Judgement & Grace

It is worth looking at the last couple of verses of chapter 1 just to refresh our memories: “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

It is worth looking at the last couple of verses of chapter 1 just to refresh our memories: “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

This verse is scary. It makes me think of when Jesus was preaching the Sermon on the Mount. In chapter 7, just before the parable of the wise and foolish builders, which we looked at last time, Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

You see, what I fear, what makes me think this verse is scary is that we can easily think we’re following Christ, simply because we speak the right words, we do some work, we come to church, we give money, we volunteer. It is easy to be religious, to do stuff, but not really have the right motives. It is easy to go through the motions, and fool people without submitting to Christ in every area of our lives.

Jesus demands our obedience. True religion, not the dead religion that only talks about stuff, and makes sure all our doctrinal ducks are in proper order, true religion, James says, is to love the most vulnerable people. Are we doing that? Ask yourself that. Some, I know, are. You have compassion children, you’ve sponsored people at Teen Challenge, and you’ve given to different causes in support of vulnerable people. You visit people in hospital, you visit people at Bradford Valley.

Our Bradford Valley service is next week. One Sunday out of the month, we have the express permission to sing, pray, and preach the gospel to the residents there. It’s a huge privilege in our secular society. These are the widowed. These are the orphaned. These are the vulnerable people. That’s one way to express love. I know, it isn’t easy, it isn’t for everyone, but try.

Examine your heart. What is your attitude toward the poor? Do you see yourself as successful because of your own hard work? If so, do you look down on others, with the expectation that they should be able to do what you did? That’s moralism. That’s dead religion.

True religion says, “I’m where I am only, only by God’s mercy. I am totally equal with all other people on this planet. That’s true Christian thinking. The people who look out for other people, those who put others first, they’re the ones who understand grace. We’re saved by faith alone, by grace alone. But those who know this, act differently toward others. It’s what we see in our passage.

Read

We’ll focus on three points, three things from this passage: what, why, and the better way. The “what” is right here in verse 1: “Don’t show favouritism.” Don’t play favourites. It is discrimination. Don’t hold back, or give love, comfort, hospitality, grace, kindness, mercy, friendship, or service to people based on how they look or dress. God doesn’t allow Christians to treat people based on factors such as race, colour, gender, weight, height, economic status, etc. Don’t do it. That’s the what. That’s what our sinful natures are constantly tempting us to do.

Isn’t it easier to hang out with some people and not others? Some people are harder to get along with. But that’s still showing favouritism. If we’re rich, we hang out with rich people. If we’re not, then we hang out with people like us.

The command, “don’t do this,” is a warning, as well as an invitation. If you have kids or remember when you were a kid, your parents say things to you, like, “Close the door!” And you want to ask, and you do ask, why?” You want to just answer, because I said so. “Why” is so much harder to answer. It is more complicated than the “what” is. Well, if you leave the door open, all the heat goes out, and the bill goes up, and Papa’s blood pressure goes up. So don’t do it!

God tells us what not to do, and he tells us why:

Read 2:4-5

When you discriminate, when you show favouritism, you dishonour God, and you prove that you don’t understand the gospel.

Do they still pick teams in school during gym? They did when I went to school. I was never captain, never first pick, almost always the last pick. I have some pictures from the one year when I really wanted to play soccer. My parents dragged me all over the place, and one game, Dad brought the camera and managed to snap three or four pictures of when I was near the ball. I use the term near very loosely. I was horrible.

Captains pick people so they can win. That’s not the gospel. That’s the opposite of the gospel. If God were to act like the captains, none of us would be here. We’re not the brightest, we’re not the best.

But maybe there’s someone here who is thinking, “I’m pretty good.” Okay, then show me how good you are by all the people you’ve brought to Christ. Show me the many disciples who’ve learned from your awesome knowledge.

I have to remind you and remind myself, that we’re not all that. In fact, God chose us because of our weaknesses. God chose us so that he can show off his power in our weakness, in a way that brings him glory, and makes us feel good and happy.

God knows you stumble. God knows you mess up. Stop looking at your mistakes, your fallen-ness. Stop navel gazing. Look at

“Consider your calling, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 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, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

When you show faviouritsm, when you discriminate, you dishonour God because you remove yourself from his saving grace, and you become your own mini-god, judging others with evil intention. Your awesomeness didn’t save you. So expecting people to live up to your standards, clothes, hats, songs, whatever, is anti-gospel. That is not showing the mercy God shows to you.

When we’re racist, or judgemental, or when we discriminate against others, we dishonour God and the gospel. When God talks about the poor, he is specific in how we should see them. Two definitions of the word poor come out of scripture. The first, from the Sermon on the Mount, is where Jesus says, “Blessed is the poor in spirit.” A person who is poor in spirit is someone who is humble and meek, and deeply aware of his need for God. Spiritual poverty is good. The opposite is wickedness and evil. The opposite is pride and arrogance, thinking you are pleasing God with your awesomeness.

The other definition of poor is the one we usually think of, of having no money. Such a person is totally dependent upon God. They see God’s provision everywhere in their lives. They know God’s goodness. They know God cares for them. Both the poor and poor in spirit are totally dependent upon God.

