“BECAUSE YOU CAN”
James 2:1-13
1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 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. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
FRESNO — On Sunday morning at the 18,000-member Calvary Church, tithers flash green Costco-like cards at greeters, who let them in early and usher them to special seating areas.
"The seats have more padding, and they recline," says tither Dan Phelps, kicking back before the sermon. "I feel a little guilty, but you can’t knock the comfort."
Calvary is believed to be the first church in America to use membership cards to dole out privileges to certain members. First-time visitors are offered the best seats — plush recliners in the orchestra section — while non-tithing attendees carry orange membership cards and are forced to sit in hard, stadium-style seats on the mezzanine.
"We give honor to whom honor is due," says pastor Jerald Dennis. "If you tithe or volunteer in some way, you deserve a special thank you."
Churches like his are drawing wealthier "church consumers" by promoting luxury and social stratification inside the sanctuary. As rich people attend, the theory goes, tithe revenues increase and the church better promotes the gospel.
At Life Family Center in Abilene, Texas, members at all levels earn "reward points" similar to frequent flyer miles for tithing and attending. The points add up to free hotel stays, vacation packages and tickets to NASCAR events.
Ringing the church’s cavernous sanctuary are private skyboxes where groups watch the service while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and deep leather chairs. Some pay only occasional attention to what takes place on the platform.
"We compete with professional sporting events, not other churches," says pastor Lovey Pederson. "I would rather people come here than a football stadium, so I offer bigger perks."
This year, at least a dozen more mega-churches will introduce some form of "club card."
"The credit card commercial said it best: ’Membership has its privileges,’" says Pederson. www.LarkNews.com 2005
BECAUSE YOU CAN
I want to share something of a personal note here but I want to preface it with a point of clarification. We all seek help from people who can do what we cannot do. We go to an optometrist, for example, to find out what is wrong with our vision and to have it corrected, because he or she has the schooling and training and equipment to provide the help we need.
I can hunt. I can use a rifle and I could kill a deer. But then I would have to take that deer to someone who knows how to dress it and package the meat and so on, because I don’t know how. You get my drift.
When I was in my first week at Alameda County Sheriff’s Academy in California, an instructor asked each of us in the class to stand, say our name, and then state why we wanted to be a police officer. The answers were mostly predictable; because I want to protect people, because I want to make society better, because I want adventure in my life, etcetera.
Well, I had thought my answer through, not because I expected this instructor to ask, but because others had asked and that had forced me to do some introspection and decide for myself why I was doing this.
So when it came to me I stood, gave my name and said, “I am here to train to be a police officer because I can”.
The instructor got a puzzled expression on his face and asked, ‘Can what?’ I said, “I can be a police officer”. His expression called for explanation, so I gave him one.
I said that ever since I was a kid I was always calm in an emergency, protective of those weaker or unable to fight for themselves, even when it got me beat up, which it often did, and I cared about people in trouble. No brag; just the way God made me.
Now the fact is, many people, perhaps most people, are not like that. They are comfortable with life and functioning very adequately until faced with imminent danger and then they lock up. They don’t know what to do. They can’t handle violence and they can’t think clearly in a desperate moment. It’s not their fault; it’s just the way God made them. So I felt like since I could, I should. That’s why I wanted to be a cop.
Now you may be wondering why I took the time to say all of that. So I’ll tell you.
We are in the last days of earth. We are living in the days when the church is gaining momentum in its downhill declension toward apostasy.
As time marches on we’re going to see more and more stories like the one I read to you a minute ago, and those so-called churches are going to rise in popularity with the religious, with the worldly-minded, with those who have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.
It falls to your shoulders, if you are a born-again, bible-believing Jesus-loving Christian ~and the weight will get heavier as the apostate church gains momentum~ to be Christ to the world, to know your Bible, to know the Gospel and proclaim it, to deny self daily and surrender to the use of the Holy Spirit, more than ever in the history of the church from the beginning until now.
