Sermon Tone Analysis

“*DISCRIMINATION IN CHRIST’S CHURCH*”

                     (A Series on the Book of James)

 

Westgate Chapel 03~/6~/05                                       James 2:1-13

 

Proposition:      The Christian life is lived in the love of God that does not base its judgments, words and actions on externals, but on the love God has for us all.

! i.    introduction

!! -     IN 1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels collaborated to produce a document that changed the course of human history…called the Communist Manifesto.

!! -     IT didn’t become a movement until the Russian Revolution of 1917…and the Soviet Union was born.

!! -     ORIGINALLY it was conceived as a utopia where…

!!! ~*     All property would be owned in common without discrimination of some living in a mansion and others in a studio apartment.

!!! ~*     The idea of private property would be abolished because it leads to discrimination.

!!! ~*     All the necessities of life would be provided to all according to their needs and without discrimination.

!!! ~*     All education would be free and accessible to all.

!!! ~*     All class differences between people would be abolished.

!!! ~*     Humankind would live in harmony.

!! -     NOW, we know that as a political and socio-economic system, communism has proven to be a dismal failure all over the world.

!! -     BUT how many of you this morning think that the list of conditions communists strived for, sound like heaven?

!! -     LET me read them to you again!

(repeat)

!! -     HOW many of you believe that there will be total equality in heaven?

!! -     WELL, I am not sure I am ready to debate anyone on this….but

let me read you some Scriptures that seem to indicate there will not be equality in heaven.

!!!      

!!! 1.

In Revelation 16, when the kingdoms of the earth have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, it says in verse 16 that there are…

!!!       “…*twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones* *before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God*.”

!!! 2.   In Mark 10, when the disciples were arguing about who would have the seats of honor at the great coming banquet of the kingdom of God, Jesus said to them…

!!!       “…*to sit on My right or on *My left*, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared*.”

(Mark 10:40)

!!! 3.   In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul describes that each of us has different work to do in God’s kingdom that will be rewarded.

!!!       “*Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.*”

(1 Corinthians 3:8)

!!! 4.   But that work that is rewarded is not based on each of us getting the same measures of grace.

!!!       “*But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift*.”

(Ephesians 4:7)

!!! 5.

And then when we all get to heaven, there will be an accounting for what each of us has done with the measure we were given.

!!!       “*For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done…*.”

(2 Corinthians 5:10)

!!! 6.   Another verse from Revelation on the same subject

!!!       “*I will give to each one of you according to your deeds*.”

(Revelation 2:23)

!!! 7.

And just one more on the same subject.

!!!       “*Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done*.”

(Revelation 22:12)

!! -     I REALIZE that more study can be done, but just a cursory examination of the Scripture seems to indicate that neither in this life, nor in the life to come is there equality for the citizens of the kingdom of God.

!! -     WHICH is why the Bible says that discrimination will keep you out of heaven!

!! -     BECAUSE if there is not absolute equality in heaven….and

you, as a Christian, are allowed to be bigoted towards any other person or group of people…you will mar heaven when you get there and God will not tolerate that.

!! -     OK, before you stone me, let’s go to God’s Word for James’ lesson on discrimination.

!! -     JAMES 2:1-13 (page 1196)

!! -     WHAT is discrimination?

!!!       “To make a distinction in favor of or against  a person on the basis of group, class or category rather than on actual merit.”

(Webster’s Dictionary)

!! -     NOW, on the subject of discrimination, our minds would automatically run to discrimination based on race (because of our history) or class (if you came from Western Europe with aristocracy) or finances (if you are an American).

!! -     I WOULD suggest that discrimination takes place when you “make a distinction” between yourself and anyone….and it can be expanded to include:

!!! ~*     Rich or poor.

!!! ~*     Fat or thin.

!!! ~*     Educated or uneducated.

!!! ~*     Male or female.

!!! ~*     Nordstrom’s or Target.

!!! ~*     Pentecostal or non-Pentecostal.

!!! ~*     Denominational or non-denominational.

!!! ~*     Management or labor.

!! -     IF there are going to be differences between us in heaven…then we have to win the battle over discrimination now.

!! -     JAMES holds up the mirror of God’s Word and gives us three reasons that discrimination cannot be the way we appear in the mirror.

!

ii.   it is shallow, based on externals

!! -     AND the first point James makes is that “discrimination is shallow because it is based solely on externals.”

!! -     LOOK at verse 2,

!!! “     …*if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes*…”

!! -     IS James’ point simply on manner of dress and cleanliness?

!! -     NO!

!! -     THE context and the language of the original Greek in verses 1-6 lead us to believe that James is using the example of something that was actually reported to him as going on in the church.

!! -     THE congregation, and in this case the ushers, were checking out who was coming to the services based on externals…fashion, money and cleanliness.

!! -     COULD just as easily have been race, or size, or lifestyle.

!! -     AND based on the externals, the ushers demeanor, words and actions is discriminatory…in verse 3,

!!!       “…*and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool*…’”

!! -     AND James uses a question to make his point in verse 4,

!!!       “…*have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?*”

!! -     WHAT are the evil motives?

!!! ~*     To get something from the rich man for yourself.

!!! ~*     To make yourself feel better about yourself by demeaning someone else.

!!! ~*     Having a spirit that divides the Body of Christ based on externals.

!! -     DIDN’T God say to Samuel, when the strong, handsome brothers of David were overlooked for the position of king over Israel,

!!!       “*God /sees /not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart*.”

(I Samuel 16:7)

!! -     DISCRIMINATION has no place in the kingdom of God because…

!!! ~*     …it divides the Body of Christ that Jesus died to make one.

!!! ~*     …it is based on externals, which is the shallowest of human assessments.

!! -     I CAN’T leave this part of the subject without making the distinction between discrimination, which James says is evil in its motives and actions….and

the place given in God’s Word for…

!!! ~*     Correction.

!!! ~*     Rebuke.

!!! ~*     Discipline that sometimes cuts off the unrepentant brother or sister.

!!! ~*     Shunning the divisive brother or sister.

!!! ~*     Examination of the fruit of someone’s life…when the motive is spiritual growth.

!! -     THERE is a spiritual counterfeit out there today that preaches a love that tolerates and condones sin….and

any challenge to sin is labeled discriminatory.

!! -     NO, that is Biblical discipline.

!! -     THIS is discrimination, based on externals….with

evil motivation.

!! -     JAMES writes in verse 1,

!!!       “*My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with /an attitude of /personal favoritism.*”

!

III.  it makes no sense in the kingdom of god