Don't judge a book by its cover.
This is what my primary school teacher in my class told me time and time again
every time we had a library lesson.
Does anyone remember library lessons back in primary school?
You have like one morning every single week
and we would go to the library to read a book.
Our teacher would read a book to us, a classic children's book,
and she would encourage us to read it together
and tell us how great this book was
and the importance of not judging a book by its cover.
My teacher constantly hammered this idea to us as kids, as children,
because she said that it was important that we realise
that what's important is the content of a book, not its cover.
You can't judge a book or base a book on its cover.
It has to be on its content.
Now this didn't really work for me.
I always judged a book by its cover because I hated reading.
So anything with words in it didn't really work for me.
And so to me, if a book's cover was very exciting and very colourful,
plus if it was very big,
it most likely meant this book had less words and more pictures.
See, I didn't mind books with lots of pictures in them.
It was just the words I didn't like.
And so whilst my primary school teacher is telling me and telling our class
about books and about the importance of reading a book,
not judging it by its cover,
I'm eyeing off the Where's Wally book in the shelf across from her
and looking forward to reading it
because Where's Wally was a fantastic cover,
very exciting, very colourful,
and also it was very big.
So, you know, put the four of them together,
a big book, exciting cover,
most likely not many words.
And in this case, no words in Where's Wally,
and just pictures.
It was fantastic.
And so I would go and borrow the book after class,
after reading with the teacher,
and my teacher would come up to me and go,
oh, again, James, with the Where's Wally.
Far out.
When are you going to learn?
And that's where I told her,
don't judge a book by its cover, okay?
This phrase, don't judge a book by its cover,
is not just one we use in regards to books.
It's a lesson that we learn as children growing up
in regards to many areas of our life.
We're taught to not judge something based off its appearance,
that therefore we should give people a chance
and that we should give jobs a go
and give that sport a try.
We're taught not to make judgments off the appearance,
but to actually see for itself and explore for itself
if it's worth it by the content.
But being taught to think this way is one thing.
The question is,
do we actually live in a world that practices this idea
where we don't judge a book by its cover,
but by its content?
We don't judge something on its appearance,
but by our experience and our exploration into what it is.
I'm not sure if we do.
And I think, and I imagine most of you would agree with me.
You don't need to look very far to see this.
I mean, most glossy magazines have story after story
about how to lose the most weight the fastest,
what celebrity look will look best for you this summer,
how to get that bikini body ready for summer,
how to get those ripped abs in four weeks,
how to grow that perfect beard,
which I am beginning to perfect, as you can see.
You don't see many articles on how to shed greed in 10 weeks
or 10 easy steps,
how to become a man of integrity in four weeks,
the top 10 secret tips celebrities don't want you to know about
to become a more compassionate and patient person.
The world is not interested in the content of a person's character.
What matters to the world is a person's image.
We might exist in the world that teaches children not to judge a book by its cover,
but the reality is our children are growing up in a world that teaches them the exact opposite.
We are in the middle of a series titled The End of Hypocrisy,
a series going through the book of James
as he deals with one of the most prominent issues in Christianity,
hypocrisy.
James writes his letter to believers scattered across the world
because he is convicted that the gospel message impacts us in a profound way,
that when someone is confronted with the resurrected Lord Jesus as he was,
it changes everything and transforms our lives forever.
And here in chapter 2, we once again are confronted with this reality.
It reads in verse 1,
Glorious is the key word here.
Whenever in the New Testament someone speaks of Jesus' glory,
most of the time they are referring to his resurrected state.
When Jesus was on the Emmaus Road,
he meets two people and he walks with them,
and he says to them,
did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?
Talking about his resurrection.
Paul, in Philippians 3,
describes Jesus' resurrection body as literally the body of glory.
And so James is making the point explicitly
that no one who holds faith in the resurrected Lord Jesus,
no one who has been impacted by the resurrection of Jesus,
the glorious Lord Jesus,
shows favoritism
or judges a book by its cover.
James provides us with a corrective
saying those who have been impacted by the resurrection
don't show favoritism.
Those who have been saved by grace
have been enabled by God's Spirit
to live the life God has called them to live.
The whole point of this chapter
is to point towards the fact that
people who have been saved by grace,
people who have been impacted
in a profound way by the gospel,
by the resurrection of Jesus,
do not show favoritism.
