James 2:1-13 (MBC Men's Ministry 10.5.2023)
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Measuring Accurately
Measuring Accurately
Introduction:
The other day I got on the scale and it read 106! I know. I was amazed too! For just a moment I felt really good. I thought… man, I can’t believe......
Then I came back to reality and realized that I haven’t weighted that since I was in elementary school!
Once I switched the scale from KG to pounds and received my reality check....
It made me wonder...
How accurately do we measure our growth?
As you read through the book of James, I think we can see James recognize that his congregation in Jerusalem wasn’t measuring their growth correctly. We are going to find out tonight that they weren’t even using the right standard of measurement. I think that James noticed that people in the church thought they were mature.... but really weren’t.
That is one of many reasons why this book we are studying is for today.... because the very same issues that James dealt with in his church.... we still deal with in our church.... and in our lives today.
God’s Word is timeless and speaks to every generation… every people group… from every time and culture. So, no matter where you are from.... no matter what ethnic or economic background you come from, what you are going to read and hear tonight is for you.
When I read the book of James, I see James as a doctor who wants to help his patients grow up in the faith. With each passage he is prescribing a course of treatment that is aimed at removing sinful habits/ patterns, and then putting on helpful godly patterns. James wants to help us Grow up! Demonstrate a faith that works!
With each chapter, James identifies issues that prevent our growth.... and then prescribes a course of treatment that will help us to grow up.
He shows us with each passage… Hey! : You want to grow up? You want to have a faith that works! Then, this is what that looks like!
We’ve already gone through the first course of treatment prescribed by James in chapter 1.
He called his readers to internalize the medicine of the Word of God and let that Word of God work in our lives so thoroughly that God’s Word, Wisdom, Grace, and Mercy flows out of ever action we do. God’s Word (the Perfect Law… law of Freedom/ liberty)… the very law of the King... is the mirror into which we are to look to track our progress.
Now, James knows that all who read his writings will be quick to hear… but slow to apply.
James knows that when we look into the mirror… we’ll start to make excuses.... (just like I did this morning when I convinced myself that the extra pounds that have been showing up on the scale are all muscle!)
James is calling his readers to grow up and live out a faith that works! But he knows we’ll relax from the prescribed regiment of diet and exercise and get soft..... and return to trusting in our religion..... instead of our relationship.
That is why James brings chapter 1 to a close with a challenge that sets the stage for the entire discussion that is recorded in chapter 2.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James is reminding his reader of the correct standard of measurement.
James is saying.... friends… if you look into the mirror and find religion as your rule.... then you’ll lean towards judgment and.... are no better off than an unbeliever.
But, if you look into the mirror and find relationship (pure religion).... then you’ll lean towards mercy. This is where the believer is to live and grow!
Someone with this kind of faith does look forward to judgment.... but only because they have embraced and experienced the reality of Mercy! Mercy is better!
James lets that image of “pure religion” sink in as he carries that thought into the next section as he gives his next diagnosis and points out an area of needed growth.
As we look at the text, James helps us understand that: Our faith is not measured by what we avoid, but by what we embrace.
Like any good doctor, James helps us come to this conclusion by first pointing out the problem (vs. 1-7)… and then showing us the solution (vs. 8-13).
The Problem: Irrational Snobbery
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 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, 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,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 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? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
James starts this section by catching the attention of his readers with the phrase, “my brothers”. That would be like us saying… Hey! listen up… this is important! You want to grow up in the faith? You want to become mature? Well, here is one of the problems you’ll have to address.”
The problem is one of partiality.... favoritism.
The word used here for partiality is a compound word that is squeezed together that literally means, “the receiving of the face”. This phrase came to refer to attention given to someone based on their face… how attractive they were; favor based on their culture, education, status, race, wealth, rank.... regardless of their merit or character.
James is effectively saying, Yes… I know that is counter cultural.... Yes, I know that the Jews and the Gentiles still don’t like each other. Yes, I know that the world out there.... says that you need to do all you can so that your face can be seen.
James says… Stop it! This is the church!
That can’t happen in here! Our unity and acceptance and love has nothing to do with our face.... it has everything to do with our faith!
