Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Robert Cero on Power

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

In 1922 James and Helen Roth purchased 49 acres on long Island to start a farm.

The land was all woodland and very rocky.

So James and Helen, along with their 5 year old son (Jimmy) began the five year project of clearing the land.

It was only James and Helen and a team of Oxen who worked as long as they could each day to clear the land

For five years they worked the land trying to create for themselves a living.

As they cleared they discovered that the southern 15 ac. of the land was no good for farming, because the soil was too thin.

And by 1927 the farm began paying.

They had a 34 ac farm and it looked to provide them with a modest living.

However, that same year that the farm started making money (1927) they received a knock at the door from a representative from the Long Island State Park Commission of Robert Moses.

The Representative told the Roth’s that state was condemning 14 ac.

out of the middle of the farm for the Northern State Parkway.

You see Robert Moses was was the President of the New York State Parks Commission and was a man of great, wealth, power, and influence.

The Northern State Parkway was Robert Moses’ project and was to be a scenic highway that serviced the communities on the north side of the Island.

(See picture)

You see Robert Moses was was the President of the New York State Parks Commission and was a man of great, wealth, power, and influence.

When Robert Moses originally planned to build this road he didn’t want it go south at all, but to stay east and west along the north side of the Island.

However, as he planned out the route for the highway it was going to go through the golf corse on the massive estate of Otto Kahn, who was a very powerful man (and Robert Moses’ cousin)

Otto Kahn offered Robert Moses $10,000 to re-route his highway to go south..

the problem was just south of Kahn’s estate was another estate of Ogden Livingston Mills, another robber barren who had power, money, and influence.

And below Mill’s estate was another estate of yet another powerful man.

three different times Robert Moses moved the route of his highway south because the land belonged to wealthy, powerful men.

When it was all said and done Moses moved his highway 3 miles south right through the middle of James and Helen Roth’s farm.

James Roth pleaded with the parks commission to move the highway just 400 feet south into the part of his property that that he could not farm due to the thin soil.

Robert Moses refused.

He refused to move it less than 1/10 of a mile for the Roth family.

So the highway was built right through the middle of their farm

The Roth family was unable to maintain the farm on two sides of a highway and losing 14 ac.

So eventually they were not able to make any money on the farm.

And worse than that, they were unable to sell the farm because the land was worthless being on two sides of the highway.

You see, Robert Moses was a man who when faced with real power, like the robber barrens who owned the three estates, showed partiality.

He showed favoritism and listened to the requests of these men to not bring the highway through their estates.

Yet, when he came toe to toe with the far less powerful, far less wealthy, far less influential James Roth, he was happy to not move the highway even 400 more feet.

Thus destroying a families livelihood

This sort of action is detestable to God.

Time and again throughout scripture we see that God is not a God who shows favoritism.

Paul says it without ambiguity in Romans 2

God told Moses

When God speaks to Moses he

Even the wisdom of Solomon speaks to the evil of showing favoritism and partiality.

When we hear these verses we are hearing the heart and mind of God.

And the heart and mind of God is one that does not show partiality or favoritism.

As followers of God we should seek to have the mind of Christ in all things, thus we ought never show favoritism or partiality.

However, this is harder than it sounds

In social gatherings its easy to treat people differently because of their status or wealth

its amazing how hard we work to impress people we don’t even like

I once had a job where I worked around a lot of celebrities, and it was amazing watching people change in order to try and impress this famous person.

People would constantly contradict their own moral or social standard just to get some recognition from someone they deemed more important.

Its easy to show favoritism toward those who you think will boost your ego, or make you feel important.

Its also easy to ignore those who don’t fit in socially, those who may keep you from being accepted by the so called important people.

Even the Apostle Peter fell headlong into partiality.

Remember when Peter was in Antioch, and he was eating with his gentile brothers and sisters.

And when James (the brother of Jesus) who was a well respected and influenctial Jew entered the room, Peter withdrew from eating with the gentiles because that was culturally looked down upon by Jews.

Peter himself shows favoritism by removing himself from the gentiles in order to have better standing with the Jews.

In our hearts we all know this struggle, in the efforts to be accepted, liked, or respected we often are willing to hurt others in order to gain that which we desire.

And as James is writing this letter to these young Christians, he has already heard that they are showing favoritism toward the rich, and here in James chapter is where he address the topic with this young church.

Look with me at verse one…

There are three aspects of this verse that are a sort of theological outline for the passage.

Show no Partiality

Show No Partiality

Hold the Faith in Christ

Jesus is the Lord of Glory

Show No Partiality

James wants these young Christians to have nothing to do with showing favoritism.

He knows the seriousness of such thoughts and how partiality or favoritism is antithetical to the gospel and the character of God.

when we look at Scripture we see that we are to think God’s thoughts after him, which means our thoughts concerning any person, no matter social or economic standing, background, race, gender, ethnicity or age needs to align with God’s thoughts about that individual.

Now where do we see God’s thoughts toward people best displayed?

on the cross!

Jesus did not die only for the rich,

he did not atone only for the privileged.

The beauty of the gospel is that its for all people!

every tribe, tongue, nation

every class, race, ethnicity, or socio or economic background

This was the promise to Abraham, that through his seed all the nations of the world would be blessed.

So for us to show partiality, to show favoritism, among the people of God, is to try and tear apart that which Christ died to sow together.

Jesus does not give grace nor withhold it based off of ones bank account

Jesus does not extend mercy nor judgment based off of success or influence

Jesus does not find himself being drawn to on culture over another

The gospel and all its blessings are poured out without distinction upon all those who are in Christ.

Favoritism or partiality is to set ourselves against that which God has accomplished by the gospel.

James says to show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus...

So what does it mean to hold the faith?

Hold the Faith

James is calling the men and women who have been driven from their homes to not lose their way, to not give up on what it means to faithfully follow Jesus

Let’s remember how difficult the circumstances were for this young church.

They are away from their homes, having been run out of town because of their belief in Christ.

They now have to figure out what life looks like away from Jerusalem.

run out of town because of their belief in Christ, figure out what life looks like away from Jerusalem.

and now they are trying to make a living,

figure out what life looks like away from Jerusalem.

How tempting would it be to do whatever it takes to make life easy.

However, discriminating against people is inconsistent with true faith in Christ.

to live for Christ

make some compromises, loosen up on some of their convictions.

They can still affirm the truth of the gospel without having to live it out

Holding to the faith means to think, speak and act in accordance with the gospel.

As long as we believe, thats all that truly matters

this is a gnostic way of thinking.