Last night I had the privilege of teaching the flock.
Title was "The Test of Impartial Love", text James 2:1-13.
You can listen here (filter by my name, IE works best). Sermon notes below.
Blessings.
James
2:1-13 (NKJV)
2 For if
there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel,
and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
3 and you pay
attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit
here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand
there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"
4 have you
not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my
beloved brethren: Has God not chosen 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. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the
courts?
7 Do they not
blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
8 If you
really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You
shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;
9 but if you
show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For
whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is
guilty of all.
11 For He who
said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not
murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you
have become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak
and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For
judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs
over judgment.
