Series: JAMES June 11, 2017 10:30 AM
Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S SPECIAL: FELINE PHYSICS OR CAT LAWS
LAW OF CAT INERTIA: A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acted upon by some outside force, such as the opening of cat food, or a nearby scurrying mouse.
LAW OF BAG/BOX OCCUPANCY: All bags and boxes in a given room must contain a cat within the earliest possible nanosecond.
LAW OF FURNITURE REPLACEMENT: A cat’s desire to scratch furniture is directly proportional to the cost of the furniture.
LAW OF PILL REJECTION: Any pill given to a cat has potential energy to reach escape velocity.
LAW OF SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM: Given enough time, a cat will land in just about any space.

INTRODUCTION
The year was 1948, the presidential election pitted incumbent Harry Truman against NY State governor, Thomas Dewey. Remember, these were the years before nationwide tv. These were the years that reporters were dependent upon polls. And all early indications showed that Dewey had won by a landslide. The Chicago Tribune was so sure of that, that its early editions printed “Dewey Defeats Truman”. By the time the polls closed in the eastern states, the election was closer than the predicted landslide. And the ultimate end result is that President Truman won re-election, himself by a landslide.
We like to see the winner. And in our text, v. 13, it boldly predicts “mercy triumphs.” Mercy wins! How does mercy win in the Christian life? Why is this important for James to take up in his new section, chapter 2, entitled in our outline, “Faith Expressed”? PRAYER

#1. WHAT DOES MERCY MEAN?
Someone once illustrated the distinction between the terms “grace” and “mercy” this way: “Grace is our getting what Jesus deserves. Mercy is Jesus getting what we deserve.”
What does that mean? “Grace” refers to all the goodness and victory that should belong only to Jesus – yet He freely bestows that upon His children. “Mercy” is the vehicle by which the child of God becomes that child – he trusts the finished work of Jesus on Calvary as the price God the Father is satisfied with for the punishment of our sins. Jesus took our punishment! Jesus got what we deserved – the cross! That is mercy on our behalf.
Let’s look at a dynamic Old Testament prayer found in the perhaps infrequently read book of Nehemiah, chapter 9. Look up the use of “mercy” and “mercies” in Nehemiah 9:19, 27-28, and 31-32. Each time it is God-initiated toward those who do not deserve it. As was true with Israel, so it is true with us and His church.
Now let’s apply what we’ve learned to James 2.

#2. JAMES’ ILLUSTRATION: RICH MAN, POOR MAN! (vs. 1-7)
a. The rich man was distinguished by 2 things only: his nice clothes, and at least one gold ring or more. His riches were his only treasure; his public display of recognition was his only earthly reward. Apart from that, he had nothing more. But notice: it is not a sin to have riches; but it is a sin for riches to have you!
b. The poor man owned only the clothes on his back – whether shabby or tattered, those were his only physical possessions. But he possessed something the rich man didn’t have: faith. Trust in the Lord Jesus. In essence, by eternal values, he was much richer than the earthly rich man.
c. James applies the illustration to the church wrongly favoring the rich man over the poor. The Amplified Version calls it “spiritual snobbery”. Why, it is these faithless rich people who take the anyone they need to to court in order to suck out all that you have.
d. James applies two thoughts:
#1. We need to see people as Jesus does, and not view according to outward appearance.
Illustration: A young man, highly unkempt, comes to church late. The pastor had been sharing with him throughout the week of his need for Jesus. He walks in the back door – unshaven, unshowered, not “appropriately dressed.” The pastor takes a deep breath and silently prays, “if Jimmy is to come to Christ, his being accepted or rejected by the people will be the turning point. Lord, let him be loved by Your church.” Jimmy was loved, much to the pastor’s and Jimmy’s surprise. He trusted Jesus as Savior, went on to Bible School. He went on to pastor Baptist churches. And for many years he was president of one of the largest Bible colleges in the Northeast U.S.! True story of what God can do through a church like ours loving on people!
#2. We need to apply Jesus’ lesson in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3): “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” God may bless us with finances, but our greatest riches are found in our love for the Lord Jesus and our walk with Him. Have you found that to be true in your life?

#3. HOW DOES MERCY WIN? (vs. 8-13)
Mercy wins when I see my neighbor as Jesus sees my neighbor! (vs. 8-11) You may say, “I’m no murderer. I’m no adulterer.” But James is saying, if you don’t love on people like Jesus does, then you are guilty of the whole law. Mercy wins when I treat people like I would want to be treated myself. Love as Jesus does – with mercy!
Mercy wins when I display my freedom to love and to treat people kindly. Eugene Peterson, in “The Message” translates the end of v. 13 this way: “Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.”

CONCLUSION
The application today is 2-fold:
#1. Do I treat people the way that Jesus would? Do I love them as they are – OR do I demand changes in the exterior/the outward, before I am able to minister to the interior/the inward? As God to bring at least one person across your path this week who needs to see God’s love tangibly on display through you!
#2. Have I grasped the great mercy which Jesus displayed when He took my sin upon the cross of Calvary? Mercy wins when I receive Jesus as my Savior and live for His glory every day. Have you come to the cross? Are you living as vessels who have been recipients of the greatest act of mercy ever known, when Jesus loved you?
And when we treat people as Jesus does, and when we grasp the depth of the mercy Jesus displayed on the cross and displays daily through us, then…MERCY WINS!

Email: Jeremy Stopford <[email protected]>