Shabbat Shalom, everyone. I would like you all to open your Bibles, please, today, and turn with me, please, to the book of Yaakov, the book of James. In the Brit HaChadasha, in the New Covenant, James, today, we continue in our study of the book of James, the book of Yaakov, in the second chapter. And we are going to deal with a very practical part of the book of Yaakov, the book of James. You see, this Hebrew man, the half-brother of our Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, was writing because he knew that there were certain needs among the brethren, the Achim, the Jewish brethren, who believe in Yeshua the Messiah, who were scattered abroad among the nations of the world, Jewish believers in Yeshua the Messiah.

And he was writing to them because he wanted to help them to be practical in their walk with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And so he wrote to them this very practical letter. In fact, you will notice that Yaakov, that is James, he's writing and he's speaking straightforward. He doesn't beat around the bush. He doesn't talk merely theologically, though he does. But he's very practical. And I think you and I will admit, as we are studying this kind of book, the book of Yaakov, the book of James, you will notice how practical he is and how many lessons you and I can learn from this book.

And today's message is really titled, Faith Prove Itself Through Works. If you say that you are a believer, if I say that I am a believer in the Lord Jesus the Messiah, it's not sufficient only to say I believe without an evidence of this in our day-by-day living. We know it very well. Sometimes we use words, but when it comes to our real practical day-by-day living for the Lord, we know very well that we fail drastically. So today we are going to begin with verse 14, James 2, Yaakov chapter 2, verses 14 to 26. And please follow me as I am reading those verses. And so we read, What does it profit, my brethren?

Though a man say he has faith and have not works, can faith save him? If a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what does it profit? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead being alone. Yea, men may say, thou hast faith and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well, that demons also believe, and tremble.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works? When he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar, seest thou how faith wroughteth with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. And he was called a friend of God. Ye see then, how that by works man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahav the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. I'm going to stop here. In this portion, there is so much material here, I really do not know how to even begin, but by the grace of God, I trust that the Lord will help me in this ministry meeting. This is very practical. If there is any one of us that is doubting here, that it does not speak to each and every one of us, this passage that Yaakov, that James is really sharing here, with the 12 tribes, the Hebrews of the 12 tribes, believers that are scattered abroad, the nations of the world, we have to really make sure that this is really speaking to our own hearts, because we know many times that we who believe in Yeshua the Messiah, we are often time not practicing what we know in theory, what we know in our hearts, we are not really practicing it day by day in our lives, as believers, as messianic believers, as Christians, as believers in our Lord Jesus the Messiah.

So really, what we really have here in these verses, 14 to 26, James, that is Yaakov, is now dealing with the importance of practical life of the believer. If you say that you believe in Yeshua, there must be an evident that you really belong to Yeshua the Messiah. If there is not a change in one's life, who claimed that he believed in Jesus, in our Lord Jesus the Messiah, then immediately a question may arise, whether this person is altogether, have accepted the work that Yeshua have done for him, or for her on the tree, on the cross. Now, what Yaakov does in this passage, he is really taking the words, really, that Yeshua spoke on Sermon on the Mount, some years earlier, before he died on the cross, on the tree.

And I want you to turn for a moment to Matthew, chapter 7, for a second. And you remember Yeshua, when he was ministering among our own nation, Israel, and he was there in the area that is called the Galil, Galilee, and there he went on a mountain up high, and he ministered to the multitude that were right below. And we read in chapter 7 and verse 21, where Yeshua said unto the multitude that were there gathering around him, and he said unto them in verse 21, he says, Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of God, or kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say unto me, In that day, Lord, Lord, Adon, Adon, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out demons, and in thy name have done many wonderful works? Then will I profess unto them, he says, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. In other words, what Yeshua have anticipated, when he's going to say that in the future day, many will come to him, and they're going to say, Adon, Adon, Lord, Lord, didn't we do all these things in your name? And as they listed this here, haven't we done, we prophesied in your name, we have cast out demons in your name, we have done many things in your name, Lord, haven't we done it?

And the Lord will have to tell them, notice he says to them, I never knew you. Not that I used to know you, and now I don't know you anymore, but there was never a beginning. The seed was not really sown in the heart of this person, and grown, and a new life had begun, because that person never knew that Yeshua, that Jesus is Lord. Never accepted him as the Messiah, as his or her Lord and Savior. That's why it is so important for us, as believers in Yeshua, when we preach the gospel, to make sure that people understand, the importance of faith, in Yeshua the Messiah, because salvation is by grace, through faith, in the person, in the work of what the Lord Jesus the Messiah, have done for us.