Culture cannot be allowed to triumph over God’s Word.... but that is what was happening back in 1st century church.... and it is still happening in 21st century church.
James will help us to understand that Christianity mixed with partiality… is not Christianity at all. It is a different gospel..... and we need to stay as far away from it as we can.
“Favoritism is an indication of a heart without grace.” (paraphrase… Hughes)
It is almost as if James anticipates his readers saying..... What? We don’t show favoritism! We love everyone! We are Christians and would never show favoritism to anyone!
I could see James answering with an.... “Oh really!”. Let me tell you story! James then describes a situation, presented as a hypothetical situation, that was happening in the church.... but shouldn’t be!
So we understand the picture clearly, verses 2-3 indicate that a worship service is already in progress when two men walk into the assembly. One is described as wearing a gold ring and fine clothes.... the wording used literally means “gold fingered… and shiny clothed”. He has rings on each of his fingers and his clothes are so bright, it is as if they are shining like a spotlight.
(Roman culture of wearing rings as status.... some even rented rings to seem of a higher status than they were.)
This man walks in dressed as if he owns the place.... and the congregation is impressed. This is someone with power, money, influence,… and everyone in the congregations wants to be like him. The service almost comes to a halt while the ushers (who were probably the deacons) immediately identify him and escort him to the best seats in the house. Which would have been down front....
The service resumes and a second man who walks in. This person is described as wearing “shabby or filthy clothing”. This guy is probably wearing the only piece of clothing he has. The phrase, poor man is a word that describes someone who is homeless. He may have very well looked like he crawled out of the dumpster. He obviously has no money… no influence.... nothing.....no one even wants him there… so he is told to stand in the corner or sit on the floor.
The poor man doesn’t come into the assembly looking for money, by the way.
The implication (i believe) is that both the rich and the poor men are unbelievers who have come to the assembly to see what the church has to offer. Watch what happens.
In verse 3, James says
James 2:3 (ESV)
… 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,”
The rich man gets all the attention. That verb means to stare… to look with admiration… to gawk.
When the rich man walks in everybody stops and stares.... with covetousness and envy … while the poor man is ignored, pushed aside and treated as if he has no value.
Unfortunately, on that day, when these two unbelievers walk into the assembly, they find out that the church believes in here… exactly the same exact things that the world teaches out there.... Money talks!
The point James is making here isn’t that is bad to be rich.... what he is doing with this contrast of a rich and poor man is helping us focus on what our personal reaction is to either man.
The cultural norms of the day had infiltrated the church.... culture was triumphing over God’s Word. The people were using the cultural norms as their standard of measurement instead of the truth of God’s Word. — James addresses this head on by saying… Stop it!
Now. You might be thinking. Stephen, I think you are reading a bit too much into this story. I mean, what’s the big deal? Why is this such a bad thing? It happens.
Let me ask you a question.
If Jesus had walked into an assembly… after putting in a hard days work at the carpentry shop. Which of these men do you think Jesus would have been? How do you think Jesus would have been treated? He’d probably be sitting on the floor.... or told to stand against the wall.
Verses 4-7, highlight the seriousness of the issue.
Partiality is evil.
have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
This is nothing less than a summary of what God thinks about what has just been lived out in the church.
In 2:9, James makes it even more clear when he says that
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
The church is the place to demonstrate how to think correctly… how to value others according to God’s culture… not man’s.
How tragic is it when the church does in here, what the world does out there.
In verses 2-4, James gives us our human perspective. (Money Talks!)
In verses 5-7, James turns the perspective around and shows us how things are viewed from God’s point of view. (Mercy Wins!)
James has condemned this assembly for their sinful attitudes. Next he challenges the fact that their thinking contradicts the very nature of the gospel.
Partiality contradicts the gospel.
James grabs his readers attention again here with the concerned and loving phrase, Listen my beloved brothers…
James 2:5 (ESV)
, 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?
We are being reminded here that God has chosen the poor to be rich in something other than monetary wealth. Instead of lots of land/ properties received by inheritance, the poor hold titles as heirs of God’s kingdom.
