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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radiolity internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at the end of the day. and reaches toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org.

We pray that you’ll enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family. You see there in verse 25, who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty and get this continuous therein. He be not a forgetful here, but a doer of the, here’s that word, work. So you see, you have a lot of things that God says about work before you ever get to James chapter two.

James chapter two is only a little capsule of everything else that he’s talking about it in this book. He’s talking to the believer about producing the righteousness of God, about having the fruit in your life that you should have, and that God uses testings and trials, temptations to produce the righteousness. So God says that He allows these things to produce, of all things, patience in the child of God. You see, if you’re a patient, you don’t get soon angry, If you would wrath, you’re slow to speak, but whenever you are like a stick of dynamite, short fuse and long fuse, when the Bible talks about it in the book of Galatians, long-suffering, if some people are not long-suffering, they’re not long-fused.

I mean, you just strike the match and buddy, they explode because they can just, you know, sit coming. So, but he deals a lot with the patience. That’s mentioned in verse three of chapter one of James. Look over there very quickly and look in chapter five of the book of James. And notice what he says in verse seven. Be patient, therefore brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. I wonder how long we’re supposed to be patient unto what? Until the Lord comes.

That’s gonna be a long time. Or until you die, I guess we could throw that in there. Look at the last part of this. Behold, the husband and waited for the precious fruit of the earth and have long patience. See that word patience again? Looking verse eight. Be also patient, patient. God wants his children to learn patience. And you learn patience by learning how to trust God. learning how to wait upon the Lord, because you know He careth for you.

Impatients means you worry, you fret, you get filled with anger and bitterness and you fall apart. But if you’ll learn to be patient, and look at something else, why you were at chapter five. Look what he says in verse 19, brethren. If any of you do air from the truth, see we just read that in chapter 1. Do not air, brethren, because of thinking something that’s not true, not understanding the reason for the trials and the testings that you have.

Don’t you understand that every good and perfect gift cometh down from the Father above, and that in chapter 3 talks about the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of man, and that the wisdom of God is peaceable. Well, look at that maybe in just a minute. Well, look what he says there in verse 20. Let him know that he which converted the center from the era of his ways shall and you ought to underline it. Save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins.

This is to the believer. Not talking about the lost man. Talking about God’s children and some of God’s children that go astray. Now when you read chapter 4, he says, you are daughters. Ooh, Christians that are not living right, not doing right. And you notice when he says, you’re save a soul from death. Whenever it asks that question in James chapter 2, remember it makes a statement, shall faith save him? If you’re talking to the believer, Are we talking about God saving us from hell?

That’s not the issue. It’s not the context. We’re not even discussing that. We’re talking about God saving you and can faith save you. And the answer there is no. Because we’re not talking about salvation. We’re talking about can it save you from death? Can it save you from the chastening? Can it save you from God’s anger? And it saves you from the error of your waves. Just have it. Well, I got faith. No. God says, I’m going to reward you.

And your discipline is so important. Now go back there to the book of James chapter 1. And look what he says down in verse 26. Verse 26 says, and if any man among you. to be religious, bridle not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart. This means man’s religion is vain. In other words, here’s a believer that doesn’t bridle his tongue, but he deceives. You and I are talking about what a man says and what a man does, and therefore he is going to be either justified in your eyes as he’s a righteous man or he’s not doing the right thing.

He’s living like a lost man. Can God’s people live like lost men? Yes, they can. So God says his religion, the outward manifestations of his life. That’s why we see some people say, well, he doesn’t have any religion at all. And there’s other of people who live very religiously because you’re judging by what they’re doing. So in James chapter two and verse one, he says, my brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect to persons.

