Richvale Community Church
Sunday, March 8 2026
- Good morning…We are in Our sermon Series.. REAL -Faith that works.. in the book of James…Today we going to talk about the importance Faith and works..What is Faith?I’ve been watching videos of people doing THESE BASE jumps for the first time.They’re in national parks — places like Moab.They’re doing these tandem jumps..strapped to an instructor, standing at the edge of a cliff, ready to jump with a parachute.The instructor talks them through it, guiding them to the edge, talking through the fear, ... The instructor then says something like:“You’ve got this. We’re in this together. ”Then they count down.Three… Two… One……and they jump.For a few seconds, they are free falling.And then—there is moment OF RELEIF…WHEN the parachute opens …What does it mean to have Faith? is it just taking a leap I to the dark or …is it more..Sometimes Faith is chalked down to Belief… If you believe in something, you have faith— but faith is more than belief..Because … Faith always has an object..For the Base Jumper the object of faith is the Parachute…Everything hinges on the parachute opening..and thankfully most times — it is does..But.. What about Biblical Faith? - what does it rest on?Biblical Faith -Is multifaceted…HEBREWS 11 gives us one of the best definitions of Faith…
Hebrews 11:1–2 ESV 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.The writer of a Hebrews tells us that , Faith is assurance.. of thing hoped for....The word assurance is the key to understanding faith.It is the Greek word hupo-stasis.It means that which stands underneath… it speaks of a support… Like a foundation—something that provides a basis for confidence. as a noun assurance..means a title deed… The amplified Bible saysHebrews 11:1–2 AMP 1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality ..Faith is like A title deed - it proves that something is unseen..truly belongs to us..The paper ..in the title deed isn’t the real value—it what it represents …it is what you do to see that.. has real substance and worth …Faith says..We may not yet hold the full possession yet.., but we holding on the the promissory note ..The guarantee that what God has said..in his word.. is true.And whatever we facing —God is more than able to meet our need.. ..Faith is ultimately grounded in God’s promises of salvation. He is a God who rescues.This what the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2 thatbefore Christ we were without hope in the world.But God in his kindness he has shown us mercy.Even when we were dead in our sins, Christ died for us..And in Christ we have been made alive together with him and seated in heavenly places.Paul writes:Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.Salvation is a gift of grace— Add it is received through faith and not earned…Paul taught that Salvation is all God ..not God plus .. we can not save ouselves.. and is received by Faith..But here is the thing..faith does not stop at conversion… we continue to live from faith to faith..Paul said in Romans .Romans 1:17 ESV 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”T/s James says if we Claim to have Faith what does that look like… first he deals with..1. The Problem -Faith Without EvidenceThroughout church History we have seen Christianity being challenged and tested…Just about in every generation has been tested....some times church stepped up..and other times it failed..But The question is always .. How do we respond? To what is happening arround us..….James in his letter is challenging the Jewish Christians who have been scattered in the diaspora and now meeting in Homes..…and he is looking for evidence of Faith..… tangible evidence that the church is trusting in God and being transformation..James presses on their claim to have Faith..James 2:14–17 ESV 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.James challenges the brand of Christianity that is is name only…and absent of Works.. ..—James proposes this question…Can you have faith without works?and….This question has sparked debate for centuries- because, at first glance, James seems to contradict Paul’s teaching on justification.Paul taught clearly that we are saved — or justified — by faith alone.In the book of Romans, Paul challenges the Jewish reliance on circumcision and the law as the basis of righteousness.Paul points to Abraham as the model of justification.Abraham was not declared righteous because of something he did. He was declared righteous because he believed God.Paul says in— Rom 4.2Romans 4:2–3 ESV 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”Paul made the point thatAbraham was declared righteous before he was circumcised.Circumcision came later — not as the cause of his righteousness, but as a sign and seal of the faith he already possessed.Pauls argument Is that righteousness came before works, rituals, or obedience to the law…It came through Faith..—- It was this verse in Romans that got the attention of Martin Luther… that started the reformation…and the doctrine if Justification by Faith Alone was the central teaching of the Reformation...Luther himself struggled with the book of James.He even called it “an epistle of straw”because, to him, it seemed to contradict his understanding of justificationSo the theological question is …how do we reconcile James and Paul?First we have to see that..“Paul and James aren’t standing face to face in conflict; they stand back to back, each fighting a different foe..or battle.”Paul talks about saving faith — how we are made right with God. James talks about living faith — how that faith shows itself in real life.James says.Imagine someone in your community lacks food, clothing, or warmth.And we say nothing but words:“Go in peace. Be warmed and filled.”James asks: What good is that?It’s like putting salt in a wound.Words without action don’t help. They can even make things worse.He’s pointing to a faith that exists only in the mind. Only in talk. Only in theory.Does that kind of faith hold up?James says that kind of Faith lacks life and vitality..T/s James is Challenging us to Have REAL Faith. He starts with theThe Problem - Faith without works.2. The Argument - Works Authenticate FaithWe live in a world to day full of bots, scams, and fake accounts.Because of that, almost every website now asks you to go through a series of authenti-cation tests.You know the ones.A little box pops up that says:"Prove you’re not a robot."Then it gives you a grid of pictures and says, "Click all the squares that contain traffic lights."So you click the traffic lights… and you feel pretty good about yourself.Then another screen appears."Select every square that contains a bus."Then another one."Select every square that contains a motorcycle."And that’s when things start getting complicated.Because the motorcycle is halfway in one square and halfway in another square… and you’re sitting there staring at your screen thinking,Do they want that square too? Is that technically a motorcycle?To be honest, there have been times when I’ve just given up.James says that the way authenticate your Faith…. is through GOOD works……James 2:18–20 ESV 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?James says — Lets make a comparison —let’s put Faith to the test..Try — Demonstrate your Faith apart from works…— AND I WILL prove you MY Faith BY MY Actions…It is true Christianity is confessional religion...it begins with the good confession..Romans 10:9 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.We confess our sin.. we confess thr Lordship of Christ..But here is the problem… confession is on is only the beginning...Augustine said..The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.Saint Augustine of HippoProfession had to move towards practice..