“Healthy Submission”

 Scripture:   James 4:1-12, Psalm 145:18-20, Romans 13:13-14, Galatians 5:16-18

In last week’s message from James, we considered the difference between the glorious wisdom that God will provide for us, versus the incomplete and selfish wisdom that we get from the world.  Today, in our 7^th lesson from James, we will focus on the attitude and approach that we must have if we are to receive God’s perfect gift of wisdom for our own lives.

 I’m sure you all realize that just because a gift is offered, it is not necessarily a forgone conclusion that the gift will be ours!  Its one thing to give, and a whole different thing to accept.  Both are necessary if we are ever to receive the wonderful gifts that God has planned and put into motion for our lives.

 As we prepare to delve into James’ message for today, it may be appropriate for us to first consider the necessity of a strong faith for the relationship with our Triune God if it is to begin to develop and grow.  For most people, the last thing they have ever thought about is that faith is a matter of surrender and submission to the truth and ways of our Almighty God.

 To truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, there should never even be a hint of our desire for “dual citizenship” – one that covers allegiance to both the world and Christ.  We are admittedly human beings, but when we give our life to Christ, we break the bonds that hold us, and control us, as citizens of earth.  In Deuteronomy 4:23-24 we read “… the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”  Our LORD is not one to meekly share us with those other, and false gods of earth that surround us,!  Faith is always incomplete until we give ourselves fully to the ways of Christ and Him alone.

 From James, a message of true faith.

 Read James 4:1-6

 These are all the ways of earth, and ways that we must purge from our lives if we have any desire to live a life in Jesus Christ.  Human behavior, unfortunately, operates within a reality that is anything but permanent or real, and even though we may see our decisions as an extension of the wisdom that we gain throughout this existence, it will never be able to hold a candle to the wisdom of God that can be ours by faith and obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

 The gifts of God, all of which have their source in divine wisdom, can be ours when we ask for them in the name of The Son.  These are commonly known as the Gifts of the Spirit, which are found throughout the New Testament in passages such as 1Corinthians 12:1-11, Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:11-16 & 1 Peter 4:8-11.  They are given to the LORD’s disciples for service in His name, and therefore, must be based in God’s will and word. 

 James also tells us that our tendency is to live in worldly ways, such as in fighting (verbal, spiritual, and physical), that we kill (spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and other ways) and we covet the things of earth instead of Godly blessings.  We must let go of all those things of earth in order to free our life for the things of the Spirit.  And James tells us we may ask God for His better ways, but if we ask and our heart’s desire is still in the world, and controlled by those ways, how could we ever expect God to grant our prayerful request to live in His?  The truth is that we shouldn’t!

 Read James 4:7-12

 And here is the bottom line – it isn’t that humanity thinks up all of these hurtful and sinful ways that come between us and the LORD – it all comes through Satan’s hatred for anything that God’s hand has put His mark on.  It is just that we find the ways that Satan has introduced into this place to appear to be a good source of human pleasure or possibly even the things that come from a lack of pleasure. 

 We seem to forget, or sometimes ignore, God’s promise that a life in Him will bring love, joy, peace, patience, and the rest of those wonderful Fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians 5:22-26.  And the concluding thought for that Galatians passage is that we must stay focused on “staying in step” with the Spirit, while setting the path of earth far behind us.

 The apostle tells us that a drastic change must be right at the top of our list when we give our lives over to Jesus.  No longer can we find the joyful things of this life to be worthwhile desires, and that the change to humility and submission to God’s blessings will bring a fulfillment that goes far beyond anything else we might ever seek.

 Just a few more passages that speak in support of James’ call to surrender the world, and submit to the LORD. 

 Read Psalm 145:18-20

 This Psalm speaks to God’s gracious nature when we turn our lives toward Him.  He will come close to us when we call out for His truth.  He cares for us and loves us in ways that go far beyond human understanding when we love Him to the best of our ability.  And all He asks of us is to empty ourselves of the ways of earth so that He can begin caring and working within this life that has submitted to His presence.

