Untitled Sermon

Father in heaven, how we love you. Lift your name in all the earth.

Be established in our praises. As your people declare your mighty name. Blessed be the Lord. Blessed be the Lord.

Established in our praises. As your people declare your mighty name. Chapter 2. And let's look together at the first 13 verses this morning as we prepare to go to the Lord's table. James writes, My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.

If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, Hey, here's a good seat for you. But say to the poor man, You stand there or sit on the floor by my feet. Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of Him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery, but you do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives mercy, by the law that gives freedom.

Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. For mercy triumphs. Over. Judgment. In James, we are looking at the results of salvation in our lives. And we're seeing that the Word of God tells us that there will be evidence of that in our lives. There will be the workings of that faith that are coming out of our lives, or we are not saved.

And this is a strong warning by James, who believed that the coming of the Lord was imminent. And so we receive it as like a final warning, like a last warning before the catching out. And I want, and I want as we go through this for you to see it that way. James is telling us that God has his plans in revealing those workings and bringing them out of our lives.

And he uses trials to do that. And so in chapter one, we begin seeing that the trials are something ordained of God. And so we're to look at them in a different way, in a different light. We're to rejoice in these times because God is doing his work. He's revealing our faith by those trials. Those trials are geared and measured by God, specifically for us. That God is not leaving us where we were when he found us,

but he is molding us and making us into the image of his son. That will not just happen the minute we're caught up at the rapture or when we die and go to be with the Lord, but it's in process right now, making us and molding us into the image of his son. That we're to persevere then through those trials because of the purposes that he has in them for us. That there is to be a goal, an ultimate end to that.

And we're supposed to know that, that there's a reward, not only are we going to be in the image of his son, but we're going to receive the crown of life. That crown is a reward that God gives to those that love him, he said in chapter one, and it's the result of faithful service. And so it's an honor to God. We honor him as we persevere through the trials.

We learn more of him as we persevere through the trials. We learn more of ourselves as we persevere through the trials, where we are, where our faith is concerned with the Lord, seeking and pressing on. James is actually encouraging us, as Paul does, to persevere through the trials. To persevere through awaiting the final results of the trials. Then ultimately, we saw in chapter one,

where he talks about the product of that trial, what the trials really bring forth. And in verses 24 through, well, actually 19 through 27, we saw that it produces a listening ear. We're quick to listen, slow to speak, a guarded mouth, and slow to wrath, slow to get angry at others. We see that product, and you should be seeing that in your life. You should be seeing that manifesting itself

where your speech is concerned. Your speech should be becoming and you're slower to respond when you're put upon, when things just don't seem to go right. You're slower to say something that you know you'd regret later. You're quicker to listen to the word, quicker to listen to God, quicker to listen for what he's going to say in the midst of that trial. And you're slow to get mad, slow to get angry,

slow to dump that anger onto somebody else before you just lay it before the Lord. And then he says that as that is happening, you'll also realize what true worship is about. And that's verses 24 through 27. In chapter one, that you will see that religion, and we talked last time about the word for religion means the outward expression, the outward form. And we talked about that being what is the result

of an inward relationship with the Lord, which that becomes our worship then. Barclay, the commentator equates what James is saying here with that word religion as to our worship. So true worship, therefore, if we say we are worshipers, then as true worshipers, we will guard our mouth. He brings that out again. The first thing is you'll watch your speech. You're going to guard your tongue.

You're going to guard what you say. And then we're going to minister to the orphans and to the widows. In other words, we're going to be others centered, ministering to people without expecting anything in return, ministering even anonymously if we can, so that people won't know who to say thank you to. And they have to say thank you to God. We're not expecting a blessing in what we do.

We don't want a plaque on a wall or on a piano or on a brick or whatever. We just want to minister because that's what the Lord wants us to do. And we're worshipers. We're others centered. And then finally, it says that we'll be keeping ourselves pure from the world or or pure from worldliness, pure from the attitudes of the world, how the world thinks, how the world responds.