And so I remember years ago, when I used to hand out tracts, in the city of New York, and some people, we got to talk to them, and there were vendors, and I never forget it. I would tell them, listen, what do you think of Jesus, of Yeshua? Some of them were Jewish, some of them were not Jewish. And I remember very well, when some of them said, what about the Lord? Do you want to accept the Lord as your Savior, right here and now? There is an opportunity for you, to become born from above, to have your sins forgiven, and accept the Lord. And some of them, I remember very clearly, have prayed with us, to accept the Lord.

But the moment that we have left, they were looking at us, and laughing at us, we succeeded to trick them. We told them that we believe in Jesus, in Yeshua, but really, it was just a trick, we have tricked them. We really didn't mean business, with the Lord.

What the lesson that I have learned, from this at this time, is that, someone can play the fool, and think that he is going to trick God, as if God doesn't know our hearts, as if God, we are going to come in, somehow into heaven, in some other ways, and we have tricked God, as if we said to him, I believe, but never made, the Lord Jesus truly, the Lord of our life, saying, Lord, I am a sinner, I need you to forgive my sins, I deserve to go to, eternal separation from God, and you have sent, your dear son, Israel's Mashiach, to save me, for my sins, and Lord, I am accepting you, Lord,

for what you have done for me, true salvation, is simply by faith, but if there is true faith, there will also be evidence, of works in the life, of the believer, a change will happen, and you see, this is exactly what, Yaakov, that is James, is writing to these, 12, to believers, among the, 12 tribes, of our people Israel, who were scattered abroad, and he began, by saying to them, in those verses, by dealing with, the importance, of having true faith, which works, not merely saying, I believe, but believing, which will be evident, in the life, of the believer, so James, is answering, to a question, that will be, what kind of faith, really saves,

and in those verses, 14, to the end of the chapter, James, is answering, the question, by explaining, that there are, three kinds of faith, and only one of them, is really, a saving faith, he explained this here, there is a faith, which is dead, verses 14, 15, 16, and 17, there is a faith, which is a demonic faith, verses 18, and 19, and there is a faith, which is a living faith, verses 20, to verse 26, that's how he, break for us, this passage, in the scripture, that we have read, today, so let's begin, brothers and sisters, let's talk a little bit, about this today, first of all, I want you to notice, he began

in verse 14, and Jacob is saying, to the brothers, he's writing to them, of course, and I want you to notice, he used the word, if a man say, you notice, it says in verse 14, what does it profit, my brethren, though a man say, he has faith, and have not works, can faith save him, or in other words, let me say it this way, can this kind of faith, save him, and I want to highlight, this thought here, a man say, apparently, perhaps, it's very possible, because he's writing to them, and he called them, my brethren, Achim Shaliv, apparently, they were his brother, he knew, that they have accepted, Yeshua the Messiah, but maybe

somebody, is going to come among them, and they're going to say, notice, a man say, a person, might come and say to you, something like that, oh yes, I believe, but, there is no evidence, of works, in his or her life, and he asked the question, can this kind of faith, really save, you know, somebody is going to come, and say, well, just like those vendors, that I remember, from years ago, in the city of New York, they said, oh yes, let me say, the sinner's prayer, I'm going to repeat after you, repeat Jesus, I'm a sinner, I want you to come into my life, and I want you to be my Lord, and my

Savior, and then you say these words, and then in your life, you really haven't had a change in your life, you haven't accepted him really into your own heart, into your own life, you haven't invited him to your own life, in order to change you, and he asked the question, can that kind of faith really save, and the answer is, no, we cannot fool God, we cannot say to God, I believe, but really, does not have a truly new birth, new life, the seed, that had been planted, in the heart, and the conscience, of the person, who accepted Yeshua, will germinate, and will grow, and there will be a change, now it doesn't mean, that

we don't sin and fall, it doesn't mean, that we don't fail, a time, and so on, but the pattern of life, ought to change, the desire of the heart, ought to change, we will stumble, we will fall, just like David of old, and Abraham of old, and Moses of old, and a New Testament man, including Paul, who himself said, I am the chief of sinners, the things that I want to do, this I don't do, and the things that I don't want to do, this I do, all wretched men, that I am, he said in Romans chapter 7, and so, faith, that is real, and genuine, will have evidence, that it will work, and so