 Read Romans 13:13-14

 Paul is calling us to live in the light of Christ, not in the darkness that the world thinks can hide our missteps, which, of course, it never can.  His reference to being clothed with our LORD Jesus implies that everything will change when our life reflects our one true God.  For without Him, we will only have an unquiet spirit, a sharp tongue, an envious eye, a deceitful heart, a self-centered mind, and a greedy soul.  Without Jesus, there is no true and impowering life.

 Read Galatians 5:16-18

 The Spirit and the sinful nature will never be able to exist together in our lives.  We will either have the Spirit, or we will be living in sinful existence.  They conflict, they oppose, they deny the other any presence in our lives, unless we turn our focus a different way.  A life in Christ means that we no longer have to make our own way in this life, but that we have Godly ways already laid out for us, and all we have to do is rejoice, and follow gratefully.

 Where do our desires lead us?  To the better way of Christ, or to the damning way of our worldly flesh?  In John14:6, we read that Jesus is not only the perfect way that is founded in the truth of God, but is the glorious and eternal life that can be ours, simply by believing in Him and obeying the example that He has already set down for us.

 Submission to our Almighty God is glorious health, hope, joy, love, and far more – and all will be in the eternal presence of glory!  But submitting to the call of earth will bring none of this – only heartbreak, sorrow, and death on that day when we finally realize that it all could have been different, if only …..

Godly Wisdom vs. Selfish Ambition

Scripture:   James 3:13-18, 2 Corinthians 12:19-21, Acts 6:8-11

 For the last month and a half, we have been studying a number of lessons from the Apostle James.  This will be our 6^th lesson, and it focuses on the radical difference between the human version of what wisdom is, compared to that of God’s.  The main problem for us is that our typical understanding of what wisdom is all about is simply a limited version of what we have learned from our teachers, adjusted for the desires of our own preferences.  But the presence of truth – God’s truth – is generally ignored due to the overwhelming weight of human emotion and aspirations.

 Our wisdom, then, is developed primarily to support our own desires, ambitions, priorities, and agendas.  This certainly creates a huge gap between God’s wisdom , which is based in His eternal, perfect, and omniscient (all-knowing), truth, and the imperfect wisdom that we tend to create and adjust throughout our own lifetime.

 While we would certainly have a problem trying to understand and apply the totality of divine wisdom all on our own, we have very good teachings of how to bring it alive within our own understanding!  Scripture, when taken as a whole, will give us all that we will ever need to know, and will ever be able to carry out.

 Read James 3:13-18

 James begins this passage with the thought that our lives and ways can be the only evidence that will truly prove if we are humble servants of our LORD Jesus, or not.  But if there is an absence of such proof that God’s ways are the ways of our life, then it will be obvious to anyone who knows us that we are living out this life in worldly traits through anger. envy and personal ambition.  This is nothing short of humanity in action, and has no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.

 The apostle tells us in no uncertain terms that this attitude is not only NOT from heaven, but is, in every way, “earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil”.  In essence, there can never be any fruit of the Spirit that we will ever be able to count on if we aren’t serving in a Godly manner!  And as James tells us, the heavenly difference will be that our life will be filled with mild, controlled, and peaceful behavior, not confused and sinful actions.  Consider that list of characteristics that he lists in verses 17&18!  It appears that without the wisdom of God at work within us, there is no hope for righteousness in our lives.  In Isaiah55:8-11, we read  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”, and it would be shear arrogance if we ever imagine that our way could possibly be as good as the LORD’s.

 Read 2 Corinthians 12:19-21

 Corinth was an international city of commerce, trade and religion, and the church was constantly being beset by outside influences.  But then, nothing has changed in that regard for the past 2,000 years!  Satan and his minions in the world will never stop trying to berate and confuse the faithful of Jesus Christ by proclaiming that worldly values and concepts are just as valid, and maybe even more so, than any other.

 There will always be some of the faithful who will strive to remain strong against the storms of earth, but there will also be others who will fall to the temptations and lies of the prevalent culture of that day.  At the time Paul wrote this letter, it is believed that there was a strong undercurrent of opposition to his leadership.  In 2Corinthians 13:10, he tells the church that the LORD had given him the authority to build them up, not to tear them down, and implies that this is exactly what he intends to do for them.