That's a true worshiper. Now, as we come into chapter two, I want you to carry that thought with you into chapter two, because that's where James is going with this. I think it's not that he's off starting into some other area and talking about favoritism. And we'll talk about that this morning. He's going on with the idea that if you have truly come to Christ,

if you've surrendered your heart to Jesus and the spirit of God is there, then these things will be working themselves out in your life. And you'll be seeing that. And he carries that thought into chapter two as a worshiper. If I am a worshiper, I will be watching my speech. I will be others centered. I will be keeping myself pure, as pure as I can. I'll be I'll be watching and seeking to not let myself get into the thought

processes and the attitudes and the actions of the world. And so he comes into chapter two and he says, My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. He's carrying that same thought of worship in the chapter two. So as a worshiper, we will be learning how not to show favoritism. That's what we want to talk about this morning.

And as we move into chapter two, we we come from chapter one that shows that our our faith is revealed by trials into the fact that the workings of our faith are reflected in relationships. The trials come and they reveal to us when we go through a trial. When I go through a trial, it reveals to me where I am with the Lord, where I am in my walk. Am I quick to hear or am I quicker to speak?

Am I slow to wrap? Or am I quick to blow up and blow up all over family members or whatever? Where am I? It's revealed by the trials, but it's reflected then in my relationships with others. This is where others begin to see, you see, where I am with the Lord. The workings of faith are reflected in our relationships with others. And so he begins this by saying, my brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

And I want you to see in these first four verses, he's telling us something very important as far as not showing favoritism. He's telling us something very important as worshipers. He's saying, how you see is how you love. How you see life is how you love in life. How you see people are how you love people. And so the question is asked, how do you see? How are you seeing people?

What do you see when you look at people? And he's telling us here that we're to look at people with the eyes of Christ. And so he starts off by saying believers there in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. And James here firmly, boldly affirms the richness of Jesus glory. Remember Jesus, his half brother, whom he detested for their 30 years of existence before the cross, whom he flatly denied that was he was not the son of God.

This guy's nuts. One of the gospels say that Mary and Jesus brothers and sisters came to get him one time when he was ministering. He said and healed a bunch of people because they said he is beside himself. He's nothing so they didn't believe James didn't believe that. Now he is affirming boldly. This is our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. He's he's affirming who Christ is.

Now you say, well, what's the importance of that? That's the main important if you want to see people, how Jesus sees. We need to see his glory now realize James didn't see it. James didn't see the there were only really three people that saw the manifested glory of the son of God. And that was Peter. John different James that was James the brother of John not James this James and they went with

Jesus one day up on a mountain and Jesus was transfigured before them his glory burst forth I mean yeah I don't know how you see that I don't know how you would have changed but you know I kind of I kind of picture that I've seen before where somebody's standing there all of a sudden light just bursts out of them you know I guess kind of I don't know you know maybe the more we get into technology they'll do something different that shows that kind of it and that's how it is nice he's just standing there before him and he's praying all of a sudden zing bam wham light he just radiate the glory just radiates out and he's transformed into that same kind of image

that John saw in Revelation on the Isle of Patmos and when they saw that glory they hit the ground and worshiped in the midst of that glory but you see that's the only time that the glory was revealed in Jesus earthly ministry James the author of the book that we're in didn't see that I don't think when Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection he did that that's not what he did with the disciples he's just in the room with the other disciples and they looked and there he was and they couldn't believe it and they he had them touch him and all that stuff and they realized that this is who he really was but he didn't come into the room and all of a sudden shafts of light shoot out from him you know and all that so James hasn't seen his glory but he

knows it's there he's affirming that he's saying I'm looking through the eyes of Christ realizing his glory and you say well what does that have to do with how we see anything well we realize the glory of Christ but I want you to realize how he appeared to men when he was here you see he Isaiah tells us that that he wasn't good looking Isaiah 52 paraphrase he was not desirable in other words he was not desirable he was he was not of a real well-bred family I mean family was nice but they were poor he didn't come from a well-bred family he wasn't educated the Pharisees established that for us in the gospels that you know where'd this man get his learning where'd he get his letters

he didn't go to Jerusalem you he doesn't have doctor you know next to his name he wasn't educated they looked at those kinds of things he wasn't wealthy he was not a wealthy man he didn't even have a home he told his disciples later that birds have nests and foxes have holes but the son of man doesn't have anywhere to lay his head he didn't he didn't have possessions he didn't have earthly material things so there was nothing about him that would reveal or declare this glory you see and yet James affirms it and you and I believe that we believe the glory of the Lord Paul tells us in Colossians that the fullness of the glory of the Lord is in the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily and what that means is he was fully God dwelling in

