Here’s a typical scenario for you at Narita Airport. Let’s say John and Chihoko are flying to JFK. I’m the purser or the head steward. I’m at the door to greet the passengers when they come on the 777. I see Chihoko dressed in very fine clothes. She is like the person we just read about. She has an economy class ticket, but because she is dressed so nice, I take her to the first class section and offer a seat there. She is going to have it really nice for the next 12 hours. John comes on the 777. He is also holding an economy class ticket. But because he isn’t very nicely dressed I send him back to economy class. As a matter of class economy class is full. I tell him to sit on the floor by the door of the 777 and don’t get in anybody’s way.
What have I just done here? I have discriminated. I favored Chihoko over John and I was partial to her. What does God think about that? We don’t have to worry because James covers it. Convicting isn’t it? And we’re only in chapter 2. Gomennasai, we are going to finish this book. Stay with me. Remember you want to be all God wants you to be. James is going to show you how. Let me also say that God is also going to help you do it. Do any of you remember these verses in Philippians?
Philippians 2:12 ¶ Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
We have to work out our salvation before God. Paul doesn’t say work for your salvation, but work out your salvation. In other words you need to come before God with an attitude of fear and trembling and ask God to help you live out what He wants you to do. But the good news, in verse 13 is that He is behind you. He’s working in you to help you to want what He wants and to do what He wants.
OK, let’s see what James says about partiality. The first thing he says is don’t do it. Don’t have this attitude.
James 2:1 ¶ My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
In other words, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, don’t favor one over another. Now let me clarify something. He is talking about favoring the rich over the poor. You know those who are rich like me; flying first class on a 777 and wearing a gold Rolex. And he is talking about the poor like the rest of you all. Not quite. Remember the only reason I wear a Rolex is because my father wanted me to have it after he died. And the only reason I fly first class is because I’m retired from AA and I can fly if there are seats available.
James is going to give an example of discrimination between the rich and the poor, and probably he is using a situation like we’re in right now, in church.
James 2:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
James 2:3 If 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,"
Think it’s funny? It actually happens in some places. When I lived in Houston, I used to be an usher in my church. I liked ushering. I would usually be at the back of the sanctuary before the service. I would greet people coming in, offer them a church bulletin and help them find a seat. Often if they were first time visitors I could answer their questions about the church. Someone said that the first impression someone gets of the church is how they are treated by the ushers. Now this church had a lot of wealthy members. We were well to do as a body. Most of the men wore suits and the women wore Sunday dresses. You usually did not see someone coming in blue jeans or shorts. But it didn’t matter. I would treat each person the same as they came in. Just a little side note. I had a friend with Campus Crusade for Christ who belonged to that church and would come there when he was in town. He used to give me a hard time during the offering. When I handed him the offering plate he wouldn’t take it. And if I was collecting the plate he would hold on to it tightly so I couldn’t take it from him. Don’t any of you get any ideas.
What is wrong with this situation James describes in verse 4?
James 2:4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Because when you discriminate among others like this, and show favoritism to the rich you make yourself to be a judge, and your motives are not good. Why is this so serious you ask me? Because as we’re going to see later if you do this, you have become guilty of violating God’s law and that can have severe results for you.
We’re going to see 4 questions that will answer the big question of why this is wrong and unreasonable.
James 2:5 Listen, 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?
First, let’s look at what the poor will inherit. Someone said that to the rich person, life is heaven on earth, because they have everything they need and more. Because the poor don’t have anything or they don’t have much, life on earth is pretty much a purgatory for them, but they have heaven awaiting them. James says they are rich in faith. Do you know what I notice about rich people? They have everything they need so they don’t need to depend on God to meet their needs. You can get proud as a result. And they can be snobby and look down on poor people. The poor by contrast are rich in faith and they have the kingdom to look forward to.
Let me clarify something. Is it wrong to be rich? Does God condemn being rich? The answer to both questions is no. Because God is the one who distributes to each one. I have seen that there are many people He blesses abundantly. I told you about the church in Houston I ushered at. Many of the people there were wealthy. I was privileged to be a guest in many of their homes. And they were nice. We have mansions here. In my country when you speak of a mansion you are talking about a very large house. Maybe the size of this whole church. I will also tell you that many of these saints were among the most godly people I knew. And on more than one occasion they shared their abundance with me.
I was not among the rich. As a matter of fact I was living in a small apartment not making much at all. It was sometimes hard for me because these people had everything they wanted and I didn’t have much. But what does James say about the poor? They are rich in faith and will inherit God’s kingdom. Does that mean if you are rich that you are poor in faith and you will not inherit God’s kingdom? Not at all. I think what we need to remember is that we should not show favoritism to the rich. And remember whether you are rich or poor, everything you have belongs to God and He wants you to manage it well. So if you are making a lot of money God will hold you accountable for how you use it. Some people He doesn’t bless with material wealth because they would not be able to manage it in a way that is pleasing to God. In the Bible we are told that God will entrust us with more, only if we are good stewards of what He has given us now. So if you can’t manage 100,000 yen what makes you think you can manage 1,000,000 yen?