the question, that he raises up, can this kind of faith, really save, what does it profit, my brethren, when a man say, he hath faith, and have not works, can, this kind of faith, save him, he actually know, the answer that they will give him, Jacob, the answer is no, we know this Jacob, we know this James, the answer is no, because faith, in Yeshua, the Messiah must be real, it might be appropriated, to our own hearts, and we can say, with that man of all, he says, God be merciful to me, a sinner, I deserve to be judged, and you love me, you send your son, the Mashiach, to save me, for my sins,

thank you, for giving your son, the Messiah Yeshua, for me, so in the next verses, 15 and 16, he present, before the brethren, an illustration, and you know, I love the way, he does his teaching, Jacob, he gives you an illustration, to help you to understand, the theology, he's very practical, but he wants us, to understand theology, by practical lifestyle, and notice this illustration, in verse 15 and 16, he's speaking about the person, who have a need, and he says, look and see, if his need was met, if a brother or sister, be naked, and destitute, of daily food, and one of you, say unto them, depart in peace, and be ye warmed, and filled,

notwithstanding, ye give them, not those things, which are needful, to the body, what doth it profit, he gives an illustration, and he says, if one brother or sister, will come into your midst, and he will have, as it says here, in verse 15, naked, and destitute, of daily food, hungry, and you come, and you say to him, or to her, oh brother or sister, he says, it's a Hebraic expression, lechu le shalom, go in peace, oh go in peace, be warmed, and be filled, nevertheless, ye give them, not those things, which are needful, for the body, what does it profit, it's very practical, he says, if somebody is going to come, and he or she,

will have really serious need, in our midst, and we're going to tell them, lechu le shalom, go in peace, and then we don't help them, at least to meet some, initial need, that they may have, but sending them away, naked, and unable, to take care of themselves, with no food, to be able to eat, is that right, he's asking, he says, what does it profit, oh you say, that you believe, in Yeshua the Messiah, and you belong to him, and claim, that you're going to go, to heaven one day, to be with him, but you don't, assist in this, very practical need, that exists in this moment, what does it profit, brothers, and sisters, and

you notice, he called them, my brethren, my dear beloved brethren, he many times, used the word, achim, echai, my brothers and sisters, you know, this is very real, very practical, this illustration, that he presented, before them, it's very, very interesting, what does that profit, if you are going to tell them, that you can carry on, just go, lechu le shalom, but you don't meet their need, that's not practical, Christianity, that's not practical, Messiah following, it's not practical, because, this kind of faith, which does not show, it's evident by works, is not that, which Yeshua, would want to see, in the life, of the people of God, and so, he is, presenting, the need there, the

situation, and then he's saying, if you are acting, in such a way, you are really not, meeting the need, of this individual, that is not practical, faith, just turn with me, to Galatians chapter 5, in verse 6, we read, there, for in Yeshua, for in Yeshua, the Messiah, neither circumcision availeth, anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith, which worketh by love, in other words, faith, it's not important, whether one is Jewish, or non-Jewish, circumcised, or uncircumcised, but what is important, in the life, of Yeshua, the Messiah, among the people of God, is that faith, will work itself, in the way, the brethren love one another, you remember, what we read, in John 13, Yeshua said, to the

disciples, in the upper room, in the city of Jerusalem, he said to them, by this shall all men know, that ye are my disciples, if you have love, one towards another, in other words, practical love, not only an embracing, affection in love, but also a practical love, the way we treat each other, and help each other, and support each other, here's another verse, turn to the epistle, of 1st John, chapter 3, and verses 17, and 18, look at this, but whoso has this world's good, and seeth his brother, have a need, and shutteth up his bowels, of compassion, from him, how dwelleth the love of God, in him, my little children, let us not love

in word, neither in tongue, but in deed, and in truth, you see what he is really saying, if we shut our bowels, to a person that have a need, to that extent, that we don't some small way, assist a person, how can we say, that the love of God, dwelleth in one, in him, or in her, see James is very practical, beloved brothers and sisters, and really, speaking, every one of us can say, Lord, I know I failed, and that myself, I don't need to look, at somebody else, I know myself, that I failed this, and help me Lord, to be more practical, we don't want to have, a dead faith, we want to have,

a living faith, a faith that is evident, in our day by day, as we walk, with the Lord, so, he challenged them, in verse 14, of James chapter 2, Jacob chapter 2, he gives them, an illustration, in verses 15 and 16, and then in verse 17, he is saying to them, this kind of faith, is really dead, is lifeless, look at that, and again, I am back to James, and to our chapter, and to chapter 2, and there, I am reading now, in verse 17, where Jacob is saying, to them in verse 17, even so faith, if it has no works, is dead being alone, alone, there is no practical walk, and practical movement, on

