Sermon Tone Analysis

NSB – 4.15.07,

PM – James 2:1-4

 

Reading Scripture – Ashleigh Cline

 

(or Haley Burchard and Christina Landreth)

 

TBKC – Believer’s Bible Commentary – Johnny Hunt Outline on James 2:1-4, Problems with partiality, Part 1 and part 2 -  The Deeper Life Pulpit Commentary vv.

2:1-4 – The NIV Application Commentary on James by Nystrom, pp.

112-117 – Kay Arthur tape on James, Lesson 8 – NTSK – Ironside’s Commentary on James and 1 and 2 Peter (Nothing) – Gutzke, Plain talk on James – JFB -

 

*Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover*

 

SCRIPTURE READER

 

*James 2:1 - 4** (KJV) **1**My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, /the Lord/ of glory, with respect of persons.

**2**For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;  **3**And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:  **4**Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

*

 

Let’s Pray….

You remember that..

James is all about a faith that is real.

INTRODUCTION

 

Let me give you a good example of why we should not discriminate.

This from a book by Dr. Johnny Hunt.

CER – Read Memorandum from Johnny Hunt’s Outline book on James, p. 46

 

At the end of chapter one James told us to remain unpolluted by the world.

(V.

27)

 

And what we look at tonight ties in with that because what was happening was that some of the standards of that society were being applied to the church.

They were esteeming some in the church and debasing others.

Now, it is possible to have the same situation today so the teaching from James is just as valid now as it was then.

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If you study preaching in seminary, one of the things they teach is how to present a sermon.

And what we strive for is – Explanation, Illustration, and then Application.

Well, James would get an “A” for the first four verses of chapter two because in these verses he gives us an explanation in verse 1, then an illustration in verses 2 and 3, and then application in verse 4.

 

Let’s look at his…

I.  EXPLANATION (v.

1)

 

HCSB:

*1 My brothers, hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism.*

So, he begins by talking about the faith that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ –

 

            This is the faith that Paul spoke to Felix about

 

This is the same faith that Paul commended the church at Colossae for

 

It is the faith that he told Timothy to hold in a good conscience.

So, as we practice the same faith that has been practiced for thousands of years, we are to do so w~/o showing favoritism.

This is a rare case of Christology in the book of James.

CER – Check on this but I believe that there are only two references.

Faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

To practice this faith with high fidelity means to live our lives by doing what Jesus would do.

When we go somewhere – Would Jesus go there?

When say something – Would Jesus say that?

When we judge someone – Would Jesus judge as we did?

My brethren –

So James is writing to his brothers to tell them to stop showing favoritism in the church.

Favoritism is a worldly attribute – Not a Christian Attribute

 

Now, this explanation that he gives us is base don God’s Law.

BASED ON:

 

            A.

GOD’S LAWS

 

                        1.

2ND GREATEST COMMANDMENT

 

This morning we looked at Mark 12:34 as we talked about what it is like to be an, “Almost Christian.”

But in the conversation that Jesus was having with the fellow this morning, one of the things they discussed was the second great commandment.

…to /love our neighbour as ourselves/ (v.

31)

 

So, James bases his explanation on the words of Jesus – And…

 

                        2.

OTHER OT & NT TEACHINGS

 

For instance -

            In Job we learn that God does not favor the rich more than the poor.

IN…

*Psalms 109:30 - 31** (KJV) **30    **I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

**31    **For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor**, to save /him/ from those that condemn his soul.

*

 

In John (7:24), Jesus said – “…do not judge by appearances”

 

            B.

JESUS’ LOVE

 

James is right in line with the teachings of Jesus

            Jesus pronounced blessings on the poor – So did James

            Jesus issued warnings to the wealthy – So did James

            Jesus warned against judging instead of showing mercy – Same with James

 

You may remember that…

Jesus the rabbi spoke to the woman at the well - she was also a Samaritan.

- Sermon on the Mount

 

We see how he commended a poor woman in the story of

The widow and her two mites

 

            C.

JESUS’ LEAVING

 

Do you think Jesus was in tune with the poor of this world?

Consider what He left to come here.

Jesus left glory and identified himself with the poor and the outcasts of society.

*2 Corinthians 8:9** (KJV) **9**For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

*

 

So, in verse 1, James introduces to his subject but in vv.

2-3 he gives you an illustration.

II.

ILLUSTRATION (vv.

2-3)

 

*2**For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;  **3**And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: *

 

Something is just not right here – Two very different people come into the church and they are treated very differently

 

When I was a visitor in the black congregation down the road, the preacher one day said that the people in his church would have to learn to love white people just like they did each other.

Well, that really made me think – No matter what color you are, you do not want to discriminate.

And then…

When I was visiting in the synagogue, I could hear the little ladies whispering at the door before they came in, “I don’t think he’s Jewish… He’s not singing…”

            But they let me participate as much as I could.

And, as far as I know they welcomed me in.

But these two folks came in and it seems that one was…

            A.

PUTTING ON THE DOG

 

Now some people “put on the dog”

 

In that society people were looked upon based upon the way they looked and the way they dressed.

But listen, once we become a Christian, we belong to God – And we are to prove the reality of our faith.

By loving the poor AND THE RICH

 

We talked earlier in James about being a doer and not a hearer but there are tight doers and wrong doers.

1.

THE RIGHT DOERS

 

                        - Not defiled (1:27)