What Is Your Faith Doing?

James 2:14-26

14 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. 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 faithby 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.

What Is Your Faith Doing?

Message #8: What Is Your Faith Doing?
James 2:14-26

Today we come to one of the most significant questions that each of us must answer if we are to experience real joy, peace, and fulfillment in this life. It’s the kind of question that lingers in the back of most people’s minds and must be consistently brought to the front of our thinking. So here it is…

Q: What do I REALLY BELIEVE IN and how is that shaping my priorities?

Definition of Christian Faith = it is the experience of TRUSTING JESUS to make you into a new person by allowing him to place His presence (the Holy Spirit) into your mind and body where He can do His work to give you a new life. It means you will trust HIM more than you will trust yourself or anything else in this life.

The Barna group did research over 10 years ago that asked: “What is the single, most important priority in your life?
The number one priority listed by 51% of the group was: My family.
Coming in a distant second was: my faith (16%)

This was about 1 out of 6 people who responded to the survey that said “faith” was their most important priority in their life. Barma noted that, "Many Americans are living a dual life – one filled with good feelings about God and faith, corroborated by some simple religious practices, and another in which they believe they are in control of their own destiny and operate apart from Him.”

James 2:14-26 14 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. 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,”[e] 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.

APPLICATION: How Do I Know If I Am Trusting Jesus and Living For Him?
1. Examine yourself (to see if you ARE trusting Jesus.)
2. You are seeing the character traits of God’s Spirit growing in you.
3. You are arranging your priorities based on your commitment to Jesus
4. You are seeing others through Jesus eyes