SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 9/20/26
How good are YOU? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
TEXT: James 2:10
TITLE: How Good Are You?
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
POINTS:
I. A Misunderstanding of God’s Law
II. A Misunderstanding of Jesus
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
ILLUSTRATION: story of “I hope so”
“These are the people we run into every day of our lives. James will help us grasp what’s going on in two ways – people misunderstanding God’s Law and people misunderstanding who Jesus is.”
“James is writing to Jewish Christians scattered about and gathered in small Churches. He opens his letter to “the 12 tribes in the Dispersion.”
“James 2 is dealing with a specific situation where the Church is sinning. It’s the sin of partiality. It was easy for Church members to prioritize the rich person visiting the Church. Gold rings, fine designer clothes – hey come sit with me. If you’re rich it means you have credibility and opportunity that may benefit me. Poor people are a drain on us. This guy, this couple could be super helpful. And so on…”
“Like in all the NT epistles to Churches, God will preserve this situation in His Word so all future Churches will learn. There is a profound truth that arises from this situation.”
“NOTICE He begins on the positive side READ V. 8. ROYAL LAW – YOU ARE DOING WELL. Then he brings correction. READ V. 9 If you are partial to some in the Church and treat the poor as 2nd class citizens YOU ARE COMMITTING SIN. Don’t you love how James is clear and direct?”
“More importantly, you are committing sin AND ARE CONVICTED BY THE LAW AS TRANSGRESSORS. James tells us you are convicted by the law and you are a transgressors. Being a transgressor of the law is huge. You have violated the standard of a holy God. Showing partiality to the rich violates a long held law that Israel was to treat the poor the same as the rich. Israel as God’s chosen people were to be equitable with everyone. James audience of Jewish Christians would know this. Then he drops this grenade into their thinking.”
“READ V. 10. You are guilty of it all because you are a transgressor. You have transgressed God’s law. It might seem too high of a bar but that’s how God intended it to be.”
“Most people out there misunderstand God’s law. Israel certainly did. What is the law? The law was God’s revelation of His holy standard to Israel. The law is a reflection of God’s character.”
“Why was it given? The law was given to show Israel how they needed a Savior. To point them to their utter failure to live to God’s standard. To point to the hope of the promised Messiah that would come. The law was given to show Israel they could not keep it.”
“So James says quite succinctly what we know in Scripture. God’s law is an interdependent whole. Meaning God’s law functions in our lives in such a way that we violate one aspect of the law we violate the whole thing. James tells the Churches that if they show partiality to the rich they’ve violated all the law. We are transgressors of God’s holy law.”
ILLUSTRATION: A jar of water and one drop of poison or food coloring.
“Have you ever thought about what is the most popular religious belief out there? Is it historic, orthodox Christianity? Or secular humanism? I submit to you this – GOOD PEOPLE GO – good people go to heaven. Transgressors go to heaven. Underneath Catholic believers, Muslims, Mormons or any works-based belief system is this common thread GOOD PEOPLE GO.”
“This is the aquarium most of America swims. People you work with. Family members you see regularly. They’ve never really been asked to explain why this functions in their life but it drives their unexamined theology of God’s law, sin and heaven.”
ILLUSTRATION: When was the last time you had a gospel conversation with someone? Conversations usually progress from social to religious to gospel. How many of you got to a conversation about the gospel and asked this question “Why would God allow you into heaven?” TYPICAL ANSWERS … I’ve been a good Dad, I’ve worked hard, I’ve never killed anyone … etc etc so why wouldn’t a good God allow me in?
“When you think about the GOOD PEOPLE GO, it makes perfect sense. Good God, good place reserved for good people whose good deeds outweigh bad deeds. Sounds good doesn’t it? Imagine if God sent BAD PEOPLE TO HEAVEN. That wouldn’t work!!”
“The Bible drops a bomb into this thinking. James says if you break one part of the law you’re a transgressor. Transgressors of God’s law don’t get into heaven. All the people swimming in this aquarium culturally - hearing this day after day misunderstand God’s law. God’s holiness, His perfections, His utter purity.”