…Owning a guitar doesn’t make any of us a musician…We could claim to be one.. We could talk all day about our favorite songs, chord progressions, and music styles.But until we actually pick it up and strum the strings, there’s no evidence. No music.Faith is like that.It can be full of potential. It can sound impressive in conversationBut until it moves into action — until it serves, gives, obeys — it’s just dormant… .in James mind Faith without works is invisible and unverifiable.is Dead…For James faith moves beyond words to tangible action.James says I will show you my Faith by my works…— James is Saying now that you have been Justified by Faith… What follows.??IS FAITH ALONE SUFFICIENT…You believe that God is One…James congratulates them… You do well!! To master the Oneness of God…but — here is the rub…Even the Demons believe that…When they hear that God is one they shudder… at what that means..You can have good theology — and still not have faith,.Faith that has Works is living and alive…IF YOU BACK TOHebrews 11 tells that it was by Faith..“ the people of old received their commendation.”it goes through list of people — who had faith with works.Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.Enoch walked purposefully with God and was taken up.Noah built an ark and saved his household.Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob trusted AND believed God’s word about a future they could not yet see— and ordered their lives around that promise…Warren wiesbe..We are not saved by faith plus good works, but by a faith that works.Warren W. WiersbeT/s James is Challenging us to Have REAL Faith. He starts with theThe Problem - Faith with out works.2. The Argument - Works that Authenticate Faith3. The Evidence- Faith Completed by Works.November 8th, 2018, was a difficult day for many of us in the area… I remember Pam driving into Chico and saw the first flume of smoke over Paradise…For the families lived their it caused unimaginable damage and devastation. There are some of here that lost Houses .. Belongings gone.Lives turned upside down.But in the midst of that fear and loss, something remarkable happened. The community and the church showed up.People didn’t just pray—they acted. Samaritan's Purse came in and helped more than 1,800 families sift through the ashes of their homes.World Kitchen mobilized over 1,000 volunteersand served hundreds of thousands of meals to evacuees and first responders. At one point they were cooking 10,000 meals a day right here in Chico. (Scott Smith was there every day)Sometimes we forget…to celebrate how people showed up for others..That’s what James is talking about. Faith moves from belief… to action.ForJames Faith was completed by works.In order to solidify his point he gives he gives two Solid examples ofHe USES Abraham AS AN EXAMPLE — pJames 2:21–26 ESV 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.James is dealing with the other side of the equation…of Faith..He is not dismissing the truth that salvation is by faith alone.In fact, James understands thatAbraham had already been declared righteous by God long before the moment when he offered Isaac on the altar.God had already made a covenant with Abraham through the promise in Genesis 12., circumcision already become the sign of that covenant—a physical mark that Abraham belonged to God.But..James explains the evidence of salvation—real faith shows itself through works.afterwards..When Abraham believed God, and that faith made him righteous.But when he obeyed God and placed Isaac on the altar, his obedience revealed that his faith was genuine.His works did not replace his faith.His works completed it.ThenAnd James gives us another example.Not only Abraham was justified by works but Rahab the harlot.James writes:James 2:25–26 ESV 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.You could hardly find two more different people.Abraham was wealthy, respected, morally upright—the patriarch of the Jewish nation.Rahab was likely poor, , and a prostitute—an outsider in Canaanite society.Yet James places them side by side.So what is James saying?He is saying..Both Abraham and Rahab were saved.Both of them are described with the same word: justified.And both of them demonstrated that faith through what they did.Abraham demonstrated it when he offered Isaac on the altar.Rahab demonstrated it when she hid the spies and helped them escape.Each faced a critical moment—an opportunity where faith had to move from belief into action.And think about this: if Rahab had never acted on her faith, she would have been destroyed along with the rest of Jericho.Her faith was real—but it was her action that revealed it.So why does James use Rahab as an example?.But at the cross, the ground is level.Whether Abraham the patriarch… or Rahab the prostitute…both stand in need of grace.And remarkably, both of them appear in the genealogy of Jesus.God is not looking for perfect people.He is looking for people whose faith responds in obedience.ConclusionThe truth is, every one of us today needs faith.Sometimes we find ourselves standing at the edge of a cliff.The winds of uncertainty blowing around us, and the path ahead is hidden in shadow.Maybe it’s fear of the future, unexpected trials, or circumstances completely outside our control.We can’t see what’s coming, and the unknown feels heavy.And yet, faith calls us forward.Faith is never a leap into the darkness—it is a step out of darkness into His light.Faith doesn’t deny the fear. It faces it.perfect love casts out fear..It trusts God’s promises. And it steps forward into His light.And this is exactly what James is telling us. Real faith is never passive.You cannot claim faith while standing frozen at the cliff’s edge and doing nothing.Faith that works is the faith that steps out… that acts… that loves… that serves.So as we face the uncertainties of life—It is the moment God invites us to step forward.Step forward with trust. Step forward in obedience. Step forward in love.faith moves.And when it does, the darkness cannot hold you—because God’s light is waiting on the other side of the step. Hebrews 11:1–2CSB
Hebrews 11:1–2CSB
Ephesians 2:8–9CSB
Romans 1:17CSB
James 2:14–17CSB
Romans 4:2–3CSB
James 2:18–20CSB
James 2:21–26CSB
James 2:22CSB
James 2:25–26CSB
Richvale Community Church
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