Day 8 - 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting
Day 8 - James 2:8-13
SCRIPTURE:
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.
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.
LESSON:
Do you remember what James says in chapter one, verse twenty five? Let me refresh your memory. “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
In chapter one the law of liberty is revealing OUR nature as if in a mirror. It reflects our image back to us and we see the flaws and imperfections. In chapter two James is reminding us that when we look at other people and see their flaws and imperfections we need to remember that we are not perfect either. “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James is simply reminding us of the words of Jesus in the beatitudes. “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) Or what Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) Jesus expounds on this prayer even more when he says. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) When we refuse to forgive we are ourselves in danger of not being forgiven!
I will be honest with you. It’s not easy for me to forgive people and move on. I don’t like to be hurt, betrayed, attacked, or unfairly treated. I get frustrated when people won’t (or can’t) deal with their imperfections and flaws. When I try to help someone but only get excuses and lame attempts at improvement it makes me feel annoyed. I don’t always have mercy flowing from the deepest well of my heart!
What I have found to be helpful is this. Instead of focusing on the other person’s issues, I try to reflect on my own imperfections. I look into the mirror and remind myself that I am not perfect. It’s not hard to see all my attitudes and actions that are not acceptable according to the “perfect law of liberty.” Once I ground myself in the fact that I need mercy for my own trespasses it’s easier to turn around and give others mercy for their trespasses.
But you might say, “Pastor, you don’t know what they did to me! My sins are nothing compared to theirs! They are monsters! I am nothing like them! Why should I show them mercy!” You may be right. Maybe they are monsters. And in our eyes not all sins are the same. I also know that God is outraged by their sins. He is bound and determined to wipe out all the filth and all the perversion and all the hate. In fact I am sure that none of the evil things of this world will be in God’s presence in Heaven. God says as much in scripture. However, he also tells us that, “whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” That means that we can’t use this as a crutch. We must give mercy because God isn’t using the same filter that we use. The bottom line is that God sees all sin as needing grace, mercy and forgiveness. I’m pretty sure that adultery and murder are not on the same level… but James uses them to illustrate this point! I’m not suggesting that you need to be best friends with them or allow abusive tendencies to continue. But what scripture tells us is that we need to forgive. We need to show mercy. We need to give space for God to work in us and in them. I hope you can allow the law of liberty to set you free from holding on to resentment and unforgiveness. Ask God to forgive you and to help you to extend mercy to others. No matter what they have done to you.
Do you remember what James says in chapter one, verse twenty five? Let me refresh your memory. “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
In chapter one the law of liberty is revealing OUR nature as if in a mirror. It reflects our image back to us and we see the flaws and imperfections. In chapter two James is reminding us that when we look at other people and see their flaws and imperfections we need to remember that we are not perfect either. “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James is simply reminding us of the words of Jesus in the beatitudes. “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) Or what Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) Jesus expounds on this prayer even more when he says. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) When we refuse to forgive we are ourselves in danger of not being forgiven!
I will be honest with you. It’s not easy for me to forgive people and move on. I don’t like to be hurt, betrayed, attacked, or unfairly treated. I get frustrated when people won’t (or can’t) deal with their imperfections and flaws. When I try to help someone but only get excuses and lame attempts at improvement it makes me feel annoyed. I don’t always have mercy flowing from the deepest well of my heart!
What I have found to be helpful is this. Instead of focusing on the other person’s issues, I try to reflect on my own imperfections. I look into the mirror and remind myself that I am not perfect. It’s not hard to see all my attitudes and actions that are not acceptable according to the “perfect law of liberty.” Once I ground myself in the fact that I need mercy for my own trespasses it’s easier to turn around and give others mercy for their trespasses.
But you might say, “Pastor, you don’t know what they did to me! My sins are nothing compared to theirs! They are monsters! I am nothing like them! Why should I show them mercy!” You may be right. Maybe they are monsters. And in our eyes not all sins are the same. I also know that God is outraged by their sins. He is bound and determined to wipe out all the filth and all the perversion and all the hate. In fact I am sure that none of the evil things of this world will be in God’s presence in Heaven. God says as much in scripture. However, he also tells us that, “whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” That means that we can’t use this as a crutch. We must give mercy because God isn’t using the same filter that we use. The bottom line is that God sees all sin as needing grace, mercy and forgiveness. I’m pretty sure that adultery and murder are not on the same level… but James uses them to illustrate this point! I’m not suggesting that you need to be best friends with them or allow abusive tendencies to continue. But what scripture tells us is that we need to forgive. We need to show mercy. We need to give space for God to work in us and in them. I hope you can allow the law of liberty to set you free from holding on to resentment and unforgiveness. Ask God to forgive you and to help you to extend mercy to others. No matter what they have done to you.
PRAYER:
Father, I pray for myself first. Help me to have a spirit of forgiveness and mercy. Bless my life as I extend mercy to those around me. May they extend the same mercy to me. And for all those who read this, help them to forgive regardless of what has happened to them in their lives. Free them from holding onto resentment and unforgiveness. Thank you God! Amen!
Father, I pray for myself first. Help me to have a spirit of forgiveness and mercy. Bless my life as I extend mercy to those around me. May they extend the same mercy to me. And for all those who read this, help them to forgive regardless of what has happened to them in their lives. Free them from holding onto resentment and unforgiveness. Thank you God! Amen!
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