ILLUSTRATION: How Good Are You tract
LLUSTRATION: RC Sproul conference
“We need to help our friends who misunderstand God’s law. But theres’ more. People who believe in the GOOD PEOPLE GO religion misunderstand Jesus.”
“So we know from Scripture that if we break one part of the law we’ve broken the entire law. We are transgressors. We must accept what God’s Word says about us and not our cultural explanations. Why? Because of God’s holiness. Not our flattered view of self and good intentions. We must see our sin in light of God’s holiness. Otherwise we are a cursed like we saw in Gal. 3:10.”
“God’s Word shows us something very different. Scripture doesn’t lower the standard for mankind. God doesn’t look the other way for transgressors who have sinned against Him. The Bible tells us the story of one person – namely Jesus Christ – who perfectly fulfilled the law.”
“The four gospels give us four different views of Christ earthly life and mission. They all say the same thing. Jesus came and lived in the flesh to fulfill the law. God’s holiness demands a very high standard. Jesus put on flesh and lived a perfect life. Never once broke the law. Paul dealt with this in his letter to the Romans. First he says how people CANNOT be saved: Romans 3:19–20. Then he says how people can be saved: Romans 3:21–26. We are saved by the gift of Christ righteousness by faith. Not by works. Not by how good you have been.”
“Think about this for a minute. The good people go has some pretty easy holes in it to be seriously taken if people stop and think about it for a minute. 1st problem – who decides who is good? For our generation do we put Mother Theresa way up here and Hitler way down here and comfortably put ourselves somewhere in the middle? That’s what the avg person in America does. Have you ever met someone who sees themselves as a bad person? 2nd problem - what if my good isn’t good for my neighbor – how do we know what is right? Who decides the goodness standard? What if my definition of good in my neighborhood is different than my neighbors definition? Even religious people have differences – are all religious beliefs basically the same? You get below surface and there are massive differences. We just had the 25th anniversary of 9/11. What if they religious Islamic Jihadist believe they did good when the crashed airplanes into the twin towers? Who am I to say that’s bad?”
“Also, how good do you have to be? How do you measure? Does 7 get us in? What if you’re a 4.9 and 5.0 is the goodness standard and you’re one good deed from getting int? We can’t know and you will never be sure. No wonder people only hope they will get in.”
“People who believe in the GOOD PEOPLE GO haven’t taken time to fathom that God’s law is a reflection of His holiness, His standard. They also tend to have a high opinion of self as they compare themselves to others and come away with a flattering self-assessment.”
“The reason the Bible throws a grenade into the comfortable I’m a 6/7 on the goodness scale is because of Jesus. America is consumed with the goodness theory – consumed because as long as it’s all about me doing more good than bad deeds I’m going to make it. I don’t have to consider my evil heart intentions, I don’t have to consider the holiness of God and I don’t even have to consider the claims of Jesus.”
“What is God like? Look to Jesus. What do we see in Jesus? The perfect fulfillment of the law His entire life. Never once sinned. Here’s the bottom line … Good people don’t go to heaven, forgiven people go to heaven.”
APPLICATION:
1. Pray
Remember Paul’s example from last week’s message? - Romans 9:1–2
That should lead us to pray. Great sorrow for those who are captured by this false religious belief. This is their theology. They believe there is a God. He is good, He’s created heaven as that place where good people go. I’m a good person – my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds so I’m in. It starts with prayer. It calls us to pray. We are helpless to change what people of believe apart from God’s work in their lives. So we pray.
2. Grow in asking wise questions
Tell me about …
What’s your spiritual journey been like?
What are some of your spiritual beliefs?
What do you believe happens 5 minutes after you die?
Who do you say Jesus is? Good person, good teacher or Savior?
3. Get acquainted with the Bridge course
Personal evangelism help
Course designed for unbelievers
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 3:10
Romans 3:10
QUOTES:
Kent Hughes - “James sees the law as a seamless garment which, when ripped in one place, tears the whole garment.”
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
All Sufficient Merit
It Is Finished
We Have Been Healed
And Can It Be
Rock of Ages
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
James 2:10 - Bridge
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