Playing Favorites
Notes
Transcript
Introduction - Army ranks and treatment based on what rank is worn.
(Picture of ranks)
Our passage for today describes what the army does on purpose, but the members of the church may do without realizing it.
My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Trans sentence: Playing favorites within the assembly of God creates divisions between people or may isolate some.
Favoritism (Partiality) -
So what is Favoritism or Partiality - the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person or group at the expense of another
b. So who shows favoritism? Everybody!!
Even the Spiritual leaders of the Jews did it. Luke 10:30-37 tells us the story of the Good Samaritan. In the story a Priest and a Levite passed by the man who was beaten and left for dead because they didn’t want to bother with him.
In the army favoritism is required - in the assembly it is forbidden.
c. What does Proverbs 28:21 say?
To show partiality is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
2. Make distinctions (judgments) James 2:2-3
For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”
a. Fine clothes Where do you drawn the line between fine and dirty?
b. Dirty clothes
(Illustration - me without jacket & another’s response)
c. Judgement - evil motives (rich man helps, poor man hinders)
3. What does God say?
a. Leviticus 19:15 (What’s the idea of fairly?)
‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
To treat fairly we will be just, honest and impartial.
b. God choose the poor (Why?)
God choose the poor to be rich in faith. In other words the poor are more likely to accept Christ Jesus and find a dwelling place in the Kingdom of God because the rich will trust in their money and stuff.
(What could be going on inside the head of the rich guy?)
c. James 2:8 - Love your neighbor as yourself.
If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
d. Commit sin James 2:9
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Exit: Don’t pick favorites
Love your neighbor as yourself!
Everyone has value as a human being. No one should be considered of more worth because of all the stuff they have in this life. It will all be burned up in the end.
Big Idea - who can you get to know that you have made a judgement about!