Last night we saw “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”

• What a waste of time. And Hollywood will celebrate this.
• “Nothing matters”
• “If Nothing Matters, Then All The Pain And Guilt You Feel For Making Nothing Of Your Life Goes Away – Sucked Into A Bagel.”
• “Every New Discovery Is Just A Reminder…” “We're All Small And Stupid.”

 
Paul is exercising the spiritual mind.

• He is looking at things on earth from God’s point of view.
• As a result, he is not upset by things behind him, around him, or before him—things do not rob him of his joy![1]

​REACHING FORWARD TO GOD’S GOAL
PHILIPPIANS 3
12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

• Paul is referring to his behavior… the things he does as being imperfect.
• He is not satisfied with his journey being imperfect.
• Paul has a desire for his flesh to completely line up with his spirit. He can see the difference.
• He wants to know Jesus better and to completely walk by the Spirit that resides in him.
• But he has taken hold of the one who is perfect and did things perfectly and learning to let Jesus do his life for him.

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it.

• Paul does not play the comparison game here.
• Paul could have easily rated his faith walk with those he knew and probably felt pretty good about himself.
• But he really compared himself to Jesus and knew that he had fallen short.

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,

• So, what do you do? Focus on the past?
• Sit in your misery?
• “Forgetting what is behind” – my fleshly acts have already been dealt with and forgotten.
• Thank God for that… because if I did not have forgiveness… I would be sitting in the puddle of my past.
• My past is gone.
• And if it is gone for me then it is gone for my spouse who believes. I probably should let it go.
• And for all the other believers who I hold onto their past. “Well, I can forgive… I just can’t forget.”
• Paul says, “forgetting what is behind”
• “To forget” in the Bible means “no longer to be influenced by or affected by.”[2]
• My fleshly acts have already been justified.
• Even my future fleshly acts have been justified.
• I live in a state of justification.
• As in when a runner stretches for the finish line.

14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

• Paul is not referring to salvation here otherwise that would contradict everything he has already said in this chapter… and would be based on works rather than faith.
• In order to run the Greek games, the runner had to already be a citizen.
• He wasn’t trying to earn his citizenship.
• He is pursuing God…
• “I don’t know how”
• You YouTube everything else… YouTube that!
• Listen, Brock Purdy (SF QB) is not going to get in the huddle today and say to his team, “OK guys, Coach has a great game plan, were just gonna stand here and let him do his thing.”
• Nor will he say, “Hey guys, forget whatever Coach said, we are going to do it my way.”
• “Here’s the play Coach called, let’s do it exactly as he taught us.”

15 Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.

• “mature” – those who are perfect!
• My journey ahead is God revealing things to me in my thinking and doing.
• “I make every effort”
• I want my journey to move forward… not satisfied.
• I study, I learn, I try to eat better, I try to exercise, I move forward by taking a step, I get out of bed… and sometimes it is really really hard.
• I mean… there is something inside of me that is telling me not to. I battle in my head.
• But two things… I know my perfected Spirit is leading me and convicting of the goodness now and ahead.
• And the second thing is, I am hopefully surrounded by a community that is echoing the same thing.
• For me, I am blessed with an earthly partner on this journey… I realize it is not the same for everyone in this room.
• It’s not my kids! It’s my wife. My kids left me… as they should!
• But my second encourager is my wife… after the Spirit.
• Then hopefully my kids, my friends, and the Church.
• The world would be a bonus but I am not dependent on that because we have been set apart from that!
• That is… we are already sanctified. Past tense!

16 In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.

• But wait… what!?!
• You mean my self-assessment may not be true?
• The churches in Revelation… Samson…
• NO MATTER WHAT!!!
• You should live up to whatever truth we have attained.
• Trust what you know!!!
• What do you know?
• I know my perfected Spirit is leading me and convicting of the goodness now and ahead.
• This is where we have to “Zoom out”.

17 Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.

• Hang out with the like-minded and pay attention to how they pursue Jesus.
• We are not perfect in our behavior, but we pursue the perfect behavior by trusting Jesus.

18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

• Paul is weeping as he writes this letter.
• Just thinking about those who oppose him upsets his stomach.

