God doesn’t play favorites
James 2:1-13
Introduction
Shortly after the close of the Civil War, a former slave entered a fashionable church in Richmond, one Sunday morning at the beginning of a communion service. When the time came, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of shock and anger swept through the congregation. A distinguished layman immediately stood up, stepped forward to the altar and knelt beside this Christian brother. Captured by his spirit, the congregation followed. The layman who set the example: Robert E. Lee. There’s a monument I would like to see, Lee and an ex-slave kneeling in prayer at the alter of Christ.
When anyone walks in to this place they must feel like the only one who is getting honored is Jesus Christ and no matter what background that person is from they will respect the fact that God is center focus in his church and not people. Not the pastor. Not the leadership. James is instructing the church on how to do visitor and greeter ministry. He shows us that if you show favoritism it can be smothering to the newcomer and wrongly focused to the believer seeking Jesus.
As a body of believers Jesus does not want the warmth or honor of our welcome to be determined by the status or apparent wealth of the visitor. James is forbidding a practice already in progress. James speaks through the Holy Spirit in a very straight forward manner
1) Having partiality is a partial faith (verse 1)
a) Partial disciple
i) Translated: Brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? What a question to ask.
ii) What is favoritism but discrimination, of this should we not say repent?
iii) Believers were judging people based only on externals. Social distinctions did not exist in the early church. Masters sat beside their slaves during worship and sometimes the slave was the leader of the meeting.
iv) We may have people that we are partial to when it comes to teachings or worship. But we should not be partial to people who are different than us
b) Partial Church
i) Only accepting certain people will not make a full church but a partial church
ii) Many times certain offices in the church are reserved for the rich and the powerful… I’m just not going to make it that easy for you.
iii) The Jewish practice was to put the important people closest to the sacred scrolls. There is no place of prominence here. Some churches have the chair on the stage and sure it is easy access for the pastor to the pulpit, but I always wondered what are those other guys doing up there.
c) Partial Jesus
i) If we are a partial disciple in a partial Church then it is true that we serve only a partial Jesus
ii) Being impartial is one of God’s attributes.
(1) Deut 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
(2) Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
(3) Rom 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.
(4) Gal 2:6 But from those who seemed to be something whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.
(5) Eph 6:9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
(6) Col 3:25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
iii) It is an attitude of Jesus’
(1) Matt 22:16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians saying “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.
(2) Luke 20:21 Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Partiality affects teaching…
(3) There were many times that Jesus spent time with sinners with out the disciples
(4) He spent time with the Father with out the disciples
iv) It is a command of scripture
(1) Lev 19:15; You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. It works both ways…
(2) Deut 1:17 You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s.
(3) Prov 18:5 It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
v) First having partiality in the church will make up a partial church and next…
2) Favoritism in a church is a weak church with an ulterior motive (Verse 2-7)
a) Bringing in favoritism: (verse 2,3)
i) There are many ways to bring in favoritism…
(1) Favoring Spiritual gifts
(a) We sometimes treat people who have the gift of prophecy like they are our own personal fortune teller
(b) We like to keep those people around us
(2) Favoring Personalities
(a) We like to hook up with certain people because they can help us in our business prospects
(b) Church is not the place to enhance your business clientele: Amway (pyramid businesses)
(c) Using directories for solicitation
(3) Favoring Status
(a) We might see someone come into the church a president of your company or a boss of yours
(b) Church is not the place to squeeze your way into a wanted to position
(4) Favoring Looks
(a) Don’t favor gorgeous over ugly, We want sit next to the guy with the tattoo he looks cool. Church is not a singles bar… Church is a good place to find a husband or wife, but don’t come for that reason that is favoritism, Here sit next to me…
(b) Don’t favor one color over the other, Don’t favor clean over dirty…
(5) Favoring Finances
(a) I personally don’t want to get caught up in favoring anyone because they look like a big tither
(b) We as a church don’t need to look to a sugar daddy to for help we need Abba Father.
ii) Those are some ways we show favoritism
iii) And when we show favoritism it brings us into evil thinking…
b) Bringing in Evil thoughts (verse 4)
i) James says in verse 4 that when we show favoritism we become judges with evil thoughts
ii) Our evil intentions are at work we are looking for personal gain
iii) It is evil for a Pastor who does not preach repentance and confront sin because he is afraid he will lose a big giver… does not want to offend.
c) Bringing in disputes (verse 5-7)
i) James is showing us when people come into the house of God knowing that they can get attention because of who they are and what they have it is going to rob the house of God from being what it should be… A great equalizer
ii) It’s not a place to worship people, but to worship the Almighty God
iii) I have seen Christians sue other Christians because that’s they way things are done in business (verse 6)
iv) That’s not Christianity (1 Cor 6:1-8)
v) When the deals are made and relationships are established by favoritism and deals go awry and friendships are damaged people don’t want to be in the same church with so and so
vi) 1. Having partiality is partial faith 2. Favoritism weakens the church
3) God does not show favoritism on sin
a) One broken law breaks all the laws
i) Let’s look at Matt 5:17-19
ii) Jesus said Whoever breaks the least of these commandments shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven
iii) Breaking the least of the commandments will do this so what will breaking the commandments that carry the most weight do? Jesus said there are two that are greater than the others (Matt 22:37-39)
(1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind
(a) This covers the first 4 commandments
(b) If you love God you would not
(i) Take another God
(ii) Make idols
(iii) Take His name in vain
(iv) You would remember the Sabbath as His day
(2) Love your neighbor as yourself
(a) This covers the last 6 commandments
(b) If you loved you neighbor you would
(i) Honor you Father and mother (they are closer than a neighbor)
(ii) Not murder
(iii) Not commit adultery
(iv) Not steal
(v) Not lie about a neighbor
(vi) Not covet their things
iv) Every brother and sister or lost person that comes into this place is our neighbor
v) When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan He ended it with the question who was the Neighbor
vi) It was the one who was unconcerned about how the situation looked. It was the one unconcerned about how bad the person looked.
vii) Breaking a great law such as Love your neighbor as yourself must have some weight
viii) James says breaking one breaks them all, but breaking the greatest or the least effects your standing in the kingdom of Heaven, not whether or not you will go, just the fact that you will be in the Kingdom of Heaven and yet be the least.
ix) But this scripture causes us to examine ourselves, perhaps the way we treat our neighbors is a reflection on how we feel about ourselves. We cannot love our neighbors as ourselves because we have no love for ourselves.
x) Jesus loves you and that should reflect on how you feel about yourself. Not haughty or proud, but loved
b) Judged by the law of liberty
i) We will be judged by the law of liberty and if we are judged by the law of liberty we should not impede others from having the same kind liberty that is given to us.
ii) They deserve the same right to the liberty that we have
iii) Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty (2 Cor. 3). I don’t want people to say about Commonwealth Chapel there is no liberty so there is no spirit.
Conclusion
Challenge: This is something we need to repent from. God is no respecter of persons He looks upon us equally as His children. He shows no favoritism and He expects you to do welcome those in who would be welcomed by Him, which is everyone. Every person does matter to God. Oh Lord help us to remember this Every person that walks or walks by matters to You.
