Title James 2:1~13 (April 27, 2011)
Contents
Title: Reasons not to judge by appearance
Text: (James 2:1~13)
Hymns: 304. the great love of God
Date: April 27, 2011 (Wednesday) at 5:00 am
Venue: Jeonju Yebut Church Small Worship Room
When an action from the external world enters the human inner world, the five senses or intuition judge it. This judgment determines and guides our reactions. But our judgment is not perfect. In the text, James commands us to judge people and not discriminate. Let us meditate on why.
1. Because the Lord did not discriminate
Appearance serves as the basis for judging not only a person's first impression, but also their status, economic level, and even personality. However, the outward appearance does not fully express the inner person. Even more so when it comes to faith. Nevertheless, people in the early Christian era even judged their faith by their dress and economic level. A look like this can still be seen today. We are living in the age of appearance supremacy. So, you should be more careful not to judge a person by their appearance. The Lord did not discriminate between the poor and the rich in faith. Rather, he used the faith of the poor to shame the rich. Please do not commit the foolishness of discriminating against people based on their appearance.
2. Because judging is a sin
Jesus said not to criticize if you do not want to be judged. The Apostle Paul taught that all judgment is God's work. We will all stand before the judgment seat of God on the day of the Lord. No one can escape the judgment seat. A person who judges others is only a person who is judged by God. Also, judging and discriminating against the poor or the rich, even though the Lord has already received them, is a violation of the Lord's realm. Judging other people's faith by their outward appearance is robbing God of what He will do. Do we not easily judge others? We must remember that the judgments we make will be judged by God.
3. From judgment to mercy
The opposite of judging and discriminating is showing mercy. There are clearly cultural and economic differences where large numbers of people gather. There are also differences in educational level and living environment. Most of the time, people tend to be with people they have a sense of identity with. Gathering people of similar cultures is clearly different from judging and discriminating against people of other cultures. If you have people around you who are poor or of different cultural levels, have compassion towards them. If you are merciful to others, God will be merciful to you. For those who do not show mercy, there will be only judgment without mercy.
God grants grace to all people without discrimination. We are the people who will be enjoying that grace. Remember the heart of God, who gives salvation to all people by giving them faith. When we show mercy, God's mercy will reap judgment on us.
<Prayer>
1. Don't judge people by their looks!
2. Let the anointing of the Holy Spirit overflow in the Wednesday worship service, and raise up many warriors of intercession!
3. Heal the weak patients and lead them to worship!