1 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:12,520 Good morning, Calvary Chapel. How could you not think about 2 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,640 coming after you heard that glorious invitation, huh? 3 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,520 If you're a woman, I'm sure you're thinking about going to 4 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,680 the retreat. Please turn in your Bibles this 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,400 morning to the book of James. We are now in Chapter 2. 6 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:35,600 And while you're doing that, I too would like to echo like to 7 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,800 echo our thoughts about those who are visiting here for the 8 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:40,880 first time. Thank you so much for coming. 9 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,520 And if you are those who have come before and you've come 10 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,200 back, we thank you that you've decided to come back and worship 11 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,160 with us this morning. We also want to thank those who 12 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:54,880 are listening on all the various platforms, including those who 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:56,560 are listening behind prison walls. 14 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:01,120 We thank you all for taking the time to be with us this morning 15 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,120 as we go into God's Word. Amen. 16 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,640 So what we're going to do, we're going to go ahead and actually 17 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,080 I'm going to do it this way this morning. 18 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,240 I'm going to read the Scriptures first, and then we're going to 19 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:18,640 go back and pray and look at them. 20 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:23,720 Would that be OK? OK, OK, so we're going into 21 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:29,160 James chapter 2 and I just want to read it first. 22 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:34,560 It says this, my brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord 23 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,520 Jesus Christ the Lord of glory with partiality. 24 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:44,280 For if there come into your assembly a man with gold rings 25 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,720 and fine apparel, and there also come in a poor man in filthy 26 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,560 clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine 27 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:58,840 clothes, and say to him, you sit here in a good place, and say to 28 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:03,240 the poor man, you stand there, or sit here by my footstool, In 29 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:08,639 other words, sit on the floor. Have you not shown partiality 30 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,360 among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 31 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:18,400 Listen, my brother, my beloved brethren, has God not chosen the 32 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:23,320 poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom 33 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,480 which He promised to those who love Him? 34 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,160 But you have dishonored the poor man. 35 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:34,560 Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 36 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,760 Do they not blasphemy that noble name by which you are called? 37 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,720 If you really fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, 38 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:48,040 you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 39 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:54,000 You do well, but if you show partiality, you commit sin and 40 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,040 are convicted by the law as transgressors. 41 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,760 For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one 42 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:09,960 point, he is guilty of all. For he who said do not commit 43 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,280 adultery also said Do not murder. 44 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,680 Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you 45 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,320 have become a transgressor of the law. 46 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:27,160 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of 47 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,000 liberty. For judgment is without mercy to 48 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:37,640 those, to the one who has shown no mercy, mercy triumphs over 49 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,960 judgment. Let's pray. 50 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,760 Father, we thank You for Your faithfulness that You would give 51 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,040 us this word that we may know Your heart and Your mind 52 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,960 concerning all things. We thank you, Lord, that we 53 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:59,360 serve a God that we can know because You show yourself to us. 54 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:04,280 You said if we search you, we will find You when we search for 55 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,800 You with all of our hearts. So Father, this morning we're 56 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,400 searching for You. We're looking for Your 57 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,360 understanding concerning this word. 58 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:18,640 Father, we need Your Holy Spirit to come and reveal this truth to 59 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:24,320 us, that we may rightly divide it and that we may live by it. 60 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:31,080 Father calls us this morning to be changed by what we hear as we 61 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,200 walk out of this place. Let us have a new sense of 62 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:39,120 awareness of You and a deeper love for our brothers and 63 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:47,120 sisters and have a deeper urge to be able to to be able to show 64 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,520 that love one to another, to be more loving, to be more 65 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,000 merciful. We ask you these things, Lord, 66 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,160 in the name of our Savior and our Lord. 67 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:00,840 Lord, be with us. Speak to us. 68 00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:04,120 Lord, if you don't speak, we have gathered in vain. 69 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:12,040 In Jesus name I pray, Amen. You know, James is the kind of 70 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,880 book that it should come with a with an advisory. 71 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,360 I mean, this is a real practical book and I love the book of 72 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:25,360 James, but he he hits hard. James hits hard. 73 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,360 He's a very direct. So it's almost like it should 74 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:32,520 come with a with a viewer discretion note with it, you 75 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,240 know, viewer discretion advise, you know, please be aware the 76 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:45,560 contents of this book contains hard truth, but yet it's what we 77 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,640 need to hear and how good it is of the God that we serve that he 78 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,720 would prune us this way, cause us to hear things that can 79 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,080 sometimes be rough and hard to hear. 80 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,480 But yet it could be easy for our hearts to receive if we just 81 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,200 open them and allow him to plant that seed in our heart. 82 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,400 And he promises us that if that seed is planted, if it's 83 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,840 received with soft and and infertile ground, if it's 84 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:17,360 received willingly, if it's received with meekness, he tells 85 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,240 us over in chapter 1, if we receive it with meekness, that 86 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,720 means if we receive it with humility and with a teachable 87 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,920 spirit, then we will bring forth fruit and it's fruit that will 88 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:34,120 remain. So I wanted to be, as we go into 89 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:37,480 this, I do want to just remind you of the way that we started 90 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:42,600 last last week and we looked at the chapter back in Exodus. 