the part of the child of God, or person who claimed, to be a child of God, he says, faith, if it has no works, it being dead, being by itself, that expression here, being alone, can be really said, being by itself, there is no such a thing, of true faith, in Yeshua the Messiah, without an evidence of that, in a practical way, now some people say, often time, that Jacob, that is James, is contradictory, the teaching, of the apostle Paul, now let me remind you, that it is really not so, at all, both of them, were Hebrew believers, Yaakov, and Shaul, James, and Paul, both of them, were saved by grace, and by grace alone,

but Yaakov, was dealing with one issue, while, Paul, was dealing with another issue, Paul, by the way, wrote later, after Yaakov, wrote his epistle, as we have been, already talking about, this epistle, one of the first epistles, that were written, in about, 45 to 50 AD, was written by James, by Yaakov, the half brother, of Yeshua, the Messiah, Paul wrote, his epistle later, in fact, Paul was saved, later, if you remember, Paul, had accepted Yeshua, on the way to Damascus, much later, when Yeshua, was already glorified, while James, already had accepted, his half brother, because he was born, to Miriam as well, with Yosef, but he also, accepted the Messiah, but prior, to the Apostle

Paul, long before, Paul had accepted Yeshua, in fact, Yeshua came, to reveal himself, after the resurrection, to James, but when it's come, to the Apostle Paul, he, on the way to Damascus, he said to him, Shaul, Shaul, lama tir defeni, why are you persecuting me?

He was already glorified, he was already in heaven, he was already, in the right hand, of the majesty on high, and Shaul, said to him, what will thou, have me to do Lord?

And he accepted, the Messiahship of Jesus, and so, we have to see, that Paul, and James, were not contradicting, each other, but Paul, was dealing, with those, who thought, that in order, for them to be saved, they have to work, and work, and work, and then, what he said to them, by the deeds, of the law, shall no flesh, be justified, he said, you need to be justified, by grace, by grace, are you saved, through faith, and that is not of yourself, it is a gift of God, that any man, should boast, Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 and 9, so, Paul was dealing, with those, who thought, that they can earn, salvation, by doing good

deeds, or by even, seeking to abide, by the law, to be saved, and Paul says, no, by the works, of the law, shall no flesh, be justified, only by faith, but James is saying, if you are, justified, by faith, then works, will be evident, in your life, and so you notice, that it's like, I think one brother, said it's like this, they are not standing, one against each other, with sword, trying to attack each other, but the opposite, they have one, back against each other, and they are fighting, two different battles, Paul is dealing, with those, who thought, that through works, they are going to be saved, and he says, no, by grace, are you

saved, through faith, and even this, is not of yourself, it is the gift of God, James is saying, what does the prophet, a man, if he say, that he has faith, and he has no works, can this kind of faith, save him, the answer is no, and that's why, he gives us, the illustration, in verses 14, to 17, and he says, here it is, brethren, this is, a faith, which is dead, no life, and that's kind of a faith, it does not save anyone, and that's why, it is so important, for everyone, that hear me now, to make sure, that I believe, in Yeshua, the Messiah, because of what, he has done for me, I

need him, he died for me, he paid a price for me, he was judged, by a holy, and a righteous God, that I, a sinner, will be saved, if I will accept him, and embrace him, and if I did, you will see a change, in your life, there will be a change, in one's life, and a person, that once, have accepted Yeshua, the Messiah, all of a sudden, his appetites, are different, he or she, want to live for the Lord, they want to read the Bible, they want to hear about Yeshua, they want to be with the friends, who are believers, there is an evident, in their life, that they became believers, in Yeshua, the

Messiah, will they fail, in their life, sure they will, will they sin, if any man said, that he have not sinned, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him, John said, but they will not live, a life, in such a way, they will get up, they will confess, repent, and turn to him, and their faith, will be a faith, that is living, and not a dead faith, as it's mentioned here, in verses 14, 15, 16, and 17, and so, Yaakov continue now, he talked about, faith which is dead, and in verses 18, and 19, he is telling about, another kind of faith, what we would call it, the demonic faith, or faith

of the demons, of the fallen angels, and I want you to read it with me, verses 18, and 19, and he is challenging them, in verse 18, and he is saying to them, yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works, show me thy faith, without thy works, and I will show thee, my faith, by my works, thou believest, that there is one God, thou doest well, that demons, also believe, and they tremble, you see, beloved brothers and sisters, now, Yaakov is moving on, from dead faith, to what we call, a demonic faith, he is really saying, look, he says, in verse 18, again, I want you to know, that he used