 As his letter continues, he expresses the concern that he will find far more dissension and disobedience to God’s truth than he ever expects to see.  He writes that he will be “humbled” and “grieved” over the evil that he will find spreading throughout the faithful of Corinth.  That will always be the challenge that is placed on the leaders of the Church – to stand strong against secularism and its culture, regardless of how benign those ways may seem at first.  If faith in our walk doesn’t reflect the concepts that God has handed down to us, then we are completely on the wrong track.

 And when the world is allowed to get a toe-hold in the church, it will be nearly impossible to correct the false teaching that has already taken place.  Christians know that anger and fighting are not the way that God would have us correct the situation – that when Jesus told us to love one another as He first loved us (John 13:34), He fully expects us to do that.  He wanted us to know that we are to stand in divine truth and Godly compassion, and not to be forceful and boastful and deceitful in the ways of the world, for the way of Jesus is the only way we can possibly show honor and praise and glory to our One and Almighty God.

 For we, too, will be held accountable for the ways that we take a stand against the world.  Will we stay true to the ways that we know are right, or will we fall to the temptation to fight against the world by its own rules and opportunities?

 We must always be vigilant to stay in Christ’s way and out of Satan’s.

 Read Acts 6:8-11

 This passage speaks of the time when Stephen was arrested, falsely charged with heresy, convicted, and put to death by stoning.  And how did this first deacon of the Church respond to the hateful opposition toward the rapid growth in the numbers of faithful believers?  He stayed focused on God’s truthful word, and the wisdom that the Holy Spirit brought to his voice - two Godly means that the world will never be able to contradict.  So how did the Jews find a way to have him put to death?

 They brought him before the Sanhedrin, and lied about what he had been saying and doing. (Acts 6:12-15) But Stephen never struck back, he never became angry, he stayed true to God, and for the entire 7^th chapter of Acts,  he reminded members of the Jewish court that the truth of their history was replete with failure to follow God’s leading.  And his final words were “you … have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”  And he was stoned.

 Standing faithfully against the persecution and the lies of the world will always be the right and Christian way.  But we also must be prepared for the world’s reaction to the word they can not argue against.  And since they can do nothing to the LORD Himself, they will, most assuredly, take their anger out on the closest representatives of the God who they refuse to follow. 

 But then, who is it that we have been placed on this earth to give trust and faith and service to?  And who is our one LORD and God and Redeemer and Savior and source of eternal life?  It must be the one infinite and glorious hope who we choose to follow and obey. 

 And as Joshua told the people – “- choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve -” (Joshua 24:14-15)  And so must we also choose who and how we will serve, each and every day of this life.

“The Tongue’s Curse”

 Scripture:   James 3:1-12, Job 15:2-6, Isaiah 45:22-24

Most of the lessons that we have been learning from James are about the effect that sinful ways have on our own life.  And yet today, in lesson #5, we are cautioned to be careful in what we do and say, for it can also have a detrimental effect on the lives of others.   And even though these acts may seldom be intentional – they are just part and parcel of the human nature, and are very difficult to correct.

 So what are these harmful things that we can’t seem to control?  They’re the words we speak!  They don’t necessarily flow from our tongue constantly, but they can easily immerge without our even thinking about it!  Like what you may ask?

Like gossip – those times when we talk about others with the intent to make ourselves look better than another person.

Like betrayal of a confidence – those words that we have agreed to keep private, and which deserve to be kept to ourselves, but we proceed to break our promise just the same, and reveal that issue to others.

Like hateful words – those that come out of a hurtful experience that we fully intend to retaliate over.

Like deceitfulness – those spoken words that we either know, or at least should know, that are nothing short of lies.

Like false promises – those that we say that we will do without fail, but never intend to carry them out.

And the list could go on and on.  The tongue is a fearful weapon, and one that we must always try to keep in check.  So what does James have to say about the damage that our tongue can cause?

 Read James 3:1-6

 There is an old saying that speaks to the fallacy of our tongue -  “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”

There are a number of versions of this adage, but the author of the original saying is still unknown.  But then, I think that James approach to the concept is far better – if you have a desire to teach others, but intend to use it to share your own opinion or agenda on a topic of concern, then you are better off dropping the thought altogether, and just keep quiet!  The point is that we should always stick to the truth of a matter, instead of interjecting our own desires and fabrications.