91 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:49,480 And I want to go to that again because what James is doing in 92 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:55,200 this book is that he is giving us a glimpse of the character of 93 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,800 God when he talks about partiality. 94 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:04,840 And if you remember back in Exodus chapter 34 and today, 95 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:08,080 I'm, I'm just going to start here at verse 6, he says this. 96 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:13,160 And I just want you to listen to and pay attention as he 97 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:17,720 proclaims himself, as he shows Moses his glory. 98 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:23,720 He proclaims these words. Verse 6, chapter 34. 99 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:29,720 And the Lord passed by him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord 100 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:36,960 God merciful. Remember that He is merciful and 101 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,760 gracious. That means He is full of grace 102 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,040 for all of us. He's long-suffering. 103 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,720 That means he's patient with us. Oh God, thank you for being 104 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:59,830 patient with me. Sometime it takes some of us 105 00:08:00,270 --> 00:08:02,390 more spankings than others to get it. 106 00:08:04,190 --> 00:08:05,990 I don't know if that's you, but that was me. 107 00:08:07,710 --> 00:08:09,350 But I thank God that he was patient. 108 00:08:09,350 --> 00:08:12,870 He never gave up on me. Every time I reached up, he 109 00:08:12,870 --> 00:08:15,790 reached down and grabbed hold of me. 110 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,240 He never left me in the muck, in the mire of life. 111 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,280 He pulled me out every time I turned to him. 112 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:31,040 That's the kind of God we serve to maybe a lot of people who 113 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,200 will give up on you. Look, I, I, I, I, I'm, I'm 114 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:34,919 sorry. I, I can't deal with you 115 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,960 anymore. I can't, I can't rock with you 116 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:40,120 anymore. I think it's a term. 117 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:41,679 Is that the term young people use now? 118 00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:45,200 Is, is that right? I can't rock with you anymore. 119 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:45,920 Is is that right? Will. 120 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,600 I can't rock with you no more. You know, I'm we've been around 121 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,680 this corner too many times. You've disappointed me too many 122 00:08:58,680 --> 00:09:00,920 times. But God's not like that. 123 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:06,360 He forgives and forgives and forgives. 124 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,040 He's also abounding in goodness and truth. 125 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,000 That's mercy that that that's grace. 126 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:21,040 It's kindness and truth. Last week we talked about how 127 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:25,480 good God is and even in giving us this instruction on 128 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:30,000 partiality is a another extension of his goodness to us 129 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:36,000 that we would know him. And then he says keeping mercy 130 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,160 for thousands forgiving. Yes, He's a forgiving God. 131 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,560 He's forgiving. He forgives our iniquity, He 132 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:47,360 forgives our transgression, and he forgives our sin. 133 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,600 And when God Forgives, he throws it into the sea of forgetfulness 134 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:55,400 that will never have to come up again. 135 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:58,960 You'll never be judged by that again. 136 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,600 You'll never have to hear that again. 137 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,800 I know sometimes with each other we may say we forgive you, but 138 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,880 every now and then I got to throw it up to remind you, you 139 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:10,520 know, some things that you did to me. 140 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:15,360 But God is not like that. When he forgives, he forgives 141 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,520 it. The problem is sometimes we 142 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,520 don't forgive ourselves. So it keeps coming up and the 143 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:29,040 enemy keeps throwing it at us. So this is how good God is. 144 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:35,320 So we go back over here to James now remembering those things 145 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:39,080 about those qualities about our God. 146 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,920 You know, it was interesting that Moses had asked to see his 147 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,560 glory and he told Moses, I can't show you my glory because you 148 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:48,680 wouldn't be able to look into my face and live. 149 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,160 But as he walked by Moses, he did show his glory as he 150 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,000 proclaimed those things that we just talked about. 151 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,280 That is the glory of God. That is the glory of God. 152 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,640 He is merciful. He is long-suffering. 153 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:07,960 He is he's a bounding with goodness and truth. 154 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,760 That is the glory of God, and that's the glory that we have to 155 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:16,120 look forward to one day of being with Him in eternity. 156 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,520 What a blessing. So we go back here now to 157 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:27,360 chapter 2 in the book of James and he says, my brother, do not 158 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:32,600 hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory with 159 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,640 partiality. He says don't hold it. 160 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,400 And that word whole really means it means to maintain, don't 161 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:43,720 maintain or don't practice. Don't practice your faith from 162 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:47,640 the Lord Jesus Christ with partiality. 163 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:52,880 Don't maintain that you know the whole means to maintain a belief 164 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,520 or a practice. And James is saying, I don't 165 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:59,960 want we, we can't practice the true faith in Jesus Christ if 166 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:03,920 we're holding on to or if we are maintaining or as we are 167 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:09,280 practicing partiality and favoritism. 168 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:15,400 We had said before that when we get saved, we put on Christ, 169 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:21,480 we're clothed in Jesus Christ, but being clothed in Jesus 170 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,560 Christ, and then we practice something like favoritism and 171 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:28,080 partiality, then we have to look on ourselves and say what 172 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:33,160 doesn't go with this outfit? Partiality doesn't go with our 173 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:37,760 outfit of that we're clothed in in Jesus Christ because that's 174 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:44,120 not who Jesus is. Now partiality, you know, like 175 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:49,560 we said, it is favoritism, it's bias, it's giving, it's giving 176 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:53,880 preference to one over another based on a number of factors, 177 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:57,600 based on social status, based on wealth. 