IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO GOD
James 2:1-13

I love that story about a man who fell into a pit and could not get out. A few minutes later a subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you, down there." And then an objective person came along and said, "It's logical that someone would fall down there." A little later a Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into a pit." And then a mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit. Still a little later a self-pitying person said, "You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit!" And then a charismatic said, "Just confess that you're not in a pit." He was followed by an optimist who said, "Things could be worse." And then finally a pessimist came along and said, "Things will get worse."

You see friends, the world holds different views about people in different situations and while the world looks at people and considers what do to next. We need to be like Jesus who came along and saw that man in the pit and took him by the hand and lifted him out. Because, Jesus doesn’t care who you are or what your situation is, His hand is always outstretched to help you.

Now we know that during Biblical times there were many social barriers, people were either rich or poor, slaves or free, Jew or Gentile, Greek or Barbarian. But part of the good news of the gospel was that because Jesus... social barriers lost much of their strength. Paul says in Galatians 3:28 “So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.”

He also says in Colossians 3:11“As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all.” But if your living in a society which is so used to social barriers it can take some time for those barriers to come down.
It was going to take time for this truth to sink into the hearts of those who were Christians. Even the apostle Peter, as great a servant of Christ that he was took time to understand this truth. That’s why according to the Book of Acts God had to tell Peter through a vision and a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that God doesn’t prefer one race of people to another. Acts 10:34-35 “ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Now you may be wondering what has this got to do with today’s lesson? Well in James 2:1-13 James is going to deal with the problem of partiality. Because not only was it a problem which was going on in the Lord’s church in James’ day but it’s still a problem today within the Lord’s church. Now we know from other scriptures that Jewish Christians often showed partiality in regards to the Gentiles.

But here in James the problem was showing partiality between the rich and poor. James 2:1-4 “My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance. Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes. If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, "Have this best seat here," but say to the poor man, "Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet," then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives”.

The definition of prejudging is to form a judgment on (an issue or person) prematurely and without having adequate information.   "it is wrong to prejudge an issue on the basis of speculation"

And please don’t think that we cannot be guilty of this today. It still happens; I’ve seen it happen where some people treat rich people different from the poor.
I know people who will happily invite their rich friends back for dinner but totally ignore their poor friends. And if there has ever been a long lasting problem in this world, it’s the problem of racism. Christians should not be in the practice of showing favour according to race.

Our goal as Christians is to imitate Jesus, to be like Him in all ways. Luke 6:40 “No pupils are greater than their teacher; but all pupils, when they have completed their training, will be like their teacher”. In other words all of our actions whether they are done physically or verbally should be a reflection of what Jesus teaches.

I’ve said this many times now, people in the street don’t read the Bible, they read our lives and our lives may be the only way they can get to know Jesus. And what I’m saying is that if we show partiality as Christians, then we leave the impression that Jesus Himself is partial. In other words, if you’re prejudiced, then people will think that Jesus is prejudiced. If you’re biased with people then people will think that Jesus is biased with people. If you are a racist, then you’re telling the world that Jesus is a racist. Do you see what James is saying? He’s saying that if we are not careful ...the glory of the Lord can be spoiled by our partiality.

In other words we become judges with evil thoughts. James 2:4 “Then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.” God has always hated unjust judges, hasn’t He? Jesus Himself warned us about the dangers of judging in Matthew 7:1“Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you.”

Now remember Jesus didn’t say, never judge but what He did say is that we need to judge right. John 7:24 “Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards." James’ point is this, if we judge against the poor due to our prejudice against them, we will find ourselves actually fighting against God! The Psalmist reminds us of that fact in Psalm 109:31
“Because he defends the poor and saves them from those who condemn them to death.” But not only do we find ourselves fighting against God, we actually end up despising the very people whom God chose to honour.

James 2:5 “Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.”
according to 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, the vast majority of those who responded to the gospel message were from among the poor. God chose to honour all people back then and He still chooses to honour all people today.

There's a wonderful story about a church that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young graduate who was being considered for employment as a preacher. The congregation he was a part of could not say enough about the young man. They wrote, ‘his father was an Elder for many years; his mother was a missionary, his great grandfather was a great preacher and his two brothers serve as deacons in another congregation.’ His recommendation was given without hesitation. Several days later, the church sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: "We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just to preach."

You see, it makes no difference to God, He is not a respecter of persons but He accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work for His kingdom. That was the whole point of Peter’s vision.

Acts 10:34-35 “Peter began to speak: "I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. Those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to.” In other words when we show partiality because of a person's race or because they are a stranger that we do not know.

