James 2:1-7 “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting
wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also
comes in. 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,” have you not discriminated among
yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: 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? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the
ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming
the noble name of him to whom you belong?
Last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continued his Sermon series through the
book of James. He states that there is a misunderstanding in our couture today
of what “mercy” is, and that we need to consider the possibility that we do not
have this “Mercy” thing down. To start to understand, we have to begin with the
awareness that the opposite of mercy is “judgment”. I heard recently that Matthew 7:1 surpassed John 3:16 as the majority’s favorite
verse in the Bible. We live today in a culture of “tolerance” that doesn't believe in judging anybody or anything, but that is not what God means or wants
by judging. It is true that people generally feel better if they come to a
conclusion of God and godly living (or the lack thereof) on their own. We
preach and teach the Word and the gospel, which points to the foot of the
Cross, and the Holy Spirit does the changing of the heart.
This side of heaven, we are all in the flesh and tempted towards
the sin of “partiality” over and over. It becomes full-fledged sin when we
treat people differently. James talks about “favoritism” and our worldly distorted
belief that celebrity and success compared to the truth of God. We put the rich
and famous on a pedestal. Think about this: “How would you treat your favorite
celebrity if they walked into your church?” How you do tells if you are
judgmental. The Bible tells of a rich, young Ruler (3 positions people wish
they were in), yet the man walked away sad and grieving when Jesus told him: “One thing you lack: go and sell all
you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
He chose which god he cared about more and would follow. Good judgment is vital
to live a healthy Christian life.
Proverbs 22:3 “The prudent sees
the evil and hides himself, but the naive go on,
and are punished for it.”
Let's read the conclusion to Pastor Kyle's sermon tomorrow.
In Christ, Brian
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