So as we look at this,
let's now dive into the text
and see how James unpacks this idea.
First, he sets up a scene in verses 2 and 3.
I'll read it out for us.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting
wearing a gold ring and fine clothes,
and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.
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,
have you not discriminate among yourselves
and become judges with evil thoughts?
James provides an example of favoritism
that might take place in the local gathering.
Believers here are measuring
people based off their appearance
and social status.
They are judging a book by its cover,
not its content.
They are drawn to those with money,
with social power,
and are indifferent or even repulsed
by those who walk into the meeting
wearing rags and filthy clothes.
What we have here in this example of religion
is a live example of religion
that is totally opposite to that of James 1.27,
which says,
The believers in the example here
have obviously failed at this.
They have neglected the poor,
the widow,
the orphan,
and decided to show favoritism
towards the rich and wealthy
who look like they can contribute
to their church more beneficially.
In so doing,
they've shown and proven
that they are polluted
by the world's influences,
that their church has become worldly
instead of godly,
instead of being impacted
by the resurrection of Jesus.
He, James, describes a church
that has become polluted,
whose religion is worthless
and unacceptable.
It is contradictory to a faith
that is in the Lord Jesus,
the glorious Lord Jesus.
And so he concludes in verse 4,
Have you not discriminated among yourselves
and become judges with evil thoughts?
For James,
you really can't get worse than this.
Being a church that treats the poor
and outcast with disdain
in order to keep the rich
and powerful happy
is considered evil.
To measure someone's wealth
and value
when the church has been bought
with the precious blood of Christ,
which we are told in 1 Peter,
is more precious than gold
or any material thing,
is evil.
It is sickening.
And no doubt,
this problem exists
in the church today.
The moment we see someone among us
who is a bit awkward,
a bit odd,
and we avoid them,
in that moment,
we've become judges
with evil thoughts.
People who have been polluted
by the world.
The moment we see someone
who looks really nice,
maybe quite attractive,
someone who looks competent socially,
whether new or not,
and we make an effort
to serve them
and to meet their needs
over and above
the other person
who's awkward,
in that moment,
we become judges
with evil thoughts.
We've become polluted
by the world.
It's a strong conclusion
to make about us.
Because we might do this
every single time we meet.
And the conclusion James is making out
is that if you do this,
if you're showing discrimination
amongst the poor
and the rich,
then you've become
a judge
with evil thoughts.
James responds to this scene
in two ways.
To help us see
how favoritism
does not belong
in the place of those
who have been impacted
by the resurrection.
He points out,
he does this in two ways.
He firstly points out
the irony
of the whole situation
and then he points out
the hypocrisy
in a much broader way.
So firstly,
the irony.
Verse 5 says this,
Listen,
my dear brothers and sisters,
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 loved him?
But you have dishonored
the poor.
It's not the rich
who are exploiting you.
Are they not the ones
who are dragging you
into court?
Are they not the ones
who are blaspheming
the noble name of him
to whom you belong?
James firstly points out
the way God views the poor
and if he wasn't clear enough
back in chapter 1,
he is very clear here.
God has chosen the poor
in the eyes of the world
to be rich in faith.
He has saved them
so they can enjoy
a relationship with him forever.
And he has chosen them
out of the world
to have that privilege.
We can note
a couple of things here.
Number one,
poor people
becoming Christians
is evidence
of God's big heart
for them.
No one can come
to saving faith
on their own.
And indeed,
in a worldly sense,
if anyone is so unable
to save
or help themselves,
it's the poor.
And so therefore,
God choosing
to save them
shows his profound
care and love
for the poor.
Number two,
he points out
the measure
of one's true wealth.
That it's not
in material things.
But as we saw
back in chapter 1,
when we are impacted
by gospel wisdom,
we see that true value
and true wealth
is found in faith.
it's found
in eternal,
heavenly things,
not material,
temporary things.
And we are told here,
the poor are now
considered to be rich
in these heavenly things.
That is,
rich in faith.
James is pointing out
the ironic
and tragic reality
that believers
of the glorious
Lord Jesus Christ
would show favour
towards the rich
and dishonour
the poor.
It's ironic
that we could have
a faith
in a Lord
and Saviour
who is immeasurably
more valuable
and glorious
than us,
who indeed
is the one
who gives us value
by shedding
his blood
for us.
And yet,
we show favouritism.