19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things,

• Most likely referring to the Judaizers.
• Dietary restrictions and focus on attaining wealth.

20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

• We are no longer citizens of this world.
• We don’t think like the world.
• Don’t expect us to act like the world.
• Don’t expect us to be accepted by the world.

21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.[3]

• A glorified body awaits us.
• Don’t ask me what that looks like, how old it is or what it will eat!
• I don’t know!

Philippians 4
1 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. [4]

• Paul loved the Church at Philippi and just wanted to be with them.
• But since he couldn’t be there…
• Trust what you know…

Stand firm together… in the Lord!

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 88). Victor Books.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 89). Victor Books.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Php 3:12–21). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Php 4). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.

Old Covenant vs New covenant
 - New makes old obsolete
KNOWING CHRIST
PHILIPPIANS 3
1 In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you.

• We are prone to forget who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives.
• Keep waving the banner.
• Paul’s tone changes… very loving man… speaks of joy… he is happy… through suffering.
• There is a conflict he has been involved with for many years.
• There were other religious people who continually undermining Paul’s ministry.
• Critics, enemies & opposition from pastors and elders of the church
• Paul rebuked religious people who led people astray.

2 Watch out for the dogs (Religious people), watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh (happy knife-cutters). 3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh--

• “Evil workers.” These men taught that the sinner was saved by faith plus good works, especially the works of the Law.
• But Paul states that their “good works” are really evil works because they are performed by the flesh (old nature) and not the Spirit, and they glorify the workers and not Jesus Christ.[1]
• There is a difference between Christians and religious people… understanding, joy and humility
• Dogs – violent, mean, bark, bite and scary. Not domesticated at the time.
• God hates religion!
• Religious people believe that Jesus helps us but that He needs us to help Him.
• Jesus plus anything ruins everything
• Circumcision plus salvation nullifies the cross (Gen 17 – Circumcision was a seal of the covenant that God made with Abraham)
• Temple, priests, sacrifices not needed today
• What are some examples of us adding to our faith to make it a “religion”?
• Richard Halverson writes, “When the Greeks got the Gospel, they turned it into philosophy; When the Romans got it, they turned it into a government; when the Europeans got it, they turned it into a culture; when the Americans got it, they turned it into a business.”
• The DNA of the church produces certain identifiable features:
     - The centrality of Jesus Christ
     - The innate desire to form deep-seated relationships that are centered in Christ
     - Authentic community
     - Familial love and devotion of its members to one another
     - The native instinct to gather without static ritual
     - The internal drive for open-participatory gatherings
     - The loving impulse to display Jesus to a fallen world.

4 although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee;

• Most rule keeping devoted religious people of their day…
• Jesus pointed out they even tithed from their spice racks

6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.

• (OT has more than 600 laws and Paul was blameless).

7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.

• Paul was auditing his own life… and realized that he had been bankrupt all along.

8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung,

• Garbage, refuse, filth, dung, dog dung, turds…
• Isaiah 64:6 - and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
• I started cleaning out my office at home yesterday.
• Things that I considered valuable (ad cost me much) are now considered just junk… trash.

 
so that I may gain Christ

• Paul literally had to “lose his religion” so that he could “find salvation”.
• Religion is about what “I do”… The Gospel is about what “Jesus has done”.
• Religion trusts in “my works”… The Gospel teaches us to rest in Jesus’ works.
• Religious people confuse justification and sanctification.
• Religious people hate to repent because it reflects their wrongdoing. (You are taking away their goodness!)
• Religion lends an uncertainty to your fate in the end.
• Religion leads to pride or despair. (I can do it or I can’t do it).
• Christianity leads to humbleness and joy which makes us happy!
  
  
• Hard Religion
     - Religion tells you to “clean up your act!”
     - Religious people take things out of the Bible and add their own rules to them and beat people with self-righteous rules and restrict their joy that Jesus intended.
  
