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Introduction Our world is full of favorites. Its true. I'll prove it to you - what if right now Julia Roberts and Robert Redford walked in the room. We'd all stop what we were doing and fawn over them. We play favorites all of our lives. School mates played favorites with who got to be on their team, or who got to come over for that special sleep-over. We love those who are successful and famous and rich and we look down with pity on those who have lost jobs or are down and out or who just aren't "with it." Last week we talked about looking in the mirror and examining your life - seeing what's really there and not the image we want to see. Today we talk about what happens when we look outward at other people - do we gravitate towards those that we admire or want to be like according to worldly standards - or do we look beyond the surface to see what really lies beneath. As we look into this mirror and I want to mention the one word that sums up this chapter - and it might surprise you. It's FAITH. Keep that in mind as we move through the verses - the real focus isn't favoritism, or the law, or obedience, or works - its FAITH. Verse 1 - 4 Our Value System 2:1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Don't show favoritism seems like an obvious directive. But we fall prey to it fairly easily. The problem is in what we value. Our value system is still too influenced by the world around us. What does the world value? o Money o Power o Fame o Good looks It is natural for us to use that same value system on each other. When we encounter a believer who has any of these qualities we automatically give them just a little more deference than the person who walks in off the street and looks dirty or smells funny or who is in obvious need. The point here isn't that we treat rich famous people with contempt and put them in the last row in the church to prove we aren't showing favoritism - the point is that we need to value in people what God values in people. And what is that? We find out in verses 5 Verses 5 - 7 Heavenly Currency 5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 5 - tells us that it is FAITH that is the currency in God's kingdom - the thing He values and applauds. Faith - not wealth. This requires a sea-change in our attitudes - it's the person who has had it rough and yet has grown closer to God - THAT is the person who should be given deference - not those who "have it all" in the world's eyes. 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 6 - 7 Here James is saying - it's really foolish by any means to show favoritism to the well off or well placed - because it is that class was the chief means of oppression. In other words - it doesn't do any good to show favoritism any way, not even in the world. Verses 8 - 9 Cherry Picking 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. The idea here is: "if you really want to do what's right - following God's command to love one other - yet you play favorites - you are breaking the very principal you claim to want to keep." Love your neighbor as yourself doesn't mean you give place to the rich because you would love to be rich - thus you are loving others as you would love yourself. No. The point is we can't cherry pick through God's Word and decide what we like and don't like - God cares about the "little" things as much as the "big". Just because you don't murder, yet show favoritism doesn't justify you as a "righteous" person. Verses 10 - 11 Sin & The Law 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Great verse for witnessing - a lot of people say to God "I've basically been a good person - I've done a few things wrong, but who hasn't. You should balance the good I did against the bad and the good will outweigh the bad." It doesn't work that way - even one little sin - say lying for instance - makes you guilty of the entire law. Verses 12 - 13 Mercy & Judgment 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! I think the idea here is: The law that gives freedom is a law of love. We can't let something like favoritism weaken our character. God is merciful - so we too should be merciful. We received mercy - so we should show mercy to others and not favoritism. Don't expect mercy if you aren't willing to show mercy. This DOESN'T mean that you will be condemned to hell if you treat someone badly - in fact he ends the section by saying that God's mercy will overcome even our failures - but the admonition is clear - act like someone who knows better - don't show favoritism. Verses 14 - 26 Faith & Works This section is often misunderstood. On the surface we might think this is a counter argument to Paul who says: Eph 2:8-10 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Paul says we cannot justify ourselves or earn our way to heaven by anything we do. I also do not think there is a disagreement here as many suggest - that Paul believes in faith only for salvation, and James believes in faith and works for salvation. James main point is that faith isn't mere belief - but belief that does something. We misunderstand because he starts our with a practical example - its not literal, but figurative. Let's read it: 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. The main point here isn't that it's our responsibility to feed every poor person we come across. He is painting a picture and he uses 4 snapshots to illustrate his point. 1. The Needy Person - just telling someone to have a nice meal doesn't fill their belly. In the same way just talking about faith doesn't fill your soul with salvation - you have to act on it - do something about it - respond to it. 2. Demons - Demons believe - and shudder. But their faith is empty because they simply acknowledge facts. They don't have a relationship with God, they don't love God, and they don't follow His commands. So with us - we can acknowledge the existence of God all we want - but unless that knowledge leads to a relationship, it means nothing. 3. Abraham - the man of faith. James points out that Abe's faith was demonstrated by the fact that he was willing to offer up his son Isaac. For us there needs to be some demonstration that what we believe will convert to actions that accompany faith - that result from it. Abe would never have offered Isaac if he didn't believe that God would raise his son back up - a son God had promised him. 4. Rahab - The story found in Joshua 2. Israeli spies checking out Jericho. Rahab gave the lodging, hid them, let them escape then pointed the Jericho posse in the wrong direction. Rahab was willing to put herself at risk for what she believed - that the Israel boys were wearing the white hats and that trusting in them would result in benefits for her. There is a big risk putting you faith in someone else - you could be subject to public ridicule, or worse - Rahab was willing, are we? More than Words (needy person) Evidence of a Relationship (demons) Demonstration of Faith (Abraham) Willingness to Risk (Rahab) We must also do something WITH it. Jesus painted a picture of this for us in Matthew 25:14-30. The wicked servant: 1. Didn't like the master 2. Lied about the master's intentions 3. Wanted nothing to do with the master's business 4. Didn't really know the master - a "make-believer" We can't just take the seed of faith or the gospel - and just hide it somewhere without taking action on it. What the section in James DOESN'T say is that in order to justify your faith you must produce charitable works - though that's good and your faith will probably result in that. But its not a justification or our faith. He's just saying that faith must produce action in your life - you must act on your faith. Faith doesn't exist in a vacuum - faith gives birth to action. I suggest that that action involves: o Confession (of faith to God and others) o Submission (of life to God) o Conversion (of old man to new) o Transmission (of faith to others in love and confession of your faith) Conclusion So how do we put this chapter into action in our lives? How do we put our Faith into deeds? 1. Make sure you faith is not empty - that you indeed have a relationship with God 2. Allow Him to grow that faith through trials 3. Don't just play the game - mouth the words - examine your life and let Him change it 4. Stretch your own faith by pressing into God and asking Him to move through you - faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen - so PRAY and ask God to move on your life and the lives of those around you. |
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