Worship Better

ME (A hook):

You ever try to give yourself a trim?

Or sand something down just a little bit?

Well, if your like me,

You initially want to just take a little bit off,

But the problem is,

Once you take away a little bit in one place,

It seems uneven somewhere else,

So, you take a little more away,

And a little more,

And before you know it,

You’ve got a buzz cut,

Or you’ve sanded your wood down to a numb.

Well this is way we treat worship in our culture.

We come to the Bible,

Which tells us what true worship looks like.

But we decide we just want to take a certain part out.

We sand it down according to our terms, our preferences, our lifestyles.

Then we are happy to go to church,

Where there is no true worship.

Because we have defined worship according to what accommodates us.

The problem is,

In order for our worship to be pure and undefiled,

We must let God define what worship looks like according to His Word.

And that is often quite different from the way we define worship.

In James 1:26-2:13,

James teaches us how to Worship Better.

In this passage,

James continues his communal exhortation,

Explaining what is true and undefiled religion.

The action form of this religion is the idea of worship.

The term is used in Romans 12:1,

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

So, the question is.

Are we going to define religion our way,

And settle for a worship that just appeals to our wants and desires?

Or are we going to submit to God’s definition of what faith, religion, and worship looks?

This is an important question.

Because, as Martin Luther warned,

“A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”

Slide

So, this morning,

We are going to first look at Sacrificial Worship in James 1:26-27.

Then, we will see how we are Set Apart for Worship in James 2:1-13.

And our takeaway from this passage,

Is that the gospel transforms the way we live,

So, that we can worship better.

WE (Why does this matter to us?):

Even though James never says the word worship,

This passage is all about worship.

Because he uses the noun form of this word,

Which we translate to religion.

And I don’t know about you,

But in my experience,

The word religion doesn’t seem have a lot of positive connotations to it.

But when religion is true,

When it is pure and undefiled,

As James describes it,

It is characterized by this lifestyle that is obedient to God,

It is characterized as better worship,

Or Sacrificial worship,

Which comes from a changed heart.

GOD (Teach the text):

Part of this sacrificial worship that demonstrates a changed heart,

Is through controlled speech.

Slide

James mentions controlling the tongue in vs. 26.

Keep in mind,

He is inspired by the lessons Jesus taught in the Gospels.

In Matt. 12:34, Jesus said,

…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

So, our speech is a reflection of what is going on inside our heart.

Therefore, James builds upon this,

Warning that if our speech is not controlled,

Then our religion is worthless.

Our worship,

Our supposed love and devotion to God,

Is a fraud.

Just as the hearer looks in a mirror and forgets,

Like we talked about last week,

A person who doesn’t hold their tongue,

Is deceived about their faith.

James is saying,

You may think you are living this worshipful, obedient life.

But if you are not controlling your tongue,

Then you are deceived.

Your religion is useless,

Your worship is inauthentic.

Brothers and sisters,

This is a warning!

Don’t deceive yourself!

Your speech tells the truth about your heart!

The way you speak about your spouse,

Tells the truth about your heart.

The way you speak about friends or family or coworkers indicates what is true in your heart.

Whether you are gossiping,

Slandering,

Cursing someone out because your angry,

Or making hurtful comments as a joke,

Your speech reveals your heart.

And its not just that it reveals how you feel about other people.

James is saying it reveals the genuineness of your worship.

Or as David Platt summarizes it in his commentary,

The tongue is the test of true religion.

The tongue is not the only indicator of our heart.

But there is an important application here.

We live in a world of texting and emails and social media and blogs.

So, perhaps now more than ever,

We must be careful with our words.

We have the platform to impulsively share almost any thought we have.

But as followers of Christ,

We must keep a tight rein on what we say.

We must speak in a way that shows our heart belongs to God,

And sometimes,

That means sacrificing the desire to have the last word, the loudest word, the funniest word, the most words, or the most hurtful word.

This is how we worship better with our speech.

Because controlling our tongues is sacrificial worship.

Slide

But James continues in vs. 27,

Stressing how pure and undefiled religion is more than meaningless lip service.