a fully human vessel now that's an impossibility in our eyes I mean you take a glass that's full of water and you put a full glass of sand in it and it displaces the water the water goes somewhere you can't get a full glass of sand in a full glass of water but the Bible tells us that that Jesus was fully man and he was not comely he was not attractive but at the same time he was filled with glory of God that's in theological terms that's called the hypostatic union because it's an impossibility apart from God that something fully deity could dwell with the midst of full humanness we believe that now because we believe that of the Lord we need to look with his eyes at people

and see what he has planned for the lives of people we need to look at one another with the eyes of Christ so what do you see when you look around this room how do you see others look at verse two into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in if you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say here's a good seat for you but you say to the poor man you stand there or better sit on the floor here by my feet have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts how do you see people how do you see the people in this room right now are you are you partial to certain people you know and you look for people that about your age if you're a couple you look

for another couple when you come in here what do you see first you know there's not many singles there or there's not many people my age or maybe there's not too many people in my race or there's too many old people there's too many young people and there's teenagers you know what do you see how do you see others when you walk in when you walk into a room how do you see the people in the room we've talked about this before but I want to talk about it again because it's a major problem we all have it and that's what James is dealing with in this chapter when you go to the clinic let's say here in our city and you walk into the clinic how do you walk into the clinic I mean you

may be dying right you got the flu you're dragging but when you open those doors you want to make sure you're approaching correctly you don't want to trip and fall you want to walk up to the registration desk and act like you know what you're doing yes I'm here to see one of the doctors take a seat I'll take a seat and you walk over here and you walk and you kind of glance around and you go over and you sit down and in that whole thing you're thinking about how you look to other people and make sure you're flying around and you're thinking about how you look to other people eyes not open you know your shirt tail's not hanging out you just want to get in and walk

over because you know everybody is looking at you and you don't want to make them think you're stupid or nothing you're sick to death everybody in there sick well you see that's what we think we're constantly thinking of ourselves of how we look to others how we're in this situation and how do others perceive us when you get on an elevator where you know what you do in an elevator especially if it's full you get into the up and you're kind of up against the wall and there's people over there and people over here where do you look where you put your hand you don't want to be you don't want to do anything stupid even in an elevator why because you're afraid of what people will think of you you see we're so concerned when we come in to

certain situations as to how people perceive us rather than lord what do you want me to see about them as your agent when you come in here when you come into a church setting where the church is gathered together what do you come in looking for how do you see the people when you come in are you looking for someone to meet your need because you're single you're widowed you're college you're young married are you looking for others to meet that need or are you looking for an opportunity to minister as you walk through the doors are you looking for people because you know that god sent you here with your gifts and your talents in order to encourage and build up even in the midst of your weaknesses or are you simply looking making

sure that no one thinks you're stupid looking and making sure that you know you find your people that fit your group are you user friendly or clickish do you come into a place and and feel like it's cold people are cold to me and so you leave or do you come in and if you notice that coldness become a thermostat so that you can help turn up the warmth you see are are you seeing on how people are looking at you and accepting you and wanting to meet your needs are you looking with the eyes of christ outward other centered worshipers chapter one who can seek to meet your needs to meet the needs of others as god is leading you for his sake for his glory how did jesus see

people how did jesus see people here in chapter two in verses two through four we see he uses a rich man a rich person and a poor person as an example but did jesus see people that way did he see rich and poor you see i it i wonder when i read this well how come he didn't he didn't say anything about race there i mean this is this is post cross post resurrection uh this is uh you know there's gentiles starting to filter into the church how come he didn't say you're in your gathering and a gentile comes in and the fellow hebrew christian how come he didn't say that how he didn't make race the issue well you see because to most of us race is an issue only until we

discern the economics of the situation i mean if one of those people come in here oh my unless one of those people happens to be very wealthy and owns one of the banks in town and then oh please sit here you know i would like to get to know you and so james goes right to the heart of the matter rich or poor somebody with money who has affluence who has an opportunity to bless me or somebody of no sustenance no substance that's just in my way that i don't have time for and they come in how do you see people how did jesus see people you see jesus never ever looked at who a person was he always looked at what they would become and he ministered to them he related to them in that way always not as to what they were

