Today's Sermon - "Favoritism Forbidden"

Since our church's services were cancelled due to inclement weather today, I've put my sermon online.  Hopefully, folks will read it and be ready for next week's message, "Faith and Works," which is based on James 2:14-26.

 

Since sermons are meant to be orally delivered and not read in paragraph form, the reader should keep in mind that these are just notes, and not a "finished product."  

 

 

 

 

Feb 3, 2014 - Antioch Baptist Church, Scottsville, Va
"Favoritism Forbidden"
James 2:1-13 ESV

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

---

A man named La Piere sent out letters to the managers of 256 hotels and restaurants across the southern half of the U.S. He told them that he was planning to tour the south with two Chinese companions and he wanted to know ahead of time whether they would be served. Ninety-two percent of the businesses replied that they did not serve Chinese and that La Piere could save himself considerable embarrassment by not showing up with such undesirables. He wasn't surprised. Racial prejudice was a part of southern life inthe 1930s, and this was long before a ban was placed on discrimination in interstate commerce. La Piere ignored the managers' advice, however. Accompanied by a Chinese man and his wife, he visited every one of the establishments that said they'd refuse service. Surprise! Ninety-nine percent of the places admitted the oriental couple, and almost all did so without a hassle...La Piere's study points up something that's a consistent finding in the field of persuasion--that a person may say he feels one thing, and then turn right around and do something completely different.

(Em Griffin, The Mindchangers, Tyndale House, 1976, p. 179.)

We know it's true that there can be a difference between official opinion and what a person actually believes. This can work in two directions. In the case I just mentioned, merciful and compassionate people can choose not to uphold an unjust rule. On the other hand, people who claim justice, love, and mercy as their way of life can often act in some very unjust, unloving, and unmerciful ways. In the second chapter of James, the brother of Jesus says that believers must make sure that we live our faith by accepting all who claim the name of the Lord. Nobody who is a citizen of the Kingdom of God gets left out of the church.

In verse 1, James says that FAVORITISM IS FORBIDDEN. "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. " When he uses the word "brothers," James forms the groundwork of everything else that he's about to say. He reminds his audience that all of them are brothers and sisters in the Lord--one family made up of many members.

James talks about FINERY & FOOTSTOOLS in Verses 2-4. In v. 2, James starts by saying, "For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly,..." Here, the ESV translates the word "assembly," but the Greek root word is "synagogue." This is important, because the word that's generally translated as "church" literally means "called-out ones." So most of the NT refers to us as "called-out," but James speaks in the opposite way, as people who come together. The Jewish churches James was writing to had a problem. Rather than thinking of themselves as called out, they thought of themselves as people whose primary purpose was gathering together. These are two radically different purposes for the church, if you ask me.

Now, in the synagogues of New Testament times, people were seated by social class. Today still, my Jewish stepmother tells me that you have to buy tickets for the High Holy Days--and just like in a theater, the more expensive the ticket, the better the seat. The churches of James' day, still operating in the old synagogue system, did the same thing. You'd go in, and a deacon would seat you according to social class. This is why James continues from the end of verse 2, through verse 3: "...and a poor man in shabby clothing also 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” ...

Clement of Rome said that "It was the office of the deacons to direct to a seat the members of the congregation [CLEMENT OF ROME, Apostolical Constitutions, 2. 57, 58].(JFB)" In response to this, James asks in verse 4, "Have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? The Greek for "evil thoughts" literally says "sinful dialogs." In other words, we have little conversations with ourselves about whether a person is worthy of a good position or a low position in church, based on our assumptions about them. You might have a dialog about that with someone sitting next to you as you judge someone who walks into church. Or, even if you would never voice a negative opinion based on your own prejudices, your internal dialog might give you away before Almighty God.

In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India.

So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. "If Christians have caste differences also," he said, "I might as well remain a Hindu." That usher's prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior.

(Our Daily Bread, March 6, 1994.)

No matter what your reason is for discriminating against someone else, God's Word says your reason doesn't stand up before Him. In verses 5-7, James asks the question, "Which is more RIGHTEOUS--RAGS OR RICHES? "5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?"

Now, showing favoritism in favor of the poor is still showing favoritism. But James is not really showing favoritism to the poor here. He's not saying that poor people are spiritual and the wealthy are evil. Likely, he would have reversed this had the church's tendency been to shun the wealthy in favor of the poor. James is simply saying, "Watch out--it's not the way you think it is. Showing no partiality means having no favorites--in either direction.

What 'second-class citizens' do we have in church--those who may attend and serve in some ways but not in all ways? How might the church be guilty of discriminating against not only the poor, but also against the very young, the very old, the female, or the single? How about discriminating in favor of some because they have certain last names, or because their families have been in the community for generations? I bet you could think of still other kinds of discrimination in church.

In verses 8-13, James talks about the LAWS OF LOVE & LIBERTY. "8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors."

The Royal Law - much like the Golden Rule - is good, but hard to keep. This Royal Law comes from Mark 12:28-31:

²⁸ And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

As half of Jesus' Greatest Commandment, if we could just follow this, we'd be approaching perfection. But who can even keep this one commandment? We fall, even on this one point. In verses 10-11, James says, "10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law."

All sin is equal. One violation makes you a lawbreaker. You're not OK because you keep 99% of the law. You're condemned because you violated the law. You're a lawbreaker--a sinner--and the wages of sin is death. You're not a rapist, but you play favorites in church. So if you're playing favorites, then you'd better watch out!

Verse 12 says, "So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty." This phrase, "Law of Liberty" comes from our last chapter, where James talked about that Law being like a mirror that we look into, to see where our lives need to be adjusted. This liberty isn't the kind of freedom that says, "I'm 18, I'll do what I want!" No, instead it's the kind of liberty that sets you free from the yoke of sin. Liberty from sin should make you grateful for God's grace. It should also make you want to extend that grace to others.

James says in verse 13, "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment."

Remember Jesus' parable about the man who was forgiven much, yet who refused to show mercy (Matthew 18:21-35). Jesus reminds us that if we want to be shown mercy, then we need to show mercy to others. If we want to be forgiven, then we need to forgive. If you want God to accept you into His great big Kingdom, then you need to let others into your little kingdoms.

Our GOLD NUGGET for today reminds us that FAVORITISM IS FORBIDDEN. It's verse 1--and is printed in your bulletin. Would you read it along with me? "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."

There's a wonderful story about a Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young Bostonian being considered for employment. The Boston investment house could not say enough about the young man. His father, they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and other of Boston's first families. His recommendation was given without hesitation. Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: "We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work." Neither is God a respecter of persons but accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work for His kingdom (Acts 10:34-35).

Kathleen Peterson

I wonder--who are those people that you've been judging against lately? God says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment." Who are those people that you've been giving special treatment to lately? God says, "show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."

Remember that FAVORITISM IS FORBIDDEN...

that RIGHTEOUSNESS can be found in RAGS as well as RICHES...

and LEARN THE LAWS OF LOVE AND LIBERTY,

--because only then will you truly be free.