Theological Status: Sound (with concerns)
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Philadelphia
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
🧐 Overview
Sermon Summary: This sermon powerfully tackles one of Christianity's most misunderstood topics: the relationship between faith and works. Using the book of James, the pastor explains that while we are saved by faith alone, a faith that truly saves will never be alone—it will always produce the fruit of good works, much like a living tree naturally produces fruit.
Big Idea: Faith that saves is never alone; it's married to works. [00:40:21 ▶️ 📄]
Pastoral Analysis: This is a faithful and well-structured expository sermon on James 2. The pastor correctly harmonizes James and Paul, arguing that works are the necessary evidence of a living faith, not the cause of salvation. The homiletical structure is clear and the illustrations are effective. The primary area for growth is in soteriological precision; the use of the term 'synergy' and a standard decisionist framework in the invitation create ambiguity around God's sovereign role in regeneration. These are not heretical but represent significant opportunities for theological strengthening.
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Philadelphia — The sermon presents sound doctrine with warm pastoral affection and a high commitment to the biblical text, but contains imprecise language that requires refinement.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Biblically Sound (with concerns)
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Soteriology | ⚠️ WEAK | While correctly affirming salvation by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9), the sermon employs the term 'synergy' [00:46:35 ▶️ 📄] and a decisionist framework in the altar call ('open the door' [00:55:31 ▶️ 📄]). This language functionally obscures God's monergistic work in regeneration, making man's response seem like a cooperative cause of salvation rather than the fruit of it. |
| Bibliology | ✅ PASS | The sermon demonstrates a high view of Scripture, treating it as the authoritative Word of God and the basis for all claims. |
| Hermeneutic | ✅ PASS | The sermon is a strong example of expository preaching. The pastor correctly interprets James 2 in its context and skillfully harmonizes it with the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith alone, presenting them as complementary truths. |
| Theology Proper | ✅ PASS | The sermon presents an orthodox view of God as a gracious, loving, and holy Father who provides salvation through His Son. |
| Sacramentology | ✅ PASS | Communion was observed correctly. The invitation [00:59:37 ▶️ 📄] was properly restricted to those with 'faith in Jesus Christ,' which correctly fences the table. |
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
Primary Text: James 2 (Expository)
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 34 | Referenced: 4 | Alluded: 4
Passages Read Aloud:
-
James 2:14-17
[00:40:29 ▶️ 📄]
"My brothers and sisters, if you say that you have faith, but you do not have works, can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace, keep warm, and eat your fill, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead."
-
James 2:20-25
[00:41:14 ▶️ 📄]
"Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works and faith was brought to its completion by works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road?"
-
James 2:26
[00:53:01 ▶️ 📄]
"For just as the body without spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead."
-
James 2:18-19
[00:48:04 ▶️ 📄]
"but someone will say you have faith I have works see the separation no synergy here you have faith I have works then look at verse 19 even the demons believe and shudder"
-
Genesis 15
[00:50:22 ▶️ 📄]
"Abraham believed God long before he offered Isaac at the altar"
Key References: Ephesians 2:8-9, Genesis 15, Ephesians 2:10, Revelation 3:20
Christological Connection: Thematic: The pastor connects the works described in James to the result of a heart changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, framing obedience as the fruit of grace.
🧱 Sermon Outline
- Introduction & Illustration [00:33:23 ▶️ 📄] : The pastor uses a personal story about his wife's failed attempt to bring dead trees to life to illustrate the sermon's main point: a dead faith cannot be coached or forced into producing fruit.
- Point 1: Saving Faith Demonstrates Life [00:42:26 ▶️ 📄] : Drawing from James 2:14-17, the pastor argues that genuine faith is proven by its actions, contrasting it with an empty profession, illustrated by a story of a high school coach.
- Point 2: Saving Faith Involves Synergy [00:46:35 ▶️ 📄] : Using James 2:18-25, the pastor explains that faith and works are inseparable partners. He contrasts the 'dead faith' of demons with the 'living faith' of Abraham and Rahab.
- Point 3: Saving Faith is Indwelled by the Spirit [00:52:50 ▶️ 📄] : Based on James 2:26, the pastor concludes that just as a body without a spirit is a corpse, faith without the life-giving work of the Holy Spirit is dead and cannot produce true works.
- Conclusion & Invitation [00:54:27 ▶️ 📄] : The pastor applies the message, calling listeners to self-examination and offering an invitation to surrender to Christ, before transitioning to communion.
💧 Sacraments & Ordinances
Fencing the Table (Communion):
- Believers Only Stated: ❌ No (Open Table Risk)
- Warning Against Unworthy Manner: ⚠️ None Detected
Baptism Observed: ✅ Yes
🗝️ Key Topics & Themes
- Faith and Works [00:38:05 ▶️ 📄] : The pastor discusses the relationship between faith and works, emphasizing that faith must produce visible actions to be considered genuine.
- Saving faith [00:40:21 ▶️ 📄] : The pastor discusses the nature of saving faith, emphasizing that it must demonstrate life, involve synergy, and be indwelled by the Spirit.
- Faith and Works [00:54:19 ▶️ 📄] : The pastor discusses the relationship between faith and works, emphasizing that works are the visible expression of faith.
- Conviction and Renewal [00:54:36 ▶️ 📄] : The pastor addresses individuals who may feel convicted and suggests they seek renewal or confession.
✅ Commendations
Hermeneutics | Excellent Harmonization of James and Paul
The pastor did an outstanding job preemptively addressing the common confusion between James 2 and Paul's teaching on justification. His statement at [00:39:20 ▶️ 📄] that 'Those two statements don't contradict one another. They actually complement' provides a solid, orthodox framework for the entire sermon.
Homiletics | Effective Central Illustration
The opening story about the dead trees [00:33:33 ▶️ 📄] was a powerful and memorable analogy for the core truth that life must be present for fruit to appear. It perfectly framed the sermon's proposition that 'a dead tree can't be coached into life.'
Pastoral Tone | Warm and Accessible Application
The sermon's tone was pastoral and encouraging, not legalistic. The application at [00:54:36 ▶️ 📄] rightly distinguished between conviction for believers needing renewal and the need for initial conversion, offering grace-filled paths for both.
Exegesis | Insightful Contrast of Abraham and Rahab
The contrast drawn between Abraham ('the patriarch') and Rahab ('the prostitute') at [00:49:52 ▶️ 📄] was an excellent way to illustrate the universal nature of saving faith, powerfully reinforcing the truth that 'the ground is level at the foot of the cross.'
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🟠 Imprecise Soteriological Language ('Synergy')
Root Cause: Semi-Pelagianism / Synergism. (Reason: This historical error teaches that man has the inherent spiritual ability to cooperate with God's grace in the act of regeneration. Using 'synergy' risks aligning with this view, which diminishes the biblical doctrine of Total Depravity and God's sovereign initiative in salvation.)
"Saving faith is a faith that involves synergy." [00:46:35 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: A more precise biblical framing is found in Ephesians 2:8-10. We are saved by grace through faith, a gift of God (monergism). THEN, as a result, 'we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.' The works are the certain *evidence* and *purpose* of a salvation already accomplished by God, not a cooperative partner *with* faith in accomplishing it.
🧠 Questions for Reflection
Use these questions for personal study or small group discussion:
- The pastor said there's a difference between 'professing' Christ and 'possessing' Christ. What do you think is the difference, and how does this passage from James help clarify it?
- According to the sermon, good works don't save us, but they show that our faith is real. What are some practical ways a person's life might change if their faith is genuinely alive?
- The pastor used the examples of a respected patriarch (Abraham) and a marginalized prostitute (Rahab). What does this tell us about the kind of people God saves and uses?
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:06:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:06:16] Good morning, church. Let's stand to our feet this morning. Let's declare these words together. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who never fails. Let's stand to our feet, and let's declare these words together this morning.
[00:06:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:28] Blessed assurance, Jesus is my fourth man in the five times of his spirit.
[00:07:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:07:10] Washed in his own calvary and in the trust in God, my Savior will never be submission.
[00:07:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:07:43] So this is my story, this is my song And saved, my Savior, my Savior will never And he heard, and he heard, and he heard, and he answered And he heard, and he answered, and God my Savior, my Savior
[00:09:43] Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Mooresville.
[00:10:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:10:21] Our mission is loving God, loving people, making disciples.
[00:10:25] You hear the music really setting the tone for today's theme with the trust and obedience.
[00:10:31] It's by grace that we've been saved, and we'll get a good word from James this morning.
[00:10:35] If you're new, this is your first time here.
[00:10:37] We hope you feel the warmth of Christ, and let's join our hearts together as we come before the Lord in prayer.
[00:10:45] Heavenly Father, it's a privilege to be here this morning, to lift up your name, to sing songs of praise.
[00:10:53] We are so grateful for who you are.