How dare we
make ourselves judge
and decide
who is valuable
and who isn't
when the judge
himself
was the one
who died for us
not showing
fairitism
that we would know
our true value,
that we would be saved.
How dare we
decide that we are judges?
And the tragic irony
continues.
It gets worse.
Verses 6-7,
focusing on how
the rich respond.
Is not the rich
who are exploiting you
and the ones
who are dragging you
into court,
are they not the ones
who are blaspheming
in the noble name
of him
to whom you belong?
When we act
in a worldly way,
judging people
by a worldly standard,
we should expect
worldly consequences.
The rich here
in James' time
were worldly.
These aren't
necessarily rich
Christians.
These are rich people
who are not transformed
by the gospel
and the wisdom
of the gospel.
They thought of themselves
very highly
because of their wealth.
They felt entitled.
They did whatever
they wanted,
being motivated
by their wealth.
And the thing is,
the believers here
in the letter of James,
presumably poor believers,
perpetuated this idea
of their importance,
of their entitlement.
by favouring the rich
and powerful,
they treated them
in the same way
the rest of the world
treats them.
They sucked up to them.
They gave them
whatever they wanted.
And therefore,
it invited upon themselves
the same kind
of treatment
the rich
gives to the rest
of the world
and to the poor.
And so,
pointing out
this irony,
James is pretty much
saying,
stop favouring
those who are
making your life
difficult.
Stop treating
people on a
worldly scale.
It's doing you
no good.
Look,
the poor are left
uncared for
and unloved
and the rich
are exploiting you.
They're blaspheming
the very God
that you worship.
it's not working.
It can be tempting
for us as a church
to not see this,
to miss the irony
where we can favour
the rich
and influential people
in very
inconspicuous ways.
Rich people,
being the ones
with money,
are able to fund
all kinds
of different ministries,
ensure the staff
are paid
and contribute
to building projects.
And so it's tempting
to think,
at least I think,
that we might want
to ensure
that these people
who could have
a very significant
influence on our church
to ensure
that they are happy
and they are content
and they are getting
what they want.
But at what cost
do we do this?
Do we neglect those
who don't
have as much influence
or money?
Who are really able
to contribute
in any kind
of significant way
to church life?
To do that
is favouritism.
And as James concluded,
it's evil.
It's evil.
It's hard
being up here
to talk about this stuff.
It's full on.
And I don't want
you guys
to leave here today
thinking that being rich
is evil
or being rich
is sinful.
James is not necessarily
having a go at rich people
at all.
But in showing
the irony
of favouritism,
James challenges us
that we as a church
must perpetuate
a worldview
that is based
on faith
in our glorious
resurrected
Saviour,
Jesus Christ,
that helps both
the poor
and the rich
to see that in Jesus
they are rich
in faith
and enjoy
every blessing
that comes
from Him.
Receiving
every blessing
in Him
which is worth
way more
than the world
could ever offer us.
And when we do that,
the poor
are embraced,
loved,
and cared for.
They receive
dignity
and value
that is theirs
in Christ
which the world
would otherwise
try
and rob them of.
and the rich
when they are impacted
by the wisdom
of the gospel,
when they are impacted
by the resurrection
of Jesus
are able to
humbly serve
and be generous
with what they have.
Not as a measure
of how great
they are
or how important
they are to our church
here,
but as a measure
of how gracious
God has been
to them
to enable them
to live
in such
a generous way.
James'
first response
is to point out
the irony
that showing
fairytism
is not achieving
for them
what they had
wanted
or had hoped.
And his second response
points again
to this scene
pointing out
and highlighting
even further
the hypocrisy
behind showing
fairytism
and again
to show us
that it ought
not to belong
this fairytism
it ought not to belong
as part of our lives
as part of people's lives
who are impacted
by the wisdom
of the gospel
who have been impacted
by the resurrection
of Jesus.
So verse 8
James points the believers
towards the royal law
of scripture
which every single
Jewish
or even non-Jewish
believer
would have known
especially because
it received
its royal status
from Jesus himself
who tied it with
as one of the most
important commandments
that all the law
and the prophets
hang off.
This is a pretty
big commandment.
However
in showing
fairytism
we break
that commandment.
It contradicts
that very law
that these people
and we
might so
very passionately
and zealously
hold to.
And so James
points out
the blatant hypocrisy
with this
one law.
