Pride And Prejudice- James 2:1-13 Series

Pride and Prejudice - James 2:1- 13

Thesis: The church team needs to ruthlessly root out the disease of pride and prejudice in its body because it is infecting others and they are dieing. We therefore need to create a vaccine that will stop the spread of these deadly plagues. The vaccine was created by the Lord and all we need to do is use the vaccine of Love.

Opening movie illustration from Remember The Titans.

This clip reminds us how important it is not to discriminate against others whether it is based on race, social status, money, power or the like. We need to treat each other with respect or we all lose.

Text: James 2:1-13:

1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don¡¦t show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If 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, 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5Listen, my dear brothers: 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? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, ¡§Do not commit adultery, also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

Illustration: The four hats sermon illustration from Bore No More page 49. The point of this illustration is to remind us that God wants us to love and honor everyone not just the rich or prestigious but everyone equally and a like.

Side Note about the series: Archeology discovery confirming James as Jesus Brother found just recently. KTIS talked about it.

Introduction:

I like what Jesse Duplantis says about pride and prejudice, he says that we were all made of dirt, that there’s white dirt, red dirt, yellow dirt, brown dirt, and black dirt, so we all came from the same place, we’re dirt. We would think that it crazy if we saw one clump of dirt telling another clump of dirt" I’m better than you are. "That is exactly what we do, when we tell someone who’s not the same color that we are, I’m better than you, or I’m so different than you that we can¡¦t associate with each other. We’re all just dirt and no matter what color dirt we are, we’re still just dirt.

I recall the times in my own life when I encountered the disease of pride and prejudice.

The person who led me to Jesus was an African American brother. I ended up attending his church which was a African American Pentecostal Church. Wow was it different from White Catholic Church I had known growing up. When I started attending the church I felt warmly embraced by all the brothers and sisters.

But I do recall times when I came in contact with the diseases of Pride and Prejudice. I became infected by the disease when my parents threw me out of the house because I started dating an African American Girl. I came home one day and my stuff was packed in my brother’s truck and I was told to leave.

I ran into the disease again one day in North Mpls. when a bunch of black guys told my girl friend Violet who was African American that light and dark don’t mix and that girl was to stay away from me. I came in contact with the disease again in my church one day when one of the brothers informed me that you we were instructed in the Bible that you were not to marry outside your race. I went to Pastor Nate and he instructed me that the brother was wrong. I once again ran into the disease by a sister when she made this comment, "Mike’s not white he is black on the inside and just white on the outside." I know she meant it as a compliment but the thought that I was not really white but really black. The truth is I am a Christian.