the word, a man may say, this is the second time, he used this expression, in verse 14, a man say, in verse 18, a man may say, and I want you to know this, he doesn't say, that this is among the brethren, to whom he wrote, but he is saying, someone might come, a man may say, not you brethren, but a man may say, to you these things, and though this man may say, you have faith, and I have works, show me thy faith, without thy works, and I will show thee, my faith, by my works, you see, it is very interesting, how can we prove, that we really belong, to Yeshua, how can we

really prove, everybody say, oh I believe in God, have you heard this expression, actually, as far as we know, the whole world believes, everybody believes, the Hindus believe, God, many gods, the Muslims believe, everybody believes, everybody say, I have faith, I believe in God, some who believe, themselves, as being gods, everybody believe, you know, God gave us, the ability, to believe, and the need, to believe, but, we have to believe, in the right person, we have to believe, in the word of God, we have to believe, in the right person, we don't have faith, in faith, we have a faith, in a person, we have a faith, in the living God, in the God of

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the one who sent, the Messiah, Yeshua, to this world, and therefore, it's not sufficient, to say, oh, I believe, well, your faith, should show itself, in a practical way, that's what he's saying, so, in verse 18, if a man may say, you have faith, and I have works, so show to me, your faith, without works, is it possible, you can't show, somebody your faith, without, an evidence, in your life, that you really believe, in the person of Yeshua, the Messiah, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, it has to be, evident, in the life of the believer, it must be, a change, has to happen, a desire, to live for

the Lord, has to happen, it must happen, with all the failure, that we may have, but a change, must happen, and so he continues, in verse 18b, and he says, you know what, you show me, thy faith, without works, and I will show, thee, my faith, by, my works, the important, is, that if a person, is truly believed, in Yeshua, the Messiah, his life, will be evident, in some, small way, the words, we say, the manner, in which, we conduct ourselves, the desires, that we have, in our heart, the appetites, that we have, in our hearts, for the things, of the Lord, we would desire, to read the word of God, we desire, to pray,

and to sing, to him, we desire, to be helpful, to assist, the people of God, there got to be, a change, in the life, of a person, to claim, that he or she, belong to God, and have faith in God, so now, in verse 19, he says, listen, even the demons, believe, in God, it says, in verse 19, thou believe, that there is, one God, you say, well, the demons, also believe, and they even, tremble, but are they, saved, those are, the fallen angels, this word, for demons, simply mean, angels, that kept, not the first estate, that fail, and disobeyed, God, violated, his command, followed after, Satan, became, what is known, today, as the demonic,

activity, that happened, throughout the ages, in fact, even today, where we read, in Ephesians chapter 6, for we wrestle, not against flesh, and blood, but against, principalities, and powers, in heavenly realm, in other words, the demons, the fallen angels, are attacking, the people of God, seeking to harm, the things of the Lord, shooting these arrows, at us, at the places, where we are, at the time, in a weakness, points, in order to cause us, to stumble, and to fall, like Satan does, who beguile us, the devil, beguile, you know, the devil is the one, that is beguiling, that when we go, through temptation, to tempt us, to cause us to fall, and to stumble, that

is the ministry, you might say, or the service of Satan, and his demons, and so, he's saying, listen, even the demons, it says here, in the King James, the devils, but there is only one devil, the rest of them, are demons, fallen angels, it says, the demons believe, and they even, and they even tremble, now, I want you to notice, and that's why, it is important, when you read a text, to read its context, because it says, in verse 19, you believe, that there is one God, now you notice, he's talking to Jewish believers, why, because it's only, the people of Israel, who believe, that there is one God, we just recited today, here, oh

Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord, is one, we just recited this in Hebrew, Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad, there is only one God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this is the living God, the God of the universe, the creator, the upholder, the sustainer, there is only one God, and Israel, our people, the nation of Israel, were called, to serve, and to live, for this one God, and so he says, you say, that there is one God, and you say, well, you do us well, but he says, even the demons, believe in that one God, and they even tremble, but what they believe, in that one God, what they say, about that

one God, never calls them, to submit to him, and instead of, submitting to him, they end up, following the devil, and doing the devil's work, rather than God's work, now look at this, brothers and sisters, I want you to just turn with me, to Matthew chapter 8, and read with me, from verse 28, Yeshua is ministering here, in the land of Israel, it says, and when he, this is Yeshua, Jesus, when he was come, to the other side, of the country, of the gatherings, there met him too, possessed, with demons, they coming out, of the tombs, exceeding fears, so that no man, might pass, by that way, and look at this, these are the two,

