2819 Church - Do Something | James 2:14-26 | Arik Hayes

Episode Date: February 9, 2026

In this piercing standalone message, Arik Hayes confronts the difference between being around faith and being changed by faith. Drawing from James 2, he reminds us that genuine biblical faith is never passive. It produces obedience, good works, and responds to the Gospel with action.

All right, beloved, please be seated in the presence of the Lord. Welcome to 2819, 19, church, beloved. We are a church that is, we'll continue to say it. We're a house of prayer, presence and proclamation, all three. And this actually, you know, I go through this. And this next part means a little bit more to me today. I want to welcome our online community, the digital disciples. We're going to clap it up, right?

We're going to clap it up. Right. So I don't know why pastor is going to address it when he comes back to the pulpit, but I want to just give you from my heart, right? So I was privileged to be able to see digital recyclers coming in from all over the world and trickling and from New Zealand, from Asia, from places in America, from Florida, Washington State, Ohio, Texas, everywhere, right? From the Virgin Islands, you know, we've seen that, right?

but I had the honor and privilege to see 7,000 digital disciples convened in one place over two experiences. See 2,000 plus respond to a call to either salvation or to contend for the gospel on their continent. And it changed me. It changed me. Different continent, same Christ. Different country, same God. different city, same Savior. As I look across this camera, welcome to our online community, digital disciples,

those in the UK and beyond. We love you. And also I want to welcome the unbeliever today. Yeah, we'll clap it up. Clap it up. Again, we'll continue to say this is a place where you can absolutely belong before you actually believe. I don't want to jump into the message real quick, but there's a difference between hanging around the things of faith.

and then having faith come in and change your life and then re-address you to go to heaven. There's a difference. We can sit on the same role but have different eternal death to nations, different fathers, different kingdoms, different things to do. And it's our hope, it is our prayer, it's our intention to do what we can to set the atmosphere so that the Holy Spirit, because nothing has. happens in the kingdom without the Holy Ghost. You can't manipulate somebody into the kingdom. It has to be something pure from the Holy Ghost. That we will be in the same family one day,

that you will come aboard the ark of safety so that when Jesus comes back, you'll go with them, with us. All right, right. And as customary, I want to honor the pastor of this house, Philip Anthony Mitchell. No pressure is an opportunity. No pressure. This is an opportunity. Opportunity to give honor where I believe we believe honor is do. As a church where I continue to walk through the book of Matthew, actually we're about to wrap this thing up here. Right. We titled this series that we're currently going through Cross to Commission.

However, I have the honor and privilege of preaching a standalone sermon to you that I've titled. Do something. Do something. By your head. Let me pray for us. Holy Father. how we need you, how we need you in this hour, how we're needy, God, in your presence, Lord God. Help us not coming to your presence with pride and arrogance as if we are independent from your grace

and your plan of salvation. God, I pray that you would bless this gathering, that we would behold your glory in the scriptures, as we've already done in worship and prayer, help them. vessel this morning, which is my self-guide, to be able to deliver your word with clarity and with truth and with power from the Holy Ghost. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Frank, am I hanging out with me, family?

Good to see you. Good to see you again. So family, it's a movie about, it's over like 20 years old, right? And the part that I'm going to talk about has actually stuck with me since I saw it, I want to say like the first time. There was this movie called John Q. Anybody seen it? It's actually a sad movie. Those that have not seen it, right? If you have not seen it, one of my friends, I mentioned a movie like a couple months back. It was like, it was a spoiler alert. I was like, the movie's 20 years old. If we can't talk about movies

that are 20 years old, like, what are we? Love you, by the way, if you're looking, all right? But I'm going to spoil it for you, at least part of it, right? It's about, it's about a family. African American family mother father and it was a son and he was actually playing a baseball game and he was just running like nothing was happening

all of a sudden he just like passed out and then like the plot just really takes off from there so he goes to the hospital and it's like it's discovered that he has like a very serious heart issue and they're saying that he needs like a heart

