James 2:1-10 Pay Attention to All People Michael Silva / Aug 26, 2018 Opening: Joke: A Rich Man and His Daughter s White Horse A rich man was trying to find his daughter a birthday gift when he saw a poor man with a beautiful white horse. He told the man that he would give him $500 for the horse. The poor man replied, I don t know mister, it don t look so good, and walked away. The next day the rich man came back and offered the poor man $1000 for the horse. The poor man replied, I don t know mister, it don t look so good, and walked away again. On the third day the rich man offered the poor man $2000 for the horse and said he wouldn t take no for an answer. The poor man agreed and the rich man took the horse home. The rich man s daughter loved her present. She climbed onto the horse, and then beginning to gallop, the horse ran right into a wall. The impact killed the horse and sent the girl to the hospital. The next day the rich man rushed back over to the poor man s house, threating him with a lawsuit, the rich man demanded an explanation for the horse s extreme behavior. a) The poor man replied, I told you it don t look so good. v Those who are rich and poor and how we treat them are the focus of today passage. Introduction: The Epistle of James The Proverbs of the New Testament. 1. Key Theme: Living out your faith, being doers of the Word and not just hearers of the Word. Let s read our passage today: James 2:1-10 (NKJV) i 1. In the first chapter of James, we are reminded that doers of the word a) Doers of the word count it all joy when they fall into various trials (Vs 2-4). b) Doers of the word ask for wisdom in faith, without doubting (Vs 5-8). c) Doers of the word are not full of wrath, instead they are quick to hear, slow to speak, and receives the Word in their hearts (Vs 19-21). 2. I ve summarized our passage today: Pay Attention to All People. a) Our passage will illustrate how it s wrong to give some preference to some while ignoring others. James 2:1 partiality. 1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with 1. What is partiality?
a) Partiality is defined as an unfair bias in favor of one thing or person compared with another; favoritism. i) Can you think of a time when you saw favoritism being shown, but you weren t the favored person? ii) How did that feel? What was that like? Draw upon that experience as we dive further into this passage. b) What James is declaring is that partiality or favoritism is inconsistent with genuine faith. i) New Living Translation: 1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? - James 2:1 (NLT) 2. God is our example in this matter. a) Deuteronomy 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. b) Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with God. c) Let s look at an instance where God was trying to teach this principle to the early church. i) Read Acts 10:1-17 Peter and Cornelius the centurion. (1) Was this vision about dietary restrictions? No. (2) This was about human relationships. This was concerning how believers regarded others. ii) Read Act 10:18-28. (1) Acts 10:28 Then he said to them, You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (2) Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. (3) As Peter preached the gospel to them, they believed, the Holy Spirit came, and they also water baptized. (4) As Peter overcame partiality, we see a beautiful story of the gospel advancing. d) Christ has broken down all divisions between mankind. i) Concerning Jews and Gentiles, Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:14 16 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ii) The Jew only recognized two groups of people, Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles being all non-jews, and Jews always looked down upon Gentiles. Page 2 of 5
(1) But in Christ these groups are joined together as one body through the cross. 3. Reread Vs 1. The phrase do not hold the faith carries a sense of wearing something. a) What you wear repeatedly establishes a personal style. b) Is it your style, your regular pattern to show partiality? James says for the Christian it shouldn t! 4. Notice the centrality of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory here in Vs 1. a) James recognizes the deity of Jesus Christ. This is remarkable because they were biologically related. b) James declares that Jesus is His Lord. i) Elizabeth II is the queen of England, but she is not my queen. ii) Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia is the king of Spain, but he is not my king. iii) Jesus Christ is Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), and He is MY Lord! How about you? c) Our family members can be the hardest to win over to Christ. James did not believe initially, but here we see that he now clearly does Keep praying for your family members. 2 James 2:2-4 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, You stand there, or, Sit here at my footstool, 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 1. In Ancient Roman, rings were worn on the left hand as a sign of wealth; shops in Rome rented rings for special occasions. a) The idea behind the statement to the poor Sit here at my footstool is essentially, sit on the floor. b) To be clear, to show partiality is to discriminate and it s a sin. 2. My impression is that we do well here at CCSO in not showing partiality. But partiality can be so subtle. a) The way someone dresses makes a big difference in our culture. Dress to Impress Quotes b) I have consistently found that if I dress nicely when out, I get treated better by those around me. c) The show: Undercover Boss, the CEO/President dresses up to deceive their employees. d) One of the reasons why Calvary Chapels generally have a casual dress-code is that we don t want dress to define relationships or keep people from coming. No Sunday-Best required to come here. e) It s good, in light of today s passage to stop and reflectively pray, do I show partiality? How can I do better in this area? Page 3 of 5
3. The word assembly in Vs 2 is literally Synagogue in the original Greek (συναγωγή/sunagoge). a) A synagogue was the place where people gathered together as an assembly to pray, worship, and seek God. b) Historically, we know that in the first century, Christians did not have church buildings, they assembled in houses and open areas that could facilitate their gathers. c) James is exhorting that we make sure that this form of discrimination does not occur in our places of worship. d) There is a danger that routines and practices handed down can include biases that we are blind to. i) It s good to ask the question: Why do we do what we are doing? 4. There is equality in Christ a) Proverbs 22:2 The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all. b) Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 5 James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 1. God sees more than just what we wear. a) Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13, the Lord sends Samuel to anoint David. i) 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 2. Jesus example Mark 1:40-42, Jesus Heals a Leper. a) And Luke 17:11-19, Jesus heals 10 lepers. Jesus made time for the lowest & most despised in the society. 3. F.B. Meyer, 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. a) I think this verse is a great apologetic for why Christianity is not a man-made religion. If I were going to make a religion it would be one that attracts wealthy people, not the poor. 6 James 2:6-7 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 1. James issues two rhetorical questions to challenge the human response at often shows favoritism Page 4 of 5
a) The people we try to impress generally could care less about us. b) The ones we show special treatment to do not show us any special treatment in return; instead they take advantage of the poor for their own gain. c) Of course, this is not how all rich people act, but like a proverb, there are general principles and truths contained in these words. 8 James 2:8-10 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 1. The second greatest commandment can t be fulfilled if we are showing partiality in our relationships. a) The name Christian means, Little Christ and the idea is that Christians are supposed to act like Christ. b) So, if Christ doesn t show partiality then are we really acting like Christians if we show partiality. The obvious answer is NO. c) We have a higher calling, to love one another. d) 1 John 3:11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, e) 1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. f) Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Conclusion: What s the big take away from this passage? 1. Pay attention to all people. a) Let s search our hearts and actions to make sure we are not guilty of the sin of partiality. Let s love one another as Christ has loved us. Invitation: Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. i All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. Page 5 of 5