Show No Partiality

When our last sermon as we concluded chapter one, we read what could be considered the thesis statement for the entire book of James.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only.

Most of James's letter is focused on this idea of doing the Word. This morning, we are focusing on one particular way to do the Word. A true church cannot separate itself from God's Word. God's Word is the ruler of our faith, the measuring rod of our faith. Our only true measure of faithfulness as a Christian is our conformity to God's word. When this happens, when we do the word, something profound takes place. We make the invisible God visible for all to see. We reveal the mysteries of his kingdom to the world. As a local church, we are meant to display the kingdom of God. We are to be earthly embassies of God's heavenly kingdom.

So when we gather together on Sunday mornings, worship should reflect this. As we read God's word and hear it preached, we learn about life under God's sovereign rule and reign. As we pray, we approach the throne of our heavenly king. As we sing, we celebrate and praise our Lord for who he is and what he's done. And in baptism and the Lord's Supper, we put God's kingdom citizens on display for the world.

Well, in our sermon text today, James adds another layer to our kingdom witness. He tells us that we are not simply to display God's kingdom activity, but also the kingdom's culture and society. We are called to display God's kingdom in how we relate to others and treat others. Our passage today focuses on one commandment,

show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

This is essentially the main idea for our sermon. And as James unpacks this commandment, he teaches us that how we relate to others has a profound impact on how we display God's kingdom. My hope is that as we read about this prohibition, as we look through this passage this morning, we will also see three ways that God calls us to display his kingdom in the church. And these are going to serve as our three points for this morning.

Point number one, judge with God's judgments. Point number two, honor who God honors. And point number three, fulfill God's law. Judge with God's judgments, honor who God honors, fulfill God's law.

Judge with God's judgments

First, let's look at how this passage tells us to judge with God's judgments. Look at verses one through four with me.

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, you sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, you stand over there or sit down at my feet, have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Partiality is another word for favoritism. The word used here in the original Greek, it's actually a really interesting word. It's a compound word that combines the words receive and face. So literally it means to receive someone according to their face. Partiality is passing judgment based on external appearances. It's prejudice. And James tells us that there is no place for this in the community of faith.

See, partiality is a form of bearing false witness. It misrepresents the kingdom of God. And James' first reason for why partiality misrepresents the kingdom is because it misrepresents the king. In verse 1, James gives King Jesus two titles that directly relate to this command. Jesus is the Christ, and he is the Lord of Glory. Let's first consider this title, the Lord of Glory. This is the same title that Yahweh has received all over the Old Testament.

So the Lord Jesus is not merely another earthly king. He is the divine King of Glory. By calling Jesus the Lord of Glory, James is making it clear that the Lord Jesus is the same Lord who has been on the throne since the beginning of creation. He is God in the flesh, the one who sovereignly rules and reigns over all the heavens and the earth. So by this title, we know that King Jesus passes judgment no differently than before he came to earth. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus' judgments are Yahweh's judgments. His standards are Yahweh's standards. They are one and the same.

If we survey the Old Testament, we see that God has never judged people based on their external appearances. One of the most clear places we see this is in 1 Samuel 16. Here, God sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse the Bethlehemite after King Saul was rejected by God. God told Samuel that he had provided a king for Israel from among Jesse's sons. Samuel goes and is first introduced to Eliab, and Samuel's impressed by what he sees. He thinks Eliab is the one. But God tells Samuel,

do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

And of all the sons of Jesse, it was David, the youngest and the ruddiest, the lowly shepherd, whom God chose to anoint as his King of Israel. David, who came to be known as the man after God's own heart. The Lord Jesus, the Lord of glory, is the Lord who judges the heart. External appearances carry no weight in his divine judgments. Partiality is absolutely foreign to the Lord of glory.

James also refers to Jesus here as the Christ. That's the second title that we see here. This means that he is the savior. So holding to the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ means holding to the message of the gospel, which is an absolutely impartial message.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

There is no distinction when it comes to the gospel. The same Lord is the Lord of all. God shows no partiality as he extends grace and brings sinners into his kingdom.

The church, as God's earthly ambassadors, are called to represent this same impartiality in how we view others and how we relate to others. So in verse four, when James says,

have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

He's essentially asking the question, whose kingdom are you promoting? Because it's certainly not the Lord of glories. No, it's your own. The distinctions that are being made between the rich and the poor man, these are not gospel distinctions. These are not kingdom distinctions. These are not God's distinctions.

These people, They've displayed a false god. They've lied about God's judgments. They've played fast and loose with God's command and his character, and in doing so, they've utterly misrepresented the kingdom and their glorious king. They've also made fools of themselves. They've failed to see who they're dishonoring. If they were acting out of godly wisdom, they would see just how honorable this poor man is who they've relegated to their feet.

Honoring who God honors

We see this in verses five through seven. So let's look now at these verses and consider the second way that God calls us to display his kingdom, by honoring who God honors. Look at verses five through seven with me.