 If we stay with the thoughts of the One who is dependable, sincere and honest and all-knowing, we will be a lot better off than if we try to put our own spin on the issue!  James tells us that if we never make a mistake, then we must be perfect, and the evidence will not be that we never make a mistake, but rather that we can keep our entire self under control! 

 He goes on to offer examples of how little things can have such a great and powerful effect on our lives.  A bit and bridle used by a discerning hand can guide a large animal in its benefit to our lives.  The rudder that is managed by an experienced sailor can keep a ship on the right course and out of trouble in the shoals of life.  A small spark unmanaged can unintentionally burn down an entire forest, but if used properly can ignite a fire to keep us warm or prepare a meal for our consumption.

 The point that he makes is that we are able to speak a lot faster than we can usually think, and that will result in more lifetime stumbles than we can ever correct.  But if we make every attempt to keep our speech under control, and keep from talking far ahead of our thoughts, we’ll be able to keep evil thoughts from becoming hateful and hurtful words much more often than if we don’t.

 Read James 3:7-12

 The author reminds us that while we may be able to tame and exercise control over other creatures of God’s creating, we tend to fail miserably when it comes to keeping ourselves under control.  Our lives, our thoughts, our actions, our words can all be used to bring about either good or evil in this world, depending on the substance and quality of the personal control that is exerted on ourselves.  But if goodness is to thrive within us, control must be based above and beyond our own knowledge and desires.  It is only when we allow God’s command and control to be the guiding light in our lives that we can begin to see that our words, actions, and thoughts are true reflections of divine goodness instead of always settling on the easier, but evil ways, of this world.

 The last three verses in this passage call us to stand against ”doublemindedness” – those attempts to see things in a context that counteracts the ways of our LORD.  Can we praise God and curse Him with the same words that spew from an uncontrolled tongue?  Can we ever truly serve God in faithful ways when we have denied His righteous control over the direction that we live?  The obvious answer is a resounding “NO!”

 Read Job 15:2-6

 The person speaking in these verses is one of the “friends” of Job who had come to help him through His struggle.  This man’s name is Eliphaz the Temanite, and the point of his comments are to convince Job that he has been denying the truth of his sin - a sin that has angered God and has brought on this calamity!  But we all know that Job’s story is one of his struggle in faith that does not vary in spite of what Satan throws at him!

 Interestingly, the deceitful words that Eliphaz uses to accuse the faithful Job of infidelity is the same tactic that the world would use against the faithful of Jesus Christ today!  And yet, these words totally miss the mark in the context they are being offered in.  But what if Job turned them around and leveled them back at all four of his friends?  He could use the same words and never have to change even a single inflection!

 But even more importantly, if these false accusations were true, what kind of God would our LORD truly be?  Would He be worthy of our trust and allegiance?  After all, it was God Himself who allowed Satan to inflict Job with all kinds of trials – the death of his sons and daughters and servants, the theft of his herds and flocks, the destruction of his property, not to mention being afflicted with boils and the lies of those 4 quasi-friends!

 If we can’t trust, believe, and live in all that God is and does, then there is no hope whatsoever for all who obediently follow the ways of Jesus!  But as for Eliphaz, it is not Job who has turned against the LORD, but rather, it is Eliphaz’s tongue that has betrayed both himself and our Mighty and Faithful God.

 Read Isaiah 45:22-24

 This passage would have been written after the Northern kingdom of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians, and the people taken into slavery.  But it is Isaiah’s words that proclaim the truth of God, against those of Job’s friend Eliphaz.  God does not hide from us, He does not deceive us, He has created all that there is through His love for all people, He is honest and truthful in all that He says to us, and He alone is worthy of our trust and obedience.

 The world can say anything that they wish, but there will be a day of reckoning, when all will be held accountable for the words that their tongue uttered falsely against Him and His people.  Remember those last 4 chapters of Job, where the LORD addresses the faithlessness that had been directed toward Him during the trial of Job?  Even Job himself struggled with why God was allowing these trials to wear him down. 

