Highlands Fellowship The Book of James: Treating People Right Transcript

Well, hey everybody and welcome to Highlands Fellowship. It's such a joy that we get to spend this time together and I'm so glad that you're here, whether you're in Marion, Bristol, online, in the chapel, in the country tent, or in one of our cafes. We are so grateful that you are here and excited to get to spend this time together, to worship our Lord and Savior, to hear from His word, and really to encourage and challenge each other in our faith. And so, today, if you have your Bible or a Bible app, go ahead and open it up to James chapter 2.

Today, we're in week number six of our series that we've been in as we've been working slowly through the book of James. And it is such a practical book that shows us that God's word is extremely relevant in our lives today. And it also shows us how we can live out our faith in an authentic way daily. And so, today, what I want us to do is I want us to look at James and what it has to say about treating people right. Treating people the way that Jesus would.

So, let's start by reading the passage of scripture that we're going to be working through today. And it's in James chapter 2, verses 1 through 13. And this is what it says. My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You can stand there or sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters, has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in scripture, love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." If you do not commit adultery, but you do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

You know, if we're honest, some of the biggest challenges in life are dealing with people. I mean, let's just be honest about that. It seems like the most stress, the most conflict, the hurt, and the frustrations that we have in our life, it traces back to relationships in some way. And learning how to deal with people, to respond to people, learning how to treat people in the right way is really a huge part of spiritual maturity. And that's exactly what James is addressing in this particular passage.

In James chapter 2, he gets very very practical. And he talks about how followers of Jesus are supposed to treat other people. And he gives us the command, and he gives us the issue behind it, and then he gives us the challenge of what it looks like to treat people the way that Jesus treats people. So, James chapter 2, verse 1 says, "Brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism." And by the way, whenever James says, "My brothers and sisters," it's like you can almost feel what's coming next. I mean, he's about to step on your toes a bit here, right?

So, James is talking about favoritism, prejudice, partiality, judging people based on maybe their outward appearance or their outward status. One translation even calls it snobbery. And that's strong language, but I think it fits and it's very appropriate for this. A snob is somebody who looks down on other people while trying to make themselves look better than everybody else. In other words, making a decision about someone based on what you see immediately, your first impression, how they look, what they wear, what they drive, their background, their success, their personality, or what they can do for you. James says, "Don't do that." Don't make these shallow judgments about people based on external things.

Don't value people the way that the world values people because here's the truth. Favoritism is actually one of the most common sins in the church and in our relationships with other human beings. We naturally drift toward people who look like us, who think like us, who benefit us, or maybe somebody who even impresses us. But the kingdom of God, it operates differently. It really does. Jesus never measured people by appearance, by status, by wealth, or by popularity. He always looked at the heart. Always.

So, before James gives us the solution, he first exposes the issue. And to do that, we need to recognize some of the common ways that we judge people or common ways favoritism or discrimination show up in our lives. And the first one is appearance. One of the easiest ways that we judge people is by what we see on the outside. And our world is absolutely obsessed with image, with style, with beauty, with presentation. We make assumptions about people based on how they look, how they're dressing, what they drive, or how polished they appear.

There was an experiment that was done a while back where there was these hitchhikers and they were the same people. And they stood on the side of the road, but they ended up dressing in different ways. And when they were dressed more professionally, they got picked up quickly. But when they looked rough or when they looked sloppy, people drove right past them. Same person, different appearance, but people treated them completely differently. And if we're honest, right? We all do this to some degree. We size people up within seconds. Sometimes before they even speak. We've already decided something about them. James says that followers of Jesus are not supposed to live this way because God has never measured people based on their appearance. God looks deeper than what's visible.

The next area is people's background. We judge people based on their race or nationality, their upbringing, their education, maybe where they came from. And we tend to gravitate toward people who look like us, and sometimes we become suspicious of people who are different from us. And the reality of this is that anytime people are pushed away because of prejudice, we are misrepresenting the heart of Jesus Christ. Here's another one. Age. Sometimes people are dismissed because they're considered to be too young to matter or too old to contribute. Culture tends to idolize youth while overlooking wisdom and experience. But throughout scripture, God uses both the young and the old. He uses all of them in very, very powerful ways.

The next is success. Our culture celebrates winners. They celebrate status, celebrate influence and achievement, right? And one moment, somebody is celebrated, and then the next moment it seems like they're forgotten. And we tend to value people based on what they've accomplished, maybe the platform they had, the popularity that they currently have. And even in the church, we can drift into celebrity culture where famous voices get elevated while people who have been faithful for years and years and years, but have been in the background, get ignored. James says that we are not to treat people as more important because of their status.