possessed by demons, and the demons, are really crying out, and saying, what have we, to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of God, are thou come, thither, to torment us, before the time, now, I want you to notice that, they knew, who Yeshua was, they knew, that he was God, the son, the son of God, they knew his name, Yeshua, you remember, how they knew it, when he was born, Matthew 1, 21, the angels, have declared, you shall call, his name, Yeshua, Jesus, for he shall, save his people, from their sins, the good angels, knew about him, the evil angels, knew about him, the good angels, never failed, they submitted to God, but those, fallen

angels, the demons, they knew, not only his name, in his humanity, they knew that he was God, in his divine nature, but they also knew, that he is going to judge them, one day, that's why they said to him, you come hither, to torment us, notice, before the time, well why did they say, before the time, because they knew very well, that there is a coming day, when Yeshua, this Jesus, this Yeshua, who was rejected, as the Lamb of God, at his first coming, he is going to become, the judge of this universe, at his second coming, when he is going to reign, and rule, at the end of the tribulation period, he is going

to judge, this world, in righteousness, actually the whole tribulation period, but at the end, he is going to cast those, that he rejected God, and rejected him, into the lake of fire, and they are going to be, this also actually, going to happen, at the end, of the millennial kingdom, where you remember that, the great white throne judgment, where he is going to judge, this world, and he is going to cast, Hades into the lake of fire, why do you come, to torment us, before the time, it's not the time yet, they are saying to him, the demons believe in God, and they do tremble, I'm just going to read, another verse, that I have

before me, in Mark chapter 1, verse 23, and verse 24, where we read these, I'll read in verse 21, I'll read it, and they went, into Kfar Nachum, and straight away, on a Shabbat day, he entered, into the synagogue, and he taught, and they were astonished, at his doctrine, for he taught them, as one, that had authority, and not as the scribe, and there was, in their synagogue, a man, with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, and he said, let us alone, what have we, to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth, Yeshua of Nazareth, art thou come, to destroy us, I know thee, who thou art, the holy one, of God, he is

a man, that had an unclean spirit, a demon, he knew, who Yeshua was, and he says, I know you, you are the holy one, of God, he recognized, Yeshua, as the holy one, of God, well, but he was a demon, he was a fallen angel, a spirit, and he is due, to be judged, in the coming days, as the days will come, and he recognized, that Yeshua, was the Messiah, the son of God, the holy one of God, and Jacob is saying, to the brothers and sisters, in verse 19, you know what, even the demons believe, they say that they have faith, but they tremble, you see, they believe, so this kind of demonic faith,

does not save the demons, or anybody else, he is saying, in verse 19, of our chapter, and therefore, after dealing, with the dead faith, in verses 14 to 17, in verses 18 and 19, he told them about, a demonic type of faith, that faith, does not save either, the demons believe, that there is one God, and yet, they themselves, are lost, are eternally separated, from God, because they have fallen, see, the kind of good angels, you might say, the angels who serve God, Michael, and Gavriel, and others, the cherubim, and the seraphim, and the angels, who serve God's people, they are the ones, who will be continuing, to serve God, they will be the one,

who will say, worthy are thou, with the redeemed company, who will sing, worthy is the lamb, worthy is the lamb, but, in this case, the demons, have a faith, that is unsavable, it's not a true faith, even though they believe, they really, are not able, to be right, with God, any longer, well, now let's look, at the final, verses 20 to 26, here he is now, describing before them, a true living faith, which really works, that's the kind of faith, he likes to see, is evident, is a faith, that needs to be evident, in the life, of every believer, and so, he is now beginning, in this verse 20, and again, I want you to

notice, again, he is talking about, this man, this time, he says, no, all vain men, you remember, in verse 14, a man say, in verse 18, a man may say, now in verse 20, he is talking to this man, who may say something, and he is now, going to give him, a clear, cut, explanation, of what, living faith, is all about, living faith, does work, evident, in the life, of a person, and so, he is saying, in verse 20, but will thou know, all vain men, that faith, without works, is dead, this kind of faith, that does not have, an evident, in itself, in the life, of this particular person, it's really dead, it is

