What are you doing?
James 2:8-10
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. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
James – Jesus half-brother, calls us brothers.
James broken into C’s
James 1 is Confidence – What a Christian has (maturity, the word, good influence)
James 2 is Compassion – What a Christian does
James 3 is Careful – What a Christian says
James 4 is Contrite – What a Christian feels
James 5 is Concerned – What a Christian gives
James 2 – What a Christian does (the marks of true faith)
As we think of James let’s again be reminded of the practical things in the Christian life.
James 2:1-13
[1] My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. [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? [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? [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?
[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. [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. [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.
Reminder – show no partiality
Warning – it’s easy to justify my own actions
Command – understand that we are all imperfect and in need of grace and mercy (love everyone)
God’s first words after the Fall were, “Where are you?” It is only one word in Hebrew, אַיֶּֽכָּה, (ayyekah). “Eichah” In that one word is compressed a whole theology:
+God seeks out lost sinners
+God welcomes them to confess
+God desires their restoration
+God works their redemption
This word again is used in Deut. 1:12
Deuteronomy 1:12
[12] How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife?
Notice it here in Deut. 1:12, it’s Moses saying how can I do this for you. It’s this rhetorical device God is saying it in Genesis….He is omnipresent and omniscient so He knows where Adam and Eve are…He isn’t asking their location…. He’s asking “Where are you morally? Have you grown, have you learned anything?”What are you doing?
Can I help you see a Biblical pattern here? Remember practical thinking.
Last week James was saying “if you won’t even take care of widows and orphans, you won’t do the other truly religious or Godly things”
This week he’s saying “what are you doing?” You know better than this!
- Reminder
-
- James 2:2-3 [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,”
- Show no partiality, don’t look down upon anyone,
- Warning –
-
- James 2:4-7 [4] have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? [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? [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?
- What are you doing? You know better than this!
- Command –
- James 2:8-13 [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. [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. [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.
- If you really knew Me and loved Me you would be doing this already. Royal law is declared by the King.
- Leviticus 19:18 [18] You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
- Matthew 22:36-40 [36] “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” [37] And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
- Romans 13:8-10 [8] Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. [9] For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [10] Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Trivial Pursuit – Remember the game? I like a little trivia myself. My skills are fading a bit. Either too much pop culture I don’t care for or just Father Time, or maybe just other more important things on my plate these days. (Probably a bit of all three). Trivial is something we think or categorize as not important.
I want to focus a minute on something embedded inside of this passage (it’s not hidden).
James 2:10-11
[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.
The people that James is talking to were needing instructions or corrections. I think we need these as well.
[10] For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
You realize that there’s no such thing as a trivial sin……little sin or a white lie, right?
…yes…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….and yes, He forgives us if we go to Him and our sin is put as far as the east is from the west.
But….scripture does not teach “as long as I don’t do the big ones I’m okay” there certainly seem to be some that are more heinous than others, and I’d go with that….some affect more people or the innocent and that’s difficult, but there’s no such sin as those that don’t affect anyone but me. Sin always affects those around us. Now or later. ….“the wages of sin is death”
I am sometimes reluctant to get into these because people will do a bit of what’s being said here in James…they will look down on others’ “bigger” sins. But we need to address this again here today.
Galatians 5:19-21
[19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:3-6
[3] But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. [4] Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. [5] For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. [6] Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Matthew 25:41-46
[41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ [44] Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ [45] Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
So back to our question…..What are you doing? Are you living for the Lord and doing what He says?
There are no trivial sins. Do what you are told to do. Love your neighbor.