And then finally, we judge people and we discriminate based on wealth. And this is one of the biggest ones in James chapter 2. People are often judged by their money, possessions, or their economic status. So we can be tempted to admire wealthy people while overlooking people who might be struggling. But the gospel levels the ground. At the foot of the cross, nobody is better than anybody else. So the real question is this, how do we see people? How do you see them? How do I see them? Do you value people the way that the world values people? Or do you value people the way that Jesus does?

James takes all of these areas where we tend to judge people and then he gives us a very practical example. Out of all the ways that favoritism can show up, James actually zooms in on one of the biggest issues in any culture. And that's how we treat people based on status, success, and wealth. So, James chapter 2 verses 2 through 4 says this, "Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you.' But say to the poor man, 'You stand there or you sit on the floor by my feet.' Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"

So, James paints a picture that everybody in this room would understand. Two men walk into a church gathering. One looks successful, polished, influential. You can tell immediately that he's got money, he's got status. The other man looks worn down, overlooked, looks like he's been struggling. His clothes are dirty and his appearance makes people maybe a little bit uncomfortable. And immediately, people start making assumptions. The wealthy man gets attention. People notice him. They want to impress him. They offer him the best seat in the room. But the poor man, he gets treated like an inconvenience. He's pushed to the side. He's ignored and made to feel less valuable.

Now, I want you to notice this, all right? James never says it's wrong to be wealthy. The issue is not the man's money. The issue really is the heart of the church. That's the issue. The problem is how quickly people assign value based on the outward appearance. They treated one man like he mattered more than the other. And honestly, this happens all the time. Sometimes we give more attention to people who are influential, successful, attractive, educated, or well-connected. And we subtly treat people as important while overlooking others who don't seem to offer us anything in return.

But James says, "When we do that, we are no longer seeing people the way that God sees people. We are making shallow judgments based on external things instead of seeing the value of every single person that is made in the image of God." Because the ground at the foot of the cross is level. The gospel has no room for favoritism because Jesus died for all people, not just impressive people. So, after showing us how favoritism works in real life, James explains why it is such a serious issue. And he gives us three clear reasons that this kind of attitude has no place in the life of a believer or in the life of a church.

Number one is this, favoritism does not reflect the heart of God. James chapter 2 verse 1 says, "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism." In other words, following Jesus and showing partiality do not go together. They don't. Why? Because God does not treat people based on status, appearance, background, or wealth. Romans chapter 2 verse 11 says very clearly, "For God does not show favoritism." So, when you study the life of Jesus, you see this absolutely everywhere. Jesus welcomed people that others ignored. He touched lepers. He talked to the outsiders. He ate with the sinners. He cared for people that society overlooked. He saw value where everybody else saw labels.

And that means that the church should be different from the world that's around us. The world divides people into categories. But the gospel, it tears down those walls. There ought to be at least one place where people can walk in regardless of their story, regardless of their background or their income level, their appearance, and just know that they are genuinely welcomed and loved. And that one place should be the church. We've got to change our attitudes if we're showing partiality.

Number two, favoritism distorts what really matters. James chapter 2 verses 5 through 7 points out how shallow favoritism really is. He reminds them that God often works through people that the world overlooks. In James chapter 2 verse 5, he says this. He says, "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters, 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?" James is not saying that it's wrong to have money or to be successful. Wealth itself is not the issue here. The issue is assigning greater value to people because of what they have. That's the issue.

And our culture constantly teaches people to measure worth by influence and popularity, appearance, maybe education, or financial success. But God measures very differently. Your value is not determined by your income, the title around your name, your platform, or what you have. Your value comes from being made in the image of God. James is reminding the church not to get impressed by the same things that the world gets impressed by. Don't confuse someone's net worth with their true worth. And honestly, sometimes people show favoritism because of what they hope to gain in return. Whether it's connections, maybe opportunity or influence or some level of approval. But our trust is not in people opening doors for us. No, our trust is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and what God does through him.

The third thing is this. Favoritism actually violates the command to love. James chapter 2 verse 8 says this, "Love your neighbor as yourself." James calls this the royal law because it sits at the very center of how God calls us to treat people. Favoritism and the love of Jesus Christ cannot coexist. Love does not rank people. Love does not treat some people as valuable and other people as invisible. Love sees people the same way that Jesus sees people. That is why James says favoritism is not just a social issue, all right? Favoritism is actually a spiritual issue. It reveals a heart problem that we may have. We don't know how to love unconditionally really. I think we struggle with this. All we know is how to show favoritism.