While controlling our words is part of our sacrificial worship,

Sacrificial worship is also backed by our works.

The example James gives,

Is a concern for widows and orphans in their distress.

This is the true measure of obedience,

This is pure and undefiled religion,

This practical compassion is what pleases God.

Because it reflects God’s heart.

As it says back in Deut. 10:18,

Deuteronomy 10:18 ESV

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

This is also all throughout the Psalms.

For example,

Psalm 68:5 ESV

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

Poverty in this world is often a reflection of one’s dependence on God.

So, God has always given special attention to the oppressed of the world.

Through the prophet Jeremiah,

God equates the idea of bringing justice and righteousness to the poor and needy with knowing God.

So, God made it the king’s responsibility to care for the vulnerable.

But He also gave this expectation to the entire nation of Israel.

As God’s people today,

Sacrificial worship means we still embrace this responsibility,

And care for those in need.

It means we seek out to visit orphans and widows to care for them,

In a way that reflects the way God visits us to help, strengthen, and encourage us.

Think also of how practical this was in James’s context.

There was no life insurance,

No government support programs to provide for widows and orphans.

The book of Ruth shows how desolate and destitute it was for orphans and widows.

So, James is teaching us how genuine worship includes looking after the neediest in our community.

And this is not something James is saying we should be doing,

It is something believers must be doing,

Otherwise, he says,

Our worship is not acceptable before God.

He calls us to help the helpless.

When a person loses their spouse,

It is a unique form a grief.

It leaves a void in their life.

But God is the Defender,

The Sustainer,

The Strength and Provider for the helpless and needy.

So, He calls us to be the conduit through which He gives these provisions.

It is no mistake that James emphasizes God as our Father here.

As I mentioned,

The Psalms tell us He is the Father to the fatherless,

And He demonstrates this through His children.

So, looking after orphans and widows is not just an option for us,

It is how we Worship Better.

YOU (Response):

Slide

James continues his discussion of genuine worship in chapter two,

With practical ways that we are to be set apart for worship.

When James refers to the world,

As he does in vs. 5,

He is talking about this fallen way we humans do things,

That is contrary to the ways of God.

James just got done telling us to be holy at the end of ch. 1.

Now, he is saying the way you are holy,

Is to go against the grain of the world,

And live according to the ways of God.

His first example of this,

Is to show no partiality.

He is prohibiting favoritism.

Because favoritism is a common way for a church to operate according to the fallen ways of the world.

Sure, there is charity in the world,

And people can get behind causes.

But the overwhelming current of the world,

Is to honor the rich, the wealthy, the powerful,

And in doing so,

Neglect the poor and needy.

So, James is warning the church,

If we are not careful,

We will do the same thing.

But true worship and favoritism do not mix,

They simply can’t.

James goes on to give the example of favoring the rich over the poor in vs. 2-4.

Slide

James shows how the church can have the same attitude as the world,

By favoring the wealthy over the poor.

Because according to the world,

You give preferential treatment to whoever benefits you the most.

And that is the example here.

When a wealthy person comes into church,

The assumption is they will likely be pretty significant givers.

So, the temptation is to show favoritism toward them.

But James warns,

If you look with favor on the one wearing all the fine clothes,

And invite them to sit in the important seats.

While the poor person is invited to stand in the corner or sit on the floor,

Then it is sinful discrimination.

You are passing judgment on those people.

Now, don’t misunderstand me,

The Bible does teach about the need to discern between good and evil.

But that is not what James is talking about here.

The issue he is addressing,

Is discrimination based on our external judgments.

Judging people based on things like economic status, ethnicity, political party,

Or some other social status.

This type of discrimination wrongly looks at a person’s external circumstances,

And judges them as good or bad,

Right or wrong.

And this judgment is sin.

And we all are prone to make judgments like this.

That is why James asks this rhetorical question in vs. 4:

“Have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

Realistically, the only answer we can honestly give is,

“Yes...”

This was a problem in the church back then,

And it is still a problem in the church today.