but as to what they would be and so when peter was brought to jesus his name was simon and one of the first things we read that jesus said to him is you are simon you shall be called petros the rock you're going to be rocky matthew the tax collector that you know that was his name it seems like matthew the tax collector he wasn't just matthew he's matthew the tax collector matthew the insurance man you know matthew the banker whatever because he was a tax collector the revulsion of identified his character and so he was matthew the tax collector and yet jesus and entrusted to him through the person of the holy spirit the ability and the opportunity of penning the gospel that

bears his name there's the person saul who was a murderer who was a zealot who was zealous for the laws zealous for judaism who literally brought men women and children back to jerusalem to be executed for their faith in this jesus and yet jesus saw him and changed his name to peter the apostle to the gentile because jesus saw him as he would become you see all the way through scripture we see that we see an abram who god saw as abraham we see a jacob who was a heel snatcher a con man who would be an israel a lover of god we see names change that's why it's exciting when you get to the book of revelation and you realize that when you and i get there we're going to be

given a new name why because we will become and be as he sees us and we will become as he sees us now he sees us that way now all you and i see is mark and whoever but he sees us as a petros or a paul or an abraham or an israel he already sees that and and that's how he looks at you and i now and he's moving us in that direction and and that's how he wants us to see each other is through his eyes we need to see people with the eyes of christ because listen the way that you and i behave towards one another emphasize is what we believe about god the way you and i behave towards one another indicates what we believe about god what we believe god is what we believe god does what we believe god can do

what we believe god is doing and so how you and i see determines how we love if you and i looked at people just simply through our own eyes we'll show favoritism we'll be bigoted we'll be prejudiced we'll be self-centered we will bring in worldly attitudes that james tells us in chapter one that a true worshiper seeks to keep himself pure now i don't know what you think of when when it says keep yourself free from worldliness or like when john says in first john chapter two i love not the world neither the things that are in the world or if any man loves the world the love of god's not in him for the things of the world are at enmity with god what do you think of when you think of things of the

world do you simply think of material things so i can give up that i don't love a mercedes i would might have one but i don't love it you know i'm not consumed with the mercedes i don't love the mercedes or do you think of things like showing favoritism partiality prejudice that's worldliness that's a worldly attitude and those are things we are to keep ourselves from to keep ourselves free from and it sounds easy and maybe you're sitting there and you're thinking well you know i really i'm not prejudiced i really i'm not prejudiced at all i used to be well i used to think that about myself too but what happens if somebody walks in here and they sit next to you and maybe they don't look real good maybe

have an odor maybe they would be considered retarded or or have a deformity and they sit next to you how do you feel if they do that and they sit there maybe they're sitting there now and you're distracted from the things that i'm saying because you're overcome by the smell or you're overcome by how they look or you're overcome by that oh they're just drooling you know or whatever and you're so noticing those kinds of things you wish that they were moved or you wish that you could somehow discreetly slide over or why are they here somebody walks through the doors and you've known them and you've known them and you've known how they've been and how they treated you in the past and you go why are they here don't they know this is god's house

what are they doing here why shouldn't they be here it should be the place they ought to be but you see we can show we can we can have that attitude of the world that favoritism coming out and we don't even realize it and when you and i walk into an elevator and act that way or walk into a clinic and act that way or walk into dylan's and i'm going to talk about dylan's later and act that way as to how people are seeing me you're showing a favoritism because you would rather talk to somebody or be with somebody stand next to somebody or sit with somebody that is appealing looking as nice as well dressed as whatever than somebody that looks otherwise so we all have to battle and we need to see people with the eyes of christ now as you look at verses

five through seven i want you to see god's sovereign choosing here now we'll we'll talk about this in just a second look at verse five listen my dear brothers has not god chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him but you have insulted the poor is it not the rich who are exploiting you are not they the ones who are dragging you into court are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong look at back verse five real quick listen my dear brothers has not god chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world now as we're looking at the world we're looking at the world we're looking at the world we're looking at the

workings of faith reflected in our relationships with others we need to see with the eyes of christ and as we do that as we see with the eyes of christ we need to realize how he sovereignly chooses his choosing is a sovereign choice that's based upon his grace not upon our merit so as you and i are looking through the eyes of christ learning to look at one another through the eyes of christ we are learning to look at how he sovereignly chooses not based upon merit but based upon his grace hold your finger here or mark it with your finger if you want to see it with your bulletin go back with me to first corinthians chapter one back to your left first corinthians chapter one first corinthians chapter one paul wrote this epistle to the church

