All right, James chapter two,
I titled the message this morning, the law of liberty. Now, what
is the law of liberty? Well, it's the gospel. If you
remember, this is mentioned two times in scripture, the first
time back here in chapter one, verse 25, but whoso looketh into
the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word. This man should
be blessed in his deed. He'll be blessed in his faith.
He'll be blessed in always looking into the word of God. The person
who looketh and that means continually looks into the gospel and believes
it. That person is blessed. The person
who continually looks into the gospel is blessed because if
he's continually looking into the gospel, he's not going to
forget that he's a sinner that needs God to save him by his
grace. The person who continually looks
into the gospel is not going to forget that salvation is by
grace in Christ Jesus without any of his works added to it.
So he'll keep trusting in Christ to be all of his salvation. Now
that person is blessed. By looking, constantly looking
into the law of liberty. Now verse 12 in our text, James
chapter two tells us, talking about looking into the law of
liberty. Here he talks about living by the law of liberty. Verse 12, so speak ye and so
do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. And what
does that mean? What means this? Live your life
like you're under grace, not under works. That's exactly what
it means. Let your actions match your words. Tomorrow morning, live like you
really do believe what you say you believe Sunday morning. That's
what it means. I'm gonna give you four ways
that our actions will match what we claim to believe. Number one,
live like you're a transgressor of the law. Live like you're
guilty of the whole law of God. Verse 10, James 2, for whosoever
shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he's
guilty of all. For he that said, do not commit
adultery, also said, do not kill. Now, if thou commit no adultery,
Yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. Now,
this is a hypothetical situation. You know, we cannot keep all
of God's law. We can't keep one of God's law,
much less all but one of it. This is given to show us the
absolute holiness of God. God does not require from you
and me the best that we can do. God requires absolute perfection. Not 99.9999%, but 100% perfect obedience every
second of our lives. Can't slip up once. Now we're
not able to do that because of our sin nature. We're shapen
in iniquity. We're conceived in sin. We're
estranged, David said, from the womb. The moment we're conceived
in the womb, we're estranged. We go astray as soon as we're
born speaking lies because that's the way we were conceived in
our mother's womb. Now, by nature, you know, y'all know what we
try to do. We try to deny that truth because nobody wants to
admit that they're nothing but sin. That is always going to
be offensive to our flesh. We want to think that some people
are good in God's eyes because they're good in our eyes. We
want to think that God thinks some people are nice because
they've been nice to us. And we need to remember that
our eyes and our mind, our thinking is evil and God's eyes are pure
and holy. God does not see things the way
we see them. God doesn't think about things
the way that we think about them. God looks on the heart and the
heart. That's the heart. This is the
nature of every son of Adam is deceitful. And it's desperately
wicked. Who could know it? Nobody but
God. God knows it. He looks on the
heart. And this is one of the very first thing God teaches
all of his children. When he saves them by his grace,
the first thing he teaches them is they're sinners. They are
sinners. Their nature is a nature of sin,
so everything that they do is sin. The fountain is polluted,
so everything that comes forth from it is polluted. God teaches
us that we've sinned against him. And the only thing that
we can deserve from God is eternal wrath in hell. I'll tell you
what that means. If God sends me to hell, God's
just in doing it. That's exactly what that means.
God gave me what I deserve and I'll have nothing to complain
about. Now, the only person who will beg God for mercy is the
person who knows he's guilty. Guilty of the whole law. He can't,
he can't plead anything. He can't plead why I kept this
one. He got nothing to plead. He can't plead anything. Now
when I say I'm guilty of sin, I mean this. I'm guilty of every
sin. And if God teach me that, that's
the only person that'll beg God for mercy. And right along with
that, right along with teaching his children, they're sinners,
they're nothing but sin. Right along with that, God teaches
His children this, that salvation is by grace, not by merit. And
that is such good news if we don't have any merit. Salvation
is all of grace without any of our works being added to it.
It's all of Christ's obedience, not our obedience. It's all of
the blood of Christ, not anything we give up and sacrifice to God.
It's all of Christ. Now, I bet you every person in
this room claims to believe that. What James is telling us is live
like it. Live like it. Excuse me. I might be doing that a lot today.
