Untitled Sermon

James 2:1-13

· Good morning!

· Continuing our study through James this morning, we are going to be in James 2.

· James chapter 2 beginning at verse 1.

· When you have found your place and if you are able, stand with me for the reading of God’s Holy Word.

· James 2:1-13.

· Read.

· Pray.

· As we begin to look at this passage this morning, I want to make a personal confession.

· And let me do it this way.

· How many of you have siblings?

· As you know, in a sibling relationship, especially as kids, you can fight with your siblings, you can argue, you can name call, all those things.

· But the second someone else does something to hurt your sibling, you’re ready fight.

· You’re ready to defend them.

· You’re protective of your family.

· Well, in like manner, Christians often have disagreements.

· Especially across denominations and those things.

· And I am the first to disagree with other brothers and sisters in Christ, on certain issues.

· Even within our own convention.

· But if you look around and listen to whats being said, Christians are just constantly taking heat.

· The church is under attack.

· To say evangelical is almost a cuss word in some circles in our world today.

· And its to the point, where when I hear criticism towards Christians, I check out of whatever is about to be said.

· When we were at the Southern Baptist Convention this year, we saw protestors two different days.

· One day was a group telling us we’re too conservative and don’t treat women well, we don’t give them voices within our denomination and things of that nature.

· Accusations of being hateful and bigoted of course were also made.

· And the next group was Westboro Baptist telling us we’re not conservative enough, and we’re going to hell because we take a soft stance and allow women to do too much in the church.

· And apparently we take a soft stance on issues of homosexuality and transgenderism.

· I get whiplash trying to listen to all the criticisms of the church.

· And so, its to the point now where I don’t want to hear anything negative.

· And when I do, it often angers me, towards whoever is saying it.

· But the reality is, that just as we heard last week, James says we need to be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to anger.

· I believe that there are some true criticisms that can be taken as helpful, and we as Christians, can hear them, and understand that its not in hate, that some people say things.

· But its actually out of love towards the church, so that we can further the kingdom of God.

· Don’t hear me say anything I’m not saying.

· We don’t need to take our rebukes or corrections from Westboro Baptist Church, because they’re a false church that truly does spew hate.

· And we also don’t need to take rebuke from the world, who often tries to tell us how Jesus would actually live, even though they have no idea themselves how Jesus would actually live.

· But we can’t be closed off to all criticism.

· And James gives us that perfect example, in our reading this morning.

· “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord of glory, with partiality.”

· My brethren, remember, James is speaking to Christians.

· James is rebuking the Christians for the way they have been acting, and the way they’ve been treating other people.

· And we know that James isn’t doing this with a heart of criticism to tear down the church, instead, he says it with a heart to build the church up.

· So, he addresses them, some translations would read as Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

· And he appeals to the Lord of Glory.

· A reminder that Jesus is resurrected and sitting at the right hand of God, ruling over the world.

· Jesus is now the Judge of the world.

· And James is simply pointing out that it is inconsistent with Jesus for Christians to show partiality towards people based on their social status.

· So, what exactly is partiality?

· What does it mean to show partiality?

· Webster’s dictionary defines partiality as “unfair bias in favor of one thing or person compared with another, favortism.”

· And there are 27 direct references to the term in the Bible.

· Some of which include:

· Deuteronomy 1:7 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. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’

· Psalm 82:2 “How long will you judge unjustly,

And show partiality to the wicked?”

· Proverbs 18:5 “It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,

Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.”

· Malachi 2:9

“Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base

Before all the people,

Because you have not kept My ways

But have shown partiality in the law.”

· Romans 2:11 “God shows no partiality”

· I think you get the picture.

· God doesn’t play favorites and neither should we.

· If we’re being honest, its one of the criticisms of the church today.

· And its probably one that we need to hear.

· Its not a new problem, “There’s nothing new under the sun.”

· But that doesn’t make it less of a problem.

· It was enough of a problem that James included it in his letter.

· Don’t treat people differently because they’re poor.

· Or because their rich.

· “For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say to him ‘you sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘you stand here at my footstool.’ Have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become evil judges with evil thoughts?”

· Just pause there for a second.

· Verse 4 says that the act of showing partiality is evil.

· When you hear that word, is something like favoritism at the top of the list?

· Does it even make the list of evil things you think of?

· Terrorism.

· Murder.

· Adultery.

· Heinous acts such as these.

· And yet, Partiality makes the list.

· To honor someone because they have money.

· And to dishonor someone simply because they don’t is evil according to James.

· And think about it for a minute, what that really is saying.

· Why do you think someone might seek the rich over the poor?

· Why might someone seek to make the rich comfortable and not the poor?

· I think the answer is simple.

· They view the rich person as someone who has something to offer them, while they view the poor as someone who doesn’t.

· And in verse 5 James reminds them, that Christ exalts the poor.

· Matthew 5:3, Jesus himself said in the sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.”

· And James begins speaking to specific instances in verses 6 and 7.

· And he tells the Christians he is writing to that its literally the rich people who are oppressing everyone else at this time.