178 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,440 Some people who are partial or give favoritism based on 179 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,240 someone's color or their ethnicity, based on their 180 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,040 clothing or appearance. That's a number of things that 181 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:13,280 we may choose to give one person favor over another. 182 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:18,320 But, but, but even when it comes to like racism or, or, or 183 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:25,640 discrimination, any kind of favoritism or partiality in God 184 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:30,680 is wrong because it's not consistent with God's character 185 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:39,640 in Romans 211, Paul said. For there is no partiality with 186 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,240 God. He doesn't choose one over 187 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,520 another for any reason. We're all special in the eyes of 188 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,560 God. There's none of us that's more 189 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:54,200 important than the other. It has nothing to do with title. 190 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:56,680 It has nothing to do with position and God. 191 00:13:56,680 --> 00:14:04,080 We're all one in Christ. There was also a comment that 192 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,760 was made about God's partiality in the book of Acts when our 193 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:13,960 brother Peter was called out to talk to to Cornelius's home. 194 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:17,560 And it was a room full of Gentiles, which a Jew would have 195 00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:21,680 never went and socialized with a room full of Gentiles. 196 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:27,440 So going there and hearing their heart, he said this, He said, in 197 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:33,840 truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every 198 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:39,080 nation, whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted 199 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,000 by him. That's the only thing that God 200 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:46,400 distinguishes between. It's good and evil, it's 201 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:52,760 faithfulness and wickedness, or godliness and ungodliness, true 202 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:54,760 and lies. That's the only thing that He 203 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,040 discriminates. But as far as the people are 204 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,320 concerned, we are all one in Christ Jesus. 205 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:06,000 Now here James is talking about partiality in the church with 206 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,280 the treatment of the rich versus the poor. 207 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:15,000 And James says now to treat someone who is rich and well, 208 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,000 better dressed or someone who maybe, you know, maybe someone 209 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,600 who has more money. And we can tell that by the 210 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:23,280 rings. You know, back in those days, 211 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:26,880 you know, people could tell the status of other people by the 212 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:29,560 way they were dressed and by the jury that they had on. 213 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,160 And sometimes when he talks about these gold rings, there 214 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:35,800 are people who used to go and actually there are places they 215 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:39,840 could go and actually rent gold rings to wear at certain events 216 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:46,840 so that they can establish their status among the other people, 217 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:50,280 separates them, if you will, from other people. 218 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:59,360 And then of course, to choose them over a poor person who may 219 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:02,080 be wearing filthy clothes is wrong. 220 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:07,360 So in verses 2 and three, he gives that example, the example 221 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:13,960 of a poor man and a rich man. And he says here, have you not 222 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:18,360 in verse 4, have you not shown partiality among yourselves and 223 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:23,680 become judges with evil things if you show the rich man more 224 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,640 attention or more favor than the poor man? 225 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,480 So in other words, he says, because someone comes in and 226 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,320 they look like they have money and they're wearing very nice 227 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:37,000 clothes and they're wearing a jewelry, and you can tell that 228 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,840 this may be a person of wealth. You put them in a very good 229 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,840 seat, you give them the the, the good seat and then someone comes 230 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:48,280 in behind them and they may smell, they may have, they may 231 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:51,400 be wearing filthy clothes because they don't have the 232 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:54,560 money to buy the clothes that that this rich person has. 233 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,800 And you just disrespect them. Just totally disrespect them. 234 00:16:57,800 --> 00:16:59,360 I don't go stand over there somewhere. 235 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,040 Stand over there or, or, or just sit by my foot here. 236 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,200 This is my seat here and this is my foot stool. 237 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,560 Sit on the floor by my foot stool. 238 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:13,200 Just totally dishonor the poor. That is not the heart of the 239 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,760 Lord. He didn't do it to us. 240 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:27,720 He didn't do it to us. So, so even in Leviticus, back 241 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:32,560 in Leviticus 1915, he teaches us, he says do not pervert 242 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:36,200 justice. Do not show partiality to the 243 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:42,800 poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. 244 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:49,200 Exodus 23 and three says do not show favoritism to a poor man in 245 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:53,600 his lawsuit. Justice should be blind and both 246 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:57,440 rich and poor should be treated equally before the law. 247 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,920 Hence we see the Lady of Justice with a blindfold on. 248 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:07,120 It's supposed to mean that she is blind and doesn't see who it 249 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:10,280 is that's coming to court, what color they are, how much money 250 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:11,920 they have. They're going to be judged 251 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:13,920 fairly. That's the way it's supposed to 252 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,760 be. But we also know that we're 253 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:22,360 human and that the justice system is run by human beings. 254 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:27,480 And sometimes there are favoritism shown, impartiality 255 00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:32,200 and things of that nature, unfortunately, but that is not 256 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:38,360 of the Lord. That is not of the Lord, and it 257 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:41,440 definitely should not be here in the church. 258 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,120 The fact that James was addressing this issue obviously 259 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,920 meant that it was something that the early church was 260 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,920 experiencing. And unfortunately, we 261 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:52,520 experienced it today in the church. 262 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:59,160 Every time I read this section, the Bible, I have to repent. 