at corinth to a church that thought it had it all together to to a church that thought they were spiritual because they ministered all the gifts to a church that thought they had it together because they did everything that it seemingly was required according to the law they thought they were spiritual and they were learned and they studied and they gave themselves over to their teachers and so some were of apollo and some of paul and some of peter and they were seeking to exalt themselves they thought they were okay and so paul writes to them in chapter one and look down at verse 26 he says brothers think of what you were when you were called i want you to do that right now what were you like when you first

came to christ what was your life like when you first came to christ think of what you were when you were called and he goes on to say not many of you were wise by human standards not many were influential not many were of noble birth but god chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise god chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong he chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not or that are nothing that have no reputation that have no prominence that have no seeming purpose to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him it's because of him that you are in christ jesus who has become for us wisdom from god that is our righteousness holiness and

redemption therefore as it is written let him who boasts boast in the lord so think of what you were when you first came to christ because there are not many of us that were wise or influential most of us were pretty broken pretty crummy pretty stinky pretty foolish pretty stupid it's christ you see it's it's what he's done and so he chose you and i and james is saying this about his choosing he chose simply based upon his grace not because of any merit we have you see somehow when we get involved in church and ministry we think we're something and we want to keep our something going and we want to keep our something going the way we think our something is and so we want our

something to function this way and we want other people to get involved in our something who kind of look like our something and don't stand out from our something so people that come in that aren't part of our something we don't care if they leave or not but we want the people in here that are part of our something we've totally forgotten where we were what we were and what our purpose is And so we need to see each other through the eyes of Christ and realize the way that he chose it just sovereignly by his grace, not because people looked good or smelled good or didn't drool or didn't limp or weren't a certain color. He's chosen because he loves them. And he says here that he's chosen us to inherit the kingdom of God to those who love him.

Now, here's another reward for those who love God. Back in chapter one of James, verse 12, we see that the crown of life is promised to those who love him. And here the kingdom of God is given to those who love him. And those who love him, it shows, are those who understand his sovereign choosing, that they don't pick people who appear to be great and nice.

The outward appearance is nil now as a Christian. They don't care what people look like or what their background is because God loves them and God gave his son for them. Jesus died for the sins of the world. It's his will that no one should perish, but that all, all, no exception. No sorting out, no filtering by size or shape or color or quality, but that all would come

to the knowledge of repentance, that all men would be saved. And you see the doctrine of his grace, if we really believe it, it forces us to accept people on the basis of God's plan and not the basis of human merit. In other words, what does God have planned for you? Oh, he's planning to make me into the image of his son. Real good. What's he have planned for the person sitting next to you?

What's he have planned for the drooler? What's he have planned for the back row? What's he have planned for the deformed person, for the person of a different race, for the older person, for the younger person, for the teenager? Conform him into the image of his son. He wants us to see that. You see, when we look at people, don't look at what they are. Look at what he sees them as becoming.

And we love them. See, who in this room right now, who in this room, name one that God does not care about. Who in this room, name one, God does not love. Who in this room, name one, does God not have? Who in this room, name one, God does not have a plan for. Okay, now name one person in this room you don't really care for. Name somebody in this room, maybe they're sitting across the room that you don't love.

Why? You see, it's because what they've done to you, or what they look like to you, or of what value you may perceive that they have for you. See, and that is an attitude of the world that we are to keep ourselves pure from if we are worshipers. There can be no one, no one that we can't look at and say, God loves you, and God has a plan for your life, and so I love you.

Okay? And I'm going to do what I can to minister to you. And that takes us right into what verses 8 through 11 are talking about. If you really keep the royal law, verse 8, found in scripture, love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all

of it. For he who said, do not commit adultery, also said, do not murder. If you do not commit adultery, but you do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. So we move from how we see, seeing with the eyes of Christ, to realizing God's sovereign choice of each person, and he has a plan for each person. So as I look at each individual with the eyes of Christ, I realize that he's loved by God.

