOVE

JESUS

Demonic faith knows about Jesus but does not love Jesus.

ITS

REBELLIOUS

AND NOT

REPENTANT

Demonic faith is rebellious and not repentant.

Some of you know who Jesus is and you disobey and you rebel.

These are two kinds of counterfeit faith. Dead faith, demonic faith. Dead faith

does not produce fruitful living. Demonic faith is entirely, exclusively,

continually theological and theoretical. It’s not practical; it’s not actual.

REAL

FAITH- DYNAMIC

FAITH

It’s dynamic faith. It’s not dead faith, it’s not demonic faith; it’s dynamic faith.

JAMES 2:14-2620 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?

JAMES 2:14-2622 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.

JAMES 2:14-2624 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?

JAMES 2:14-2626 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Two case studies—Abraham, Rahab, a man and a woman. “Was not Abrahamour father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed.”

“Completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says—”

ON THE

WAY TO

PERFECTION

If you’re here and you’ve done some things you’re ashamed of, the Bible talks about God loving people like you. This is the real problem with religion. The real

problem with religion is, “Be a good person and save yourself.”

Rahab was a prostitute. She was a sinner. Everybody knew it. She wasn’t one of God’s people. And then God’speople showed up in town, and God’s

people were in danger.

What he’s saying is as soon as Rahabconverted, you could see it. Her life

started changing. She wasn’t perfect, but she was different.

Friends, Christians aren’t perfect, but they’re different, and they’re on the path to perfection that ends with the resurrection, which is where they see

their perfection.

OBEDIENT FAITH

He says, “What about Abraham?” And Abraham’s this great, towering figure of faith. Faith is not just what we believe

internally, it’s how we behave externally.

TRUST ME

What he’s saying here is, Rahab trusted the Lord in here and you could see it out there; that Abraham trusted the Lord in here and you could see it out there; that

when the Father asked them to jump, they jumped, and he caught them, and he cared for them, and everything was

OK. That’s dynamic faith.

DOES JAMES

CONTRADICT

PAUL?

The first thing you’ve got to ask is, “Where’s the contradiction?” And then go study it and see if it’s a contradiction. The accusation is made that herein lies a

contradiction.

JAMES 2:14-2624 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?

ROMANS 3:2828 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Paul’s writing primarily to Gentiles. He’s out dealing with all these non-Christians

and newly converted Pagans, and they’re all terrified. Paul is primarily

focused on how we become Christians, and James is primarily focused on what

it means to live as a Christian,

that once Jesus’ life invades your life, it changes your life. So, you’re not saved

by your works, you’re saved to your works by Jesus, and it’s ultimately his

works through you.

RECONCILING

PAUL & JAMES

Here’s how we can reconcile Paul and James.

FRIENDS DON’T

NEED TO BE

RECONCILED

James is like Paul’s pastor. These guys get along fine. Throughout Acts, Paul

keeps making long journeys to go back to Jerusalem to meet with James. They’re friends; they get along fine. And Paul’s

not afraid to have a conflict with somebody. He does with Peter.

It never says that about Paul and James. They get along fine. We need to look at

the relationship that they have.

HORIZONTAL

&

VERTICAL FAITH

James emphasizes horizontal faith; Paul, vertical faith. Paul’s is, “How do you get

in right relationship with God?” And then James’ focus is, “And once you’re in right

relationship with God, how does that affect community, relationships, loving

people, serving people, and helping people.”

Once you’re connected to God, Godwants to connect you with people so you

can love and serve them the way that he’s loved and served you, and that his

love and service for you and in you would flow through you.

END AND

BEGINNING

OF

SALVATION

James emphasizes the end of salvationand Paul the beginning.

You can’t meet Jesus and not change.

THE RELIGIOUS

AND THE LOST

James emphasizes religious, lazy people, and Paul, lost people. Ritual has become

for them routine. Paul is talking to lost people.

COMPLETE FAITH

AND

COMPETING FAITH

James emphasizes works that complete faith;

Paul emphasizes works that compete with faith.

There’s a big difference.

Works that compete with faith are religious routines, and traditions, and

rituals, or just morality, or spirituality that compete with faith in the finished work of

Jesus. There’s a difference between works that compete with faith and

works that complete faith.

EPHESIANS 2:8-108 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

SAVED BY GRACE

THROUGH FAITH, TO

DO GOOD WORKS

Jesus’ work for you on the cross through the empty tomb. Workmanship. Jesus is working on you, changing your desires, changing your nature, changing your

proclivities, changing your budget, changing your mouth, changing your lifestyle, changing your orientation.

It’s Jesus’ work for you. It’s Jesus’ work in you.

It’s Jesus’ work through you. It’s all Jesus’ work.

You’re saved by grace through faith in Christ alone to good works that God has prepared in advance for you to do. That results in great joy, the greatest joy of

all.

Internal devotion to God, which is faith, produces external devotion to God, which is works, because a good tree bears good

fruit.

START TRUSTING IN

JESUS

Our loving father loves to have his kids go to work with him. We get to see what he’s like,

and what he’s doing, and where he’s working, and what he’s building, and who he’s

changing. And we learn more about our Father, and we get to see the family grow,

and we get to share in his joy, and we become more like him as we work alongside

him.

And he doesn’t force us to work with him because he’s using us. In fact, we make his work much harder. But he invites us to walk alongside him and to work with him because he loves us, and he wants us to love what he loves, see who he is,

and does what he does.

FAITHWORKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH GLOBAL

Presented By:

Ptr. Vetty GutierrezFCC Main, San Mateo Rizal, PH

10:00AM Morning ServiceApril 24, 2016

Website: faithworkschristianchurch.comFacebook: Faithworks Christian Church GlobalTwitter: @fccphilippinesInstagram: fccphilippines