[00:10:55] we are grateful for what you've done on our behalf words cannot express our gratitude and this morning lord we we celebrate your son jesus christ as we come to the table we remember what you have done on our behalf through him the sacrifices that
[00:11:11] have been made and lord this morning we dedicate this service to you give us sensitivity to your holy spirit and may you be glorified we pray these things in jesus name amen let's worship
[00:11:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:11:23] our lord together i love you lord because all my life he's been faithful and sing this all my
[00:12:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:12:15] sing these words together all my life church i just i love and i'm so ministered to uh when when
[00:15:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:15:51] the body of christ sings you know sometimes people will say gosh i don't want to worship because i'm not a singer and i just want to remind you that worship isn't just about singing worship is about
[00:16:02] putting words on our lips that are weapons against the enemy just this past week the enemy came along and said, you know, God's provision is not going to be enough. And you want to know what came to my
[00:16:12] mind? I trust in God, my savior, literally y'all. I didn't even think about it. It just came straight to my brain. So when we're worshiping, we're putting those words on melodies, on rhythms, on in poetry, and our brain remembers that. And you know, I think it's amazing that, you know,
[00:16:31] research tells us now, oh, you want to know what, what we sing over and over actually sticks in our brain. But the scripture said that from the beginning of time, am I right about that? God's
[00:16:39] been telling us from the beginning that we need to worship and there's a reason for that and somebody standing beside you today needs to hear faith somebody wants some of our neighbors need to hear our faith this morning some of our the people in our world need to hear amazing grace
[00:16:54] how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me and we're going to put those words on our lips words that the the saints have been singing for generations and generations we're going to put
[00:17:03] those words on our lips this morning and we're going to sing them together let's sing amazing
[00:17:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:17:24] grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me once was lost but now was blind but now I see was grace that taught my heart. My fears relieved. I've learned my chains are amazing. My hope and hope as my chains are shall soon dissolve. The sun will bear to shine.
[00:20:48] be seated we're going to take a moment there's some new members joining our church eco calls
[00:21:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:21:36] that covenant partners and i've met with them individually some in this service some in another service um at the 11 15 and uh so uh i've met with them uh made a recommendation to our elders
[00:21:50] our elders have received them and now we bring them before the congregation so i'm going to invite forward at this time uh jeffrey and anya mac anya mac and sophia is with them their daughter
[00:22:01] and then also saul and lucia corrales and with uh melania and camilla to come join them and if you all can just stand right here all of them have been worshiping here at least a couple
[00:22:16] years and uh so i don't twist arms but they've been part of the church family for a while we're just now making it official and so for most of you who attend regularly these are familiar faces
[00:22:27] And so I'm going to ask you these questions before God and our covenant partners.
[00:22:32] And if you would respond with the affirmative, as you did earlier.
[00:22:36] They've all testified to their faith in Jesus Christ, but they're doing that publicly here.
[00:22:40] Do you confess Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord?
[00:22:44] If so, I do.
[00:22:47] And do you trust in Christ alone for your salvation?
[00:22:50] If so, I do.
[00:22:53] And do you intend to be his Christ disciple, to obey Christ's word, and to show his love?
[00:22:58] If so, I do.
[00:23:01] And then, will you be a faithful member of this congregation, giving of yourself in every way, and will you seek the fellowship of the church wherever you may be?
[00:23:10] If so, I will.
[00:23:13] Wonderful.
[00:23:14] And they've been received by our elders, but I also now want to, in front of you as a congregation, ask you this question.
[00:23:24] Do you, as members, covenant partners of this congregation, FPC Mooresville, receive these individuals into our church family with your love, support, encouragement, and prayer for their continued spiritual maturity?
[00:23:40] If so, respond by saying, we do.
[00:23:44] Wonderful.
[00:23:45] It's official.
[00:23:47] And I'm going to say a prayer over all of you.
[00:23:49] And for us, by them joining us, we become a stronger church family.
[00:23:54] We are grateful that the Lord has brought you here.
[00:23:58] And let's spend a moment in prayer.
[00:24:01] And before you leave, my daughter's going to take a picture for the newsletter because those not in this service are going to want to see a picture of that.
[00:24:06] So hold tight up here.
[00:24:08] Lord, we thank you for this moment.
[00:24:11] Lord, we thank you for your church, the body of Christ, and for your son, Jesus, who holds us together.
[00:24:19] And, Lord, we deeply affirm the individual faith, which is so important, the heart change but lord we also see the value of being part of community so lord we celebrate these new people into our church family making it official and we know that they've been attending
[00:24:35] for a while and ask your blessing upon them ask your blessing upon the wider body and we pray all these things with with hearts of gratitude in jesus name amen yes wonderful thank you
[00:25:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:25:08] it's always kind of weird because this is the part where i ask you to sit down since you're already sitting down you know it's like how we just transition into announcements but hey oh there we go announcements there um so just a couple for us before we move on with our worship
[00:25:29] today um if you are familiar with graham sledge he's a friend and member of our church he has organized a softball team and has been going for a couple seasons now but just with life and present
[00:25:41] company included we had had a baby so we can't participate but if you don't have any kids or you do, but you have free time. Great for you. And if you're interested in softball, I highly encourage
[00:25:54] you to reach out to me or Pastor Dave. We would love to connect you with Graham, who has a running team. There's some slots available to just play here, and it's in here in Mooresville. If you're
[00:26:03] up for some fellowship and competitiveness, it's a group of people here of our church members. Just a great time to get together and have fun and play. So if you're interested in softball, just let me or Dave know, and we'll get you connected with Graham. Or if you know Graham, please reach
[00:26:17] out to him directly. This upcoming Saturday, February 28th, is the Men's Fellowship Breakfast.
[00:26:23] So if you are a man and you like breakfast, then this is for you. Plain and simple, it'll be at 9 a.m. over in the Fellowship Hall. We have some guys that just, they've done this way in the past
[00:26:34] and we all just have a heart to bring it back. And not only is it just a time for us to get together, to meet one another, spend some wonderful time together, but it's also an opportunity for us
[00:26:44] to envision what more can we do for the sake of ministry towards men here at our church, for one another, and for the sake of our future. And men's ministry has taken place here in the
[00:26:55] past, but how can we just continually be more intentional in that area of ministry? So I highly encourage you, come on out, 9 a.m. this upcoming Saturday. On Sunday, March 1st, we'll have a, we
[00:27:07] as a church, for those who don't know, are very missions-oriented. Ten percent of our budget goes towards mission. So you could say we're passionate about that area, especially as the Lord calls us to. So one of our partners is Pastor Actiona Florisma. He is a pastor that serves in Bioness,
[00:27:23] Haiti, and him and his wife Yolanda will be visiting us on March 1st, this service and in the next service to share some of us, some of their work over in Haiti. Some of that work
[00:27:34] includes transforming their community through education, medical care, agriculture, economic development. Back in 93, he established that organization in a small school that began under a mango tree. And ever since then, the ministry has grown to 2,300 students across four campuses,
[00:27:54] along with a medical clinic, a church, agronomy program for microfinance initiatives, and so much more. And the Lord is doing wonderful things in Haiti, so it'll be a great time to meet them.
[00:28:04] And part of that is to also get to meet them and support them through the chili cook-off.
[00:28:07] transitioning now to the chili cook-off we are looking for more participants i think the last number last as of last service we have six and so we would love to have more people come and share
[00:28:18] their chili and just have fun and and uh you know whose chili is better and get to win some prizes so highly encourage you if you don't uh if you can reach out to um well mark yeah so sorry or
[00:28:30] trent i'm like looking at you and like come on tell me your name man um reach out to them get get plugged in and then they'll set you up with a station on the evening of March 1st at five
[00:28:42] o'clock or you can reach out to me or Pastor Dave and we'll get you connected there. With that being said, please join me now for a word of prayer. Hear these words now from Psalm 27. The Lord is
[00:29:05] my light and my salvation. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid. Though a war
[00:29:20] breaks out against me, I will still be confident, for he, God, will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity. He will hide me under the cover of his tent. He will set me high on a rock.
[00:29:35] So, Lord, hear my voice when I call, and be gracious to me and answer me. Even if my father and mother abandoned me. The Lord cares for me and never will. I am certain that I will see the
[00:29:48] Lord's goodness in the land of the living. Therefore, wait on the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be courageous and wait on the Lord. Father, today we receive that word that you will be our shelter
[00:30:07] and our shield in the day of adversity. And adversity looks so different to all of us.
[00:30:13] and whatever it is that we are suffering and no matter whether we consider it great or small you are the God who will never abandon us who will never forsake us and will suffer with us
[00:30:29] every single day of our lives you are the God who has suffered for us and we get to receive that amazing grace every single day of our lives in Jesus Christ our Lord so this day my friends
[00:30:44] let us now take this moment to silently confess our sins before our amazing God.
[00:31:08] Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
[00:31:15] Hear our prayer, Lord, as we cry out to you in our hearts and spirits for you to save us, to wash us, and redeem us.
[00:31:24] Have mercy on us, Lord, when we have dropped the ball, when we should have been obeying you, trusting you, loving you, and loving our neighbor.
[00:31:34] forgive us, redeem us and as we place our faith in you we would get to enjoy that grace that mercy and redemption that can only be found in Jesus and thank you Lord for that wonderful forgiveness
[00:31:52] Heavenly Father I pray over every heart and soul here today within the hearing of my voice that you would minister to us and watch over us and protect us whatever has led us here and wherever you lead us after this time together,
[00:32:12] I pray, God, that we would continually witness the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
[00:32:19] And as we go and do so, amidst our family and friends, our children, our neighbor, help us, Jesus, to wait for the Lord.
