Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week we looked at [[verses 1-13|James 2:1-13]] of James chapter 2, and saw the folly of favouritism.

As I said then, there was so much in these verses, that it was going to be worth our while in coming back to them today, which is exactly what we’re going to be doing – this time concentrating on [[verses 8 to 13|James 2:8-13]].

But before we get to those verses, let’s remind ourselves of what James has taught us so far.

In the [[first 12 verses|James 1:1-12]] of chapter 1 he told us that *even trials are good for us.*

They’re good for us because even though it’s possible that things could get worse, not better, there is always hope that /he/ would become better, and therefore more able to deal with the trials he was facing.

Then in [[verses 12 through 18|James 1:12-18]], he taught us the other side of the coin, that *trials can become temptations.*

Sometimes, he said, trials don’t build us up, trials drag us down.

This is because “each one is tempted when he is drawn away /by his own desires/ and enticed”.

Your biggest problem, James says, is you.

Then in [[verses 19 through 27|James 1:19-27]], he starts to show us how these things can work out in practice.

When we’re tested, he says, whether we pass the test will depend on whether our deeds match our words.

The true Christian, who passes the test, will be *consistent in words and actions*.

They’ll be people are are *Living in the World*, listening to one another, without flying off the handle.

But they’ll also be people who are *Living under the Word*.

As he says in [[verse 22|James 1:22]] “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.”

We must stop sinning.

And thirdly, James said, they’ll be *Living out the Word*.

True faith, James says is shown in three ways (1) by how we speak, (2) and how we act towards others, and (3) by our personal holiness.

That took us to [[chapter two|James 2]], which we considered last week.

In those opening verses of the chapter, James deals with *The Folly of Favouritism*.

We looked at the principle ([[verse 1|James 2:1]]), the example ([[verses 2‑4|James 2:2-4]]), the errors ([[verses 5‑7|James 2:5-7]]), and the consequences ([[verses 8 to 13|James 2:8-13]]).

The *principle* from verse 1 was very simple: there is no place for favouritism within the church of God.

The Christian faith is incompatible with partiality.

James then explained why this was the case with an *example* in [[verses 2-4|James 2:2-4]].

Two men come into the church, one with all the trappings of wealth, the other impoverished and dirty.

The rich man is directed towards the best seats, the poor man sent to sit on the floor.

We saw how easy it was to be swayed by outward appearance, and even by displays of wealth or importance.

How would we respond if Rhodri Morgan or Ryan Giggs or Anthony Hopkins came through the door?

Would we be more pleased to see the rich than the poor?

In [[verses 5-7|James 2:5-7]], James then showed us the underlying *errors *that caused this attitude.

There were two of them.

The first error was in verse five, and that is the assumption that those who are /look/ poor, /are/ poor.

It was a reminder that the things /we /value are not always the things that /God/ values.

If we judge people by the standards of their clothing or worldly possessions, it is a sign that we are not thinking as God thinks.

The second error was shown in [[verses 6 and 7|James 2:6-7]].

Why are you valuing the rich, James asks, when it is the rich who oppress you have drag you into the courts!? They’re not just showing spiritual folly, they’re showing earthly folly, too!

But James is not content with merely showing the errors, because in [[verses 8‑13|James 2:8-13]], he then goes on to show the *consequences* of those errors.

The first was very simple, and was spelt out in [[verse 9|James 2:9]]: “if you show partiality, you commit sin”.

The second is spelt out in [[verses 12 and 13|James 2:12-13]], that those who judge others harshly, will themselves be judged more strictly.

If we treat our neighbours with partiality, James says, we are not simply sinning, but we are going resolutely against the second great commandment.

We can’t dismiss this as something that doesn’t matter, violating such a great commandment will inevitably have consequences for us.

It’s this thought that will become the focus of this morning’s message.

But there’s one more thing to re-cap from last week, and that’s the *application* that we derived from the passage for ourselves.

We looked at recent statistics which showed that almost twice as many people from middle-class areas go to church than they do from poorer areas.

One newspaper report said, “working class people in poorer areas felt alienated from a church they perceived to be middle class”.

