Sermon Tone Analysis

Student Read

Prayer

So, let’s remember back two weeks ago - what we saw from the Scripture about “judging a book by its cover” in .

Remember we said that judging a book by its cover demonstrates that you have issues with your alliance with to Christ - your heart is divided and also it shows that you are attempting to take God’s role as judge which is not our place - but add to that we have evil hearts and thoughts that God does not have.

So, let’s remember back two weeks ago - what we saw from the Scripture about “judging a book by its cover” in .

Remember we said that judging a book by its cover demonstrates that you have issues with your alliance with to Christ - your heart is divided and also it shows that you are attempting to take God’s role as judge which is not our place - but add to that we have evil hearts and thoughts that God does not have.

So “judging a book by its cover” uncovers issues in our heart - sin in our life.

And we also saw from last week two reason why it’s evil to show favoritism or discrimination - it’s evil because God works in the opposite direction - he chooses the weak and poor of the world - not the strong like we do and they don’t really deserve it.

In that culture the rich were oppressing the poor - so why would Christian’s bend backward for them when they are the actual people oppressing them and all the while trashing God’s name?

(v.8)

Transition: that was two week ago.

Tonight we pick up on that same theme in (v.8-13) the theme of discrimination the idea that we are not to “judge a book by its cover.”

But what we see from James here is a deeper reason or we could say the most important reason we are not to “judge a book by its cover” and a threat from God for those do.

So let’s look again at (v.8-9)

What we see here is two conditional phrases.

We use these all the time in English.

So you guys will come to me and say something like this “If I pick up all the Bible’s after Fuel then can I have a pack of gum?” or you may say “If we do this at Dnow then so-and-so will definitely come that weekend.”

Those are called conditional statements.

If the condition is met than it will turn out that way.

So the first statement goes: if you fulfill the royal law - you do well.

That’s good.

We want to do well.

The second statement goes: but if you show partiality (judge a book by its cover) you sin.

And what we realize when we hold these up to the light is the deepest reason “judging a book by its cover is wrong” :

1. Discrimination Violates the Law of Love

So when I was a youngster, before the dawning of my silver hair years, I played lots of soccer - 10 years of soccer.

Fall and spring.

18 seasons in all.

I was a soccer feen.

I breathed soccer.

I slept soccer.

I ate soccer.

I loved the game.

Half-time with fruit bags.

Double-header weekends.

It was awesome.

You can see me grow up in soccer pictures.

I was a wing - that’s the offense.

And I loved scoring.

I had a goal to score two goals a game.

Now look I wasn’t playing Ronaldo’s - he’s a great soccer player.

But one thing that I hated about soccer, though I understood the why of the rule was offsides.

I don’t know how many points I lost from receiving a pass offsides.

I violated that rule every game.

I was just faster than other kids.

So when I was a youngster, before the dawning of my silver hair years, I played lots of soccer - 10 years of soccer.

Fall and spring.

18 seasons in all.

I was a soccer feen.

I breathed soccer.

I slept soccer.

I ate soccer.

I loved the game.

Half-time with fruit bags.

Double-header weekends.

It was awesome.

You can see me grow up in soccer pictures.

I was a wing - that’s the offense.

And I loved scoring.

I had a goal to score two goals a game.

Now look I wasn’t playing Ronaldo’s - he’s a great soccer player.

But one thing that I hated about soccer, though I understood the why of the rule was offsides.

I don’t know how many points I lost from receiving a pass offsides.

I violated that rule every game.

I was just faster than other kids.

Application: now what we see here is that when we treat some people like second class citizens based on outward appearance - we violate that is we break the royal law - to love our neighbor as ourself.

You cannot live out neighbor love in your life - which is btw the calling of every follower of Christ - to love your neighbor like you love yourself - if you discriminate.

They don’t sync - they are incompatible.

They are oil and water.

Oranges and penguins.

Android and Apple.

Let’s have real-talk for a moment about judging a book by it’s cover.

Everyone in here is unique in some way.

You are different.

You have different personalities.

You have different body types.

Some of you are tall.

Some are thin.

Some are round.

You have different passions.

You have different ways of expressing yourself.

Some through what they wear and others through what they do and others through old fashion words.

We are all different to some degree - but we are also all made in God’s image.

Let’s have some clarity - I want everyone in this room to close their eyes.

If you feel like you’ve ever been judged based solely on outside appearance - what you look like, how good you are at speaking, your financial situation, your popularity, you skill at a sport, the color of your skin, your gender, whatever - raise your hand.

Look around - each and everyone of you feel like you’ve been treated this way.

Everyone in this room knows the pain of being discriminated.

Now close your eyes.

Raise your hand if you’ve done this to someone else.

You chose not to sit by someone because they are different and that is uncomfortable, you made fun of someone because of the clothes they were wearing or the brand or their hair or fill in the blank.

Now, look around again.

We’ve all done it too.

I think that we embrace this idea of not showing favoritism, but in reality it is hard to live it out and the when push comes to shove we are violating neighbor love when we judge a book by it’s cover.

We cannot discriminate and love our neighbor.

And we cannot be people who embrace the royal law - that is we cannot embrace the full and fulfilled law of Christ which has as its heartbeat love of God and love of neighbor and show favoritism.

So what we are doing is building a counter-culture.

Everyone in this room has participated in this sin and felt the full-force brunt of this sin - but Christ calls us to His royal kingdom values- to live out neighbor love.

Like an oasis of love for each other.

I know that Youth Groups can be some of the most split, fragmented and fracture places on this earth - but if just a couple of you would rise up with courage to set a different tone - be what my HS track coach called a tone-setter, well things could change - a culture could shift toward one that embraces each other because of our Maker and King.

Transition: so don’t discriminate because it violates the law of love and the end of (v.9) tells us that when we do we sin and become transgressors of the law.