[00:32:30] Give us strength and courage to wait on you, to be expectant for you to move and to get to see how you will provide, how you will protect, and get to feel and experience the love of God
[00:32:47] every day of our lives.
[00:32:49] We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus.
[00:32:52] And together, let us pray that prayer he taught us to pray.
[00:32:55] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:33:00] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:33:05] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
[00:33:12] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[00:33:16] For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
[00:33:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:33:23] Amen.
[00:33:24] So we're going to continue our sermon series from the book of James.
[00:33:29] It's entitled, Everyday Faith.
[00:33:32] I want to share a story.
[00:33:33] My wife, Jodi, has a gift for gardening.
[00:33:37] she would probably call it a passion. And when we first moved here 12 years ago, there's a bit of a challenge because of the limited yard space at the Mance over this way, how she could celebrate that gift, how she could use that gift. So she got together actually with
[00:33:54] Linda Robinson and they got creative. When I say creative, real creative. And if I could ask Mike, if you could put a slide up, I took pictures this week. You see that strip right there?
[00:34:07] That's between our driveway and the side yard.
[00:34:10] I asked my wife what gets planted in there, and she listed at least 20 roses, daisies, sunflowers that get six, eight feet high.
[00:34:21] Things that we put on our meals, you know, stuff that your herbs and all that.
[00:34:25] And do another picture here, the next one.
[00:34:28] From the other angle, I know it doesn't look impressive, but do you think we could use that as a Christmas tree, you know, next Christmas?
[00:34:34] in front of it, that might be Christmas tree 2027. Now, Jodi was not happy with my picture, so she added her own, added the third one. It all kind of pops, right, in the spring.
[00:34:46] So, with that in mind, our first summer here, we were leaving for vacation, driving to Florida.
[00:34:57] And you know how a dad is, we're trying to get everything together. Well, in the midst of getting ready to leave, maybe like two in the afternoon, my wife spots a neighbor down the street uprooting
[00:35:06] trees, and she immediately has a vision in her head on how those trees could be reused in our side yard. So she's over there. Before I know it, there's a pickup truck over there. I don't know
[00:35:18] how she got it, and then she's back in the side yard, and she has fertilizer, mulch. She's digging.
[00:35:25] She's planting. You know, we're trying to get off at two. It's now six in the evening. We've still got to drive to Florida. And so, and then finally it's all done and we're going to go to Florida
[00:35:36] for two weeks. So as we get in the car, she's calling people, hey, we need you to, you know, she has it all coordinated to, to nurture these trees over the next two weeks. We return from
[00:35:44] Florida and I think there's a half dozen trees. They're all brown. And I'm the type, I'm just like, hey, Jodi, we just need to dig them up and throw them out. And she's like, no, no, no, no,
[00:35:55] No, like, you know, they just haven't taken root.
[00:35:58] And I'm like, they're brown.
[00:35:59] Yeah, so we have this little, you know, friendly debate.
[00:36:02] And I realize, okay, just time will tell.
[00:36:05] So over the next month, I'm watching my wife daily.
[00:36:09] Blood, sweat, tears.
[00:36:11] She's nurturing.
[00:36:12] She's, you know, whatever life might be in there, she's working hard.
[00:36:15] And folks are quietly coming to me saying, you know, does Jody know those trees are dead?
[00:36:23] You remember Billy Black?
[00:36:24] He was our custodian.
[00:36:25] And he was like, you may want to tell Miss Jodi that those trees are dead.
[00:36:29] I'm like, Billy, you're welcome to tell her.
[00:36:31] He's like, no, I'm good.
[00:36:32] I'm good.
[00:36:34] And so finally, Alan Sledge was our music director at the time.
[00:36:40] He decided to play a prank on Jodi.
[00:36:42] I don't know how he did this, but he got the city council minutes and he superimposed a picture of those trees, those brown trees.
[00:36:51] and then underneath he highlighted, he coordinated with myself and my daughters how to get this into our mailbox and he highlighted that there was a date because this was historic property. There's a date where those dead trees needed to be removed and if they weren't removed by that date, we would
[00:37:08] get a $50 fine per day. So we're waiting out forever with this letter that's sitting on our kitchen counter and finally the girls are like opening the letter and they're laughing and Jodi's like, let me see that. And she's reading it. And as I watch her read it, she breaks into tears.
[00:37:25] Now they're part of me. I'd like to say it was my compassionate pastor side, but it was the fear of God. I went, it was Alan. I didn't take it. It was Alan. He put us up to it. And fortunately, Jodi
[00:37:40] loves Alan. And she quickly, and you can ask afterwards, she had her way of getting back at Alan. But it was like, for Jodi, it was actually the moment of truth. You know, she was determined,
[00:37:52] but she finally waved the white flag. And I want to share this because there's a danger. I don't want the story to overshadow the point. James, this morning, as we look at this passage, follow
[00:38:05] me closely, this concept that he's getting across is this. A dead tree can't be coached into life.
[00:38:14] You following me here?
[00:38:17] It can't be fertilized into life.
[00:38:20] It can't be loved into life.
[00:38:22] It can't be brought into life by deep determination.
[00:38:25] A tree either has life or it doesn't.
[00:38:30] And what James is getting across to us this morning, he's saying the same thing about faith.
[00:38:36] Faith is a heart thing.
[00:38:38] We can do a lot of external things, but it's a heart thing.
[00:38:41] And if there's deadness, if there's no life, you'll see no fruit.
[00:38:45] Now, I want to give a little more context.
[00:38:48] You know that famous passage in Scripture, the Apostle Paul, Ephesians 2, said, it's by faith that you're saved, yes?
[00:38:55] Or by grace that you're saved by faith.
[00:38:57] It's by grace that you're saved by faith.
[00:39:00] He's saying you can't walk like the Apostle Paul.
[00:39:06] This morning, James is saying faith by itself, faith without works, is dead.
[00:39:14] He's saying a tree that never produces fruit is dead.
[00:39:20] Those two statements don't contradict one another.
[00:39:23] They actually complement.
[00:39:24] They're addressing different errors, different falsehoods.
[00:39:33] And what's true of those trees that I just described with Jody is exactly what James wants us to see about faith.
[00:39:39] If there's no life in your faith, something deeper is missing.
[00:39:44] So with James this morning, remember the illustration, when we look at God's word, we look into a mirror, the person to your left or your right, you need to look deeply into the mirror and allow God, you know, to reveal to you this morning. You know, the question isn't,
[00:40:00] do I have enough faith? That's not what James is saying. He's saying, do I have the right type of faith? As you look in that mirror, ask that question. Authentic Christians are saved by faith alone. This is the big idea. But faith that saves is never alone. It's married to the
[00:40:21] works. We'll get into that. Let's read the passage. James chapter 2, beginning with verse 14.
[00:40:29] So let's hear what God has to say about faith. My brothers and sisters, if you say that you have faith, but you do not have works, can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks
[00:40:43] daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace, keep warm, and eat your fill, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works,
[00:40:58] is dead. But someone will say, you have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without works, and I, by my works, will show you my faith. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons
[00:41:14] believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works and faith was brought to its
[00:41:34] completion by works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise was not Rahab the prostitute also
[00:41:54] justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road?
[00:42:00] For just as the body without spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. This is the word of the Lord. Again, authentic Christians are saved by faith alone. That's clear in scripture, but faith that saves is never alone. Here's the first point I want to make. If you look at those
[00:42:26] first three verses, saving faith is a faith that demonstrates life. James is clear. Saving faith is a faith that demonstrates life. Words alone do not convey spiritual life. My freshman year in high school, first day, football practice, our coach called us together at the end of practice
[00:42:50] and the parents that were there to pick us up and he wanted to have just a brief meeting and kind of lay out the season. And I remember the first thing he told us players and the parents,
[00:42:59] he said, you know, I want to let you all know I'm a Christian. I want to let you know my faith is very important to me. He said, I may not be a perfect Christian, but, and then he got that out
[00:43:10] and then he went on to outline what the season was going to look like, passed out schedules, things like that. And I was thinking, you know, as a young freshman, I'm like, oh, cool. You know,
[00:43:20] coach is a Christian. Day two, out in the practice field, he was cursing the storm like a sailor.
[00:43:28] He was taking the Lord's name in vain consistently. He was questioning our manhood, telling us to take off our skirts you know he was like he was like over the top and then within a
[00:43:41] few weeks I remember him it was near report card time and coach was saying guys if you're not smart enough to keep a 2.0 please be smart enough to cheat you know that's the type of you know and
[00:43:57] and I remember you know back then being just a little disillusioned just a little bit and only God can judge the heart, but by the standard that James puts before us, he was demonstrating an empty faith. I love what John Stott says. He says, people who profess, he would maybe describe
[00:44:18] this coach as a person who professes Christ, but may not necessarily possess Christ. That's two different things, to say you're a Christian, to actually be a Christian. Again, I can't judge, Maybe he was, but we certainly, as players, weren't seeing the fruit.
