ARE YOU IMPARTIAL
JAMES 2:1-13
1. DO NOT JUDGE
I have often sat and thought about what it really means to be a Christian. I asked myself questions about how I was supposed to act, show my faith, or speak. I have thought about how I was supposed to treat other people. What were some examples that would lead and guide me? Then I realized that God has given me a blueprint to follow. All that I had to do was to search God’s Word to find the answer. Every question that I or anyone else has the answer can be found in The Bible. How simple was this solution, but one it was one that eluded me for several years, until I decided to let God lead my life. Today as I look out across our nation I see needs that are not being met because God’s people are living a life of inaction. They have other things that are more important than doing the work of God. Churches become status symbols and our importance is now based on how much wealth we have not on our worth as a Christian.
Illustration 1.
I am reminded about the story of this particular church. One Sunday morning the congregation arrived to find a dirty old vagrant lying beside the door. Some looked at him and said how awful that someone like that is sitting outside our beautiful church, why the pastor should make him move on we don’t need to encourage the rifraff to camp out outside our church. Others ignored him as they stepped over him. Still others stared. But not a single person offered to help him. As the time neared for the service and the choir had song their songs the preacher still had not shown up. Everybody was looking around trying to find out where the preacher was. Then just as everybody was ready to leave the door to the preachers’ office and in walked the vagrant but as he took off his coat the congregation realized it was the preacher. He stepped to the pew and said these simple words. "I was naked and you did not clothed me, I was hungry and you fed me not, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink". With these few words the preacher stepped down and left the pulpit.
You see these Christians had lost sight of what was more important to God. They no longer realized that God was not concerned about the material things but about the spiritual.
They failed to realize that the church is not the brick and wood building that we meet in to fellowship but the church is housed in each and every one of us. They failed to see that it was actually the church that was in need more than the vagrant. Do we do this? We do if we ignore the needs of our community, ignore the needs of our brother and sisters here in the United States or in far away places, and ignore those who need to hear the saving message of the Gospel because they don’t look like us or may not be on the same social scale as us. James in chapter 2 verses 1-5 says 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons. 2 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; 3 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: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5 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? This is a warning that we should never become complacent in our Christian life. That we should always be looking for the opportunities that God places in our paths. How many times do we get so caught up in our on lives that we fail to see God’s hand at work? We ask others and ourselves why there is so much pain and suffering in the world today. We wonder why people hate us and the answer is quite simply us. We, meaning Christians, have isolated ourselves from the mission that God has given us, that great commission of spreading the Gospel. We don’t want to get involved. Well God calls us to get involved with both the rich and poor. Any one who is not saved is someone we need to reach out to and not ignore. It does not matter how wealthy or how poor or even the types of clothes they wear to God.
There is a story about this young boy who wanted so much to go to church but his parents would not take him. So one Sunday morning he started walking to Church. It was a good five miles from his home. The road was dusty and as the cars passed him the dust swept over him. By the time he made it the church he was covered with dust. As he entered the sermon was just beginning. He was enthralled with the message as he walked down the isle and sat in the floor in front of the preacher. A man of the congregation said to the preacher " Make that young boy go home and change his clothes and to sit in a seat like everyone else. He should have more respect than that." Now understand these clothes was all that the young man had for both his mother and father were drug addicts. Just as the preacher was about to reply an old man got up and began to walk down the aisle leaning on a cane. Everyone watched with anticipation to see how he would handle this. The young boy was still watching the preacher. As the old man neared he sunk down to his knees and sat down beside the young boy who looked at him smiled and held his hand. The preacher said, "Are you and grandson comfortable?" "Yes please go on with your sermon," replied the old man. That day that young boy was saved and later he would lead his parents to Christ.