Luke 12:48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 16:10 ¶ "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
This is a statement of character. Are you this kind of person? There are some people I would trust with my personal belongings; I can give them something valuable and never worry about it. There are other’s I would not trust to come over to my place and feed Simone. Why? Because I see how they manage what they have. I remember several years ago having a Casio digital watch. It was long before I got my Rolex. A co worker asked if he could borrow it because he had to go somewhere. He broke it. I still cannot understand how, because those watches are very hard to break. But he was not a responsible person, and I never entrusted him to anything again. Well let me also say that we need to remember everything we have is God’s and we are to take care of it while we are here. Because remember we won’t take it with us when we die.
See when we favor the rich, James says we are discriminating against the poor. Look at verse 6.
James 2:6 But 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?
He has a good point. Because while I’ve never been dragged into court, if it ever does happen it’s by a rich person. Or it’s the rich people that take advantage of me, not the poor ones. I’ve had the privilege of being on jury duty several times. Most people when they go to court always have a lawyer to represent them. Did you know that in my country lawyers are very rich? It is a very high paying profession. And yes, their fees are very high. If I were a very rich person and you so much put a dent in my car or in my Rolex, I will take you to court and sue you every penny I can get. Don’t believe me? Come to my country. See the rich have to worry about everything they have. They have a lot more to worry about than we do. But like James says, the rich usually are the ones who take advantage of the poor, not the other way around. I don’t need to worry about being dragged into court by a poor person, because they usually don’t have the money to pay the lawyers fees.
And they are the one who speak out against us. Look at verse 7.
James 2:7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you believe in Jesus Christ, you belong to Him. You don’t belong to yourself. Whether you like it or not, you belong to Him. And very often it is the rich who speak out against the Lord. His name is a noble name. It’s the name above all names. Remember what Paul said about Jesus?
Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Philippians 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is the name that every knee shall bow to and every tongue confess He is Lord. This is the name you belong to and you are identified with. This is the name that often gets slandered. Last week I shared with you how I got an email about persecution in Orissa, India. Let’s remember to keep praying for the Christians there.
Do you remember what Jesus said about how we need to treat others? It is the 2nd greatest commandment.
James 2:8 ¶ If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
This actually comes from the OT.
Leviticus 19:18 "’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Treat your neighbor the same way you treat yourself. I think all of us treat ourselves pretty good don’t we? Jesus later quotes this in response to the question, what is the greatest commandment?
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Can anyone tell me what is the greatest commandment? It also comes from the OT.
Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Love God with everything in you. Or like we sing at Jesus Way, Love Jesus.
Want to give yourself a pat on the back? Are you keeping this law? James says it’s a Royal Law because it was given to us by the King of Kings.
But before you pat yourself on the back you also need to remember what James says about those who don’t keep this law.
James 2:9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
You sin, he says. You are a lawbreaker. What’s so bad about that? All right I’ll tell you. I remember my first flight on a 777. I was flying DFW-LGW and it was the first week we put the 777 in service. I was in business class and in talking to the man next to me we got into a discussion about spiritual things. He told me, “I keep the 10 Commandments.” Have you ever had anyone tell you that? I have a book by Andy Stanley, “How Good is Good Enough.” You see this book is based on the assumption that good people go to heaven. OK, how good to you need to be? How good is good enough? And in one chapter he wrote about a woman telling him that she keeps the 10 Commandments. Stanley went on to ask her if she knew what the 10 Commandments were. She didn’t even know where they were in the Bible. She didn’t know what they said and where they were. But she concluded that she was OK because she didn’t break any of them. But you know what? Stanley went on to say that there is no connection between keeping the 10 Commandments and going to heaven.
The 10 Commandments were given to Israel and they revealed the righteous character of God and the laws for His people. When you read them, do you see God’s holy and righteous standards? Now of course, Israel didn’t keep them, but God never abandoned His people. Instead He sent prophets to warn them, and when they didn’t heed the warnings, they were sent into exile.
Just to show you that if you break the 2nd greatest commandment you break the whole law, James will now quote from Jesus with 2 of the 10 Commandments. And remember to break one law is to break them all. Don’t believe me? Stay with me.
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
James 2:11 For 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.
Let me quote these from the OT. They are directly from the 10 Commandments.
Exodus 20:13 ¶ "You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:14 ¶ "You shall not commit adultery.
Someone said that these sins were great sins. Now after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses was speaking to a new generation of Israelites. And in the book of Deuteronomy he gives them the law.