[00:44:38] James gives a hypothetical example, verses 15 and 16.
[00:44:41] He says, if a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace.
[00:44:48] In other words, wish you well.
[00:44:51] You know, depart.
[00:44:53] If they're naked and hungry and you tell them to depart and keep warm, eat your fill, good luck, you're on your own, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what's the good of that? Again, this is James,
[00:45:09] brother of Jesus, pillar of the church. He's illustrating the point made in verse 14.
[00:45:15] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?
[00:45:22] Can faith, and he's saying, can that kind of faith save you? Works demonstrate a faith that's alive.
[00:45:33] You're not saved by the works, but they demonstrate a faith that is alive.
[00:45:38] Works are the, I've heard it described, works are the visible shape of faith.
[00:45:45] They're the evidence of real faith.
[00:45:49] Works emerging from faith is like heat from a fire.
[00:45:51] It's like fruit from a tree.
[00:45:52] It's like breath from a living body.
[00:45:55] These things don't cause life, right?
[00:45:59] They prove life.
[00:46:01] They demonstrate.
[00:46:03] You don't have to do CPR on someone who's on their back if they fainted in their breathing.
[00:46:07] They're alive.
[00:46:08] No, don't try to revive them.
[00:46:09] They're alive.
[00:46:13] Works demonstrate a faith that is alive.
[00:46:15] In verse 17 here, it's clear faith without works is dead.
[00:46:20] James says that.
[00:46:22] Notice he doesn't say faith without works is weak.
[00:46:25] He says it's dead, empty, meaningless.
[00:46:30] There's no impact, which leads to a second point I want to draw from the passage.
[00:46:35] The second point is this. Saving faith is a faith that involves synergy. You might think, Dave, that's an interesting choice of words. Follow me here. Saving faith is a faith that involves synergy. Faith and work are partners. They work together, not rivals. They're partners,
[00:46:56] not rivals. I took this term from verse 22. The Greek term was used synerge. And it's a term used to connect faith with works, right? It describes faith working together, active along with, in synergy, faith and works. They're linked. They go together. They provide an energy that's
[00:47:18] effective. They provide spiritual energy that gives impact. Your life has been changed and when the fruit begins to show, you make an impact on other lives. If there's no fruit, you lose impact.
[00:47:34] You might have to look in the mirror and say, is my faith actually that type of faith?
[00:47:38] Is it genuine?
[00:47:42] Saving faith is a faith that involves synergy.
[00:47:45] James gives us here two kinds of faith.
[00:47:48] He illustrates this.
[00:47:49] He gives us examples.
[00:47:50] So he describes to us, first, dead faith.
[00:47:55] This is what dead faith looks like.
[00:47:58] Dead faith believes the right things, but it doesn't obey.
[00:48:03] All right?
[00:48:03] So verse 18.
[00:48:04] but someone will say you have faith I have works see the separation no synergy here you have faith I have works then look at verse 19 even the demons believe and shudder do you catch that
[00:48:23] Satan has good theology Satan believes that Jesus is the son of God he believes God is one the demons believe that and with that belief what how do they respond emotionally when that hits their heart. They shudder. They're afraid even when you call out the name of Jesus Christ.
[00:48:42] They shudder. But do they respond with living faith? No, they don't. They're disobedient. They don't trust. They're rebellious. They don't follow the will of God. So dead faith is described.
[00:49:02] Motier, he wrote a commentary on James. He says, right doctrine without obedience, You know, faith without deeds, faith without fruit, right doctrine without obedience is not saving faith. Now, James also gives us a picture of living faith. An example, faith that trusts God,
[00:49:23] faith that acts on that trust. And I love there's a striking contrast here. Do you notice the two biblical characters he uses? He uses Abraham. You know that name, yes? We're told that Abraham is
[00:49:36] the father of our Christian faith, Judeo-Christians. He's the father of our faith. And he's a patriarch, right? He's an insider. He has influence. And who is the other person of faith mentioned here?
[00:49:52] You have Abraham. We think of Abraham up here. Who's the other person? Rahab. Is she an insider?
[00:50:01] She's an outsider.
[00:50:02] What's her profession?
[00:50:05] She's a prostitute, right?
[00:50:09] She's excluded or marginalized from culture.
[00:50:13] So in describing Abraham, James says, Abraham believed God long before he offered Isaac at the altar.
[00:50:22] Isn't that interesting?
[00:50:23] I was looking a little deeper this week.
[00:50:25] Genesis 15 is where God credited.
[00:50:27] credited. It says Abraham believed and God credited that belief as righteousness. It's by grace. Even those Old Testament times, God credited. And some commentators actually say, because the next time you see, that's chapter 15. Talks about his faith, his belief. It's not
[00:50:46] till chapter 22 where he obediently offers Isaac at the altar. Some commentator says that's maybe a couple decades later. But when he did that in obedience, that saving faith, that trusting faith, that obedient faith, it demonstrated the realness, the genuineness, the heart of Abraham committed
[00:51:09] to God. He wasn't saved by his works, by offering Isaac at the table. He was declared righteous years before that through a faith that came from within. Rahab trusted God long before she hid the
[00:51:24] spies. So she had a little less time in between the instructions and then actually risking her life. Remember Jericho, the spies, and she's hiding them. She would have been immediately put to death if they caught her. Notice one's a patriarch, one's a prostitute. They both demonstrate
[00:51:45] saving faith. Does that encourage you? I mean, some of you may resonate more with Abraham. Some of you may, a little bit more with Rahab. It's the same faith. You'll often hear when we approach
[00:52:03] the communion table, I would share my grandfather would always say that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, bringing down Abraham, lifting up Rahab. It's by grace that we're saved through faith. Faith without obedience or trust, James is saying, is not Christian. I love Tim Keller.
[00:52:21] He describes how synergy works, those two things working together. Keller says this, quote, You don't obey to become God's child.
[00:52:31] You obey because you are God's child.
[00:52:35] See the distinction?
[00:52:38] That's huge.
[00:52:41] Authentic Christians are saved by faith alone, but faith that saves is never alone, which leads to another point, third point I want to emphasize.
[00:52:50] It comes from verse 26.
[00:52:52] Saving faith is a faith indwelled by the Spirit.
[00:52:56] James says a body without spirit is nothing but a corpse.
[00:53:01] It's dead. It's empty. James is saying, don't be fooled by appearances. Don't confuse the shape of faith with the life of faith. Think of the trees my wife planted. Sorry, Jug. She gave me full permission to share that illustration. Think of the trees. They may have looked real. They may
[00:53:22] have looked alive, or there was a little bit of hope when they were first planted, but they weren't.
[00:53:27] The question, again, James is asking, it's not, are you doing enough?
[00:53:34] But he's asking, as you look in the mirror, he's asking, is there life in you?
[00:53:42] A body receives spiritual life through spirit, not by works.
[00:53:46] Same way my wife couldn't bring the life to the trees through giftedness, through heart, through nurture, through determination.
[00:53:53] You and I cannot bring spiritual life to a soul through human effort and good works.
[00:53:59] Obedience and boldness were an expression of faith of both Abraham and Rahab.
[00:54:06] In the same way, your good works are a visible expression of the heart.
[00:54:10] That's the same for you as Rahab and Abraham.
[00:54:12] It's a visible expression of the heart that's been changed, that's been touched by the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.
[00:54:19] Again, it's by grace that you're saved through faith in him.
[00:54:22] Works are the visible shape of faith.
[00:54:27] So here's the take home.
[00:54:31] If you've been convicted, sometimes we look in the mirror, we look into God's word, and it can strike you in a certain way.
[00:54:36] If you feel convicted, don't, I want to be careful how I put this.
[00:54:43] There are times you may not feel like you're a Christian.
[00:54:47] And Satan will even get into your ear.
[00:54:49] And he'll accuse you of things, and he'll twist things.
[00:54:52] So if you've been convicted, but you've already put your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, this might just be a moment this morning before you approach the table where you just need renewal
[00:55:02] an adjustment you need to be refreshed but there may be a few in this room that if you're really honest we had that sermon a few weeks ago when you look in the mirror it's all about spiritual
[00:55:14] integrity when you look in the mirror forget what you look like when you walk away if you have spiritual integrity and in your heart of hearts you realize i've never truly surrendered my heart to Jesus. You know, get that picture of scripture. You know, we get in Revelation, behold, I stand at
[00:55:31] the door and knock. What does he say? Anyone who opens that door, what will he do? He'll come in, he'll reside, he'll make a home. The moment you come to faith in Jesus, you confess your sins and
[00:55:45] you place your faith and trust, he becomes number one. I don't know what you're hanging on to right now. You know, what's number one? But when you repent of that and turn to Jesus as both Lord,
[00:55:56] one in your life and Savior saving you from sin and death, then the heart's transformed. You're a new person. You're a new creation. You're a child of God. And notice Ephesians 2 and 2, 8, 9, it says
[00:56:08] by, you know, Paul says it's by grace that you're saved through faith, right? So no one may boast.
[00:56:13] So it's by faith you're saved. But do you notice if you go to Ephesians 2 verse 10, it says you are God's workmanship, created to do what? Good things, good works. It's married. It's together.
