Do Something | James 2:14-26 | Arik Hayes

All right, beloved, please be seated in the presence of the Lord. Welcome to 2019 church, beloved. it. We are a church that is, we'll continue to say it, we're a house of prayer, presence, and proclamation, all three. And this actually, you know, I go through this, but this next part means a little bit more to me today. I want to welcome our online community, the digital disciples. You know, we're going to clap it up, right? We're going to clap it up, right? So I know our pastor is going to address it when he comes back to the pulpit, but I want to kind of give you from my heart, right? So I was privileged to be able to see digital disciples come in from all over the world and trickle in and from New Zealand, from Asia, from places in America, from Florida, Washington State, Ohio, Texas, everywhere, right? From the Virgin Islands, you know, we've seen that, But I had the honor and privilege to see 7,000 digital disciples convene in one place over two experiences. See 2,000 plus respond to a call to either salvation or to contend for the gospel on their continent. And it changed me. It changed me. different continent, same Christ. Different country, same God. Different city, same Savior. As I look across this camera, welcome to our online community, Digital Disciples, those in the UK and beyond. We love you. and also i want to welcome the unbeliever today yeah we're gonna clap it up clap it up again we'll continue to say you this is a place where you can absolutely belong before you actually believe right i don't want to jump into the message real quick but there's a difference between hanging around the things of faith and then having faith come in and change your life and then readdress you to go to heaven. There's a difference. We can sit on the same row but have different eternal destinations. Different fathers. Different kingdoms. Different things to do. And it's our hope, It is our prayer. It is our intention to do what we can to set the atmosphere so that the Holy Spirit, because nothing happens in the kingdom without the Holy Ghost. You can't manipulate somebody into the kingdom. It has to be something pure from the Holy Ghost. ghost. That we will be in the same family one day. That you will come aboard the Ark of Safety so that when Jesus comes back, you'll go with him, with us. All right? All right? And as customary, I want to honor the pastor of this house, Philip Anthony Mitchell. no pressure this is an opportunity opportunity to give honor where i believe we believe honor is as a church we are continuing to walk through the book of matthew actually we're about to wrap this thing up here, right? We titled this series that we're currently going through, Cross to Commission. However, I have the honor and privilege of preaching a standalone sermon to you that I've titled, Do Something. Do Something. By your head, let me pray for us. Holy Father, how we need you how we need you in this hour how we're needy God in your presence Lord God hope it's not coming to your presence with pride and arrogance as if we are independent from your grace and your plan of salvation God I pray that you would bless this gathering that we would behold your glory in the scriptures as we've already done in worship and prayer help the vessel this morning which is myself God to be able to deliver your word with clarity and with truth and with power from the Holy Ghost it's in Jesus name I pray amen and amen frank you mind hanging out with me family good to see you good to see you again um so family it's a movie about uh it's over like 20 years old right and and and and and the part that i'm going to talk about has actually stuck with me since i saw it i want to say like the first time there was this movie called john q anybody seen it all right right so um it's actually a sad movie those that have not seen it right if you have not seen it one of my friends i mentioned a movie uh like a couple months back there was like it was a spoiler alert i was like the movie is 20 years old if we can't talk about movies that are 20 years old like what are we love you by the way if you're looking all right but i'm i'm gonna spoil it for you at least part of it right? It's about, it's about a family, um, African American family, um, mother, father, and it was a son and, uh, he was actually playing a baseball game and he was just running like nothing was happening. All of a sudden he just like passed out. And, uh, then, then like the plot just really takes off from there. So he, he goes to the hospital and it's like, it's discovered that he has like a very serious heart issue. And, um, they're saying that he needs like a heart transplant right the whole point of the movie they're going through that's just a trial of the family of the father of the mother of the son it's it's it's it's heart-wrenching because now we're we're talking about insurance and we're talking about money and and honestly we don't feel like we should have to be dealing with either of those we're talking about saving our life so like pushing them you know insurance is pushing them around he needs money's middle