Why? Because you can. You are the only ones, Christians, in all the world, who can be used of God to save sinners and bring them to Christ. And because you can, you must.
BECAUSE YOU CAN
The inequity James was addressing in his letter spreads far beyond the hoarding of good seats in the assembly but let’s talk about that for a moment to help us see where we’re going.
The usual circumstances in the synagogue, according to several sources I researched, was that there were just a few benches toward the front, where those of importance sat during services. The rest stood around in the back, although some would bring their own stools to sit on when they found standing tedious and the floor too hard.
So you can get a picture of how disdainfully visitors, especially poor visitors, were being treated, when one who was not himself important enough to sit at the front, would not even offer his footstool to a guest, but demanded that he sit on the floor next to the footstool.
According to James their motives were evil. They showed preferential treatment to the wealthy, obviously hoping to be rewarded monetarily for their parasitic toadying.
The person, even a visitor, who by his appearance could spare them nothing, was in turn offered nothing, even a decent seat off the dirty floor.
Listen to Wiersbe on this:
“We have this same problem with us today. Pyramid climbers are among us, not only in politics, industry, and society, but also in the church. Almost every church has its cliques, and often, new Christians find it difficult to get in. Some church members use their offices to enhance their own images of importance.”
This extends beyond the walls of the local congregation to the organizational level. Who gets the attention and public acclaim? The large congregation that just buzzes with activity, shows growth in numbers and shares its wealth up the chain; while often the small church is left to flounder with little or no attention or assistance, given an annual ‘nod of recognition’ at best, and then left alone for another year to struggle along, unknown and largely unheard of.
I try to avoid personal references in my preaching that might come across as bitterness or sour grapes but sometimes the offences are just too glaring to ignore. And you who know me best know that I would preach this same message if I pastored a church of 4000.
A man with a divorce in his past, no matter the circumstances of that dissolution or how long ago, will be turned down in many a church for even teaching an adult Sunday School class. Yet a man with a ministry that is successful by worldly standards, with televised worship services and bringing in a great deal of revenue for the organization, can announce brashly that although he is in the midst of a divorce he will not step down even briefly from ministry and receives the applause of his peers and congratulatory articles printed up in the organization’s periodicals for his ability and willingness to ‘go on’.
This ought not to be. The fact that this condition of inequity can exist is evidence that the spirit of partiality in the church is alive and flourishing; and this is only one example among very many, I’m sure, that I’ll never hear about. But you have seen it and you will see it again.
“There’s a wonderful 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 Saltonstalls, Peabodys, 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." Neither is God a respecter of persons but accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work for His kingdom (Acts 10:34-35).” -Kathleen Peterson.
Folks, in the history of the world, and in the history of the church, God has used the weak, the small, the insignificant, the poor, often the unlearned, to do His will.
Not just because the powerful and influential and wealthy are often unwilling and unavailable, but also because often they are the very ones whose pettiness and self-indulgence and self-will would hinder the progress of the Kingdom.
James 2:6
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Christians, you who are poor in spirit and rich in Christ, you are the only ones who can deal with each one you see in a Christlike manner, showing no partiality and no favoritism, nor disdain or contempt because you have His Spirit in you and you never forget what He saved you from and what He has brought you up from since He saved you, and there is no one else who can show that kind of love and acceptance to the downtrodden because you allow Him to manifest Himself through you, instead of measuring success by worldly standards and thinking it is your strength and talent that accomplish His work. You’re the only ones who can, and because you can, you must.
BECAUSE YOU CAN
Now I’m going to say something that will shock you. Not for the sake of shocking you; I just know that it will.
Ready?
You are the only ones who can keep the Law perfectly.
Shall I just stop there until next Sunday, or should I go on?
This is one of the paradoxes of the Christian life, and not only is it one of the reasons people outside of the church cannot understand us, it is also one of the things people in the church often don’t understand.