lifeless, the Greek word, for dead here, nekros, which means, lifeless, or vain men, I want you to know, that faith, without works, has no life, it's not real, it's not genuine, and so, he began now, in verses 21, to verse 26, to give us, two additional, illustration, in the life, of two individuals, one of them, was Hebrew, the other one, was a Gentile, the first Hebrew man, was Abraham, our father, the other one, was Rahab, notice, a Jew, you might say, a Hebrew, and a non-Hebrew, a male, and a female, he's just presenting this, before the brothers, and sisters, in these local, areas, to which he was writing to, and so he began, and in

verses 21, to 24, Abraham's, evidence, of his faith, was works, in his life, verse 21, was not Abraham, our father, justified by works, when he had offered, Isaac his son, upon the altar, seest thou, how faith wrought, with his, works, and by works, was faith, made perfect, and the scripture, was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed, unto him, for righteousness, and he was called, the friend of God, ye see then, how that by works, man is justified, and not by faith, only, I want to underline, the word only, because, of course, a man is being justified, only on the basis, of faith, but, if it is truly, a real faith, it

will be evident, in his life, in his works, and so, he is talking about Abraham, again, to remind you, he is talking about, the father of these Hebrews, to whom he wrote, Abraham our father, he takes us back, all the way, to the years, when God called Abraham, to leave his family, to leave his father's house, to leave everything behind, and to go, and to the land, which God will show him of, and Abraham was faithful, and he went, and he went all the way, and he came into the land of Canaan, even though he had some laps, along the way, and so he says, look, Abraham our father, in verse 21, faith was seen,

by him, willing, to offer his son Isaac, you remember, when Abraham, can you imagine, when God said to him, in Genesis chapter 22, he said, take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest Isaac, and take him to the Mount Moriah, the mount which I will tell thee of, and offer him there, for me as a sacrifice, can you imagine, what God, have expected, from this man Abraham, to take his son, to offer him as a sacrifice, upon an altar, on that Mount Moriah, well Abraham, you could see the evidence, of the trust in God, now I know, that you know, if God is going to tell you, and I today, you take your

son, that you love, or your daughter, and you bring her or him, to a certain mountain, and actually sacrifice her or him, for me, you know what, that will be like a knife, in our hearts, we love him, and you imagine, Abraham loved Isaac, so much, Isaac was the son, of the one, that was promised, the promised son, of Abraham, and he waited, for so many years, and God said to him, in Isaac, shall thy seed be called, and now he's telling him, to take the very same one, that he made a promises, to him through, and he says, now take this very one, and I want you to offer, him for me, on that

mountain, as a sacrifice for me, and Abraham faithfully, there's a chapter, that we can read, a beautiful chapter 22, of Genesis, where Abraham took, one step at a time, he took Isaac, he took the knife, he took the fire, and he went all the way, to Mount Moriah, and there he was ready, to offer Isaac, Yitzchak, his son, upon that altar, as a sacrifice for God, the evident, of his faith, in God, was his works, he was willing, to do so, then he continued, in verse 22, by his works, faith was really completed, he says, seest thou, how faith wrought, with his works, and by works, was faith made, perfect, or completed, look, he's saying

to them, look at the evidence, in the life of Abraham, he believed, but it was evident, in what he have done, in his life, now that is an extreme, now God, thank God, he does not ask for us, to do such a thing, but what he is really saying, look at the evidence, in the life, of this man, by the name, of Abraham, and then in verse 23, he said, the scripture, had been fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed, unto him, for righteousness, and he was called, the friend, of God, he's quoting, Isaiah 41, in verse 8, where Abraham was called, the lover, of God, the word friend, should be lover,

or have Elohim, not really friend, but a lover, of God, in the Hebrew text, when you read it, and so, you noticed it, Abraham's faith, did bring fruit, and the evidence was, when he was willing, to offer his son Isaac, now some people, have a problem, of course, with this text, not realizing, that verse 21, speak about, one period of time, in Abraham history, and verse 23, speak of another, period of time, in Abraham history, you notice, that in verse 23, where it says, and Abraham believed God, and it was counted, unto him, for righteousness, that takes us, back to Genesis chapter 15, when Abraham, didn't have Isaac, as yet, he was about, 80 years

of age, and God promised him, he was waiting, for the birth of the son, and there was no son, born, and he said, God, why don't you take, my servant, and make of him, a promise, for me, and God says, no, I'm going to give you, a son later on, and so, what we see, Genesis chapter 15, is linked, with verse 23, but in verse 21, it's much later, it's much later, in verse 21, it's really, Genesis chapter 22, years have passed by, perhaps, he was at about, imagine, Isaac was born, when Abraham was, 99, actually, a hundred years old, Isaac was born, by the time, he was going to take Isaac, and to offer