America. He's doing stuff, man. And it keeps going. And there comes a point in this movie where he's trying. He's doing stuff. And he's doing it. And then his wife was at the hospital. He was out there handling something. And his wife was at the hospital. And she called him. She's like, John. She was like, she started talking like a monotone voice. And they were like, yo, they're going to release him. Talking about the son. They're going to release him. And he's like, baby, I just gave him money. It's like everything's going to be. She's like, no, you don't understand. They're going to release him. They're sending him to perish and die. He was like, but baby, it's going to be okay. She's like, no, it's not going to be okay. And she comes along and I don't know why, but it resonated in my soul even to this day. She said, do something. And I think that was one of her best things on screen because I felt like she was really the mother. I forgot that this was a movie. I don't think I had children no I didn't have children then but it resonated do something you see our son is suffering you see what's going on you see the tombs in his nose I need you to do something when I was arrested that she had conveyed the conviction and the heart of someone who cared about the son. And she was saying, because something is happening with the son, if you care about the son, you need to go and do something. Likewise, beloved, it. We're saying real biblical faith. If you have conviction that the son lived a sinful, a sinless life for your sinful self and he came down from heaven, lived that life, was scourged. We saw a couple weeks back, was beaten, was crucified, crown of thorns on his head, nails in his hands and his feet died was placed in a tomb was risen on the third day and because of that your sin debt is paid you now have access to our heavenly father we now through faith in him have been adopted we are now a part of the kingdom from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his dear son, Christ. And now that is our reality. And we're saying if you believe that, if you have conviction in that, if that is real to you, beloved, we have to do something. Amen. If you really believe it, I'm going to jump into James. He's going to talk about this. We're just going to walk through the scriptures, beloved. We're going to jump into James 2. We're going to jump into verse 14. And we're going to see what the Lord has to say. All right. At verse 14, we're going to look at 14 through 16 together. James says, what good is it, my brothers, if someone says, they says, if someone says he has faith but does not have words. Can that faith save him? amplified says in that same verse what is the benefit my fellow believers if someone claims to have faith but has no good works as evidence can that kind of faith save him it says no a mere claim of faith is not sufficient And it ends that verse by saying genuine faith produces good works. So we're going to hang out right there, beloved. Genuine faith produces good works. Verse 15. It says, now, if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to him, go in peace, be warm and filled without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? Verse 17, so also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. right so we actually everybody knows right we were over to uh went over to london in the uk last week had an amazing time uh met again digital disciples and uh we essentially just picked up 2819 and took it to the uk that's what we did right so uh everybody knows you heard me preach i'm like a real homebody that's not like something i just be up here saying i can be a homebody in a whole another country no I'm not playing I was I listen I'm prepping I could have just stayed in the room like the whole time and you'd call me a weirdo and you would have been correct okay but my good elder was just like hey man let's we all we all the way over here let's let's at least go do something all right so it's so funny I was just like well how long we gonna be out elder I was like I'm serious about this homebody stuff. They're going to know us how long. I was like, you mind if I just go out for a little bit? You mind coming to drop me off? He was like, sure. So I was like, no, I ain't got to be out there seven hours. All right. All right. All right. So we came down. We were blessed to have a car, be able to shut us around for a day. And I came out, and I'm a bigger guy, right? And I'm used to like Georgia. Like, we really don't, for the most part, until it got crazy two weeks ago, like, we hang out in the 40s. Right? And the 40s is enough for me to change plans. It's like, nah, I'm not coming outside. I don't think it's something I really want to do, right? So I was just like, all right, well, I thought it was like 39. So I just had something like this. And I stepped outside to see if the car was there. And that wind from London was eating these jeans up. So I came back inside. I think I was like, that's all you're going to wear? I was like, yeah. Then I went out there one more time. and again it was eating these jeans up and I was like man we're gonna be walking around