Silver Spoons
Notes
Transcript
Handout
1966: Young guitarist in a band called the Golliwogs
Received a draft notice (Vietnam) and went to recruiter
He wasn’t deployed, and was discharged a year later after serving the Army and Coast Guard
Reclaimed lead singer over his brother, and changed their name
It was now 1968 and he was angry
“The thoughts behind this song - it was a lot of anger. So it was the Vietnam War going on... Now I was drafted and they're making me fight, and no one has actually defined why. So this was all boiling inside of me...”
Sat on bed with yellow legal pad and felt-tipped pen
He had a title, but that was all
Then the words came out, “It ain’t me, it ain’t me! I ain’t no senators son!”
The man was John Fogerty, the band was CCR, the song was “Fortunate Son.”
Angry because wealthy men forced poor men to fight and saved their sons
'Fortunate Son' wasn't really inspired by any one event. Julie Nixon was dating David Eisenhower (grandson of Dwight D. and son-in-law of Richard Nixon). You'd hear about the son of this senator or that congressman who was given a deferment from the military or a choice position in the military. They seemed privileged and whether they liked it or not, these people were symbolic in the sense that they weren't being touched by what their parents were doing. They weren't being affected like the rest of us.
Fortunate Son is commonly recognized as an anthem for the anti-war movement
Fogerty couldn’t stand the favoritism and hypocrisy
Most know Nixon was POTUS for second half of war
Credited with “Vietnamization,” ending draft, and withdrew troops
Also, David Eisenhower enlisted in Navy a year after the song
He served 3 years on active duty aboard USS Albany
My point isn’t to create division about Vietnam, but to reveal a principle
People hate favoritism, unless they are favored!
The Gospel is for Everyone
The Gospel is for Everyone
Here’s why I have to mention this:
Here’s why I have to mention this:
People hate favoritism, unless they are favored!
The gospel is for everyone.
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.
Whether we like it or not, favoritism is a deep-rooted issue
We all recognize that it’s wrong - it’s self-evident
Yet it feels so good to receive preferential treatment
And we love to give it, if we think there’s something in it for us
That’s what James is talking about this week, in James 2:1-13
1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
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?
Remember the name of our series: Faith in Action
It is our faith in Jesus Christ that means everything to us
When that goes into action, it changes the world!
I loved MacGuyver!
He could do anything, he just needed his Swiss Army knife!
I was thrilled when I got my first one
It had a couple of blades, can opener, scissors, file, even tweezers and a toothpick!
Our faith is like a Swiss Army knife
Whatever is in front of us, we can put our faith to use and accomplish anything!
Of course, that is because of who we put our faith in - that is Christ
Imagine 3 of us are sitting around a fire, opening cans of beans
We all need a can opener, but I give the toothpick to 1, the tweezers to 2, and the can opener to 3
I write his name on it, give him the comfy seat next to the fire, even give him my can of beans!
Why? Because 3 is my favorite!
That is a waste of your faith, because you could have shared it with everyone who needed it...
THIS IS IMPORTANT! In
Let’s look at what James says about it:
Image isn’t Everything
Image isn’t Everything
Image isn’t Everything
Image isn’t Everything
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?
For a Christian, image should be nothing.
God cares about our heart, the inside. Not the outside.
We should do the same
Sprite used to say, “Image is nothing, thirst is everything. Drink Sprite.”
They got 1 thing right, image is nothing. But it is God that is everything.
Here’s what Peter says about it:
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
That’s not saying to never do your hair, don’t wear jewelry and don’t wear nice clothes
Adorn means to make something beautiful
It’s saying that those things aren’t what make you beautiful
What makes you beautiful is humility, gentleness, character and love
Ask yourself honestly: Why do we wear these things?
Setup and show Wayne’s World clip
In this case, they are motivated by money
Gucci handbags
Cheapest handbag was $780
Most expensive was $31,000!
My truck cost half that!
I’ll take a Dodge Ram over an alligator purse any day!
Here’s the real question… why do people buy Gucci handbags?
Because they are better quality that other handbags
Puhleeze! I can literally buy you a $50 handbag every 3 weeks for 20 years!
And still have enough for a new Kia, a 60” TV, an xBox and McDonalds for the whole worship team!
Oh, and the cheapest Gucci handbag on their website too!
Tell me people spend that much for the quality…!
Is that Gucci purse really that much better quality? NO!
People buy Gucci because the little emblem says, “I spent a lot of money on this!”
We want people to see that we have things they don’t, because then we get treated differently...
Mankind tends to favor the rich, but guess who doesn’t...
God Doesn’t Favor the Rich
God Doesn’t Favor the Rich
Man’s acts of favoritism rarely agree with God’s heart.
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?
Here’s the fact:
Man’s acts of favoritism rarely agree with God’s heart.
