James 2 Series

Opener:

Well Good Morning Church! We are so excited that you have decided to join us here this morning. What a blessing to be here worshiping the Lord together!

We also want to take a moment to welcome our online community as well. Thank you for taking the time to watch and allowing us to be a part of your spiritual journey!

Last week, we were introduced to the new sermon series that we will be discussing in the next four weeks. Last week, we learned some of the important background information on the book of James. We talked about counting it all joy when we face difficult situations in our lives. We also discussed a biblical solution to conflict resolution and closed with the kind of religion that God is looking for from us.

When we look at chapter two on a whole, we see two pre-dominate themes that come through. The first theme is really dealing with favoritism in the church, while the second part is talking about faith without works is dead.

In the first century, the people were acclimated with a polarized society. One that saw people were either wealthy or poor. There really was not a middle class of people during this time period. Also, during this time, slavery was an accepted practice. So we see that people were either free from slavery or they were slaves. During this time, we see different kinds of people: Jewish people, Gentile people which included all the people groups that were not Jewish. So society at this time, there was a great disparity of peoples.

James teaches us that Jesus not only came to save us, but also to break down these social barriers that society put in place. There is a story that I found written from Precept Austin:

In 1884 a young man died, and after the funeral his grieving parents decided to establish a memorial to him. With that in mind they met with Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University. Eliot received the unpretentious couple into his office and asked what he could do. After they expressed their desire to fund a memorial, Eliot impatiently said, “Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship.”

“We were thinking of something more substantial than that...perhaps a building,” the woman replied. In a patronizing tone, Eliot brushed aside the idea as being too expensive and the couple departed.

The next year, Eliot learned that this plain pair had gone elsewhere and established a $26 million memorial named Leland Stanford Junior University, better known today as Stanford!

You know I love my old school saying and there is one that fits our sermon well today. That is: the saying, “Never judge a book by it’s cover.” Meaning one should not pass judgement on someone or something based solely on what you see on the outside. This morning, our first main point is that we should not show partiality and should we participate in that, it is a sin.

I. Showing Partiality is a sin

A. Partiality

a. Let’s jump right in to our text this morning. The bible says in James chapter two starting in verse one: My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

B. Addressing the issue

a. James does not hold back any punches here. We know from other bible passages that Jewish Christians would often show partiality to the Gentile believers.

b. This partiality was real and it was a big problem in the early church.

c. What was happening in the early church was that these Jewish Christians were giving preferential treatment to the rich by giving them better seats while ignoring the poor that came in their midst.