Introduction:
A. There’s story told about a Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young Bostonian who was being considered for employment.
1. The Boston investment house where the young man worked could not say enough about the young man.
2. In their letter of recommendation, they wrote: His father was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell.
3. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and other of Boston’s first families.
4. His recommendation was given without hesitation.
5. Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying that the information supplied was altogether inadequate; it read: “We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work. Is he a competent and capable worker?”
B. There are many things about God that the Bible is very clear about, and one of them is that God does not show favoritism.
1. Favoritism is partiality or bias or prejudice – they are all forms of injustice.
2. They involve the formation of opinions about a person based on factors that have nothing to do with their character or behavior.
3. It is a prejudgment based on superficialities – most of which a person has little or no control over.
4. Showing favoritism is to discriminate against someone based on outward physical conditions or characteristics such as race, social class, wealth, or clothing.
5. Showing favoritism is incongruent with God’s character.
a. Romans 2:11 says: “God does not show favoritism.”
b. Ephesians 6:9 says, “There is no favoritism with him.”
c. Colossians 3:25 teaches God’s fairness in judgment: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”
d. The apostle Peter discovered this truth when he went to the house of a Gentile named Cornelius and God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles, so Peter declared: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34)
C. And because God does not show favoritism, He doesn’t want His people to show favoritism, either.
1. Many years ago, when the famous Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi was a student, he considered becoming a Christian.
a. He read the Gospels and was moved by them.
b. It seemed to him that Christianity offered a solution to the caste system that plagued the people of India.
2. But then one Sunday, Gandhi visited a local church.
a. He had decided to talk with the minister and ask for instruction on the way of salvation.
b. But when he entered the church, which consisted of white people, the ushers refused to give him a seat.
c. They told him to go and worship with his own people.
3. Gandhi left and never went back, saying: “If Christians have caste differences also, I might as well remain a Hindu.” (from “Our Daily Bread,” [Feb., 1979]).
D. As we move from the first chapter of James into the second, we see that James builds on the theme of being doers of the Word of God.
1. James tackles one of the great challenges for us as humans and that is the challenge of NOT showing favoritism.
2. The problems of prejudice and the respect of persons is a problem that has to be faced afresh by every generation.
3. In James’ day the problem was between rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, Roman and barbarian.
4. Today it is between rich and poor, management and labor, educated and uneducated, white and black, American and foreign, and godly and ungodly.
5. The problem is still here, and each of us has to face it…even in the church.
E. So, let’s move through this passage from James and see how he tackles the issue, so that we can be the kind of people and the kind of church that pleases God.
I. First, James points out The Spiritual Problem – Our Human Tendency To Show Favoritism
A. James begins, “My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” (2:1)
1. Notice how James describes our faith – it is faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus is truly glorious – so powerful, so good, so loving to everyone.
3. James is saying that we can’t hold on to our faith in our glorious Lord and hold on to favoritism at the same time.
4. Showing favoritism or prejudice runs counter to the character of Christ and our faith in Him.
5. And even though Jesus was truly glorious, He humbled Himself and identified Himself with everyone, even the poor and oppressed.
B. If I asked you this question, how would you respond? “Are you a Christian Snob?”
1. All of us would probably respond, “Of course not! I’m not a Christian Snob!”
2. But if we are honest with ourselves, then we have to admit that we have to fight against the tendency to judge others in very unspiritual ways, right?
3. It is so easy for us to walk around with an unpublished list in our minds of those who are desirable and those who are undesirable. (Let’s be honest here, let’s not deceive ourselves!)
4. It’s easy to judge people by their wealth – how are they dressed, what kind of car do they drive? Where do they live and work?
5. It’s easy to judge people by their education – did they finish high school and college? Do they sound smart and sophisticated?
6. It’s easy to judge people by their looks – are they old or young? Good looking or ugly? Heavy or thin? What is their nationality or the color of their skin?
7. It’s easy to judge people by their family situation – are they married or divorced? How many times? What about the kids – did they have them while married or unmarried – are they well behaved and successful?
C. James wrote to tell us that these kind of judgments are sinful.
1. “If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (2:9)
2. The word translated “favoritism” comes from two words – “to receive” and “face.”
3. “To receive by face” is to evaluate a person on the basis of surface characteristics.