263 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,320 And the reason why is because I've experienced in a church 264 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:08,080 before, a church that practiced partiality. 265 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:14,400 People were treated different by who they were based on their 266 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,640 popularity. Maybe they were well known 267 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:25,440 gospel singers or well known preachers, nationally known 268 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:31,280 preachers, or even family. Family was treated different. 269 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:34,360 We experienced those kind of things. 270 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,440 And when I read this, when I read this, even then I got 271 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:44,160 convicted by the fact that he participated in it. 272 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:48,920 But you know what? I have a mentor who taught me 273 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,240 that when you know better, you do better. 274 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:57,520 And that's true of all of us. When we know better, we do 275 00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:59,240 better. So there may be things that we 276 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,440 have done before, but then once we get into the Word of God and 277 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:09,120 He teaches us the right from the wrong, the evil from the good, 278 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:13,520 the righteous from the unrighteous, the godly 279 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:18,200 behavioral versus ungodly, we behave behavior we know, and we 280 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,640 can do better with the power of the Holy Spirit to help to 281 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:22,920 change our hearts. Amen. 282 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,880 We've all done things before that we did and we didn't think 283 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:29,800 much about it. And then we get into the Word of 284 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:34,120 God and bam, it comes to our hearts and it lets us know that 285 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:38,440 this is something that does not please the Lord but thank Him 286 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,440 for His grace. He doesn't hold it against us 287 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:46,040 when we come and we repent. His arms are still open. 288 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:50,800 Just like our kids, right? Just like our kids. 289 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:57,440 So here in verse four he says here he says that have you not 290 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:01,360 shown partiality among yourselves and become judges 291 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:06,040 with evil thoughts? You see Jesus show no partiality 292 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:11,400 at all in his ministry. He didn't have to He he loved 293 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:16,040 and he died for the whole world. Part of the reason why people 294 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,600 show partiality is because they want to try to get an advantage. 295 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,040 Often times they think that a person comes in with a lot of 296 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:27,240 money or person with position. They think in some kind of way 297 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,640 this could be an advantage and that's why they would show 298 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:33,440 partiality. They think they can get 299 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:36,840 something from the person with money that they cannot get from 300 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,280 someone who doesn't have the money or the status. 301 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:42,480 Even if it's just hanging around with them. 302 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:45,520 Oh boy, maybe people see me in a different light if I just hang 303 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,640 around this person that everybody knows and everybody 304 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:50,680 likes. I don't want to hang around that 305 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,360 person. They don't have any status. 306 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:57,280 Nobody knows them. But yet we come into church 307 00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,640 where we're all one and we worship together. 308 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,040 I think I mentioned, I think I mentioned the church out in New 309 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,400 York where there is you walk in that you walk in that church and 310 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,400 there's no certain section for those who have wealth and those 311 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:17,520 who were or popular or those who have public fame. 312 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:19,880 There was no special section for them. 313 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,680 Everybody worshipped together. You had a, you may have a woman 314 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:27,600 who's wearing a mink coat with gold rings beside a man who was 315 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:30,440 homeless and they're worshipping next to each other. 316 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:34,760 And see in the old church, it could probably be that way. 317 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,720 Actually in the old church, when that when, when, when the 318 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:40,800 Christians, when the believers will go to church, it could be 319 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:45,120 the slave who was the actual pastor of the church, the actual 320 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:49,600 one that's doing the teaching could be a slave, but they are 321 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,640 worshipped together if they're truly about Jesus Christ. 322 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:01,280 So he says, you know, have you not shown partiality among 323 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:06,400 yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts, judges with evil 324 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,040 thoughts. And that's exactly what 325 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:13,360 motivates, it's the evil motives that motivates us to be partial 326 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:18,000 and to get favoritism because we're not trusting God to give 327 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,560 us what we need. We're thinking that if we can 328 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:25,000 get it from this person that has a lot of money, then then you 329 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:29,240 know, if we can, if we can buddy up with them, then that will 330 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:31,640 take care of a financial need that we have. 331 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,760 But then that would be not trusting God. 332 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,880 That would be not trusting the Lord who provides all things for 333 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:44,640 us. Jesus showed no partiality in 334 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:47,760 his ministry. In fact, He said He died for 335 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,640 everybody. And the oldest, you know the 336 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:54,120 most publicized Scripture that we have, John 316 said to God, 337 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:58,240 For God so loved the world. He loved everybody that He gave 338 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,320 His only begotten Son. And whoever believed on him 339 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:04,720 shall not pass, not whoever had money, not whoever was this 340 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,160 color, whoever was that color, but whoever believed on him 341 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:12,480 shall not perish, but have ever a lasting life. 342 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,160 When Jesus walked the earth, He didn't. 343 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,680 He didn't show favoritism to one group or another. 344 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:20,920 In fact, He broke down all those barriers. 345 00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:26,200 He ate with the sinners, He talked to women. 346 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,560 He broke down all those barriers that they had in those 347 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:34,920 particular times. Jesus saw the heart. 