A King’s Welcome

WE HAVE COMPANY COMING OVER THIS WEEK!

The book of James is an exercise in what he calls pure religion and undefiled. He notes that VERTICAL RIGHTNESS produces

James is a thoroughly Jewish book:

mirrors Leviticus 19… RESPECT OF PERSONS

James 2:1 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” Leviticus 19:5 “And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, ye shall offer it at your own will.” ROYAL LAW

James 2:1 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”

Leviticus 19:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.”

ASSEMBLY

James 2:2 “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;”

Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

ἐκκλησία

here, though, he uses the word συναγωγή or synagogue

James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

12 tribes

scattered tribes

IT’S A “JESUS EPISTLE,” though it does not give the same gospel clarity as other NT books James presents Jesus as the “Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1:1), the object of faith (Jas 2:1), the Lord of glory (Jas 2:1). He calls his recipients to patience in view of His coming (Jas 5:7–8), and calls the elders among his recipients to anoint the sick in His name (Jas 5:14–15). It’s less of a book which says, “Believe in what happened at Jerusalem regarding Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection,” and is more about, “I lived WITH Jesus. I know His manner of life, and let me tell you what practical Christian behavior looks like.” Some have called it “Attitudes in Action.”

If we have the right James, this book was written around AD 50, early in the Christian period. It would have been before his martyrdom in Acts 12.

Commands to Hospitality

What is hospitality?

It is a Greek word which means, “a lover of strangers.” φιλοξενία/philoxenia. Maybe you’ve heard the term xenophobic recently. That’s what it is. Rather, it is not an indifference to the stranger; it is a LOVE for the stranger— a willingness to extend kindness.

Something I did not know and had not considered is that the root of the term “hospital.” Or the Latin word hospes. It’s the Bible’s way of saying, “Strangers are coming your way. Love them!”

Romans 12:13 “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”

1 Peter 4:9 “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.”

Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

A Christ to Honor

Where does a lack of hospitality come from?

Deuteronomy 10:19 “Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

To not honor the stranger means that we have a disconnect in our understanding of theology:

a misunderstanding of our own importance

James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

servant

doulos- a bond slave

Someone wrote that in the matter of hospitality, pride defeats us in two ways:

we feel superior

ILL. Carolyn Stamm- bus kids- I don’t want my kids associating those kids with church.

we feel insecure

People will see me for who I am

My house isn’t clean enough!

I’m not a great cook!

Thus, we allow fear and the prospects of rejection to control us.

a misunderstanding of God’s person

James 3:9 “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.”

1 Corinthians 11:7 “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.”

EQUALITY, sameness of opportunity, IS FOUND IN THE IMAGO DEI.

James 2:5 “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”

a misunderstanding of our duty

Bible speaks about poor nearly 2,000 times

300 verses

Psalm 34:6 “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.”

Proverbs 19:17 “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; And that which he hath given will he pay him again.”

Luke 6:20–21 “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.”

Matthew 25:34–40 “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

So, we fail in theology— who God is and what He’s like.

We fail in anthropology— thinking either others are beneath us or we are superior to others.

Then, we fail in doxology. How? God has been good to you— but you must remember to steward and SHARE His blessings!

Dave Ramsey’s line on generosity: “Outrageous generosity is a reflection of who you are.” He then says, “If you live like no one else, later you can live— and give— like no one else.”

10 Commandments to Help

We have company coming to the house this Wednesday. They’ll be here next Sunday, too. I WISH I KNEW THEIR NAMES, BUT I’M NOT SURE WHO THEY ARE YET!

How, then, should we receive these strangers? Tom Rainer provides us with 10 Commandments re: the visitor.

Thou shalt pray for people in the services whom you don’t recognize. They are likely guests who feel uncomfortable and uncertain.

Thou shalt smile. You only have to do so for about an hour. Guests feel welcome when they see smiling people. You can resume your somber expressions when you get home.

Thou shalt not sit on the ends of the rows. Move to the middle so guests don’t have to walk over you. You’ll survive in your new precarious position.

Thou shalt not fill up the back rows first. Move to the front so guests don’t have to walk in front of everyone if they get there late.

Thou shalt have ushers to help seat the guests. Ushers should have clearly-marked badges or shirts so that the guests know who can help them.

Thou shalt offer assistance to guests. If someone looks like they don’t know where to go, then they probably don’t know where to go. Get out of your comfort zone and ask them if you can help.

Thou shalt not gather too long in your holy huddles. Sure, it’s okay to talk to fellow members; but don’t stay there so long that you are not speaking to guests.

Thou shalt offer your seats to guests. I know that this move is a great sacrifice, but that family of four can’t fit in the three vacant seats next to you. Give it a try. You might actually feel good about your efforts.

Thou shalt not save seats. I know you want to have room for all of your friends and family, but do you know how a guest feels when he or she sees the vacant seats next to you occupied by three hymnals, one Bible, two coats, and an umbrella? You might as well put a “Do Not Trespass” sign on the seats.

Thou shalt greet someone you don’t know. Yes, it’s risky. They may actually be members you don’t know. And you may get caught in a 45-second conversation. You’ll be okay; I promise.