[00:56:31] Faith that's alive comes from the heart, and it's driven by love, not by fear. As you approach the table this morning, again, James isn't asking, are you doing enough? He's asking, is there life in you?
[00:56:44] This is your invitation. If you need to confess, confess. If you need to return, return. If you need to be renewed, open your heart to him right in this moment. If you need new life altogether,
[00:56:58] you can surrender your life to him now. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.
[00:57:06] For the one who delights to give life and who never, he promises never to leave or forsake us, is the one who meets us right here at the table. Let's join our hearts, prepare our hearts,
[00:57:17] as we come before our Lord in Holy Communion.
[00:57:24] Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of your word.
[00:57:28] I thank you for the integrity of James who proclaimed this under the guidance of your Holy Spirit.
[00:57:34] Doesn't mince words.
[00:57:35] I pray if anyone this morning is convicted by your word that they do not beat themselves up, that they view you not as a God who's lording over us and striking fear, but you're a God who loves us.
[00:57:47] You've made a path possible through your son, Jesus Christ.
[00:57:51] what you've done on behalf, what we couldn't do on our own, was driven by love, perfect love.
[00:57:57] And Jesus made the perfect sacrifice. We, Lord, celebrate him at the table here this morning.
[00:58:04] Whatever any individual needs to do, Lord, please receive, whether it's a confession or words of gratitude. Lord, as we come to the table, we're reminded of what you have done on our behalf.
[00:58:19] we celebrate your son who made the ultimate sacrifice and lord words can't convey our gratitude lord bless the bread representing your son's body broken for us bless the cup representing his blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins we dedicate this time to you now
[00:58:41] we pray these things in jesus name amen just brief instructions there may be a few that have never taken communion in this setting so i just want to let you know what to expect up here we'll have three stations the center station will actually have gluten-free bread
[00:59:02] we realize that some people may need that so gluten-free in the middle section and there'll be a plate with bread and a cup and you can take the bread and you can dip the bread into the cup
[00:59:11] you can either partake right up front just when you take after you dip or you can go back to your seat and partake the two outside stations will just have normal bread with grape juice and there
[00:59:24] is, if you come to the center, a cup with some packets that have grape juice and that has the wafer in there. And I would like to extend an invitation. You don't have to be
[00:59:37] a member of this church. The invitation is based on faith in Jesus Christ. That's what qualifies you for the table. And so it doesn't matter if you're Baptist or non-denominational or method, whatever your background may be, if you have faith in Jesus Christ, that's
[00:59:54] what qualifies you and we give the invitation saying not because you must but because you may this isn't a obligation a duty a ritual but it's an act of worship and if your heart's just not in
[01:00:09] that place we respect it no one's going to ask any questions if you stay in your seat but i do want to encourage you i want to nudge you a bit if you're feeling unworthy not a bad place to be
[01:00:20] bible god promises those who are humble he he lifts them up sometimes it's our pride that gets in the way of these moments of worship again he brings down abraham to our level of the father
[01:00:34] of all nations and he brings up rahab the ground is level at the foot of the cross this moment i would like to ask the elders assisting reminder christ said this is my body which shall be broken
[01:01:12] for you the same way he took the cup we call it the cup of the new covenant he said this is my blood represents my blood that will be shed for forgiveness of your sins when you eat from the
[01:01:23] bread and drink from the cup be reminded of my death until i return we live expectantly knowing he's promised he will return as we celebrate him come eat and drink in remembrance of him
[01:01:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:01:37] come as you feel led church let's stand to our feet this morning and respond in worship
[01:04:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:04:56] as we leave the question isn't what more can I do for our Lord and Savior but the
[01:09:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:09:44] question is where's your heart and if your heart's given to him he'll take care of the rest as we leave this place may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may the love of God our Father may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
[01:09:55] each and every one of you now and forever. Amen. Have a good week.
[00:06:16] Good morning, church. Let's stand to our feet this morning. Let's declare these words together. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who never fails. Let's stand to our feet, and let's declare these words together this morning.
[00:06:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:28] Blessed assurance, Jesus is my fourth man in the five times of his spirit.
[00:07:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:07:10] Washed in his own calvary and in the trust in God, my Savior will never be submission.
[00:07:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:07:43] So this is my story, this is my song And saved, my Savior, my Savior will never And he heard, and he heard, and he heard, and he answered And he heard, and he answered, and God my Savior, my Savior
[00:09:43] Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Mooresville.
[00:10:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:10:21] Our mission is loving God, loving people, making disciples.
[00:10:25] You hear the music really setting the tone for today's theme with the trust and obedience.
[00:10:31] It's by grace that we've been saved, and we'll get a good word from James this morning.
[00:10:35] If you're new, this is your first time here.
[00:10:37] We hope you feel the warmth of Christ, and let's join our hearts together as we come before the Lord in prayer.
[00:10:45] Heavenly Father, it's a privilege to be here this morning, to lift up your name, to sing songs of praise.
[00:10:53] We are so grateful for who you are.
[00:10:55] we are grateful for what you've done on our behalf words cannot express our gratitude and this morning lord we we celebrate your son jesus christ as we come to the table we remember what you have done on our behalf through him the sacrifices that
[00:11:11] have been made and lord this morning we dedicate this service to you give us sensitivity to your holy spirit and may you be glorified we pray these things in jesus name amen let's worship
[00:11:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:11:23] our lord together i love you lord because all my life he's been faithful and sing this all my
[00:12:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:12:15] sing these words together all my life church i just i love and i'm so ministered to uh when when
[00:15:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:15:51] the body of christ sings you know sometimes people will say gosh i don't want to worship because i'm not a singer and i just want to remind you that worship isn't just about singing worship is about
[00:16:02] putting words on our lips that are weapons against the enemy just this past week the enemy came along and said, you know, God's provision is not going to be enough. And you want to know what came to my
[00:16:12] mind? I trust in God, my savior, literally y'all. I didn't even think about it. It just came straight to my brain. So when we're worshiping, we're putting those words on melodies, on rhythms, on in poetry, and our brain remembers that. And you know, I think it's amazing that, you know,
[00:16:31] research tells us now, oh, you want to know what, what we sing over and over actually sticks in our brain. But the scripture said that from the beginning of time, am I right about that? God's
[00:16:39] been telling us from the beginning that we need to worship and there's a reason for that and somebody standing beside you today needs to hear faith somebody wants some of our neighbors need to hear our faith this morning some of our the people in our world need to hear amazing grace
[00:16:54] how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me and we're going to put those words on our lips words that the the saints have been singing for generations and generations we're going to put
[00:17:03] those words on our lips this morning and we're going to sing them together let's sing amazing
[00:17:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:17:24] grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me once was lost but now was blind but now I see was grace that taught my heart. My fears relieved. I've learned my chains are amazing. My hope and hope as my chains are shall soon dissolve. The sun will bear to shine.
[00:20:48] be seated we're going to take a moment there's some new members joining our church eco calls
[00:21:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:21:36] that covenant partners and i've met with them individually some in this service some in another service um at the 11 15 and uh so uh i've met with them uh made a recommendation to our elders
[00:21:50] our elders have received them and now we bring them before the congregation so i'm going to invite forward at this time uh jeffrey and anya mac anya mac and sophia is with them their daughter
[00:22:01] and then also saul and lucia corrales and with uh melania and camilla to come join them and if you all can just stand right here all of them have been worshiping here at least a couple
[00:22:16] years and uh so i don't twist arms but they've been part of the church family for a while we're just now making it official and so for most of you who attend regularly these are familiar faces
[00:22:27] And so I'm going to ask you these questions before God and our covenant partners.
[00:22:32] And if you would respond with the affirmative, as you did earlier.
[00:22:36] They've all testified to their faith in Jesus Christ, but they're doing that publicly here.
[00:22:40] Do you confess Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord?
[00:22:44] If so, I do.
[00:22:47] And do you trust in Christ alone for your salvation?
[00:22:50] If so, I do.
[00:22:53] And do you intend to be his Christ disciple, to obey Christ's word, and to show his love?
[00:22:58] If so, I do.
[00:23:01] And then, will you be a faithful member of this congregation, giving of yourself in every way, and will you seek the fellowship of the church wherever you may be?
[00:23:10] If so, I will.
[00:23:13] Wonderful.
[00:23:14] And they've been received by our elders, but I also now want to, in front of you as a congregation, ask you this question.
[00:23:24] Do you, as members, covenant partners of this congregation, FPC Mooresville, receive these individuals into our church family with your love, support, encouragement, and prayer for their continued spiritual maturity?
[00:23:40] If so, respond by saying, we do.
[00:23:44] Wonderful.
[00:23:45] It's official.
[00:23:47] And I'm going to say a prayer over all of you.
[00:23:49] And for us, by them joining us, we become a stronger church family.
[00:23:54] We are grateful that the Lord has brought you here.
[00:23:58] And let's spend a moment in prayer.
[00:24:01] And before you leave, my daughter's going to take a picture for the newsletter because those not in this service are going to want to see a picture of that.
[00:24:06] So hold tight up here.
[00:24:08] Lord, we thank you for this moment.
