The Unconditional Love of God in Action
Bible Passage:
James 2:1-5
Pastor:
Pastor Glen
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Sermon Date:
2010-10-16
Hi! I am Pastor Glen. I love Jesus. I believe he is the Son of God my Savior. Perhaps you were not all here at the beginning of the service. I made that same statement then only I was dressed in a suit, black shoes and a white gown. Now, I look different. I am the same person I was 20 minutes ago. I believed in Jesus then and I believe in Jesus now. What has changed? The clothes have changed!
Is our Christian love and concern different toward those who are poor versus those who are rich? If our love, concern, or care is based on the clothes or position in life. We are showing favoritism. Is our attitude any different toward the person who is rich? Today we continue to look at the Sermon Series: “Broke and Blessed”. God loves all people the same. He sent his Son to die on the cross for all people. God’s love is unconditional. He does not love us because we wear a certain type of clothes or have a certain position in life or because of the color of our skin. God has called us to show that love to all people, poor or rich without conditions. Today we consider the Unconditional Love of God in Action. What does this love in action look like in the lives of you and me his followers?
Throughout the Bible God asked his people to show love and concern for the poor by helping them. This is how they showed their love for God by showing their love for those in need. Leviticus 19:10 ”Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.”The words of our text from the book of James give some good examples of hearing and doing God’s Word. God’s Word shows that he is no respecter of persons, that he shows no favoritism, no partiality, no bias, no preferences. His loving gospel invitation embraces all nations, tribes, races, languages, social classes, economic classes, and both genders alike—and so should Christian congregations.”Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
The Lord has called us to know his unconditional love what the Bible calls grace. In Samuel 16:7 the prophet Samuel was looking at the outward appearance to pick one of Jesses sons to be the next King of Israel We are told in I Samuel:”Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” The Lord led Samuel to chose David as the next King not because of his stature. .
God wants us to love poor people: We imitate God’s unconditional love by loving the poor and needy. The current recession is an amazing opportunity to show God’s unconditional love by giving to the poor. The circumstances in the book of James was the worship setting that everyone is treated the same no matter their position in life or their amount of wealth. But that is not natural. It is natural and normal to want to be with those who are successful and smell good. James reminds us of a sin against God when we show favoritism in worship as well as in our day to day life.
The message of James reminds us not only to listen to God’s Word but to do what it says. Jesus said again and again that if you are my disciples you will obey what I say. In faith we not only listen to the word in the Bible we desire to put the unconditional love of God into action.
As followers of Jesus we look at his unconditional love that did not look at a person’s standing in the community or the amount of positions. He did the opposite. He went to the poor, blind and the lame to reveal the unconditional love of God. Jesus gave up his treasure in heaven, in order to make you his treasure. Paul describes what Jesus did as the Song who possessed all things. He became poor that we might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
James addressed the people he was writing as brothers and sister who followed the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the words that are used in the first verse of our text: “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus the Son of God put aside his heavenly glory as the Son of God and became a man so he could be our brother. He lived in earthly clothes that he might be tempted in every way and yet was without sin as our brother and Savior. In verse five James reminds his readers from what Jesus had called them and to what they were call to do.”Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” Heaven does not know you as the fellow with the nice suit or the woman with the big heart or with the new bike. ‘The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
My dear friends the Lord has called you to be the unconditional love of God in action. God wants to use you to help the poor and the needy so that you might extend the unconditional love of Jesus who be became poor for us that we might become rich knowing God and his love for us every day. Jesus called Zachaeus a tax collector to follow him Zachaeus promised to restore money to anyone he had cheated and to give up to half his possessions to the poor. What motivated Zachaeus but his knowledge of the Lord Jesus who had come to seek and to save him who was lost without Jesus.The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.(I Timothy 6:18-19).”
My dear friends God has called you to rich in a knowledge of God’s love and forgiveness don’t show favoritism toward those who are poor but rather give of your money, time to help the poor and needy so to see the unconditional love of God in action. This morning we will be collecting at the door for our needy family fund. We have an excellent committee in Todd, Linda and John who help those in need by listening and pointing out resources in the city and trying to help with the money made available by the congregation in the needy family fund for those in our congregation and in our community who are in need.
My dear friends you were hand a 3 X 5 card on the way in and if not pleased get one from the usher on the way out. Please you one side of the card to write down a name of a person in need. If you don’t know someone pray for God to open your eyes this next week to someone at work or in your neighborhood or community who needs money, your time or a ride. On the other side of the card remind yourself of the unconditional love of God he shared with you. Also write out your experience with showing a random act of kindness and share that with one of your pastors if you desire. Remember Jesus took on our flesh he became poor and put aside his glory as God so that we might become rich in the love mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. This week and every week you are the unconditional love of God in action.
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