BETHEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 15NOV09

"TREAT EVERYONE EQUALLY"

	Part One

	Don't Show Favoritism  (James 2:1-4)

Ask:  What does "treat everyone equally" mean?

Ask:  What does "treat everyone equally" not mean?

We will discuss this in greater and even more practical detail this evening.
Right now let's look at the big picture of the message of James ...

	I am an emotional guy and I am not.  The joke at home is that one of 
	the children will say something harsh or mean to me and I will respond 
	"You hurt my feelings!", to which they will reply "You don't have any 
	feelings!" - which is partly true - I have learned to not carelessly give 
	power away.

	However, you have already observed (if you were here last week) that I 	can respond emotionally to an application of God's message - because 
	He has been training me to be upset about the things that upset Him 
	and joyful about the things that give Him joy.

	Anyhow, it is possible that I may get emotional when I share the 
	following story.  The reason is that it has been my experience this 
	illustration rings true in too many fellowships and I have seen the 
	harm done to everyone involved.

	You may have heard the story of the fellowship where one morning the 
	pastor was late to the pulpit and as people looked around - a little 
	irritated with his tardiness - that they observed an older man dressed in 
	dirty clothes and smelling bad walking down the center aisle looking for 
	a seat.

	No one made room for him and as he reached the front he gave up and 	simply sat down on the floor.  People gasped and looked around for a 
	Deacon to deal with him.

	Just then the oldest of the Deacons, dressed in his Sunday best, walked 
	over and looked down at the man.

	What he did next took the breath away from everyone, he placed his 
	hand on the man's shoulder, and slowly sat down on the floor right 
	next to him.

 	A few moments passed as people tried to absorb what had just 
	happened and some whispering began as they nervously wondered 
	what would happen next.

	At that moment the "shabby stranger" stood up and began to walk 
	toward the stage and the podium, as he did so he shook off his coat 
	and removed his hat - to reveal the senior pastor in disguise 
	underneath.

	The response moved like waves through the congregation; shock, 
	some anger and resentment for his having tricked them, and then guilt 
	and shame - holy and righteous guilt and shame - the Holy Spirit 
	chastising them.

	When the pastor asked them to read along with him the words of the 
	book of James, chapter 2, verses 1-4, everyone turned to that page and 	everyone attentively read along:

	"My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in 
	our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2:2 For if someone comes into your 
	assembly  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person 
	enters in filthy clothes, 2:3 do you pay attention to the one who is 
	finely dressed and say,  “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor 
	person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? 2:4 If so, have you 	not made distinctions  among yourselves and become judges with evil 
	motives?"

	COMMENTARY

	Let's look a little more closely at this text ...

	Paul clearly identifies his audience as those who "possess faith in our 
	Lord Jesus Christ"; This is a message for believers.

	Then he challenges them (us) to consider how they (we) treat a person 
	of unknown faith, when the person enters our place of worship, looking  	only at their appearance "if someone comes into your assembly  
	wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy 
	clothes".

	He then gets more specific "do you pay attention to the one who is 
	finely dressed and say,  “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor 
	person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”?"

	And finally he questions their heart-condition: "If so, have you not made 	distinctions  among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?"

	How easy is it to judge differently based on appearance - lacking any 
	other information:

	First comes the woman who has been to Brandi for a hairdo, then to 
	Talbot's for an outfit, and lastly Friedman's for just the right necklace.

	Second comes the college kid whose fashion statement looks like a 
	bomb went off in a thrift shop and pieces of that stuck to her.  On top 
	of that is what looks like explosive debris from the paint and hardware 
	store upstairs - wild colors staining her face and hair and pieces of metal 	embedded in her cheeks and nose and eyebrows.

	Sure isn't hard to guess which one appeals to our ingrained notion of 
	"well-dressed" and which to "the rebel"!

	But Jesus, through James (and Paul) says that we must look beyond the 	outer appearance and take the time to discover the person inside 
	whom God loves and wants in Heaven as much as He loves and wants 
	us there.

	And for those of us in leadership ...
	
	What happens when a fellowship in debt from the recently-completed 
	new building is approached by a flamboyant real estate broker who 
	claims lots of experience in ministry and promises lots of money in the 
	collection plate?

	How easy is it to forget to check their background too closely and to 
	ignore some of the red flags that suggest a none-too-mature walk with 
	God?

	In 1 Timothy 5:21 the apostle Paul challenges Timothy, and every 
	leader "Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly 
	charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or 
	favoritism of any kind."

