James 2:1-13 | Partiallity

Intro

Hey y’all how’s it going?

Good good. rest

anyone feeling the pull of the schedule. let’s rest, tine out the schedule, let’s rest

Context - This is the test of faith in community

SO last week we talked about the markers of faithfulness in out lives. What are something our lives will have or not have if we are following Christ, if we are looking to christ, being made like Him. If we are practicing his way.

SO that was last week.

This week we are going to build on that, and look at what does the community who follows christ together look like? What does being the church look like?

So in 1955, missionaries Jim and Elizabeth Elliot were living planning to contact an un-contacted tribe of people called the Huaorani who live in he jungles of Ecuador. So Jim and a team of about 5 others successfully make contact with the people, through gift exchanges and what not.

They do it a few times, and the men decided to set up a base not far from their. Their goal was to get the gospel to these people. To get the hope of salvation, the hope of Christ to these people.

SO they have built this relationship, when one day a few months later on January 8th, 1956 Jim and his team are met by Huaorani warriors who kill them right there in the river with spears. The whole team is lost. There bodies are found a couple days later. Jim and Elizabeth had been married for a couple years, and their daughter was 10 months old.

Now the story could have ended there. And it would be a sad story. And it would have been tragic.

Bu the story continues.

Elizabeth Elliot, a few months later goes to the Huaorani people. Same people that killed her husband. To proclaim Christ. And this time, the gospel is heard.

So much that Elizabeth eventually moves and leads to Christ the men who killed her husband and most of the village. She ends up living with the Huaorani for about 2-3 years. This is a wild story, if you want the full account read through gates of splendor by Elizabeth Elliot.

So while this story is tragic, the bigger tragedy would have been if the story ended with Jim dying on a river bed in Ecuador,

because the biggest tragedy would have been that the gospel would not have reached the Huaorani people.

One of the famous quotes Jim is known for was writing while he was in college this line.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”

Think of the mind set it take to live like this, think of the view of the world this takes to live. Think of his wife taking this thought and running with it. How we view people matters. How we view people who do not like us matters.

So this is where we are going to live tonight this idea of seeing people as Christ see people. As seeing people the way the kingdom of God sees them.

SO if you have a bible open up to James 2 verse 1-13. If you don’t have a bible throw a hand up and we’ll get you one. Who needs one?

Okay cool.

So while you are flipping over to it, let me set the stage.

Remember this is a wisdom epistle.

James is writing to the church at large. Here is how you live in the world, and here is how the Lord will accomplish his will in this world.

Here is how we are going to have to live if we are going to be a faithful witness to the work of Christ.

When we read this I want you to see this not as individuals acting but a community acting.

Last week was the markers of what a single person should be like, but this is more about the community of delivers acting together and following Christ together.

So James 2:1-13 lets read this while thing together. But be fore we do that, let’s pray for our time in the word

pray

okay cool read this with me. James 2:1-13

James 2:1–13 ESV

1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Okay so at first glance this passage kinda read like he don’t judge people.

Don’t judge people based on if they make a ton of money, or if they have no money.

And you can read it that way, that’s the surface level read. that’s first impression.

Not wrong, and we certainly shouldn't do that.

But look at this closer.

Almost all of the pronouns used allude to a group of people.

I think a lot of time we read scripture very individualistic, which is not right or wrong, it is a part of our world view, it is a part of the lens in which we see world. We live in a super individual first society. That is what 21st century culture is all about.

The single person first. And probably 70% scripture is not that way. Last week some of that was towards the single person.

but

Most of the time

scripture is speaking to a group of people. Speaking to a specific people.

There are exceptions to this, but on the whole we need to read scripture as it is talking to a group of people.

again, not right or wrong, it can some times just give un an incomplete look at it.

So what I want you to see first is this phrase James uses.

“As you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As you hold the faith.

Think about this phrase. James could have just said, hey don’t show partiality and gone in to the story.

But James says, as you hold the faith. As you have faith, the word here in greek is echete, it’s an imperative, it’s a verb, it’s a command. As you hold on the faith, part of having faith in Christ,

This is a major idea. As you hold the faith.

To put it another way, if you have faith you as a group will act this way, this will set you apart.