  
• Soft Religion
     - Vote, Golden rule, be nice to animals, do things for others, fight poverty…
  
  
• Everyone has religion and is building their resumes.
• Everyone wants to be righteous.
• Will you pursue it through religion or through Jesus.
• All Religions tell us how to become righteous…
  - Buddhism – To be righteous… you cease all desires
  - Confucianism – You pursue education, reflection and lead a moral life.
  - Hinduism – You detach yourself from your ego and live in unity with the divine.
  - Judaism – You obey God’s Law.
  - New Age – You should see yourself as connected with the Oneness and live in perfect harmony with the creation.
  - Taoism – You should line yourself with the Tao and go with the flow
  - Islam – You should live a moral life, do good deeds, and stand before Allah in the end and if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds and Allah so wills it, you shall be declared righteous.
• Every single religion… both hard and soft… tells us that on our resume should be listed all the things we have done to be declared righteous.
• Paul is saying that it has nothing to do with what we have done but purely what Jesus has done.

Grace vs works
A lady was arguing with her pastor about this matter of faith and works. “I think that getting to heaven is like rowing a boat,” she said. “One oar is faith, and the other is works. If you use both, you get there. If you use only one, you go around in circles.”
‘’There is only one thing wrong with your illustration,” replied the pastor. “Nobody is going to heaven in a rowboat!”[2]
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.
Justification…

• God demands perfection and there is only one way we can become perfect. Through Christ!
• Two words on my resume… Jesus Christ.
• I have been declared righteous because of my faith in Jesus!
• Gift righteousness!

10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.[3]
Sanctification…

• Everything changes. It has changed and continues to change!
• New nature, new desires, new power, new passion… a life that results in passion, purpose and JOY!
• Religion cannot compare to this!

It’s tax season and you are collecting your forms.
 - You will do your own personal financial audit.
 - What if you audit the things you do this week?
 - Is it your strength or His strength?

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 84–85). Victor Books.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 85). Victor Books.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Php 3:1–11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.

Acts 1:1-11 - I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”[1]

• Luke wrote Acts and only the first 11 verses speak about Jesus doing ministry.
• What we have today is reliant on the Spirit working through the believers… that would be the Church.

 
Ephesians 4:7 - Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.[2]

• The gifts came from Jesus.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
EPHESIANS 4:11-16
11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

• (1 Corinthians 12 & Romans 12)
• These verses do not refer to individual Christian lives but to the collective life of the saints.
• The individual saint cannot be perfected apart from others.
• “He gave some to be apostles…” for what purpose? To show how clever they were, what gifts they had? No, “for the perfecting of the saints.”
• ‎No saint can ever be perfected in isolation or in any other way than God has lain down.
• Apostles - A messenger of God - one sent my Jesus Christ and God the Father.
• They had the responsibility of imparting the truth taught by Christ.
• They were the final authority in the early church (1 Corinthians 14:37).
• They had been with Jesus. (1 Corinthians 9:1).

 

• ‎Two thoughts today...
• 1) The original 12 (including Paul) plus secondary apostles who were of the early church.
• Apostles of Jesus and Apostles of the Church.
• 2) Apostles today? Silas & Timothy were referred to as apostles.
• Those who take the message of Jesus into virgin territory.
• We call them missionaries today.

 

• Prophets - ‎Refers, not to those who foretell the future, but to preachers and expounders of the Word for the purpose of encouraging and strengthening the church.
• Their message had to line up with the Apostles' doctrine.
• Apostles and prophets are viewed as necessary roles in building the foundation in the early church before manuscripts were available.
• Ephesians 2:18-22 - For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.[3]

 

• Evangelists - ‎travelling missionaries both in home and foreign lands.
• They are gifted with the ability to express the plan of salvation with clarity and conviction.
• Remember Romans 2:4 - God leads to repentance through his kindness.

 

• Pastors - Shepherd, one that cares for their flock. Also referred to as "elders", "overseers" or "bishops".
• Remember that the flock is not our own but is the Lord's flock.
• Jesus is the ultimate authority in the church.

 

• Teachers - Teacher of the Word.
• Pastors/Teachers are viewed as the same person. ‎

 

• If God reveals things to you above the rest of the community, he will place you in middle of that group.

 

• He doesn't give you the insight to make you better than the other people but to give you more responsibility.
• It is not something you earn or vie for.
• He will put you there.
• Your insight can cause you to become critical of the ministers and instead of being intercessors for them, you choose to be fault-finders and will be left on the outside.

