series: Acting in grace together #
verse: James 1:26-2:17 #
Main Idea: #
How can we act like a biblical gospel centered community?
What kind of community are we supposed to be? #
We are called to be just or merciful To not have favoritism. You need to bear the burden, do the hard thing. Treat everyone equally. How welcoming am I of others? We should be encouraged to do the hard thing. Go make the lonely feel less lonely. We need to also be merciful as in caring for those in need. Not just being kind, but meeting the needs of others. If we are not exercising mercy, and justness, we will be judged by God. We need to be merciful because it’s the foundation of our faith, God’s mercy to us.
Why is it so hard to achieve? #
It’s not that we don’t care for others, but we are inherently fearful of these situations. We are really shameful people and don’t like to share our struggles. But do we care enough to invest in our community? We pridefully chase after human glory and not God’s glory, the desire to be powerful and rich. We favor those that make us feel safe. And we struggle to jeopardize that. This takes shape in the people we sit next to at church, the places we go eat lunch, etc. When we act in favoritism, it shows that we do not understand what God’s vision is. “All people are built in the image of God”. No matter who it is, no matter how different, misbehaved, anything. We should not insult anyone. We should not make people feel worthless, for any reason whatsoever.
How can we realistically achieve that? #
Carefully look upon the glory of Christ. Even if it pains you, even if it’s burdensome, you should feel inclined to do good works. To take the harder path. Be radical, in the way we speak, act, and love onto others.