You cannot say
that you love
your neighbor
as yourself
and then show
fairytism.
That is hypocritical.
To do so
is to break it.
And therefore
in doing so
we become
a lawbreaker.
And as James
shows
by breaking
this one
law
we become
accountable
to all of it.
Verse 10
whoever keeps
the whole law
but fails
in one point
has become
accountable
for all of it.
If we
defy God
in one point
of the law
then we've
broken
the whole law.
Saying that
it's just
one law
how much
harm can be
done
breaking
just one law
is to
totally
disregard
the God
that we serve
who is behind
the law.
You see the law
is not just a list
of rules
or it's a way
of life
given by the grace
of God
when the people
of God
came out of Egypt
he gave them
the law
that they might
dwell with him
and he with them
in the land
to live
in prosperity
and to live
faithfully
serving him.
And so to break
one part of it
is to compromise
that entire life
that God
has given them
to enjoy.
It's to reject
that life
that God wants
for them.
That is the purpose
behind
the law
given.
It's not just
a list
of rules.
And so
if this is the case
always
with the law
how much more
does this apply
to the royal law
of scripture?
If we show
favoritism
we are not only
breaking
just one command
but all
of the law
and indeed
if we are breaking
not just
any particular
law
but the very
royal law
of scripture
that the whole
law
of prophets
hang off
in short
what James
is then saying
is that if we say
we love our
neighbor as
ourselves
but in our
actions
don't show it
in our actions
show favoritism
then we've missed
the entire
point
of scripture.
we've missed
the very work
that Jesus
did for us
on the cross
where he chose
not to show
favoritism
and died
for all people
that we all
might come
to know him.
This calls
a serious
reflection
on our part
as a church.
James says
showing
favoritism
is
evil.
It's a tough
message to hear.
When we show
favoritism
towards one
another
we stink
of hypocrisy
as we engage
in a worldly
and unbiblical
and unlawful
act.
It's totally
opposite
to being
impacted
by the divine
and heavenly
gospel
by the resurrection
of Jesus.
It just
doesn't belong
in those
people's lives.
James responds
to the issue
of favoritism
by showing
its irony
and its
hypocrisy.
He does
this
again
as I'll
keep repeating
to show
us that
it has
no place
in the lives
of those
who have
been impacted
by Jesus'
resurrection.
That is something
we're going to
keep drumming
in this series.
It's the
resurrection
of Jesus
that impacts
the way we
live in a
profound way
and that's
the reason
why hypocrisy
ought to
not be
existent
in people's
lives.
In verses
12 to 13
he informs us
how we should
live
in light
of this
issue.
How we
should
begin to
live
in regards
to responding
to our
hypocrisy.
He says
in verse
12
Verse 12
is a
humbling
reminder
pointing us
forward to
the end
time coming
when we
will all
be judged
our actions
weighed
and measured.
The point
is to be
careful
as we
speak
and act
that we
should
do so
knowing
that we
are
under
the
law
of
liberty
lest
we
should
speak
and act
like
judges
with
evil
thoughts
showing
favoritism.
Now
this isn't to say
that our
salvation is in the
balance depending
on our
actions.
As we
looked at
in the
very first
week
chapter 1
new birth
in Christ
salvation
that is found
in Jesus
is the most
perfect
gift that has
come from
above.
It's been
given to us
freely by
God
and so
our
salvation
is not
dependent
upon
our
works
and what
we
can
do
but
it's
dependent
upon
God's
gracious
gift
to us.
And the
thing is
that's exactly
what James
wants us to
have in mind
when we read
this phrase
the law
of liberty.
You see
it's the
law of
God
as it is
reinterpreted
by Christ.
It's not
the same
law that we
see in the
Old Testament
the one that
Moses gave
in the
Mosaic
law.
We are
not under
that law.
We're under
none of it.
We are under
the law of
liberty
which in
practice might
look very
similar to
the Mosaic
law, to the
Old Testament
law, but in
reality it's a
completely
different law,
a new
covenant
but with one
major difference.
Whilst the
Mosaic law was
a standard by
which we
had to
live by, we
had to
meet, otherwise
we'd be
condemned, the
law of
liberty has
already had
its standard
met in
Christ.
And it's in
him we now
enjoy the
ability by
God's spirit
to serve and
to love those
around us no
matter who
they are.
