THE DIFFERENCE IS THE BUT…
What Faith Looks like
I cannot tell you how many times I have had this conversation. A person will tell me, I believe in god but that doesn’t mean I have to (insert evidence of faith here) read my bible, adopt every kid, and wear suit and tie.
To be clear you are right!! To follow Jesus you don’t HAVE to do a lot of things.
But IF you do follow Jesus, your life will show it. That doesn’t mean you need to go get a suite, sing in the choir, or become a street preacher.
But things will start to change…
Lets dig in→
JAMES CHAPTER 2
VERSE 1
My brothers, show no partiality
as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
From what I understand, the world was very segregated back then.
Greeks met with Greeks
Jews met with Jews
And further segregated by class (rich or poor)
Not confirming to this, as followers of Jesus, made us stand out but also had to be taught as we will see going forward
That phrase, “as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ”
I read this to mean, as you follow Jesus.
VERSE 2-4
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,”
4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
A gold ring could or should have been translated a gold fingered man. This would be someone who is SUPER rich and likely in a place of some type of authority (more likely roman than Jewish as we will see later they were dragging them into courts
Don't give the rich man a place of honor or a poor man a place of dishonor.
Have you not become judges with evil thoughts?
Either you have made judgement that money makes you more worthy of the gospel
Or you are elevating the rich bc you want something from him.
Both are evil thoughts...
In the 1st example you think that God deems the rich more worthy of salvation which is NOT TRUE.
In the 2nd example you're not worried about salvation at all, you just don't want to be around those who YOU deem less than you.
VERSE 5
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
I have to be honest… when I read things like this I am tempted to think that rich people are not chosen and poor people are chosen.
I don't think that James means that rich people cant be saved or that they are somehow evil, and for me the clue is the last part of vs 5. {which he promised to those who love him}
Loving Jesus is not dependent on your financial status.
I think what James is getting at is, why are you giving special treatment to the rich?
Is it to get something from them?
if so , don't be so quick to want money bc its easier to depend on God when you need him
VERSE 6-7
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
To me this sounds like someone with power is dragging them into courts. This isn't only about the money they have but the power they hold.
So what is it you hope to gain by sucking up to people of authority, influence, or money.
VERSE 8-9
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Royal law according to Scripture?
I think this is saying if you are following the old testament law, it looks like you are loving your neighbor like you love yourself.
Jesus said the entire law could be summed up in two things
Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength
and love your neighbor as yourself - paraphrased
its like he is saying, you cannot act the way you are acting and call yourself a follower of Jesus.
favoring one over another is not loving one of them.
application - we need to represent better
VERSE 10-11
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of 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 murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
Sin is a betrayal against our creator.
Some of us tend to think we are better because we don't sin in the same way, or as much as someone else.
We puff ourselves up by looking at lost people, and think "how could they?!?"
A murder looks at a serial killer and thinks, well I only murdered one person, he is out of control.
A man who cheated on his wife all the time looks at a murderer and thinks. I'm better than him. I'm no killer.
A cat burglar looks at a serial cheater and thinks, how could you!!
Nobody is immune to sin
we want justice for them
We want grace for us.
We are all guilty Why?
Because we didn't just betray some arbitrary set of rules,
we who are created betrayed the direction and provision of our creator.
Its not that we did a bad thing, its that we betrayed the Glory of God
James is telling the church they are not looking like Jesus and we are all guilty of that at some point, but it should not be the norm
VERSE 12-13
12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Get it together guys…
Have you ever been there? A friend, or a brother, or a person in the church called you to be better. but they did it in love? That’s what is going on here.
Law of Liberty?
this is referring to the grace and mercy of King Jesus.
You call yourself a Christian? start acting like it. You have been forgiven.
Jesus chose you AND everyone to be eligible for salvation, stop treating people like you were chosen and they weren’t.
show mercy to the poor bc Jesus showed mercy to you.
VERSE 14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Are we not masters at this?
We do this all the time and it looks like this.
I know your life is crap, and you need things,
or time,
or a friend,
or money,
or anything really
but I am just going to say “i hope it gets better” instead of how can I help
WHY do we do this?
because we don’t actually care.
because we want to sound like good people.
because we want to see ourselves as righteous
What good is that? if we say I am a Christian but our lives don’t show it?
James says your faith don’t have any teeth
VERSE 18
18 But someone will say,
“You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Lets call “someone” BOB
BOB says I believe in God, but that doesn’t change who I am, or what I do or how I talk…
James says, "Bob, You might not have faith at all, you might not actually believe any of this”
VERSE 19-26
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
23 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.
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 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?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead
Dear BOB,
So you say that you believe that God is one, that Jesus is King, that is a good thing to say, BUT EVEN THE DEMONS FEAR GOD!?! What I'm saying bob, is that your life isn't showing your belief!
Love James
Proof
Abraham said he believed
Proved it with obedience
Proved it by offering his son as a sacrifice (one time ask, God didn’t let him do it, wanted to prove his faith in action)
vs 24 - cant you see that works matters? it is the evidence
Rahab the prostitute said she believed YHWY
Proved it by hiding the spies
proved it lying to protect them
proved it by helping them escape
Rahab and her family were kept safe when Joshua overtook the land
BOB, How will you prove it?
YOU, does your life show that you believe?
Next Week We Look At How Our Words Testify Against Us →
YOUR MONDAY MARCHING ORDERS
ARE COMING…
IN CASE YOU MISSED A FEW
SUNDAY NIGHT MEETING
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tomorrow is Monday and that means you're likely heading into one of your largest areas of influence.
The people you will see tomorrow…
ENTER THE ARENA
EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES?
Tomorrow you enter the arena… If your like most of us, this is where you spend most of your time. This is the YOUR mission field. This is where, YOU, get to fight back the darkness!!!
Until next time,
Our King Is Coming, Be Ready