So, James chapter 2 verses 9 through 10 says this, "But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." So, how many laws do you have to break in order to be a lawbreaker? One. How many crimes do you have to commit in order to be a criminal? One. Have you ever been in a store that has that sign and it says, "If you break it, you buy it"? They don't care if it's broken in one place or if it's broken into a thousand pieces. If you broke it, you bought it. That's what they're saying. And James is saying that people think favoritism is just such a small little sin. But he says that if you break God's law, you break God's law.

This is so important. James chapter 2 verse 11 says, "For he who said, 'You shall not commit adultery,' also said, 'You shall not murder.' If you do not commit adultery, but you do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker." He continues to tell us how breaking any part of God's law is the same as breaking absolutely all of it. And you might ask the question, "Well, does God really care? Does he really care if I'm partial to a certain kind of people?" Yes, he does. He does care about that. James chapter 2 verse 12 says, "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful."

Love treats people with mercy. Love gives people what they need, not what they deserve. And James is probably thinking about what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5 verse 7, he says, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." The way that we treat people says a whole lot about whether the love of Christ is actually in us and whether it's truly shaping who we are. 1 John chapter 4 verse 20 says, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." Then James closes with this powerful reminder in the last part of James chapter 2 verse 13, when he says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment." That's the kind of people that we're called to be. People that are marked by mercy and compassion, humility, and love.

So, the real question becomes this, how do we begin to treat people the way that Jesus does? How do we do that? So, if favoritism doesn't reflect the heart of God, if favoritism distorts what really matters, if favoritism violates the command to love, then what does it actually look like to treat people the way that Jesus treats people? Because this is bigger than just avoiding prejudice. James is calling the church to become a place that is marked by the love of Christ.

And honestly, people are drawn to places where they feel seen and valued and cared for. You can have great music, you can have great buildings, you can have strong ministries, you can have solid preaching, but if people do not experience genuine love, they will feel it immediately. That's why our welcome teams are so very important to what we do here at our church. When people come in, they're greeted in the parking lot. They're smiled at and they get a hug, they get a handshake. When they walk through the door, they are seen. It matters. One of the defining marks of the early church was not just what they believed, but how they treated people. Scripture says that people looked at the church and they said, "See how they love one another?" That kind of love still changes lives, even today.

So, how do we build that kind of culture? Well, James points us to three practical responses. All right, the first one is this. Welcome people without conditions. We've got to welcome people without conditions. Romans chapter 15 verse 7 says, "Accept one another then just as Christ accepted you." Jesus never waited for people to get their lives all together and cleaned up before he welcomed them in. He met people where they were and he loved them enough to lead them to where they needed to go. That means that the church should be the easiest place in the world for people to walk into. Not because we lower the standards of truth, but because we lead with love and we lead with grace.

There's a difference between welcoming people in and approving and affirming everything in their lives. There's a difference there. Jesus loved people deeply, very deeply, without ever compromising the truth. And we're called to do the same thing. The church is not a gathering for people who have it all together. It's a place where broken people can encounter the grace of God. They can find healing, and they can begin to grow. So that when people walk through the doors of this church, they should not feel judged based on their appearance, based on their background, based on their success or their past mistakes. They should feel welcomed. And it's our job to help them feel that way.

The second practical response James points us toward is this. Value people above yourself. This is so important for us to learn and to understand. Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others." And this takes us a step beyond simply welcoming people in. It means we genuinely care about them. We listen. We learn their story. We notice people who are overlooked. We treat people with dignity and honor because they matter to God.

Every person you meet carries the image of God. And one of the healthiest things a church can become is a place where people are treated according not to what they offer us, but according to who they are in Jesus Christ. A loving church values the businessman and the single mom. A loving church values the teenager and the senior adult. A loving church values the lifelong believer and the person that's just walking into the church for the very first time. And this is good stuff, all right? And it's stuff that we've got to learn, we've got to understand, and we've got to continue to grow in. It's very powerful.

And then, the third response is this. We've got to learn to speak life into people. First Thessalonians chapter 5 in the first part of verse 11 says this, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up." Our words and our attitudes have tremendous power. They really do. And we can either help carry people along or we can add weight to what they're already carrying. And some people walk into church and they are absolutely discouraged, exhausted, may feel lonely, maybe they're hurting. And sometimes just a smile, just a word of encouragement, a kind word, a conversation, a simple act of kindness can actually remind somebody that they are not alone. That's why encouragement matters so much. We've got to learn to speak life into people. A healthy church is not filled with critics or spectators. It's filled with people who build others up, who serve one another, who reflect the heart of Jesus Christ. And when a church begins to live this way, it really becomes a powerful force.