As you hold the faith, brothers, do not show partiality.

And this word Partiality here is just a 10 dollar word for favorites.

So this opening phrase here is brothers do not play favorites, as you have faith in christ.

Or to put it differently, if you have faith in christ, you as a community of believers you will not have favorites.

P1 - It is not our job to make worldly distinctions among those seeking Christ. Christ drives out sin. Mets you there, doesn’t leave you there.

So the first big thing i want you to take from this, It is not our job to make worldly distinctions among those seeking Christ.

SO this is what I mean.

When someone comes inside our doors what are we doing? We are welcoming them in, we are here to show them the love of Christ. That’s what we are doing here, worship Christ, we are inviting people to come and christ for who He is. To show people the life changing love of Christ.

Think about this, where are my band people at? I was a band kid, 6th-12th grade, loved every second of it. Who is in band? Remember in 6th grade when you first got that clarinet or trumpet. How good were you? Not great. Especially this time in the semester. Like you could probably get a sound out of the instrument, you might even could play a couple melodies out. But on the whole you were not great at the instrument. I was not great at the instrument. I know my parents suffered through me learning to play both guitar and trumpet in the same year, and their both music people so I know it was probably sanctifying for them, and a study in real patience.

But what is the prerequisite for being in 6th grade band? A want to learn to play the instrument. This is what we mean, to be good you first have to be bad. Imagine if you got to band the first day of school and the band director gave you a playing test, and only the kids who knew all 12 major scales could continue, or if the band director only focused on the kid with the 5000 dollar trumpet. You wouldn’t last long, the band wouldn’t last long.

This is what we mean when someone walks through the doors, they are a potential brother or sister in Christ.

Whats the one prerequisite of being saved? You first need to be a sinner?

Brothers as you hold the faith, because you once didn’t not have the faith, you were once just like the rest of the world, dead to sin.

Do not show partiality because Christ doesn’t.

So this has some implications.

This first part goes right along with Jesus words in Matthew 7:1-3

Matthew 7:1–3 (ESV)

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

This goes with Jesus command to not judge others.

But we have to be careful here. Because I want us to see that we should not judge others. But this verse gets thrown around a whole ton, to basically say, accept all sorts of sin.

That is not what this is, Jesus does not advise that, nor does James. advise that.

This is how we as a community interact with fallen people who are not in the body yet.

So for us, the implications are if someone comes in who you know is living a very different life that is not Christ honoring, what is our job here?

Hypothetical situation that I’m sure will be reality one day. Someone walks through the doors, identifies as a part of the LGBTQ community, what’s our move?

We preach the gospel to them. That’s our move.

Now as they were to keep coming conversations will need to be had and if they are serious about wanting to follow christ, there are things that following christ will truly change.

This is why in 1 Peter 3:15 Peter writes,

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

We take a stand for holiness, with gentleness and respect.

But think about it this is what the gospel does. The gospel meets you where you are but it doesn’t leave you there.

Christ comes to you in you affliction, dead in sin, but what does he do? He gives you new life. You were dead, now alive.

Our job as the church, as a body of believers, as a community following jesus is to help a new brother or sister walk in their new life. Figure out how they walk.

Christ will drive out sin. It our Job to drive them to christ.

P2 - This is the test for faithfulness by the community? Who are you trying to win over? Rich?

Okay so let’s keep going.

So James drives this point home with a situation about a poor man and a rich man coming in, poor man sit over here. rich man, sit in the good place.

Rich guy, you get the good chair. That sort of thing.

But then James kinda dives deeper in to it.

He starts making some distinctions,

The poor man God has chosen to inherit the earth. The Rich man is actually the one who is trying to oppress you.

What you do by show favorites, brothers, is become just like the world.

So what James is getting at is the way you treat people is a test for your faithfulness as a whole.

The sin of partiality is a test of faithfulness by the community.

What are tests used for? They’re used to show if you know something. Who had a test or quiz this week? What was it over? SO what did they want to know? They wanted to know if you knew something or understood something.

The holy spirit is giving a test here. What do you do with people who aren’t like you or seem to the outside world beneath you or who are you trying to curry favor with?