transplant right the whole point of the movie they're going through that's just a trial of the family of the father of the mother of the son it's it's it's it's heart wrenching because now we're we're talking about insurance and we're talking about money and honestly we don't feel like we should have to be dealing with either of those we're talking about saving our life so like pushing them you know insurance is pushing him around he needs money he's middle America he's doing stuff man and and it keeps going and there comes a point in this movie or he's trying he's doing it's doing it doing stuff and he and he's doing it and then and then his wife was at the hospital he was out to handling something and um his wife was at the hospital and she called him just like john she was like she started talking like a monotone voice and uh they were like yo they're going to release him talking about the son they're going to release him and he's like baby i just gave him money it's like everything's going to be oh she's like no you don't you don't understand they're going to release him that they're sending him to perish and die he was like but baby it's going to be okay she's

like, no, it's not going to be okay. And she comes along and I don't know why, but it resonated my soul even to this day. She said, do something. And I think that was one of her best, best things on screen because I felt like she was really the mother. I forgot that this was a movie. I don't think I had children. No, I didn't have children then. But it resonated. Do something. Yeah, I started suffering. You see what's going on. You see the tubes in its nose. I need you to do something. And I was arrested. She had conveyed the conviction and the heart of someone who cared about the son. And she was saying, because something is happening with the sun, if you care about the sun, you need to go and do something.

Likewise, beloved, we're saying real biblical faith. If you have conviction that the son lived a sinful, a sinless life for you. your sinful self. And he came down from heaven, lived that life, was scourge. We saw a couple weeks back. Was beaten. It was crucified.

Crown of thorns on his head. Nails in his hands and his feet was placed in a tomb. It was risen on the third day. And because of that, your sin debt is paid. You now have access to our heaven. Father, we now through faith in him have been adopted. We are now a part of the kingdom from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his

dear son Christ. And now that is our reality. And we're saying if you believe that, if you have conviction in that, if that is real to you, beloved, we have to do something. If you really believe it, I'm going to jump into James. He's going to talk about this. We're just going to walk through the scriptures. love it. We're going to jump into James too.

Jump into verse 14. We're going to see what the Lord has to say. At verse 14, we're going to look at 14 through 16 together. James says, what good is it, my brothers? If someone says, they says, if someone says he has faith but does not have words. Can that faith save him? Amplified says in that same verse,

what is the benefit, my fellow believers? if someone claims to have faith but has no good works as evidence. Can that kind of faith save him? It says no, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient. And it ends that verse by saying, genuine faith produces good works. So we're going to hang out right there, beloved. Genuine faith produces good works. verse 15 it says now if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to him go in peace be warm and filled without giving them the things needed for the body what good is that

verse 17 so also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead right so we're actually Everybody knows, right, we went over to London and the UK last week, had an amazing time, met, again, digital disciples, and we essentially just picked up 2819 and took it to the UK. That's what we did, right? So everybody knows you heard me preach. I'm like a real homebody. That's not like something. I just be up here saying.

I can be a homebody in a whole other country. No, I'm not playing. I'm listening. I'm prepping. I could have just stayed in the room. like the whole time and you'd call me a weirdo and you would have been correct

okay but my good elder was just like hey man let's we all we all the way over here let's let's at least go do something all right so it's so funny I was just like well how long we're going to be out elder I was like I'm serious by this home by this stuff

they're going to know how long I was like you might just go out for a little bit you mind you mind coming and drop me off you're like sure so I'm like now I ain't got to be out of seven hours all right all right All right. So we came down. We were blessed to have a car be able to shut us around for a day. And I came out and I'm a bigger guy, right? And I'm used to like Georgia. Like we really don't, for the most part, until it got crazy two weeks ago. Like we hang out in the 40s. Right? And the 40s is enough for me to change plans. Like, no, I'm not coming outside. I don't think. I don't think it's something I really want to do. Right. So I was just like, all right. Well, I thought it, you know, I looked at it was like 39. So I just had something like this. And I stepped outside. to see if the car was there. And that wind from London was eating these jeans up. So I came back

inside. I think I was like, you, um, that's all you're going to wear? I was like, yeah. Then I went out there one more time and again, it was eating these jeans up. And I was like, man, we're going to be walking around. I'm going to go upstairs and put a thermalone. Now I haven't put a thermalone since 92. So if I'm sitting there, somebody would have walked past me. Like, hey, man, God bless you. Warm yourself. Be cool. You're going to be all right. And thought they really helped me.