God has a plan for his life. I'm to love and to minister to them accordingly, according to the royal law. I'm to keep the royal law. Now, he tells us what the royal law is right there. You don't have to read that and think, what's the royal law? It's right there. Love your neighbor as yourself, verse 8. He's actually quoting from the Old Testament, from Leviticus chapter 19.

The royal law. Love your neighbor as yourself. Now, if you're like me, as I was growing up and going to Sunday school and all, I saw that verse, and you saw it in the Gospels in Luke, and I just thought, who's my neighbor? I mean, the people who live next door. I really don't know my neighbors that well, you know? Is that who you mean? Well, Jesus tells us there in Luke's Gospel, in chapter 10, verses 25 through 37, in the

story about the Good Samaritan, that our neighbor is anyone around us who needs help. Our neighbor is anyone around us who needs help. So loving our neighbor is not a matter of geography, but it's a matter of opportunity. And so what opportunity are you in right now? That God wants you to keep the royal law, that he wants you to see them through the eyes of Christ, that he wants you to realize the sovereign choice that God has for their

life, the plan that he has for their life. And see, that gives you a whole new perspective now for walking into an elevator. When you walk into an elevator now, who gives a rip where you look or put your hands? You're walking into a place that God has ordained you to be at that time, to be light and salt, to see the people standing in there through his eyes, that he has a sovereign plan for that he just simply wants you to minister the royal law to.

When you go into Dillon's, and I talked about this last service, because that's something we probably all in this room will do. I don't know how many of you will ride an elevator in the next month, or how many of you will go to the clinic in the next month, but I venture to say that within the next month, everybody in this room will go to Dillon's at least once, and sometimes twice in the same day, within 15 minutes. When you go in and you get your groceries and you come out and you start to drive off and I forgot the bread, and you get mad, remember, slow to anger, quick to hear. I'm usually at that point.

I forgot. I forgot the bread, and I'm mad, and I got to turn the car around and go back to the store, instead of being, I forgot the bread. Now, do you think that kind of stuff happens by chance? I mean, I know at those times, what do you feel? Foolish. Stupid. You're stupid. You forgot the bread. Why did you forget the bread? Why do you think you forgot the bread?

Because I always forget the bread. Is that just my life? Where's God's sovereign choice in there again? You ever think about that? See, God knows your frame, that you and I are simply dust. Do you think a sovereign God, see, I don't think God does anything by chance. I don't think there is absolutely anything that just happens. Everything I read in the New Testament is, at the appointed time, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

In the fullness of time, Mary brought forth a son. At the very hour, Jesus came forth. At the very hour, he's going to come again. At the very instant, we don't know what time it is right now, but there's a specific time that he's coming for his church. God does everything. Everything clicks off according to the clock of God, according to his sovereign choice.

So, when you're driving down the street, and whether you forget it or not, but especially during those times when you go to Dillon's, and you leave, and you forget something, don't go, oh, you stupid person, be quick to hear. God, you know I'm stupid. And so, you knew I'd forget the bread. You want me to go back to Dillon's for a reason. Who's going to be in Dillon's you want me to see?

And you turn the car around, and you realize that that is a divine appointment. That wasn't just some stupid accident. That wasn't some stupid, foolish thing that you forgot to do. God is taking you back to Dillon's for a reason. When you walk into Dillon's, ever, you want a mission field, you don't even have to leave Ark City. It's Dillon's. Everybody in the city goes to Dillon's.

That is a... I'm not kidding. That's a mission field. So, when you walk through those doors, don't just think, I got to go get lettuce, I got to go get pop, I got to go get meat. Have your eyes on, the eyes of Christ. Who's in here, Lord? You didn't just bring me here for food. There's something here I'm supposed to see. Somebody here, maybe I'm just supposed to see, and over here, and pray for when I'm

standing there in line. You want prayer going up for them, because they're in the midst of hurting. I don't know who they are, but you let me be here and hear that. And I'm praying for them. That's a mission field that you can touch everybody's life in town. And when you forget something and have to go back, it's a divine appointment. God knows your frame. And as you go back in there, go with your antenna up.

God, who is it? I went back in there this week. What a stupid, foolish time. And God gave opportunity to see an individual that I hadn't seen for a long time. And as I walked by, my first thoughts were, oh God, you know, I don't want to say hi. I haven't seen him for a long time. And so I said, hey, how you doing? And I expected, fine, fine. How are you? Have a good Christmas or have a good New Year.