him, on Mount Moriah, he must have been, at about 120, 130 years of age, actually, Abraham died, when he was, 175 years old, so years, have passed by, from Genesis 15, to Genesis chapter 22, in Genesis 15, Abraham believed God, and God had reckoned, to him as righteous, Genesis chapter 22, Abraham righteousness, Abraham true faith, was evident, in what he was willing, to do for God, that's the lesson, that we learn here, and it is illustrated, very nicely, here in the life, of Abraham, beautiful to see, beloved brothers, and sisters, turn for a second, to Hebrews chapter 11, all this 11th chapter, of the book of Hebrews, was written, to Jewish believers, of first century,

and the writer, wanted to show them, that every believer, of Old Testament, period of time, had practical faith, he was not only, saying he is a believer, he was practically, practicing that, Hebrews chapter 11, and I'm reading, in verse 8, by faith, Abraham, when he was called, to go out, into a place, which he should, after receive, for an inheritance, he obeyed, and he went out, not knowing, whither he went, by faith, he sojourned, the land of promise, he dwelt, in tabernacle, with Isaac, and Jacob, the heirs of him, of the same promise, and then we read, in verse 11, about his wife, through faith, also Sarah herself, received strength, to conceive, seed, notice, the

people of faith, it was evident, in their lives, it was not merely, a say so faith, it was an active, faith, it was faith, that works, as we read, concerning the life, of Abraham, in verses 21, to 24, and I'm back, to James 2, in verse 24, he says, ye see then, how that by works, man is justified, and not by faith only, James, Jacob is emphasizing, works, important, if you really believe, there ought to be, a change, in your life, and so finally, he's talking about, another person, and we know, very well, this person, and we just had, this text read to us, today in our reading, Joshua chapter 2, a woman, by the

name, of Rahab, Rahab, and so we read, of her in verse 25, Rahab, the evident of faith, was with her as well, it says in verse 25, likewise also Rahab, the harlot, justified, by works, when she had, received the messengers, and had sent, them out, on another way, you remember, what we just had, read for us, in Joshua chapter 2, and how, when Rahab, heard about Israel, coming to the promised land, she said, to these spies, who came to her house, she says, we heard of your God, and we trembled, and now, she wanted, to believe, she believed, in the living God, and when those two spies, came there, she hid them, not allowing the

king, to capture them, the king of Jericho, of Jericho, she hid them, and then, when the soldiers, of the king, have left, she sent those spies, another way, and they made her, a promise, in the chapter, that we read today, they made her promise, that when Israel, is going to come, into the promised land, her, family will be spared, because, her faith, really worked, she showed, her faith, by the manner, in which, she acted, and she said, I know, that the Lord, had given to you, this land, Joshua, chapter 2, verse 9, and that your terror, is fallen upon us, and that all, the inhabitants, of the land, faint, because of you, for we, have

heard, how the Lord, dried up the water, of the Red Sea, and so on, for you, she became, believer, in the God of Israel, but the proof, of her faith, was, her works, when she hid, the servants, that were sent, by Joshua, to spy, the land, and so, we read of her, also, in the book, of Hebrews, as well, we read, by faith, Hebrews 11, 31, the harlot Rahab, perish not, with them, that believe, not, when she, had received, the spies, with peace, with shalom, she have accepted them, she have hid them, and she proved, that she believed, in the God of Israel, and therefore, she was spared, well, brothers and sisters, James, conclude, this

session, by saying this, and I want to conclude, with this as well, verse 26, he concludes, and he says, for as the body, without the spirit, is dead, so faith, without works, is dead, also, you remember that, when we go sometime, we're going, to a funeral service, and we see, a body of a person, once was among us, and when the spirit, is no longer in him, he or she, are no longer alive, they are dead, that's the way, Yaakov, is ending, this discussion here, he says, just the same, like a body, without the human spirit, is dead, so, faith, without evidence, without works, is really dead, therefore, he's encouraging, the brothers and sisters, by

challenging them, he says, don't have, a dead faith, don't have, a demonic faith, but have, a living faith, that works, prove it in your life, he's saying to them, show it in your attitude, in your conduct, and there, is the way, in which God, will find pleasure, in the life, of every one of us, who have accepted, Yeshua, the Messiah, may the Lord help us, dear brothers and sisters, that we will show this, in our day by day life, that we really, belong, to our Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah.