I want to first of all thank you for everything you've purchased for us or gotten ready for us to take over Zambia. That's going to be a tremendous blessing to be able to get back and to be set and ready to go and be able to jump into the ministry over there. And so I just want to thank you in advance for everything that you've already done for us over there. Preacher said people are asking if we were leaving next week. I'm not going to mention any names, but I know there's people that every time I see them, they ask me, when are you going back to Zambia? And I think they're getting pretty anxious for me to go back. So, but we're scheduled to leave June 28th and we're excited. God has really worked in our raising of support and he's taken us along and we've still got several meetings lined up, but God is really good and he's preparing the way for us. If you have a Bible tonight, I'd ask you to turn, please, to James, James chapter 2. And I want to preach a sermon entitled Dead or Alive. And the topic we're going to look at tonight is faith. Faith. Faith is the hinge on which our salvation and our Christian walk, our Christian life swings. We know the Bible talks a lot about faith and James in James chapter 2 is dealing with this topic of faith and really the whole book is dealing with faith. James is trying to show us that what real faith is and the importance of it. And in James chapter 2 in verse 17 we read, even so faith if it hath not works is dead being alone and then verse 20. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead. And the Bible describes faith a lot. The word faith is found 240 times within the Bible. In Matthew chapter 6, we read of little faith. And then again, Matthew chapter 8, we read of great faith. We know that there is such a thing as saving faith. And we know that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith is essential to our relationship with God and to our lives as believers. Living faith. James here is talking about dead faith. Dead faith is possible. It's possible to be saved on your way to heaven. and yet not to be living a life of faith. It's possible to be a Christian and have the confidence of salvation to know that when you die, your sins have been forgiven. Heaven is your home. And yet in this life. Be living a life of dead faith. Dead faith is faith that has no influence. It does not have the ability to bring one to obedience nor sway a life to godliness. Someone once described dead faith as a person whose brain dead. Technically alive, but practically dead. There are Christians who live their entire life, and if we're not careful, we'll be Christians who live their entire life. on our way to heaven, but not living a life of faith. Real faith is faith that moves a person to act. And that's what James is describing. He says you're saved. You should be living a life of faith and that faith should move you. Paul describes this kind of faith. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians. Many people think that James and Paul conflicted in their doctrines concerning faith and works, but that's not the case. Paul did describe. So saving faith, it's a faith without works, trusting in Christ alone and receiving Christ as your Savior. But that's not what James is describing. James is talking about saved people living a life of faith. And Paul describes this in 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 2. He says, Grace unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm sorry, I'm in 2 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Verse 2, we give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God our Father. Paul is describing the same kind of faith that James is describing, a living faith, an active faith. of faith that causes Christians to have influence. James is talking about dead faith, a faith that cannot move a person. Someone said true living faith, the faith that the Holy Spirit instills into the heart simply cannot be idle. Dead faith has no influence. Real faith moves a person to act and to live for the eternal. And so this evening I want to look at faith and I want to ask the question to all of us, is our faith dead or alive? Let's pray before we begin. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the service we had this morning, for the program and the music. We thank you for what we've already heard and God, many of us have testimonies of how when we heard the gospel, the fact that Christ died and was buried but he rose again and he died for our sins. We came to know Christ by faith. We know that that's the only way to have Christ as our Savior is through faith. But Lord, I think you're impressing upon my heart tonight and I hope that I can Preach on this clearly that there's so much more you want us to learn about faith. You want us to live a life of faith. You want our faith to be real, to change us, to move us, to motivate us, to cause us to be influential, to lead us to godliness. So, Lord, I pray that you would speak tonight Your people are hungry, they're thirsty for your word. Help us tonight, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Faith, real faith, living faith is faith that moves a Christian to act. It changes the way we live. It causes us to be influenced. It gives us influence, rather. So turn with me to Hebrews, chapter 11, and I want to just look at some people who allowed their faith in Christ to change them, not only just to save them, but to change how they lived every day. And I want to look at some people in Hebrews chapter 11, and I want to show you some things about living faith. The first person I want to show you is Abel. In Hebrews 11, verse 4, it says, By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead, yet speaketh. This is faith that caused him to live sacrificially. Faith, living faith, will cause a person to step out and sacrifice something for God. We know the importance of Abel's offering. We understand that it was a picture of the coming Christ. How that He was going to come and shed His blood for the remission of sin. But I think it's also important to notice that Abel sacrificed something dear to himself. Here was Abel. He went out and he decided that he would be a shepherd. He would be a tender of the flocks. And so he went out and he got some sheep or some together and he started a little herd of sheep and he got them growing and he protected them. Wild animals would come and try to steal the little flock away and kill and eat them and he would fight them off. He took them and led them to water so that they could drink, and he led them to pastures so that they could eat. He loved those little animals. They were his life, his income. They were precious to him. And he took one of them. And he took a sharp knife and took it across the animal's neck and watched as the blood poured out. all over the altar. He offered something that was very precious and dear to himself. We can give to God, but giving to God doesn't mean we're sacrificing for God. Abel took something that was dear, that was precious, that he had invested in, and he handed it over to God. He took his ambitions and he handed them over to God. He took his treasure and he handed it over to God. He took his family and he handed it over to God. He took his will and he handed it over to God. So many people hold on. They hold on to their own ambitions. They say, I want to do what I want to do. God, I believe in you to take me to heaven, but I don't believe in you enough to give you my ambitions, my will, my treasure, my time, my family. And so I'd ask, is your faith, if it's like that, is it dead or alive? Hebrews 11 says Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice. Yes, because it gave a picture of Christ and his coming and his death and his sacrifice, but also because of Abel offering something that I think was very dear and near to his heart. He was willing to give God something precious. Father, are you willing to hand something precious over to God so that you could raise your children up for him? Christian, are you willing to hand over something that's maybe dear to your heart? Precious to you? So that you could have a faith that's alive? So that your faith isn't dead faith? Abel's faith was a living faith. Because Abel didn't hold back anything from God. He was willing to sacrifice. He was willing to give God his all And God, I think, took notice of his faith because of that. Look at verse 7 and we'll talk second of all about Noah. Living faith, I think, is faith that will cause you to live sacrificially. But look at Noah here. Noah is mentioned to be a man of living faith or great faith. By faith, in verse 7, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house by the witch. He condemned the world and became and became heir of righteousness, which is by faith. I want you to notice that phrase moved with fear. And I think, second of all, living faith is faith that causes you to live seriously. That phrase, moved with fear, literally means to live circumspectly. I am not smart, so I looked up that word circumspectly. What does that mean? It means cautiously. It means carefully. It means seriously. It has the idea of a man walking through a minefield. You know, in the old days they would, during times of war, they would lay these mines out. because they wanted to keep the enemy from crossing the field or crossing the battlefield. And sometimes when they left, when the war was over, they left the mines there. And I've seen and I've read about these minefields and people will go through them trying to find these old mines that are still active and deactivate them. You don't see those guys running through those fields. You don't see them skipping along saying, I'm looking for mines. Here we go. Every step they take is a step that's taken circumspectly. It's a step that they look at and they consider and they take it seriously. Why? Because their life is involved. Their life is at stake. And so every step is calculated. Some people think that to live a serious life, that means to be dead. You know, some people think if they become a Christian, they're going to be dead. They're going to have to just go around and never laugh, never smile, never have a good time. Their life is over. You know, that's not true. God came and He wants to give us life and life more abundant. A full life, a wonderful life. A life that you should love. But that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be a serious life. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't be serious about some things. You know, there's a lot of things we need to get serious about. We just had our first child, and I tell you what, it's really opened my eyes of how serious I need to be in raising her. I was thinking about the illustration, you know, the first time I was holding her and somebody came into the hospital room for my brother-in-law or somebody came in and they said, Can I can I hold Hazel? I remember I went to hand her off to I think it was Joel or somebody. And man, that was a difficult thing. You know, you got to kind of twist and turn and. And he was being cautious and I was being cautious and we were kind of, oh, watch your head is flopping back and and I was being so careful, I was being so serious. Why? Because I didn't want to drop my little girl. I didn't want her to fall and get hurt. But you know what? If I prepare for my daughter physically, and if I protect my daughter physically, but I fail my daughter spiritually, then that's what really counts. A lot of parents They live serious when it comes to providing for their child. School bills paid. Clothes on their back. School books taken care of. Insurance. Medical checkups. Dental checkups. When it comes to their spiritual life, it's like they're running through that minefield. It's like they're just tossing the baby over. They're living, not seriously. This has the idea that Noah did not live a life of fear, but he did fear wasting his life. He lived with the confidence of salvation, but he lived with the ever-present knowledge that he would be judged for how he responded to his God-given responsibilities. All of us have responsibilities. God has given us all some responsibilities. I think about those servants, those stewards. Jesus gave an illustration. He said there was a rich man and he was going away and he gave some talents to his servants. Not all of those servants got the same amount of talents. Not all of us are going to have the same responsibilities. But all of those servants had some talents. All of them had some responsibility, and all of them had to face the Master when the Master came back. All of them. And they had to tell the Master what they did with what they had been given. I don't know what responsibilities God has given you. If it's children, that's a responsibility He's given you. If it's a ministry, that's a responsibility. If it's money, that's a responsibility. And there's more that we could talk about, but I don't know all the responsibilities that God has given you, but I know that God has given you some. Are you serious about them? Noah lived in a time when people weren't serious. They mocked God, they ridiculed God, they threw their sin into the face of God. They didn't care about the way of God. And we live in those same days. But we've got to be serious. Serious about what God has given us to do. Serious about the task that God has put before us. Do you move with fear when it comes to your children, raising them for God? Christian worker, do you take that ministry and do you move with fear knowing that those people in that ministry, their eternal soul could be on your Shoulders, whether they get to heaven or not. Child of God, when it comes to living to bring God glory and honor, are you moving with fear? Do you take that responsibility and say that's mine? Maybe your dad and mom. Here they didn't. They didn't take that responsibility serious, but now you're growing up. You have that responsibility. Are you bringing God glory? Are you bringing God honor with your life? That's a serious responsibility that God has given us. Noah moved with fear. He lived a life not dead. Not empty. He wasn't a man without a personality. He didn't walk around with a straight face all the time. Afraid to smile, afraid to have a good time. But he took his responsibilities that God had given him seriously. And he knew he was going to stand before God, and God was going to say, did you build the ark? Did you preach the word? Did you raise your family? Did you take your responsibilities seriously? But then lastly, tonight, we look at Abraham. In Hebrews 11, verse 8. By faith, Abraham. when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive her inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went by faith. He sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac. And Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. I think living faith is faith that's going to cause you to live sacrificially. I think for sure it's going to cause you to live seriously. But then I think it's going to cause you to step out. In verse eight, again, it says by faith, Abraham was called to go out into a place which he should have to receive her inheritance obeyed. And in verse nine, it says, by faith, he sojourned. You know what that means? It means he turned his back and he stepped out. He was a not a young man, probably when God called him. He had built himself a life. Maybe he had a house built and A job, a business, we know he was probably a very wealthy man. Maybe he had servants. Maybe he had responsibilities in the community. And yet when God called him to go to a place that he had never seen before, a place that he didn't understand, it was a strange place to him. He stepped out. He went out to sojourn. I think a lot of times God asks us to step out by faith. Maybe it's in the area of finances, he says when it comes to stewardship time, he says, are you going to step out? I'd like you to step out. I'd like you to give a little more. And we look at our finances and we calculate it all up and we say, God, I'd like I'd like to give more. I'd love to give more. I'd love to obey. But it just doesn't work out on paper. Can you imagine Abraham? Can you imagine him knowing that God had told him to move away from that place where his family was, where his home was, where his business was, where he was known and respected? Can you imagine him sitting down and writing out all the benefits of staying and then looking at God and saying, God, I'd love to obey you, but it just doesn't work out on paper. We might never know the name of Abraham today. If it wasn't for Abraham saying, God, I don't understand where you're taking me. I don't know why you're taking me there. All I know is that you're promising me something that I don't understand, that I don't yet have in my hands, that I can't see, that I can't touch, that I can't smell, that I can't experience. And yet I know that you want me to go there and take that and I'm going to step out. I only know my own experiences. God led us to Mongolia. We went with $300 total. I'm sorry, $500 total. We kept $200 here a month and received $300 a month. And we went there and we said, I don't know how this is all going to work out. I don't know how we're going to pay for our flight home. I don't know how we're going to pay for our bills and our insurance and our life back home. But you know what? God's calling us out, so we got to go. Shortly after we got to Zambia, the Olsons had left and I was at the church and the door, somebody knocked on the door. I let the man in. He was our landlord, our church landlord. And he said, Brother Rich, I'm not going to renew the