Please Review the Texts of James 1:2-13 and 1 Samuel 16: 1,4-7 before reading the Pastorís Sermon.
James 2:1-13
1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, donít show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Hereís a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 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? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbour as yourself," you are doing right. 9 But if you show favourtism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." If you do not commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
(New International Version)
1 Samuel 16:1, 4-7
4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"
5 Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORDís anointed stands here before the LORD."
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
(New International Version)
We are all familiar with Martin Luther Kingís great "I Have a Dream" address before the American nation in which he advocated the need for racial harmony among the people of America. Kingís address was a universal message that has had a profound affect throughout the whole world- especially right here in Toronto.
A few years ago, the United Nations designated Toronto as being the worldís most multicultural city. What a blessing it is to live in a city that vividly displays the awesome variety of Godís handiwork.
Interacting among the body of believers in this city, I sometimes get a feeling of what the face of heaven will one day be like. What joy it will be to see a multitude of faces, completely free from the presence of the sin of discrimination. Instead, we will all be gathered in reverential awe of our wonderful Father!
Until then, we have to endure the ugly reality of the sin of discrimination- a sin that comes in many insidious forms. Todayís scriptural reading from the Epistle of Jamesí for instance, examines discrimination based on ones economic status. Specifically, it denounces the practice of giving wealthy individuals front row "privileged" seats in a service ahead of those who are poor.
The Lure of Wealthy Patrons
In Jamesí illustration, two men walk into a church, one wearing a big gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, the other attired in an old shabby garment. Indeed, the word "vile" or shabby in verse 2 embraces the thought of them even being filthy and dirty. The poor person is allowed to stand at a specific spot, or sit on the floor at another. He is not offered a chair while his well to do counterpart receives first class service.
Why did they treat one man so differently than the other? Was it because one was particularly deserving? Was it because he was a man to whom honour was due? I doubt it. Nothing is known about him except that he seems to have wealth and wealth spells power and influence. Almost unconsciously, some church members must have considered the financial possibilities that a man of his means might bring with him. From there, the slippery slope of discrimination and manipulation began to take a steep decent- a decent that often takes on a form of idolatry.
This idolatry usually begins with manipulative flattery. Tell the wealthy donor the "right" things and he will dispense some money your way. Tell him the "wrong" things or fail to submit to his will and a congregation will not get the donation that it so vitally needs. In other words, a congregation may end up seeing this wealthy potential donor as being a more tangible source of financial support than the Lord. This is idolatry, pure and simple.
Insincerity and manipulation are never necessary for the Lordís will to be accomplished. Whenever a congregation partakes in such an approach, it is telling God All Mighty that He is insufficient to fulfill the promises made in His Word. If, for instance, the same God who made and sustains the entire universe agrees with us that we do indeed need $2,000 to fix the church roof, it will happen. It is our Lord who sustains Newtonbrook and any other church or ministry. To Him we give all the glory.
I would suspect that, when Jamesí letter was first circulated, there were a good many who thought that it had absolutely no application to them. But remember, this is a general epistle written to the twelve tribes scattered abroad so James is dealing in general terms about some important aspects of practical Christian living. Somewhere out there, discrimination based on oneís outward appearance was an evident fact which warranted the need to be addressed in Godís Word.
The Heart of the Matter
As I have already said, the issue of discrimination was not a new mystery revealed in the New Testament. Back in 1 Samuel 16:7, for example, the Lord urged Samuel "not to look on the continence of man, nor on his statureÖthe Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the heart."
Jesus also warned us of our unreliable and evil hearts in Mark 7:21 when He said, "From within, out of the heart of men, proceeds evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murder, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceitÖ" The whole spectrum of sin comes out of our hearts. And only through the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit can we keep our wicked hearts at bay.
We hear the expression over and over again that the world is in a mess and thatís just not true. There is nothing wrong with this old world that couldnít be turned around in a moment of time by focusing the heartís of men on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thatís what makes the difference.
Let me paraphrase what James described was happening in the lives of those whose hearts werenít properly attuned to the Lord (verse 5).
"Hearken", that is, listen to me. "That rich fellow, will probably have you in court in a day or two because he caught a cold sitting by a drafty window during your church service. But even more important, my dear brethren, he is not likely to have the riches that count." James reminds us that God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom.
Now, it may be that this wealthy fellow will prove to be an exception to the rule and perhaps he will do something that is vital to the ongoing of the ministry. We must be careful to never discriminate based on wealth. When we do, we have lost sight of that which is the true measure of manís greatness, his position in Christ, or more correctly, Christís position in him.
Beloved, if we get that out of focus, we can just as easily find ourselves seeking solutions to lifeís problems by the application of the worldís criteria and not Godís. That is in no oneís best interest.