James is not saying we have to be poor to be an heir, or that all those who think they have no value are automatically rich in faith and heirs of his kingdom.
James qualifies the kingdom he has in mind as “the one that he has promised to those who love him.” Gaining this inheritance is still a matter of faith, but James is again trying to get our attention by casting the poor (valueless) in a particular light. His point is that our prejudicial behavior dishonors those who are considered by the culture to have less value.
James is not saying that the wealthy do not have access to the gospel. But, he is saying that those who the culture says have no value, have just as much access to it as anyone… maybe even more!
The gospel of Christ’s love is especially precious to the poor and those who think they have no value. James wants us to know that the person who thinks they have no value is amazed that God would grant to him, by faith in Christ, eternal value!
If you had been present in the assembly during this event, would you conclude:
The rich man must be more important to the church than the poor man?
Maybe God likes the rich man better, because He made him rich.
Maybe God doesn’t like poor people.
Maybe poor people deserve to sit on the floor.
Money talks. Out there in the world… and in here in the church.
Church leaders are going to cater to the wealthy.
Each of these perceptions could have been learned that day, when the rich man and poor man entered the worship service.
How many people walk into our assembly and leave with the same perceptions?
When those lessons are learned… and lived out… those in the church become spiritual snobs… receiving people because of their face… not their faith.
If these lessons are not corrected… then it is nothing less than sinful thinking… and absolutely contrary to the gospel.
In verse 6, James also points out that part of the problem of the people’s irrational snobbery is that Partiality doesn’t even make sense.
Partiality is irrational (makes no sense).
In verses 6-7, James reminds his readers of something that they should already know, with the question: “Are not the rich exploiting you and they themselves dragging you into the courts?”
In other words, James is saying… What are you thinking?! You’ve tripped over yourselves to honor the very person that is going to drag you into court… and prison on Monday!
In the first century there was a legal custom called “summary arrest”. If a creditor met a debtor on the street, he could immediately seize him and literally drag him into court. Often the wealthy would use their influence in property disputes… while the poor would have to stand their with no representation.
James is not condemning the rich for having influence and power… but he is condemning the rich for using that power to gain an advantage over the poor.
When we show partiality to those with power and influence (often these are the wealthy and well connected… and also often these are unbelievers), the last part of verse 7 tells us that these people are acting in a way that blasphemes God’s good name. In general terms, Favoritism creates friendships with blasphemers!
The phrase translated, “the name by which you are called.” is the same word used for a wife taking her husbands name in marriage.
James is trying to wake us up to the reality that we are the bride of Christ! Are we really going to fuss and covet after someone who blasphemes the name of our Lord? Are we really going to give the best seat of honor to someone who dishonors and blasphemes our Lord’s name and reputation?
James is saying… it’s wrong! It is irrational! Stop it!
James is using this examples to shake up our sensibilities and make us rethink the basis for how we treat people. James is correcting our wrong and sinful tendency to misdirect honor and respect.
The world honors money over godliness.
James says.... if you are going to grow up in the faith.... if you want to have a faith that works..... you can’t follow that cultural norm. We have to adopt God’s point of view and honor godliness over money and position.
The Word of God must reign in our hearts.... and triumph over culture!
If you are asking yourself, where did James get this idea..... remember that Jesus tackled the same issue in Luke 6:31-34
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.
Men, when unbelievers out there… come in here… into the assembly.... we have to make sure they realize that what we believe and embrace in here.... is absolutely different than what is embraced out there!
Here is the reality.
When we come into the assembly… in to the presence of the Lord… who is glorious!… we all look shabby! We all look dirty compared to Christ’s holiness… we all look hopeless… and homeless… how can we every act like snobs?
Here’s the good news!
We look shabby… but we are now saints.
We are dirty (daily)… but we are clean through Christ’s atonement
We are hopeless… but have now been given a future hope
We are homeless… but have been given a royal status and value as eternal sons & daughters
James has identified the problem. Now, as any good practitioner… he doesn’t want us to stay like we are in our condition. He wants to treat the issue, so he offers us the solution.
2.The Solution: Law of Love
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 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.