lease for this building anymore for you. He said, I'm going to take this whole complex. I'm going to renovate it into a motel and I am not going to renew your lease. And so you have to find a new place. You know, I looked and I looked at him and I thought, wow, I'm supposed to come here and maintain a ministry. I'm supposed to come here and fill in for someone. I'm not supposed to come in, come here and move the church. I'm not supposed to come here and buy a building. He walked out of my office and I remember thinking, God, what are you doing? You know what God was doing? And I didn't know God was doing it at the time, but God was calling us out. He was saying, Independent Baptist Church of Cobwey, are you willing to step out by faith? Because I've got a piece of property for you that you don't know about yet. That you don't have yet. But I'm going to give it to you. Abraham stepped out by faith. Because his faith was alive. Abraham sojourned Because his faith was alive. Abraham pleased God with his faith. Because his faith was alive. So the question tonight is. Fairhaven Baptist Church, me as an individual, you as an individual. It's your faith. Dead or alive. Living faith causes people to live sacrificially, you'll give. More than money, more than treasure, you'll give your life. It causes people to live. It causes people to step out, to sojourn. It causes people to move with fear, to be serious. William Borden was the son of a millionaire businessman. The Borden Dairy Company at one time in American history was the largest dairy company, the largest dairy producing company there was. One day when he was a young man, Borden heard R.A. Torrey preaching. And one of the things that Torrey said in his sermon that God spoke to Borden about was Torrey said time and time again, give your life to God. Don't hold anything back from God. Surrender to God's will. Borden went home and he told his mom and dad that Even in his young age, he knew that God had called him into some type of full-time service. When Borden graduated from high school, his parents gave him an around-the-world cruise. I received, when I graduated, five dollars and a Hallmark card. Borden received an around-the-world cruise. And everywhere Borden went, He would get off the boat, and he would go into the ports, and he would see people. And he would see people, and he would see their need for salvation. And that's what God impressed upon his heart on that trip, that these people had a soul, and they were going to spend eternity somewhere. Borden got home from his trip, and he went to his mom and dad, and he said, Mom, Dad, I know that God has called me into some type of full-time service, and I know that God wants me to be a missionary, and I know that I need to learn the Bible. So they sent Borden off to Yale. At that time, Yale was a Bible college and Borden went there and while William Borden was there, he gave almost $70,000 to missions. In the back of his Bible, he wrote the words, no reserves. He said, God has given me some financial gain. He's put me in a wealthy family and I'm not going to hold anything back from God, including my money. So he wrote, no reserves. He graduated from Yale and went over to Princeton because he felt he needed more education in the Bible. And there at Princeton, he was about to graduate and people started coming to him. Big businessmen started to come to him and they started to offer him positions. They started to tell him that he could work for them, and that he could make a big salary, and that he could give more money to missions if he made more money. And they tried to entice him in that way, and he would tell them, no, I've been called into full-time ministry. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to be a missionary. And so the offers changed. They said, you can work for us for half the year, and then do your mission work for half the year. And William Borden began to consider those offers. And finally, God shook him and got a hold of his heart again. And so William Borden wrote no retreat. See, William Borden said no reserves, I'm not going to hold anything back from God, he wrote no retreat on God has called me, he's called me to step out by faith and I'm going to step out by faith and I'm not going to turn back from that. I'm going to go full force with that. I'm not going to turn back on God's will. William Borden graduated from Princeton and he boarded a boat. He was going to go to China to work with the Muslims there, but he thought that it would be wise to first stop in Egypt and to learn the Muslim culture. So William Borden got off the boat in Egypt, and shortly after he did, he became very ill. Before he ever preached one sermon in Egypt, before he ever translated one portion of scripture, Before he ever did anything that we would think would be Christian service, William Borden was on his deathbed. The doctors came to William's bed and they said, William, you're going to die. William said, hand me my Bible. When they handed William his Bible, they also handed him an ink pen. He turned to the back of his Bible and he read the words, no reserves. He read the words, no retreat. And there with his feeble hand, William Borden wrote the words. No regrets. There are a lot of people. I mean, going to come to their end of their life. And they're going to look back on their life. And they're going to know they're going to enter into heaven because they're saved. But they're going to live with a life, they're going to look back on a life full of regrets because they didn't live a life. Of faith. William Borden stepped out by faith. He sojourned. He went out. He was serious. And he sacrificed. Noah, Abraham, Abel, and many more had a life of living faith. And they accomplished great things for God. How is our faith Is it living? Or is it dead? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word, how clear it is.