 But the King of creation gave his final answer to all who have been involved - ¹Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: ² “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?  ³ Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.  ⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.”  (Job 38:1-4)  And for the next 4 chapters, God challenges all of us to understand and explain the how’s and why’s of His creation.  Job couldn’t do it, his friends didn’t have a clue, and honestly, neither can any us – not if we want to be honest with God, that is.

 

The truth is that our tongues have no answer for any question that God directs toward us, and His questions are, in and of themselves, the very reason that we should give all we think, all we say, all we do, and all that we will ever be, over to His control.

 

May each and every one of us surrender our lives and our words to the only One in all creation, who knows the complete truth of this life and beyond. 

 

And it will be far better for us if we do it sooner than later!

 

"Living Your Faith"

 Scripture:   James 2:14-26

In today’s 4^th lesson from James, we get an answer to that age old question, “So what is the big deal about faith?  Aren't they all as good as any other?”  You may remember those words from James 1:25 which we considered a  couple weeks ago –“ ²⁵ … whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it - they will be blessed in what they do.”  Not only should we never forget what scripture tells us, but we should also be living it - doing it - every day.

 The interesting thing about faith is that it is far more than just a collection of words that we can use selectively to justify the lives we choose to lead.  Faith is a four pronged approach to life – first, it is based in the totality of God’s word, not just in the passages we are comfortable with; second, in its completeness, it provides us with the overriding truth of God’s heart and way; third, it must be active and not simply a passive, reflective type of lifestyle without any obligation to act upon those things we learn from the LORD; and lastly, it is only through living in acceptance, trust and confidence through the teaching of Jesus Christ that we will ever know His salvation.

 Faith is the way of living fully in God’s gifts and truth.  So what does James have to tell us about the faith we have received?

 Read James 2:14-19

 James is revealing the depth of faith that must live within our heart and soul.  The New Interpreters’ Bible tells us that “His [James’] topic is the necessary unity between attitude and action …”, and the NIB passage goes on to say that our “actions reveal (our) attitude and make it alive.”  This can also be seen as the theme of the entire New Testament – that faith must be lived and not only proclaimed.

 Considering all that Jesus did while He was here – could He ever be accused of that old saying, “do what I say and not what I do!”?  Didn’t the LORD Himself do all that he preached?  Consider His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew5-7). 

In the passage we know as the Beatitudes, He spoke about how God sees the outcasts of earth, and in every instance, He treated them all in the exact same way He treated anyone else.  (Matthew 5:1-12)

He spoke against the anger that resides in the hearts of many, and is directed toward those who have wronged us.  Even at Calvary, He prayed that the Father would forgive all of those who were responsible for His condemnation and suffering.  (Matthew5:21-22)

He taught against carrying out revenge upon those who have hurt us, and said that if others inflict evil upon our lives, then we are to give them even more of ourselves than they took from us!  (Matthew 5:38-42)

He said that we are to love our enemies, and to give to the poor without seeking honors and gratification for all our acts of generosity.  (Matthew 5:43-48)

He taught us that the only true way to treat our treasures and honors is to give them over to heaven, and not to gather them up here to increase our worldly prestige and position.  (Matthew 6:19-24)

When it comes to judging others, He said “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  He wanted us to understand that an attitude of judgment will only burden our lives unnecessarily, for He will care for that after His glorious return. (Matthew 7:1-6)

 And His righteous living would continue to reflect that which He taught throughout His ministry as a prime example of not only what we should believe and trust in Him, but just as important, He showed and taught us how to feel and act toward both God and other people.

 Read James 2:20-26

 In James’ opening to this next section, he refers to an unnamed, and most likely imaginary, person who might still need proof that faith and deeds are mutually dependent upon each other, and must work together if they are to be valid expressions of trust in Christ.  The NIV translates the Greek word as “foolish”, while other translations use “empty” or “senseless”; the significance of each being that if you need even more evidence that faith and deeds support each other, just look to scripture, for it holds all the proof we will ever need.