James directly connects what he says here in verse 8 back with his command in verse 1, building a bridge to link what he is about to say back to the point he made in verses 1-4.
If partiality… favoritism.... is evil (negative), then the positive alternative is to love our neighbors as ourselves. James describes this action as carrying out the royal law.
This is the only place in Scripture that this exact phrase, “the royal law”, appears in Scripture. James does give us a clue as to what it means when he paraphrases the words of Jesus from Matthew 22:37-40.
Matthew 22:37–40 (ESV)
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Later on, Jesus broadened the definition of “neighbor” to include any needy person that God gives us the opportunity to help.
This is the King’s command… and it reflects our King’s heart.
This is nothing less than the law of our sovereign king which flows from His perfect nature.
As we know, the Law can be broken down into two relationships: Vertical (with God) & horizontal (with each other).
When Jesus summarizes that Law in Matthew 22, he pretty much boils it down to loving God and loving people.
During the early years of the church (Jesus’ generation), Jewish scholars believed the law was a series of detached commands. To keep one law was to gain credit; to break one law was to incur debt. So a man could add up the ones he kept and subtract the ones he broke an come out with money in the bank.
We see how that developed through the years into something the enemy of the gospel loves to encourage. This image of God sitting on his throne with a set of scales in his hands.
The law isn’t a scale where God measures out how much favor we have gained with him through our works & actions… it’s a chain. All the law is linked together…
James wants us to realize that making distinctions, showing partiality is not just a bad idea. It is sin. When we show partiality.... instead of upholding the royal law through love, we are convicted by the same law as transgressors.
Some of you might be listening right now and thinking, Stephen you are making a lot of noise about something that isn’t a big deal. If that is you then look at verse 10.
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
If we break even one link of the chain… we are lawbreakers.
(hanging over the side of a cliff by a chain.... which chain is the most important? Which link in the chain makes you fall?)
James is telling us.... Men… if you want to have a mature faith. If you want to grow up in the faith.... if you want to have a faith that works.... then you’ll need to: First
Embrace the heart of God. (We can only embrace God’s heart… if we know and obey His Word)
— work at tables — I’d like you to help each other understand the unity of the law that James is describing.
How does the sin of partiality connect with the ten commandments?
(Group work at tables - 8 minutes then “grout” for 2-3 minutes)
1. No other gods.
2. No idols.
First and second commandments are broken because God commands us to not show partiality, and to do so is to deny His will and place ourselves above His thus idolizing our own opinion and not God’s alone.
3. No misuse of the LORD’s name.
Third commandment is broken because to favor someone over another is to represent the name of God.
4. Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy.
Fourth broken as we show favoritism in church, thus defiling our sacred worship.
5. Honor your father and mother.
Fifth broken as the poor (people) are dishonored and we should dishonor no one, especially those whom we should give our care and concern.
6. No murder.
Prejudice and favoritism effectively kills the spirit and hope of people by demeaning them and therefore violates the sixth commandment.
7. No adultery.
Seventh violated as we favor the rich and power and in so doing show infidelity and unfaithfulness to our Lord and to the bond of Christian fellowship.
8. No stealing.
Eighth broken as we steal from the poor (or anyone) the dignity they own as a creation of God.
9. No false testimony.
Bearing false witness because prejudice implies that a person has less worth than others, and that is a lie.
10. No coveting.
Favoring the rich is a form of covetousness which values possessions over and above the value of a human being.
The unity of the law is such that when we break one… we break them all.
True spiritual maturity isn’t measured by what we avoid. We don’t smoke… we don’t chew… we don’t go with girls who do....
True spiritual maturity… true faith is measured by what we embrace.
But when we embrace love.... Jesus’ royal love.... we embrace the truth that is supreme… over and above the law! True love doesn’t avoid the law… it fulfills the law.
Stop making excuses.
James anticipates someone in the assembly saying.... “okay, we could have treated the poor man better. But, at least we showed kindness to the rich man.” That’s one out of two. Not too bad!
James anticipates the argument of self defense because he knows that he is dealing with human nature… and human nature is really good and coming up with loopholes and blame shifting.