Yeah, you too. You know, we'll see you later. And I said, how are you doing? And they said, oh, not too good. And I was hooked. And I got to listen and I got to pray. See, I didn't just forget something. God brought me back for that reason. But we can so often miss that. We can so often miss a sovereign choice. So often miss the opportunities to keep the royal law, to just bless, to love, because

we're so into ourselves, because we are so into what we're doing. We saw back in Philippians, remember, that we're to rejoice in the opportunities to serve Christ and that those opportunities most often come at an inconvenient time. When things are off of our schedule, things are not flowing the way we think they ought to flow. This is called the royal law because it was issued by the king.

God the Father gave it to Moses. God the Son reaffirmed it in Luke's gospel, in the parable of the Good Samaritan. God the Holy Spirit, Romans 5, tells us, sheds or spreads this love abroad in our hearts that it might be given out to others. So it's a royal law because it was issued. It was given to us by the king. But it's also called the royal law because it really, it supersedes.

It rules all other laws. If we keep the royal law, which is actually, remember, Jesus was asked, what's the greatest commandment by the lawyer? We talked about that last week in Jesus. Start off with love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. You can't love anybody unless you're loving the Lord first.

You can like them. You can do nice things. But you can't love them unless you're first loving the Lord. If you're really loving the Lord with all of your heart, then the natural outflow of that is loving others. And as you do that, it's superfluous. It supersedes all the rest of the law. If you're doing that, we don't need, thou shalt not kill. You won't. It won't.

You won't kill anybody. It won't happen because you will be loving them. Even if you're upset with them, you'll be loving them. Thou shalt not steal. You won't have to worry about that in your life because you won't want to take anything from them. You won't want to defame them. You won't want to say bad things about them because you'll be loving them. If we do the royal law, we don't have to worry about coveting what someone else has.

It will move us into. Giving them more. Giving them what we have. Ministering. If we're keeping the royal law, it supersedes all other laws. You won't have to have a sign that says keep off the grass. You'll respect the property of others. See? It's the keeping of the royal law. It's part of our worship. It's part of the workings of our faith. It's also called the royal law because as we willingly are obedient to it, as we willingly

obey, it reflects our royal relationship with the Lord. As we're obedient to the word, especially where loving is concerned, it reflects our royal relationship. With the Lord, by this will all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another. Listen, you and I only believe this as much as we practice it. That's the extent of our faith in it.

That's the extent of how much we believe this. We believe only as much of this as we practice. Love your neighbor as yourself. Keep the royal law. Your neighbor is anybody around you that has need at the time. Anybody that God brings you into the opportunity of meeting, of seeing, of ministering to. When you came in this morning, were you? Quick to try and find a seat and hope nobody said anything to you?

Were you hoping that somebody would say something to you just to show that they care because otherwise this is a cold church? Or were you coming in to look to see who else might be downtrodden, might kind of look like they're down, you haven't seen for a while and you made the effort at fellowship time or you're going to make the effort as we close to go see them and say, how you doing? I haven't seen you for a long time and you're going to take some time to just be available to just minister to them because that's the opportunity that God's given you to keep the royal law. Finally, quickly, verses 12 and 13.

He says, Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. We are to be seeing one another through the eyes of Christ. We are to remember as we look at one another the sovereign choice of God, that he has a

plan for each individual and whoever we see were to keep the royal law, we're to just love them. And we're to also remember. We're to remember the judgment of God upon us as to whether or not we do that. Oh, now you're getting coercion in here. Now you're getting heavy handed. No, James tells us to remember that. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.

So evidently our words and our actions are going to be judged. That's what he says. Even as believers. Wait a minute. I'm under the blood of Christ. Absolutely. You're saved. James isn't talking about salvation. All of this is not dealing with salvation. It's dealing with post-cross, after the cross. After you've been saved. Your speech and your actions will be judged.

And listen, sin affects our character and our works. Sin, as believers, affects our character and our works, our abilities to minister. If I deceive you in some area, I can go before the Lord and I say, God, I'm sorry. Forgive me for that. And he does. And I'm cleansed and I'm free. But the sin that happened has affected your perception of my character. He's a deceitful person.

