Style Status and Charisma

Style, Status and Charisma

James discusses something everyone does, and everyone does. How quickly do you judge others?

Text: James 2:1-11

• James 1:1-4 define the problem.
• James 1:5-11 show us what God values
• James 1:5, why does God value the faith of the poor? I think because it is difficult to maintain faith in a Good God when life is not good.
• James 1:6, dishonoring the poor. Perhaps by discrimination. Perhaps more in the heart, by assuming you know why they are poor.
• James 1:9, he says that showing favoritism is “a sin.”

James point is: We judge on s

Things that we would never want God to judge us on.

I think the obvious “rich/poor” discrimination may not “get” us in our society. (Though it really does.) We are not as obvious about it in America. But oh my, how favoritism and discrimination still exist! (List)

James makes is a series of invitations:

1. Invitation to (James 2:1)

• James opened the section by drawing our attention first to Jesus. Before he convicted us, he reminded us that Jesus is our Lord.
• He is the Lord “of Glory.” To glorify Jesus is to worship him. It is also to imitate him. There are some sports heroes we glorify and want to be like. Some celebrities the world glorifies and wants us to be like them. James urges us to glorify Jesus by treating people the way Jesus did.
• The Gospels give us a series of pictures of how Jesus treated people.

2. Invitation to walk more (James 2:5)

• We can discriminate against others by assuming they have less to offer us spiritually because they have less worldly attraction. And we can think that someone has a lot to offer us spiritually because they have wealth, position or power. James, almost shocked, suggests that we should not draw our spiritual nourishment from the wealthy, they may be the ones exploiting us!
• It’s not just who we count “out” in life. It’s who we count in.
• When someone says, “I love Jesus, but not the church.” They judge the people of God as having nothing to offer them of spiritual value. It is great arrogance.

3. Invitation: Think (James 2:8)

• How would I like to be treated in that situation.
• The command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” appears ten times in Scripture. (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8, Romans 13:8, Matthew 5:43)
• Notice the importance of mercy? (James 2:13)
• How would we like to be treated on judgment day? Want mercy?
• We have to build toward mercy. Meaning the more we forgive, the more we show others mercy, the more we show grace when wronged, the greater mercy will be shown us by the Lord when he judges us.