 Abraham, Peter, Paul, and the list could go on, with many examples of folks who truly believed in Jesus, but who also saw the necessity of putting faith into action.  But there are even other examples of what happened to folks who saw no need to live and act in Christian ways.  Consider the example of Ananias and his wife Sapphira who claimed to be following Christian ways of generosity, but who actually were only looking for personal gain and praise when they lied to both God and the disciples about their gift to the needy. (Acts 5:1-11)

 James wants to be very clear, that friendship in the ways of earth is far from living as a friend of God’s!  The point is that if we only have words as proof of our allegiance to Jesus, our actions and life can still put us in the realm of earth instead of that of God.  And good works outside of faith can easily be misunderstood as examples of our love of God.  A friend of mine once attempted to justify good works as proof of true faith when he told me that we need to consider the phrase “Fake it ‘til you make it!”  In other words, it should be perfectly acceptable to give others the false impression that our faith is genuine! 

 The imagery of “fence-straddling” and “double-mindedness” has become all too commonplace in both the world as well as in the Church.  How many folks do we know that feel that church membership is perfectly acceptable proof that their faith in Jesus Christ is strong, and that involvement in worship, service projects, and fellowship, as well as living and giving in a Christian way, has become passe and is no longer important for our lives?  Far too many, I’m sure!

 Today’s verse 18 deserves repeating – “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”  This is the attitude that is so prevalent in the world today.  But when we look to the final verse for today, we discover the true approach that will always guide us in our Christian walk.  “As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (verse 26)  Faith and works is the only way to honor Christ.

 If we agree literally with verse 18 – that either faith or works are all that is important for our salvation, then we are truly “Friends of the world”, and will only have the reward of earth for our lives.  But conversely, if we are trusting in the intent of verse 26, which tells us that both true faith and the works that exhibit our faith are equally important in our walk with Christ, it is then that we will be on the path to becoming “Friends of God”. 

 Joshua challenged the people of Israel to choose carefully who they would serve – whether it would be their one true God, or the gods of earth.  (Joshua 24:14-15) He never told them that they could have it both ways, but rather that they had to choose one way or the other!  We also have to make that same decision – to consider just who it is that we will strive to become “friends” with – will it be with the non-believers of the world, or the faithful of Jesus Christ? 

 May true faith fill your lives today, and may the way you live your faith reflect that choice!

Honorable?

Scripture:   James 2:1-4, James 2:8-12, Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 23:1-12

 In today’s teaching from the Book of James, we will be considering three lessons which actually fit together very well.  The first is in regards to the way we treat and show respect to others, the second, is about humility in our life with others, and the third has to do with our discernment of the ways and words of others. 

 And in reality, these three have a lot to do with the effect that personal pride has on the life we live, and how we see ourselves when we claim authority over the lives of others.  Today’s selected verses are, without a doubt, a comparison between the attitudes that are so prevalent in the world, versus those that we are called to exhibit as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Its all about where and how we choose to place value on the gifts that we have been blessed with. 

 The last two lessons will be very direct and will be ones that come specifically from Jesus Himself.  In Matthew 7:2, the Lord gives us this commandment – “¹Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  This is one of those commands that, if we think about it every time we begin to speak, I expect that we all would wind up saying very little!  Judgment depends on our focus – both inwardly toward our own lives, and outwardly toward the lives of others. 

 Without actually saying it, the Lord is calling us to be decerning in what we hear, see, and experience, and to leave the judging of its righteousness nature completely up to Him.  So let’s begin with James.

 Read James 2:1-4

 In Leviticus 19, the Lord has given Moses the words to explain what the Commandments are all about, and if a common theme could be developed form those verses, it very well might be a very familiar passage from John 13:33-35  - “³⁴ A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

 As we consider the words that James has given us, consider whether this man was truly showing love to both the wealthy man and the poverty-stricken man, or not.  Were they receiving comparable affection and respect?  Obviously not!  Did each deserve the honors, or lack thereof, that they were being granted?  No – and perhaps that’s the point that both Jesus and James were making!  We don’t get to decide what it takes for God to regard us as worthy of His glory!  He doesn’t consider the things we do as the pivotal point of goodness!  Instead, it all hinges upon our heart’s desire and our life’s intent.