Read verse 6

What do we struggle with? We desperately want to be accepted by the world. We want the world to love us. So to do so, we dishonour our brothers and sisters in Christ, and instead cosy up with the ones who mock our God and our faith, who persecute us and make life harder for us.

We are like the abused woman who keeps going back and snuggling up with her abusive husband. That’s the definition of slavery.

Now, we’re not to do the opposite, where we despise the rich and love the poor. We’re supposed to love our enemies, be patient with them, and be gracious to them. Don’t show favouritism, at all.

So, don’t show favouritism, the “what”, because it dishonours God and the gospel, the “why”, now the better way:

Read verse 8

If you want to please God, do his Word. Love your neighbour as yourself. Don’t live like the world. Live like Jesus. Remember the teaching of James chapter 1. Trust God, walk with God, walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Do the Word. God isn’t just exercising his power here. Rather, he’s like a father, who is saying, “Close the door.” Do the better way, “Line up with my way, show love, because to not show love is to sin against me.

Read verse 9-11

If we show favouritism in any way, we’re guilty of breaking the whole law. We’re As guilty as if we’d committed adultery or murder. You avoid the poor? You avoid the old? You avoid the rich? You avoid certain people based on outward looks? You’re guilty of sin. We want to think we’re okay because we haven’t murdered, or cheated, or robbed. But if we show favouritism, we just as guilty as if we’d had!

This is the Lord speaking. If it was up to me, I’d skip this whole section. This isn’t fun. This is me looking in the mirror and seeing a cold blooded murderer. But please, please, let God shine the mirror of his light and life onto you. See yourself truthfully.

Read verse 12

Be a person who speaks and acts in the light of the gospel, in the light of the law of love, of freedom. Now, if you’re feeling like you know what is right and wrong, and you’re sure that you’re just not measuring up, you’re falling short, that’s Christ working in you. That’s proof that you’re a Christian.

But if what you’ve heard so far doesn’t do anything for you, if you’ve heard the message up to this point, but you just don’t care, if you have no intention of actually trying to live this out, you’re not a Christian. If you are living under the pretense that you are a Christian, but you don’t actually surrender to Christ’s lordship over your life, if you don’t feel any demand to live in obedience to Christ, if there’s no proof of a new heart in your life, you’re deceived. But you’re here. By God’s grace, listen! Define yourself in a different way.

If you can honestly say, “I have no interest in this.” Be real, be honest. Quit faking being a Christian. That’s not what it’s about. We’re worshiping Christ as Saviour and Lord. We’re not a club.

Be doers of the word.

Remember, Judgement day is coming. God’s judgement won’t be easy, soft or cursory, it will be righteous and true. God will test the sincerity of our faith, our obedience. God has brought us out of darkness into light, so live in the light.

Why? If we hear God’s word, and ignore it, we show we’re not saved. If you hear God’s Word, and say, “I don’t care.” You have to stop. You have to wrestle with this stuff. We’re not talking about perfection, we’re talking about progress.

No desire to improve, no desire to be better tomorrow, better at not judging, better at not showing favouritism, better at loving, better at showing grace. If there’s no desire to get better, then you’re not really a Christian. You’re not. But if you think you’re saved, but there’s no evidence, then you’re faking it.

Who would want that? That’s phariseeism, that’s duty and morality. It’s dead and empty. There’s no joy there, no delight. The believer’s heart is full of gladness! It is filled with the Holy Spirit whom you know and love!

Wrestle with this stuff, for look at what is at stake: Read Verse 13

In his sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” James turns it around, God’s going to judge all of us. If you don’t show mercy, God won’t show you mercy.

Listen to what Jesus says if we judge people based on the wickedness of our hearts. “For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Faith without mercy isn’t true faith.

If you say, “I have faith, I have trust in Jesus and the mercy he’s shown to me, but don’t show that mercy toward anyone else, that shows you’re heart is still broken, you don’t really understand God’s gracious love.

If you have in your heart any kind of distaste, or disdain for anyone, fight against it! Lay it down before the Lord. We’re going to have it. It’s in our old natures. But if we’re okay with it, that’s a problem. But if you acknowledge it, and think, “But God chose me, even though I was his enemy, I must show grace to them.” Trust God’s love in you, trust God’s grace to you, to flow out of you. But you have to understand, it isn’t about you. You’re not awesome, God is. Remember God’s triumph of mercy in your life, and be merciful to others.

Let God’s Word work on you. It’s like getting a medical scan. If the doctor calls you after your regular check up and says, “Hey I noticed something; I need to schedule you for an MRI.” There’s no way you’d miss that appointment. You’d want to know what’s wrong, or if it was nothing, that everything’s all right.

This is what God’s doing through James. He’s scanning you. Maybe you’re here this morning, and you’ve just realised that you’ve been faking it, but you don’t want to fake it anymore. Maybe you think everyone thinks you’ve been a true Christian all your life. Maybe you want to admit you’ve been faking it, but you’re worried that others will know. Do you really think that your fake Christian life is worth more than a true Christian life? If you confessed, I’ll tell you what’ll happen. Everyone will be encouraged. Hey, if he can do it, so can I. Let mercy be evident, let mercy triumph over judgement! Amen.