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,

• All ministries, which are God’s gifts, are given to the local bodies to equip saints for ministry to one another.
• ‎‎‎Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers can minister only to saints who assemble together in fellowship.
• That is why His Word bears down so hard on “proud flesh,” insisting that we understand and confess that no human gifts, no human talents can accomplish the ultimate and eternal work of God.
• You can write it down as a fact: No matter what a man does, no matter how successful he seems to be in any field, if the Holy Spirit is not the chief Energizer of his activity, it will all fall apart when he dies.
• ‎
• ‎‎Perhaps the saddest part about all this is that the man may be honored at his death for his talents and abilities, but he will learn the truth in that great day when our Lord judges the work of every person.
• That which is solely his own work, accomplished by his own talent, will be recognized as nothing but wood, hay and straw.
• ‎To equip saints for ministry to one another... It is the pastor/teachers responsibility to teach the flock.
• 2 Timothy 4:2-5 - Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.[4]
• ‎Teach the saints who they are and they will naturally take care of one another.
• ‎The pastor/teacher should be the last one to visit you at the hospital.
• ‎The pastor/teacher cannot take the group to any deeper spiritual depth than he is himself.
• You want teacher studying. You want me to go deeper.
• ‎Each believer grasps their spiritual gift and learns how to use it accordingly in the body to build up the body. (small groups, everyday needs, encouragement, organization, fixing things, etc,)

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

• In times of testing and hardship, I have heard Christians cry in their discouragement, “How can I believe that God loves me?”
• The fact is, God loves us to such a degree that He will use every necessary means to mature us until we reach “unity of the faith” and attain “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”
• Our unity of faith is founded on this "filter of our identity in Christ."
• Where do we get the knowledge of God's Son? Read the Word and the Spirit will reveal it to you.
• Christ's fullness - Ephesians 3:17-19 - and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [5]

14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

• Children - "not speaking infants"
• Saints are capable of verbalizing and applying what they know to be truth.
• The enemy wants to deceive even the church... but it is hard to trick the mature.

15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.

• The true Christian fears God with a trembling reverence and yet he is not afraid of God at all.
• He draws near to Him with full assurance of faith and victory, and yet at the same time is trembling with holy awe and fear.
• The world will never understand that the Christian, though born on earth, still knows by faith that he is a citizen of heaven!

‎‎
‎‎A.W. Tozer - In an effort to get the work of the Lord done we often lose contact with the Lord of the work and quite literally wear our people out as well. I have heard more than one pastor boast that his church was a “live” one, pointing to the printed calendar as a proof—something on every night and several meetings during the day.… A great many of these time-consuming activities are useless and others plain ridiculous. “But,” say the eager beavers who run the religious squirrel cages, “they provide fellowship and they hold our people together.”
‎‎To this I reply that what they provide is not fellowship at all, and if that is the best thing the church has to offer to hold the people together it is not a Christian church in the New Testament meaning of that word. The center of attraction in a true church is the Lord Jesus Christ.…
‎‎If the many activities engaged in by the average church led to the salvation of sinners or the perfecting of believers they would justify themselves easily and triumphantly; but they do not. My observations have led me to the belief that many, perhaps most, of the activities engaged in by the average church do not contribute in any way to the accomplishing of the true work of Christ on earth. I hope I am wrong, but I am afraid I am right.

• ‎We must say focused. We are learning to live our life by another... that life being Jesus

16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.[6]

• Through the individual relationships within the body, "the whole body" grows with a growth which is from God and each believer is empowered by Christ's life!
• The joint is where two believers, each possessing a totally different spiritual gift, come together.
• The joint is where the gifts of the Holy Spirit pass from one believer to the other for the purpose of bringing the entire body together.
• The principle of the cross - doing things for what others might receive than for what we might receive.
• An isolated Christian cannot minister to others, nor can others minister to him, and it is impossible for the gifts to be ministered either way.[7]

The Body of Jesus Christ, at rest, works!

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Ac 1:1–11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 4:7). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 2:18–22). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (2 Ti 4:2–5). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 3:17–19). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 4:11–16). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 39). Victor Books.

