Sermon Tone Analysis

As I walk in the store, I can tell I’m being sized up.

This isn’t Wal-Mart, where everybody wears those blue /how can I help you today?

/vests.

This is the fancy department store, the dog-eat-dog world of commissions, where your paycheck depends on how much you sell.

These men and women don’t have time to waste on people just browsing—they zero in on those who have money and are ready to make a purchase.

In only a few seconds they’re trying to figure out /is this chump worth my time?

/

In my case, the answer is usually /no.

/

            I’ve walked into this kind of situation; seen 4 or 5 salespeople on the floor and not /one /came up and asked /Can I help you, sir? /If I dare chase them down they get this look, a cross between pain and annoyance, and quickly try to get rid of me.

On the other hand, let another man or woman step foot into their area—someone who looks like they stepped off the cover of a magazine—and I’ve watched them literally /race /to get to them.

I think I know what they’re thinking.

/I can tell from his clothes this guy’s not buying anything.

He doesn’t need a refrigerator—he probably spends all his money on food.

If he can’t afford nice clothes, he sure as Sears and Roebuck can’t afford anything in here!

/

/            /Usually they’re right.

But sometimes—say when a tax refund or stimulus check comes my way—they’re wrong.

The interesting thing is they never find out for sure, because they have already sorted out the important people from the unimportant people.

Sometimes you and I are like that.

They tell you never judge a book by its cover, but you and I are judge people by their appearance, or their race, or their economic status, what kind of clothes they wear, what kind of car they drive, who their family is.

The real problem comes when we as Christians try to sort out the important people from the unimportant people.

That’s a big problem because God says /there are no unimportant people.

/He values us all equally, and He commands you and I to value everybody else equally.

When we don’t, we commit the sin of partiality.

Tonight I want us to talk not just about partiality, but the royal law of love described in *James 2:1-13*.

Let’s begin with *vs.

1-7*.

*PRAYER*

*            *A little sweetness helps make bitter medicine go down better.

I think that’s why James begins dealing with this issue with the phrase /my brethren /(*v.

1*) and /my beloved brethren /(*v.

5*).

Someone has pointed out that every time in this epistle James calls them /brothers /he’s about to drop the hammer on them.

This is certainly true as he addresses partiality.

The very first verse could be translated /Stop showing favoritism/.

The tense in Greek suggests this is something the church is already doing.

The most important reason why partiality is wrong is connected with the phrase used here: /do not hold *the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, */*//**/ /**//**/the Lord/**/ of glory/*/, with //// ////partiality/.

James says an attitude of partiality is incompatible with the glory of the Lord.

Faith in Christ and partiality don’t mix.

Why?

One very important reason is God Himself does not show partiality.

*Dt 10:17 */For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe./

*Ac 10:34-35* /34Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

35But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him./

James’ point in *vs.

1* is /Partiality is a petty attitude not worthy of anybody who claims to belong to Christ.

/

But what exactly do we mean by /partiality/?

James gives a clear example in *vs.

2-4*.

Just before the church service begins, 2 visitors step in.

The first visitor wears a nice suit, sporting a shiny gold ring on one hand, a man whose clothes and attitude say /this guy’s got it made.

/Somebody---usher, deacon, pastor—notices him stroll in and meet shim at the door.

/Glad to have you with us this morning, sir! We’ve reserved a special seat for you here up front!

Come right in and enjoy the service!

Let us know if there’s anything, *anything at all* we can do for you! /

Why do you suppose they welcome this wealthy man like this?

They look at him and see /Important person!

Maybe he could get the Romans off our back a little!

Bet his tithes could help out our budget!

If we can get him in church no telling how the Lord could help us out! /

The second visitor is much different.

He comes in dressed in shabby clothes—the best rags he can afford.

There’s no ring on his finger, nothing impressive about him.

He asks where he should sit, and somebody---usher, deacon, pastor— says /We’ve got a special place for you—here on the floor, or somewhere else out of the way.

/

Why do you suppose they welcome this poor man like this?

They look at him and see /unimportant person!

He can’t even do much for himself, much less the church!

He’s probably coming to church just because he wants something.

If we can just keep him quiet and hidden, maybe he won’t offend anybody important.

/

James hits the nail on the head when he asks in *vs.

4* /have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

/

            They are trying to sort the important people from the unimportant people.

This partiality is foolish, James says for 2 reasons.

It’s foolish because /God sees the poor as important.

/(*v.

5-6a*) Throughout the Bible, God demonstrates a special concern the poor.

One reason why is they are most often the people who are overlooked and ignored.

To the Jews, the poor trusted in God because they had no nobody else to trust in.

God’s special concern for the poor is a picture of God’s special concern for everybody that we might deem unimportant.

*Lk 6:20* /…Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God./

/            /Partiality is also foolish because /the rich often see God as unimportant.

/(*v.

6b-7*) James reminds his readers it is the rich people they welcome into church that are oppressing them and dishonoring the Lord.

Throughout the Bible, God demonstrates the dangers of being rich.

One reason why is people equate /wealth/ and /importance/, as if having a lot of money or possessions makes you more important than everybody else.

But God is not impressed by money or wealth, and these can even hinder a person’s relationship with God.

*Mt 19:23* /“Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven./

James’ point here is not that only poor people make it into heaven, or that all the rich people go to hell.

His point is that /because there are no unimportant people to God, there must never be any unimportant people to us.

/The royal law of love prohibits partiality.

Ron Hutchcraft tells this story: The bad news that I got at the airport was that my flight had been canceled, and the airline I was booked on couldn't get me to my destination in time for the meeting I was supposed to speak for.

But the good news was that they found me a seat on another airline.

But the bad news was that it was an airline I had barely heard of; I wasn't sure what to expect.

Ah, but the good news was, it was an airline with a wonderful difference from all the others.

There was no first class section, but every seat was as wide as a first class seat!

And instead of the plastic plates, paper napkins and average food I'm used to in economy class, I got (we all got) china plates, cloth napkins, a real meal - I mean like they usually get in first class.

That's the kind of treatment you would only get if you've paid for those expensive seats up there.

But what a great concept this particular airline has - treat everyone as if they're first class!

God tells us to Make sure there's only one section for all the passengers in your life ... first-class.

/Partiality is a petty attitude not worthy of anybody who claims to belong to Christ.

/

            That’s the negative side.

But James also gives us the positive side in *vs.

8*.

This is the Royal Law of Love in a nutshell: /love your neighbor as you love yourself.

/

            It’s nothing new.

It first shows up in the Bible in