What If?

What if? Text: James 2: 21-22

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

If you read verses 21-26 James cites 3 illustrations of living faith. Abraham, Rahab, and the human body and Spirit.

James 2:26 For as the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James isn’t contradicting Paul’s writings in Galatians, Romans or Ephesians. No, this doesn’t contradict Paul’s clear teaching that Abraham was justified before God by grace alone through faith alone.

Abraham’s offering of Isaac demonstrated the genuineness of his faith and the reality of his justification before God.

*What if, everything the believer learns he or she did and portrayed? What if, we really acted out the pastor’s sermon? What if, we did the teacher’s teachings? What if, we mixed faith and works together in everything we did? What if, we really believed what we prayed?

I Kings 18: 20-21NKJ So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

Mount Carmel at its highest peek is 1,800 ft. It became a symbol of beauty and fruitfulness. It’s not known exactly what point of the ridge this contest took place between Elijah and 850 false prophets of Baal.

Elijah asks Israel “how long will you falter between two opinions?” Literally, “how long will you limp along on or between two twigs?” Israel hadn’t rejected the Lord, but they were seeking to combine worship of Him with the worship of Baal.

The issue posed by Elijah was that Israel had to choose who was their God!

You’ve heard the story, Listen to I Kings 18: 27-28NKJ And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.

Listen to I Kings 18: 36-40NKJ And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

If I’m not mistaking Elijah prays a, “63 word prayer.” “And then the fire of the Lord fell…

What if everything we learn through Christ we applied? What if we really believed?

John 7:37-39NKJ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Acts 2:1-4Amp. AND WHEN the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place, 2When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. 3And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. 4And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].