In other words, if you believe what God says and what Jesus did, then live like Jesus did. And Jesus didn’t have respect to persons. He wasn’t that away. So we’re supposed to live, think and judge the way that He did. And then He uses an illustration about somebody that comes into your mist and they look like they’re very rich. And then you have somebody that looks like they don’t have anything. Which one do you cater to? Who would you treat with more respect?

bum that walks in off the street, an old whino, or somebody just drove in and they’re, you know, Lamborghini and got diamonds all over and they’re just rich looking and all that. Would you treat them differently? If you do, you’re wrong. You’re judging. And God says, you’re impartial in your judgment. It’s not to be that way. I don’t even want to treat an adult differently than I treat a child. I want to treat them all the same. Because to me, if that child is trusted, Christ that child is a child of God.

And so is this old person. I want to treat everybody with respect. That’s a child of God. If they’re lost, I’m still supposed to treat them with dignity and respect. I think it’s just what we’re supposed to do. But as you go down through here, he’s talking about the things that you say and the things that you do and So that’s why he says that in verse 12 of chapter 2 so speak ye And so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

Because God says in verse 13, for he shall have judgment without mercy. We’re not talking about the lost man here. We’re talking about the believer. So God is going to judge the Christian because of the things he says and what he does. And God is going to be fair in what He does. And so that’s why when you read in chapter two, verse 14, what does it profit my brethren? So there’s some things that we say and do that has no profit.

And just to say, well, I have faith, but you don’t treat people the way God wants them to be treated. It’s not profitable for them. And guaranteed, it’s not profitable for you. Even when you read in the book of Titus in chapter three, when it talks about, be careful to maintain good works for these are good and profitable. On the men. You see, there’s things that are profitable. They have a good reason for it. It helps. It enlightens. You become an example of the Christian life.

Somebody is watching to see what you say and what you do. People are learning from you. They’re learning from me. And sometimes we don’t always give the best impression. So look there in James chapter three. Notice in verse one where he says, my brethren, be not many ministers or masters, knowing that we and you ought to underline it, shall receive. So you’re going to receive something. See, God wants you to receive rewards. God wants you to receive the patience you’re supposed to have.

But when you become a teacher, it’s even worse. You will receive the greater condemnation because you affect more people. You see, the higher you climb in your abilities to be used by God, Well, the bigger the climb, the bigger the fall. And the bigger the fall, the bigger the splash. And the bigger the splash, the more people that are affected. You can go down here and drop a little low pebble into the water and you will still see it has a little ripple in effect.

Maybe not a lot. But now if something happens like a, what do you call it, tsunami? Does that cause a ripple effect? So you want to be greatly used by God? Well God, the higher He lifts you up, the bigger the fall, the more people are affected. So teachers or preachers, those who teach the Word of God have a greater responsibility because you’re affecting more people. And so He says here, shall receive the great accommodation. can just have in faith save you from that?

No, faith cannot save you from that. And that’s the purpose of all of this. So now, go back there to verse 14 of chapter 2. What does it profit my brethren, though man say you have faith and have not works? Can faith save him? Save him from what? We’re not talking about hell. Can it save him from the judgment, the chasing hand of God? No, it cannot. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, none of you say unto them, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace be you warmed and filled, not with sinning.

You give them not those things that are needful to the body. What does it profit? See, all of this is explained in the scriptures before you ever get here. Then He’s trying to get you to reason. Do you understand how important it is for a child of God to produce good works? Because by your works, God’s going to reward you. The things that you say and do because you ministered unto the brethren, because you did something. You’re not going to be rewarded because you just sit, soak, and sour and never do anything with your life.

It’s living out the Christian faith. Many people never talk to anybody about the Lord. They don’t live the way they should. They don’t support missions. They don’t give the direction of ministry. They don’t support the church. They don’t know. But I’m a good Christian. No, you’re not. You’re not a good Christian unless you live. Like a good Christian.

So that makes me mad, so be it. I’m not running a popularity contest. I don’t do that. I plan a game. I have a responsibility to be honest with you, to tell you truth, and then trust the Lord that you’ll do what you’re supposed to do. If you need to correct something in your life, what should you do? Correct it. You say, well that doesn’t apply to me. then let it go right over your head. It shouldn’t bother you when I owed him.