The Royal Law
Of course, failing to show love for rich persons is a form of the sin of coveting a neighbourís possessions. (Exodus 20:17) Likewise, James is also not telling us to fawn all over the poor man. No. What is to be done is very simple. (v.8) Obey God and love your neighbour. Both men are your neighbours, so love them both. Itís that simple. This is Godís Royal Law.
There Is No Such Thing As Relative Sin
In this Epistle, James also reveals one of the most profound of all Bible truths: God does not rate sin on relative scales as we are inclined to do. He doesnít get upset about some and shrug-off others. Indeed, His attitude towards sin is quite disarming, especially for anyone who has the slightest inclination towards self-righteousness. As is stated in the 10th verse,
"If we keep the whole law, but offend in one point, we are guilty of all."
Beloved, in essence, this verse says that God puts murder, adultery and discrimination all in the same pot. In fact, the implication is that we can also throw fibs, gripping, being disobedient to parents or anything else that we think is at the very bottom of the list of things as sin that offends His law.
The Bible is the revealed will of God. It is not a buffet from which we can pick and choose which sins can be deemed as being serious and which are not.
The Law of God is a Unity
If you were to turn to your child and give him a series of tasks and duties that he must do before heading-off and playing, you should expect him to accomplish them. These tasks or duties represent your will for him at that moment. You should expect him to do as he has been commanded. Not because you want to exercise authority over him for authorityís sake, but because your commands are intended to be in his best interest.
You certainly donít want to be a "mixed message" parent negotiating a number of commands in the hopes of getting a few. This type of parenting reveals to your child that most of what you say isnít to be taken seriously. Anyone who has taken this parenting route knows that it only leads your child into mistrusting the currency of your word.
Well similarly, what is revealed in the Bible is Godís will. When you push any part of it aside, you are essentially saying that what our Father has told us is not valid. You are saying that the omniscient God is not all knowing. You know better. How arrogant. How foolish. If the same God who built the entire universe and maintains every square inch of it right down to the subatomic level, I think itís a pretty good idea to trust Him when He tells us to do something.
The consequences of a congregation or denomination picking and choosing what constitutes sin is most destructive. It opens the floodgates to church divisions, heresies, and apostasy- not to mention its impeding affect on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to work within an individualís life. This is why we must always trust in the authenticity of Godís Word and accept His authority in our lives.
Without sounding legalistic, it needs to be stressed that violating the will of God really violates our own best interests. No loving parent would allow his child to put his hands on a hot element or a live circuit. Likewise, whenever we violate the will of God, we are potentially subjecting ourselves to danger or at the very least, stumbling in our walk with Him.
Godís will is not to make life miserable for us. He knows that sin is luring and provides momentary pleasure. This is one of the key reasons that we choose to transgress His commands. However, God also knows that there are consequences for the momentarily pleasures of sin-some of which are not only harmful to us as individuals, but often adversely impact on others. After all, "no man or woman is an island." The consequences of the sins that one commits are seldom, if ever in isolation. Thatís why God has willed that we should follow a certain path.
Who Is The Ruler of Your Heart?
To be in His will is to be on the safe path of life. To use Davidís words, he said of God, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence..." Psalm 16:11
This is not pie in the sky talk. It is meant to be a present reality.
Is your personal world in a mess? Do you want to straighten things out? Well, you now know the place to start. It is with the heart- your heart ruled by the loving and encouraging presence of the Holy Spirit.
If you are a believer in Christ, you have to recognize that you have the Lord in your heart. If you are stumbling, it is because you have not made Him Lord of your life. Jesus needs to be on the throne of our hearts and not simply occupying a guest room or basement suite. Wonít you determine even now to put Him back on the throne, back where He belongs?
Now perhaps some of you find my discussion of letting the Lord be at the throne of your heart to be new. You wonder how can I live the will of God and enjoy the fullness of Godís blessing? Well, I have good news for you. Christ said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20) (NIV)
You can determine to invite Him right now and He will guide you along the right path.
Beloved, one of the great realities of the Bible is that God loves all of us regardless of who we are. Regardless of our social standing, skin colour, or gender. He even loves those of you living lives contrary to His will. He loves you so much that He will not leave you where you are. He will make you into the person that you were intended to be. Invite Him in and make Him Lord of your life! This gift is free for the asking to any person, rich or poor.
Let us close today with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for providing us with the power to love all of our neighbours. Itís so easy to judge people based on outward appearances. Free us from making appearance based judgements. Please help us always to be a church that openly receives whoever walks into our doors- rich or poor. There is only one true V.I.P. in your church- your beloved Son Jesus. Enable us to always obey your commands from this wonderful Epistle. We ask this in Jesusí Name.
Pastor Thorold Marsaw
Newtonbrook Baptist Church
North York, Ontario
M2N 2R2
Canada
(416) 225-6571