Listen, my beloved brothers. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

When we think about the richest people in the world, one of the first names that comes to mind is Warren Buffett. He's worth over $147 billion, and he is one of the top 10 wealthiest people in the entire world. But if you were to spend a day in the life of Warren Buffett, you would not experience a life of luxury. No, to this day, he still lives in the same house that he bought back in 1958. He eats McDonald's and he doesn't own any luxury cars or fancy technology. But as we all know, his meager lifestyle does not reflect his true wealth.

This is what James is saying about the poor man in our passage. This is what he's like. His looks are deceiving. And in the kingdom of God, he is to be treated with the utmost respect and honor. To honor someone is to treat them with dignity and respect. When we bestow honor onto someone, we give them value. We give them worth. We show the world just how much that person means to us. The more honorable someone is, the more valuable we proclaim them to be. Honor places a high price tag onto someone.

The situation that James describes in verses two and three, well, this is a case of honor and dishonor. It's not completely clear if these men were fellow Christians or they were just visitors in this church. But it does seem more likely that these two men were in fact believers, which makes this situation all the more scandalous.

The man in the gold ring and fine clothing, he's deemed honorable. Our passage doesn't even say that he's actually rich. It's just assumed based on what this man is wearing. And this man's given the good seat, a seat of honor. a respectable position in the assembly. The poor man in shabby clothing? He's given no seat. He's told to stand off in the distance or to sit on the floor. This man is being humiliated to a position of shame and dishonor. Even more, being told to sit at my feet? Well, that's a power play. These people have told this poor man that he is beneath them, that he is in service to them. They've dehumanized him.

For James, this is horrific. It's utter foolishness. They've dishonored an heir to God's kingdom. They've humiliated and shamed this man when they should have been honoring him and exalting him. This man, while he may be poor in this world, he is rich in faith and an heir of the kingdom. He's not only wealthy, he's royalty. And he has the seal of God's promise to prove it.

Now to clarify, the point of this passage is not that God gives preferential treatment to the poor. No, we would be wrong if we were to conclude that the rich man should have been dishonored. No, James is saying that every single Christian, no matter their status, no matter their wealth, or any other distinction, like race, or gender, or anything else, every single Christian is worthy to be honored in God's kingdom. Everyone deserves the good seat. Why? because God chose them. God, by his sovereign grace, has transferred them into his kingdom and has qualified them to share in his inheritance. He has adopted them through Christ, he has united them with Christ, and he has made them fellow heirs with Christ. In a sense, to dishonor a fellow Christian is to dishonor Christ himself. It's irreverent to the one who is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Jesus himself speaks to this in Matthew 26 when he says that whatever you do for the least of his brothers and sisters, you do for him.

Now in this we cannot lose the essence of what James is saying here. God has specifically chosen those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom. This was by design. In 1 Corinthians 1, we read that

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.

The poor in this world are chosen to show the rich in this world that they have nothing of value to bring into the kingdom. The kingdom is only for those who are poor in spirit, for those who humble themselves before the Lord and depend entirely upon Jesus Christ to provide their salvation. That's what it means to be rich in faith. Faith is not some sort of spiritual commodity, but rather it is a total reliance on Christ and nothing else. When Jesus encountered the rich ruler in Matthew 19, he said that it's hard for the rich to enter into the kingdom, not simply because they are rich, but because their heart ultimately lies with their wealth.

We see this be true for this rich ruler and how he walked away from Jesus because of his great wealth. Wealth is a false god. It's a root of all evil because it is so easy to rely on. And yet, money cannot buy you the internal inheritance that God has promised to those who love him.

And yet when this church honors men based on their perceived wealth, they're essentially proclaiming the opposite. They proclaim that money covers a multitude of sins. As James describes the rich in verses 6 and 7, he lists sins that have caused immense suffering for the church. These men have exploited the church. They've oppressed the church. They've slandered the church. They've gained unjustly from the church. They have abused the church, both economically and verbally.

These men, they've sacrificed their fellow man on the altar of wealth. And in doing so, they've committed treason against God's kingdom. They have betrayed their fellow citizens and the Lord.

Well, I don't think that we can conclude that the rich in these two verses are the same as the man from earlier. I think the rich in verses six and seven are unbelievers. James is telling the church that by showing partiality toward the rich, they are placing their stamp of approval on these men who God has shamed and cursed. To borrow from the military, this isn't just a minor infraction. This is grounds for dishonorable discharge and a loss of all promised benefits.

By honoring such men, James says that the church is both promoting and also participating in the same heinous crimes against the kingdom. A faithful display of God's kingdom is not just an ideal for the church, It's an obligation. And failing to do so is a transgression of God's law.

Fulfilling his law

And this brings us to our final few verses of our passage this morning. The final way that God calls us to display his kingdom. God calls us to display his kingdom by fulfilling his law. Look at verses 8 to 13 with me.