Everybody’s happy. So he makes a statement here in verse 17, even so faith if it hath not worked is dead or fruitless, no profit. Being alone. It says it’s dead, being alone, it’s like a battery in your car. But it has no juice in it, but you still have a battery. It’s not producing anything. It won’t start your car. It’s not working. You may know Christ is your Savior, you love the Lord, and you might be able to quote every verse in this Bible.

But if you’re not living this bookparency, you’re not walking with God and you will not be right. So he says, the chasing hand of God, are you going to escape that? Are you going to live like you please and get away with it? No, you can’t. No, you won’t. Even though I try to be as strong as I possibly can on the salvation by grace without works, doesn’t mean that I believe that it doesn’t matter how you live. It does matter.

It matters an awful lot. Though it cannot affect your salvation because that was you trusting him for your salvation. That’s justification by faith alone. And so when Romans talks about Abraham, believe God and it was kind of the hymn for righteousness, then it talks about, oh, what hath Abraham found? Well, he found that if he just simply believed in the Lord, God would give him totoc righteousness. And so God’s righteousness was put to his account, faith without works. But here we’re not talking about salvation, we’re talking about service.

And And here God goes back and about say, 13 to 15 years later, He’s talking about when Abraham offered up his son upon the altar. See the first time when he was justified by faith without works, it was just a count of stars and seed and understanding about what God was going to do. And that was his salvation point. And this is talking about a different issue. Now he’s talking about when he offered up his son upon the altar.

was a demonstration of his faith in the Lord. This is how he was living his life. This was what was important. This is what his service was. So whenever he’s talking about Abraham here, he’s talking about a different time, a different situation, and this is about service. So a man is justified by works and a man is justified by works and faith. You see salvation alone is justified by faith without works. And for service he’s justified by faith plus his works.

No contradiction. One is talking about salvation, the other was talking about service. So there is no problem whatsoever in the Word of God. So He makes a statement here. In verse 18, A man may say, I’ll have faith, I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works. And I’ll show you my faith by my work. Show me your faith in God without living.

You can’t do it. All the way I can show my faith in God is by how I live. I show what I believe. And when he says a man may say, verse 19, vows say it, verse 20, O vain man. Down in verse 22, see us vow. In verse 24, ye see it’s all about people. Been justified in the eyes of others. People see in your life the attitude that we have. Things we say, places we go, we have to be careful all the time.

So then he makes a statement in verse 21, Was not Abraham our father justified by works? Of course he was. When he was saved, no. When he offered up Isaac, this is years, years later, see. When he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar, see his style how faith wrought with his works. And by faith was a work by faith was made perfect or mature. Don’t you want your faith in the Lord to mature? Or you become a strong, godly individual.

See, is this different than what we just read in chapter 1? It’s no different at all. It’s just an explanation of it. It’s just an illustration of an Old Testament saint because he’s written to the believers here about what has happened. You see there in verse one? When he says in verse one of chapter one, James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad. So this is a letter to others, the believers, the Jews, people.

And he’s talking to them. So is there anyone who wonder why he would not use Abraham? It seemed like every time they’re talking about that, we’ll end up talking about Abraham. So he says, in verse 24, ye see then how that by works of man is justified. Now, are we talking about salvation? No, we’re not talking about that. Are we talking about service? Yes, we’re talking about service. So a man is justified by his works. And so you want to grow in the faith?

All right, God’s going to allow temptations to come. Your faith is going to be tried. Are you going to win or lose? Succeed or fall apart? Are you going to produce fruits of righteousness through all those temptations and everybody has them. That’s why toward the end of this it says, concerned a man like Elijah, a man of like passion just like us. A man that could pray and get results. But if you’ll look there very quickly you’ll notice something.