I’m not going to try and get very political, thats not for a couple more months, but in the past few months I have seen this language of a need for Christians to have political power again or the need for a Christian nationalism, basically saying, Rich man, you sit here, and you can be one of us, your network expands our network, you reach expands our reach. How can we help you? I’m sure you’ll help us.

James is asking them the question, are these not the same rich guys who are actively oppressing you? Did they not try to just try to sue you?

Who are you trying to win over?

Who are you trying to impress? are you trying to make Rome more like heaven or heaven more like Rome?

So James is asking us,

Are we passing the test?

P3 - In Christ we are free to be fully who He has made us to be. Christ frees our community to be a community outside the normal modes in our culture. We don’t have to all have a shared affinity, we follow Christ.

and so if we are this gives us freedom.

Look at what James is saying, Jm 2:12-13

James 2:12–13 ESV

12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

This law of liberty, that he spoke about in the last chapter. This freedom christ gives us.

Not as freedom to do what ever we want, not live like how we think. But this freedom form sin and death that is only found in following Christ.

In Christ we are free to be fully who He has made us to be. Christ frees our community to be a community outside the normal modes in our culture.

We don’t have to all have a shared affinity, we follow Christ.

This is the gospel summed up in following Jesus. Mercy triumphs over judgement, not because judgment has no place but because judgment is not ours to hold. Only faith in christ.

This is the desire of Christ in our lives. Jesus says them himself, in Matthew 9:13

Matthew 9:13 ESV

13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Timeless Truth : The Lord is going to build his kingdom. All He asks of us in faithfulness.

So here is the truth in this passage.

Yes this is about how we interact with the world as a community, yes it matters how we treat people.

But if we take a step back we see God is speak through James to us about how the kingdom is built.

It is not going to be built using the conventional building of the world.

The Late great pastor in NYC Tim Keller always described the kingdom of God as an upside down kingdom. The king dies for the enemy.

The kingdom will not be built using conventional methods.

The kingdom is built by building up the lowest. By showing all the same grace Christ shows to us.

The lord is not calling us to all be networkers and trying to only go for the best, the lord is not calling us to build his kingdom for Him, but to join him,

All he asks of us to do that is faithfulness.

Truth for our context : Faithfulness in community looks like what we celebrate, and what does our group look like? DO we look like our community? DO you look like a school. Through community we build the kingdom

The truth for us here in this context is Faithfulness in community looks like what we celebrate. Through community we build the kingdom.

So what sort of community are we building? What sort do we celebrate?

This is what I mean,

One of the markers of a healthy body of believers is that is resembles the outside community in make up of people.

Does this community reach the community, if it is , then it will look like the community.

You will have people from all sorts of walks of life, in the same room, in the same body. Because the only thing that brings us together is our shared love and faithfulness to Christ.

P2Christ: This is how the gospel works. Stephen Cheering for Paul.

So this is how the gospel works, think of the story from earlier of Jim and Elizabeth Elliot.

Elizabeth could have very well left Ecuador, come on back and left the group of murders to die and go to hell.

That is not how the gospel works. The gospel works in and through us, so that even when we are being killed, hunted, persecuted, what ever word you want to put, the love of Christ in us in not defeated.

In Hebrew 12:1, the author gives this image of a cloud of witness cheer us on as we run the race.

So think of the Apostle Paul, formerly Saul the persecutor, among his cloud of witnesses is Stephen the Martyr, the one who Paul had killed, in Acts 7. Stephen is in there cheering on the man who had hiim murdered because of the gospel.

This is how the gospel works. The early church is made up of people who would and should have hated each other. The early church martyrs, praying for the men who are lighting the fire under their feet to burn them alive.

This is how the gospel works.

The gospel changes us, the gospel redirects our paths, our wants, and sets them towards Christ.

This is the gospel that christ died for you in your place. That you put him there on the cross, and yet he still loves you and wants you to follow him.

So, I want to invite you, if you don’t know Jesus, come know his goodness. That the good news is he didn’t stay in the grave, but is risen and ruling and reigning.

While we confess and sing this last song, ask yourself, what is stopping you from following him. If you have any quyestions about what it means to follow Jesus, come talk to me, one of the adults, somebody. Give your life to him.

Come se Christ as lord, come see christ as king.