I'm gonna go upstairs and put a thermal on I haven't put a thermal on since 92 so if I'd been sitting there somebody would have walked past me like hey man hey God bless you warm yourself be cool you're gonna be all right and thought they really helped me, I would have looked at them like they were crazy. Because I'm famous for saying, hey man, I don't need a coat. I'm only going to be outside for five seconds anyway. From the car to the building, I'm fine. But no, if I was out there in the elements and that wind is different in the UK because it's surrounded by water and I'm out there shivering, you're just telling me, be warmed. what help is that going to do some of y'all laughing right yeah you can imagine a look i would have given you it says in the same way beloved so also faith by itself if it does not have works it's dead verse 18 beloved it says but someone will say you have faith and i have works show me your faith apart from your works and i will show you faith by my works i'm going to slow down here amplify version says someone may say you claim to have faith and i have good works show me your alleged faith without the works if you can and i will show you my faith by my works that is by what i do and i want to i want to stop here right i want to i'm going to continue to nail this home because we believe saved through faith by grace. Right? So we can appear like I'm saying something different here, but I am not. Right? It's almost like James is coming to further clarify what Paul talks about in the Pauline epistles. Right? Saved through faith alone. But it's like, so somebody on our staff is actually pregnant. Right? And we like, they told us, they shared it with us. We were like, yeah! she's pregnant. With that being said, we're saying it's just a matter of time before she delivers the baby. Okay, we're not going to come and she has the baby and be like, oh my gosh, what happened? We already were made aware that she was pregnant. And the baby is growing and growing and growing. And there are growing pains with that sometimes. Right? gotta change the way you walk sometimes the pregnant waddle i've seen it a time or two right right and there are contractions as you're birthing things in the spirit and then she delivers the baby what i'm telling you beloved is genuine biblical real true faith is connected with the umbilical cord to obedience and good works they are not separate and i'm jumping the 19 and listen hey this is one that will shake up verses like where it says you know um you know lord lord we did all this in your name he says depart from me i knew you not this is another shake-up verse to me okay all right so verse 19 says and he's writing to jewish believers at this time he says you believe that god is one you do well sounds amazing doesn't it right he says even the demons believe and shudder let me give it to you in the amplified verse he said you believe that god is one you do well to believe that also says the demons also believe that and shudder and bristle in all field terror they have seen his wrath take that down because don't we also think that's a good thing you run into somebody man who you believe in you believe jesus god yeah you know god is the one true and living god yeah man yeah when the church you know my family let's say give you start talking people yeah man we grew up in the church I didn't ask you about none of that. I could actually care less, but I'll listen, right? I'm looking for, do you have faith? When he comes back, are you going? I just want to make this very plain. Well, verse 19 is saying, just by having a mere confession or a mental assent or a belief that God is the true and living God, that puts you in the same designation as the demons. Isn't that what it says? You see why? Because we love you, we just can't let you believe that you can just say you're a Christian and just do whatever you want and think that you're in the kingdom. You see how that's love, beloved? verse 20 esv he continues he says do you want to be shown you foolish person that believes that that faith apart from works is useless amplified but are you willing to recognize you foolish spiritually shallow person that faith without good works is useless they go to some Old Testament examples of faith with works we're going to jump into verse 21 we're talking about Abraham the father of our faith 21 says was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? Verse 22, you see that faith was active, say active, along with his works and faith was completed by his works. Stop, right? So I know it says justified by his works, right? The further explanation was that, justified by his faith-inspired works. one because true genuine faith in the womb and the actual delivering of the baby are connected so what I'm really saying beloved I'm going to say it a couple different ways you cannot have true biblical faith and not have works of obedience and fruit of righteousness it cannot happen i'll give you 22 and amplify the further nailed at home he said you see that his face faith was working together with his works faith works together and as a result of the works his faith was