The Royal law

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The Sin of Partiality

2 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 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, 3 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,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 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? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 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. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Prayer

What about the person a few weeks ago that was sitting next to you, that you did’t know from Adam, because it is their first time they have been to the building that the church meets in on Sunday. And they have this evil looking tattoo on their arm that every once in a while you see when they move their arm just right. Instantly you start coming to conclusions about who this person is in your mind. What in heavens name would cause them to get a tattoo like that. Or why would anyone even get a tattoo. And in your mind you have already decided to treat them a little different than that of the other people around you, because you don’t like their decision that they made sometime in their past.

v.8 fulfillment of the royal law— to love your neighbor as yourself. James’ mention of this royal law that Jesus had said was of the most important commandment is a continuation of James concern about the church partiality problem towards the poor v. 2-7.

One more scenario. You know that person that is in Church— maybe he is famous And now he is claiming to be a Christian. Instantly your thinking I not going to be hood-winked by the likes of somebody like him. He did to much damage, caused to much pain in peoples lives, sang to many horrible God dishonoring songs (you guys know who I am talking about). But your thinking do you know who this guy is and what he did, and he has the gall to claim he is a Christian. This my friends is the sin of partiality looking down on a brother or sister because of what you perceive of them in your mind, and then how you act towards that person because of it. Was there one prayer that came out of your mouth saying God glory to you my God for saving him, because like me he sinned much, and like me You in your goodness and mercy saved him. Thank you God! Or was it all no way!, Because I can guarantee that there were some that said the same things about you, because there were some that said things about me when I came to faith in the Lord.

If we are showing dishonor towards any because of the way they are in there status of life compared to those who are better off financially or by their popularity. We are not fulfilling the royal law of loving our neighbor as our selves.

When we are baby christians we are not going to know everything

In v. 4 James tells us, “have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

This letter was not written to unbelieving Jews, but to believing Jews and because we know that when one trusts in the Lord Jesus and Loves Him and Loves Him, Loves Him, and repents of his sins the Spirit comes upon them.

Loving the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength is the greatest commandment The second is to love your neighbor as your self according to Jesus.

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those who love Him.

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Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. how long does it say the Spirit of truth will be with someone who love Jesus? it says forever. when we come into this saving relationship with Jesus Christ that is based or that has the proper foundation of Love first, we will never be alone again.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

The people that Jesus is talking to here, what happens first?

They love the Lord! then then they keep His commandments. It is impossible for you to keep the commandments when you are trying to do it alone, but if YOU LOVE THE LORD He will give you a helper The Spirit of Truth.

In our text v. 8-11, James talks of some very grievous sins, these sins are serious and are to be taken serious. James is talking about partiality and how if we commit this gravitas sin, we are convicted by the law as a transgressor. He says that if we fail in one point of the the law we are guilty of all of it. 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.

So what do we do? v. 12 tells us So speak and act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.

This is not the first time that James has told us about the law of liberty. in ch 1 he tells us

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22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only. What has James told us so far.

1:27 …visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and keep oneself unstained from the world.

2: 1-7 and show no partiality between the rich and the poor

1:19 But he also tells us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

1:21 he tells us put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness.

How are we doing? Are we visiting the orphans and widows in their affliction? are we keeping ourselves unstained by the world? Are we being quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger? and have we put all filthiness and wickedness away? How are we doing?

well I have never commited adultery or murder. and I try not to show favoritism to others because of the way they are in their status of life. But remember if we fail in one we fail in all v. 10. This is not Ben saying this, this is James the half brother to our Lord Jesus Christ saying this.

Jesus said the same thing

v. 10 if

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Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 “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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I have not come here today to play down the commandments. That would be wrong and evil. We as the Body of Christ as the Christian Church we are to be righteous, because if our righteousness does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. The Pharisees where keeping the ten commandments pretty good, probably better than any of us could and that was not good enough for them to enter into the kingdom. They lived that life of Law and yet they were doomed for destruction and death.

How are we doing with keeping the Law? Have you exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees.

What If I was to stop this message right know. Where is the hope were is the grace? We could come away from this message as so many have thinking that we need to work harder try harder to keep the ten commandments so that we are not in judgment. Jesus had just laid out the beatitudes or the blessings of those that were follow Him. 5:1 says that His disciples came to him.

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I am going to make an argument that what the Pharisees where missing was the love for God, and because of this lack of love they were focused only on themselves and the works that they were doing.

Jesus came to fulfill the law meaning it was going to be completed or accomplished. The Old way of the Law of sacrifice of animals was done when Jesus sacrificed himself for us.

Just because Jesus accomplished the fulfillment of the law for you and me when He went to the cross, does not mean we can continue in wilful sin.

We Cannot sin so that Grace may abound!

But I said a prayer five years ago, so no matter what I do or how I act, it is all forgiven. If you have this attitude that you can do whatever you want to those that are made in the image of our Lord, I would question if that prayer you said five years ago was sincere.

Do you have love for your brothers and sisters? Do you want to serve them? or do you want to be served all the time?

Jesus said,

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34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

We as Christians are doers of the Word and not hearers only, or we are not Christians. If we do not have love for others in or acts or works, we are not Christians. That is what James is going to be talking about in versus 14-26 When he tells us faith without works is dead, and God willing next time we meet together we will go through those versus.

And

But I want to close with verse 13. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

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Why does anyone show mercy? Because of compassion and Love and forgiveness for that person. God showed us the ultimate compassion love and forgiveness when Jesus went to the cross for sinful creatures like me. And because God showed us Love, compassion, and forgiveness, we are to show others the same.

18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

We are to forgive over and over. We see this in the parable of the unforgiving servant . The servant is forgiven ten thousand talents (a talent being worth about 20 years wages), but immediately after he is forgiven he goes out and finds one that owes him some money (100 denarii— a denarii being about a days wage) and demands it, and because the other servant cannot pay he has him thrown into jail. Because of the first servants unwillingness to forgive, judgment comes upon him.

We also see forgiveness in the teaching of how we are to pray.

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2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread,

4 and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

When we come into a relationship with the Lord Jesus— transformation happens in us. When we cry out to the Lord and tell Him we are sorry for the sins and rebellion that we have done against Him and ask Him to be the Lord of our life, forgiving us. Transformation happens— you now have the Spirit of God within you. Yes you are going to still struggle with sin, but do you have Love for the Lord your God and love for the people around you— this is a fruit of the promised Spirit of God within you. When we don’t have the Spirit from the transformation that has taken place, we are like the Pharisees, without love, and this is why James could say if we murder or commit adultery or show partiality we have become guilty of all of the law.

But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Salvation has got to come first, and then the Royal law of loving your neighbor as yourself. Because we cannot, nor do we even want to do this by ourselves— its all about God.