I would have looked at them like they were crazy. Because I'm famous for saying, hey, man, I don't need a coat. I'm only going to be outside for five seconds anyway. From the car to the building, I'm fine. But no, if I was out there in the elements and that wind is different in the UK because it's surrounded by water. And I'm out there shivering. just telling me, be warmed.

What help is that going to do? Some of y'all laughing, right? Yeah, can you imagine a look I would have given you. It says in the same way, beloved. So also faith by itself. If it does not have works, it's dead. Verse 18, beloved, it says, But someone will say, you have faith and I have works.

Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you faith by my works. slow down here. And four five verses says, someone may say, you claim to have faith and I have good works. Show me your alleged faith without the works, if you can. And I will show you my faith by my works. That is by what I do. And I want to stop here, right? I'm going to continue to nail this home because we believe saved through faith by grace. Right. So we can appear like I'm saying something indifferent here, but I am not, right? It's almost like James is coming to further clarify what Paul talks about in the Pauline

epistles, right? Saved through faith alone, but it's like, so somebody on our staff is actually pregnant, right? And we like, they told us, they shared it with us, we were like, yeah, she's pregnant. With that being said, we're saying it's just a matter of time before she delivers the baby. Okay, we're not going to come when she has the baby. I'm like, oh my gosh, what happened? We already were made aware that she was pregnant. And the baby is growing and growing and growing.

And there are growing pains with that sometimes. Right? You got to change the way you walk. Sometimes the pregnant waddle. I've seen it a time or two. Right? Right. And there are contractions.

There's your birthing things in the spirit. And then she delivers the baby. baby. What I'm telling you, beloved, is genuine, biblical, real, true faith is connected with the umbilical cord to obedience and good works. They are not separate. And I'm going to jump in the 19. And listen, this is one that will shake up verses. Like where it says, you know, um, you know, you know, Lord, we did all this in your name. He says, depart from me. I knew you not.

This is another shake-up verse to me. Okay? All right. So verse 19 says, and he's writing to Jewish believers at this time. He says, you believe that God is one. You do well. Sounds amazing, doesn't it?

Right? He says, even the demons believe and shudder. Let me give it to you in the amplified verse. He said, you believe that God is one. You do well to believe. that also says the demons also believe that and shudder and bristle in all field terror they have seen his wrath take that down we also think that's a good thing you're running to somebody man who you believe in you believe jesus god yeah you look at god is the one true and living god yeah man man when the church

you know my family let's say give you you start talking people yeah man we grew up in the church i didn't ask you about none of that i could actually care less but i'll listen right i'm looking for it You have faith? When he comes back, are you going? I just want to make this very plain. Well, verse 19 is saying, just by having a mere confession or a mental assent or a belief that God is the true and living God, that puts you in the same designation as the demons. You see why?

Because we love you, we just can't let you believe that you can just say you a Christian and just do whatever you want and think that you in the kingdom. You see how that's love, beloved? Verse 20, ESV. He continues. He says, do you want to be shown, you foolish person that believes that? That faith apart from works is useless? Amplified. But are you willing to recognize you foolish, spiritually shallow person?

That faith without good works is useless? They go to some Old Testament examples of faith with works. We're going to jump into verse 21. We're talking about Abraham. the father of our faith. 21 says, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son, Isaac, on the altar? Verse 22.

You see that faith was active, say active, along with his works, and faith was completed by his works. Stop. Right? So, so, so I know it says justified by his works, right? The further explanation was that. justified by his faith-inspired works. One, because true genuine faith in the womb and the actual delivering of the baby are connected. So what I'm really saying, beloved, I'm going to say it a couple different ways.

You cannot have true biblical faith and not have works of obedience and fruit of righteousness. It cannot happen. I'll give you 22 and the amplified to further nailed at home. You say, you see that his faith, faith was working together with his works. Faith works together. And as a result of the works, his faith was completed, reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience. I got to tell you something, beloved. I said the word obedience and it didn't sit right with me.

