Don’t Play Favorites
James 2:1-13
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How many of you watched the Blackhawks win the Stanley cup?
It was pretty amazing and those from Chicago were excited. Those from Philadelphia were not so excited to see the Blackhawks win. That is because the Blackhawks were not their favorite team.
No matter what city you travel too, it seems that people are going to be having their favorite teams. Maybe it is because you are from that town, or someone else on the team is from where you live, but many people’s favorite teams are often not based on them being good or not. Just ask Cubs fans.
No often it is based on external factors of location or something like that.
Now there is nothing wrong with having favorite sports teams. In fact people have a lot of favorites. We have favorite foods, and activities and tv shows and movies. We even have favorite people.
Now in the world, people are often treated differently based on external factors, who you know, how rich you are, what you are wearing, what you look like.
This is something that is hurtful to individual people, when a decision about how a person is being treated is being made on such superficial grounds.
And while this does go on in the world, it doesn’t make it right and it is something that should never be going on in the church.
Turn with me to James 2:1-13
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This morning we are continuing our series real faith for real life as we work through the book of James and we are going to see that a real faith does not play favorites.
We are going to see that
a real faith treats others as we would like to be treated and
a real faith lives in light of the incredible mercy we have been shown.
James 2:1-13
1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. 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. 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," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
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? 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? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking 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 commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Pray
Ok, James begins by addressing a problem that is going on in the early church that people are playing favorites in regards to who is coming into the church.
He says in James 2:1 - My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
I think it is important to understand what James means when he talks about favoritism.
What does it mean to play favorites?
Many times it is helpful to understand something by knowing what it doesn’t mean.
Playing Favorites – What it doesn’t Mean
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We need to read Scripture in light of other teachings because sometimes, we misunderstand what is being said.
James is not saying that we are to treat everyone identically.
For instance,
It doesn’t mean…
We don’t show Respect
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There are times that out of respect, we will show favor to one person over another.
For example in 1 Timothy, Paul told Timothy to only put widows on the list of who would be helped out by the church if they were over 60 years old (1 Timothy 5:9) and only if she had been faithful to her husband.
Paul was saying that people should be treated differently out of respect.
We would think it perfectly acceptable, and I believe rightly so, if we had a young man and an older woman come into our sanctuary, and there was only one seat left, the seat was given to the older woman.
It is not an issue of favoritism as James would describe, it is an issue of respect.
The same would be true for people in high office.
We respect the position even if we don’t necessarily respect the person.
In Acts 23, we see Paul rebuking the high priest (though he did not know it at the time). But when he found out, he said, “I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ’Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’ (Acts 23:5)
He understood the office demanded respect, even if the person did not.
I believe that the same would be true about the office of the President. We need to show respect for the office even if we don’t respect the person.
so James is not talking about not showing respect for certain people above others, when he says don’t play favorites.
It doesn’t mean…
We don’t make distinctions
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There will be times that we distinguish actions toward someone based on a circumstance or need.
For instance, if we give someone money because of a need, it does not mean that we have to give everyone money, regardless if they need it or not.
We make a distinction between people.
I make distinctions on Sunday mornings a lot.
I try to spend less time with people who are here regularly, but try to spend more time with people who may be visiting for the first time or who are newer.
I know those who are here regularly, I can more easily speak with during the week or at other times, but that is not the case always with those who are newer.
So I make a distinction between people who have been here and someone who is newer.
When James is talking about not playing favorites, he is not saying that we should never make distinctions between people and that if we spend 5 minutes with one person, we need to spend 5 minutes with each person.
Ok, so if James doesn’t mean that everyone is treated exactly the same, what does he mean when He says don’t show favoritism, or don’t’ play favorites?
Playing favorites – What it Does Mean
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James means that
We don’t judge based on appearances
The word translated “favoritism” in verse 1, or “Partiality” in some Bibles, comes from a term meaning to accept or judge according to face.
It is making a judgment toward someone, good or bad, based upon some outward appearance or look.
James goes on to give an example of this.
Look at
James 2:2-4
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. 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," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
He is saying that you should not favor one person over another based on a judgment arrived at due to external appearances.
Rolls Royce vs a beater
If on Sunday morning, I said to myself, “oh look, this person pulled up in a Rolls Royce and another new person pulled up in rusting out beater” and I said, to myself, “I will spend more time with this rich person and not with the poor person” because they aren’t as valuable to me or the church, I would be judging this persons value based on some external appearance or factor.
James would say that I have discriminated and become a judge with evil thoughts.
Now, while this happens out in the business world all the time, it shouldn’t. And James says that it certainly should not happen in the church.
Unfortunately, I think this type of favoritism does happen in the church sometimes. And I think sometimes, it seems so acceptable to us that we don’t even know it.
Check out this video for an example of how we might sometimes, without even knowing it, make judgments toward someone.
Evangelism – Different people
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How many of you thought the guy having the conversation with himself was the guy in the sport coat, because the guy with the tattoos is the guy who obviously needed the Lord?