	A leader must never be chosen based on his worldly success but only 
	for his spiritual maturity and the observed calling and gifting of the Holy 
	Spirit for ministry.

	A leader must never make decisions about care-giving, fellowship, 
	outreach, or participation based on worldly priorities but only the 
	priorities modeled by Jesus and taught in the Word of God.

	AMEN?

SO ...

Ask:  Anyone have a new definition or what "treat everyone equally" means?

Ask:  How about what "treat everyone equally" does not mean?

Come on back this evening and join us as we take a closer look at both sides of this important Biblical principle.

ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION: Would you like an outline or anything or is a 
					casual discussion preferred?

SUNDAY EVENING APPLICATION

Consider:  Jesus, through James (and Paul) says that we must look 
			beyond the outer appearance and take the time to discover 			the person inside whom God loves and wants in Heaven as 
			much as He loves and wants us there.

Discuss:	What does "treat everyone equally" not mean?

		*Within the fellowship.
		*In the workplace.
		*At home.
		*Elsewhere.

		What does "treat everyone equally" mean?

		*Within the fellowship.
		*In the workplace.
		*At home.
		*Elsewhere.

Reflect:	How well are you doing in this area?

		What would you like to change?

		Would it be helpful to have a prayer partner who prays 
		in-agreement with you for success in your spiritual growth?

Share:	A good or bad example of this.

		What was the result?

Truth in Action

	Today I am choosing to ...

	Be Specific __________________________________________________

Part Two

Honor Those in Need  (James 2:5-7)

"2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? 2:7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to?"

COMMENTARY

Jesus and Paul, and here James, address the frequent divide between the rich and the poor, a divide that far too often includes one of shallow versus true faith.

The Story of the Rich Man from Mark 10:17-31

10:17 Now as Jesus was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 10:18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 10:19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 10:20 The man said to him, “Teacher, I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since my youth.” 10:21 As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said, “You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 10:22 But at this statement, the man looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.
10:23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 10:24 The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 10:26 They were even more astonished and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 10:27 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God.”
10:28 Peter began to speak to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you!” 

10:29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 10:30 who will not receive in this age a hundred times as much – homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life. 10:31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Have we not all observed that the distractions of money, the pursuit of money, and the way that money may insulate us from many of the challenges of life - sometimes leads us also to a sense that we don't need 
God?

It can be a subtle drift ... it is not as though we suddenly say "OK, I am comfortable with my income-to-debt ratio, so Hey God - you can take a break - I'll handle it from here."

It happens in small increments, we start skipping our times of personal Bible study and the extra activities at church (the gathering of believers) - unless,  of course, we need to be there to network there for our business.

Then we start making excuses for missing our small group study.  After that we miss more and more Sunday morning times of worship, and eventually 
we have all-but placed God and His people into a picture frame on the wall 
next to our certificate of club membership and our 3 year old award for 
public service.

Jesus, God in human flesh, chose to arrive at Christmas - born to a poor family.  He said "Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky 1  have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  And He died with nothing of the world in His possession.

While Jesus dined with poor and rich alike, healed poor and rich alike, and welcomed poor and rich alike - one cannot help but observe that He appeared to invest most of His time and energy among the poor and what we'd call the middle-class today - finding little welcome and less response among the rich.

Returning to James:

"Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?"

James is not saying that God prefers the poor over the rich, he has said elsewhere that He "Is no respecter of persons", meaning that one's standing in the opinion of man has no bearing on God's opinion of you - God seeks a heart-relationship with anyone, rich or poor.

What James is saying is that the rich in his day were obsessed with maintaining their sinful lifestyles and the teaching of Christ made them uncomfortable.

James reminds his readers that, because of their fear of the teaching of Jesus 
that God loves the poor and the rich equally, they (the rich) "blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to".

I have observed that working men are unlikely to be surprised by, or to disagree with, the Biblical teaching that people are not naturally good - but are instead naturally drawn toward selfishness and sin.

I have also observed that the rich, or those otherwise isolated from the daily challenges of the working world, tend to think of people as essentially good.

It is generally the case that the rich are less likely to sense a need for God because they are more insulated from the daily struggle for food and clothing and shelter - and the rich tend to have the discretionary time to reflect upon alternative human explanations of the origins and value of man.

We honor those in need with our love and resources because they are loved by God, they are less likely to disrespect God, and because Jesus said so!

SUNDAY EVENING

	Consider:  The distractions of money, the pursuit of money, and the 
			way that money may insulate us from many of the 
			challenges of life - sometimes leads us also to a sense that 
			we don't need God?

