Sidney UMC - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 09/05/21 - Sermon - “Faith and Works” (“The Book of James” - Series: Part 1 of 4)

Sunday 09/05/21 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:                “Faith and Works”

                    (“The Book of James” - Series: Part 1 of 4)

Old Testament Scripture: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23                                  

New Testament Scripture: James 2:1-17

Gospel Lesson: Mark 7:24-37

          So, there I was, it was my first night of seminary in August, 2010. There were twenty-four students in the room, of different cultures, races, and there were both men and women. The head of the seminary asked us to tell everyone in the class our name, our Church denomination or church, and why we decided to come and attend seminary. It was fascinating to hear that we had one or more of the following present in class: Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Free Methodist, Lutheran, Baptism, Pentecostal, Mennonite, Non-Denominational, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and maybe others. This was by far the most diverse group of Christians I had ever been in a room with at once.

          After we all introduced ourselves the head of the seminary then smiled at all of us and asked, “How do you get to heaven?” Well, the Roman Catholic student looked at the Baptist, the Methodists looked at the Pentecostals, the Greek Orthodox looked at the Presbyterian, and then we all just laughed. Any tension over our differences seemed to wither away in an instant. This was a very diverse group of people in the way of different types of Christianity, but in many other ways, as well.

          While the head of the first seminary that I went to, Northeastern Seminary, at Robert’s Wesleyan College, asked this question to break the tension in the room, it is not a bad question. Christians for centuries have believed in eternity with Jesus Christ. We hope to one day see those celestial shores, to be with the angels and the saint, and to be filled with the light, the life, and the love of Christ himself. Yet, how do we get there? What is or are the requirements for heaven?

          To address this and other topics, I am starting a new sermon series this morning, for all four weeks of September. This sermon series is called “The Book of James” series. For the whole month of September, I will be preaching on the Book or the Epistle of the Apostle James. I know some pastors and priests that don’t like to preach on the Book or Epistle of James, because it is a very challenging book of scripture. If we read it seriously, it can be very convicting. By convicting, I mean it can show us our own sin, our own brokenness, and our own hypocrisy. In fact, in our reading from James 2:1-17 for this morning, James addresses the topic of “Faith and Works”.

          Remember just a few moments ago though, when I told you the story about the diversity in my first seminary class in 2010. Well then, just what is it that gets us to heaven with Christ? It is faith? Is it works? Is it both? Or is it just being a good person? I want to talk about this topic this morning, and James pulls no punches on what it means to be a Christian.

          In fact, to get into this topic of “Faith and Works,” we have also had some pretty direct scriptures for this morning from the Book of Proverbs. In fact, as per our reading for this morning, Proverbs 22:8-9 says once again:

8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail. 9 Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor (Pro. 22:8-9, NRSV).

We are to live like God, pursue Biblical justice, and be generous with our food or bread. We don’t have the Food Bank here at the church, just because, instead we do so because we have a Biblical mandate from scripture, and Christ himself to feed the hungry. Given this, if we do good works, like feed the hungry, then will this get us to heave when we die? Which is it, “Faith” or “Works”?

          As a Christian and as a United Methodist, I believe that eternity with Jesus Christ is a free gift. It is an act of faith, as John 3:16 so famously says:

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (Jn. 3:16, NRSV).

          I believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, and my Savior, and I believe as John 3:16 says that I will live with him in eternity, forever. In the Reformation Era starting in the 1500’s this became known in Latin as “Sola Fide”. This translates to “Faith Alone”. The only thing that can truly save us is our faith in Christ. Our works cannot save us, as we are all broken sinners. We can’t make it just by being good people, it is an act of faith, and a free gift through Jesus Christ. If this is true, if we are Christians, if Jesus is our Lord and Savior, does this mean that we could have gone to Billy Graham Crusade years ago, repented our sins, accepted Christ, and then just sat on our couch doing nothing for the next 70-years? I mean if it’s by “Faith Alone,” or “Sola Fide,” then why should we have to do anything for others?