Which is just so sad...

There is no room for this type of attitude in the church.

But what happens,

Is we design things to appeal to this consumer mentality toward church.

Generally,

The consumers are the ones with money.

But there are a variety of consumers around us that we let determine how we do church.

There is this expectation for churches to have satisfying programs,

And comfortable environments.

That the average church consumer can come to church,

And feel good about themselves when they leave,

Instead of being set apart from the world to worship better.

And we are all feeding right into it.

We spend our time, energy, focus, and resources on appealing to these consumers.

Its almost as if,

You could say,

We are inviting the wealthy to come and sit in the best seats,

And saying to the poor,

Sure, you can come too,

You’ll just have to sit at our feet.

You see,

We are guilty of favoritism.

It is deeply ingrained in us.

It is our natural bent,

We are drawn to those whom we think will benefit us the most.

So, James mentions several things we must remember,

To be set apart for true worship.

Slide

First, look back in vs. 1,

James references our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

In light of Christ and His glory,

It is foolish for us to show favoritism on any basis of our inferior levels of human glory.

Not only is Christ the Lord of glory,

Christ is glory.

He is the glory of God.

And because He is Immanuel,

God with us.

He is the glory of God in the flesh,

Dwelling with humankind.

Christ’s splendor and majesty and supremacy is over and above all.

When we are captivated by His glory,

Then favoritism fades away.

Because being rich in this world is not worthy of honor.

Material wealth is garbage compared to Christ’s wealth of glory.

So, set your eyes on Christ!

He sacrificed Himself,

Not for those who are rich and powerful in this world,

But for those who are poor and in need.

The Lord of glory came down to the lowly and despised,

He came down to sinners like you and me.

And He gave His life for the poorest of poor.

So, that we might be rich in Him!

2 Cor. 8:9 says it beautifully,

2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

If you know,

And are captivated,

By this glorious Christ,

Who gave everything,

So, that you might become rich in Him,

Then you simply cannot show favoritism.

You aren’t able to attribute much to the wealthy,

And you know you can’t look down on the poor,

Because that is who you are,

And that is who Christ came to make rich.

The gospel transforms the way we live,

So, we can worship better.

Slide

Look now at vs. 5.

After giving his illustration about the wealthy and the poor,

It is as if James leans in,

As he says,

Listen my dear brothers and sisters.

He wants them to also lean in,

To really focus,

And really comprehend what he is about to tell them.

So, what is this important point James draws us in to hear?

That God chose the poor in this world,

For what?

To be rich in faith.

We are set apart for worship by God’s grace.

All throughout redemptive history,

God has taken great joy,

In showing His grace,

To those who are considered poor in this world.

We see this all throughout the Bible.

Psalm 68:10 (ESV)

in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

Matthew 5:3 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This is what Scripture declares to us!

That God has chosen to show His grace to the poor and needy!

To those who suffer physically, yes,

But most importantly,

To those who recognize their spiritual neediness.

So, James is saying,

When we neglect the poor and needy,

We are neglecting the grace that flows out of God’s heart.

We must remember,

That Christ reverses our worldly statuses.

We see this right from the jump in Luke 1:53,

Luke 1:53 ESV

he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Paul teaches this in 1 Cor. 1:27-28,

1 Corinthians 1:27–28 ESV

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,

The poor in spirit,

Those who are rejected by the world,

Can find a spiritual wealth in Christ that leads to a hope of future glory.

God chooses those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith,

This is the idea of election.

That God chooses who will receive inheritance into His Kingdom.

This inheritance is not according to merit,

Or any other worldly status.

The standards of this world,

Do nothing to influence God’s gracious election.

Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)

He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Christ transforms our worldly standards.

Slide

James asks in vs. 6,

If the church realizes that honoring the rich in this way,

Is honoring the very people who were taking advantage of,

And oppressing the church.

It is this desire to have favor,

From those who are actually farthest from God.

Now, keep in mind,

James is not saying that living in poverty is a form of righteousness,

Nor is living in wealth a form of wickedness.