I'm sorry. Live like you continually look
into the mirror of God's word. Live like you haven't forgotten
who and what you are. Live like you constantly need
God's mercy and grace. Live like you've constantly got
your empty hand stretched out to him. Don't act like, well,
God saved me. He's taught me some things. I've
been at this a long time. I've learned some things. I'm
stronger than other folks and I just don't need God to save
me and keep me and teach me as much as you do. James says don't
live like that. That wouldn't be living according
to the law of liberty. Live like you are a transgressor
of the law, like you're guilty and need God's grace. All right,
number two, live like you're judged by the gospel and not
by the law. Verse 12, he says, so speak ye
and so do, as they that should be judged by the law of liberty. Now, when I hear about the law
of liberty, I really don't think about judgment, do you? Law of
liberty? I think of freedom. I think of
No judgment, no condemnation. And that's exactly right. Now live like you're free from
judgment. Live like you're free from condemnation
because Christ has already been condemned as your substitute.
Live like you're looking into the gospel always so that you
haven't forgotten you're complete in Christ, that you're holy in
Christ, that you're righteous in Christ, that you are a new
man in Christ Jesus. Live like you hadn't forgotten
that. Don't live like you're saved by grace, but now you've
got to live under the law to be a good moral person that somebody
will respect. No, live like you're saved by
grace, completely saved by grace without anything you add to it
and kept by grace without anything that you add to it. Live like
you're complete in Christ. So you don't have to keep the
law of Moses. Christ has made you free from the law. So there's
no more work left for you to do in order to be saved or in
order to be accepted by God. If we're looking into the perfect
law of liberty, we're looking to Christ alone for everything,
for our salvation, for our righteousness, for our sanctification, for our
redemption, for our wisdom, for being kept by his power, We're
looking to Christ alone. Now live like you're looking
to Christ alone. Go through your daily life acting
like Christ really is all you have and all you need. Live like that. Don't try to
impress people with your goodness, with your morality, with your
religion. Instead, tell them this. Tell
them that you're worthless, that you're nothing but sin, but Christ
has made me whole. Tell them the truth on both counts.
Tell them who you are in Adam and tell them who you are in
Christ and live like it. Live like you're complete in
Christ so that nobody's going to be impressed with you, but
they'll be impressed with Christ and they'll trust him too. Now,
if we're judged by the law of liberty, if we're judged by the
gospel, then you are free to do whatever you want. I think it was Bill Clark that
said, believe Christ and then go do what you want. Aren't you scared to say that
to people? No, not at all. I'm not afraid to say that to
unbelievers because you want me to tell you what is the truth?
They're going to go do what they want to do anyway. They don't
need me telling that. And believers, I'm not afraid to tell you to
go do what you want. Because God's given you a new want to.
Now go do like you really do believe Christ. Go do go, go
live like you believe Christ. You've got a new want to go do
what you want to. The only reason you're looking to Christ in the
first place is God gave you a new want to. Now go be like Christ. Go live like him. Live trusting
Christ. without any of your works being
added to it because you want Christ to be all of your righteousness.
Live your life worshiping the Lord. Being in every service. Live every day worshiping the
Lord because that's where you want to be. That's what you want
to do. God has been gracious to his
people. Now live like God's been gracious to you. Live being kind. and gracious and forgiving to
others. Live doing for people because
you want to be like your savior. Live sacrificing your wants,
your desires, what you think might be good for you, for the
good of others, because that's what you want to do. Not because
that's what you have to do. Live like you're judged by the
gospel, not by the law. Live like you've been judged
in Christ, not like you'll have to be judged according to your
deeds someday. Live that way. Number three,
this goes right along with that. Live your life. Let's live our
lives being forgiving, not being judgmental. Verse 13, for he
shall have judgment without mercy that has showed no mercy. I'll
tell you what that says. It says exactly what you think
it says. God's not going to show mercy to someone who has not
been merciful to others. That's exactly what that says.
Now, that doesn't mean that salvation or being a recipient of God's
mercy is dependent upon whether or not we show mercy to someone
else. That's not what that means. It means this. The person who
has received mercy from God will be merciful to others. Not they
should be merciful to others, but they will be merciful to
others. They will because God's given them a new nature. The
sinner who has been forgiven by God for Christ's sake is going
to forgive others for Christ's sake too. Let's put mercy and
forgiveness into practice in our daily lives. Now, that ought
to be easy for the believer to do. Because the person who truly
believes our first point, that I am the chief of sinners, I'm
a transgressor of all of God's law. If I really believe that,
you know what? I'm not going to be judgmental
and look down my nose at other people and say, oh, well, I'd
never do that. How can I look down my nose at
someone else when I'm guilty of the very sin they're guilty
of? Name it. Name the sin that they've
done. We're a transgressor of the whole law. We're guilty of
it, too. Is that right? Why would we live looking down our nose
being so judgmental of other people? Now, we can and we should
know right from wrong. This does not mean that we can't
know when a certain situation is done wrong. It doesn't mean
that at all. What it means is when I see that and that's so,
I shouldn't act self-righteous about it. Don't hold your brethren's
feet to the fire of God's law. Judge them like you want to be
judged. How do you want to be judged
by others? Well, I can tell you how I want to be judged by you.
