CRCF””10-11-09
Out of Balance!
James 2:1-9
ME:
I grew up in a white, upper middle class family with 2 kids living in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch on the edge of a suburb of Atlanta. I was never the object of prejudice””either financial or racial””growing up. But then I went off to college, met Robin and we married after our sophomore year. I went to work for a friend from our church at his commercial landscaping business there in Columbia, SC. Most of the employees of this company were lower class, financially-speaking, and many of them were black. Our company, GreenEarth Services, was really the main commercial landscaping company in the area, so we had the best contracts””we maintained the grounds of the C&S Plaza downtown, the campus of a large computer development company, several nice subdivisions and apartment complexes, as well as the main shopping mall in Columbia. It was there at the mall that I first experienced what prejudice felt like. Columbia, SC summers are blistering hot and humid. And as we would be taking care of the grounds of the mall, all of the white, upper middle class folks would be going in and out of the mall. As they passed me as I worked””all sweaty and dirty””I could just feel the air of superiority. When we”™d break for lunch, we would often go to the Food Court, clean up in the restroom and then sit down to eat in the AC. Again, the glances, or the lack of acknowledgement, as my mostly black””and all sweaty/dirty–crew and me would pass all of the nice, clean, white shoppers was hard to swallow. The worst was when we received such treatment from a person I”™d soon realize was a member of our church! Of course, I”™d march straight up to them and say “Hey! How are ya”™?” and stick out my overly-tanned hand for a good shake! ☺
WE:
Have you ever been on the receiving end of prejudice?
The bigger question for us all is: Do you, do I show favoritism/prejudice to others based on their financial status or the color of their skin?
Too often, even we as professing Christ-followers act like this judge [Comic Slide].
GOD:
You see . . .
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix.
New Living Translation (NLT)
James 2:1-9
1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”””well, 4 doesn”™t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn”™t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren”™t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn”™t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren”™t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
That”™s the way the world deals with people””ranking them based on their economic standing and giving preferential treatment to the rich. But God”™s Kingdom operates by different rules!
Matthew 22:37-40””“Jesus replied, ”˜You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”™ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ”˜Love your neighbor as yourself.”™” (NLT)
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix.
Contemporary English Version
1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord
Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others.
Real Christ-followers can”™t live this way long! Period!
English Standard Version
1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
We can”™t hold faith in Jesus in one hand and partiality towards others in the other! It doesn”™t add up””the scales won”™t balance! One or the other has to go!
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29””“Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world”™s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” (NLT)
Acts 10 tells the story of Cornelius, a Roman commander who feared God and was given a vision in which he was told to find Peter and listen to what he had to say. Peter, a full-blooded Jew, had been telling the story of Jesus to other Jews but hadn”™t really ventured out to Gentiles/non-Jews at this time. And God had to teach Peter a lesson about favoritism and prejudice before Peter could go talk to Cornelius. And so God gave Peter a vision in which he showed him that even as a Jew, he could now eat anything, because Jesus fulfilled all of God”™s law and he was no free from all of the dietary regulations he grew up with. Then, Peter goes to talk to Cornelius. And at the house of Cornelius, Peter has the lesson driven home even more deeply, as he witnesses God pouring out the Holy Spirit on those Gentiles, just like he”™d done for the Jews. Here”™s Peter”™s response:
Acts 10:34””“Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ”˜In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.”™” (NKJV)
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix.
Galatians 3:28””“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (NKJV)
In God”™s kingdom, racial prejudice or economic favoritism have no place!
And here”™s the ultimate, most important reason:
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix, because prejudice is the opposite of God”™s love.
Romans 5:8””“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (NLT)
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix, because prejudice is the opposite of God”™s love.
YOU:
How should all of this change your life?
Love everyone as yourself””no matter who they are (no matter their social status, their color, their background, their nationality, their income, their dress, their religion–because Christ died for every person.
Again, Jesus Himself taught us this:
Matthew 22:37-40””“Jesus replied, ”˜You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”™ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ”˜Love your neighbor as yourself.”™” (NLT)
And in Luke 10: 29-37, Jesus paints the picture with a story””READ.
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix, because prejudice is the opposite of God”™s love. And so, you must love everyone as yourself because Christ died for every person.
Paul tells us that Jesus died for all and that now Christ”™s love compels him to go and love and tell everyone about Jesus. And he spells out how he deals with every person he meets in . . .
2 Corinthians 5:16””“So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them.” (NLT)
Faith in Jesus and prejudice don”™t mix, because prejudice is the opposite of God”™s love, so we must love everyone as ourselves””no matter who they are (no matter their social status, their color, their background, their nationality, their income, their dress, their religion–because Christ died for every person!
WE:
Imagine what our world would be like if there was no prejudice, no favoritism. Of course, until Jesus comes, the world will never be like that. But folks, the Body of Christ CAN and SHOULD be like that!
As we come to the Table this morning, realize that you can”™t feast on God”™s grace in Jesus and, at the same time, show favoritism or be prejudiced””you”™ve got to drop Jesus or your pride! Make this a time of commitment to love every person as yourself, to treat everyone as they really are””one for whom Christ died!
Celebration of the Lord”™s Supper
–Prayer/Preparation (Refer to 1 Corinthians 11)