One author said, “we have several million laws to deal with all the excuses created by people who won’t keep 10 commandments!”
James anticipates push back to his message so he writes in verse 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.
We are all law breakers. Not because we have broken every law, but because we have broken the law.
You don’t go to court for speeding and stand before the judge and say, Your honor, I’ve never committed murder… so you should really let me go!
Tell someone they are a sinner and they will rarely say, “You’re right. I’ve done this and that.
Usually they’ll say, No, I’m not. I’ve never done this or that.”
That’s the problem with our sin nature. We look at sins like partiality, classism, racism and say, “but I’ve never done bigger crimes against God like murder or adultery!”.
James says… yep. There you go with that self-defending, culture imitating attitude.
Remember, our faith is not measured by what we avoid.... but by what we embrace.
Make sure you notice that James is proving the point of how sinful partiality is by placing it in the same categories as adultery and murder.
Sin, is sin and any sin is as sinful as any other sin. Some sins have greater consequences than others… but all sin makes us transgressors.
The word James uses translated as ‘transgressors” is a word that describes a person that has a certain path they know they should follow.. but instead they get off course and literally goes out of their way to step over the right in order to walk on the wrong one.
James tells us.... Stop making excuses.....
The last truth James wants us to see is that if we are to grow in in the faith… if we want to have a faith that truly works.... then we must
Choose love! Embrace Mercy!
So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
The antidote to partiality (racism, classism, favoritism) is to remember that we are creatures who are accountable to someone much greater.
We will give an account to the One who saved us… the One who has redeemed us… and has given us the freedom to be His slaves..... and demonstrate His nature to the world. When we do this… we are following the law of liberty… the Royal law.
Submission to the will of God brings the slave of God the greatest amount of Joy and freedom.
That is why James finishes his thoughts here with these two commands.
Speak and Act as those who have experienced mercy… and now are free to liberally extend that same mercy to others.
Remember, everything we have talked about tonight is in the context of chapter 1:26-27.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James is telling us.... “dont’ stop looking for opportunities to love and serve those who need to be shown mercy!”
So Speak… So Act.... Keep on showing mercy.... keep on loving… don’t stop..... just do it!
James wraps up this section with an overall summary of this entire discussion.
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Verse 13 is an aphorism. Two wisdom sayings joined together without a conjunction. This was done to highlight the reality of two general truths.
One is for the unbeliever, the other is for the believer.
One truth reflects the unbelieving world. The world is known for its lack of mercy and will be judged without mercy. No mercy will be shown at the Great White Throne Judgment. It will be forever too late. The unbelieving world, which has divided itself up into classes and categories… filled with pride… have effectively drawn a circle around themselves… and left Christ out.
James warns the unbeliever in verse 13: For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.
James wants the assembly to fully embrace the reality that building a religion around avoiding certain things we classify as “really bad” leads to the judgement of others… and ultimately deceives our hearts… and develops a religion that is worthless.
Practicing religion will lead you to judgment. (on a number of levels)
The prescription James gives the unbeliever (or anyone in the assembly acting like an unbeliever) is this: run to the mercy of Christ alone! Find His perfect forgiveness and complete acceptance.
The truth is for the believer. Those who have come to know the Savior will be delivered because we have found it true that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment.
The text literally says.... Mercy boasts over judgement!
Mercy is better! Choose mercy!
If practicing religion leads to judgement.... then
Pursuing relationship will lead you to choose love… embrace mercy
Remember, James wants us to grasp that our faith is not measured by what we avoid.... but by what we embrace.
So, embrace mercy!
Since we are people who have received and will forever receive the mercy of God.... how can we do anything less than demonstrate that same mercy to others?
Embrace the heart of God!
Stop making Excuses!
Choose Love.... Embrace Mercy!
How accurately are you measuring your spiritual growth?
Are you measuring it by the worlds standards and expectations? (I don’t do this, that, and this.... I avoid the really bad stuff.... so I must be alright!)
Or, are we measuring our growth and spiritual development by the perfect standard of God?
(I am fully and intentionally choosing love… and embracing mercy!)
Choose Mercy.... because Mercy Wins!