I'd like to be judged in some love and some understanding for
my poor flesh. I really would. Then I should
judge you the same way. When you see someone, they've
done something wrong. Before you be harsh at them,
consider this. What would you do if you were
in their place? If we're honest, we'd say, I'd
do the very same thing. See, believers are not responsible
to the law of Moses. If you believe Christ, you have
no relationship with the law of Moses whatsoever. Christ has made you free from
the law. But that doesn't mean believers
have no responsibility. No, you who believe Christ have
a greater responsibility. We're responsible to the law
of love. That's our Savior's commandment
that you love one I've loved you, you love one another. Sacrificially,
self-sacrificially. See, believers don't need to
be pounded with the law. You don't need to get up here
and pound you with the law and tell you not to lie, not to cheat,
not to commit adultery, and not to kill. You don't need that. You already know that. That'll
just beat people. If all we talk about is the law,
you're just going to beat people down because they're not going
to see a ray of hope in that. God's people need to be constantly
reminded of God's love and God's grace to them in Christ Jesus.
That'll hold them up. That'll strengthen them and sustain
them. And that'll make them want to
hold others up too. Look back at Luke chapter six.
Now this is just so. God will treat us the same way
we treat others. God will show mercy to the merciful
person. Now I know he gave them the the
nature of mercy, but God will show mercy to the merciful person. Luke chapter six, verse 37. Judge
not, and you should not be judged. Condemn not, and you should not
be condemned. Forgive, and you should be forgiven. Now again,
this doesn't mean that we're not supposed to judge right from
wrong. You know, you parents, you see people out in the world,
people that might interact with your children or whatever, You
have to judge right from wrong. You have to make a determination
if you're going to let your child hang around them or not. It doesn't
mean you're not supposed to do that. You are supposed to do
that. It means when you make that judgment, don't be harsh
and judgmental and look down your nose at people. Because
if we do that, judge people without any mercy, without any understanding,
God's going to judge us the exact same way. If we're forgiving,
God will forgive us. I know he's the one who gave
us the nature to forgive. So act on it. Act on it. If we're forgiving, God will
forgive us. Read on verse 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 you meet with all, it should
be measured to you again. Now be giving. Give without any
hope of return on your investment. Give freely. Is that how God
gave his grace to you? It isn't. Then let's give the
same way. Give freely and God will give
to us with good measure, pressed down and shaken together and
running over. However it is that we measure
out kindness and forgiveness and love to others, God's going
to use the exact same measuring cup with us that I want to use
the big cup, don't you? I remember growing up, especially
as a little fella, I didn't know what all those different sized
cups was, but when mom was baking, I always was glad to know, see
the big cup, filled with sugar going in something, because I
knew that's going to taste better, you know? Don't use the little
cup, rather use the big one. If God's going to measure it
back to me in that same cup, I want to use that. I want to
use that for you. We're taught to pray, forgive
us our sins as you've forgiven us. Look at Mark chapter 11. Mark 11 verse 25. And when you stand praying, forgive. If you have ought against anyone,
that your father also, which is in heaven, may forgive you
your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither
will your father, which is in heaven, forgive you your trespasses. I pray God, give us a heart to
forgive. Let's not hold our brethren to
a higher standard than we want God to hold us. Let's forgive
them for Christ's sake. Back in our text, the beginning
of verse 13 says, for he shall have judgment without mercy that
has shown no mercy. That also means this, God will
meet you on the ground that you want to meet him on. He will.
If you want to come to God by your own goodness, your own merit,
your own obedience, your obedience to the law, if you want to meet
God there, he'll meet you there. But you better be perfect. Because
remember, to offend in one point is to be guilty of the whole
law. But if you want to meet God, on the ground of mercy and
grace in Christ Jesus. God will meet you there. Isn't
that good news? God will meet you there. He'll
fill whatever bucket you bring. Now, if you want your bucket
filled with what you've earned, you want a paycheck from God.
You want what you've earned by the law. You want to earn from
God. You want Him to fill your bucket
and meet back to you in the same bucket that you meet out to others.
All your religious works, all the God will fill that bucket. He
will. God has always paid his debts. He's never defaulted on one.
