Weekly Sermon
 
James 2:8-13 reads, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.  Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
 
James 2:8-13 presents the conclusion to the lengthy paragraph that began with verse 1.  As we have noted, this paragraph directly confronts those who are showing sinful partiality against the poor and needy in favor of the rich and prestigious.  James 2:8-13 concludes the paragraph by providing Biblical admonition and instruction concerning the relationship between the law of God and the practice of showing partiality.  First, in verse 8 there is a commendation for loving behavior toward our neighbor – “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.”  Second, in verse 9 there is a condemnation for practicing partiality in our relationships – “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”  Third, in verses 10-11 there is the conviction of God’s law against practicing partiality – “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.  Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.”  Fourth, in verse 12 there is the charge to obey God’s law of love – “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”  Fifth and finally, in verse 13 there is the consequence for not obeying God’s law of love – “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

Proverbs for Life

1.  A Purpose for the Proverbs

Proverbs 1:1-4 – “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty [discernment] to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.”

Thought for Meditation

When we commit sin against the Lord our God (regardless of the form that it might take),
it is recorded in our Lord's sight as a wicked offense;
it stirs up the fire of our Lord's anger against us;
it stains our soul with disgusting filthiness;
it poisons our character with spiritual corruption;
it binds our heart more and more under the influence of our flesh and the devil;
and it nourishes more and more the seeds of spiritual destruction in our lives.

Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:1 reads, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.”  At the end of the opening portion of this verse, we find the phrase, “in the way.”  With this phrase we are introduced to an important subject matter of this lengthy psalm.  In fact, Psalm 119 includes the words “way” and “ways” eighteen times and includes the word “path” two times.  Even so, in this psalm we may find significant truth concerning our walk along the pathway of life.  Yea, as we consider these twenty uses in Psalm 119 of the words “way,” “ways,” or “path,” we encounter four categories of truth.  We encounter truth concerning the way of this life, concerning the way of our Lord, concerning the way of sin’s lies, and concerning the way of our lives. 

With the phrase “in the way,” Psalm 119:1 introduces us to the first of these categories – the way of this life.  This is the only occasion in this psalm wherein the phrase “the way” is employed without a modifier.  At other places throughout the Psalm, we learn of the way of the Lord’s testimonies, the way of the Lord’s precepts, the way of the Lord’s commandments, the way of the Lord’s statutes, the way of the truth, and the way of lying.  Yet the phrase “the way” in verse 1 does not refer to any particular choice of way throughout this life.  Rather, this phrase refers to the way of this life itself.  It refers to the fact that we all must travel along the pathway of this life.  Even so, as we each travel along the pathway of this life, there are three aspects of life that we all must encounter.