Don't trust him. He's a Christian. Says he's a Christian. But he's a deceitful person. And it affects my works. It affects my ability to minister. It affects my ability to minister to others. I'm hindered somewhat because of how that sin has caused me to be perceived. You see, there's always consequence to sin, even as believers. Even as we're saved, when we sin, it has consequences.

It affects our character. It affects our works. And so he says, take special care again. Watch the mouth. Watch the mouth. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives. By the law that gives freedom, by the law that gives freedom, the law of grace in the word of God. It's a law that frees. It's that law of the love of Christ. I have been freed from what I was.

First Corinthians chapter one. That's how I was. I was not wise and not influential and broken and chewed up by the world. But I've been freed from the bondage of that. And I love the Lord. And that love will be reflected in how I relate with you in my relationship to other people. So this judgment is not just future. It's not just Bema Seat. He's already talked about that in the crown of life and the kingdom of God.

This is now judgment. This is now judgment as God works in us to mold us and to shape us. And listen, your attitudes are going to be judged too. Not just your speech and not just your actions, but your attitudes. He relates that to our showing of mercy by the law that gives freedom. Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.

Mercy triumphs over judgment. Mercy and justice. Mercy and judgment. Mercy and judgment are two parts of the nature of God. Two parts of his character. Now listen, a lot of times I think we get mercy and compassion mixed up. This week has been horrendous for me. I went to one funeral at the beginning of the week of a friend. I did a funeral for another friend.

And then in finishing that funeral, heard that the daughter of another friend was killed up in Linfield. And my heart goes out. I have compassion for the family. You just want to hold them. That's compassion. Mercy. Mercy always is that that's extended by choice from someone who could do otherwise. From someone who has the power to do otherwise. You see, you and I were shown mercy by a compassionate God.

God loved us. But because of our sin, God had the right, the power, and the right to judge us and just muff us off and send us off to the lake of fire. That place created for the devil and his angels. He had that right. He had the authority. He had the power to do it. But in his compassion for us and his love for us, he extended mercy. He withheld his judgment.

He withheld that power and exercised that power. And exercised his love and poured out his love which demonstrated his mercy. The withholding of his judgment. Now you and I are judged not only by what we're going to speak and our actions, but our attitudes. And that affects the giving of mercy towards one another. There are people in this room that have offended you.

There are people in your family that have offended you. There are people that have done things to you that as you see them and stand before them, you have the right and the power to chew them up one side and down the other. Because they wronged you and they were wrong in what they did. You have that right you feel and you have the power to do that you see. But mercy says I'm not going to do that.

Mercy says I'm looking at you and I see a scumbag. But I'm looking at you through the eyes of Christ. I see somebody that he loves. I see somebody that he sovereignly has a plan for. I see somebody that he's brought me into contact with. This opportunity right now is not just some chance. It's not just some fluke thing. It's not some foolishness on my part.

It's ordained. It's sovereignly moved by God for this moment. Ordained and sovereignly moved by God for this to happen so that I might keep the royal law. So that I might love you. So that I might extend mercy unto you when I could just rip you. When I don't want to have anything to do with you. I'm going to pour out grace. I'm going to love you. That's what he calls us to do.

He says anything less than that is favoritism. Now that's hard. It's not going to come easy. If there's something I want you to understand is nobody said, he never said in here your Christian walk was going to come easy. I didn't find that in any one of the gospels. I didn't find like I hear so much of. I'm a king's kid. I'm a conqueror. I'm going to go through and I'm going to conquer and do this.

I mean I am a king's kid. And through Christ I overcome. But I overcome by taking the cross daily. I overcome as I suffer with him. I'll reign with him. I'll overcome as I love those who hate me. As I do good unto those who despitefully use me and persecute me. As I bless those who curse me. I don't see anything in there where it says that's easy. Matter of fact I see in Galatians where Paul says that the flesh wars against the spirit.

In other words when I hear that this morning immediately people's names come to mind and I think I'm not going to do that to them. Because my flesh wars against the spirit. It wars against doing this. They say well your flesh is going to have tendencies not to like doing these things. It says it wars against the spirit. It's hard. But he empowers us to do it.

And James says if we're not, check it. It ain't real. Because the workings of faith are revealed by our trials. See maybe this opportunity is a trial. Maybe this opportunity to minister is a trial. And it's revealing where I am.