But remember this, the debt of our obedience to the law is eternal
death because we're guilty of all and God will pay it if that's
the ground you want to meet him on. But if you've got an empty bucket
and you want it filled with God's grace and God's mercy and God's
goodness, God will fill that bucket until it overflows. You'll
say with David, not only is my cup runneth over, my bucket runneth
over, because I need God's mercy and God's grace. If you want
to meet God in mercy, he'll meet you right there in Christ Jesus.
All right, here's the fourth thing. Live like mercy will triumph
over judgment. The end of verse 13 says, and
mercy rejoices against judgment. Now, it seems like mercy and
judgment are opposite poles. How is it that mercy can rejoice
over judgment? God must judge sin. He must punish
sin. So how can mercy rejoice over
judgment? Well, one place, in Christ. I'll give you some times, some
examples of when mercy rejoiced over judgment. Mercy rejoiced
over judgment In eternity, in God's electing love, God chose
to save a sinful people, even though they never do anything
to deserve it. When he did, mercy rejoiced. In eternity, when God saw a sinful
people who deserved damnation, but he chose to save them, and
Christ the Savior stood and said, Father, I'll be surety for them. Give them to me. I'll bring everyone
of them home. You acquired at my hand. Mercy
rejoiced. Then there was the day Adam fell.
He took that fruit. God told him not to eat. And
he ate it in willful disobedience against God. And God told him
the day you eat that fruit, you shall surely die. But in that
moment, God didn't wipe out the whole human race. He didn't wipe
out Adam. He even came to Adam and said,
Adam, where are you? Did you eat the fruit I told you not
to eat? Adam didn't beg for mercy, did he? But God did not destroy
the whole human race. He did not let judgment rejoice
because God had already purposed salvation for some of Adam's
race. And when he did, when he preached
the first gospel message, there's one coming, the seed of woman.
It's coming that's going to put Satan out of business. Mercy
rejoiced. Then one day God looked down
from heaven. He saw the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, that every imagination of the thoughts
of man's heart was only evil continually. And it repented
the Lord. He made man on earth. And God
determined, I'm done with this. I want to destroy the world with
a flood. And mercy rejoiced. Mercy rejoiced
over judgment because no one found grace in the eyes of the
Lord. Lot was in Sodom. There he was. There because he chose to be
there, wasn't he? There because he wanted to be. The angel of the Lord,
one of those angels, I have no doubt it's a pre-incarnate appearance
of our Lord Jesus Christ, came and told Lot what he's going
to do. And old Lot hesitated to leave
that place. What would you have done? Huh? You warned him what's going to
happen. He said, I don't know. I really don't want to leave
here. I said, all right, you're going to get what's coming to
you. That's what I said. Is that what you said? It's not what God said. Lot was not destroyed with the
rest of Sodom because mercy rejoiced. The Lord being merciful. grabbed
hold of his arm and pulled him out. And mercy rejoiced. Then at Calvary, mercy rejoiced. At Calvary, both mercy and judgment
rejoiced. At Calvary, God's justice was
satisfied in the death of Christ, our substitute. And how mercy
rejoiced. God's people watched wide their
salvation accomplished. And then when God calls his people
by the preaching of the gospel, he calls them out of their sin,
he calls them out of their darkness, he calls them out of their rebellion,
and he calls them to his precious son. Mercy rejoices when another
son has been brought home. And throughout eternity, we're going to look back upon
a sorry excuse for our life, see how miserably we lived what
we claim to believe. And we're going to look back
over it. And we're going to look to the
lamb that had been slain in the midst of the throne and mercy
will rejoice. Mercy will rejoice eternally. Now, the Lord saved you. He's
been merciful to you. You live your life in dealing
with others like mercy has rejoiced over judgment. And don't live
your life in fear of being punished. Don't think, well, God's going
to punish me for doing this wrong. Something bad happened to him.
God's going to punish me. I'm afraid to meet God in judgment
because he's going to punish me for all the things I've done.
Don't live in fear like that. What is more disrespectful? What
is more unbelieving of Christ our Savior than that? Live like
mercy has rejoiced over judgment because Christ has already been
punished in your place and you've got nothing to fear. When someone does you wrong,
it's easier said than done. Take a step back and let mercy
rejoice. Don't try to get even. Don't
look for, just don't, don't look for a way to let mercy rejoice
over judgment. That's living. Like we really
believe what we say we believe. That's really, that's living.
Like we really do believe Christ our Savior. All right. Hope the
Lord has blessed that to you.