Good morning and welcome. So glad you're here. I want to welcome our online viewers as well.

And get right to it. Looking forward to what the Lord has for us today. We finished two weeks ago,

chapter one and James, we're going verse by verse through the Bible and through this book.

And today our text will be chapter 2 verses 1 through 9.

I'll ask those of you that are here if you're able to stand. If not, where you're seated is fine.

You can follow along as I read.

James is writing by the Holy Spirit and says verse 1, my brothers and sisters, believers in our

glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

Suppose a man, verse 2, 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 discriminated among yourselves

and become judges with evil thoughts? 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 love him?

But verse 6, you have dishonored the poor.

Is it 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? If you really keep the royal law found in scripture, love your neighbor

as yourself, you're doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted

by the law as lawbreakers, which he'll expound on beginning in verse 10, Lord willing,

next week. But why don't we pray and we'll ask God

to bless our time together in His Word. Father in heaven, thank you so much. We're so grateful

to you, Lord, for your word in this portion that we have here before us today here in your word.

We need to hear this.

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