I want you, if you will, to open
your Bibles tonight to James chapter 2 and just put a bookmark
there and hold it for a few minutes. I want us to look at some other
scripture before we get to our text. My text is James chapter
2, verses 1 through 9, and my subject is God's royal law. God's royal law. I want to talk to you as plainly
as I can about how we who believe God fulfill the royal law according
to the scriptures. We who believe God fulfill the
royal law according to the scriptures. But let me begin by stating as
emphatically as I possibly can that which the word of God teaches
regarding believers and the law of God, commonly referred to
as the law of Moses, or the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, the ceremonial
law, and the moral law. Now hear what God says concerning
the law and you. Ye are not under the law, but
under grace. I wonder what it will take to
get folks to hear what God says about the law and His people. Ye are not under the law, but
under grace. Now that's the plain, universal
declaration of Holy Scripture throughout the New Testament.
Ye are not under the law, but under grace. Let's look one more
time at the scriptures. I want you to see it clearly.
Begin in Romans chapter 6. We have no covenant with the
law. We have no commitment to the law. We have no curse by
the law. We are not and cannot be condemned
by the law. But rather, the scriptures tell
us we are dead to the law. Is this or is this not what the
scriptures declare? Romans chapter 6 verse 14. Sin
shall not have dominion over you. Sin shall not have dominion
over you. If there was any place in the
Word of God where one apostle might be inclined maybe to fear,
now you just can't really say this like this. You've got to
have some kind of legal motive. It would be right here. Here
the apostle is urging us to walk in the newness of life. He's
urging us to fulfill our baptismal confession. We're risen with
Christ to walk with him in the newness of life. How shall you
do that? Now you be sure you live right.
If you don't, God will get you. God will get you. That's the
religion of the world. That's the religion of the world.
Doesn't matter what brand it is, the whole of the religious
world seeks to put you in bondage and govern you and manipulate
you by fear of punishment or promise of reward under legality. But what does God say? Sin shall
not have dominion over you. And here's the reason. You're
not under the law, but under grace. Sin shall not have dominion
over you. Here's the reason. You're not
under law, but under grace. What then? Well, if you do that,
that'll open the floodgates to sin. Shall we sin because we're
not under the law, but under grace? That's stupid. That's
stupid. God forbid. That's worse than
stupid. That's blasphemous. to suggest
that the grace of God leads to licentiousness. Look at Romans
chapter 7, verse 4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead. Dead. Now, if you get your concordance
out and look that word up in the Greek, it means dead. Dead. I didn't say that to be
humorous. I said that because I want you
to understand, it means dead. D-E-A-D, dead. Dead to the law. Dead to the
law. You go down to the cemetery.
If you can find somebody down there who committed some horrible
crime and is buried down there in the cemetery, I don't care
what the crime is. I don't care what the penalty
is. I don't care what the payment is. That fella is totally unaffected
by it, because he is D-E-A-D, dead to the law. That's just
how we are with regard to God's holy law. Dead to the law. Dead
to it. It has no effect on us. How can
you say that? We're dead to the law by the
body of Christ. The law killed our Savior. And
when it killed him, it killed us. The law slaughtered God's
Son, and when it slaughtered Him, it slaughtered us. You're
dead to the law by the body of Christ that you should be married
to another. We could never have been married
to Christ were we not crucified with Christ. Married even to
Him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit
unto God. Next chapter, Romans chapter
8. There is therefore now no condemnation. which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." Now let me
tell you what it means to walk after the Spirit. To walk after
the Spirit is to trust the Lord Jesus. To walk after the Spirit
is to believe God. To walk after the Spirit is to
rest your soul upon Christ the Redeemer. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law
of sin and death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, because of sin,
condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit. Do we make void the law through
faith? No. God forbid we establish the law,
Paul says in Romans 3, 31. Look at Romans 10, verse 4. You remember what our Savior
said when he hung upon the cursed tree? It is finished. Christ is the finishing of the
law. It's exactly the same word. Christ
is the end of the law. For righteousness to everyone
that believeth. Christ is the full stop of the
law. Christ is the fulfillment of
the law. Christ is the accomplishment
of the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Galatians chapter
3, verse 13. Galatians chapter 3. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, For it is written,
Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. And he did this that
the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ. That we might receive the promise
of the Spirit. That we might receive the gift
of life by God the Holy Spirit through faith. Look at chapter
5. Verse what? Stand fast therefore. Stand fast,
therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. And
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. It is a horrible
yoke. Legalism is a horrible yoke. A yoke of bondage. A yoke of
bondage nobody can bear. A yoke of bondage under which
no one can live peaceably. Be not entangled again with the
yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you,
that if you be circumcised," this is what he's saying, this
is what he's saying, if you do something, if you do something,
John, it doesn't matter whether it's taking notes while I'm preaching,
or reading your Bible, or getting up every morning at four o'clock
to spend an hour on your knees in prayer. If you do something,
if you do something by which you hope to get God's favor,
or sustain God's favor, or improve your standing in God's favor.