Reading through the Bible reveals that God cares deeply for the poor
When Christ came,
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
When Christ came, He had no mansion, no property, and no Gucci handbag
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Jesus said, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
When He was crucified, the guards gambled for His clothing. Those were His last possessions on earth...
If Christ is our example, shouldn’t possessions be the least of our worries too?
And God loves those who had nothing!
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
The Good News (Gospel) is sent to who? The poor?!
But we are tempted to ignore the poor and reach out to the rich because they have more to offer us...
On the other hand, God does not favor the rich
24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
There are 3 explanations for this passage
1. Literally a camel fitting through the eye of a sewing needle
(Which can be done if you slice him up and put him through one bit at a time)
(It would just take a long time and a lot of work!)
2. Rumored to be a gate called “eye of a needle” that was very hard to get a camel through
3. Mistranslation of a hawser, or the rope for a ships anchor through a needle
No matter which one, it is VERY HARD for a rich man to follow God!
That’s because people with money tend to value it… a lot
If you didn’t, you probably wouldn’t get rich!
Wayne Gerard Trotman - “Instead of loving people and using money, people often love money and use people.”
That’s basically what James is saying!
You’re trying to please the rich, and who is it throwing you in prison? THE RICH!
When the church begins to love money more than people, we’ve lost our way
Our faith is supposed to be shared with all who need it without discrimination!
On the other hand, God does not favor the rich
Sin is Sin is Sin (Including Favoritism)
Sin is Sin is Sin (Including Favoritism)
You cannot defend favoritism in the church!
You cannot defend favoritism in the church!
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.
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.
Think of someone who has inspired you to change...
We’ll come back to that person in a minute
Paul had a feeling they would defend themselves...
Hey, that rich guy is my neighbor! I’m just being obedient to God!
That’s right, but there’s a flip-side:
The poor man is just as much a neighbor as a rich man.
You cannot defend favoritism in the church!
If you treat the rich man better than a poor man, that is actually sin!
Here’s the reality:
You cannot defend favoritism in the church!
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.
When it comes to giving at church, I never check the names of givers
I don’t even want the temptation of considering one person over another
Old guy at the Presbyterian church:
You can make decisions in this church when you start paying for it!
Can you think of a more anti-Jesus teaching than that?!
Some of us may be judging him right now, but if we’re honest, we think just like him...
Here’s what I mean
But we might need to reexamine what’s truly important
If you didn’t, maybe it’s because the opinions of those types of people don’t matter to you...
Please understand this: I am not condemning those in here who have more money than others!
That’s not to say the person you thought of isn’t good
Instead, the Bible is saying that your wealth does not make you more important in the eyes of God
But we might need to reexamine what’s truly important
It’s to say that we cannot value them more than
Also, the Bible isn’t saying that everyone should be treated the same
We are not going to let Matt lead worship so we don’t show favoritism!
We are not going to let a brand-new believer give a sermon
This passage is not about equality in all things
It’s about not treating others with an unfair bias, specifically money
But this can apply to other things as well
But I believe this applies to other things too (appearance, talent, power, etc.)
If you’re evangelizing, don’t only share withe the pretty one
If you’re grabbing water for your church b-ball team, don’t only give it to the best shooter
If you’re
God Doesn’t Favor One Sin Over Another
God Doesn’t Favor One Sin Over Another
We’ve already established that favoritism is actually sin
Here’s the thing:
God doesn’t play favorites with our wealth, and He doesn’t do it with our sin either.
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.
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.
I think we all know adultery is sin, and murder is sin
Often times, we point fingers at the other sins
Christians love criticizing gay people when we’ve been divorced 5 times!
Here’s what James is saying:
Don’t measure your position based on the sin, measure it based on the One who gave the instruction
This shows the importance of not showing favoritism
Loving without discrimination is as important as not killing someone because God said so!
So how do we do this? Like this:
Replace Favoritism with Mercy
Replace Favoritism with Mercy
Mercy always trumps judgment!
God will N
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.
Jasmes 2:12-13
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.
Remember last week, Pastor Matt explained that boundaries give us freedom?
He said that stop signs and speed limits are what keep roads flowing freely?
Not showing favoritism is one of those laws that keep the church moving freely
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’
Think of the parable of the unforgiving servant
A servant owed a king money he couldn’t pay so he was to be sold
The servant fell on his knees and begged for forgiveness, and his debt was cancelled
But then a man owed the servant money and he choked him, demanding payment
The man begged, but the servant threw him in prison
Then the king heard about it...
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 18:32
Let me ask: Have you recieved mercy from God?
If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you have recieved more mercy than you can fathom
Our response has to be that we show mercy to our fellow brothers and sisters
And we cannot play favorites...
Closing Illustration: The story of the ragged visitor in a traditional church.