Leave it all on the Feild second week of the Series

Favorites

We all have things we like over other things. We have a preference. For example in this service we might have a difficulty deciding if Coke is better than Pepsi or if Pepsi is better than Coke. We might have a preference between Zaxby’s and Tenders. That might be an easier conversation in this group. I had a Long Conversation With Betty Lou about Ambrosia and in the South this is a preference during the holiday season that I’m learning is awesome.

When does our preferences turn into Favoritism. Maybe Even when I say the word “Favoritism” you can think of a time when you showed someone else favoritism when you shouldn’t have or maybe a time when you missed out on something because you were over looked because someone else showed favoritism.

Since we are in a new series that is talking about Football and leaving it all on the field I know how favoritism is shown there.

Brady rule — One thing that has always bugged me about football is the start athletes get all the Glory and almost so far they get special treatment. I guess this is so that teams can have an edge or level the playing field. For example the Tom Brady might statistically be the best quarter back of all time but if he messes up I can promise you teammates coaches will look the other way so that they can protect there start player because he bring so much to the team. We have spy gate and deflate gate both times where the team started to push the envelope and possibly cheat but no one said anything because it was Tom Brady.

We also do this in our own lives, we show favoritism for lots of reason.

It can be as simple as its easier to talk to someone who looks like you to you see a value in someone that can help you to get ahead in life.

James 2:1-9 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

The first verse is so important to this section. James is being very clear that we as believers as Christians shouldn’t be people who show “Favoritism” discrimination and predigested before we get there I want us to look at how James talks about Jesus. James gave a different title for jesus. Glorious Lord Jesus. Glorious points back to the old testament. When James wrote this text Christianity was very new. This could be one of our earliest scriptures in the new testament and James is calling us back to the old testament saying the Jesus is the full measure of the God in the old testament. But lets be reminded that James and Jesus shared the same mother. James would have understood that Jesus was man but he also that he was God. This is important because this teaching is going to be difficult. James is writing so that we can understand a difficult concept. This is a side topic be the real topic is about showing Favoritism. He say Believers must not show favoritism. This is difficult but not foreign because there are old testament teaching that go along with Favoritism.

Dt 1:17 “Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.””

I think James new this would be difficult for his audience to understand

So James give us an application and or illustration let read

2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Let me help give some context to this story first. It’s interesting that we are talking about gold rings. But that was away you would show that you had wealth. You could rent rings to show wealth back then. We might have different way to show our wealth nice suits, expensive purses, cars and so on but today hasn’t changed all that much since 40 ad.

The word (Meeting) would have been a meeting at Church or synagogue. But it doesn’t tell us what kind of meeting it was. So what kind of meeting could it be? Maybe a church service, bible study, maybe a town hall meeting we don’t know. So this leads me to think that as believers we shouldn’t show favoritism in any meetings that we are in.

In this story we are seeing a division between Poor and Rich. When this was written they might have been even more divided than we are today. Jew vs Gentile, Greek Vs, Barbarian, and even slave vs free.

The plan for the church and our hope is to rise above these divisions but we still see them today.

White Collar vs Blue Collar, Rich and Poor is still a thing, right vs left or Republican vs Democrat. but here is the Good news and Paul writes about this is

Ephesians 2:14-15 “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,”

We are reminded that Jesus has broken down these walls so that we don’t have to show Favoritism

But I don’t want to skip over verse 4 because James gets a little tough on us. 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

This is difficult because we have all done this I promise. We have seen a person as what can we get out of them rather than how can I love them. In this example its talking about rich verse poor but for me I might have done this with a student who is difficult vs the student and is kind and obedient.

we are called to LOVE ALL people and if we don’t we have had evil thoughts and maybe done some evil.

How do we know if we have had evil thoughts. Here are three ideas

We care more about outward appearance than the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

We miss understand who is important in the sight of God. If they are rich they must be blessed by God. They must be living right

Maybe favoritism shows a selfish streak in you (What can someone else do for you) I might be more willing to get up early in the morning if i’m meeting with someone who could financially help my ministry out verse someone that I have to pull the conversation out of and pay for the meal and then drive them somewhere. because its easy to be selfish.. right.

But James isn’t done yet he goes on....

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

Being wealthy is absolutely an obstacle to our faith. We can see this in scripture time and time again. FB Meyer says.

“The rich man may trust Him; but the poor man must… the poor man has no fortress in which to hide, except the two strong arms of God.” (FB Meyer)

I’m pretty comfortable sometimes I forget to thank God for then many blessing he has given me. Sometimes I even forget that I need to rely on him in a desperate manner. Have you ever felt like you needed God in your life in such a big way that with every part of your being you needed him. I have and it could be one of the most freeing moments.

Eliza and I went to a laundry-matte to wash table cloths one time and we ran into the poor people who had needs and when we did something as simple as pay for there laundry it felt like Jesus showed up for them because they needed the extra couple dollars. For me if someone gave me five bucks I would be like great thank you.

This reminds us that we aren’t rooted in this earth but we are living for Eternity and Wealth can get in the way of that. This is something I think James was reminding his people.

Then we make it to the end of the Scripture and vs 8 says

8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

This is what I will leave you with. are you truly living in away that you are loving your Neighbors. Not the person next door but maybe but are you loving the people who are different from you? If not how can you? Remember we aren’t suppose to show Favoritism. We love all people like Jesus has loved us.