	Discuss:  Practical ways that we may avoid the subtle drift ... the small 
			increments, we start skipping our times of personal Bible 
			study and the extra activities at church (the gathering of 
			believers) - unless,  of course, we need to be there to 
			network there for our business.

			Then we start making excuses for missing our small group 
			study.  After that we miss more and more Sunday morning 
			times of worship, and eventually we have all-but placed 
			God and His people into a picture frame on the wall 
			next to our certificate of club membership and our 3 year 
			old award for public service.

	Reflect:	Upon the observation that working men are unlikely to be 
			surprised by, or to disagree with, the Biblical teaching that 
			people are not naturally good - but are instead naturally 
			drawn toward selfishness and sin.

			I have also observed that the rich, or those otherwise 
			isolated from the daily challenges of the working world, 
			tend to think of people as essentially good.

	Share:	An example of a fellowship or other gathering (work, 
			school, family, club, etc.) that was challenged by the 
			unexpected arrival of someone who didn't fit the social 
			norm.  How was it handled and what was the outcome.  If 
			not handled well, or the outcome was not good, how might 			it have been handled differently in light of James' teaching?
			(e.g. m at gc)

Truth in Action

	Today I am choosing to ...

	Be Specific __________________________________________________

Part Three

Triumph Through Mercy  (James 2:8-13)

"2:8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 2:9 But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. 2:10 For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.  2:11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. 2:12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. 2:13 For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment."

COMMENTARY

Jesus commanded that His followers "love your neighbor as yourself” 
then James explains that doing so will "fulfill the royal law" - and therefore 
"you are doing well" - we need to understand that there is a huge difference between trying to keep the letter of the Law and an act from the heart - in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

James makes reference to the Law so we need to understand the New Testament teaching as to the purpose of the Law - it is to convict us of our distance from God.

It is important to note that the Law permits no failure - one must meet it perfectly in every detail or fail completely "For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law."

Therefore James reminds his readers "But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators."  He also reminds us that if we are without mercy, a failure to reflect the heart of God, we have 
no cause to expect God to treat us with mercy.

I believe that it was Abraham Lincoln who wrote "﻿Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

Pointless-prejudice is just plain dumb!

We all have "prejudices", or perhaps it is safer to use the term "preferences", but prejudice based on ignorance is destructive to communities and to our spiritual well-being.

James concludes "Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom.  For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment."

The new "Law" of Jesus, for those who are saved, is grounded in mercy and not performance.

The person whom a healthy person treats with the greatest patience and respect, providing the most resources and time to - is oneself.  Jesus wants us to share the same consideration and "slack" we give ourselves with others.

He is always most concerned with the condition of our hearts, endeavoring to transform our imperfect and selfish hearts into hearts overflowing with God's love.

In our imperfection we are ugly to God, so much so that were we to be in His presence, His perfection would destroy us.  Yet He came to us and provided a way back for us, taking our ugliness upon Himself, so that our relationship with Him might be restored.

How little He asks that we show the same heart of mercy toward others.

SO, IN CONCLUSION:

We do not judge others based on external appearance because God loves them, because mercy bypasses the external and looks at a person's heart - which is difficult for us to discern - but is known perfectly by God, and because Jesus asks us to do so.

SUNDAY EVENING

	Consider:  What God has tolerated, and responded to with mercy, from 
		His creation - from the Garden of Eden and throughout history 
		until now - so that we might be restored to right-relationship with 
		Him for eternity.

	Discuss:  Practical ways that we might make the practice of mercy an 
		integral and instinctive part of our lives.

	Reflect:  Upon the ignorance of prejudice that is based upon anything 
		other than the "God Standard" - salvation or potential for 
		salvation, loving others as-ourselves, and a heart of mercy.

	Share:  An example of mercy given to you, despite the circumstances 
		challenging the person or persons who were merciful, to 
		rationalize ignoring or mistreating you.

		(e.g. Tony G in HS re. shoes.)
Truth in Action

	Today I am choosing to ...

	Be Specific __________________________________________________

Concluding prayer.

Invitation

If you do not yet know the Lord, if you are not certain that you have surrendered to the only ONE Who can bring you eternal joy, then it is time for you to talk to us!

If due to a crisis of some sort you are in need of shared encouragement and prayer right now then please allow us to pray in agreement with you right now.

If you have been praying about joining our fellowship, either by transfer, or as a new believer in need of a new home - please let us know so that we may welcome you to the family!

As we sing our closing song please come forward - and pay no attention to anyone or any thing but the Holy Spirit Who is encouraging you right now to come.

Dismissal