A Command: “Don’t Show Favoritism”
Text: “My brothers, as
believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism,” James 2:1;
also, “But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as
lawbreakers,” James 2:9.
A valid criticism of preachers is that they don’t always stick to one point in their sermons. I agree. However, this morning James’ sermon is an excellent model for staying with one point in the sermon. He starts with favoritism in verse one, and he stays with this topic all the way through these 13 verses I’ve chosen for our sermon passage. The heading of the passage in the New International Version of the bible is right on for this topic: Favoritism forbidden. James is sledgehammer clear about his purpose in this message. This is an impressive model for all speakers, not just preachers!
The
second thing I am very impressed with is the big issue he makes of favoritism.
As we study and think deeply about what he says about the topic of favoritism
you will agree that he is commanding our attention on a topic that is of great
interest to him. You will see and perhaps understand why he is doing so.
I
want to spend my time this morning persuading you with James words and reasons
to put a stop to showing favoritism. Now, I realize I’ve just made an
assumption by saying I want you to stop showing favoritism. I may be wrong, but
I think I’m right. But I am doing what James is doing in this passage. He tells
them not to show favoritism. He tells them why they should not show favoritism.
I am going to do the same in this sermon.
How
do you stop showing favoritism? There are four reasons I believe you should
stop showing favoritism:
1.
Be a true follower of Jesus Christ who didn’t show favoritism to any person.
James makes this point in the very first verse. He says that favoritism does
not belong in the life of believers. “My brothers, as believers in our glorious
Lord Jesus Christ don’t show favoritism.” Now favoritism is defined as
discrimination, or “respect of persons,” partiality, snobbishness, and
flunkeyism. It also means the “failure to oppose injustice for fear of the
powerful.” (1) Keep in mind Jesus didn’t
show favoritism to Herod of his day; in fact Jesus called him a fox on one
occasion. He didn’t show favoritism to the rulers, authorities, and leaders of
his day known as the Pharisees and Scribes. He didn’t show favoritism to
Caesar, Pilate, or any other political head of his day. He’s the one we follow;
and that is why we don’t want to show favoritism.
2.
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Why do yourself
harm? James makes the point that we are hurting ourselves. His example is
powerful regarding this point. He says that rich man and a poor man come to
church. The way you know the rich man is the gold ring and fine clothes he is
wearing; the way you know the poor man is the shabby clothes he is wearing. At
this point there appears to be no sin. But the problem occurs when someone in
the church gives preferential treatment to the rich man and really dogs the
poor man. The poor man is chop liver. That happens the
moment someone in the church tells the rich man to sit in a good seat and the
poor man to either stand or sit on the floor next to the church member’s feet.
That’s where the action of the church member is wrong and causes a major
problem. Now it doesn’t matter which member did this thing. It could be anyone
in the membership. It’s still wrong.
James describes the wrong with a pointed question: “Have you not discriminated
among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” The problem here is
that they were parading around in the church as if they were model church
members by obeying Christ and following him and at the same time their conduct
as Christians was quite smelly. It seems to me that it was a very foul odor,
one that would cause you to say in a soliloquy: “If that’s the conduct of a
child of God, then spare me.”
It
seems to have been the gold ring and the fine clothes that cause the problem. Yet how silly and non-logical that is. Imagine Vanessa
Bryant walking into PCC for worship one Sunday morning during a trip here by
the LA Lakers to play the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Gund Arena downtown. Also,
imagine how many here in worship would be looking at her ring finger to see
first hand that $4 million-8 caret purple-gold ring Kobe bought her. Now if
anyone here showed favoritism to Vanessa because of her $4 million 8-caret
purple gold ring, how ridiculous that would be when the word is out that
expensive ring may have been purchased as a way for
James makes light of this illogical conduct and behavior of Christians by asking his brothers this question: “Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” In other words you are behaving like judges that render decisions for what they can get out of the people they judge and people to whom they show favoritism. There is a current example of this concern:
Citing a 2002 Supreme Court
ruling that only juries can impose the death penalty, a federal appeals court overturned 111 death sentences Tuesday that had been imposed by judges in
James doesn’t stop with that question. He then goes on to four questions to point out the illogical conduct and behavior of these Christians. “Listen, my dear brothers: 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? Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are thy not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?” So why would you show favoritism to them? Why do such a thing? Why keep shooting yourself in the foot? The key point James is making is that only those that are “rich in faith” will chosen by God and will inherit the kingdom he promised. So what’s the value? What’s the pay off? There isn’t any.
3.
Accept the fact that to show favoritism is sin. You may say, “What, you’ve got
to be kidding.” No James is for real. He makes it clear that that showing
favoritism is sin. In verse 9 he says, “But if you show favoritism, you sin and
are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” James ranks showing favoritism in the
same category as adultery and murder. He makes his case by clarifying that
there is no big sin and no little sin. James says, “For whoever keeps the whole
law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” This
is a big matter to James. Favoritism is a no, no for God’s people no matter
what you may think or reason. We don’t make the rules. God does. God determines
sin. We don’t. I am fairly sure that if we did there would be very few sins on
the books. Amen!
4.
Show and practice mercy toward all men. James makes a wonderful case for mercy.
He says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that
gives freedom.” Mercy is a part of the law that gives freedom. If you seek
pity, then you must show pity to others to receive it from the Father. He who
seeks mercy must show mercy. Mercy is the answer. Mercy is the way out for us.
James says that God has been merciful to us; we must be merciful to one
another. We are not being merciful when we show favoritism. We are not being
merciful when we dog out people that don’t measure up to our standards; we are
not being merciful when we put people on a pedestal. If we are going to put
people on a pedestal, then we must put all people on a pedestal. If we don’t
show mercy to our brothers and sisters, then we will be judged without mercy.
“Mercy triumphs over judgment.” That’s how we were able to gather this morning
for worship. Mercy triumphed over judgment. That’s why we can make preparation
for going to heaven one day because mercy triumphed over judgment. Shakespeare
said it well:
“And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.”
How
do we stop showing favoritism?
1) We try daily to follow Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior. We follow him because he showed no favoritism.
2) We stop shooting ourselves
in the foot. Showing favoritism doesn’t pay now nor will it pay in the future.
3) We accept the fact that it
is a sin and we don’t want to live in sin. It ranks with adultery and murder.
Let’s hear that and remember that.
4) We show and practice mercy
to all men because the Lord is merciful to us. We know that to receive mercy we
must be merciful to our brothers and sisters.
Prayer
and silence:
Lord,
help us to hear James clearly and loudly. Help us to be doers of the word as he
encourages us to do throughout his book. Help us to reform, repent, and change
for now and the future. Help us to see ourselves in the mirror and do something
about our showing favoritism now. Help us to do it now and not wait for another
season. Amen.
1.
James, Epistle of, “The New International Commentary on the New Testament
(1976), page 104.