Extended Mercy

Chaz Turmon

James • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Personal favoritism is sin because true love knows no partiality. We can learn to disregard favoritism when we start to love ourselves and others the way Christ loves us.

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Intro

Week 1

In week one of our series, we looked at who and when the book of James was written. It was written by James, a brother of Jesus and written around the year 50 A.D.

It is a straight forward book. It is not a story but rather a book about how to guard ourselves as Christians and grow deeper in our faith and relationship with Christ.

Week 2

The second week of our series we talked about trials. More importantly how trialds are designed to test our faith and allow us to grow deeper in it.

It is easy, so easy to think that God is an Evil God with a magnified glass just burning us up like ants through these trials.

We learned that this is not so, God can not will to do Evil or else he contradicts his nature and who he is.

Week 3

Last week, we look into self control. When these trials come, it would be easy to give into temptation.

We saw how the word not only needs to be read but it must be what motivates our actions. We must be doers of the word as James said.

Daily we must clothe ourselves with Christ.

If we are not, then all that we do is for nothing.

Today

This bring sup to this weeks text. Today we will explore what it means to love others as ourselves. Other words, we do not play favorites for Jesus did not play favorites, God did not play favorites.

Let’s dive into the scriptures and read what James has to say on this matter.

Slide

James 2:1–9 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.

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Week 3

Text:

Topic: Favoritism, the Kingdom, Love

Big Idea of the Message: Personal favoritism is sin because true love knows no partiality.

Application Point: We can learn to disregard favoritism when we start to love ourselves and others the way Christ loves us.

Think about a time where you were treated differently, for whatever reason; how did it make you feel?

1. Think about a time where you were treated differently, for whatever reason; how did it make you feel? Partiality is a hindrance to our ability to see and love people the way God sees and loves people. God is a God of grace who does not indulge in favoritism like we have the tendency to do. James explains that we shouldn’t hold the faith of Jesus Christ with partiality (v. 1). God has made it clear through Scripture that he loved the world and gave his son over to death in order to save it. This was grace and mercy showed on God’s part to any- and everyone willing to believe, with no favoritism; therefore, we should live the same way.

Partiality is a hindrance to our ability to see and love people the way God sees and loves people.

God is a God of grace who does not indulge in favoritism like we have the tendency to do.

Slide

James 2:1–4 ESV

James 2:1-

God & Favorites

God does not play favorites. If god does not play favorites and Jesus did not play favorites, do you think that we as Christians should?

Slide

When favoritism dominates, the obedience of faith is compromised and undermined.

James explains that we shouldn’t hold the faith of Jesus Christ with partiality or preference.(v. 1).

God has made it clear through Scripture that he loved the world and gave his son over to death in order to save it.

This was grace and mercy showed on God’s part to any- and everyone willing to believe, with no favoritism; therefore, we should live the same way.

If God was for playing favorites, why then did He save the Ninevites in the book of Jonah? They were not his chosen people. They were actually a nation that oppressed his people.

Yet God showed grace and mercy towards them.

James uses this illustration of the rich and poor again.

We tend to gravitate to people who look clean, well dressed, and so on. We do not however gravitate towards people who are dirty or maybe broken.

We tend to avoid that and that is what James is pointing out in verses 2-4.5

Slide

Is the community of believers united around the principles of Christ rather than those of the perishing world?

This is something to ask yourself daily. Are you basing your life off of Christ and the Word or are you living off what the world tells you?

Let’s pick up in verse 5.

Slide

James 2:5–6 ESV

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?

Poor vs. Rich

2. In verses 5–6, James uses a paradox to explain the connection between being rich in the kingdom versus the world. The poor believers might be lacking in everything physical and tangible, but they are the ones who are rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom (v. 5). We should not treat these individuals with contempt, since they are blessed. James uses harsh imagery to point out the fact that the rich people we treat with high honor due to their wealth and privilege, are the same people who exploit us and drag people into the courts. Much of what we as people see and judge come from the outside of others, but it is the inner heart and spirit that God judges.

James 2:5–7 ESV

Poor vs. Rich

In verses 5–6, James uses a paradox to explain the connection between being rich in the kingdom versus the world.

The poor believers might be lacking in everything physical and tangible, but they are the ones who are rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom (v. 5).

Slide

The saving work of God reverses the status of those who were most afflicted by the curse of sin.

If you think about it, not many among believers are attractive to the world.

Same with the poor.

We should not treat these individuals with contempt, since they are blessed.

James uses harsh imagery to point out the fact that the rich people we treat with high honor due to their wealth and privilege, are the same people who exploit us and drag people into the courts.

Much of what we as people see and judge come from the outside of others, but it is the inner heart and spirit that God judges.

Slide

Poor believers are not the only ones who will be saved, but they, above all, demonstrate God’s gracious saving work.

3. In this clip from The Soloist, a mentally sick and homeless man named Nathaniel says a prayer over the people in the world, as he lies out in the street. Use this clip to illustrate how the poor and homeless can be rich in spirit and display more humility and love toward people than others who are better off than they are: https://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/the-soloist/nathaniels-prayer.

