INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Have you noticed that in life there are sins that we really do not give much thought to?
• We understand big ones like, murder, stealing, etc... You can add to the list.
• There are sins that are a little more subtle. On the surface they do not really seem to cause much harm, they usually are the ones that do not get much thought.
• I want to open with a passage that illustrates the issue at hand to day. It is the story of Isaac and his wife Rebekah. They were getting ready to have twin sons.
• SLIDE #2
• Genesis 25:24–28 (ESV) 24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
• Do you see some possible problems?
• This subtle sin of favoritism went on to cause many problems within the family of Jacob and Esau.
• Favoritism is something that can undermine the progress of the gospel and undermine the growth of a church.
• In James 1:19-27, James tells us to put our beliefs into practice.
• In our passage today, we are going to be given another practical lesson on how to live out our faith.
• Let’s turn in our bibles to James 2
• SLIDE #3
• James 2:1 (ESV) My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
• Let us begin by seeing…
• SLIDE #4
SERMON
I. Favoritism does not belong in God’s family. (1)
• What is God commanding?
• Favoritism is treating on person better than another.
• The original word meant to “lift up the face of someone” or to receive with favor”. In practical terms, it means that we are not to put people above other people.
• WE are to treat and look at all people with the same love and concern no matter what they look like, what they wear or where they are on the economic ladder.
• The church we guilty of showing favoritism and James is telling them to stop doing it now!
• SLIDE #5
• Galatians 2:6 (ESV) 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.
• Favoritism during Jesus day was a common practice, even Jesus’ disciples wanted preferential treatment (Mark 10:35-ff)
• The Pharisees were built on favoritism.
• SLIDE #6
• Luke 11:43 (ESV) 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
• This command is addressed to God’s family.
• James makes it clear to whom he is speaking by addressing the readers “My brothers”
• This command to not practice Favoritism is rooted in the depth of our faith.
• James appeals to a single fact that holds us together. It is our faith in Jesus. What gives anyone the right to tell us what we should do as Christians? It is because we proclaim our faith in Jesus.
• WE are told that as we possess our faith we are to listen to this command.
• Why should I do what the Bible says? It is because I proclaim a great faith in a great God!
• Let’s look at verses 2-3
• SLIDE #7
• James 2:2–3 (ESV) 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,”
• SLIDE #8
II. Favoritism in HD. (2-3)
• In order for the readers to get what James was saying, he gives them an example, I wonder if it was a true example?
• Whenever a person of wealth would come into the church, people would flock around them and give them special treatment because they were hoping to benefit from the wealthy person.
• The example is of a rich person and a poor person coming into the assembly.
• In the society of James time, there was no upward mobility. Whatever class you were born into was the class you were more than likely going to die in.
• This is like the Caste system in India. Think of how cruel this system is. In The USA, the poorest person has a chance to rise to where ever they want to.
• This is just an example of favoritism, but the only example. It was the most glaring one of their time, but what about today?
• How do we show favoritism in the church today?
• I do not know if we give preferential seating to people, but are there people who we will not try to take the gospel to? Are we willing to go all into all of the community and try to reach them for Christ? Are we willing to reach out to all races and social-economic classes?
• Are there certain “types” of people that we do not want in our church?
• Do we show preferential treatment to ourselves by not wanting to change what we need to change in order to reach the lost in this community?
• Will we try to reach out to people who look rough? CMA BIKERS
• I have some issues when a church says it is going to target a certain group of people. WE need to target all the lost people in this community.
• Let look at a final issue pertaining to favoritism.
• SLIDE #9
III. The damage caused by favoritism. (4-9)
• Besides the important issue of faith we see three reasons to avoid favoritism in verses 4-9.
• Look at verse 4-5
• SLIDE #10
• James 2:4–5 (ESV) 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
• SLIDE #11
A. The personal damage.
• Judges with evil motives?
• The early church had many people who were poor and so it was tempting to make over the wealthy that would come because of the benefits that could come.
• We have to be careful not to judge people by the world’s standards. The world embraces wealth, fame and good looks. The world looks at the external more than what is in a person.
• We also need to remember that Galatians 3:28 says that we are all one in Christ.
• When we show preferences to who we reach with the gospel, we have wrong intentions. We need to see people as Jesus saw them. Jesus reached out to all people.
• WE need to treat each other with equal love and attention.
• We are a family and when there is preferential treatment within a family, it causes all kinds of trouble.
• Remember Jacob and Esau? Remember Joseph and his brothers?
• When we show favoritism we hurt ourselves because we become judges with evil motives, that is something we do not want to become.
• We are taking the place of God when we show favoritism because they person we are rejecting is the one God wants to accept!
• God uses a different standard. This verse does not mean that the rich cannot come to Christ, but instead he is saying that God wants those who are spiritually poor to come to Him. MAT 5:3 ¶ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Jesus first followers were common people they were people who were locked into their position in life. Jesus message was that this life is not all there is.
• He told them that they would have a great reward wanting for them in heaven.
• There is a tendency when we are financially well off to forget God and not to rely on Him.
• SLIDE #12
• James 2:6–7 (ESV) 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
• SLIDE #13
B. The collateral damage.
• Have you ever felt the sting of being pushed aside? This is a feeling that people in the church should not feel.
• Have you been the one who was reluctantly taken on the team when sides were chosen?
• In the text James says that the rich of his time would basically take advantage of the poor.
• James points this out to those who would be tempted to give preferential treatment to the wealthy of the time.
• We can destroy the opportunity for others to come to Christ. I have seen this in a church I served before.
• The church ignored some guests, only literally only Robyn and I were the only ones to show them any attention, they did not last long.
• Make sure when we do things such as our greeting time that you make the effort to go across the room to greet someone especially if you do not know them.
• SLIDE #14
• James 2:8–9 (ESV) 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
• SLIDE #15
C. The relationship damage.
• Some of the people would rationalize their preferential treatment by saying that they were fulfilling God’s law to love your neighbor as yourself.
• Our neighbors are more than the people we know, we need to love everyone equally.
• SLIDE #16
• John 15:12 (ESV) 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
• James says it in plain language, if we show partiality, we are committing a sin.
• The early church was not carrying out the mission that Jesus gave to them in Acts 1:8 to go into the whole world and be His witnesses.
• They felt that Jesus was just for the Jews, it was not until the stoning of Stephen, and the following persecution that the church finally got out of Jerusalem.
• Then it took Paul and later Peter in Acts 10:34 to take the gospel to all the nations. Peter discovered that there is no partiality with God.
CONCLUSION
• Favoritism may seem like a trivial thing to us, but it is an important thing for us to guard against.
• If we try to win only certain types of people to Christ, we are showing favoritism. God will not bless that type of attitude from us.
• If we bring people in to the body (the church) and they do not feel loved and accepted, then we will loose them as quick as we bring them in.
• Favoritism is not consistent with the teaching of Jesus, it shows a lack of mercy.
• As a Christian, this is one of the many areas where we cannot be like the world.
• Let’s make sure that we are loving and caring for each other without partiality.
• Let us make sure that when people walk through our doors, they feel and are shown the love of Christ no matter who they are or what they look like.
• Let us love people because of our love for Jesus.
