Loving The OutcastJames 2:1-13

Adapted from a Jim Kilson sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/loving-the-outcast-jim-kilson-sermon-on-compassion-78429.asp

There’s a story about a Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young Bostonian being considered for employment. The Boston investment house could not say enough about the young man.

His father, they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstall’s, Peabody’s,

and other of Boston’s first families.

His recommendation was given without hesitation. Several days later, the Chicago

bank sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: "We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work.“We have now moved from the first to the

second chapter of James’ epistle. In this the second chapter James builds on the theme

of hearing the word of God, and being doers of that word.

He introduced this idea in the verses we looked at last week.

In this second chapter James exposes the hypocrisy of those who say that they

hearers and doers of God’s word but still discriminate against those who are

downtrodden. It’s also important to notice that violations of the supreme command to love ones neighbor doesn’t go unnoticed by

God.

James 2:1 NET My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in

our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if someone comes into your assembly

wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, "You sit here in a good

place," and to the poor person, "You stand over there," or "Sit on the floor"?

4 If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with

evil motives? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the

kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and

dragging you into the courts?

7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to? 8 But if you fulfill the

royal law as expressed in this scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as

yourself," (Lev. 19:18) you are doing well. 9 But if you show prejudice, you are

committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. 10 For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become

guilty of all of it.

11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,“ (Exo. 20:14 & Deu. 5:18) also

said, "Do not murder." (Exo. 20:13 & Deu. 5:17) Now if you do not commit adultery but

do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. 12 Speak and act as

those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. 13 For judgment is merciless for

the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment.

In this passage James uses a hypothetical situation to show us exactly what pure

religion is not: favoring the wealthy over the downtrodden and being influenced by the world’s standards rather than by God’s, he

shows us how to love the outcast.

One of the first things that James shows us is that we can love the outcast by looking

past…

LOOKING PAST THE SUPERFICAL

Sizing up people based on how they look is a common occurrence. It was true in New Testament times. It’s just as true today in the superficial 21st century. Today people quite naturally assess people by observing such things as the cut of their clothes, the label on their jeans, and the way that their

hair is cut.

We in our society today are enamored by wealth and power, common newsstand magazines tell it all. You never see an article of expose on a common person.Our visual senses are based on exterior

factors alone, and this can lead us astray. This because God doesn’t determine a

person’s value in this way. He doesn’t care how many times your face is on a magazine

cover or how many fast cars you own.

We know that God doesn’t determine value in this way because Jesus didn’t place

value on people in this manner. As those who hear God’s word and who are

committed to Christ as Lord, we should try our best to look at people through the eyes

of Jesus.The command of looking past the

superficial didn’t originate here with James’ writing. This goes all the way back to the

beginning of the Old Testament.

We find early mention of it in the Mosaic Law. It states that we are not to be partial to

the poor or defer to the wealthy.Leviticus 19:15 NET " 'You must not deal

unjustly in judgment: you must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. You

must judge your fellow citizen fairly.

In the New Testament the word for “favoritism” is explained in the context of

God’s nature.God does not show partiality.

Romans 2:11 NET For there is no partiality with God. 12 For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law

will be judged by the law.

This is shown in his acceptance of Gentiles into the kingdom. Its especially evident by Peter’s comment during his encounter with

Cornelius.Acts 10:34 NET Then Peter started

speaking: "I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is

welcomed before him.

James desires that they get the strong impact of the truth. The truth being that

Jesus Christ, our faith in Him and favoritism don’t mix. He wants his readers to view

their favoritism in light of Christ’s impartial judgment.

Jesus judges all of us the “SAME!” We should do likewise. James paints a picture

of this with this hypothetical situation contrasting two men coming into the

Church.

The first of these is from the upper echelon of society, depicted by the Gold ring, not

only was he rich but also powerful.The second is of one dressed shabbily, both body and clothes unwashed because of his poverty. They wrongly treat the first better

than the second one. We can’t make accurate decisions based on outside

appearances.

1 Samuel 16:7 NET But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have

rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the

heart."

I’ve never seen the movie Sea Biscuit, but evidently in it millionaire Charles Howard

hires Tom Smith a broken-down unemployed cowboy to be the trainer in his

new horse racing enterprise, Howard notices Smith working with a seemingly worn-out horse with a broken leg, when questioned why smith replies, “you don’t

throw away a life because its banged up a bit”

James isn’t accusing just one person of this but the whole assembly. This applies not

only to visitors but also to fellow believers. We are encouraged not to allow superficial, worldly criteria, to determine our view of a

person’s worth. In the heart of God no person appreciates or depreciates based on

their exterior.Beyond looking past the superficial nature by which most judge people James has us

look at our attitude towards others by remembering…

REMEMBERING OUR EXPLOITED STATUS

James begins this by reminding his readers of their identities. He does this in an

economic and social setting. The people to whom James is writing live in a two class society. They are the haves and the have

not’s. With a few exceptions the Christians ranked among the have not’s.

