How To Treat People Right Series

A. All of us have FAVORITES.

1. We have a favorite ICE-CREAM, a favorite type of MUSIC, a favorite SPORT, and so on.

2. Sometimes we even show FAVORITES when it comes to people.

a. We have our circle of FRIENDS that we prefer being with over other people.

b. A PARENT may say to a child, “I wish you were more like your brother Robert.”

ILLUSTRATION:

Whether it is TRUE or just PERCEIVED as FAVORITISM, we often find families at odds with one another over how children or grandchildren are TREATED. If you do something for one, then you better do it for all or someone is going to get their feelings hurt.

c. The church is another place where FAVORITISM is often shown.

ILLUSTRATION:

Obviously in the church there are certain people that we RELATE to more than others. Some people are EASIER to TALK to. You can JOKE around with them and they don’t get ANGRY. Some people are more HELPFUL than others, and we naturally tend to DRAW CLOSER to those who are HARD WORKERS. We are all different PEOPLE, with different PERSONALITIES, but

with one single PURPOSE.

While we are pursuing that purpose of SHARING the gospel and BUILDING a church, we will always tend to get closer to people who THINK LIKE WE DO and who have an AGREEABLE PERSONALITY. After all, nobody likes to hang out with NEGATIVE people and people who get on your NERVES. Yet, even that creates the GROUNDWORK for FAVORITISM.

B. God knew of our POTENTIAL for playing FAVORITES and so he included a PRIME EXAMPLE of FAVORITISM in the Bible so that through this EXAMPLE we could learn that FAVORITISM can be the cause of a lot of SUFFERING and PAIN that could last for a LIFETIME.

ILLUSTRATION:

In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi, the CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER of India and one who paved way for India’s INDEPENDENCE before he was ASSASSINATED, wrote that during his days as a student he read the Gospels from the Christian Bible seriously and had 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.

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 back and WORSHIP with his own people of the HINDU faith.

Gandhi left the church that morning, DISAPPOINTED and DISILLUSIONED at what he had EXPERIENCED. He finally concluded that Christianity was not a RELIGION that he could AGREE with because Christians were not truly PEACEFUL people. He decided never to return to a Christian church again. “If Christians have CASTE differences and play FAVORITISM”, he wrote, “Then I might as well remain a Hindu.”

COMMENT:

Favoritism in the church is HARMFUL, it’s UNGODLY, and it can have dire ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES. As with Gandhi, there are some people who may be HURT and never ENTER the CHURCH again. FAVORITISM can cause them to LOSE their very SOUL.

MESSAGE:

I. A PRINCIPLE TO REMEMBER- 2:1 (READ)

A. James addresses the readers as “my brothers,” reminding us that the PROBLEM he is about to

DISCUSS is a FAMILY CONCERN.

1. Whenever he uses that TERM he is ready to point out something that needs to be CHANGED in

their lives.

a. The word “FAVORITISM” means “to receive one’s face” or to judge a person at face value.

b. One of the greatest problems that mankind has is JUDGING others at FIRST SIGHT without really even KNOWING the person. That’s not the way it is with God.

2. 1 Samuel 16:7b- “The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

B. There are a number of ways in which FAVORITISM shows up in the church today.

1. We can FAVOR people based on their GIFTS and ABILITIES.

COMMENT:

Who is the most important, the ELDER or the PREACHER? The YOUTH MINISTER or the WORSHIP MINISTER? The SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER or the STUDENT? The NURSERY WORKER or the GREETER at the Welcome Center? The truth is that one is not BETTER than the other, they are just utilizing different gifts.

2. We can show FAVORITISM on the basis of PERSONALITY.

COMMENT:

A person may be SHY, and we JUDGE him or her as being STUCK-UP or ARROGANT. A person may JOKE a lot and we JUDGE him or her as being SHALLOW. A person may be SMART and we JUDGE him or her as a “KNOW-IT-ALL.”

3. We can show FAVORITISM based on LOOKS.

COMMENT:

Whether a person is HOMELY or GOOD LOOKING, FAT or THIN, TALL or SHORT, WHITE or BLACK or BROWN, are often FACTORS determining our ASSOCIATION with that individual.