If we're honest, that's not even a word we use anymore. My wife in the kitchen the other day She says she's saying you're just being disobedient To one of the children I'm the daddy and the elder And I was like oh it sounded a little judgmental Don't you feel the same And somebody just walked right up to you and it's like hey You're being disobedient who are you talking to

Even as believers we don't connect faith with obedience to God You want to label us Bible thumpers You're saying you actually have to obey the scriptures If you have faith it will result in obedience. Let me stop right here. Because some of y'all, you're a little nervous. He's like, I don't know if I'm saying. And what you want to do is you want to run out, and now you just want to start doing stuff. Stop. That's not it. We've been preaching all through Matthew, right? And it's been showing us just because you have religious activity,

it does not mean that you are connected to the Savior. Does not mean that. Right? Right? So if you see yourself and you actually have a true confession of faith, you believe it's true, right? I want you to do one thing. Is there at least a seed of obedience? It's heartshed time because I don't know where you sit. We got the wheat and the tear in the same room. Only the Holy Ghost knows. Do you at least have a seed of obedience?

Something working in your soul to say, I've got to live right. I got to love, I got to forgive, I got to be generous, I got to serve, I just can't be wallowing in the waves of darkness. Is there something moving on the inside? Something. Don't you be comparing yourself to nobody else either? I'm talking about your life. Is there something that is tied with the umbilical cord is tied to true biblical faith on all that

Christ did on the cross, the finished work? if so, beloved. If it is tied directly to that and you are fighting your sin nature, which is also present. But you're connected to that. You have been pregnant with the Holy Ghost. Then you are saved.

That is called real, true, biblical faith. Verse 23. And it says, and the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God. And it was counted to him as righteousness and he was called

a friend of God you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone again look at that word right there right the faith and the works are together and because we see his works

it is evidence that faith in God was on the inside of him for those that know the story He was promised a son, Isaac. And God told him to go and sacrifice Isaac, his only son. And back then it was a very serious thing. Your son was your lineage, was really your everything. It was a big deal.

He had been waiting for Isaac. And here is God telling him to go and sacrifice. The very promised son that God promised him. And he delivered. and he told him to take him up on that mountain and sacrifice him. And because he had faith that he believed in God, he started up the mountain. You see how biblical faith right there, it can't be hidden. And there are those that believe that Isaac was a type of Christ, like a foreshadow of Christ

because he was the son and he actually had to say the wood that they were going to use for the offering on his back up the hill. I'm not mistaken, it was the heart wrench of board. I was reading. He said, Isaac spoke up. because it's just three days. Something along the lines up. I see the wood, but dad, where's the sacrifice? He's old enough to carry wood and know what's going on.

And what is stopping some of us in our maturity in God is we will not walk up the mountain with our Isaac. I know I can preach this and makes a real big moment. I don't want none of that. I want you to listen to what I'm saying. Do you have an Isaac that is dear to you? That God is telling you to sacrifice and you're telling him, know and you're being disobedient.

Is it the marriage in this season? Is it the business that you want? Do we even consider his plan for our life when we try to go get the masters? Or is it the ministry that you want for your own name? What is it? I don't know. You know and the Holy Ghost knows. He demonstrated his faith by his willingness to sacrifice.

So those that don't know the story, right? If you ever heard the term ram in the bush, that's where it comes from. Right? So they get up on the mountain. and God says, hey, don't do it. He was actually about to do it. He had the knife in there. He called out to him.

Don't do it. And he looked up and saw a ram. So they actually did the sacrifice there. That's a biblical faith, y'all. He didn't say, yeah, that I believe you. He got up and went up the mountain. He heard the word of the Lord. And if you hear the gospel, it's going to lead to you doing something.

If you really believe it. Verse 25. Another Old Testament example. It says, and in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute, justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? Right. So, so Rahab, and I love this, because the Bible don't clean things up before they present stuff to you. What was her profession? The prostitute.

And don't clean up with her. We know what prostitutes do, don't we? She was in the promised land. And two spies were sent in to spy on the promised land. and she hid them. And when she hid them, she lied. So now we have a pagan lying prostitute. I know we only want to talk about her sin.