completed reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience i gotta tell you something beloved i said the word obedience and it didn't fit right with me if we're honest that's not even a word we use anymore my wife in the kitchen the other day she says she's like you're just being disobedient to one the children. I'm the daddy and the elder. And I was like, oh. It sounded a little judgmental. Don't you feel the same? And somebody just walked right up to you and was like, hey, you being disobedient. Who are you talking to? Even as believers, we don't connect faith with obedience to God. you want to label us bible thumpers but you're saying you actually have to obey the scriptures if you have faith it will result in obedience let me stop right here because some of y'all you're a little nervous he's like i don't know if i'm saying what you want to do is you want to run out and now you just want to start doing stuff stop that not it we been preaching all through Matthew right And it been showing us just because you have religious activity it does not mean that you are connected to the Savior It does not mean that, right? Right? So if you see yourself and you actually have a true confession of faith, you believe it's true, right? I want you to do one thing. Is there at least a seed of obedience? It's heart check time. Because I don't know where you sit. We got the wheat and the tare in the same room. Only the Holy Ghost knows. Do you at least have a seed of obedience? Something working in your soul to say, I got to live right. I got to love. I got to forgive. I got to be generous. I got to serve. I just can't be wallowing in the waves of darkness. Is there something moving on the inside? Something. Don't you be comparing yourself to nobody else either. I'm talking about your life. Is there something that is tied with the umbilical cord? It's tied to true biblical faith on all that Christ did on the cross. the finished work. If so, beloved, if it is tied directly to that and you are fighting your sin nature, which is also present, but you're connected to that, you've been pregnant with the Holy Ghost, then you are saved. That is called real, true, biblical faith. Verse 23. And it says, 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. you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone again look at that look at that word right there right the the faith and the works are together and because we see his works it is evidence that faith in God was on the inside of him for those that know the story he was promised a son, Isaac. And God told him to go and sacrifice Isaac, his only son. And back then it was a very serious thing. Your son was your lineage, was really your everything. It was a big deal. He had been waiting for Isaac. And here is God telling him to go and sacrifice the very promised son that God promised him. And he delivered and he told him to take him up on that mountain and sacrifice him. And because he had faith that he believed in God, he started up the mountain. You see how biblical faith right there, it can't be hidden. and there are those that believe that Isaac was a type of Christ like a foreshadow of Christ because he was the son and he actually had to say the wood that they were going to use for the offering on his back up the hill if I'm not mistaken it was the heart wrenching part I was read it he said Isaac spoke up because it's three days something along the lines up I see the wood but dad where's the sacrifice he's old enough to carry wood and know what's going on and what is stopping some of us in our maturity in god is we will not walk up the mountain with our isaac i know i can preach this and make this a real big moment i don't want none of that i want you to listen to what i'm saying do you have an isaac that is dear to you that god is telling you a sacrifice and you're telling him no and you're being disobedient. Is it the marriage in this season? Is it the business that you want? Do we even consider his plan for our life when we try to go get the masters? Or is it the ministry that you want for your own name? what is it? What is it? I don't know. You know, and the Holy Ghost knows. He demonstrated his faith by his willingness to sacrifice. So those that don't know the story, right? Have you ever heard the term ram in the bush? That's where it comes from, right? So they get up on the mountain. God says, hey, don't do it. He was actually about to do it. He had the knife in the air. He called out to him. Don't do it. And he looked up and saw a ram. So they actually did the sacrifice there. but that's biblical faith y'all he didn't say yeah god i believe you he got up and went up the mountain he heard the word of the lord and if you hear the gospel it's going to lead to you doing something if you really believe it verse 25 another old testament example it says 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 right so so so Rahab and I love this because the Bible don't clean things up before they present stuff to you what was her profession the prostitute they don't clean up which we know what prostitutes do don't we she was in the promised land