• A coin has 2 sides to it…
• What kind of faith really saves a person?
• Is it necessary to perform good works in order to be saved?
• How can a person tell whether or not he is exercising true saving faith?
• Demonstrating the authenticity of faith is the primary focus of this section.
• James’s deeds of faith are not at all what Paul meant by “works of the law.”
• The question James placed before his hearers is very different from the issues before Paul.
• James was concerned with the demonstration of faith in Jesus through works of mercy.
• Paul was concerned with justification through Christ alone and not by ritual works of the law, such as circumcision, apart from faith in Christ.[1]
• James answers these questions by explaining to us that there are three kinds of faith, only one of which is true saving faith.[2]

 
FAITH AND WORKS
James 2
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

• It is a rhetorical question? No answer is expected.
• “works” – ergon – any kind action or deed.
• This is where you get into the question of judging one another.
• The emphasis is not on the true nature of faith but on the false claim of faith.[3]
• The first faith James speaks about is a “dead” faith.
• People with dead faith substitute words for deeds.
• Merely claiming to have faith is not enough.
• They know the correct vocabulary for prayer and testimony, and can even quote the right verses from the Bible; but their walk does not measure up to their talk.
• They think that their words are as good as works, and they are wrong.[4]
• I can’t tell by their actions if they are truly saved.
• Faith that does not affect behavior is superficial and cannot save.[5]
• Genuine faith is evidenced by works.[6]
• Faith is a key doctrine in the Christian life:
• The sinner is saved by faith (Eph. 2:8–9)
• The believer must walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7).
• Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
• Whatever we do apart from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).[7]

15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

• The rhetorical question is followed by a hypothetical but realistic illustration.
• James may describe internal strife within the Church due to selfishness.[8]
• Elvis is alive… but there is no evidence that Elvis is alive.
• Workless faith is worthless faith; it is unproductive, sterile, barren, dead![9]
• A word of blessing without an act of blessing is like the promise of salvation without the saving act of God in Christ[10]
• A poor believer came into a fellowship, without proper clothing and in need of food. The person with dead faith noticed the visitor and saw his needs, but he did not do anything to meet the needs. All he did was say a few pious words! “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed”.
• But the visitor went away just as hungry and naked as he came in!
• Food and clothing are basic needs of every human being, whether he is saved or unsaved.
• 1 Timothy 6:8 - If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.[11]
• Matthew 6:31–32 - So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.[12]
• Jacob included these basic needs in his prayer to God: Genesis 28:20-21 - Then Jacob made a vow: “If God will be with me and watch over me during this journey I’m making, if he provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s family, then the Lord will be my God.[13]
• As believers, we have an obligation to help meet the needs of people, no matter who they may be.
• Galatians 6:10 - Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.[14]
• Matthew 25:40 - “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ [15]
• To help a person in need is an expression of love, and faith works by love (Gal. 5:6). The Apostle John emphasized this aspect of good works.
• 1 John 3:17-18 - If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.[16]
• The priest and Levite in the Parable of the Good Samaritan each had religious training, but neither of them paused to assist the dying man at the side of the road (Luke 10:25–37). Each of them would defend his faith, yet neither demonstrated that faith in loving works.
• The person with dead faith has only an intellectual experience.
• In his mind, he knows the doctrines of salvation, but he has never submitted himself to God and trusted Christ for salvation.
• He knows the right words, but he does not back up his words with his works.
• Faith in Christ brings life (John 3:16), and where there is life there must be growth and fruit.
• Three times in this paragraph, James warns us that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17, 20, 26).
• Beware of a mere intellectual faith.
• Warren Wiersbe said: “No man can come to Christ by faith and remain the same any more than he can come into contact with a 220-volt wire and remain the same.”[17]

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.

• “someone” - an imaginary person is introduced.
• The Message: “I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.”[18]
• In other words the respondent is saying, “Faith is not the key; what counts is works.”
• Thus the respondent has gone too far.
• James did not say that works are essential to faith, or that faith is unimportant.
• His argument was that works are evidence of faith.[19]

19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.