[00:24:11] Lord, we thank you for your church, the body of Christ, and for your son, Jesus, who holds us together.
[00:24:19] And, Lord, we deeply affirm the individual faith, which is so important, the heart change but lord we also see the value of being part of community so lord we celebrate these new people into our church family making it official and we know that they've been attending
[00:24:35] for a while and ask your blessing upon them ask your blessing upon the wider body and we pray all these things with with hearts of gratitude in jesus name amen yes wonderful thank you
[00:25:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:25:08] it's always kind of weird because this is the part where i ask you to sit down since you're already sitting down you know it's like how we just transition into announcements but hey oh there we go announcements there um so just a couple for us before we move on with our worship
[00:25:29] today um if you are familiar with graham sledge he's a friend and member of our church he has organized a softball team and has been going for a couple seasons now but just with life and present
[00:25:41] company included we had had a baby so we can't participate but if you don't have any kids or you do, but you have free time. Great for you. And if you're interested in softball, I highly encourage
[00:25:54] you to reach out to me or Pastor Dave. We would love to connect you with Graham, who has a running team. There's some slots available to just play here, and it's in here in Mooresville. If you're
[00:26:03] up for some fellowship and competitiveness, it's a group of people here of our church members. Just a great time to get together and have fun and play. So if you're interested in softball, just let me or Dave know, and we'll get you connected with Graham. Or if you know Graham, please reach
[00:26:17] out to him directly. This upcoming Saturday, February 28th, is the Men's Fellowship Breakfast.
[00:26:23] So if you are a man and you like breakfast, then this is for you. Plain and simple, it'll be at 9 a.m. over in the Fellowship Hall. We have some guys that just, they've done this way in the past
[00:26:34] and we all just have a heart to bring it back. And not only is it just a time for us to get together, to meet one another, spend some wonderful time together, but it's also an opportunity for us
[00:26:44] to envision what more can we do for the sake of ministry towards men here at our church, for one another, and for the sake of our future. And men's ministry has taken place here in the
[00:26:55] past, but how can we just continually be more intentional in that area of ministry? So I highly encourage you, come on out, 9 a.m. this upcoming Saturday. On Sunday, March 1st, we'll have a, we
[00:27:07] as a church, for those who don't know, are very missions-oriented. Ten percent of our budget goes towards mission. So you could say we're passionate about that area, especially as the Lord calls us to. So one of our partners is Pastor Actiona Florisma. He is a pastor that serves in Bioness,
[00:27:23] Haiti, and him and his wife Yolanda will be visiting us on March 1st, this service and in the next service to share some of us, some of their work over in Haiti. Some of that work
[00:27:34] includes transforming their community through education, medical care, agriculture, economic development. Back in 93, he established that organization in a small school that began under a mango tree. And ever since then, the ministry has grown to 2,300 students across four campuses,
[00:27:54] along with a medical clinic, a church, agronomy program for microfinance initiatives, and so much more. And the Lord is doing wonderful things in Haiti, so it'll be a great time to meet them.
[00:28:04] And part of that is to also get to meet them and support them through the chili cook-off.
[00:28:07] transitioning now to the chili cook-off we are looking for more participants i think the last number last as of last service we have six and so we would love to have more people come and share
[00:28:18] their chili and just have fun and and uh you know whose chili is better and get to win some prizes so highly encourage you if you don't uh if you can reach out to um well mark yeah so sorry or
[00:28:30] trent i'm like looking at you and like come on tell me your name man um reach out to them get get plugged in and then they'll set you up with a station on the evening of March 1st at five
[00:28:42] o'clock or you can reach out to me or Pastor Dave and we'll get you connected there. With that being said, please join me now for a word of prayer. Hear these words now from Psalm 27. The Lord is
[00:29:05] my light and my salvation. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid. Though a war
[00:29:20] breaks out against me, I will still be confident, for he, God, will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity. He will hide me under the cover of his tent. He will set me high on a rock.
[00:29:35] So, Lord, hear my voice when I call, and be gracious to me and answer me. Even if my father and mother abandoned me. The Lord cares for me and never will. I am certain that I will see the
[00:29:48] Lord's goodness in the land of the living. Therefore, wait on the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be courageous and wait on the Lord. Father, today we receive that word that you will be our shelter
[00:30:07] and our shield in the day of adversity. And adversity looks so different to all of us.
[00:30:13] and whatever it is that we are suffering and no matter whether we consider it great or small you are the God who will never abandon us who will never forsake us and will suffer with us
[00:30:29] every single day of our lives you are the God who has suffered for us and we get to receive that amazing grace every single day of our lives in Jesus Christ our Lord so this day my friends
[00:30:44] let us now take this moment to silently confess our sins before our amazing God.
[00:31:08] Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
[00:31:15] Hear our prayer, Lord, as we cry out to you in our hearts and spirits for you to save us, to wash us, and redeem us.
[00:31:24] Have mercy on us, Lord, when we have dropped the ball, when we should have been obeying you, trusting you, loving you, and loving our neighbor.
[00:31:34] forgive us, redeem us and as we place our faith in you we would get to enjoy that grace that mercy and redemption that can only be found in Jesus and thank you Lord for that wonderful forgiveness
[00:31:52] Heavenly Father I pray over every heart and soul here today within the hearing of my voice that you would minister to us and watch over us and protect us whatever has led us here and wherever you lead us after this time together,
[00:32:12] I pray, God, that we would continually witness the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
[00:32:19] And as we go and do so, amidst our family and friends, our children, our neighbor, help us, Jesus, to wait for the Lord.
[00:32:30] Give us strength and courage to wait on you, to be expectant for you to move and to get to see how you will provide, how you will protect, and get to feel and experience the love of God
[00:32:47] every day of our lives.
[00:32:49] We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus.
[00:32:52] And together, let us pray that prayer he taught us to pray.
[00:32:55] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:33:00] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:33:05] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
[00:33:12] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[00:33:16] For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
[00:33:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:33:23] Amen.
[00:33:24] So we're going to continue our sermon series from the book of James.
[00:33:29] It's entitled, Everyday Faith.
[00:33:32] I want to share a story.
[00:33:33] My wife, Jodi, has a gift for gardening.
[00:33:37] she would probably call it a passion. And when we first moved here 12 years ago, there's a bit of a challenge because of the limited yard space at the Mance over this way, how she could celebrate that gift, how she could use that gift. So she got together actually with
[00:33:54] Linda Robinson and they got creative. When I say creative, real creative. And if I could ask Mike, if you could put a slide up, I took pictures this week. You see that strip right there?
[00:34:07] That's between our driveway and the side yard.
[00:34:10] I asked my wife what gets planted in there, and she listed at least 20 roses, daisies, sunflowers that get six, eight feet high.
[00:34:21] Things that we put on our meals, you know, stuff that your herbs and all that.
[00:34:25] And do another picture here, the next one.
[00:34:28] From the other angle, I know it doesn't look impressive, but do you think we could use that as a Christmas tree, you know, next Christmas?
[00:34:34] in front of it, that might be Christmas tree 2027. Now, Jodi was not happy with my picture, so she added her own, added the third one. It all kind of pops, right, in the spring.
[00:34:46] So, with that in mind, our first summer here, we were leaving for vacation, driving to Florida.
[00:34:57] And you know how a dad is, we're trying to get everything together. Well, in the midst of getting ready to leave, maybe like two in the afternoon, my wife spots a neighbor down the street uprooting
[00:35:06] trees, and she immediately has a vision in her head on how those trees could be reused in our side yard. So she's over there. Before I know it, there's a pickup truck over there. I don't know
[00:35:18] how she got it, and then she's back in the side yard, and she has fertilizer, mulch. She's digging.
[00:35:25] She's planting. You know, we're trying to get off at two. It's now six in the evening. We've still got to drive to Florida. And so, and then finally it's all done and we're going to go to Florida
[00:35:36] for two weeks. So as we get in the car, she's calling people, hey, we need you to, you know, she has it all coordinated to, to nurture these trees over the next two weeks. We return from
[00:35:44] Florida and I think there's a half dozen trees. They're all brown. And I'm the type, I'm just like, hey, Jodi, we just need to dig them up and throw them out. And she's like, no, no, no, no,
[00:35:55] No, like, you know, they just haven't taken root.
[00:35:58] And I'm like, they're brown.
[00:35:59] Yeah, so we have this little, you know, friendly debate.
[00:36:02] And I realize, okay, just time will tell.
[00:36:05] So over the next month, I'm watching my wife daily.
[00:36:09] Blood, sweat, tears.
[00:36:11] She's nurturing.
[00:36:12] She's, you know, whatever life might be in there, she's working hard.
[00:36:15] And folks are quietly coming to me saying, you know, does Jody know those trees are dead?
[00:36:23] You remember Billy Black?
[00:36:24] He was our custodian.
[00:36:25] And he was like, you may want to tell Miss Jodi that those trees are dead.
[00:36:29] I'm like, Billy, you're welcome to tell her.
[00:36:31] He's like, no, I'm good.
[00:36:32] I'm good.
[00:36:34] And so finally, Alan Sledge was our music director at the time.