and two spies were sent in to spy on the promised land and she hid them and when she hid them she lied so now we have a pagan lying prostitute I know we only want to talk about her sin. That's cool. That's cool. That's cool. Right? A pagan lying prostitute is being used as an example of having faith. Now, if you're super religious, you, you, you, you, you, you, you just, you may have missed that. That's how you do it. Is that what you do? Is that how you do? Right? Right. but for somebody like me I'm happy because and especially if you're a new believer that should make you happy too because listen you can have faith and still not be all the way cleaned up of course we don't promote lying, promote prostitution but she had faith she hid them she was like I know you guys serve the true and living God and the pagan lying prostitute said she said hey swear by me I'm gonna house you here but when y'all come and take this land because I got we over here scared they said they heard of your God it said their heart melted I know y'all about to take over so when y'all come save me and my household and I'll give it to you again so what they did was they said listen I swear it to you Now, if anybody is not in your house and stay in your house and become, our blood is not, their blood is not on our hands. But if they stay in your actual house, they will be saved. Now, that reminds me of in the Old Testament when the plague went out, they were going to kill. And all you had to do was smear the blood on the doorpost. We were not expecting everybody in and make sure they're righteous, they're righteous, they're clean, they're holy. No, the blood made them holy. And everybody that did that smeared by the blood was saved. I'm so glad I'm smeared by the blood of Jesus. So glad. and said Rahab her her her domicile was actually like like built into the wall of the city right so on the outside let's say she actually held she like hung like a scarlet rope on the outside and that's how they identified and it's the same imagery right it's the blood that saved Yes, she was a lying, pagan, prostitute, but she believed in the true and living God. And she demonstrated her faith. Was she all the way cleaned up? Absolutely not. But she was used. And I'm looking at people, if you just have real faith, you can be used. Used for his glory. use for his kingdom use verse 26 And it ends this section of the scripture. After these two Old Testament examples that they gave. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead. So also faith, a confession of faith, just saying you believe. Apart from works of obedience, works of submission to Christ, righteous good deeds. Is dead. and just to nail that word one more time verse 26 and amplified for just as the human body without the spirit is dead so faith without works of obedience is also dead i know we're talking about works but it just can't be about being seen christ continually rebukes the sadducees and pharisees and the gospels about doing stuff to be seen. That's not it. You just can't run out to start doing stuff. Is it connected to the faith in the son Not manipulation Not to be seen Is it biblical faith That the blood of the Savior has been smeared by the Holy Ghost across your soul. I just want to talk to a couple of y'all. Some of y'all are saved. But some need to stop quenching the spirit and do something. So I don't know where this lands. The Holy Ghost and you know, right? Some of y'all are saved, but the spirit, you have been pregnant. right right you have been pregnant but the Holy Ghost will tell you to do something and you'll just dampen it no no you're saying you're right forgive I'm good on that send a text to that person to show up you ain't seen them in three Sundays too busy this is the thing you don't say this out loud you say this in your heart a lot of times our disobedient is not out loud but we're being disobedient I'd rather doom scroll can I tell you something beloved sometimes sometimes you're dealing with something because you just refuse to be bored enough to listen to the Holy Ghost every time you get a free second you got a screen in front of your face down here over there up here you looking just trying to be on it entertained but you are pregnant and the holy ghost is speaking to you and you are not inclining your ear and we are being disobedient i said we we in this thing together some of y'all are thinking i'll obey but you're dealing with timing now i like to say it's a ditch on both sides of the road right when it comes to timing some of you guys are using timing as an excuse because you're uncomfortable like I said like about a month ago right we're just using planning as an excuse like how how many different tabs or bookmarks you're gonna make before you just make a move how many influence you're gonna follow on the thing before you just make a move and actually do something well I don't know everything you won't you'll never learn everything in a book or in research never and then some of you won't consult the Lord at all you're just gonna go out and do stuff I'm just out here doing it yeah I'm doing it hey man did you consult the Lord on