Victory in the Neighborhood.

Read James 2:1-13

How many neighborhoods have you visited before? Where were they? What makes neighborhoods different?

- Some neighborhoods are open about peoples places (India caste system) and some are seen but not heard (little league baseball).

James lived in a time when people weren’t kind to poor people.

There was not an equal playing field.

What about now? What do we see in our lives when people aren’t treated equally?

This is the first time that James writes on one single topic. A topic that speaks to what was widely known by all at the time and has since been covered up by society today.

If believers don’t pay attention to injustice in our world, who will? I want you to think about the fact that your injustices can be very different than someone else’s. The way you handle injustice can be different than someone else’s as well.

1. Everyone is Invited.

In the synagogues, the religious people sit down for worship similarly to us.

The Christian believers would have their own gatherings as well.

Chances are, the church of Jerusalem saw more poor people in their midst than rich people.

But there were people of means within their group.

In ancient times, the more gold rings a person wore, the more prominent in society they would appear to be.

Deacons were in charge of directing people to their seats in the assembly of believers.

Bright colored, handmade robes.

Sitting on the ground was the most undignified posture an Jewish man could take. To say “stand over there,” or “sit here on the floor” was the equivalent of tell a person that they didn’t matter as much as someone else.

James wrote that the believers were to treat every person in their assembly with the same type of love and respect that only a Christian can show.

Have you even been in a conversation with someone who passed you by because there was someone else they would rather talk to?

The church cannot afford to treat people the way that the world does. In fact, that attitude does not constitute a church.

You can have:

Buildings

Preachers

Great singers

Programs

Success

If you don’t know how to treat people, none of the other accomplishments count.

The church is meant to be eclectic.

Everybody is somebody in this place. Everyone is afforded the ability to represent the kingdom of God and make Jesus famous.

While it may feel normal to worship Jesus with people who are like you, a true test of a kingdom minded church is one that is full of people from every walk of life.

Why? Because this is the kingdom of God. Every tribe, nation, and tongue will be invited.

We aren’t called to shun people who we don’t relate to. We are called to learn to be family.

Aren’t you thankful that Jesus doesn’t push you aside for what’s better in His eyes?

In the kingdom of God, you have the same rights as every person no matter what your background.

2. Victory Requires an Upward View.

James says something peculiar in “didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?”

James didn’t mean that the rich are at a disadvantage when it comes to believing, but that the poor are more apt to rely on God and come to faith because of their immediate physical needs.

They become wealthy in salvation and the blessings that come from it, not in material goods.

Having the kingdom means possessing eternal life.

James didn’t cut anything from the Jerusalem church.

“You have dishonored the poor.”

Even though God chose the poor, the church has treated them with disrespect.

The wealthy were apparently were applying legal pressure to the poor, perhaps regarding wages, rent, and other forms of debt.

This behavior blasphemed the name of Christ according to James.

James was pointing out a problem.

What would Jesus say about the western church model? Our plans? Our schemes?

There are many successes in our culture that Jesus does not care about.

According to the word of God, Jesus looks into the heart of EVERY matter when it comes to the church.

The journey we are on is just as important as the end result.

If we get the journey wrong, it doesn’t matter what we accomplish.

Part of this journey we are on is learning to value EVERYONE the same no matter what background they come from.

Does that mean that we best friends with everyone? No. But, we are called to show respect to one another.

When we can’t respect each other, we cannot strive to see the kingdom of God expand.

How do we have an “Upward View” of our neighbors?

1. “I really don’t know how everything works.”

2. “I don’t know my neighbor like I think I do.”

3. “I’m better when I’m willing to learn something new about someone.”

Our points of view were never meant to be relegated to people who match our perceptions and understanding. We were meant to align our points of view with Jesus Christ and learn how to follow Him by valuing one another.

3. A Neighborhood of Mercy.

James quotes the royal law, “Love your neighbor as yourself” from Lev. 19:18 and later quoted by Jesus Himself in Matt. 22:39.

A royal law is the sum or essence of all law.

People who showed partiality towards one group over another were guilty of sin and convicted by the law.

Being guilty of one law for the Jews made them guilty of all the laws. In order to fulfill the law of God, one must hold to it in its entirety.

James speaks to every lawbreaker in this message but he doesn’t end with simply declaring that everyone is guilty.

“Judged by the law of freedom”

God, the great King runs His kingdom under the gospel law of love, which is not a law that tells the kingdom to live in external constraint.

He instead set people free and gave them the law of freedom. God’s mercy frees man from the curse of the law which means man is free to love God and obey Him willingly.

Christians who don’t practice the law of love to a neighbor, the law of grace condemns more heavily than the old law.

Those don’t show mercy to others and set people free are themselves losing out on the privilege of mercy.

Mercy wins the fight against judgment every time.

The crossroad of a relationship… “You aren’t the person that I thought you were.”

No one is who you think they are. You aren’t even who you think you are. If you haven’t disappointed yourself before in an action, you aren’t paying very good attention.

We can silence the enemy when we become people of mercy.

Willing to set people free from the pain they have caused us. Not acting the pain isn’t there, but making the decision let God heal our heart.

What if people aren’t asking for mercy? What if people feel justified in their behavior?

Who is James talking to in this passage?

We aren’t simply people free from their sin against us. We are setting ourselves free from the pain that comes to people who can’t let things go.

We are called to release our anger and hatred and find the peace of Christ.

He has stuff for us to do and we can’t understand how to do it until we let go of the pains we feel towards others.

Repent of what you’ve done to people who are different than you or forgive the person who mistreated you.

Both will put in you the presence of our Lord.

Our neighborhoods are called to be places of mercy.