The world feeds us a different type of mentality. If we chase after all that we want, we will be rich, powerful, successful, and happy.

This cause us to look down on those who are less fortunate than us.

Jesus spent a lot of his ministry with those who were less fortunate. He came to heal the sick, not the healthy.

James wraps this up in a solid way.

Slide

James

4. James finishes his teaching on personal favoritism by pointing back to the ultimate law of love. Loving your neighbor as yourself involves sacrifice, no matter the person. James goes on to say that partiality is sin, which is also stated in . Showing partiality goes against everything James desires this audience to learn about loving people fairly. Since you can become a transgressor of the law by stumbling in one area, while keeping the rest, you become guilty of the rest. In other words, you cannot do both at the same time—believing you’re actually loving your neighbor yet showing partiality to others.

James 2:8–9 ESV

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.

Royal Law

James finishes his teaching on personal favoritism by pointing back to the ultimate law of love.

James finishes his teaching on personal favoritism by pointing back to the ultimate law of love. Loving your neighbor as yourself involves sacrifice, no matter the person. James goes on to say that partiality is sin, which is also stated in . Showing partiality goes against everything James desires this audience to learn about loving people fairly. Since you can become a transgressor of the law by stumbling in one area, while keeping the rest, you become guilty of the rest. In other words, you cannot do both at the same time—believing you’re actually loving your neighbor yet showing partiality to others.

Slide

Matthew 22:39 ESV

39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Loving your neighbor as yourself involves sacrifice, no matter the person. James goes on to say that partiality is sin, which is also stated in . Showing partiality goes against everything James desires this audience to learn about loving people fairly. Since you can become a transgressor of the law by stumbling in one area, while keeping the rest, you become guilty of the rest. In other words, you cannot do both at the same time—believing you’re actually loving your neighbor yet showing partiality to others.

Loving your neighbor as yourself involves sacrifice, no matter the person.

James goes on to say that partiality or preference is sin, which is also stated in .

Slide

Leveit 19:18

Leviticus 19:18 ESV

18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Showing partiality goes against everything James desires this audience to learn about loving people fairly. Since you can become a transgressor of the law by stumbling in one area, while keeping the rest, you become guilty of the rest. In other words, you cannot do both at the same time—believing you’re actually loving your neighbor yet showing partiality to others.

Showing partiality goes against everything James desires this audience to learn about loving people fairly.

Since you can become a transgressor of the law by stumbling in one area, while keeping the rest, you become guilty of the rest.

In other words, you cannot do both at the same time—believing you’re actually loving your neighbor yet showing partiality to others.

This clip is great at showing how one puts preference aside.

5. In this clip from Forrest Gump, Forrest runs back into the jungle to try to find his friend Bubba, who is a fellow soldier. As he searches, he continually finds fellow soldiers who are on the bridge of death. Instead of showing partiality to his best friend and overlooking the other soldiers, he carries them all back to safety, one by one, even though they’re on the verge of death. Use this clip to illustrate how Forest loved his best friend but showed love to everyone else without partiality: https://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/forrest-gump/i-gotta-find-bubba. (Caution: Some war violence and war injuries.)

In this clip from Forrest Gump, Forrest runs back into the jungle to try to find his friend Bubba, who is a fellow soldier.

As he searches, he continually finds fellow soldiers who are on the bridge of death.

Instead of showing partiality to his best friend and overlooking the other soldiers, he carries them all back to safety, one by one, even though they’re on the verge of death. Use this clip to illustrate how Forest loved his best friend but showed love to everyone else without partiality:

Movie Slide

In this clip from Forrest Gump, Forrest runs back into the jungle to try to find his friend Bubba, who is a fellow soldier. As he searches, he continually finds fellow soldiers who are on the bridge of death. Instead of showing partiality to his best friend and overlooking the other soldiers, he carries them all back to safety, one by one, even though they’re on the verge of death. Use this clip to illustrate how Forest loved his best friend but showed love to everyone else without partiality: https://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/forrest-gump/i-gotta-find-bubba. (Caution: Some war violence and war injuries.)

6. “The royal law commanded God’s people to ‘love their neighbors as themselves’ (note the emphasis on ‘as’). Their neighbors included the wealthy and the poor (see ). The ‘as’ means that we must love our neighbors as we love ourselves. …

We must love our neighbors with the same level of concern and care that we have for ourselves.

But in addition to meaning that we must love our neighbors and ourselves equally, James insists that we must love each of our neighbors equally, not treating one neighbor better than another.

The royal law calls for equality.

Showing partiality or preference violates the principle of ‘equal treatment under the law’”

At the end of the day, no matter where someone is in their life, we should be that light, that becon of hope that would come along side them.

There are plenty of students every year that commit suicide because they feel alone, unaccepted, not worthy.

Do you see what kind of change or difference we as Christians have the power to make?

You read the book of ACTS AND PETER LEADS LIKE 5,000 people to Christ in one day and then got arrested. But he stood up and listened to those who would not be listened to by others.