August 5, 2018
Evening Service

This morning James made it very clear to us that God does not tempt us with evil, but it is our own lusts that draw us into sin.  God is the “Father of lights” and all good and perfect gifts come from Him.  The gift of salvation and sins forgiven is easily the greatest ever given.  It is in appreciation of that gift that James tells us that we will make changes in our lives.  Changes like being swift to hear slow to speak, and slow to wrath are what he is talking about.  We are to listen to God speaking in our lives and do something about it.  We are to be purposefully adding good things into our lives and subtracting the bad.  James closes chapter 1 with two more practical thoughts for us to consider.

 James 1:26-27  If anyone thinks to be religious among you, yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is vain.  (27)  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

·        If we are unable to control our tongue, James says our faith is in vain.  We will dig into this a lot deeper in chapter 3.  He then tells us that “pure and undefiled” religion is to have compassion on those who have no one else to care for them.  He mentions widows and orphans here.  In the first century there was no economic source of help for them.  They would be forced to a life of begging or selling themselves into slavery.  We as the church are to be family for those who have none.  Giving and providing to those who have nothing to give us in return. 

·        He also states the “pure and undefiled” religion is to keep ourselves from letting the world corrupt us.  We are to totally commit to Christ and be transformed into living by His moral standards and not becoming conformed to the world’s standards.  We aim for perfection.

 

James 2:1-4 My brothers, do not have the faith of our Lord Christ, the Lord of glory, with respecter of faces.  (2)  For if there comes a gold-fingered man in fancy clothing into your assembly, and if there also comes in a poor man in shabby clothing, (3)  and if you have respect to him who has the fancy clothing and say to him, You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor, You stand there, or sit here under my footstool;  (4)  Did you not make a difference among yourselves and became judges with evil thoughts?

·        James after instructing us to visit widow and orphans warns us against the evil of favoritism.  The worldly response when we meet someone who is well dressed and drives a really nice car is to be drawn to them because that is the image we desire for ourselves.  The world tends to shy away from or even ignore those who are not dressed as well or seem to be not very well off.  James informs us that we are to be careful to change our views and treat everyone the same no matter their appearance or social status.

·        This certainly was an issue in the early church because of the oppressive circumstances that they were living under and the temptation that would occur in hopes of gaining financial assistance. 

 

 

 

·         I have seen churches now where this is a problem as they do exactly what James warns against.  They make the rich man feel welcome and needed and the poor man like he is not wanted at all.  They are quick even to try to place the well to do man in a position of authority so as to keep him committed to the church regardless of his spiritual status.  They also look at the poor as an inconvenience that needs to be seen on a limited basis and heard from even less.  How could you as a poor person feel welcome at a church that teaches God wants everyone to be “healthy and wealthy?”

·         Here at the Bride of Christ Fellowship, I sincerely believe we treat everyone equally.  We greet and welcome everyone and make them feel they are wanted, among friends, and never judged.  That is being a “doer” of the Word.

·        I personally have to watch myself when it comes to the opposite scenario.  I have to be careful not to judge a rich person of status that he is proud and self-centered just because they are well to do.

 

James 2:5  Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?

 

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

 

Matthew 5:5  Blessed are the meek! For they shall inherit the earth.

·        A rich man tends to have faith in his money where the poor place their faith in the Lord.  Jesus told his disciples this in Matthew:

 

Matthew 19:23-24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty enter into the kingdom of Heaven.  (24)  And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

·        Wealth and power can be great issues to overcome for those who have them.

 

James 2:6-9 But you dishonored the poor one. Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats?  (7)  Do they not blaspheme that worthy Name by which you are called?  (8)  If you fulfill the royal Law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.  (9)  But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors.

·        Showing partiality to anyone over another is sin.  Isn’t it the rich who oppress the poor seeking to even take what little they have from them for themselves?  They worship money and power as their gods thus blaspheming ours.

·        He then quotes another of Jesus’ commands which was one that summed up the Law in regards to our treatment of others; “to love your neighbor as yourself.”  Being a respecter of persons or showing partiality is denying the truth that this statement makes.  You can’t truly love someone and show partiality to them.  This again gives us the choice to be a “doer of the Word and not a hearer only.”

 

James 2:10-13 For whoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  (11)  For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." But if you do not commit adultery, yet if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law.  (12)  So speak and do as those who shall be judged by the Law of liberty.  (13)  For he who has shown no mercy shall have judgment without mercy, and mercy exults over judgment.

·        To best understand what James is saying we have to remember that he is writing to new Jewish converts who would understand the Mosaic Law.  It was viewed as one unit so breaking one command was in reality breaking the entire Law.  There was however a greater penalty for some sins above the others.  Those caught in the act of adultery and convicted of murder were to be stoned to death according to the Law.  Other sins would just require a sacrifice of a dove or young goat.  Those guilty of showing partiality had no penalty at all. 

·        In the new covenant that we live under sin is sin and all need to be confessed and forgiven equally.  There is no “little white lie” because all lying and false speech is sin.  Understanding that we are to shoot for perfection helps us to realize how short we fall of it and keeps us in mind that we need a Savior.

·          We are to speak and act with a forgiving spirit as one who has received forgiveness.  “I am a sinner saved and forgiven by grace.”   Who are we to judge others without mercy when we have been granted mercy and a freedom from judgement?

 

In summary James tells us we are to control our tongue and look out for orphans and widows.  We as the church are to provide for those who can’t provide for themselves. He also went to great lengths to explain to us that showing partiality is sin.  It is something we have to be very mindful of and avoid at all costs.  We are not to be one who judges others by their appearance.

 

Heavenly Father thank You for instructions Your Word gives us.  Please help us to treat everyone equally and love our neighbor as ourselves.