          This will be addressed this morning in our Book of James reading, and this is why my sermon title for this morning is called “Faith and Works”. I don’t know about you, but nothing bothers more than a Christian who says that they believe in Jesus, but they never seem to talk like a Christian or act like a Christian. Only God knows our hearts, and it isn’t a competition. If we really have been changed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ though, would we really be asking what is the bear minimum we could do to make it to heaven? This does not even seem like a question a Christian would even ask in the first place. To address the meat of this sermon then, lets look once again our Book of James reading for this morning. Once again it says starting in James 2:1:

2 My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?  ² For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³ and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (Jas. 2:1-4, NRSV).

          The Apostle James, the son of Zebedee, the brother of the Apostle John, tells us not to judge others, and to treat all people equally. Remember when I said that James doesn’t pull any punches? It was true! Everyone who comes into this church, therefore, is a person made in God’s image, and we should all treat each other equally.

          The Apostle James continues on saying starting in 2:5 once again:

⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? ⁷ Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? (Jas. 2:5-7, NRSV).

          James is saying that we should try to make sure those who are without, or those who are poor, should have what they need. Imagine if everyone had a place to sleep, food in their stomach, and clothes on their backs?

          James then continues on starting in 2:8 saying:

⁸ You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁹ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. ¹¹ For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment (Jas. 2:8-13, NRSV).

          The term I like to use, is “Sin is Sin, is Sin”. We are all broken, we all sin, and we all can be forgiven and redeemed through the Lord Jesus Christ. Since this is true, we are all called to repent, not just some, and not just certain people. We all fall short but are made clean and whole through the blood of Jesus Christ.

          If you are feeling a little uncomfortable right now as I am talking, welcome to the Book of James! This then takes us to the end of our reading from Book of James about faith without works, where I got my sermon title for this morning.

          In concluding our Book of James reading for this morning, it says once again starting in 2:14:

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷ So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead (Jas. 2:14-18, NRSV).

          So, James here asks the question, “Can faith save you?” In asking this question, I do not think that James is saying we need to do good works for salvation, to get to heaven, but I think he is rather saying if you do nothing, where is your faith? Meaning, if you have encountered Jesus Christ, if you have been forgiven of your sins, and if you have been filled with the love, the power, and the grace of the Holy Spirit, how can you not be changed? If you love and follow Jesus Christ, then how can be exactly the same as you were before?

          I think the tendency of some Christians historically was to prop up their faith with works. This is to say if they do enough works, then they will be saved. Works should be a biproduct of our faith. James is saying if you love Jesus, then how can you do nothing for anybody? We can’t do everything, but if we have a desire to make the world better, then I would argue we are seeing the world the way Christ sees the world. In doing good works, God might also use those works to grow us in our faith, our love, our grace, our holiness, our righteousness, and in our entire sanctification. Works are acts of faith, and God can use them to grow our faith.

          In our gospel of Mark reading for this morning once again, Jesus enters a house and does not know want anyone to know that he is there. In the house was a woman who had a daughter who was possessed with an unclean spirit. Jesus then tells the woman that her daughter has been healed. The woman showed her devotion to Christ and her knowledge, and the child was healed. Jesus then went on to heal a deaf man with a speech impediment.

          Jesus, who was God in the flesh, who is the source of life, light, love, and faith itself, performs healing and miraculous good works. Yet the faith he brings is the most important thing, as he also models for us through his miracles and works, how we are supposed to live. Do I believe that it is faith and faith alone that saves us? Absolutely. Did Jesus respond to a hurting and a broken world with healing, love, and compassion though? Absolutely. Christians are first supposed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, but we are also supposed to live it. This is why the Book of James ends once again with 2:17 that says:

¹⁷ So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead (Jas. 2:17, NRSV).

          So, if we find Christ, if we accept him as our Lord and Savior, and then we read in the gospels how he healed, loved, and forgave, then how can we not want to do good works? The great reformer Martin Luther summarized it well almost 500-years ago:

“God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does” (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/794373-god-does-not-need-your-good-works-but-your-neighbor).

            This friend is why both “Faith and Works” matter. Amen.