[00:36:40] He decided to play a prank on Jodi.
[00:36:42] I don't know how he did this, but he got the city council minutes and he superimposed a picture of those trees, those brown trees.
[00:36:51] and then underneath he highlighted, he coordinated with myself and my daughters how to get this into our mailbox and he highlighted that there was a date because this was historic property. There's a date where those dead trees needed to be removed and if they weren't removed by that date, we would
[00:37:08] get a $50 fine per day. So we're waiting out forever with this letter that's sitting on our kitchen counter and finally the girls are like opening the letter and they're laughing and Jodi's like, let me see that. And she's reading it. And as I watch her read it, she breaks into tears.
[00:37:25] Now they're part of me. I'd like to say it was my compassionate pastor side, but it was the fear of God. I went, it was Alan. I didn't take it. It was Alan. He put us up to it. And fortunately, Jodi
[00:37:40] loves Alan. And she quickly, and you can ask afterwards, she had her way of getting back at Alan. But it was like, for Jodi, it was actually the moment of truth. You know, she was determined,
[00:37:52] but she finally waved the white flag. And I want to share this because there's a danger. I don't want the story to overshadow the point. James, this morning, as we look at this passage, follow
[00:38:05] me closely, this concept that he's getting across is this. A dead tree can't be coached into life.
[00:38:14] You following me here?
[00:38:17] It can't be fertilized into life.
[00:38:20] It can't be loved into life.
[00:38:22] It can't be brought into life by deep determination.
[00:38:25] A tree either has life or it doesn't.
[00:38:30] And what James is getting across to us this morning, he's saying the same thing about faith.
[00:38:36] Faith is a heart thing.
[00:38:38] We can do a lot of external things, but it's a heart thing.
[00:38:41] And if there's deadness, if there's no life, you'll see no fruit.
[00:38:45] Now, I want to give a little more context.
[00:38:48] You know that famous passage in Scripture, the Apostle Paul, Ephesians 2, said, it's by faith that you're saved, yes?
[00:38:55] Or by grace that you're saved by faith.
[00:38:57] It's by grace that you're saved by faith.
[00:39:00] He's saying you can't walk like the Apostle Paul.
[00:39:06] This morning, James is saying faith by itself, faith without works, is dead.
[00:39:14] He's saying a tree that never produces fruit is dead.
[00:39:20] Those two statements don't contradict one another.
[00:39:23] They actually complement.
[00:39:24] They're addressing different errors, different falsehoods.
[00:39:33] And what's true of those trees that I just described with Jody is exactly what James wants us to see about faith.
[00:39:39] If there's no life in your faith, something deeper is missing.
[00:39:44] So with James this morning, remember the illustration, when we look at God's word, we look into a mirror, the person to your left or your right, you need to look deeply into the mirror and allow God, you know, to reveal to you this morning. You know, the question isn't,
[00:40:00] do I have enough faith? That's not what James is saying. He's saying, do I have the right type of faith? As you look in that mirror, ask that question. Authentic Christians are saved by faith alone. This is the big idea. But faith that saves is never alone. It's married to the
[00:40:21] works. We'll get into that. Let's read the passage. James chapter 2, beginning with verse 14.
[00:40:29] So let's hear what God has to say about faith. My brothers and sisters, if you say that you have faith, but you do not have works, can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks
[00:40:43] daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace, keep warm, and eat your fill, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works,
[00:40:58] is dead. But someone will say, you have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without works, and I, by my works, will show you my faith. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons
[00:41:14] believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works and faith was brought to its
[00:41:34] completion by works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise was not Rahab the prostitute also
[00:41:54] justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road?
[00:42:00] For just as the body without spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. This is the word of the Lord. Again, authentic Christians are saved by faith alone. That's clear in scripture, but faith that saves is never alone. Here's the first point I want to make. If you look at those
[00:42:26] first three verses, saving faith is a faith that demonstrates life. James is clear. Saving faith is a faith that demonstrates life. Words alone do not convey spiritual life. My freshman year in high school, first day, football practice, our coach called us together at the end of practice
[00:42:50] and the parents that were there to pick us up and he wanted to have just a brief meeting and kind of lay out the season. And I remember the first thing he told us players and the parents,
[00:42:59] he said, you know, I want to let you all know I'm a Christian. I want to let you know my faith is very important to me. He said, I may not be a perfect Christian, but, and then he got that out
[00:43:10] and then he went on to outline what the season was going to look like, passed out schedules, things like that. And I was thinking, you know, as a young freshman, I'm like, oh, cool. You know,
[00:43:20] coach is a Christian. Day two, out in the practice field, he was cursing the storm like a sailor.
[00:43:28] He was taking the Lord's name in vain consistently. He was questioning our manhood, telling us to take off our skirts you know he was like he was like over the top and then within a
[00:43:41] few weeks I remember him it was near report card time and coach was saying guys if you're not smart enough to keep a 2.0 please be smart enough to cheat you know that's the type of you know and
[00:43:57] and I remember you know back then being just a little disillusioned just a little bit and only God can judge the heart, but by the standard that James puts before us, he was demonstrating an empty faith. I love what John Stott says. He says, people who profess, he would maybe describe
[00:44:18] this coach as a person who professes Christ, but may not necessarily possess Christ. That's two different things, to say you're a Christian, to actually be a Christian. Again, I can't judge, Maybe he was, but we certainly, as players, weren't seeing the fruit.
[00:44:38] James gives a hypothetical example, verses 15 and 16.
[00:44:41] He says, if a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace.
[00:44:48] In other words, wish you well.
[00:44:51] You know, depart.
[00:44:53] If they're naked and hungry and you tell them to depart and keep warm, eat your fill, good luck, you're on your own, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what's the good of that? Again, this is James,
[00:45:09] brother of Jesus, pillar of the church. He's illustrating the point made in verse 14.
[00:45:15] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?
[00:45:22] Can faith, and he's saying, can that kind of faith save you? Works demonstrate a faith that's alive.
[00:45:33] You're not saved by the works, but they demonstrate a faith that is alive.
[00:45:38] Works are the, I've heard it described, works are the visible shape of faith.
[00:45:45] They're the evidence of real faith.
[00:45:49] Works emerging from faith is like heat from a fire.
[00:45:51] It's like fruit from a tree.
[00:45:52] It's like breath from a living body.
[00:45:55] These things don't cause life, right?
[00:45:59] They prove life.
[00:46:01] They demonstrate.
[00:46:03] You don't have to do CPR on someone who's on their back if they fainted in their breathing.
[00:46:07] They're alive.
[00:46:08] No, don't try to revive them.
[00:46:09] They're alive.
[00:46:13] Works demonstrate a faith that is alive.
[00:46:15] In verse 17 here, it's clear faith without works is dead.
[00:46:20] James says that.
[00:46:22] Notice he doesn't say faith without works is weak.
[00:46:25] He says it's dead, empty, meaningless.
[00:46:30] There's no impact, which leads to a second point I want to draw from the passage.
[00:46:35] The second point is this. Saving faith is a faith that involves synergy. You might think, Dave, that's an interesting choice of words. Follow me here. Saving faith is a faith that involves synergy. Faith and work are partners. They work together, not rivals. They're partners,
[00:46:56] not rivals. I took this term from verse 22. The Greek term was used synerge. And it's a term used to connect faith with works, right? It describes faith working together, active along with, in synergy, faith and works. They're linked. They go together. They provide an energy that's
[00:47:18] effective. They provide spiritual energy that gives impact. Your life has been changed and when the fruit begins to show, you make an impact on other lives. If there's no fruit, you lose impact.
[00:47:34] You might have to look in the mirror and say, is my faith actually that type of faith?
[00:47:38] Is it genuine?
[00:47:42] Saving faith is a faith that involves synergy.
[00:47:45] James gives us here two kinds of faith.
[00:47:48] He illustrates this.
[00:47:49] He gives us examples.
[00:47:50] So he describes to us, first, dead faith.
[00:47:55] This is what dead faith looks like.
[00:47:58] Dead faith believes the right things, but it doesn't obey.
[00:48:03] All right?
[00:48:03] So verse 18.
[00:48:04] but someone will say you have faith I have works see the separation no synergy here you have faith I have works then look at verse 19 even the demons believe and shudder do you catch that
[00:48:23] Satan has good theology Satan believes that Jesus is the son of God he believes God is one the demons believe that and with that belief what how do they respond emotionally when that hits their heart. They shudder. They're afraid even when you call out the name of Jesus Christ.
[00:48:42] They shudder. But do they respond with living faith? No, they don't. They're disobedient. They don't trust. They're rebellious. They don't follow the will of God. So dead faith is described.
[00:49:02] Motier, he wrote a commentary on James. He says, right doctrine without obedience, You know, faith without deeds, faith without fruit, right doctrine without obedience is not saving faith. Now, James also gives us a picture of living faith. An example, faith that trusts God,
[00:49:23] faith that acts on that trust. And I love there's a striking contrast here. Do you notice the two biblical characters he uses? He uses Abraham. You know that name, yes? We're told that Abraham is
[00:49:36] the father of our Christian faith, Judeo-Christians. He's the father of our faith. And he's a patriarch, right? He's an insider. He has influence. And who is the other person of faith mentioned here?