If you be circumcised, if you be circumcised, look what it
says, Christ shall profit you nothing. Nothing. If you do something, doesn't
matter what it is, if you do something, By which you attempt
to supplement the work of God's darling Son on the cursed tree. By which you attempt to supplement
the righteousness and atonement of God's Son. Christ is of no
value to your soul. Your faith is a meaningless profession. Read on. Verse 3. For I testify
again to every man that is circumcised that he's a debtor to the whole
law. If you do something To get yourself saved, you've got to
do perfection. Christ is become of no effect
unto you. Whosoever of you are justified
by the law, you're fallen from grace. Now, look at Colossians
chapter 2. I want you to turn to this. Look
at it. Colossians chapter 2. I want you to see how Paul describes
the Galatea and how he urges us to avoid it. Colossians chapter
2 verse 6. As ye therefore have received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. How did you come to
Christ? How did you receive Christ? Naked,
helpless, doomed, damned, worthless, sinful, vile, corrupt, useless,
cursed. What other term can I use? Is
that how you came to Christ? Don't ever grow a speck above
that. As you receive Christ Jesus the
Lord, a helpless, needy, bankrupt sinner needing grace from God
and righteousness from God, redemption from God, so walk ye in Him. Rooted and built up in Him and
established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein
with thanksgiving. Beware. Beware. There's always
going to be somebody trying. Beware. Lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and
the rudiments. What did he say? The rudiments. Now he's talking about the law.
The regulations. The rules. The ordinances of
the Mosaic Law. The rudiments of the world. and
not after Christ. Well, how do you know that's
what he's talking about? Let's see. For in Christ dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. And you're complete in Him, which
is the head of all principality and power, in whom also you are
circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, putting off
the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,
buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with Him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from
the dead. And you being dead in your sins,
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together
with Christ, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting
out the handwriting of the ordinances that was against us. What handwriting? Thou shalt, thou shalt not. That's
it. Thou shalt, thou shalt not. He's
talking about the Ten Commandments, specifically. What did the Lord
Jesus do? The law that says you've got
to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and being, and love
your neighbor as yourself. That law that condemns you. That
law that condemns me. Christ blotted it out so that
there's no condemnation. Read on. He blotted it out. The
handwriting of the ordinances that was against us. The rudiments
of the world. which was contrary to us, and
took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new
moon, or of the Sabbath days." What? You mean we're not supposed
to allow anybody tell us we can't eat this, we can't drink that,
we've got to keep this holy day, and we've got to keep this Sabbath
day. That's what he said. Which are a shadow of things
to come, but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you. Let no man beguile you of your
reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels intruding
into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by
his fleshly mind, and not holding the head from which all the body
by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together
increaseth in the increase of God. Wherefore, if ye be dead
with Christ from the rudiments of the world, the rules and regulations
and ordinances of the Mosaic law, Why, as though living in
the world, are you subject to ordinances? Touch not, taste
not, handle not. Touch not, taste not, handle
not. That's the religion of this world. Doesn't matter whether
it's papist or fundamentalist. Touch not, taste not, handle
not. If there's some things you don't touch, some things you
don't taste, some things you don't handle, you'll be alright. Touch not,
taste not, handle not. But you don't. But you don't.