348 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:42,160 He didn't judge by the outward. So then we go to verse 5 and it 349 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:47,240 says, listen, my beloved brethren, has God not chosen the 350 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:52,600 poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom? 351 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,480 Has he not chosen, chosen the, the, the, the, the, the, the, 352 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,240 the, the, the poor of this world? 353 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,040 Now we know that in the culture, the current culture, sometimes 354 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,120 they do have their hierarchy of things. 355 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,440 You know, these people should not associate with those people. 356 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:12,480 These people should not associate with these people. 357 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:16,040 And if you're a lawyer or if you're a doctor or if you're a 358 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,400 judge or if you're of a, a person of high status, then 359 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:23,280 that's pretty much who your, your, your, your peer group is. 360 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:25,920 And, and they're not saying anything wrong with hanging out 361 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,680 with people that you know well or people who you have in common 362 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,200 things in common with. But the question here is how do 363 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:37,960 you treat those who are not? It's not who you associate with, 364 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:42,480 but how do you treat those who are not, is the question, Do I 365 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,360 treat someone badly because they're not in my group? 366 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,840 Do I neglect them? Do I abandoned, do I abuse them 367 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:51,440 because they're not a part of my group? 368 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,800 That goes to be the question. We know that, you know, we know 369 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:03,000 like you said and and you know, God came and preached to the 370 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,360 poor. He didn't neglect the poor. 371 00:26:05,360 --> 00:26:07,040 He came and preached to the poor. 372 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:12,760 In biblical times, those who were rich were privileged, the 373 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:18,360 poor were despised. But Jesus preached to the poor. 374 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,200 In fact, not only did Jesus preach to the poor, he was born 375 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:33,040 to 2 poor parents. He was born and very humble and 376 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:42,080 a very humble environment in a through and the first time he 377 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:45,400 was announced by the angels, he was announced to a bunch of poor 378 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:50,400 shepherds in a field. Jesus never put himself above 379 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:56,040 anybody. The poor believers in third 380 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,560 world countries, you know, we, you know, when they talked about 381 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,040 the fact that, you know, the, that there's the poor, this 382 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,960 world that is rich in faith. I think about the, the, the, 383 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,880 the, the, the people in third world countries who we send 384 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,920 missionaries to those countries and we preach Christ to them. 385 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:16,040 And I'll never forget some of the, I've never gone on 386 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:20,560 missionary trips or anything, but I remember hearing from 387 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,840 missionaries that I've had a relationship with or spoke with. 388 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:29,240 And they would always share with me how the people would respond 389 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:34,120 when they would get a Bible, how they would hold that Bible. 390 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,720 They would hold it and hug it and embrace it because they knew 391 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,840 they had the word of God. And they would just, some of 392 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:49,480 them would just cry because they were holding the word of God. 393 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:54,640 They didn't have anything else. They didn't have decent homes. 394 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,080 They, most of them probably didn't even have running water 395 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:05,480 poor, but they were rich and faithful because they knew that 396 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,440 this life was going to be temporary. 397 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:12,680 But they have an inheritance that's waiting for them, an 398 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,360 inheritance that's incorruptible, an inheritance 399 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:19,600 that does not fade away. They have their riches. 400 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:25,560 It's waiting for they got, they laid up riches in heaven that 401 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:32,000 cannot be corrupted, and they held on to that faith of being 402 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,920 with Jesus one day and it helped him get through it. 403 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:42,480 Think about some of the martyrs, the martyrs that would be badly 404 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,880 persecuted because of their belief in Jesus Christ, but yet 405 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:51,360 they would hold on and they would smile and they will 406 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:55,480 continue to sing praises unto God because they knew that this 407 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,480 was not the end. Brothers and sisters, we need to 408 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,040 realize that. I don't know what situation you 409 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,680 may be in, but this is not the end. 410 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:09,960 This is not the end. There's something that we look 411 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:12,040 forward to. Just as they did. 412 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:19,120 So those who were rich or poor financially or in status, but 413 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:26,360 yet they were rich in faith. And then you look at the the 414 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:30,560 verse verse, the end of verse 5 when it says that, yeah, they're 415 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,600 rich in faith and also heirs of the Kingdom, which he promised 416 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:38,680 to those who love him. So everyone who loves and 417 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,400 believes in the Lord Jesus Christ have this promise of the 418 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:48,320 Kingdom rather rich or poor. See, James here is not making 419 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:50,920 some kind of a complaint against people who have money. 420 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:55,320 That's not what he's doing. What he's doing here is saying 421 00:29:55,520 --> 00:30:00,080 that because you have money or even because you're poor, that 422 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:04,600 doesn't give anybody a right in the church to show favoritism 423 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,760 one way or the other. This is all James is saying, 424 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:14,360 because even because the rich also, if they're, if they're 425 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:18,080 rich in faith as well as financially, they have an 426 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:23,640 inheritance in heaven common because they understand that I 427 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,200 don't put my trust in the riches that I have. 428 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,560 My trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ. 