JAMES (Series)

LOVE AND

ACCEPTANCE

James 2:1-13

WHO WAS JAMES?

WHO WAS THE LETTER WRITTEN TO?

WHAT IS THE LETTER ABOUT?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

INTRODUCTION

JAMES’S CHALLENGEWHAT IF YOU TREAT EVERY PERSON:

REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY BELIEVEREGARDLESS OF HOW THEY LOOK OR ACTREGARDLESS IF THE HAVE MUCH OR LITTLE

WHAT IF YOU TREAT EVERY PERSON-LIKE THEY WERE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GODAND THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BELIEVE, LEARN, GROW AND LOVE

WHAT IF THEN YOU WOULD IMPACT OTHERS BY THE WAY YOU LIVE!

James 2:1-4“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby 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 over there’, or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

James 2:5-10“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 to those who love Him? 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? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of Him to whom you belong?”“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For, whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

James 2:11-13“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 became a lawbreaker.”“So speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

AUTHENTIC FAITH MEANS:TREATING ONE ANOTHER WITH HONOR!

NOT SHOWING FAVORITISMNOT SHOWING PARTIALITYNOT EXERCISING DISCRIMINATION

TREATING ONE ANOTHER WITH EQUALITY!TREATING ONE ANOTHER WITH GOD’S LOVE!

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PROBLEM TREATING OTHERS DIFFERENTLY ON THE BASIS OF:APPEARANCE / AGE / ANCESTRY / ACHIEVEMENT / AFFLUENCE / ACADEMICS

AUTHENTIC FAITH DEMANDS EQUALITY!EVERYONE IS EQUAL!

“THERE IS NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK, SLAVE NOR FREE MAN NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE, FOR ALL ARE ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.” (Galatians 3:28)

THE IMPERATIVE!“MY BRETHREN, DO NOT HOLD YOUR FAITH WITH PARTIALITY, FOR YOUR FAITH IS IN JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS GOD, AND GOD DOES NOT SHOW PARTIALITY!” (James 2:1)

THE LAW IS CLEAR!Deut. 1:17 “…You shall not show partiality….”

Deut. 10:17 “…The Lord your God who is mighty, greatand awesome does not show partiality….”

Deut. 16:19 “…you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the rich, but you shall judge fairly.”

THE ILLUSTRATION“JUST SUPPOSE… A rich man and a poor man come into the synagogue and you say to the rich man, “Sit here in the place of honor,” but you say to the poor man, “sit here on the footstool,” have you not become an evil judge showing partiality?” James 2:2-4

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT THE POOR?

1. JESUS HIMSELF CAME INTO OUR WORLD AS POOR2. “Did not God choose the poor of this world….” VS. 53. Both the poor and the rich “in Christ” have something money can’t buy and the human eye can’t see!

THE INSTRUCTION!

THE INDICTMENT!

“BUT YOU…” vs. 6

BUT YOU have acted against God vs. 1BUT YOU have dishonored the poor vs. 6BUT YOU have acted irrationally vs. 6,7BUT YOU have sinned vs. 9BUT YOU have broken the whole law vs. 10

THE IDEALHOW TO LIVE GOD’S WAY

“IF HOWEVER… you are fulfilling the royal law according to Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.”

James 2:8

THE CHALLENGE OF LOVING OURSELVES!

WHAT IS YOUR LOVE FOR YOURSELF BASED ON?

PERFORMANCE? PEOPLE’S APPROVAL PROVISION? GOD’S APPROVAL

THE BOTTOM LINESHOW MERCY TO OTHERS BECAUSE GOD HAS SHOWN MERCY TO YOU!

“FOR MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT!” (James 2:13)

LESSONS FOR MY LIFE TODAYDON’T DECEIVE YOURSELF BY THINKING THAT IF YOU TREAT SOME PEOPLE BETTER THAN OTHERS, IT WILL BE TO YOURADVANTAGE!

LESSONS FOR MY LIFE TODAYDON’T DECEIVE YOURSELF BY THINKING, YOU CAN DISOBEY GOD IN SOME AREA OF YOUR LIFE AND IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL! GOD SAYS IT IS A BIG DEAL!

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of the whole law” (James 2:10)

LESSONS FOR MY LIFE TODAYGOD VALUES EVERY PERSON EQUALLY WITHOUT REGARD TO THE FACTS OR CONDITIONS OF WHO THEY ARE – THEREFORE WE SHOULD TREAT OTHERS THE WAY GOD DOES!

LESSONS FOR MY LIFE TODAYAUTHENTIC FAITH AND CHRISTIAN LOVE INVOLVES TREATING OTHERS THE WAY GOD HAS TREATED ME!

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (I John 4:9-11)