Introductory Comments
1. I needed help but I did not know whether I would get it. I did not think they would let me in their house.
2. I had still been in bed when Diane came in with an urgent problem. She was supposed to be detassling corn but she could not find the field she was to be working in and so she came home to call her boss. But there was no answer. And so I offered to help her. I would help her find the place. I took one car and she the other. The problem was that she was already late. So I threw on some old clothes - old blue jeans, no socks, a wrinkled , dirty shirt. I did not even wash my face, comb my hair, or shave. As I drove off, I noticed the fuel gage was almost on empty. I prayed that God would help us to find the field before the car would run out of gas. My prayer was answered but I had not thought out my prayer.
3. Now I had to get home. I though it best to see if there was a gas station on highway 40 on the way to Blenheim. But there was none. And soon I was stuck at the side of the road, out of gas, in the country.
4. There was a home nearby and I rang the bell a number of times before anyone came to the door. I felt that I looked like a bum and I wondered if the would even let me use their phone. Thank God they did, but I made sure to explain while I looked as messy as I did.
5. If I had come to my own door, or if someone that was dressed and unclean like me would have come to my door, I would have hesitated to let him into my house.
6. We are so quick to judge someone on their appearances - on how they look and how they are dressed. And while we need to be cautious as to who enters our home, we can so easily fall into sin by how we judge others on their appearance.
Teaching
1. This is what James is talking about in our passage today. In 1:19-27 James has been telling us the importance of putting God’s word or spiritual truth into practice. And beginning with our passage today, he teaches us how to put this truth into practice. And so he looks at different aspects of our Christian lives.
2. The first area of application is that of showing favouritism or partiality. It is so easy to show favouritism. Based on who the person is, their dress, their colour their nationality or how well off they are.
3. Do you look with judgement upon some people? If you do, as we will see, you are sinning and not putting your faith into practice.
4. James begins with a command or prohibition. He then gives an example of the sin. Then he explains why this is a terrible wrong or sin.
5. In verse 1, James says "Don’t show favouritism" The Greek here says that they are forbidden to do something that is already in practice. In other words they are already showing favouritism and James is really saying "Stop showing favouritism"
6. In verse 1 he presents three factors that support why we should not do this.
7. The first is that they are brothers. James says "my brothers". Their sense of identity and the identity of others should be determined not by their wealth or social standing, but rather on their status as believers.
a. James 1:9 The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. The high position anyone has is not based on wealth but rather by faith.
b. When we show favouritism to those who are wealthy we are saying that true wealth and position is based on money is based on faith.
8. And this leads to the second factor. James reminds them they are believers. Favouritism contradicts the importance and reason for our faith. The KJV translates this "have not the faith of Christ with respect to favouritism". The value of faith and the value of riches (or any other human positions or identity) stands in opposition to each other. If we have faith in Christ, then the importance of wealth (or position or nationality) is cast side. We then know that true riches are in heaven and the world’s riches are really of no value at all.
9. And the third factor is the object of our faith - our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. To be partial toward people because of their wealth or position is treating their wealth as more valuable than Christ.
10. And so, after all this, we can say that is we treat wealthy people with more favour than poor people we are in effect saying that we put our trust and hope in the world’s ways rather than God’s.
11. That we are polluted by the world. This contradicts one of the three C's of verses 26-27. To be clean from the pollution of the world, as we discuseed last week.
12. After hearing this, the people may have questioned if they were really guilty of favouritism. easy not to see sin in ourselves. And so James gives an example of favouritism that they have actually committed.
13. Instead of charging them with this sin straight on he says "suppose." The example seems hypothetical but later we see that this supposed occurance has actually happened. For in vs. 6 James says "You HAVE insulted the poor."
14. The illustration has takes place in worship. Somehow this sin seems worse that it actually takes place in the sanctuary where God is praised and His truth is expounded. In the early church, most of the members were poor. This does not mean that there were no rich believers, but it means that the poor are more often not blinded by the importance of wealth and they are more open to the word. They realize their spiritual poverty and need for salvation.
15. God often shows a concern for the poor and often the poor are also the poor in spirit. He calls us not to mistreat them or look down on them because of their poverty.
a. Lev 19:15 "'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16. A man comes to the meeting in the synagogue dressed in fine clothes. Another man comes in dressed in shabby clothes. The well dressed man must be well off. And so he is offered a good seat. He is well taken care of. But the other man is not given a seat or is made to sit on the floor, at a low position.
17. A seminary student wondered if the same thing might happen today. He attended one of the nicer suburban churches in a city. The first Sunday he showed up in old torn blue jeans, unshaven---that Sunday no one talked to him, no one asked his name, no one sat by him, people only politely pointed him out and whispered. The next Sunday he came dressed in his best suit, shaven. This time he was welcomed and talked to and was even invited out to eat as well as being invited back the next week.
18. Things have not changed that much in 2,000 years. For the most part I believe you have not shown such favouritism when strangers are in the church. But I must admit that I would gladly welcome some people more than others - especially if they have talents that we were looking for in the church -eg. a choir director.
19. We dealt with this much more in Welland. We were small and needed to grow. We were downtown and we did have many down and outers come to church. Sometimes we wished we have more givers than takers. But we found that God seemed to send many takers or needy people at the start. That did stretch our resources but it taught us to love and care for them and to understand that God cared for them. We needed to learn that first. And only then, God did send those who had resources or gifts for ministry.
19. We must not show favouritism. James tells us why it is a terrible sin.
20. 1st - We appoint ourselves as judges over people. And because we are sinners our judgement is accompanied with evil thoughts . God is the judge as to whom we should welcome in our church. In fact He has already judged - for we are to welcome all he sends to hear the good news.
21. 2nd - As we said before God most often chose the poor and so what they were doing was rejecting God’s choice. They were rejecting the rich in faith for the rich in money. By that they were weakening themselves, the church and insulting God’s chosen people and in that they were insulting God Himself. They were honouring those who were not to be honoured.
22. 3rd has to do with the rich themselves. James asks them three pointed questions. The answer is implied and should be obvious to them. Read vs. 6 and 7.
a. For in the early church they were often mistreated by the rich. They were exploited and oppressed by the rich and God is against oppressors. By showing favouritism they were siding with the oppressors.
b. The rich dragged them into court. Not in a polite way, but in a harsh way.
c. And they slandered or blasphemed the name of Christ. They slandered Christians. They bore Christ’s name and when they abused them they also abused the name of the one to whom they belong.
23. Mentioned already that we are to be Clean. In 1:26-27 we found three C's. Favouritism stops us from follwoing these three marks of gebuine faith.
24. As said already, by befriending the rich and showing favouritism they were following the ways of the world. The world says that we can overlook the sins of those to whom we show favouritism. Its amazing how many athletes get caught with drugs and seem to only get a slap on the wrist. If OJ Simpson was not as rich and famous, would be still have been found innocent in his criminal trial. The way of God is not through human power and worldly riches. We must show that God is in us by treating people equally.
a. Gal 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
25. Second C we break is that of control. So easy to speak well of some and poor of others. To always say nefative things about people whom we look down on - whether it be race or nationality. "What do you expect from her, she's not Dutch"
26. Third C is compassion. Favouritism goes agaisnt the compassion of God for those who are aliens or widows or poor.
27. Our passage asks us if the marks of genuine faith are evident in this area. If we show favouritism, they are not.
28. Where do we show favouritism? Who are the people we discriminate against? Welcome these people as you would Christ.
29. Illustration "Partiality - Probited" from Bible Illustrator.
