Kingdom Behavior
Notes
Transcript
How many of us grew up beatin the snot out of our siblings?
Well we are gonna focus a lot on that today. Lol
Seriously today’s sermon is an eye opener.
By show of hands how many went ahead and read into James 2?
No ok good.
James 2 is humanity to its core.
The example given is American to the core
But as we look at our society we can relate in so many ways.
Favoritism
Bullying
Divorce
Domestic violence
Child abuse
Child trafficking
What about within our units
Lack of concern for others
Blindness towards someone’s suffering
Maybe indifference the pain they are going through
We are talking about bringing in the human element
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
Like I said
James 2 is an eye opener
Displays our true nature.
Opposite of Christ
The more you study the OT
The more you study the New Testament
Over and over we are taught
Love one another
Treat each other with respect
To never judge someone by appearance
Here in James we see him rebuking their behavior
I’m sure many of us, especially those of us with brothers
Remember or have multiple stories about kickin the snot out of our brothers
Our neighbors
Our cousins
Getting into fights at school
I could go on and on
Each one of us is guilty of this behavior
But one that rings a bell is my brother and the time he literally whipped me
But I think where it truly begins to hit home
Rejection in the church
Rejection in our units
Rejection by our leadership
I have done hundreds of hours of drug and alcohol counseling
Consistent, pastor kicked them out of church.
Members felt rejected
People forced to sit in the back
**But I remember this one story of a pastor Dressed up to be homeless
What would you do?
Invite him to sit with your family?
Ask him over for dinner?
Reject him?
How important this is to God
This is one of those behaviors that is unacceptable to God
No one is rejected in the Kingdom
Everyone is loved and cared for.
I love that
I know from time to time I’ve been on the outside looking in
I am not always the most popular in the group
Seriously how important this is to God
One step further
Have you ever fully analyzed the Ten Commandments?
First 4 last 6
Galatians 5:14 tells us Law summed up
For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
It’s everywhere
You can’t escape it
Jesus demands a behavioral modification
To be a follower of Christ
To be a slave of Christ
To be some one that claims they are headed to heaven
What does verse James 2:1 say
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
Literally demands that you love one another
But let’s take this one step further.
Explain story of Bathsheba
Because I really want you to understand how deeply rooted this is
For those that are not familiar
King David is begging God for forgiveness
Turn with me to Psalm 51:4
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
Against you and you alone have I sinned
To treat another human being without respect
Without dignity
Without love
Is sinning against God
Why?
We are made in his image
We are his prized creation
To sin against one of us is to sin against God
Brings it home right?
You’re not just violating someone else
You’re not just treating someone else poorly
You’re sinning against almighty God!
In order to be a member of the Body of Christ you simply cannot
Replicate the behavior of the world towards others
In all circumstances.
Under all conditions
Now this is where James hits at our Motivation
Why do we treat each other like this
I love this
He brings in very practical advice
You see
We like to imagine that we have all that we need
That maybe we don’t need God
That our material blessing is a sign we are saved
But is that a requirement of our salvation?
James says
It’s the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God
Is James stating the poor are the only ones gaining eternal life?
What is he referencing?
If we are well off are we disqualified?
He’s referencing our mentality
Being rich we tend to back off of God
We tend to ignore God
While the poor tend to place all hope in God
There’s a book called kisses for Katie
About a missionary in Africa who ended up adopting 30 kids
She mentioned how easy it is to follow Christ in a 3rd world country
When you have nothing your entire dependence is on God
But as Americans we don’t need God
Am I right?
We get sick
Hospital
Hungry
Grocery store
Gas
Gas station
But when you have nothing and a simple thing such as drinking water becomes nearly impossible
Jesus becomes your all.
In other words James is contrasting
The spiritually rich versus the spiritually poor
The financially rich versus the financially poor
If faith is all that is required for salvation then material blessing...
Almost becomes a curse
It can lead you away from Christ
Makes you think you don’t necessarily need Christ.
Almost like he’s your emergency bandaid.
Something you only pull out in times of crisis
What we don’t realize is what James is desperately trying to get across
Without Christ
We are eternally screwed
Look at verse 10&11
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
Lets go a bit deeper
Two points here
First off
We are sinners and one sin requires punishment.
That punishment is eternal separation from God
Hell
This is the point he’s making.
Second
This is what I like to call the great equalizer
If everyone is a sinner
Then everyone is in need of a Savior
But let’s get back to the point of one sin equals a sinner.
Because if one sin equals a sinner,
Then you need a savior
Because I guarantee each and everyone of us has sinned at least once.
This means that the person you are judging
The person you aren’t treating right
The person you hate
The person who you feel is better or worse than everyone else
Is in fact just the same as everyone else
See when we get to our ETERNAL destination
None of this is going to matter
None of this popularity contest is going to matter
Because if we are all sinners
Then the only opinion of us that truly matters
Is what God thinks of us
Say that again, the only opinion that matters is God’s
Therefore if you’re a believer
If you call yourself a Christian
Treat everyone the way Jesus would have treated them.
But again
Circle back to the this one sin motif
Extremely important
Why is this one sin vs. faith so important
Now I’m gonna hit you where it hurts see
James is bringing up a sensitive topic
James is gonna hit your way of thinking
James is gonna hurt your pride here
Biggest lies today
I’m a good person
I don’t do anything wrong
God has to let you into heaven
First and foremost God doesn’t have to do anything
Second the lie we have been force fed
I’m a good person
Does not meet the qualifications to enter into heaven
James makes this absolutely clear here
One sin and you’re a sinner
One sin and you deserve punishment
One sin and you go where you don’t want to
But through Jesus
You’re forgiven
By faith in him as your lord and savior
Through faith in his sacrifice his death his resurrection
You gained eternal life with God almighty
You have been saved
Your ticket purchased
Your passport stamped
You get to be with God in heaven for eternity
But without Christ you are doomed
He paid the price
He did what you couldn’t do
Critical and incredibly important to understand.
Look with me finally at verse 12 cause here is where James wraps it up
So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
He’s spittin truth here!
Makes his point
You think you’re good
You think you’ve earned your way?
God will judge every action
Every thought
Everything you’ve done
Guilty in one point and it’s over.
Judgment for our actions towards others
James 2:12–13 (BKC): God has ordained unalterable laws. Complete and consistent obedience is required if spiritual maturity is to be attained. The believer is commanded to accept his brother with courtesy, compassion, and consistency.
Anything less is a sin.
Last but not least please jump back up to the first verse.
Before we read that
Notice what James did here
He laid the ground work for why we treat others properly
He laid the ground work for why it is a sin
He laid the ground work that no one is special that we are all equal
How can you claim to be a believer if you treat others...
That’s it friends.
***The signature behavior of a true Christian is behavior that is wrapped and soaked and marinated in love. ***
Love love love.
You simply cannot claim to be a believer in Jesus
Claim to have the faith that saves
Claim to have been changed from within
Ask yourself
What would this world look like
Army look like
Our unit look like
Everyone is accepted
No one is rejected
Everyone wants the best for everyone
We can be like that
Imagine a world like that
Paradise in my opinion
Finally I want to close with one more passage.
1 Corinthians 13
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.