What would have happened if they had thrown that young boy out that morning a soul may have been lost maybe three or a family may never have been reconciled to each other. James warns us not to despise the poor nor to judge in verse 6. 6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Is that not what we do when looked down on the way someone is dressed? How do we know that is not the best that they own or the best that they can do at the moment. We tend to forget that not every is as blessed as us. To be truly impartial we must have the love of God in our lives. Only through love can we be impartial in our relationships. We love our spouses, Children and parents but God called us to Love Him first. Once we place God first in our lives the rest comes as a natural development. God’s Love gives us the ability to be blind to what the physical circumstances of some one or group may be and to simply love them because God loves them.
2. LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR
God calls us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Matthew19:19 19 Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. And we do love ourselves greatly. Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is the world for God did not say to only preach the Gospel at home but He said go forth to all nations. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. You see God calls us to love. The only way you can be impartial is to love someone. And the only way to truly love someone is by loving God first above all else.. Mark 12:30 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. Love is what causes us to want to meet the physical and spiritual needs of some one less fortunate than we. When we truly love someone we hurt when they hurt and we have a desire to assist them when they are in need. I have actually heard Christians say that they don’t give or help because they don’t know how the money or gifts would be used. If God presents you with an opportunity to aide someone or a group of people then you can be sure that the seed you planted out of love will prosper and grow. For if God is involved it cannot fail. So don’t miss opportunities for aiding others out of love.
3. HELPING
So how can we help? By taking action and no longer accept inaction as the normal. God calls you to action. He wants you to get your hands dirty. Does this mean that we are to meet every need that we see? Sometimes we can’t do anything about what is happening in China and other far of places but we surely do something about the suffering around us. JOHN 13:14-16 14 If I then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. Jesus had washed the feet of the disciples teaching them that the servant was not greater than the lord. We are no better than any one else. Jesus has given us many examples of love and actions we do not have the excuse that we did not know. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. And in Romans 13:10 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love [is] the fulfilling of the law. So when God places opportunities before us, whether it is an offerring or work that we can do, it is our duty, no it is our responsibility to help out of love for God and our neighbor. Who knows what it may be? Maybe that person just needed a kind word or help buying clothes for their children to go to school on. Maybe it is a little old lady that needs help with cleaning up her yard. Or the homeless who need a warm meal and a warm dry place to stay the night. Who knows what God wants us to do until we do it. If you look in the bible you will see that all who Jesus called took action not inaction. It seems that today most Christians want to take inaction. That is why there is so much pain, need and hate in world today because the ones who are supposed to be showing the love have dropped the ball. We have become complacent with our lives and overlook what God has called us to do. Just as surely as Jesus called his disciples to Him during His Earthly ministry He has called each and every one of us. And no- where in the His word is their an example of doing nothing held up as what a Christian should do. We are to sacrifice for the Lord just as He was a sacrifice for our sins. Without His sacrifice on the Cross, we could not be saved. Why is it so hard for us to sacrifice our time and money to do that which we are called to do? Is our life more important than His? I think not. The question that I put before you is this: do you love your neighbor enough to help him even though he is filthy with the dirt and sin of this world or do we turn away because of the dirt and filth
Conclusion
While Christ was on that cross, all the sins of the past, present, and future were poured onto Him. He became the sacrifice alluded to in the old temple worship. He paid our penalty, a penalty that we could not pay, so that sinful man could be reconciled with God. In eternity past God formed this plan with the Son. He knew that man would sin and there would be a need for a plan to reconcile man with Him. God loved us so much He was willing to sacrifice His only begotten son for us that we might be saved. But you see the only way that you can be saved is to believe on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to call on Him. If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior now is the time to do so. If the Holy Spirit is striving with you don’t wait any longer. Tomorrow is not promised to you; no not even the next breath. Don’t put it off any longer you may not get another chance. In a few moments you will get the chance to come to the alter and pray, someone will be here to help you. Maybe you need to rededicate your life. Or you are out of fellowship with God and need to make it right again. No matter the reason, if you need to come, the alter is open, as Sister Tami comes and lead us in a song of invitation don’t wait any longer.