It’s then that we despise those whom God has honoured by His offering to them salvation through the gospel. And let me tell you friends this is one crime we don’t want to be guilty of when we face God on Judgment Day. You see as Christians we sometimes still think like the world thinks.

James tells us next in James 2:6-7 “But you dishonour the poor! Who are the ones who oppress you and drag you before the judges? The rich! They are the ones who speak evil of that good name which has been given to you.” It was the rich who were doing this to the Christians in James' day. And, Just like we find in James’ day there are people today who try to win the majority over to their way of thinking. And sadly what we often find it is usually the "well-off."

And, if we allow them to oppress us or influence us towards others, we all end up breaking what James calls "the royal law or the law of the Kingdom." James 2:8-11 “You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, "Love your neighbour as you love yourself." But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker. Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. For the same one who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder”.

In other words we break the law which says, "You shall love your neighbour as your self." And make no mistake about it, this is one of the most fundamental laws that God has ever given.
A man came up to Jesus one time and asked Him in Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher," he asked, "which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and the most important commandment.
The second most important commandment is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'

We need to remember that we are sinners ... Romans 3:22-23 "22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

So, what James is telling us today is that if we show partiality to some people then that makes us as guilty as an adulterer
or a murderer. And I don’t know about you but this illustrates quite powerfully to me just how terrible any sin is. Those in the world who aren’t yet Christians still have a sin problem to deal with. And it’s a problem they can’t deal with themselves; sin is a problem which only God can solve.

And He paid the price for our sins by sending His son to shed His blood and die on the cross. An old time minister understood this point of Jesus dying for our sins. And, one night while the minister was returning home from an evening service he was robbed. The thief, however, found his victim to have only a little money and some Christian literature.

As the bandit was leaving, The Minister called out, "Stop! I have something more to give you." The surprised robber paused.
"My friend," said The Minister, "you may live to regret this sort of life. If you ever do, here's something to remember:
'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin!'"

The thief hurried away, and The Minister prayed that his words might bear fruit. Years later, The Minister was greeting people after a Sunday service when he was approached by a stranger. What a surprise to learn that this visitor, now a believer in Christ as a successful businessman, was the one who had robbed him years before!

"I owe it all to you," said the transformed man. "Oh no, my friend," The Minister exclaimed, "not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin!"

Ephesians 1:6-7   "6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

You see friends, when we are baptized into Christ, we come into contact with the blood of Christ which sets us free from our sin. And it’s then we are right with God and because we’re right with God we don’t need to fear Judgement Day. But Judgment Day is waiting for us all, and if we’re going to be judged we all need to know and understand the standard by which were going to be judged.

4 And that standard is found in James next words. James 2:12-13 “12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.  13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

The law that sets us free refers to the law of Christ, or the gospel. That law which according to John 8:31-38 has set us free from the bondage of sin through the mercy shown in Christ. That law according to Colossians 2:20-22 which has set us free from man-made restrictions. And so what James is saying to us this morning is that if we apply manmade restrictions upon others like showing partiality. We’re actually not showing mercy toward others. And we all know what happens if we don’t show mercy; no mercy will be shown toward us.

Matthew 6:14-15 “If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.”

Why wouldn’t we want certain people to receive mercy when we need it so much ourselves? Why wouldn’t we want the sex offender or the wife beater to come into contact with the blood of Christ when we need it so much ourselves? Why wouldn’t we want to help the rich or poor person to get to heaven when we know full well we can’t make it without help on our own?

That’s why “My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance”.
James 2:1. That’s why we should “Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free.”

A girl recalls a moment in her life that she will always remember...
One evening my mother made dinner after a hard day's work. She put a plate of eggs and burnt toast in front of my father ...
I immediately noticed, the burnt toast ....
And, I was waiting to see if he was going to complain about it, but my father started to eat them, smiling and asked me how I spent my day at school ...
My mom apologized to my dad for the burnt toast.
I will never forget his response to her:
“Honey, I love burnt toast!"
Later when I went to bed and my dad came over to kiss me goodnight, I asked him if he really liked the burnt toast?
He hugged me and said, "Your mother has had a difficult day and she is really tired.
She went out of her way to prepare this meal for us, why blame her and hurt her.
Burnt toast never hurt anyone; but words can be very painful! "
We have to know how to appreciate what others do for us, even if it's not perfect, because it's the intention to do well that counts, and no one is perfect ...

Sermon Contributor : Michael Glover