429 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:35,560 So it's promised to them who love him, those who choose him, 430 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,640 those who, who, who, who obey him. 431 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,200 Those are the ones who have this promise of the Kingdom of 432 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,440 heaven, those who are rich in faith, those who obey Jesus 433 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,480 Christ and those who and those who endure the testing of their 434 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:52,640 faith. According to James chapter 1 and 435 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,880 verse 12, when it says blessed is the man who endures 436 00:30:55,880 --> 00:31:00,400 temptation for he had for when he is approved, he will receive 437 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:04,960 the crown of life. We all have that to look forward 438 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:07,520 to. So we hold on. 439 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:11,280 Verse 6 says, but you have dishonored the poor man. 440 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,880 Do not the ritual, do not the rich oppress you and drag you 441 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:19,200 into courts? Do they not blasphemy the noble 442 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:22,280 name by what you're called? What James is talking about here 443 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:24,600 is the fact that, you know, like I said, the rich were 444 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:28,080 privileged, they had money and they had influence. 445 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:32,280 The poor did not. So often times the rich in that 446 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:35,720 community or in that time, they would take advantage of those 447 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:40,560 who are poor and take their land and drag them into court because 448 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:44,760 of their influence. Things would be persuaded their 449 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:46,280 way. They could persuade things their 450 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:52,240 way and they would take the land of those who were poor or or 451 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:54,400 those who were poor may owe them something. 452 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,720 So because they owed them, they would take their land, they 453 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,360 would get them in debt and take their land. 454 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,920 So the, the what he's talking about are those who were rich 455 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:10,160 who did abuse and oppress those who were poor. 456 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,680 That's not all of them, but there are some who did in the 457 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:17,360 church and he said they drag you in the court. 458 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:20,640 That means they'll force you to go to court so that they can get 459 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:24,200 a ruling to be able to take your land or your property or 460 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:29,200 whatever. Taking advantage was a tough 461 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:33,400 thing they said. Do they not blasphemy that noble 462 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,600 name by which you were called. See the word, the name 463 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:42,240 Christian, although we love being called Christians, but 464 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,840 back at that particular time when it first, when the first 465 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:47,680 believers were called Christians, it was a way of 466 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:51,160 mocking them. It was a way of mocking them. 467 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:52,800 They were mocked. By that I mean, you know, they 468 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:55,000 it was a way that they could distinguish them from other 469 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,200 people. They felt they thought they were 470 00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,280 procure your people. They were they were strange 471 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,320 people. These Christians, you followers 472 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:04,760 of Jesus Christ, you followers of that guy. 473 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,480 I mean, you know, they, they mocked them and they also 474 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:10,520 identified them as ones to be persecuted. 475 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:15,000 Paul even did that. Saul even did that. 476 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:19,040 He went out looking for Christians to persecute before 477 00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:24,160 God got a hold of his heart. So he said, if that's the case, 478 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:27,840 then why if they if they're if they're abusing you the way that 479 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:31,200 they do and they drag you in the court and they blast in your 480 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:37,080 noble name, why do you give them preference over someone else? 481 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:41,720 You're giving preference to someone who dishonors those who 482 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:46,800 God honors. Why would you do that? 483 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:51,000 Then verse 8 says, but if you really fulfill the royal law 484 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:55,880 according to the Scripture, you shall love you shall love your 485 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:57,760 neighbor as yourself. You do. 486 00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:03,240 Well, isn't it amazing how the Bible always comes back to the 487 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:07,160 foundation of love? It always comes back to the 488 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:09,639 foundation of love, no matter what. 489 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:15,280 He's saying here that the favoritism and partiality is 490 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:20,080 wrong. How can we avoid being partial? 491 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:24,080 How can we avoid showing favoritism to love our neighbor 492 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:28,440 the way we love ourselves? That's how. 493 00:34:30,159 --> 00:34:35,120 That's how, how can we stop slandering our neighbor? 494 00:34:35,159 --> 00:34:37,560 How can we stop gossiping about our neighbor? 495 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:43,239 How can we stop, you know, assassinating their character by 496 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:46,600 loving them as we love ourselves? 497 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:54,920 That's how how can we stop committing adultery and wanting 498 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:58,360 to kill, you know, people that we that we get upset with by 499 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:05,680 loving one another, loving our neighbors. 500 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:10,200 We love ourselves when the amazing thing that the Bible 501 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,480 always comes back to love. And that's why Jesus says that 502 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:19,040 the greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love 503 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,880 yourself. It's the greatest commandment, 504 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,280 the only commandment, true commandment that he gave the 505 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:30,880 apostles was in James, I'm sorry, was in Matthew 13, John 506 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:34,840 13. Rather when he says that you 507 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:39,960 love one another as I have loved you, that's where it starts. 508 00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:43,360 That's the foundation of everything that we are in Christ 509 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:47,120 Jesus is love. He said by this, wait a minute, 510 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:48,840 you mean not by how well I can sing? 511 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,160 No. You mean that not by how well I 512 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:53,400 can preach or or or or teach? No. 513 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:58,520 You mean not by how well I can I can come in and and and worship? 514 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:03,520 No, not by how well I can quote Scripture. 515 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,640 No. The way that people know that 516 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:12,440 you are my disciples is that you have love one for another. 517 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,520 That's how that's how important it is. 518 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:22,480 So he's saying here, that's how we can avoid being partial or 519 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:26,960 showing favoritism if we just obey that commandment and to 520 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:29,520 love one another as we love ourselves. 