We saw how this problem was one that had blighted the church for centuries, and often it had been necessary for men to radically redress the balance, and reach out specifically to the poor.

John Wesley the founder of Methodism, and William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army were two examples we considered.

This then led to two points of very specific application for us as a church.

The first was the challenge as to whether the welcome and hospitality shown towards myself and Shâron could be matched by all of us in the welcome we show to other visitors, particularly the poor.

And the second was whether we could rise to the challenge of invite people who are /not/ like us, as well as people who /are/ like us, to church services.

That meant inviting people from /every/ area of Clydach, and not just the areas where each of us lives.

As you can see, when we summarise James’ teaching like that, it becomes very clear about the challenge he is laying at our door.

But as we go through [[verses 8 to 13|James 2:8-13]] again, we’ll see that the challenge of James is not just about how we should treat others, but how we should understand ourselves.

Because these six verses also tell us about the Christian and the law of God.

We can split their teaching into three parts.

Firstly, in [[verses 8 and 9|James 2:8-9]] we see the *foundations of the law*.

In [[verses 10 and 11|James 2:10-11]] we see *failure to keep the law*, and in [[verses 12 and 13|James 2:12-13]] we see *freedom in the law*.

Firstly then,

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Foundations of the law ([[vv 8-9|James 2:8-9]])

{{{"

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

}}}

Here, James tells us three important foundation principles when we consider the law of God.

The first, and most important is that little adjective he uses to describe the law there in the early part of verse eight: “the /royal/ law”.

What do you think James means by that?

It’s not really difficult.

What are royal robes?

They’re robes that belong to and are used by the King.

What are royal bedchambers?

They’re rooms that belong to and are used by the King.

What is the royal law?

It’s a law that belongs to and is used by the King.

It’s James’ subtle reminder that the law has found its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, a point to which we will return later.

It’s also a reminder that the quotation from [[Leviticus 19|Lev 19:18]]: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” was one that the Lord Jesus himself also quoted.

But most importantly, James wants us to think back to [[verse 5|James 2:5]].

There he described those who were Christians as ‘heirs of the kingdom’.

How in verse eight he’s showing us how those who in the kingdom should live by the King’s law.

The similarity is even more apparent in Greek, as the word for kingdom is /basileia/, and the word for royal is /basilikos/.

In other words, James wants us to be show that the law is a law for us – for the heirs of the kingdom.

But it’s also a law for God, it’s the royal law.

Did you notice something slightly strange in my last sentence?

Let me say it to you again, and see if you can spot it: “the law is a law for us – for the heirs of the kingdom.

But it’s also a law /for/ God, it’s the royal law.”

I said that the law is a law /for/ God.

But mostly Christians would say that it is a law /from/ God, wouldn’t they?

But God’s royal law is different to human royal law.

Ancient Kings always thought of their laws as what everyone else should do, and a little bit of that is still apparent today.

The Queen is exempt from much of our laws: they apply to us, and not to her.

But God takes the opposite approach.

His law does not reflect what he demands from us.

His law reflects what he /gives/ to us.

God is not exempted from his own law, rather God keeps the law, and the law reflects his own character.

More than any human laws, the law of God is truly a /royal/ law.

But as well as being /royal/ law, this is also /scriptural /law.

James tells us in [[verse 8|James 2:8]] that it is “according to the Scripture”.

Again, it’s important to remember that if we want to understand the law of God, it’s to the Bible that we must turn.

One of the tragedies over the last generation or two is that our law-makers have abandoned the Bible in their thinking as to what is good and bad.

But James’ focus here in [[verse 8|James 2:8]], is that /Christians/ (those heirs of the kingdom) should turn to the Bible to find out how /we/ should live.

One of the tragedies of those who seek to impose religious law on nations – whether they be Muslims or Christians – is that sometimes those who are most vociferous in support are those who are least likely to be keeping the law themselves.

Yet the scripture James quotes from [[Leviticus 19|Lev 1:18]] is in the singular, not the plural.

He says “you shall love your neighbour as yourself”, not “you shall all love your neighbours as yourselves”.