timing they could be doing it and they could be being obedient but because you could be doing the same things and they're good but because it's not your time you're being disobedient you see why intimacy with the holy ghost is so important because on the surface i can't tell y'all doing the same thing and you're doing a righteous thing but the holy ghost say yeah it's your time you wait i'm still seasoning things for you i'm still lining things up for you it's not ready yet i have not forgotten you. Just hold in the air right. Need you to hold and paddle right now. Can I tell you something? I was coming out of the worst season of my life and my pastor hit me up. He said something. He said sometimes he will make you lie down in green pastures. I had been saved for most of my life. I had never looked at it like that. it says make you lie down in green pastures don't even sound right if I see a green pasture why would I fight you why would I fight you on laying down we're distracted beloved sometimes we won't see the green pasture that the Lord has prepared just for you look look look this is just for you we're busy sometimes we're just being disobedient sometimes we're chasing stuff that is used to distract us from the will of God ain't that a sad thing I made this just for you come back this is made just for you come back where you going my sister here said tap me on the shoulder that's what the holy ghost does but i'm gonna tell you family it's not it's not always like this most of the time he ain't forceful like that usually is something like this. And because it's light and we're disobedient and distracted, we say God didn't speak. Can I nail that home for you? How much more sensitive to the Holy Ghost are you in the middle of a fast? When you've dampened your flesh, you're weakened, all of a sudden you're hearing just y'all been on a flight, it just popped open. We think we started speaking. A lot of times he's been speaking the whole time. Last but not least, I'm about to close. I'm going to speak to the weary Satan here. you have biblical faith. You've given birth to many babies. You have good works. But you're weary. Life's been kicking your tail. You getting kicked in the chest and you gasping for air. Beloved, I came to encourage you this morning and say don't give up. Hold on, beloved. Hold on. Hold on, beloved. Nobody sees me. God sees you. Maybe this is him using me this morning. Hold on, beloved. Maybe you'll cross the screen in the chat. Hold on, beloved. I don't know what role you are just listen is this the Holy Ghost? hold on beloved don't you give up don't you abort the mission don't you give up last verse give me 1 Corinthians 15 9 and 10 this is Paul speaking he says for I am the least of the apostles this is Paul speaking the apostle Paul written writing two thirds of the New Testament a lot of it from jail sales unworthy to be called an apostle this is where Paul quotes his past I'm unworthy because I persecuted the church of God Amplified says because at one time I fiercely oppressed and violently persecuted the church of God and can we all land in verse 10 beloved he says but by the grace of God I am what I am maybe you don't think I deserve to be on this platform but by the grace of God I am what I am ragtag B paper people on different continents for the glory of God by the grace of God I am what I am I didn't qualify according to you it might be true man and maybe you don't qualify for other people by the grace of God we are who we are verse 10 and amplified out in here he says but by the remarkable grace of god i am what i am and his grace toward me was not without effect now look at what is tied to the grace of god in paul's life speaking of the rest of the apostles he said in fact i worked harder than all of the apostles this is what he says he says though it was not i but the grace of god his unmerited favor and blessing which was with me faith connected to his words grace to be impregnated with the gospel grace and favor to do the works i don't know what that's going to look like for you man what works has the Lord planned for you that you're not doing or if you are doing it let's put some more into it let me look like going to growth track after the third experience I don't know let me look like going out to our month of serving to serve M25 I don't know open the daycare I don't know reconcile the marriage honor your parents I don't know God and the Holy Ghost does it's not about doing stuff it's about doing it because he died on the cross for us and that faith real faith produces good works by your head let me pray for us Holy Father I just thank you for just your grace and your goodness God real biblical teaching God where James gets us together here lets us know what real biblical faith is help us listen to the nudge of the Holy Ghost some of us may even need to examine whether we are actually in the faith and that's a good thing now before eternal judgment hits God we ask you to do what only you can do Search the hearts of men and continue to draw unto yourself. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen and amen. Love you, beloved. God bless you.