521 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:34,480 Verse 9 says, But if you show partiality, you commit sin and 522 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:39,560 are convicted by the law as transgressors came flat out and 523 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:43,200 said it here that showing favoritism and showing 524 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:49,480 partiality is a sin. Verse 10 says For whoever shall 525 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:54,240 keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is 526 00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:58,440 guilty of all. For he who said do not commit 527 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:01,480 adultery also said do not murder. 528 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:06,360 Now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder, then 529 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:08,400 you have become a transgressor of the law. 530 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:13,680 So what is he saying here? What he's saying here is that, 531 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,960 listen, it doesn't matter how well we do and all these other 532 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:23,760 things and all these other areas of God's commandments, but if we 533 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:26,440 break one, we would be guilty of them all. 534 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:32,600 We're guilty of them all. So when someone comes in and 535 00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:35,880 they say, well, you know what? I, I, I, I'm living, I'm living, 536 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:37,480 right? I'm doing this and I'm doing 537 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:39,160 that and, and I'm keeping this on. 538 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:42,640 I'm keeping that law. However, I show favoritism 539 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:45,800 within. What James is saying here is 540 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:51,640 that that favoritism is, is also a sin that needs to be repented 541 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:54,920 of. It's no different. 542 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:58,160 He is not saying, I'm going to tell you what he's not saying. 543 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,320 He's not saying that we are to keep the law. 544 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:03,960 That's not what he is saying, but what he is saying He's given 545 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:10,800 us the significance of even of even a a, a, a sin that some 546 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:15,480 will consider to be mild or less severe than others. 547 00:38:16,240 --> 00:38:18,320 He said you need to repent for that as well. 548 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:21,920 When God puts his finger on that, you need to repent for 549 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:28,920 that as well. It's a sin and all 550 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:33,280 unrighteousness is sin according to the Scriptures. 551 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:39,280 All unrighteousness is sin. So if I decided with brother 552 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:45,880 Jerry, Brother Cliff and myself, we decide we going to lose our 553 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:47,960 minds one weekend and we going to go rob a bank. 554 00:38:54,420 --> 00:39:03,840 So Cliff goes in first. Cliff comes out with 15,000,000. 555 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:09,880 Jerry goes in after Cliff. Jerry comes out with 10 million. 556 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:14,200 I go in and I come out with 1,000,000. 557 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:20,560 We all get caught. We all get caught Now. 558 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:27,400 Do you think that the 15,000,000 or the 10 million is any more of 559 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:32,200 a sin than my 1,000,000? We're all getting caught and 560 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:38,000 we're all going to be sentenced. The wait doesn't matter. 561 00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:44,680 All unrighteousness is sin. All unrighteousness is sin. 562 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:46,960 He's not going to say, well, you know what? 563 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:50,600 You know you, you only took, you only took a million, so we're 564 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,680 going to let you go. No, no, I need to repent for 565 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,120 that million, just like they need to repent for the 15 and 566 00:39:56,120 --> 00:40:01,840 the and the and the and the 10. If we keep 98% of the laws, what 567 00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:05,680 he's saying here, if we keep 98% of the law, but we fail in one 568 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,440 point of the law, then we are guilty of it all. 569 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:11,520 That's why it was so important that Jesus came, y'all? 570 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:16,360 That's why it's so important that Jesus Christ came, because 571 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:19,640 as Jesus Christ, through Jesus Christ, we don't have to be 572 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,920 judged in, in, in, in righteousness by how or what we 573 00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:26,600 do. We keep all them. 574 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:28,920 No, we don't have to keep all the law. 575 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:30,960 We don't have to. We don't have to be in bondage 576 00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:39,160 to all of the law because Jesus Christ came and fulfilled all of 577 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:44,480 the law. But what we have, we can repent 578 00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:47,960 for the sins that we commit, and we're given grace. 579 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:53,120 Bible says we can come boldly before the throne of grace that 580 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:57,760 we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of 581 00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:04,680 need. Verse 12 says, and we're coming 582 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:13,960 in for a landing. Verse 12 says so speak and so do 583 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:18,760 as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 584 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:24,400 So speak and so do as those who are going to be judged by the 585 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:26,680 law of liberty. Now we already established the 586 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:32,320 fact that there is no favoritism with God. 587 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:37,800 There's no favoritism with Him. There's no partiality with God, 588 00:41:39,720 --> 00:41:48,040 and it should not be with us. You see, Jesus died, and when he 589 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:51,560 died, he broke. He broke down all those walls 590 00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:56,000 that separated the people. He broke down the walls that 591 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:58,600 separated the Jews from the Gentiles. 592 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:03,440 He broke all those walls down that separated the differences. 593 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:07,680 And it should be in the church today. 594 00:42:07,720 --> 00:42:12,680 There should be no walls that separate us with each other. 595 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:16,920 We should love everybody. We should treat everybody with 596 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:20,240 love and respect and dignity the same way Jesus did. 597 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:27,480 But even more important, we need to remember that we are 598 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:33,920 recipients of his mercy. And because we were recipients 599 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:38,040 of His mercy, then we need to be mindful to be merciful to 600 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:44,320 others. You see, we are both we, we are 601 00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:47,840 the recipients of both His love and His mercy. 602 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:53,360 But we should also understand that we are also the channels 603 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:57,600 through which His love and mercy flows to others. 604 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:04,280 We have to get that. We have to get that. 605 00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:08,080 I pray that the Lord really puts that in my heart so that I 606 00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:14,720 realize that under all circumstances, I need to be a 607 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:22,920 channel of God's love and mercy to others, to others, and not 608 00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:26,080 treat people the way I think they deserve to be treated, but 609 00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:28,840 to treat people the way the Word of God tells me to treat them. 610 00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:35,720 That's where we got to get to. So it says, so speak. 