But there is a cultural situation James is addressing,

That is applicable to us today.

When we look at a person’s outward appearance,

Their clothes or cars or house or lifestyle,

We will either honor or disregard them based on those things.

But the Bible is telling us to take that,

And flip it on its head,

By looking at people through the lens of Christ’s standards of grace.

Looking at one another regardless of wealth or socioeconomic status,

As those who are either united in Christ,

Or those who are made in the Image of God,

And are loved by Christ,

But not yet united in Christ,

Because they themselves are oppressed by the Devil,

And are in turn,

Being used by Him,

To oppress those who are in Christ,

Who are called by the honorable name of Christ.

That is the language James is using here in vs. 6-7.

It is strong language.

It is the same term used in Acts 10:38, which says,

Acts 10:38 ESV

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

When we put aside our worldly standards,

Then, and only then,

Are we able to see one another through the lens of Christ.

As those who are united in Christ,

Or those who are still under the oppression of the devil,

And in need of the grace of Christ.

Slide

In vs. 8,

James shifts from exhortation to exposition.

In other words,

He shifts from giving commands,

To teaching.

The first thing he teaches about directly relates to the OT,

Teaching that we worship better,

By being devoted to the law of Christ.

The royal law is talking about the Greatest Commandment of God’s law.

James directly quotes part of Lev. 19:18, stating the command,

To love your neighbor as yourself.

James is not talking about all the moral codes and dietary laws.

He is talking about the commands of God,

Being ultimately fulfilled and understood in light of Christ.

So, James’ point here,

Is to point out how favoritism is a violation of this command,

Thus everyone who is guilty of favoritism,

Is guilty of breaking the law.

Jesus summed up the entirety of the law in Matt. 22:36-39,

Matthew 22:36–39 ESV

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 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. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

But James chooses to quote Leviticus,

Because in Leviticus 19,

God said to be just,

To not show favoritism,

And instead,

To love your neighbor as yourself.

So, James is saying,

If you keep this royal law,

Both what Leviticus and Jesus teach,

Then you are truly worshiping better.

Slide

But if not,

Then you are a lawbreaker.

James is driving home this point in vs. 9,

Favoritism is sin.

It goes beyond the limits that God has set.

It violates the law of love,

And the law of Christ.

Because favoritism diminishes inherent human worth.

Making external judgments of another human being,

Is not loving that person as your self.

Again, James is addressing this issue using the example of the rich and poor.

But when every time he summarizes it,

He says all favoritism is sin.

Any time we judge a person based on their external appearances.

It could be based on what they are wearing,

The color of their skin,

An observable characteristic about them,

And so much more.

But James is warning us,

That as followers of Christ,

We must be on guard against this subtle and often unnoticed sin.

It is dangerous.

Let me give you an example.

Imagine you are at a large event,

And everyone is taking a lunch break.

You walk into a cafeteria,

And you only see a couple of seats available.

One of the available seats is at a table with a group of people who look nothing like you,

But the other seat,

Is a group of people who look a lot like you.

Naturally, which table do you just begin to walk toward?

The table with people like you.

Why?

What is it inside of us that does this?

This impulse just subconsciously makes the decision for us.

At least,

I know it does for me.

And maybe your not like me in this way.

But I don’t believe I am alone in this.

Our minds tend to draw us toward the people like us.

Because we think they are safer,

They are more comfortable,

And if that is so,

Then there is more for me to gain if I sit with those like me.

Even if in that moment,

The only thing to gain is a seemingly more enjoyable lunch.

But if that is what our minds are telling us about that table.

Then the opposite is true about the other table.

Our minds instinctively fear that those at the table not like me,

Are not safe,

Not comfortable,

And there is little to nothing for me to gain by sitting at that table.

Friends,

James is telling us that this way of thinking is sin.

And we must repent of it.

We must not respond to others based on outward appearance.

I do believe that we all would affirm that we should not be showing favoritism.

But it is so entrenched in us,

That we still have a long way to go when it comes to living it out.