So, the question for us today is not simply do we agree with this message, all right? The question is, what kind of church are we going to be? Are we going to be a church that judges people from a distance or a church that welcomes people with the heart of Jesus? Are we going to be a church filled with critics? Or are we going to be a church that's filled with people who build each other up? Are we going to be a church where people have to earn their belonging? Or are we going to be a church where broken people can encounter the grace of God and begin to see their life transformed by the gospel?

Because every single week people walk through the doors of this church carrying burdens that nobody else can see. Some are lonely. Some are discouraged. Some are ashamed of their past. Some are wondering if they even have a place anymore. And they do not need another place, not one more place that reminds them of everything that's wrong with them. They need a place where they can experience life with Jesus. That's why Paul writes in Galatians chapter 3, verse 26 through 29. So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

What is Paul saying? The gospel tears down the walls that sin and culture build up. Jesus breaks barriers. He breaks racial barriers, social barriers, economic barriers. He breaks down cultural barriers. And at the foot of the cross the ground is level. The wealthy and the poor are on level ground before God. The successful and the struggling, they stand on level ground before God. The lifelong church member and the person just walking in for the very first time, they are standing on level ground before God. We all need grace. All of us need mercy. All of us need Jesus.

And when people experience the love of Christ through his church, walls begin to come down. Lives change. Families find healing. Prodigal sons and daughters return home and hope is restored. Jesus said in John chapter 13 verse 35, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another." Not by our buildings, not by what we prefer, not by our programs or ministries, but how? By our love. So, I pray that we would be the kind of church where every person who walks through our doors senses the grace of God. That we would be the kind of people who notice the folks who are overlooked. We would welcome the outsiders in. We would encourage the weary and love without favoritism. Because the church that reflects the heart of Jesus, it will always shine brightly in a divided world.

We will see life change. And I hope that it will be said of us just like it was said of the early church, "See how they love one another." That will be a mark of our church. Because the gospel is for everyone. The cross is for everyone. And at the foot of the cross, nobody stands above anybody else. We are all sinners. We're all in need of grace. And we are all invited into the family of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. So, let us be a church that reflects His heart. A church that's full of truth and grace. A church full of mercy and compassion. And a church where people don't just hear about Jesus, but they experience Him through the way that we love one another.

Would you pray with me today? God, we thank you so much for your word, where we can read it, we can get into it, and study it. And you show us what we need to do. It's so practical and relevant for our lives today. And as we look at this particular passage, and we see this idea of not showing favoritism, and then we look at our world, we can see that our world shows favoritism in every area of life. But you call us to be different. You call us to love those that our culture rejects. To reach out to the outsider. To help those in need, not just kick them while they're down. To give a hand up. To walk beside people. To truly love and care for those that we come into contact with.

And yes, it can be challenging. Yes, it takes sacrifice. Yes, it takes us giving of ourselves in order for this to happen. But it's what you call us to do. And God, if we follow after you, and we are your disciple, they will know that we're your disciples by the way that we love one another. And there'll be some other signs as well, but that is the key. So, God help us to love people well. No matter who they are, no matter what their past is, how many mistakes they've made, because each and every one of us has sinned and fallen short. Each of us have made mistakes. And we are all in need of your grace.

So, if there's somebody here today who you've recognized that you know what, you need the grace of Jesus Christ in your life. And you want to be part of the family of God. I want to give you the opportunity to do that right now. Where you can give your heart and life over to him and follow him with everything in you. You can say, "God, I am a sinner. And I have fallen short of your glorious standard. And I need forgiveness today. And I believe that you sent your son to this earth to live a perfect life, to die on the cross, to pay the punishment for the sins that I've committed. And because of that, I want to give my heart and life over to you and follow you with everything in me. Change my life. Transform me. Make me a new creation."

Because it's in you that we find the ability to be able to move forward. It's in you that we find hope. It's in you that we're able to love people well. We find our belonging in you. We find our identity in you. All that we are is made right whenever we are in relationship with you. So, God, thank you for those who have given their heart and life over to you. My prayer is that as the church, as the body of Christ, we would do well walking beside one another, encouraging and building up so that we can continue to reach those who do not know you with the gospel of Jesus Christ because the gospel's for everyone. The ground's level at the foot of the cross and God you sent your son Jesus Christ to this earth to save us from our sins so that we can live in freedom and we can have hope for the future. So God we love you, we praise you for what you've done in our hearts and in our lives and we're looking forward to what you're going to do in the future. So in Jesus name we pray and everybody said Amen.