· They were known for using the court systems to steal land and money from the poor.

· Its important to note, that James isn’t condemning being rich.

· It seems like whenever you come to passages like this, you always have to contend with someone who is trying to say that Christians aren’t supposed to have money.

· We’ve all heard of the prosperity gospel, but there actually is a such thing out there as the “poverty gospel” where people think that richness and money in and of itself is a sin.

· And that’s not true.

· The Bible does not teach communism.

· James is speaking to specific things that are happening in his society at this time.

· James goes on in verses 8-10 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in on point, he is guilty of all.”

· To show favoritism towards a person is to break the law of “loving your neighbor as yourself.”

· Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

· If you’re guilty of this one sin, you’re guilty of breaking the whole law.

· Here again in verse 11, James puts it right next to murder.

· And right next to adultery.

· And he continues, with his theme, of this whole book to be doers of the Word.

· And in verse 12 he writes “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”

· Thanks be to God that Christ has washed away our sins.

· And we will not be punished, but the Bible is clear that a day is coming when we will be judged.

· 2 Corinthians 5:10 says “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one way receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

· And James 2:13 says “Judgement is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.”

· Would you rather be found as a person who shows no mercy on the day of judgement?

· Or a person who doesn’t show mercy?

· Standing before the judge, whom you wish to show you mercy.

· Here’s the reality this morning.

· Earlier I said that this might be a lesson we all need to hear.

· And here’s why.

· James is referring to those who would show partiality to someone based on economic status.

· James is referring to people who might have a prejudice towards someone because they are poor.

· But the truth is, we are not off the hook if this isn’t our struggle.

· Favoritism can happen anywhere, anytime, in all aspects of life.

· Its not just about the rich vs. the poor.

· Do you have a prejudice in your heart towards a group of people?

· That’s partiality.

· Maybe you have a problem with people who are rich.

· Maybe you have a problem with people who are poor.

· But maybe you’ve got issues with people who are a different race than you.

· You younger people in the room.

· Maybe your problem is with people who are older than you.

· And you older folks in the room, maybe you have an issue with younger people.

· Maybe you’ve got problems with people who root for a different sports team.

· Maybe you have a problem with people of different denominations.

· And dare I say, as we find ourselves in an election year.

· Maybe you have problems with people of a different political persuasion.

· Can we just be honest?

· Maybe you’ve got issues with people who did vote or did not vote a certain way.

· And in your heart, you can’t get past it.

· That’s called the sin of partiality.

· And the problem with partiality is that it fails to recognize people the way that God sees them.

· You may see some young punk who is just gonna mess up your way of life, but God sees them as made in his own image.

· God sees them, if their Christians, as bought and paid for by the blood of Christ.

· You may see some democrat, but God sees a human, that He Himself knit together in the womb of their mother.

· Can I say that letting go of prejudice towards other people does not excuse them of sins you feel like have been done against you.

· It doesn’t say that everything they do is okay.

· It simply acknowledges the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

· That each and every one of us, is made in the image of God.

· And each and every one of us was created with the purpose of serving him and praising him,

· But we are all broken by sin.

· And we are separated from God.

· But Jesus Christ came and he bled and he died for each and every person who will turn to Him.

· John 3:16 For God so loved who?

· God so loved THE WORLD

· He gave his only begotten son, that WHO?

· WHOSOEVER, believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.

· The Bible doesn’t say that Jesus only came for the Rich.

· And it doesn’t say that he only came for the poor.

· The Bible doesn’t say that Jesus only came for the white people.

· And it doesn’t say he only came from the black people.

· It doesn’t say He only came for Israel.

· It doesn’t say he only came for the Republicans or the democrats or the libertarians.

· He didn’t only come for the Americans.

· It doesn’t say he only came for the Old people

· And it doesn’t say he only came for the young people.

· And you know, if I can slip a Christmas verse in in the middle of August, I’m going to do it, because Luke 2:10 says “And the Angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL people.”

· GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY.

· (Maybe talk about Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10.)

· If you’re in this room this morning, I want you to know that Jesus came to this world, for you.

· He lived a perfect life, because you couldn’t

· And he died a death that you deserve, because He loves you.

· And if you repent of your sins and place your Faith in Him this morning, you can be saved.

· You see, Jesus is inclusive, in that He welcomes all.

· But He is also exclusive, in that He is the only way.

· There is no other way unto salvation, except the Lord Jesus Christ.

· He said so Himself, “I am the way the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except by me.”

· This is the message the world doesn’t like to hear.

· They say, Jesus has room at his table for all, but the truth is, He has room at his table, for those who will follow him.

· There will be no Hinduism, there will be no buddhism, there will be no atheism, in Heaven.

· Its Jesus or nothing.

· As we come to the invitation this morning.

· I want to ask you, do you know him?

· You can give your life to him today.

· And if you’re a Christian in the room, I want to ask you, is there partiality in your heart towards a group?

· Or prejudice towards a group.

· Get rid of it.

· And Go after all people, just as Jesus has commanded.

· The altar will be open.