James 2 - Favoritism

WELCOME: Elder Higgins Reflections Group Thursdays @ 7:30 pm

Reflections Church Service

July 10th, 2022

Pastor Straker

“FAN THE FLAME"

2 Timothy 1:1 - 7

2 Timothy 1:1–7 CSB

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus: 2 To Timothy, my dearly loved son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. 4 Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. 6 Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

To keep the fire going you got to fan the flame

Once lit by the Holy Spirit you don’t have to be relit

Our spirit is still a glowing ember it just needs the wind of God to set our spiritual lives ablaze

You can’t force anyone to fan their won flame.

We need to be @ full flame because the devil is @ full foolishness at all times

Though God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, He’s not responsible for maintaining it.

Things that quench the flame of God:

Indifference

Busy - prioritizing other things over the things of God

Unforgiveness

Things that rekindle the flame of God:

The Word of God

The love of God

The Spirit of God

Icebreaker:

James 2:1 - 4

James 2:1–4 CSB

1 My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Practicing discrimination is one of the ways we become stained by the world (1:27) especially living in America. James has some choice words for his readers about showing partiality: “Do no show favoritism”. Doctrine wasn’t this group’s problem: they had faith in our Lord, but it wasn’t affecting how they related to others. To discriminate against people is to make a value judgement based on unbiblical criteria (such as race, class, or culture) and act inappropriately toward them.

Regardless of the motivation for the favoritism whether race, class, education, gender, or culture - we cannot blame society our our upbringing for this tendency that James calls “evil.” Understand: we’re not talking about discrimination between right and wrong based on God’s Word. We’re talking about discrimination where God shows no partiality - looking at the outside to determine a person’s worth.

James 2:5 - 9

James 2:5–9 CSB

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 Yet you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you? 8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said the law has two sides to it: Love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40). You cannot claim to love God while you hate your brother (1 John 4:20). But if you show favoritism, you don’t merely do something socially unacceptable you commit sin (2:9).

James 2:14 - 17

James 2:14–17 CSB

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

Indulging the sin of discrimination is but one example of living in contradiction to the faith you profess. James wants his readers to know that it’s possible for a believer to have a useless faith - one that’s devoid of good works. He asks, “What good is it?” (2:16) to claim to have faith but no works?

Some people think James is contradicting Paul, who said, “A person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Roman 3:28). But James and Paul aren’t talking about the same thing. Paul is talking about how a sinner becomes a saint. James is talking about how a saint brings heaven to earth.

You cannot merit salvation; it is received by grace through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8 -9)

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

Our sanctification, however, requires that our faith express itself in works.

(You shortchange your experience with God, if you don’t do good works once you’re saved)

James 2:18 - 20

James 2:18–20 CSB

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder. 20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?

If you want to understand the strength of your faith, look at what you do. In the Hall of Faith of Hebrews 11, the author repeatedly accomplished “by faith.” Belief was demonstrated by what they did. [Abraham, Rahab]

James 2:26

James 2:26 CSB

26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

The faith of a believer can atrophy, and we can become orthodox corpses unless our faith is put to work.

[You don’t support ministry, you don’t look to serve, you don’t meet at our appointed times, bible study, locker room, Sunday services, then you want God to do stuff for you. James let’s you know in chapter 1 you can’t come with doubt, or as we said both a world, and biblical perspective, and expect God to answer you. (James 1:7-8) Where is your priority]

Prayer:

Announcements:

July assignment: Apply the How to Read the Bible series to the letters to Timothy

Confirm that Ian and his family are attending service on July 17th, and I propose we eat out together

RG Outing (Tentative date Saturday August 20th, 2022)