When we sin this way,

We are diminishing the inherent worth people have as image bearers of God.

But even worse,

James teaches how we are dishonoring God Himself when we do this.

Because while judging others is breaking one part of the law,

James says,

It still makes us guilty of breaking the entirety of the law.

Many people take issue with this.

Because of the idea that their are varying degrees of evil.

And while there is some truth to the idea that not every sin is equally wicked.

Some sins are more catastrophic than others.

But James’ point here,

Is that even the smallest of sins,

Are still an offense against God.

Therefore,

Breaking one part of the law goes against the Giver of the law,

God Himself.

So, James is really just echoing what Jesus said in His sermon on the Mount,

Where He warned against a superficial understanding of the law of God.

Look at Matt. 5:17-20,

Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

So, showing favoritism is a serious charge.

Slide

Which leads to the final way we are set apart to worship better,

And that is by being aware of Christ’s judgment.

Being aware of Christ’s judgment orients this proper heart posture James commands us to have in vs. 12-13.

He says to speak and act as those who are judged under the law of freedom.

The law of freedom is the gospel,

And that is what serves as the basis for God’s judgment.

So, James is telling us that if we judge others,

Then we have not received mercy.

You see,

God is not obligated to show us mercy and give us life.

But as James said back in vs. 5,

God freely chooses to show us mercy,

And give us life.

And as Jesus teaches in John 10,

God chooses to give us life abundantly.

Therefore, speak and act like ones whom God has chosen to show mercy and give life to.

It is God’s prerogative as to whom He will show mercy to.

Therefore,

In light of His character expressed in His law,

God commands us to temper our flawed sense of justice and judgment with mercy.

That is the warning here.

If we refuse to show mercy to others,

He will refuse to show mercy toward us.

WE (Paint a picture of the future):

James wants us to be aware of Christ’s judgment.

Jesus said in Matt. 12:36-37,

Matthew 12:36–37 ESV

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

This should make us think twice before becoming a keyboard warrior,

And texting or posting something about someone.

Or before we gossip or slander someone to another person.

As we talked about earlier in this passage,

Our words reflect our heart,

Likewise, our works foreshadow our judgment.

Look at what Paul says in Rom. 2:6-11 about this,

Romans 2:6–11 (ESV)

[Christ] will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

The specific work that James is addressing is favoritism,

Both in our words and our deeds.

James says,

Don’t mess with it,

Because we will be judged for it.

The Bible warns that all of us will have to stand before God to give an account for our words and actions,

When it comes to our love for God and love for neighbor.

Slide

So, to worship better,

We speak and act with love toward God and others better.

But how can we speak and act with love well enough to not receive God’s judgment?

We can’t.

We can never do enough on our own to be found innocent before God.

Therefore, we need Christ’s mercy.

That is the message of the gospel.

And that is James’s final point.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

God has brought mercy and judgment together in perfect harmony on the cross.

Therefore, we can now be declared right before God,

Based on the righteousness of Christ.

And when we experience that level of mercy,

We learn how to show mercy to others.

God’s mercy in us,

Flows out of us.

So, because we have received mercy,

We give mercy.

When we are forgiven of our sins,

It compels us to forgive others.

But James’s warning here is that the opposite is also true.

If we do not show mercy,

Then it reveals that we have not received mercy.

And we still face God’s judgment.

This does not mean if we start showing mercy to others,

Then God will grant us mercy.

No!

We can never earn His mercy!

He is saying God freely offers His mercy in Christ.

We simply receive it!

And when we do,

It will be evident.

Because we will begin showing mercy to others.

The mercy we show to others is a work of Christ in us.

This brings us back to where we started this morning,

True, authentic worship is evident through our actions.

If we cannot control our speech,

Our worship is not genuine.

If our works do not reflect God’s mercy toward us,

Then our worship is not true.

If we fail to live this way,

Then we have not really been transformed by Christ,

And our worship is not acceptable before God.

Christ is the source of mercy in us.

The gospel transforms the way we speak and the way we act,

The gospel transforms the way we live,

So, we can worship better!

Pray.