 It can never be acceptable for one of Christ’s followers to measure a person’s life from a worldly perspective!  When we love others in the same way that Jesus has loved us, it can never be about what is deserved.  It never was and never will be!  It never was for Jesus and it never should be for us – it was always about how much He had to give to others and not how much they had earned!  And this standard should be the same for us.  Love must always be a measure of no less than all that we have to give.

 Read James 2:8-12

 Apparently, any amount of love that falls short of what Jesus would show is a sin!  Discrimination is nothing short of being unloving and divisive.  Again, from Leviticus 19, we get the command that Jesus tells us is like the greatest command of all – “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Luke 20:25-28)  And as with all of Jesus’ teachings, when we fail to love as Jesus loved, we haven’t turned against the commandment, but rather against the One who gave us the command.  And when showing favoritism toward one person, and taking honor away from another, we have denied them both the love of God.

 In verse 12, you may be wondering what point James is making when he uses the phrase “the law that gives freedom”.  In this context, the word “freedom” implies that all obstacles that stand in the way of God’s mercy have been removed, and that those who have that freedom have had all condemnation lifted from their souls.  It isn’t that we are now free to do as we wish, but rather that we are free to do what is right in the eyes of God.

 The word “freedom” also points toward the attitude that the Church holds for all people, regardless of who they may be or what they have done.  If we ever put obstacles in the way of others to attend and join us in worship, or service, or study, or prayer, or fellowship, or any other aspect of the church, then we will have interfered with their ‘freedom” to celebrate and immerse themselves in the hope of Christ.  We have been charged with the administration of freedom for all who would come to Jesus for life, truth and love.

 Read Matthew 6:1-4

 These verses are supplements to the ones we just considered – it isn’t only how we treat others, but rather what is behind our attitude for doing them.  This is what the prophet was telling us in Micah 6:8 – “⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  You see, it isn’t just the “doing” of what God asks of us that shows love, but, just as important in Christian love, is the how and why we are doing it.

 This passage from Matthew’s gospel is specifically about the Jewish tradition of giving alms and other gifts to the poor.  Jesus, in this section of His Sermon on the Mount, is telling the thousands who were gathered there that day that if they give to the poor and infirm, without a heart’s desire and love in the giving, it may help the person for a day, and it may even make us look good in the eyes of the world, but without a Godly attitude in the giving, it will be meaningless as far as the LORD is concerned!

 Whenever we reach out to help another, it can never become a reason for bragging about how generous we are, or how much God loves us for being such a marvelous giver, or how blessed the gift itself may be.  If we aren’t giving with a heart for the Lord, if we aren’t giving God all the glory for what we have given, we are, in essence, claiming all the glory for ourselves and it will be a hollow offering at best.

 Read Matthew 23:1-12

  Again, this passage is also about our attitudes as we serve and lead in the Church, and Jesus wanted the people to look beyond the words that are spoken by the learned of Israel.  The attitude that was so prevalent in that day was to gain as much for yourself as you possibly could.  Respect, honors, obedience, awe, and admiration for what the teachers of that day were doing.  Jesus might very well have inspired the expression – “Do what they say, not what they do!”  I don’t know if Jesus actually agreed with all of their teaching, but He certainly didn’t agree with the life that they were living!  

 Everything that they did was to impress others, so they might gain in prestige and honor from all who came to know them.  And the reference to “Moses’ seat” is a reference to the authority that they had assumed, but which they themselves didn't feel that they had to follow!  Jesus even denounced their striving for titles of authority and mastery.  He called them out for claiming the highly respected title of “Rabbi”, instead of humbly living as “brothers” in the community.  He criticized them for accepting the title of “father”, when they should have asked to be known as “student”.  And they weren’t even to be called “Teacher”, but instead to choose the way of a servant.  Jesus was telling us that all honors that have any meaning for our lives should come from God, not from the world.

 And this brings us back to the words of Micah - act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.  It will always be about how and why we act, love, and serve, and never just in the doing.  Next week, we will see why these words are so vitally important in faith, and why attitude in our walk with Christ is so important for all who claim the name and way of Jesus Christ.