They weren’t poor because they were Christians they were poor because of their standing in the social structure of their day.

James is telling them that their actions are a discredit to the poor. And since for the most

part they are poor they are a discredit to themselves and to the faith to which they

were devoted. James now asks a question to which they already know the answer. He asks, “Did not God choose the poor”? He

said that the poor were blessed.

Luke 6:20 NET Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who

are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you. It is better to be poor and walk in

integrity than to be rich and corrupt. Wealth is not an indication of corruptness as

integrity is not a by-product of poorness.Proverbs 28:6 NET A poor person who

walks in his integrity is better than one who is perverse in his ways even though he is

rich.

Let me state clearly before we move on that there is nothing wrong with having wealth, God is the giver of all things and makes us

the stewards of all He gives.

In James’ time the poor were there to be exploited by the rich (or at least that’s what

the rich assumed.) To prove his point James asks three questions. The first

question is about oppression.

He asks, “Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?”? In his day like today the rich have the poor at a

disadvantage. They use the poor to achieve what they desire. The second question is

based on the word “dragging.” Referring to being dragged into court.

James assumes that his readers have felt the long arm of the powerful.

7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to?

The third question focuses on the damage the powerful inflict on Christians and Christ in whom they believe. This probably deals

with insults the rich scoffers hurl at the Christians. Mocking both them and their God. In this they were blaspheming God,

the most horrid of offences.

James reminds them of their situation as one way of encouraging them not to play

favorites. It must be clarified that James is not saying that we need to avoid the rich; he isn’t saying that at all. All he is doing is using a hypothetical situation to prove his

point that we shouldn’t be preoccupied with one person over another.

The final way that James shows us how to love the outcast is by honoring…

HONORING THE LAW OF LOVEJames now clinches his teaching on

favoritism. He reminds us that favoritism and discrimination violates God’s Law.

Neither they reading in James’ day nor we today can escape this indictment.

He quotes for them and us the Law of neighbor love calling it

“The Royal Law”

8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, "You shall love your

neighbor as yourself," (Lev. 19:18) you are doing well. 9 But if you show prejudice,

you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. 10 For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point

has become guilty of all of it.

11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,“ (Exo. 20:14 & Deu. 5:18) also

said, "Do not murder." (Exo. 20:13 & Deu. 5:17) Now if you do not commit adultery but

do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. 12 Speak and act as

those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. 13 For judgment is merciless for

the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment.

James has taken the Mosaic Law and interpreted it on the basis of Jesus’

Kingdom teaching. Jesus made the Law of neighbor love the signature Law on which Christian and human behavior ought to be assessed. This Law isn’t like normal law in

which one can be prosecuted for not following, but imagine what it would be like

if it were!

James further makes his point by unfolding for us a comparison of sorts. Partiality is to

neighbor love as one law is to the whole law as also murder is to adultery. Violation of

the first is also violation of the second because in each case the first is part of the

second.

It’s important to realize that James doesn’t see neighbor love as merely part of the

Law, but equal to the whole of the law, the essence of it! I’m sure he put it this way

because some would dismiss this prejudice as trivial fault, which it’s nothing of the kind!James shows us that to truly follow the law of love, to truly be real about our lives we

need to be merciful to others.

One cold winter’s day a 10-year-old boy was standing barefoot in front of a shoe store, peering through the window, and

shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and asked him what he was doing. "I

was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," the boy replied. The lady took him by the

hand and went into the store, and asked the clerk to get a half dozen pairs of socks for

the boy.

The clerk returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she then

purchased him a pair of shoes, and tying up the remaining pairs of socks, gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more

comfortable now?" As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and

looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these

words: "Are you God’s wife?"

James concludes by voicing this life principle. To be merciful to others, to love

others. It’s easy to love those who you like, it takes mature faith to love those you don’t. James now calls this principle the “law that gives freedom.” James encourages us to live with each other in such a way that our

lives won’t be out of sync with our Christian commitment and therefore make it void in

the eyes of God.

He is encouraging us to “Get real about life.” Because if we are the body of Christ, which we are! We must realize that Jesus paid much too high a price for us to pick

and choose who should come. Avoidance of favoritism isn’t a burdensome standard but

a law that sets us free to serve God!

James concludes his teaching simply by stating that mercy triumphs over judgment.

Imitating God by acting and speaking to others with graciousness give us a ticket to pass through judgment, confident that we are one of Christ’s sheep. Judgment then

becomes nothing to fear, it becomes simply a victory celebration. Do you want to share

in that celebration? I know I sure do!

Jesus is waiting for you, to have that meaningful relationship with you, to give

you that ticket to eternal life, all you have to do is love Him.

The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal

myself to him." John 14:21 NET