That's cool. That's cool. That's cool. Right. A pagan lying prostitute is being used as an example of having faith. Now, if you're super religious, you just, ah, you may have missed that. Am I going to pass? How you do it?

Is that what he do? Is that how you do? Right? right but for somebody like me I am happy because and especially if you're a new believer that should make you happy too because listen you can have

faith and still not be all the way cleaned up of course we don't promote line promote prostitution but she had faith she hid them she was like I know you guys serve the true and living God and the pagan line prostitute said she said hey swear by me I'm going to house you here

but when y'all come and take this land? Because our guys, we over here scared. They said they heard of your God. It said, their heart melted. I know y'all about to take over. So when y'all come, save me in my household. And I'll give it to you again. So what they did was, they said, listen, I swear it to you. Now, if anybody is not in your house and stay in your house, we come, our blood is not, their blood is not on our hands. But if they stay in your actual house, they will be saved. Now, that reminds me of in the Old Testament, When the plague went out, they were going to kill, and all here they'd do was smear the blood on the doorpost.

We were not expecting everybody in and make sure they're righteous, their righteous, their clean, their holy. No, the blood made them holy. And everybody that did that smeared by the blood was saved. I'm so glad. I'm smeared by the blood of Jesus. So glad. And said, Rahab, her domicile was actually like built into the wall of the sin. So on the outside, let's say she actually held, she hung like a scarlet rope on the outside.

And that's how they identified. And it's the same imagery, right? It's the blood that saved. Yes, she was a line pagan prostitute, but she believed in the true living God. And she demonstrated her faith. Was she all the way cleaned up? Absolutely not. But she was used.

And I'm looking at people, if you just have real faith, you can be used. Use for his glory. Use for his kingdom Use Verse 26 And it ends this section of the scripture After these two Old Testament examples that they gave For as the body apart from the spirit is dead

So also faith A confession of faith Just saying you believe Apart from works of obedience Works of submission to Christ Righteous good deeds Is dead and just to nail that word one more time,

verse 26 to amplified, for just as the human body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works of obedience is also dead. We talk about works, fan, it just can't be about being seen. Christ continually rebukes the Sadduxies and Pharisees and the Gospels about doing stuff to be seen. That's not it.

Just can't run out and just start doing stuff. Now I'm going to squad. Is it connected to the faith in the sun? not manipulation not to be seen is it biblical faith that the blood of the Savior has been smeared by the holy gross across your soul to a couple of y'all some of y'all are saved but some need to stop quenching the spirit and do something so I don't know where this lands the holy ghost and you know right right some of y'all are saved but the spirit and you have been pregnant right right you have been pregnant, but the Holy Ghost will tell you to do something and you'll just dampen it.

No, no, you're saved. You're right. You're like, send the text to that person to show up. You ain't seen them in three Sundays. This is the thing. You don't say this out loud. You say this in your heart. A lot of times our disobedient is not out loud, but we're being disobedient.

I've read the doomscrow. Can I tell you something, beloved? Sometimes, sometimes you're dealing with something because you just refuse to be bored enough to listen to the Holy Ghost. Every time you get a free second, you got a screen in front of your face. Down here, over there, up here, you're looking, just trying to be entertained. But you are pregnant, and the Holy Ghost is speaking to you, and you are not incline in your ear, and we are being disobedient. I said we. We in this thing together. And some of y'all are thinking, I'll obey, but you're dealing with timing. Now, I like to say it's a ditch on both sides of the road, right?

When it comes to timing, some of you guys are using timing as an excuse because you're uncomfortable. Like Linnell said like about a month ago, right? We're just using planning as an excuse. Like how many different tabs or bookmarks you're going to make before you just make a move? How many influence you're going to follow on the thing before you just make a move and actually do something? Well, I don't know everything. You won't. You'll never learn everything in a book or been research.

never and that some of you won't consult the Lord at all you just gonna go out and do stuff I'm gonna sit here doing it yeah I'm doing it hey man did you consult the Lord on timing they could be doing it and they can be being obedient but because you could be doing the same things and they're good but because it's not your time you're being disobedient you see why intimacy with the Holy Ghost is so important because on the surface, I can't tell. Y'all doing the same thing. And you're doing a righteous thing.