which all are to perish with the using after the commandments
and doctrines of men, which things have indeed a show of wisdom
in will, worship, and humility." Now this is what he says, Larry. All of this stuff has a pretentious
display of wisdom. A pretentious display of humility. in the neglecting of the body,
not in any honor, and it's all to the satisfying of the flesh. And let me say it one more time.
I want you to hear my voice and hear it well. Would God every
well-worshipped legalist in the world would hear it. Believers
are not under the law, but under grace. Not under the law in any
sense whatsoever. but under grace altogether and
alone. Free from the law, O happy condition,
Jesus hath bled and there is remission. Believers establish
the law by faith in Christ. We bring God all that God requires
when we bring God his Son. And believers honor the law. their universal love for one
another. Believers establish the law by
faith in Christ and believers honor the law by their universal
love one for another. Let's see if that's not the doctrine
of Holy Scripture and the doctrine of our text. James chapter 2
verse 1. My brethren, Have not the faith
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect to
persons. For if there come unto your assembly
a man with a gold ring and in goodly apparel, and there come
in also a poor man in vile raiment, 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
under my footstool. Are ye not then partial in yourselves,
and are become judges of evil thoughts? 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? But ye have despised the poor.
Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment
seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which you
are called? If ye fulfill the royal law according
to the Scriptures, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself
ye do well. But if ye have respect to persons,
if ye have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convinced
of the law as transgressors. If you have respect of persons,
if you're moved by, motivated by, governed by, ruled by, inspired
by your respect of a person's, his wealth, his power, the color
of his skin, where he lives, his position, his education,
his learning. If you have respect to persons,
then you've broken God's law. And the very fact that covetousness
and envy and the respect of persons governs your life, condemns you
by the law. Let's see what God teaches us
in these nine verses. First, the opening words of this
chapter tell us that God's church in this world is one family. One family. My brethren. My brethren. What sweet, sweet
words those are. My brethren. Saturday night, I got to do something
I get to do about once a year with two of my sisters. We had
supper together, Shelby and I did, one of my nieces and one of my
nephews' wife and two of his daughters. Oh, I can't tell you
how good it was. How good it was just to sit down
with about two and a half hours with family I get to see once
a year. How delightful. But here in this
house are my brethren. In that assembly with which we
met this week are my brothers and sisters, dearer than any earthly relationship. Now there are just two alternatives
to what I just told you. Either I'm telling you the truth
or I'm lying to you to impress you. one of the two, dearer than
any earthly relationship. Every earthly relationship will
soon end and will be no more. Mark Henson,
you and I will be brothers forever. Ruth Walden, Don Fortner will
be brother and sister Forever. Forever. My brethren, we have
one father, one elder brother, one family spirit, one family
nature, bought with the same blood, washed in the same blood,
robed in the same righteousness, Heirs of the same kingdom, heirs
of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. How delightfully
we sing, blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian
love. The fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above. My brethren, God's church, His family on earth,
though by the world unknown, are people of a heavenly birth,
and in the Savior one. Our Father is the God above,
the Sovereign on His throne, and Christ our brother King in
love, He claims us as His own. Indwelt by God the Spirit, we
are one in faith and love, and one with Christ eternally, our
home, heaven above. Oh, let us keep the unity, the
blessed bond of peace, a loving, caring family, all sinners saved
by grace. I, God, remind me, ever remind
me, this is my family, and teach me ever teach me to treat these,
your sons and daughters, as my brothers and sisters in Christ. On the way home, we stopped by
to see Shelby's family. She has a brother, B-89, the
Lord willing, July 4th. She hadn't seen him in three
years. We had supper with him the other night. Wonderful family. Wonderful to
get to be with family, to see family. One more time, but that
family's soon gonna end. Soon gonna end. You understand
that? Husband and wife soon will no
longer be husband and wife. Mother and daughter will soon
be no longer mother and daughter. Father and son no longer father
and son. This family, this is God's family. This is our family,
our everlasting family. Second, the Holy Ghost here teaches
us that the faith of God's family is the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ. My brethren, have not the faith
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect to
persons. All God's family believes the
same thing. All God's family believes the
same thing. They all believe and possess
the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe the doctrine taught
by Christ our Redeemer just as He taught it. All of God's people
do. All of them do. We believe and
hold to and rejoice in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. What
did our Savior teach? Read the Book of God. Just read
the Gospel narratives. It's not hard to find out what
He taught. Our Lord said, is it not lawful for me to do with
my own what I will? He said, many are called, but
few are chosen. He said, my sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me.