• Demonic faith – 2nd kind of faith
• Deuteronomy 6:4 -  “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[20]
• This was the daily affirmation of faith of the godly Jew. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder”
• The man with dead faith was touched only in his intellect.
• But the demons are touched also in their emotions. They believe and tremble.
• But it is not a saving experience to believe and tremble.
• A person can be enlightened in his mind and even stirred in his heart and be lost forever.
• True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life.
• How could a person show his faith without works? Can a dead sinner perform good works?
• Impossible! When you trust Christ, you are Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. [21]
• James has introduced us to two kinds of faith that can never save the sinner:

1) Dead faith (the intellect alone)
2) Demonic faith (the intellect and the emotions).[22]
20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?

• The adjective “foolish” is usually translated “vain,” “empty,” or “hollow”
• You may be intellectual but you lack understanding.
• “useless” - The Greek word translated “dead, barren or idle,” like money drawing no interest.
• Faith that is barren is not saving faith.
• Spiritual works are the evidence, not the energizer, of sincere faith.[23]

21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete, 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.

• This question is often held to be directly opposed to Paul’s statement that Abraham’s faith, not his works, caused God to declare him righteous (Rom. 4:1–5).
• Paul, however, was arguing for the priority of faith.
• James argued for the proof of faith.
• Paul declared that Abraham had faith, and was therefore justified, or declared righteous (Gen. 15:6), prior to circumcision (Gen. 17:11; cf. Rom. 4:9).
• James explained that Abraham’s faith was evident in his practice of Isaac’s sacrifice (Gen. 22:12), and he was therefore justified, or declared righteous.
• James looked to the Abraham story to show how genuine faith operates; Paul looked to the Abraham story to show how God forgives sinners.[24]
• Works serve as the barometer of justification, while faith is the basis for justification.[25]
• The mind understands the truth; the heart desires the truth; and the will acts upon the truth.[26]
• Dynamic faith is not intellectual contemplation or an emotional experience; it leads to obedience on the part of the will.
• And this obedience is not an isolated event: it continues throughout the whole life.
• It leads to works.[27]

24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?

• Rahab (Joshua 2 &6) was the harlot in Jericho when Joshua sent spies into the land to take their promise land.
• She believed God and helped the Israelites overtake her own people.
• Abraham and Rahab. You could not find two more different persons!
• Abraham was a Jew; Rahab was a Gentile.
• Abraham was a godly man, but Rahab was a sinful woman, a harlot.
• Abraham was the friend of God, while Rahab belonged to the enemies of God.
• What did they have in common? Both exercised saving faith in God.[28]
• Rahab had skin in the game… Abraham had skin in the game.

26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. [29]

• James 2 emphasized that the mature Christian practices the truth.
• He does not merely hold to ancient doctrines; he practices those doctrines in his everyday life.
• His faith is not the dead faith of the intellectuals, or the demonic faith of the fallen spirits.
• It is the dynamic faith of men like Abraham and women like Rahab, faith that changes a life and goes to work for God.[30]

 
Welcome to the New…
Got to live right just stay in line
You've heard it all at least a million times
And like me you believed it
They said it wasn't works
But trying harder wouldn't hurt
It sounds so crazy now
But back then you couldn't see it
 
But now here you are
Eyes open wide
It's like you're seeing grace
In a brand new light
For the first time
 
Let us be the first to welcome you
Welcome to the
Life you thought was too good to be true
Welcome to the new
Welcome to the
Welcome to the new
 
You broke your back kept all the rules
Jumped through the hoops
To make God approve of you
Oh tell me was it worth it
The whole time you were spinning plates
Did you stop to think that
Maybe He is okay with just you
There's no need to join the circus

[1] Richardson, K. A. (1997). James (Vol. 36, pp. 128–129). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 354). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 825). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 354). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Jas 2:14). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[6] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 825). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 353). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Jas 2:15). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[9] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 825). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Richardson, K. A. (1997). James (Vol. 36, pp. 130–131). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Ti 6:8). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 6:31–32). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ge 28:19–21). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 6:10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 25:40). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Jn 3:17–18). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[17] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 354). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[18] Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: the Bible in contemporary language (Jas 2:18). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
[19] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 826). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[20] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 6:4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[21] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Eph 2:10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[22] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 355). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[23] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 826). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[24] Richardson, K. A. (1997). James (Vol. 36, p. 140). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[25] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 826). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[26] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 355). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[27] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 355). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[28] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 356). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[29] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 2:14–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[30] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 357). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.