They’ll see there in verse 11, excuse me, verse 10 of chapter 5, where it says, take my brethren the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction. Oh, is this what we’ve been talking about? Art testings and trials and all the affliction we go, doesn’t detest us. We’ll look what he says. And of, of that word patience again, and of patience. And then he makes his statement, Behold, we count them happy which endure.uggest.

That word happy is the same as being blessed of God. Blessed are ye when you do what God says to do. Blessed, blessed, blessed. He says, in verse 11, Behold, we count them happy which endure. You’re talking about children of God enduring all the trials and tribulations you’re going to have and still come out on the other side like gold been refined through the fire. You see, God wants to strip away out of your life all the pride.

God wants his children to be humble, to be submissive to the will of God, where you don’t have to challenge God every time you turn around. Don’t have to argue with God all the time. And so he says, you have heard of the patience of Job. Are we talking about how to get saved? We’re talking about how to live. God’s children on how to live. You have heard of the patience of Job. You’ve seen the end of the Lord.

In other words, the end result of the testing on Job, how did he come out? I think he came out all right. You and I are supposed to have the patience and wait on the Lord. We don’t have to see how God’s going to do what God’s going to do, but we must believe and just supposed to believe that God is going to do something. Do you believe that? And with patience, you wait and you just keep doing right.

And you don’t have vengeance for vengeance and wrath for wrath and render evil for evil. You can just faithfully keep serving the Lord. Did you know if you really believe that, it can just about eliminate all of your are again between you and your wife. I didn’t say all of it. There might be a time for righteous indignation.

But as you go through here and it talks about confessing our sins one to another, praying for one another, and that love covers a multitude of sins and all these wonderful things. But as you go through here, you’ll find out that yes, faith without works is dead to the believer. Means you’re not producing any works. The faith of a Christian in the Lord is the active thing. It produces something. What are you producing in your life that would give any evidence that you love the Lord?

So you can still be a Christian with no evidence whatsoever, called as the spiritual birth. Did God leave you here so that you could manifest or give evidence of what Christ means to you? you are none whatsoever. He just wants you to live here and you will become a secret service Christian. Nobody knows. I think God wants us to speak up, to stand up. And so therefore he explains all this in his word, looking verse 26 of chapter 2.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, try doing something without your body. It ain’t due too much, can you? Are you still there? You’re still alive. I mean, you can still be up, you know, you’ve got a spirit. So you didn’t cease to be just because your body isn’t moving. But God wants you to use this body to produce something. He wants you to walk right, talk right. See, when you get to chapter three, it deals with that little fiery thing called the tongue.

Boy, isn’t that a dangerous little item. That’s one of the hardest things that any man can ever learn to discipline. God says, well, in verse eight, but the tongue can no maintain. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. And yet here you are, and here I am, as a child of God, and He says, out of the same mouth, for seed is blessing and cursing. Brethren, He says there in verse 10, my brethren, these things ought not so to be, so evidently they are children of God that are saying good things and bad things, living right, living wrong.

He said it ought not to be But it does show you that a child of God Is still a child of God Even when he doesn’t live like a child of God But as a child of God, I believe it’s the will of God First to live like a child of God Don’t you agree? Let’s pray shall we our father? We thank you so much for your lessons upon us or the so much it needs to be said and And I pray, Lord, even though at times it seemed like I’m hard.

Lord, you know I don’t mean to hurt or offend anybody, but I do want people to wake up and to listen to what your word has to say. I don’t like it when people just always use excuses, always covering for themselves, never admitting blame, never confessing anything, never talking to you about some of their problems in their shortcomings, the weaknesses that, Father, we as your children are to encourage one another. And I pray, Lord, that what I’ve said today would be a blessing to each person here, that they would examine their own life.

And to have the pure religion as your word talks about, that outward manifestation, that done in honesty and sincerity. Bless each one, and bless the service to follow them. Christ, name me pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.