2.) We Need to ______in ______.

Verse 8, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,ye do well:”

Matthew 22:37-40, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

* If we get command 1 down, command two falls into place. As command two falls into place we are no longer thinking about killing, committing adultery or some other sin against another person.

- We walk in the love of Christ, and show mercy where mercy needs to be shown.

- We walk in love and pray for and with those who are struggling.

- We walk in love and eat with those who need a meal.

- We walk in love and we let the rich man who wants the church to respect his money more than Him knowing Christ, eventually leave never to return because we know money can corrupt rather than congeal.

Practical Christianity

The Actions of a Religious Man - Part 3a

James 1:27; 2:1-13

INTRODUCTION:

Verse 26 - The words of our mouth.

Verse 27a - Our service specifically towards the fatherless and widows

* Illustration: kids at school playing team games, deciding who would go up against who…When the other guy is really big, we yell at Kevin to be up next.

* Quote: Unknown, “it's not our perfection that proves our salvation, it's the reaction to our imperfection.”

* The greatest reaction we can have to these two messages today would be to fall on our knees and seek help from God so that we can practically live it out.

1. Our ______.

2 Corinthian 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

1 Peter 2:9, “a peculiar people, a holy nation”

Romans 1:1, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.”

A. Be ______.

James 2:1-13, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

* The world has told us that we are red, and yellow, black and white. Canadian, American, African, Asian. They have told us we are rich and poor, or that we fit right in the middle. They have told us that Polo, or Versace are for the rich and that George from Walmart is for the poor.

* Quote: Martin Luther King, 1960, Meet the Press, “I think it is one of the tragedies of our nation, one of the shameful tragedies, that 11 o’clock on Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours if not the most segregated hours in Christian America.”

Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

How does James help us to practically act out our faith without partiality?

1.) We Need to ______our ______and ______.

* Idea: Looking at people through the eyes of Christ.

- The women who was taken in adultery.

- The rich young ruler, “what must I to do to be saved?”

  • Every single individual that walks into this building should get a handshake and smile.
  • They should be welcome to sit beside us, no matter how they come in.