D. James then illustrates the problem with a common occurrence.
1. He gives us a hypothetical situation – “suppose two visitors come to worship one Sunday.”
2. The first is a man named Joe - he is a poor, homeless man.
a. Joe comes in a shabby old coat and dirty hat.
b. He hasn’t shaved in days and reeks with body odor and alcohol.
c. How are we as a congregation going to treat him? Will we warmly welcome him? Will we be willing to get to know him and to try to really help him?
3. The second visitor that morning is named Bill - you recognize Bill don’t you? - he just happens to be one of the richest men in the world.
a. Try to imagine how it would feel to have Bill Gates attend our church.
b. How would we treat him?
c. Would it be hard not to fall all over ourselves in our response to him?
4. But the truth of the matter is – both visitors are just men with souls; equally loved by God.
5. Our goal should be to try to treat both men with the same love of God. Wouldn’t you agree?
6. A similar version of this story happened one Sunday in Bel Aire Presbyterian Church.
a. Then Governor Ronald Reagan and Nancy often attended the congregation and usually sat in the same seats – just off the center about two-thirds of the way back.
b. On a particular Sunday, the Governor and his wife were running a little late, and two college students had occupied the seats the Reagans usually sat in.
c. An usher came down the aisle and asked the students to take different seats off to the side.
d. The students moved, and Ron and Nancy Reagan were brought in and seated.
e. To his credit, the pastor of that congregation immediately got up from his place on the platform and walked over to the college students and apologized saying, “As long as I’m working with this church what just happened to you will never happen again!” (Quoted in David Jeremiah, Turning Toward Integrity, Victor Books, 1993, p. 64)
E. But, sadly and sinfully, favoritism like that happens far too often in the church, but this should not be the case for many reasons that James is about to give us.
1. The church must be the one place in the world where the things which serve to classify and separate people must not be allowed.
2. The church must be a place where all people are equally loved and valued.
3. The church is not a place to worship people, but to worship Almighty God.
F. Behind the battle lines in WWI, there were places called “rest houses” which were designed to serve as places of fellowship for all soldiers – whether officers or enlisted men.
1. These words were posted over the entrance of these houses: “Abandon all rank, ye who enter here.”
2. The same must be done when entering the blessed house where God’s people gather. Amen!
II. Second, James points out The Spiritual Reality – God has Chosen the Poor to be Rich
A. James wrote: “Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? (2:5)
1. This is God’s Sovereign choice and principle - God’s ways often turn everything upside down!
2. James introduced this topic and this truth back chapter one when he wrote: Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. (1:9-10)
a. Back in that sermon, we discussed the meaning of these verses and concluded that James was saying that the brother or sister in humble circumstances (i.e., the Christian who is poor with regard to worldly treasure) is to take pride in his or her high position (i.e., they share in the spiritual treasure which is God’s free gift to him or her).
b. The Christian who is poor is valued by God and has every privilege and provision from God because they are God’s children, God’s heirs.
c. But on the other hand, we learned that the rich person should rejoice in their low position, because they will pass away like a wild flower.
d. The rich person should learn that their material riches are not able to buy spiritual security.
e. The rich person should also recognize that having a right relationship to God is available only in Christ, and has nothing to do with their money.
3. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul shared the same principle: Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence. (1 Cor. 1:26-29).
4. We must not get things backwards, but we must value the things that God values.
B. James then asked a series of questions to try to wake up the church to this spiritual reality.
1. Why in the world would they want to cater to the rich and insult the poor?
2. Was it not the rich who were exploiting them?
a. Most early Christians were likely among the poor who were being exploited by the rich.
3. Were not the rich people the very people who were dragging them into court?
a. In that day, if you owed a man a debt and were not repaying it, he could meet you on the street and literally drag you into court.
b. So, why would you cater to people who were dragging you into court?
4. James asked one more question: Are the rich not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
a. The rich in most cultures, but then and now, were and are more likely to be the ones who are hostile to God and to the people of God.
5. So, James makes his point with forceful emphasis – the people of God are not to be guilty of the sin of partiality because that runs completely counter to God’s ways and choices.
