Faith Over Favoritism

There’s a phrase used when people are in stressful situations. “Fight or Flight.”

You either face whatever the stressor is or you run from it. Our faith must be one of FLIGHT if we are ever going to see a mighty move of God in our lifetime…Now that may seem extremely counter-intuitive to our way of living or thinking. We are not a people, culturally speaking, known to run away. And that’s not exactly what I mean here, either. Our flight instinct is to react or respond with swift action but for the believer, we’re supposed to be SLOW in responding or reacting, taking time to think about our words and actions and giving time to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us. This is why I love the book of James. He writes very plainly and bluntly. Did you know that James is the half-brother of Jesus? I mean…you talk about pressure! lol

Now, that was fun but James was obviously devout when it came to following the Savior, who happened to be His brother and he probably had a greater grasp on what it meant to “carry our cross.” It was HIS brother, after all, who gave His life so that we could live. How dare us take for granted what his family went through. This letter is to the point when it come to telling us how to live.

James 2

My dear brothers and sisters,[a] how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting[b] dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name[c] you bear?

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.

12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

As if that weren’t clear enough, we’re going to explore this topic more.

During the fall of 1775, a man who appeared to be a typical American farmer attempted to book a room in Baltimore's most fashionable hotel. Concerned about the hotel's reputation, the manager refused to rent the room. The man left and took a room in another hotel.

Later, the manager learned he had refused a room to Thomas Jefferson, the Vice-president of the United States. Immediately he sent an invitation to Jefferson, asking him to return to his hotel as his guest. Jefferson's response was simple and to the point.- "I value your good intentions highly, but if you have no place for an American farmer, you have no right giving hospitality to the Vice president of the United States." That is an example of social discrimination in America.

Living out our faith means we shouldn’t discriminate against anyone based on outward appearances or circumstances, but instead we show love to all people.

Typically a message like this is preached from the story of the good Samaritan. And That’s an excellent spot to launch! But I want to focus on how living out our faith looks when we’re ministering to those around us. Just because we say we don’t discriminate doesn’t mean we’re living out our faith. I know many, many people who are very accepting of others but they do not know of the love Jesus.

Well, Pastor Stacey, I didn’t see, “discrimination” in the passage above…look again at verse 4. And you did read “favoritism” and often times, discrimination veils itself as favoritism. Either way, it’s wrong.

Why?

It displeases God who does not look at the outside but at the heart. 1 Samuel 16: 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

It Is Not Motivated by Genuine Love- admiring or responding to people based on their social status is a sin against the law of love that Christ Himself gave us! Look back at verse 8, Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Leviticus 19:18- “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Matthew 22:39- A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

All the law is fulfilled in one word, and that is, love. Romans 13:10-Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

All obedience begins in the affections, and nothing in religion is done right, that is not done there first. Love is the leading affection, which gives law, and gives ground, to the rest; and therefore that, as the main fort, is to be first secured and garrisoned for God. Man is a creature cut out for love; thus therefore is the law written in the heart, that it is a law of love. Love is a short and sweet word; and, if that be the fulfilling of the law, surely the yoke of the command is very easy. Love is the rest and satisfaction of the soul; if we walk in this good old way, we shall find rest. -Matthew Henry

It Makes Us “Judges” With Evil Thoughts- Look at verse 4, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

Instead of honoring our Glorious Lord and accepting people on the basis of faith in Christ and God’s love for them, we unjustly favor rich or influential people, or who we think are influential. Such behavior comes from an evil motive for the advantage we might receive.

Max Cadenhead, when he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Naples, Florida, riveted his congregation one day with a bold confession.

"My message today is on the parable of the Good Samaritan," Max announced. "Let me start with an illustration.

"Remember last year when the Browns came forward to join the church?" he asked. Everyone nodded; the Browns were a very influential family. "Well, the same day a young man came forward and gave his life to Christ. I could tell he needed help—and we counseled him." No one nodded; no one remembered.

"We worked with the Browns, got them onto committees. They've been wonderful folks," Cadenhead said to muffled amens. "The young man…well, we lost track.

"Until yesterday, that is, as I was preparing today's message on the Good Samaritan. I picked up the paper, and there was that young man's picture. He had shot and killed an elderly woman."

Chins dropped throughout the congregation as the pastor continued. "I never followed up on that young man, so I'm the priest who saw the man in trouble and crossed to the other side of the road. I am a hypocrite."

More of that kind of sober honesty in the church would be very healthy. For God's kingdom is just the opposite of ours. We go after the rich or the influential, thinking "if we can just bag this one or that one, we'll have a real catch for the kingdom." Like the folks profiled by the apostle James, we offer our head tables to the wealthy and well-dressed and reserve the back seats for those we consider unimportant.

God help us to never be so focused on who we THINK might be best suited for the church that we miss those who NEED the church.

God, throughout history, has used the ordinary for the extraordinary! He uses the weak to astound the strong; the poor elevated above the rich; the unintelligent to confound the wise. So why do we try to handpick who can or can’t be used by God to do crazy amazing things?

Maybe you have heard of the author Robert Fulghum. He has written some pretty great stuff…books like, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Anyway, as I was preparing for this message, I came across this story. In his book, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, he tells a story involving his daughter, Molly. One day, as Fulghum was ready to leave for work, Molly handed him two brown paper sacks. In one was his lunch. What was in the other was a mystery. When Fulghum asked Molly what was in the mystery bag, she said, “Just some stuff—take it with you.” At lunch time, Fulghum tore open the mystery bag, dumping the contents onto his desk. The contents consisted of: two hair ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny seashell, two animal crackers, a marble, a used lipstick, a small doll, two chocolate kisses, and thirteen pennies. Later in the day, when Fulghum was cleaning off his desk before going home, he wiped the contents of Molly’s bag into the trash can. As he said, “There wasn’t anything in there I needed.” That evening Molly asked where her bag was. He told her he had left it at his office, and asked, “why?” Molly said, “Those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like—I thought you might like to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn’t lose the bag did you, Daddy?” “Those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like.” To Fulghum the hair ribbons, small stones, pencil stub, a used lipstick and all the rest did not seem like much. To Molly, they were her most priceless treasures. The things she loved the most. But Fulghum did not have the sight to see their true value. Long ago some magi left their homes in the East and made their way to see a little child. When they saw him they saw a very ordinary child which looked like any other. Yet, Matthew tells us that they knew who they were seeing. They were seeing the ruler of God’s people Israel. The one who would have all things placed under His feet. The creator and savior of the world stood there in front of them in weakest form as a little toddler. They knew that this was the manifold wisdom of God to come down as this little child to save the world. This was God’s priceless treasure and they worshiped Him.

1 Corinthians 1:18-29 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”[e]

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[f] Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy[g] when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world,[h] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

Just look all over the world today you’ll find a large percentage of modern revivals and miracles are happening where the poorest, most disadvantaged, desperate people are! They know that their hope, trust, faith not only do not but cannot lie in the material things of this world. It’s all about Jesus! They hear Him say, “Come all who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

They just love Jesus. They’re not perfect but they understand what it means to live for others.

Love. It all comes back to love. James calls the greatest command to love our neighbors as ourselves the “Royal Law.”

Why?

Because it is the supreme command governing human relationships. All of God’s rules of conduct towards others is summed up in this command. If we really honor Him by living out this command, we wouldn’t see favoritism/discrimination exist, especially in the church.

Living a life in Christ is about action. It is not complacent or settled but a life of forcefully living out the commands and commissions of Him who saved us.