We make judgments about people based on external factors and treat people differently based on those judgments all the time.
God tells us through James that we play favorites when we judge based on externals and it is due to the evil within us. He says we “become judges with evil thoughts” (v. 4b)
The text goes on to tell us that when we judge by appearance we
Disregard God’s Word
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James 2:5
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?
James here is alluding to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the beatitudes.
Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
When we make judgments about people based on their material wealth, we are disregarding the teaching of the Lord.
The simple fact is that, generally speaking, those who are wealthy often feel self sufficient. This is not an indictment of everyone with money, but it is generally true and it is a temptation to everyone who has money, to be self reliant. It is something that needs to be guarded against.
It is the poor who we often find are great people of faith because they don’t have other things to rely on. God is their source and their strength.
When we honor the rich over the poor based solely on their wealth or there external appearance, we disregard the teaching of the word.
Not only that, but we also
Dishonor God
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While we dishonor God when we disregard his word, we also dishonor him by honoring those who dishonor Him.
Look at
James 2:6-7
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? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
The rich, whom the Christians were playing favorites with, were not only dragging them into court, but they were slandering the name of Christ.
When we base who we are favoring or we are making judgments in favor of someone based solely on their wealth or external appearance, without consideration of their lifestyle and their view of the Lord, we dishonor God.
An Objection
We might say, that yes, they are slandering the Lord, but that just shows that they need Him, so we need to spend time with them and favor them so we can share the Lord with them, just like we needed.
James addresses this thought in the next verse.
James 2:8 - If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
If that is your true motive and you are really not playing favorites based on evil thoughts or selfishness, then you do right. But we really need to check our motives and our heart in circumstances like this because we can deceive ourselves.
The Lord tells us through Jeremiah that “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
After James tells them that if that is really their motive, that is good, but them brings them back to reality if they are really showing favoritism.
James 2:9-11
9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking 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 commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
James is addressing some people who were thinking, “well even if I do show favoritism, it’s not like I killed someone or really sinned.”
Those of you with a Catholic background like me, may be thinking in terms of venial sins vs. mortal sins.
Some sins are really not so bad while others are.
James says not so fast.
Sin is sin.
And while it is true that some sins have different earthly consequences compared to some other sins, when we have sinned at all, no matter how big or small we think it is, it is the same as breaking the whole law in God’s eyes.
We have disobeyed him and because of that we have been separated from Him.
Don’t think that if you are playing favorites with people, judging them by their external appearance, and that is affecting how you treat them, that you are not really as bad as other people.
You are a sinner James tells us.
And it is because of your sin, that Christ needed to go to the Cross and make atonement so that you could receive mercy and grace and forgiveness.
James goes on to remind the readers that they need to live in light of this grace and mercy and forgiveness they have received and he tells us that
Instead of Casting Judgment, we need to extend Mercy
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James 2:12-13
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
We need to not be playing favorites with people based upon external appearances.
Yes, there are times we make judgments about people, but that is in the church and not based on external appearances.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, that God will judge those outside the church, but when Christians conduct themselves in ways that are disparaging to Christ and the church by some open and public sin from which they refuse to repent, we should judge that and remove them from the church.
But we need not judge others based on how things appear.
Jesus says in
Matthew 7:1-2
7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
We don’t need to be casting judgment on people. We can trust the Lord to do that rightly.
Instead, we need to be extending mercy, just as the Lord did to us, even when we didn’t deserve it. Romans 5:8 - While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Always keep in mind that as a believer in Jesus Christ, judgment for your sin has already been paid for by Jesus Christ, and now we are not facing the judgment that we so rightly deserve, but we are receiving God’s mercy and grace.
In light of that mercy and grace we have received, we need to be extending mercy to others.
God tells us through Paul in Romans 15:7 - Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Again, listen to James
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:12-13)
Conclusion
To truly be able to extend mercy to others, you need to experience the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in your own life.
We only do that, when we receive His mercy and grace, and we do that when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior.
To do that we need to recognize our need.
We need a Savior because we are sinners.
Each one of us here are sinners. No matter what we have done, as James said, it is like breaking the whole law.
We need to know our need.
And we need to know that Jesus is the Savior, that He is God who came here and put on flesh and died to pay the price for your sins. But death could not hold him. He rose from the dead and defeated death and sin and offers us freedom.
Freedom from a bondage to sin. Freedom from living in sin.
Freedom to live for Him.
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior, if you have never confessed him as Lord and believed in your heart that he died for you and rose again, then you have not experienced the mercy and grace that God desires to give to you.
You don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. None of us deserve it.
If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your savior and experience the mercy and grace he wants to give, then we are going to close and I am going to lead in a prayer and if you want to receive Him and you truly recognize your need and believe in Who Jesus is and what He did, then confess that to the Lord and repent of your sins and receive the gift of eternal life by his grace.
Let’s pray.
