Before
we get into the Text today, I wanted to let you all know that we will be taking
a two-week break from our study. I will
be heading to Israel for a trip that will encompass the senior class and their
families at TCS. During that time, I
would encourage you to get caught up on days that you have missed or go back
through and ponder what God has taught you so far in our journey through
James. I look forward to resuming our study
on March 17th!
As you
read today's passage, look for these words or phrases: poor, rich,
blaspheme, and love your neighbor.
Passage
for the day: James 2:5-9 (NASB)
5 Listen,
my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
6 But
you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and
personally drag you into court?
7 Do
they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you are fulfilling the
royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself,” you are doing well.
9 But
if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Questions for thought: Take
a few moments to answer these questions before you go on to the next section.
What
does it mean to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom? Who has God promised this honor to?
How
have the rich oppressed the poor in this passage?
What
command of Jesus is found in these verses?
Are
you mistreating others or are you fulfilling Christ’s command? Name 2 ways that you can apply this passage
to your life today.
Mediate on this:
In these verses, we see how God has not forgotten
about the poor in their distress. God has chosen the poor in the
eyes of the world to be rich in faith and receive eternal life. Once a person is a child of God, he is no
longer poor and destitute. They will
reap the benefits of saving faith because God makes them rich in their belief
in God and in the eternal treasures of the kingdom of God. In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul tells us about how
this happens: “For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became
poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” Eternal riches cannot be bought. They are a gift from God to those who believe
in Him. Clearly not all who are poor are
lovers of God. We know that God saves
the poor and the rich, but here the emphasis is placed on how much glory God
receives by saving those who go from having nothing in this world to having
eternal “riches” in heaven.
In these verses James is concerned that the poor are
being mistreated as opposed to being loved and honored. To act this way, the people had to disregard the honor God
has bestowed on the poor who love him.
No matter what our status, we who are in the body of Christ should not
be seeking to dominate one another. This
kind of spirit, which takes advantage of others, has no place in the church.
The
rich in this group were literally dragging the poor into court and Christians
were to do this no longer. As this was happening, the name of the Lord (“the
fair name by which you have been called”) was being blasphemed or slandered.
As the rich were using the resources God had given them to attack
the poor, it was as though they were attacking the Lord. Those who were showing favoritism dishonored
the name of the Lord. As we have already
seen, favoritism is a sin among the people of God. It leads to division within
the church and violates Christ’s command to love our neighbors as
ourselves. This point in the teaching of
Jesus is the solution to the problem of favoritism and hypocrisy. No one is outside
the boundary of loving one another, not even the poor! In this loving way, the rich believer and the
believers who enjoy life above the poverty line can live life as Jesus intended
for them – serving one another through love.
How are
you treating those less fortunate than you?
Are you seeking to dominate and show favoritism? Or, are you looking for an opportunity to
show the love of Christ? This is not an
easy way to live, especially since everything in our culture tells us to do the
opposite! However, we are called to
follow Christ’s pattern, not our culture’s direction. Let’s live out our faith by loving one
another without favoritism!
Praying for that you would Love Christ
PASSIONATELY, Know Christ DEEPLY, and Enjoy Christ FULLY!!!
Pastor Stephen
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