[00:49:52] You have Abraham. We think of Abraham up here. Who's the other person? Rahab. Is she an insider?
[00:50:01] She's an outsider.
[00:50:02] What's her profession?
[00:50:05] She's a prostitute, right?
[00:50:09] She's excluded or marginalized from culture.
[00:50:13] So in describing Abraham, James says, Abraham believed God long before he offered Isaac at the altar.
[00:50:22] Isn't that interesting?
[00:50:23] I was looking a little deeper this week.
[00:50:25] Genesis 15 is where God credited.
[00:50:27] credited. It says Abraham believed and God credited that belief as righteousness. It's by grace. Even those Old Testament times, God credited. And some commentators actually say, because the next time you see, that's chapter 15. Talks about his faith, his belief. It's not
[00:50:46] till chapter 22 where he obediently offers Isaac at the altar. Some commentator says that's maybe a couple decades later. But when he did that in obedience, that saving faith, that trusting faith, that obedient faith, it demonstrated the realness, the genuineness, the heart of Abraham committed
[00:51:09] to God. He wasn't saved by his works, by offering Isaac at the table. He was declared righteous years before that through a faith that came from within. Rahab trusted God long before she hid the
[00:51:24] spies. So she had a little less time in between the instructions and then actually risking her life. Remember Jericho, the spies, and she's hiding them. She would have been immediately put to death if they caught her. Notice one's a patriarch, one's a prostitute. They both demonstrate
[00:51:45] saving faith. Does that encourage you? I mean, some of you may resonate more with Abraham. Some of you may, a little bit more with Rahab. It's the same faith. You'll often hear when we approach
[00:52:03] the communion table, I would share my grandfather would always say that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, bringing down Abraham, lifting up Rahab. It's by grace that we're saved through faith. Faith without obedience or trust, James is saying, is not Christian. I love Tim Keller.
[00:52:21] He describes how synergy works, those two things working together. Keller says this, quote, You don't obey to become God's child.
[00:52:31] You obey because you are God's child.
[00:52:35] See the distinction?
[00:52:38] That's huge.
[00:52:41] Authentic Christians are saved by faith alone, but faith that saves is never alone, which leads to another point, third point I want to emphasize.
[00:52:50] It comes from verse 26.
[00:52:52] Saving faith is a faith indwelled by the Spirit.
[00:52:56] James says a body without spirit is nothing but a corpse.
[00:53:01] It's dead. It's empty. James is saying, don't be fooled by appearances. Don't confuse the shape of faith with the life of faith. Think of the trees my wife planted. Sorry, Jug. She gave me full permission to share that illustration. Think of the trees. They may have looked real. They may
[00:53:22] have looked alive, or there was a little bit of hope when they were first planted, but they weren't.
[00:53:27] The question, again, James is asking, it's not, are you doing enough?
[00:53:34] But he's asking, as you look in the mirror, he's asking, is there life in you?
[00:53:42] A body receives spiritual life through spirit, not by works.
[00:53:46] Same way my wife couldn't bring the life to the trees through giftedness, through heart, through nurture, through determination.
[00:53:53] You and I cannot bring spiritual life to a soul through human effort and good works.
[00:53:59] Obedience and boldness were an expression of faith of both Abraham and Rahab.
[00:54:06] In the same way, your good works are a visible expression of the heart.
[00:54:10] That's the same for you as Rahab and Abraham.
[00:54:12] It's a visible expression of the heart that's been changed, that's been touched by the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.
[00:54:19] Again, it's by grace that you're saved through faith in him.
[00:54:22] Works are the visible shape of faith.
[00:54:27] So here's the take home.
[00:54:31] If you've been convicted, sometimes we look in the mirror, we look into God's word, and it can strike you in a certain way.
[00:54:36] If you feel convicted, don't, I want to be careful how I put this.
[00:54:43] There are times you may not feel like you're a Christian.
[00:54:47] And Satan will even get into your ear.
[00:54:49] And he'll accuse you of things, and he'll twist things.
[00:54:52] So if you've been convicted, but you've already put your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, this might just be a moment this morning before you approach the table where you just need renewal
[00:55:02] an adjustment you need to be refreshed but there may be a few in this room that if you're really honest we had that sermon a few weeks ago when you look in the mirror it's all about spiritual
[00:55:14] integrity when you look in the mirror forget what you look like when you walk away if you have spiritual integrity and in your heart of hearts you realize i've never truly surrendered my heart to Jesus. You know, get that picture of scripture. You know, we get in Revelation, behold, I stand at
[00:55:31] the door and knock. What does he say? Anyone who opens that door, what will he do? He'll come in, he'll reside, he'll make a home. The moment you come to faith in Jesus, you confess your sins and
[00:55:45] you place your faith and trust, he becomes number one. I don't know what you're hanging on to right now. You know, what's number one? But when you repent of that and turn to Jesus as both Lord,
[00:55:56] one in your life and Savior saving you from sin and death, then the heart's transformed. You're a new person. You're a new creation. You're a child of God. And notice Ephesians 2 and 2, 8, 9, it says
[00:56:08] by, you know, Paul says it's by grace that you're saved through faith, right? So no one may boast.
[00:56:13] So it's by faith you're saved. But do you notice if you go to Ephesians 2 verse 10, it says you are God's workmanship, created to do what? Good things, good works. It's married. It's together.
[00:56:31] Faith that's alive comes from the heart, and it's driven by love, not by fear. As you approach the table this morning, again, James isn't asking, are you doing enough? He's asking, is there life in you?
[00:56:44] This is your invitation. If you need to confess, confess. If you need to return, return. If you need to be renewed, open your heart to him right in this moment. If you need new life altogether,
[00:56:58] you can surrender your life to him now. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.
[00:57:06] For the one who delights to give life and who never, he promises never to leave or forsake us, is the one who meets us right here at the table. Let's join our hearts, prepare our hearts,
[00:57:17] as we come before our Lord in Holy Communion.
[00:57:24] Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of your word.
[00:57:28] I thank you for the integrity of James who proclaimed this under the guidance of your Holy Spirit.
[00:57:34] Doesn't mince words.
[00:57:35] I pray if anyone this morning is convicted by your word that they do not beat themselves up, that they view you not as a God who's lording over us and striking fear, but you're a God who loves us.
[00:57:47] You've made a path possible through your son, Jesus Christ.
[00:57:51] what you've done on behalf, what we couldn't do on our own, was driven by love, perfect love.
[00:57:57] And Jesus made the perfect sacrifice. We, Lord, celebrate him at the table here this morning.
[00:58:04] Whatever any individual needs to do, Lord, please receive, whether it's a confession or words of gratitude. Lord, as we come to the table, we're reminded of what you have done on our behalf.
[00:58:19] we celebrate your son who made the ultimate sacrifice and lord words can't convey our gratitude lord bless the bread representing your son's body broken for us bless the cup representing his blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins we dedicate this time to you now
[00:58:41] we pray these things in jesus name amen just brief instructions there may be a few that have never taken communion in this setting so i just want to let you know what to expect up here we'll have three stations the center station will actually have gluten-free bread
[00:59:02] we realize that some people may need that so gluten-free in the middle section and there'll be a plate with bread and a cup and you can take the bread and you can dip the bread into the cup
[00:59:11] you can either partake right up front just when you take after you dip or you can go back to your seat and partake the two outside stations will just have normal bread with grape juice and there
[00:59:24] is, if you come to the center, a cup with some packets that have grape juice and that has the wafer in there. And I would like to extend an invitation. You don't have to be
[00:59:37] a member of this church. The invitation is based on faith in Jesus Christ. That's what qualifies you for the table. And so it doesn't matter if you're Baptist or non-denominational or method, whatever your background may be, if you have faith in Jesus Christ, that's
[00:59:54] what qualifies you and we give the invitation saying not because you must but because you may this isn't a obligation a duty a ritual but it's an act of worship and if your heart's just not in
[01:00:09] that place we respect it no one's going to ask any questions if you stay in your seat but i do want to encourage you i want to nudge you a bit if you're feeling unworthy not a bad place to be
[01:00:20] bible god promises those who are humble he he lifts them up sometimes it's our pride that gets in the way of these moments of worship again he brings down abraham to our level of the father
[01:00:34] of all nations and he brings up rahab the ground is level at the foot of the cross this moment i would like to ask the elders assisting reminder christ said this is my body which shall be broken
[01:01:12] for you the same way he took the cup we call it the cup of the new covenant he said this is my blood represents my blood that will be shed for forgiveness of your sins when you eat from the
[01:01:23] bread and drink from the cup be reminded of my death until i return we live expectantly knowing he's promised he will return as we celebrate him come eat and drink in remembrance of him
[01:01:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:01:37] come as you feel led church let's stand to our feet this morning and respond in worship
[01:04:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:04:56] as we leave the question isn't what more can I do for our Lord and Savior but the
[01:09:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:09:44] question is where's your heart and if your heart's given to him he'll take care of the rest as we leave this place may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may the love of God our Father may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
[01:09:55] each and every one of you now and forever. Amen. Have a good week.