I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
He said, I laid down my life for the sheep. Our Savior taught
with emphatic clarity the blessed gospel doctrines of divine sovereignty,
particular election, limited atonement, effectual atonement,
irresistible grace, and sure preservation. He taught plainly
salvation is in me and by me and in and by me alone. I am God your Savior and every
person in God's family holds to the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ. There are a lot of things we
don't understand. I was talking to our dear friend, Brother Tony
Moody, coming home last night, and he made a statement. He said, you know, I have learned,
or at least I'm learning, that people ask questions and ask
questions and ask questions and ask questions and ask questions.
They ask questions and think that's spirituality, but it just
displays spiritual death and ignorance. I said, that's exactly
right. Ever learning, ever learning,
but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Ever
learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I find the text is, oh, wow, what does that word deed mean? I wonder what that, I wonder
what Paul meant by that word deed right there. Stupid, silly. Meaningless, insignificant
questions that have no bearing whatsoever on your life and relationship
with God. Just meaningless questions. Ever
learning, never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
God's people read the Word. Christ shows Himself and they
rejoice to believe on the Son of God. Look at verse 1 again, and rejoice
to see our Savior described as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord
of glory. The Lord of glory. There's one
other place where this is mentioned over in 1 Corinthians chapter
2. Turn over there. This very same phrase is used.
Here the Apostle Paul was inspired of God to call our Savior by
this same great title, the Lord of glory. He's talking about
preaching. and the work of the ministry.
He says, I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency
of speech or of wisdom. Now, Paul was a smart fellow.
He was well-educated, but he made it his business to speak
with simplicity, to speak with clarity. I know men who can just They
can talk to you 45 minutes to an hour, and you sit on the edge
of your seat just spellbound by the way they use the English
language. And they use words, man, you'd
think they read dictionaries for pastime. They use words,
you have to go home and look up, man, what did he mean by
that? And you look at the word, boy, I never heard anybody use
that word before. And you're impressed. You're impressed.
Oh, man, that was a great sermon. And ask him what he preached
about. Ask him what it was he was talking about. Well, now
that you think of it, I don't know. I can't remember exactly
what his subject was, but boy, it was a good sermon. That's
because he gave exactly what he intended to give, a show of
wisdom that impressed you, impressed me. That's no way to preach. I came not with the excellency
of speech, declaring to you the testimony, the word of God. For
I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling, not afraid of you, fearful for
what I'm doing. And my speech and my preaching
was not with the enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and the power That is to say, I got done preaching
and what I said is staring you right in the face in the book
of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them which are perfect,
yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world
that come to naught, that all the learning of the world comes
to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory.