The Bible says,
Galatians 2:16
16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Yet we know that although we are not justified by the keeping of the Law, those who are justified will keep the Law.
Gal 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
And by the way, the word for love there in Galatians 5:14 is agapao, from agape, which indicates an absolute affection for and contentment with its object.
It’s a love that is unconditional, asking for no change or improvement, but just loving for love’s sake.
That, says Paul, is the fulfilling of the Law. He was probably remembering something Jesus Himself said:
And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment.
“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ on these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matt 22:37-40
Christian, the sort of love Jesus and then Paul were talking about can only come from Christ, therefore if that love is expressed through you, it is not from you; it is from the Holy Spirit, through you.
Now since we’re talking about the keeping of the Law, let’s use one of the Levitical laws as an example of how they would be applied to our lives today and us as Christians.
Leviticus 19:9, 10
9 ‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.
10 ‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.
I can remember when this command of God was remembered and honored by many who grew crops for their living. When we lived in the San Joaquin Valley of California and I would ride my bicycle past groves of peaches and pears enroute to my friends’ houses, I would stop and walk over to the tree line nearest the road and pick a fruit to eat on the way. When I was seen by field workers, and sometimes even land owners, they would wave and I would wave back and be on my way; never did I hear a word of objection about picking and eating the fruit at the edge of their properties. By the way, there were no fences to climb. The property border was marked by the last row of trees.
I can remember seeing down-and-out families, their old beat up cars parked by the roadside, filling paper sacks with pears and peaches and sometimes walnuts, because they were needy and ranchers were generous and often Godly.
I don’t know if there are many places today where that is still a practice. I hope there are some.
But let’s go back to James with this.
James 2:10-13
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
In Romans 10:5 Paul warned that those who would be righteous by the keeping of the Law must live by that Law. The implication being that he would have to keep it perfectly, and consistently.
That’s what James is saying here. If you think your righteousness before God is by the keeping of the Law, you should be aware that if you offend one Law you have offended the whole Law and your efforts are rendered useless.
Now let’s put this in a Christian context.
Believer, the Law is fulfilled in you who have the Holy Spirit. We get that from Romans chapter 8. But you should be aware that you are violating the law of liberty, by which you will be judged, when you fail to love.
When you show partiality, whether it be giving special favor to the influential in your midst, or denying favor by your silence and inactivity toward the common man… toward the weaker vessel or the brother of humble means.
James 2:12-13
12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Believers in Christ, who are born from above and are filled with the Holy Spirit of God; who have come to understand and fully partake of God’s grace and know that the law that is fulfilled in you is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus…
Let not only your brethren in the church, but all the poor of spirit who pass by you in life, glean spiritual fruit from your borders.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…
There is no one who does not deserve these things from you, and there is no one who deserves them on their own, because of their status or their wealth or their clout.
You owe it to them only because you owe to Christ, to love the brethren and to feed the hungry.
2 Corinthians 8:9
9 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.
Reckon yourselves poor in the things of the world; the status and the favor that worldly men presume to deserve. They are only full of themselves and yes, even in the church, there are many who have nothing to offer because they are looking for the best seats and the praise of men.
But just remember that when the poor and the helpless and the hungry and seeking are able to glean good fruit from the borders of your life; the fleeting moments of contact, the passing greetings, the occasional moment when help can be given in the form of prayer or encouragement or monetary assistance, whatever it may be…
…when the borders bear fruit, it is a sign that the orchard is full of goodness.
A few weeks ago in our small group we were discussing the various judgments the Bible talks about and we were saying (without looking it up since it was a sort of rabbit trail we were taking at the moment) that there was the Great White Throne judgment and then there was the judgment to come of our works as believers, and…
…listen.
Here is what you need to know and you will do well.
‘mercy triumphs over judgment’.
Love the brethren. Let others glean from your borders. Show mercy. Christians, you are the only people in the world who can love like Jesus loves. And BECAUSE YOU CAN, YOU MUST.