611 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:41,120 That means the language that we use, the words that we speak and 612 00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:46,000 so do that means our actions, our behavior toward each other. 613 00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:51,200 We should, we should speak and do those things as though of 614 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:55,880 those of us who will be judged by the law of liberty or the law 615 00:43:55,880 --> 00:44:00,320 of freedom. And I thank God that we can be 616 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:02,120 that we're going to be judged by the law of freedom. 617 00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:05,920 This not talking again, it's not talking about salvation, but all 618 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:07,520 of us will stand before the judge. 619 00:44:07,920 --> 00:44:10,920 All of us will stand before God and we'll have to give an 620 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:12,920 account on what we do in these bodies. 621 00:44:13,240 --> 00:44:15,880 May not be for salvation, but maybe it's for rewards with us 622 00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:18,720 who are relievers. But we'll have to stand before 623 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:22,840 God one day and have to and have to account for the things that 624 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:25,480 we've done. So we should do that knowing 625 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:31,000 that the God who showed me mercy, so I should speak to 626 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:36,640 others with a merciful tongue and I should treat others with 627 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:42,440 mercy because it's the God of mercy who will one day judge me. 628 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,600 And also he goes on in verse 13, praise and worship team, you can 629 00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:52,440 come forward. And in verse 413, he says for 630 00:44:52,440 --> 00:45:00,200 judgement is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy, 631 00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:06,080 mercy triumphs over judgement. Matthew 5 and seven tells he 632 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:12,480 said blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 633 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:18,320 They're merciful. This is not saying it's always 634 00:45:18,320 --> 00:45:22,240 important to be able to identify what the verse is not saying. 635 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:29,040 This is not saying that because I show mercy to somebody that I 636 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:32,240 earn my salvation because I show mercy. 637 00:45:32,240 --> 00:45:37,440 That's not what James is saying. We can't earn our salvation no 638 00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:39,760 matter how much mercy we show. We can. 639 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:43,480 And thank God we don't have to because Jesus Christ already 640 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:48,280 took care of that on the cross. But what he is saying that if we 641 00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:53,000 are saved, if we are truly saved, and if we truly have this 642 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:57,360 relationship in this heart for Jesus Christ, we will show 643 00:45:57,360 --> 00:46:02,600 mercy. We will show mercy, and it's 644 00:46:02,600 --> 00:46:06,880 only those who show no mercy that would indicate that there's 645 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:08,520 no relationship with Jesus Christ. 646 00:46:08,520 --> 00:46:10,400 Now, none of us show mercy all the time. 647 00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:16,520 None of us do. And this word is not to go out 648 00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:19,200 and say you should feel guilty because you don't show mercy. 649 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:20,920 You're going to hell. That's not what this word is. 650 00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:25,360 That's not what this is about. This is God's loving way through 651 00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:31,320 His Word to show us His heart, and His heart is that we don't 652 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:37,680 show favoritism or partiality. That is not the heart of God, 653 00:46:38,240 --> 00:46:44,000 but to treat everyone with love, respect, and dignity. 654 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:50,120 Everyone. That's the heart of God because 655 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:51,520 that's what Jesus did when He came. 656 00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:57,680 That's what He did. That's the way he walked with 657 00:46:57,680 --> 00:47:02,160 love, respect and dignity and and merciful. 658 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:05,080 Now with Jesus, you always use the word compassion. 659 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:12,360 We too should use the word compassion because it tells us 660 00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:19,040 over in first Peter. I love this verse, by the way, 661 00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:26,760 First Peter chapter 3. I'm going to go and turn to it. 662 00:47:26,760 --> 00:47:28,480 You don't have to turn to it if you don't want to, but I want to 663 00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:31,640 read this because I think it's just really important. 664 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:40,880 First, Peter, chapter 3, he says this in closing verse 8. 665 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:47,600 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one 666 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:53,040 another, love his brothers, be tender hearted, be courteous, 667 00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:58,080 not returning evil for evil. I can't treat you the way I 668 00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:01,320 think you deserve to be treated by returning that evil that 669 00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:04,120 you've treated me with, with more evil, he says. 670 00:48:04,120 --> 00:48:07,600 Don't do that. Or reviling for reviling. 671 00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:11,880 I can't revile you because you reviled me. 672 00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:17,800 But On the contrary, blessing, I'm commanded to treat you with 673 00:48:17,800 --> 00:48:21,920 blessing, knowing that you were called to this. 674 00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:26,200 That's what we're called to. We're called to treat people 675 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:30,680 with courtesy. We're called to treat each other 676 00:48:31,320 --> 00:48:34,120 with loving kindness. We're called to treat each other 677 00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:38,760 with a tender, with tender heartedness and compassion for 678 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:41,040 one another. We're called to that. 679 00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:45,600 We are not called to be evil to one another. 680 00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:52,400 We're not called as I always use the example with David, when 681 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:57,800 Saul threw the spear at David, David didn't throw the spear 682 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:04,280 back. And because of that, Saul was 683 00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:10,760 afraid of David because he said David behaves himself wisely. 684 00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:19,640 So I pray that in this message, we, we heard the Lord's heart 685 00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:22,800 concerning favoritism. And there's a lot of ways that 686 00:49:22,800 --> 00:49:24,440 we can do it. You know, sometimes we can grow 687 00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:28,600 up in families and in our culture, we can grow up with a, 688 00:49:28,960 --> 00:49:33,200 with, with, with an environment that basic that basically 689 00:49:33,200 --> 00:49:38,080 teaches us to show favoritism, favoritism or teaches us to show 690 00:49:38,080 --> 00:49:42,600 discrimination just by nature of the culture that we grew up in. 691 00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:46,440 But being in Jesus Christ, we're freed from all that. 692 00:49:46,760 --> 00:49:50,760 We're free from the expectation of showing favoritism towards 693 00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:52,400 someone because they're different from me. 694 00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:56,760 We're free from the expectation of not hanging out with somebody 695 00:49:56,760 --> 00:49:59,960 because they don't live in a house as nice as mine. 696 00:50:00,360 --> 00:50:03,320 We're free from those expectations being in Christ 697 00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:08,160 Jesus. And instead we're called to be 698 00:50:09,160 --> 00:50:12,080 to be courteous. We're called to love his 699 00:50:12,080 --> 00:50:14,920 brothers. We're called to have compassion. 700 00:50:15,920 --> 00:50:16,320 Amen.