As one
particular
commentator put
it,
no longer is
God's law a
threatening and
confining burden
for the will
of God now
confronts us as
a law of
liberty, an
obligation we
discharge from
the joyful
knowledge that
God has both
liberated us from
the penalty of
sin and given
us in his
spirit the power
to obey his
will.
Again, as we
keep coming back
in this series,
James' purpose is
to implore us to
live in response
to the resurrection
of Jesus, to
live lives that
are genuine with
our speech and
our actions.
As he points
out the hypocrisy
he sees in this
church, indeed in
our own church, he
is not doing it to
condemn us, to
drum fear into
us.
And that's not
why I'm here
preaching tonight,
to drum fear
into us.
James writes
his letter and
we preach this
message that we
might truly live
lives that reflect
the glory of
Christ whom we
hold faith to,
that we wouldn't
cheapen our
faith by
showing
favoritism towards
those who are
rich and
neglecting those
who are poor.
That we wouldn't
cheapen our
salvation and the
life that we
have, but that we
would live it to
the fullest,
enjoying what God
has given us by
honoring him and
serving those who
come into our
meeting together.
favoritism.
And this means
rooting out
favoritism.
This means
realizing that
some of us here
need to learn to
love those around
us who are pretty
hard to love, who
aren't really cool,
who are a bit
awkward, who may
be of no advantage
to you, but the
reality is we need
to learn to love
these people.
people.
And this can be
really hard to do.
Which is why what
is central to this
is an understanding
of what is at the
heart of this law
of liberty, what is
at the heart of our
new life in Christ
as we are impacted
by the resurrection
of Jesus.
At the heart of it
is mercy.
mercy triumphs over
judgment.
At the center of
our life as
believers is mercy.
Life under the law
of liberty is one
of mercy.
James here is
reflecting on what
Jesus says in the
Sermon on the Mount
where he says,
blessed are the
merciful for they
will be shown
mercy.
And here he's
turning it around
making it into a
warning by saying
that those who
don't show mercy
to one another
will be shown
no mercy
from God.
This is what
makes the issue
of favoritism
such an issue.
The fact that
it's merciless.
It's totally
contradictive
to the life
lived under the
law.
A life which
has mercy
at the very
center of it.
Favoritism
gets rid of
that idea.
When we show
favoritism towards
one another,
we are stripping
away the mercy
that rightly
belongs to each
of us in
Christ.
We cast judgment
over the person
instead of embracing
them as our
brother and
sister.
And so here
James warns us
to be merciful
in all our
actions and
speech lest we
end up like a
judge with evil
thoughts.
For mercy
always triumphs,
always boasts
over judgment.
It's a bit of a
strange phrase.
It's hard to know
what it exactly
can mean.
I think it's
trying to say
that those who
show mercy in
this life
show that they
are true
recipients of
God's grace.
Mercy, as we
begin to show
it in our
speech and
our actions,
is the evidence
that we are
God's people,
that we are
different to the
rest of the
world.
And it's the
antidote to the
hypocrisy of
favoritism that
we might otherwise
show instead.
When we show
mercy to each
other, judgment
loses its
power.
Our church ought
not to be known
as a church of
favoritism,
whether rich and
influential,
whether socially
competent and
beautiful people are
welcomed over and
above those who
are a bit awkward,
not very socially
competent, who
are poor and
otherwise can't
contribute anything
to our church.
No, we want to be
a church who
shows mercy and
mercy to all
people, to rich
and to poor.
No matter who
walks into this
building, we want
to show them
mercy and show
the mercy that
God has shown
us in His
Son.
We want to put
on display a
faith that has
been deeply
impacted by the
resurrection of
Jesus where we
display the true
wisdom of the
gospel, which
shows both the
rich and the
poor that being
rich in faith is
of far greater
value.
We want to be so
unlike the world
who shows
patriotism, who
rejects people and
accepts them off
their image and
what they can
contribute.
We want to
accept all
people, knowing
that we
ourselves have
fallen short of
God's standard,
that none of us
can contribute in
any meaningful way,
no matter how
rich we might
think we are, or
how important we
might think we
are, that we
all need to
experience the
wonderful mercy of
God.
That is the
church we want
to be.
That is a
church that
shows that it
has been impacted
by the
resurrection of
Jesus.
The question
is, are we
that church?
And what
needs to be
done to
become that
church?