Sermon Tone Analysis

It is worth looking at the last couple of verses of chapter 1 just to refresh our memories: “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

It is worth looking at the last couple of verses of chapter 1 just to refresh our memories: “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

This verse is scary.

It makes me think of when Jesus was preaching the Sermon on the Mount.

In chapter 7, just before the parable of the wise and foolish builders, which we looked at last time, Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

You see, what I fear, what makes me think this verse is scary is that we can easily think we’re following Christ, simply because we speak the right words, we do some work, we come to church, we give money, we volunteer.

It is easy to be religious, to do stuff, but not really have the right motives.

It is easy to go through the motions, and fool people without submitting to Christ in every area of our lives.

Jesus demands our obedience.

True religion, not the dead religion that only talks about stuff, and makes sure all our doctrinal ducks are in proper order, true religion, James says, is to love the most vulnerable people.

Are we doing that?

Ask yourself that.

Some, I know, are.

You have compassion children, you’ve sponsored people at Teen Challenge, and you’ve given to different causes in support of vulnerable people.

You visit people in hospital, you visit people at Bradford Valley.

Our Bradford Valley service is next week.

One Sunday out of the month, we have the express permission to sing, pray, and preach the gospel to the residents there.

It’s a huge privilege in our secular society.

These are the widowed.

These are the orphaned.

These are the vulnerable people.

That’s one way to express love.

I know, it isn’t easy, it isn’t for everyone, but try.

Examine your heart.

What is your attitude toward the poor?

Do you see yourself as successful because of your own hard work?

If so, do you look down on others, with the expectation that they should be able to do what you did?

That’s moralism.

That’s dead religion.

True religion says, “I’m where I am only, only by God’s mercy.

I am totally equal with all other people on this planet.

That’s true Christian thinking.

The people who look out for other people, those who put others first, they’re the ones who understand grace.

We’re saved by faith alone, by grace alone.

But those who know this, act differently toward others.

It’s what we see in our passage.

Read

We’ll focus on three points, three things from this passage: what, why, and the better way.

The “what” is right here in verse 1: “Don’t show favouritism.”

Don’t play favourites.

It is discrimination.

Don’t hold back, or give love, comfort, hospitality, grace, kindness, mercy, friendship, or service to people based on how they look or dress.

God doesn’t allow Christians to treat people based on factors such as race, colour, gender, weight, height, economic status, etc. Don’t do it.

That’s the what.

That’s what our sinful natures are constantly tempting us to do.

Isn’t it easier to hang out with some people and not others?

Some people are harder to get along with.

But that’s still showing favouritism.

If we’re rich, we hang out with rich people.

If we’re not, then we hang out with people like us.

The command, “don’t do this,” is a warning, as well as an invitation.

If you have kids or remember when you were a kid, your parents say things to you, like, “Close the door!”

And you want to ask, and you do ask, why?”

You want to just answer, because I said so. “Why” is so much harder to answer.

It is more complicated than the “what” is.

Well, if you leave the door open, all the heat goes out, and the bill goes up, and Papa’s blood pressure goes up.

So don’t do it!

God tells us what not to do, and he tells us why:

Read 2:4-5

When you discriminate, when you show favouritism, you dishonour God, and you prove that you don’t understand the gospel.

Do they still pick teams in school during gym?

They did when I went to school.

I was never captain, never first pick, almost always the last pick.

I have some pictures from the one year when I really wanted to play soccer.

My parents dragged me all over the place, and one game, Dad brought the camera and managed to snap three or four pictures of when I was near the ball.

I use the term near very loosely.

I was horrible.

Captains pick people so they can win.

That’s not the gospel.

That’s the opposite of the gospel.

If God were to act like the captains, none of us would be here.

We’re not the brightest, we’re not the best.

But maybe there’s someone here who is thinking, “I’m pretty good.”

Okay, then show me how good you are by all the people you’ve brought to Christ.

Show me the many disciples who’ve learned from your awesome knowledge.

I have to remind you and remind myself, that we’re not all that.

In fact, God chose us because of our weaknesses.

God chose us so that he can show off his power in our weakness, in a way that brings him glory, and makes us feel good and happy.

God knows you stumble.

God knows you mess up.

Stop looking at your mistakes, your fallen-ness.

Stop navel gazing.

Look at

“Consider your calling, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

When you show faviouritsm, when you discriminate, you dishonour God because you remove yourself from his saving grace, and you become your own mini-god, judging others with evil intention.

Your awesomeness didn’t save you.

So expecting people to live up to your standards, clothes, hats, songs, whatever, is anti-gospel.

That is not showing the mercy God shows to you.

When we’re racist, or judgemental, or when we discriminate against others, we dishonour God and the gospel.

When God talks about the poor, he is specific in how we should see them.

Two definitions of the word poor come out of scripture.

The first, from the Sermon on the Mount, is where Jesus says, “Blessed is the poor in spirit.”

A person who is poor in spirit is someone who is humble and meek, and deeply aware of his need for God.

Spiritual poverty is good.

The opposite is wickedness and evil.