III. Third, James gives The Spiritual Solution – Keep The Royal Law
A. James wrote: 8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all. 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker. (2:8-11)
1. I love the “royal law” found in Scripture, don’t you: “Love your neighbor as yourself”
2. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus put it this way, “In everything do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt. 5:12) [Golden Rule]
3. Jesus taught it, and then James repeated it: The spiritual solution against favoritism is for us is to keep in mind how we want to be treated.
4. Do we want to be denied access to the church or denied care and concern because of prejudice or favoritism? Of, course not.
5. All of us want to be loved and valued regardless of anything about us – the color of our skin, our ethnicity, wealth, education, marital situation, or criminal background.
6. So, if that is how we want to be treated, then that is how we must treat everyone else.
B. James makes a very sobering observation when he declares that if we show favoritism, then we sin and are lawbreakers.
1. James brings up a couple of what we would consider “big” sins: Murder and Adultery.
2. He says that whoever stumbles at one point is guilty of breaking the whole law.
3. In other words, none of us should be proud of the fact that we have not committed adultery even though we have murdered someone.
4. Imagine someone saying that, “I’m not so bad, yes I murdered a guy in cold blood, but at least I’m not an adulterer.”
5. Similarly, we should not be proud of the fact that we are not adulterers or murderers, even though we are people who show prejudice and favoritism.
6. A failure to love others appropriately by showing favoritism and prejudice is just as serious a sin in God’s sight as murder and adultery. (Let me say it again)
7. God’s commands are God’s commands, and breaking any one of God’s laws makes us a lawbreaker.
IV. Finally, James offers A Spiritual Reminder – Mercy Received Demands Mercy Offered
A. James wrote: 12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (2:12-13)
1. James wants us to remember that we will all face the judgment of God, and we will be judged by the law that gives freedom.
a. We are freed from sin in order to obey God – true freedom is freedom to obey God!
2. And James also wants us to remember that mercy triumphs over judgment.
3. I know that I don’t want judgment without mercy. Do you?
a. When I mess up, as I often do, I want people to be understanding and forgiving.
4. I know that I need the mercy and grace of God in order to be saved.
5. Therefore, because these things are true, then I need to extend the mercy and grace that I have received to others.
B. Imagine how our actions and words would be different if they were controlled and directed by mercy.
1. How would that transform our interactions with others!
2. How would allowing mercy to triumph over judgment help our relationships in our homes?
3. How would allowing mercy to triumph over judgment make a difference in our relationships in the church.
4. How would allowing mercy to triumph over judgment make a difference in our interactions with people in the world?
5. How about with the stranger, or the homeless person?
6. Whenever we are tempted to judge or prejudge others, what we need to be thinking is: “There, but for the grace of God, I go.”
7. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
8. Any person who ultimately wants to please God must live a life characterized by mercy.
Conclusion:
A. We serve an impartial God, but we live in a color and class-conscious world.
1. We must be like our God and we must be different from our world! Amen!
2. To prejudge anyone as underserving of God’s love or our attention is a disgrace to Christ.
B. In the movie Seabiscuit, millionaire Charles Howard hired Tom Smith, a broken-down, unemployed cowboy, to be the trainer of his new horse racing enterprise.
1. Howard noticed Smith working with a seemingly worn-out horse with a broken leg.
2. When questioned about wasting time on the horse, Smith replied, “You don’t throw away a life because it’s banged up a bit.”
3. I’m so thankful that is the attitude that God has! Aren’t you?
4. Every one of us is “banged up a bit,” one way or another.
5. We all need love, grace and help!
C. I want to renew the challenge that has been issued by me and by other to our church family over the years, that is the challenge to be a church where everyone is loved and valued equally.
1. I want to challenge every one of us to be busy living the royal law – love your neighbor...
2. Think for a minute about who you are closest to in our church family (being close to people is a good thing).
3. But, when was the last time you reached out to include someone new into your circle?
4. What have you done lately to make new people feel a part of our fellowship?
5. And are you reaching out to people who are different from you? Are you moving outside your comfort zone?
D. Let’s be sure we are putting God’s Word into Action
1. Let’s not just be hearers. Let’s be doers of God’s Word.
2. God will help us to have a faith that works, and a love that is impartial.
Resources:
• The main points were borrowed from sermon by John Huffman, Jr., Newport Beach, CA
• Show No Favoritism, Sermon by David Owens, 2006.