which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they
known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
Who is this? This is the one of whom David
taught us to sing, lift up your heads, O ye gates, and the King
of glory will come in. The Lord of glory is the Lord
Jehovah our God, the God of glory. Jesus Christ our Savior, He is
the brightness of the Father's glory, the express image of His
person, the very fullness of God. Now fourth, let's look at
verses one through four together and ask God the Holy Ghost to
teach us the meaning of His Word in this place. God is no respecter
of persons and we must not be. God is no respecter of persons,
and we must not be. My brethren, have not the faith
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of
persons. For if there come unto you, into
your assembly, a man with a gold ring and goodly apparel, and
there come in also a poor man in vile raiment, And ye have
respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say to him,
Sit thou here in a good place, and say to the poor, Stand thou
there, or sit here under my footstool. Are ye not then partial in yourselves,
and are become judges of evil thoughts? It is the opinion of most people
that money talks, even in the house of God. And it may be true that money
talks. And money talks everywhere, especially
in religion, but not in God's house. Not with God's servants. I wrote
these things down for me to declare to you, and I wrote them down
with considerable thought. If money rules me in any way,
I am not God's servant. If money rules me, if I can be
bought or bought off, if I can be had or not had with money,
I am not God's servant. If money influences anything
about the worship work and ministry of this congregation. If money
influences anything about the worship, work, and ministry of
this congregation, this is not the house of God, but the synagogue
of Satan. That means that if Lindsey Campbell
is a multimillionaire, and Bobby Estes is on welfare, and both
are believers, It doesn't matter which one stands up here to talk.
It doesn't matter which one offers his opinion. Neither is to be
preferred above the other. Is that plain enough? And if
one is preferred above another, we're not gods. That's just exactly
what James is telling us. That's exactly what he's telling
us. F.B. Meyer correctly made this statement.
This sin of making distinctions in God's house is as rife today
as ever and wherever it's practiced the Spirit of God departs. All
social discrimination in the house of God is shamefully evil
and simply must not be tolerated. I mentioned before after David
read something about the rioting in the streets in Baltimore and
in Boston and outside St. Louis and out west, just a stupid,
senseless rioting, stirred up by bigoted racists. And the racists are clearly,
clearly men like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and President
Obama, stirred up by stupid, stupid riotousness. And I'm embarrassed
to have to confess it stirs up in me equal bigotry and ungodly
thoughts that must not be tolerated in me, must not be tolerated
in you. This is contrary to the spirit
of Christ, contrary to the cause of Christ, contrary to the people
of Christ, contrary to the gospel of Christ. Turn to Acts chapter
10. Let me show you something. Acts chapter 10. Needless to say, I've been working
the last couple of days on a message God had for me. I hope it's for
you too. Verse 34. Peter opened his mouth and said,
Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But
in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness
is accepted of him. God is no respective person.
God Almighty doesn't care what color your skin is or where you
live or how much money you have or don't have. God doesn't care. I shouldn't. And you shouldn't. God's no respective person. God
Almighty is not impressed with where you live and who your daddy
was or who your mama was. I shouldn't be, and you shouldn't
be. Look in Colossians chapter 3, Colossians 3. I'll wrap this
up quickly. If you then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, your life is
hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify,
therefore, your members which are upon the earth, fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness,
which is idolatry. For which things say? That it
because of all these things the wrath of God cometh on the children
of disobedience. In the which also ye walked some
time, when you lived in them. But now ye also put off these
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your
mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the
old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is
renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him,
where there is neither Greek nor Jew, nor circumcision or
uncircumcision. Barbarian, Scythian, bond or
free, but Christ is all and in all. May God give us grace to cultivate
and nourish in one another a spirit of love and unity, a social spiritual
oneness with all believers, rich or poor, black or white, learned
or unlearned for Christ's sake. I charge thee before God and
the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that thou observe
these things without preferring one another, doing nothing by
partiality. There's something else taught
in this passage that's commonly, maybe conveniently overlooked. God's church must never seek
and enlist the rich, the famous, and the powerful of this world
in the service of Christ. Pay no attention to those things.