But the Holy Ghosts say, yeah, it's your time. You wait. I'm still seasoning things for you. I'm still lining things up for you. It's not ready yet. I have not forgotten you. Just hold in the air right. Need you to hold in a holding pattern right now.

Can I tell you something? I was coming out of the worst season of my life. And my pastor hit me up. He said something. He said, sometimes he will make you lie down in green pastures. I had been saved for most of my life. I had never looked at it like that. It says, make you lie down in green pastors.

Don't even sound right. If I see a green pastor, why would I fight you? Why would I fight you on laying down? We're distracted, beloved. Sometimes we won't see the green passion that the Lord is prepared just for you. Look, look, look. This is just for you. We're busy.

Sometimes we're just being disobedient. Sometimes we're chasing stuff that is used to distract us from the will of God. Ain't that a sad thing? I made this just for you. Come back. But this is, this is made just for you. Come back. Where are you going? My sister here said, tap me on the shoulder. That's what the Holy Ghost does. But I'm going to tell you, family, it's not, it's not always like this. Most of the time, he ain't forceful like that. Usually something like this. And because it's light and we're disobedient and distracted, we say God didn't speak. Can I nail that at home for you? How much more sense of to the Holy Ghost? you in the middle of a fast.

When you've dampened your flesh, you're weakened, all of a sudden, you're hearing, just, y'all been on the flight, it just popped open. We think he started speaking. A lot of times he's been speaking the whole. Last for not least, I'm going to speak to the weary Satan here. You have biblical faith. You've given birth to many babies. You have good works.

You're weary. Life's been kicking your tail. You're getting kicked in the chest, and you gasping for air. Beloved, I came to encourage you this morning and say, don't give up. Hold on, beloved. Hold on, beloved. Nobody sees me. God sees you.

Maybe this is him using me this morning. Hold on, beloved. Maybe you'll cross this screen and in the chat. Hold on, beloved. I don't know what role you are. Just listen. Is this the Holy Ghost? Hold on, beloved.

Don't you give up? Don't you abort the mission? Don't you give up? Last verse. Give me 1st Corinthians 15, 9 and 10. This is Paul speaking. He says, for I am the least of the apostles. This is Paul speaking.

Apostle Paul written, writing two-thirds of the New Testament. A lot of it from jail sales. Unworthy to be called an apostle. This is where Paul quotes has passed. I'm unworthy because I persecuted the church of God. Amplified says, because at one time I fiercely oppressed and violently persecuted the church of God. Can we all land in verse 10, beloved? He says, but by the grace of God, I am what I am.

Maybe you don't think I deserve to be on this platform, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. Rag tag, bee paper people on different continents for the glory of God. By the grace of God, I am what I am. I didn't qualify according to you. It might be true, man. And maybe you don't qualify for other people. By the grace of God. we are who we are.

Verse 10 in the amplified, I'll end here. He says, but by the remarkable grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace toward me was not without effect. Now look at what is tied to the grace of God in Paul's life. Speaking of the rest of the apostles, he said, in fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles. This is what he says. He says, though it was not I, but the grace of God, his. unmerited favor and blessing which was with me. Faith connected to his works.

Grace to be impregnated with the gospel. Grace and favor to do the works. I don't know what that's going to look like for you, man. What works has the Lord planned for you that you're not doing. If you are doing it, let's put some more into it. It may look like going to growth track after the third experience. I don't know. Let me look like going out to our month of serving. You serve M25. I don't know. Open the daycare.

I don't know. Reconciled the marriage. Honor your parents. I don't know. God and the Holy Ghost does. It's not about doing stuff. It's about doing it because he died on the cross for us. And that faith, real faith, produces good works.

By your head, let me pray for us. Holy Father, I just thank you for just your grace and your goodness, God. Real biblical teaching, God, where James gets us together here. Let us us know what real biblical faith is. Help us listen to the nudge of the Holy Ghost. Some of us may even need to examine whether we are actually in the faith. And that's a good thing now before eternal judgment hits. God, we ask you to do what only you can do.

Search the hearts of men. and continue to draw into yourself. It's in Jesus name I pray. Amen and amen. Love you, beloved. God bless.