Deuteronomy 5:17 ¶ "You shall not murder.
Deuteronomy 5:18 ¶ "You shall not commit adultery.
OK, you tell me, this doesn’t apply to me. I haven’t murdered anyone and I haven’t committed adultery either. Let’s see what Jesus said about these. This is what He said in the Sermon on the Mount. Let’s start with murder.
Matthew 5:21 ¶ "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ’Raca, ’is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ’You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
As a matter of fact John went on to say that the one who hates his brother is guilty of murder.
1 John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
This may refer to one who does not believe in Jesus, but if you hate your brother, you are a murderer. I won’t ask for a show of hands on this one, but I think we’re all guilty of it. I know I am.
Let’s look at adultery.
Matthew 5:27 ¶ "You have heard that it was said, ’Do not commit adultery.’
Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
This one applies to men only. I won’t even point to anyone on this because I break this one every day.
James uses these because these are both very serious violations of the law. Anyone remember what the penalty was for breaking either of these laws?
James goes on to say that if you break any of these laws you have broken the entire law.
James 2:11 For 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.
Who did the law come from? All of it or some of it? You break one law, you’ve broken them all. Go back to the 10 Commandments. Here’s a good one if anyone tells you they keep the 10 Commandments. Ask them if they’ve ever murdered someone. They will probably tell you they haven’t. Then ask them if they have ever hated someone. Remind them what Jesus says about that. Ask them if they’ve ever committed adultery. They will probably tell you they haven’t. Remind them what Jesus said, to lust after a woman is to commit adultery. Now tell them something like this. “You told me you keep the 10 Commandments. I’ve already asked you about 2 of them and you’ve broken both of them. And we still have 8 more Commandments to go.” See where I’m coming from? That’s why showing partiality to the rich is a sin against the 2nd greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. If you break it, you’ve broken the whole law. Seems pretty hopeless here.
Please remember that these words are not written to tell you how to become a Christian. James is writing to those who already believe in Jesus, to those who want to become mature in their faith. If you want to grow and become mature in your faith, you’re at the right place. And if you don’t want to grow, gomennasai, I’m going to finish this book anyway.
See we need to remember that we are going to be judged by the same law we judge others by. And remember, it is through keeping the law that leads us to freedom. Remember the whale? Do Not Touch.
James 2:12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
Paul says a lot judging by the law in the first 3 chapters of Romans. But suffice it to say, we will be judged by the same standards in which we judge others.
Because, what’s the consequence of being without mercy? We will be judged without mercy. Look at verse 13.
James 2:13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Do you remember my coworker who broke my Casio digital watch? I could have insisted he get me a new one. I didn’t. I just told him to forget it. I showed mercy on him. That wasn’t really my intention, I just felt he was not a responsible person, so I just dropped it.
Several years ago I did some damage to my father’s car. He could have insisted I pay for the damage. But he said, instead he wants me to learn from this experience and be more careful when I drive. He showed me mercy. I was very thankful.
What is your response when someone shows you mercy instead of judgment? It should be one of thanksgiving, because James closes with mercy triumphing over judgment.
See when we’re not partial to the rich it is a chance for us to grow and a sign of spiritual maturity.
I had a phone interview with a church near Seattle, Washington this past week. I also heard from the Japanese church in Edmonton, Canada too. As I leave here and hopefully become a pastor I need to remind myself to show the same pastoral love, care and discipling to the poor person just as much as I would to the one who has the money to keep our church from going bankrupt.
Because while some of us might have more wealth than others, we’re all the same in God’s eyes. When I lived in Houston, and I saw others who had much more wealth than I did, I always thought that God favored them over me; He loved them more than He loved me. That’s not true at all, because I also have riches in Christ and an inheritance in heaven. But also remember this. Have you received God’s mercy through His Son Jesus Christ. Because as we see, if we break one law we have broken the entire law. We have sinned against God’s law. And we deserve death for that. I won’t go into it again because I already told you, but remember the penalty for sinning against God is death. And if you don’t believe in Jesus, and you die without believing in Him, you will be judged, not by a human law, but by God’s law. And God WILL judge without partiality. The penalty is death. But remember how James closed with mercy triumphs over judgment? God decided to judge His Son Jesus Christ for our sins. That means He paid the penalty when He died on the cross. So if you receive His payment for your sins, you have eternal life. You are still guilty of breaking the law. But because of God’s mercy someone else paid the penalty. If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you will receive God’s mercy instead of judgment. Mercy definitely triumphs over judgment here.
Remember that God loves each and every one of us. He doesn’t discriminate on the basis of sex, color or nationality. And He doesn’t discriminate on the basis of whether we’re rich or poor. Let’s show the same impartiality to others and love others the same way we love ourselves. Let’s pray.