It's common today for preachers and evangelists and evangelistic
teams, I guess Billy Graham started it, maybe started before him,
to go get Johnny Cash and go get an actor, go get a movie
star, go get a football player, I read some years ago, a congregation
I used to be with in England, they were having a meeting, and
they had a famous scientist, and a famous soccer player, and
a famous cricket player on three different nights. Do you know
what the brochure said about Christ, the gospel of God's grace,
sin, salvation, God's character? You know what it said about those
things? You know what it said about the Word of God? Not one word. And they claim to be a free grace
church. Claim to believe the gospel of God's free grace. All
they talked about was all the famous scientists, and the famous
soccer player, and the famous cricket player. For you who don't
know, cricket is a European game. Most of us wouldn't understand
anything about it, myself included. But that's all there was to it. God's church must never go down
to Egypt for help. Never. Never. We ought to have respect to such
people. The same kind of respect that Elijah had for Ahab. Ahab meant no more to Elijah
than the dogs to whom he fed Ahab's wife, Jezebel. But to
have the same respect for such people as John the Baptist had
for Herod. None at all. Well, I have the
same respect as the Apostle Paul did for Ananias, the high priest,
when he said, God shall smite thee, thou whitey wall. We ought
not ever, ought not ever give ourselves to being moved or in
any way suaded by riches and power and position. The Lord
is on my side. I will not fear what men can
do unto me. The Lord taketh my part with
them. that help me, therefore shall I see my desire upon them
that hate me. It's better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in men. It's better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in princes. The psalmist said some trust
in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name
of the Lord our God. And then fifthly, James shows
us who God's elect in this world are. Harken, my beloved brethren,
verse 5, 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? What a good description of God's elect. They're the poor. And he's not specifically talking
about monetary poverty, though certainly Most of God's people,
at least known to me, are among the poor people in society. They're
among the lesser educated, people with lesser possessions, lesser
property, lesser advantages, for the most part. But he's talking
specifically about those poor in their own eyes, poor in spirit,
made so by God's grace. Those who are poor in spirit,
poor in their own eyes, and poor in the eyes of the world. rich
in faith. Oh how rich, how rich, how rich,
how rich I am. How rich. Rich with all the boundless
riches of God's free grace. The riches of righteousness and
redemption and forgiveness and acceptance with Christ the Lord.
They are heirs of the kingdom that God promised. Heirs of the
kingdom that God promised. and being loved of God, they
all love God. Now, let me ask you a question. Read verses six through nine
and the question will be answered. Let me just ask the question.
Do we violate God's royal law or do we obey it? But ye have
despised the poor. Obviously, James switched gears.
Among those who are Our brethren, beloved brethren, there are many
who just have the name of brethren. And James addresses those pretended
brethren and says, you, you despise the poor. Do not rich men oppress
you? Who was it that brought charges
against Paul, who stirred up the government against Paul,
both the Jewish and the Roman government. Who is it that stirred
up the government against our Redeemer? The rich, the mighty. They draw you before the judgment
seats. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're
called? The rich, those who think themselves
rich before God, those who think they're mighty, they blaspheme
God claiming their own righteousness, morally upright, morally good,
defend moral things, ungodly wretches. If ye fulfill the royal
law according to the scriptures, thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. You do well. Love your neighbor as yourself. You do well. But if you have
respect to persons, Don Fortner, members of Grace Madness Church,
Danville, Kentucky, if you moved, motivated, governed in your life,
in your behavior, by somebody's money or power or position, if
that's what moves you, You don't know God from a billy
goat. If you have respect to persons,
you commit sin and you're convinced of the law as transgressors. Be kind one to another, forgiving
one another. Imitate God and walk in love
one to another. And so fulfill the royal law
of the royal God, our royal Savior. Amen.