ONE LESS James 1:27. March 1, 2015 Pastor Troy Dobbs Grace Church of Eden Prairie

Transcription

1 ONE LESS James 1:27 March 1, 2015 Pastor Troy Dobbs Grace Church of Eden Prairie There are times when the magnitude of a need is so overwhelming that people can start to erroneously believe ONE PERSON can t make a difference. That s why I love the quote I AM ONLY ONE by Edward Everett Hale: I am only ONE: but still I am ONE. I cannot do everything; but I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will NOT refuse to do the something that I can do. 1

2 Today we are focusing our attention on an overwhelming need and one of our Strategic Initiatives: CHILDREN AT RISK We have called today ONE LESS Sunday because our heart is to see: ONE less orphan ONE less child in human trafficking ONE less abortion ONE less child at risk Now I see two extremes when it comes to talking about justice in the church. One extreme is that pursuing justice is hipster. It is trendy to talk about justice without really ever doing justice to biblical justice. 2

3 The other extreme is that pursuing justice is hurtful to the gospel, causing people to love social issues more than the salvation. But that is social justice not biblical justice. And the Bible calls us to Do Justice. Micah 6:8 i 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to DO JUSTICE, and to LOVE KINDNESS, and to WALK HUMBLY with your God? Interestingly, the Hebrew word for justice occurs over 200 times in the OT. And its most basic meaning is to treat people equitably regardless of class or social status. Justice, then is giving people what they are due, whether punishment or protection or care. 3

4 It also means giving people their rights. Deuteronomy 18 directed that the priests of the tabernacle be supported by a certain percentage of the people s income. This support was described as the priests justice, OR protection or care. This is why, if you look at each usage of the word justice in the OT several classes of persons continually come up. Over and over again, justice describes taking up the care and cause of widows, orphans, immigrants and the poor those who have been called the quartet of the vulnerable. Additionally Jesus spent a considerable amount of time with / teaching about the least of these! 4

5 As well, James, the half brother of Jesus, said that DOING JUSTICE was a litmus test of authentic Christianity. James 1:27 says: 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. ii I was struck that in talking about the world, James highlights a world system that wants to leave God out of the picture. How do we know that? The Greek word for world is kosmos, a word that means to arrange James is saying our world has an arrangement, 5

6 a system, a structure an order that wants to exclude / eliminate God. Therefore, the definition of worldliness is when a society opposes / excludes the God who created the world. That s why the Bible says anybody who is a friend of the world is the enemy of God. The two are incompatible. There is no room for compromise! Now does that mean we can t eat at a restaurant or stay in a hotel or go on a vacation or shop at the mall? 6

7 NO not at all! But it does mean we are not to buy into the world s philosophy of materialism (exaltation of stuff) humanism (exaltation of self) or elitism (exaltation of the powerful). We are not to let a secular worldview dictate or govern our behavior So we should (for instance) stay away from compromising situations where our character could be called into question. We should be careful about what we endorse. We should be careful about what we watch/read. We should be careful about where we go 7

8 We should be careful about how we dress. Because our lifestyles affect how people perceive our pursuit of justice. So for the sake of clarity James is not pushing for a monk-like existence. No, James is talking about insulation not isolation. Remember Jesus said to be IN the world but not OF the world (John 17:14-16). We are to be the salt of what? The church? No. The earth. We are to be the light of what? The church? No. The world. (See Matthew 5:13-14.) 8

9 We are to penetrate a secular society with the message of Christ. We are to adorn the gospel by pure living and by thinking rightly about the least of these. Which is why James says doing justice is caring (for example) for widows and orphans. BIG PICTURE-WISE James is saying: Justice and compassion should characterize the Christian life. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, iii James was using examples of two of the most vulnerable groups on the planet orphans and widows. In Exodus 22:22 it says: 9

10 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. iv Psalm 68:5 says Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. v You see God has a special heart for the weak / wounded / powerless and widows & orphans fall into that category. Obviously in the first century there were no insurance policies or social security benefits. So when the breadwinner died, trouble knocked at the door. Orphans became victims of the street, often abused by perverts 10

11 and traded by slave owners. As well - widows had no social standing. Many even had to turn to prostitution to provide for themselves. So James is saying that genuine Christianity is marked by doing justice for those who need protected and cared for. One aspect I LOVE about Christianity is that it demonstrates mercy to those who cannot reciprocate like the unborn like the orphan like those in the foster care system. That by the way is biblical love. 11

12 The Bible says: it easy to love people who love us 1 st or love us back but we are also to love those who cannot return the favor And we are still expected to care for the needs of others EVEN as we struggle with our own needs I know that sounds like a no-brainer but it s really not! If you will recall James was writing to the diaspora Jews who had been scattered and forced out of Jerusalem because of intense persecution. Thus his audience had TONS of needs they were displaced from their homes trying to feed their families AND YET James still exhorted them to: care for the least of these to look out for widows/orphans. 12

13 To which I would say: If we are not careful we can become so engulfed with our own lives / our own needs that we never meet the needs of those needier than us (and there is always someone in greater need than us). Therefore, our own glaring needs do not let us off the hook in meeting the needs of others. So mark this down: Doing justice means DOING SOMETHING! SONG Do Something by Matthew West Photos of families who ve adopted will appear on screen 13

14 6 Groups will go on stage (holding signs) 1. We adopted 2. We re a Safe Family 3. We reach Children-at-Risk 4. We re a Voice 4 Life 5. We fight human trafficking 6. We visit orphans 6 Groups will flip their signs 1. You can do something 2. Seek Justice 3. You can do something 4. Rescue the Oppressed 5. You can do something 6. Embrace the Fatherless Group exits the stage after song. CLOSING REMARKS Ultimately it s engagement & action that makes a difference in the lives of children-at-risk. 14

15 Today before you leave, I want to encourage you (or challenge you) to take a step. Right now, if you re willing to DO SOMETHING, TEXT YES to (952) This is a simple way to say, YES, I m going to get involved in some way I m going to DO SOMETHING. I m committed to seeking justice on behalf of the vulnerable (voiceless or fatherless) Once you send your text, you ll receive a text back with a link to a simple form where you can indicate your areas of interest maybe it s foster care / adoption / safe families. 15

16 For those of who don t text (you re grounded & lost your phone privileges) keep this insert (hold up insert & put on screen) with you, and respond accordingly. We also have number of different tables in the Commons where you can find out more information & get involved as well. 16

17 i Micah 6:8 ii James 1:27 iii James 1:27 iv Exodus 22:22 v Psalm 68:5 17