Welcome to Waymaker Church! We are so excited to have you join us today! We exist to Encounter, Live for, and Advance the Kingdom of God!

The essence of this portion of scripture is that God looks at the intents of our heart before he looks at our deeds as we live out the Gospel. James is conveying that predetermining who gets to receive honor and the kingdom is evil.

If we show honor only to the esteemed in our society, and simultaneously disregard the poor based on wealth we are in error.

The good news of the Gospel has been sent to all people. The power of his blood and the saving grace of His kingdom is to all who will hear and believe.

We must remember this morning that God does not see as we see.

What we are seeing is that God desires a genuineness to our faith. He is not evaluating our lives based on outer appearances or social standings. Instead, he looks at the heart and motivations.

Living out these two things will require honor, humility, and mercy.

James 2:13 “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

A few cross references to this verse are: Proverbs 21:13. Matthew 18:32-35. Luke 6:37.

• Proverbs 21:13 “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard.”

• Matthew 18:32–35 “Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

• Luke 6:37 ““Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

To express genuine faith, we must walk in love without partiality.

As we continue in chapter 2 James gives practical example of the expression of faith. In doing so, James inserts a question into his instruction. Keep in mind He just finished speaking about showing partiality between the rich and poor.

Many have seen this as contradictory to what the Apostle Paul taught in Ephesians 2.

James is not contradicting Paul. We have to remember that the Apostles were responsible for the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ. They had to address behaviors, mindsets, patterns of living, etc. that were off course from the kingdom.

James question on faith goes once again to the matter of the heart.

He is essentially asking is faith a belief and profession in Christ only, or is there intended to be demonstration of what is professed? James gives this example in James 2:15-16.

James is dealing with the reality that we can have profession of faith without corresponding action. His message is James 2:17 “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

The simple truth is this. We are not saved by works, but we work because we are saved.

James is speaking to the serving nature of the believer. Jesus said no servant is greater than his master.

Faith was never intended to be confined to a verbal profession that is empty and void of action. It is to be expressed and evidenced through action. Christianity is not sterile. It is expressed through good works.

Paul in Ephesians 2:10 after He expressed that we are saved by grace through faith also made this statement, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

To close out his instruction in James 2 he gives example of Abraham’s action in obedience to God’s instruction and also of Rahab a prostitute who was justified by receiving messengers in Jericho.

Faith in Christ was never intended to be lifeless. It didn’t originate as going to a building. It was a group of people who were joined together in Christ who went about doing good works. They served one another, loved people, declared the message of the cross, and preached salvation to all who would hear.

It should be the same for us today. The inward work of the Holy Spirit and the kingdom is always seen outwardly (fruit). Kingdom transformation in our lives is not idle head knowledge. It’s change and works activated by the word.

The old man was selfish and idle, the new man is created to express the nature and values of the kingdom of God. If we are becoming more like Him it will change our outward action. We will serve because He served. We will love because He first loved us. Works are simply obedience in action revealing the inward change we have experienced.

I will conclude my message with the final verse of chapter 2.