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said do not commit adultery also said do not commit murder. If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, You have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Well, here in the United States, we have a complicated relationship with the law. Many laws are seen as hindrances and mere hoops to jump through. Some laws keep us from accomplishing our goals. Some laws slow down our progress. And other laws are just plain confusing. Speed limits, they keep us from getting to our destination. Tax laws suck our bank accounts. building codes and permits delay important renovations to 60-year-old buildings and... Laws keep us from getting what we want, right? We deal with them, but we don't like them. But in God's kingdom, the law is not burdensome. It's not a pain. It's a source of freedom and of joy and all good things. The royal law is the law of liberty. It's been established by King Jesus so that his blood-brought citizens may experience the fullness of life under his rule and reign.

The heart of this law is two foundational commandments.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

And the second one,

love your neighbor as yourself.

So in verses eight and nine, James shows us that this command to show no partiality is no more than a direct application of Jesus's great command to love your neighbor as yourself. While most of our text is centered around this command to show no partiality, James also provides a remedy for this prohibition. Partiality is to be put off, neighbor love is to be put on. Partiality is to be avoided and denounced, love for neighbor is to be fulfilled and promoted.

In every single relationship, we are to love our neighbor as ourself. It doesn't matter what the dynamics of the relationship are, what the quality of the relationship looks like, or if there's some sort of hierarchy in the relationship. We love our neighbors as ourselves because it's royal law expressly laid down by our Lord and Savior.

Throughout scripture, we see that this applies not only to those within the church, but to all people. to our family members and our coworkers and our government, to outsiders and enemies, to those in authority over us and those in submission underneath us. This is gonna look different depending on the relationship, but loving others is the standard operating procedure for all of God's kingdom citizens.

James says that those who fulfill this law are doing well. They are faithfully living out their salvation and displaying their heavenly home. They are walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which they have been called. But those who show partiality commit sin. It's a sin of omission. It is not loving who God has called his people to love.

A simple and popular definition for sin is missing the mark. It's an archery term that refers to a failure to hit the target. And now while this is true, James tells us that it is overly simplified if we simply leave our definition at that. We don't get points if we hit the outer rings of the target, right? It's bullseye or nothing.

In sin, we're not just off. No, we transgress the law. We break the law. We accrue guilt and conviction. There is no category in God's kingdom for showing partiality and loving our neighbor. It's a package deal. You can't have one without the other.

James tells us that you either keep the law or you break it. You either fulfill the law or you transgress it. In God's kingdom, there's no distinction between one sinner and another. There aren't misdemeanors or felonies. Sins aren't venial or mortal. You're either a law keeper or a law breaker.

It's also a mistake to think that there's a category of being good enough. That so long as sin is coupled with good works, that everything will balance out. No, James makes it clear that whoever fails in one point of the law, even if they keep the rest perfectly, that person has become guilty of all of it. This begs the question then, who can be saved? If all have sinned and fall short of the law, if everyone is convicted, and everyone is unworthy to enter God's kingdom, well then wouldn't God's kingdom be empty? How then do kingdom citizens exist?

Mercy triumphs in God's kingdom

James answered this question by introducing the concept of mercy. While judgment is getting what someone deserves, mercy is the opposite. Mercy is not getting what is deserved. Mercy has a special place in the kingdom of God. Mercy triumphs in God's kingdom. Mercy is how God's kingdom is accomplished, and it's how God's kingdom reigns victorious.

You see, under God's law, the punishment for transgression is death. banishment from God's eternal kingdom, and condemnation to eternity in hell. And because all people have transgressed the law, everyone comes under this judgment and is convicted by sin.

But God, being rich in mercy, God doesn't simply close the case. No, instead he does for us what no man could do for themselves. He puts on flesh and fulfills the whole law perfectly. He takes aim and he hits the bullseye. And he doesn't stop there. He then goes to the cross where he takes his own judgment that we deserve upon himself. He dies as a criminal. Jesus, who deserved the highest honor, received the most humiliating form of shame. Jesus, who deserved blessing, received a curse. Jesus did not receive what he deserved so that his people would not receive what they deserved. He took on the punishment. He bore the wrath. He paid the penalty. He covered the offense. And he fulfilled the sentence in place of his people.

The only reason that anyone may hold the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is because of the Lord's mercy. The only way to be transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of the sun is through mercy. And the only reason why anyone may proclaim Jesus as their Savior and Lord is because of His great mercy.

Why would God do this? Why endure such suffering and shame for the sake of sinners? Ephesians 2 tells us that it was because of his great love for us.

God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

The greatest expression of love is mercy. God's greatest display of love was in showing mercy. And James tells the church here that the ultimate display of God's kingdom is to show God's love through mercy. To be slow to anger, slow to take offense, to be patient and long-suffering and gentle and peaceful. And the citizens of God's kingdom are expected to show mercy because mercy has been shown to them.

You see, God's mercy, it doesn't free his people from any sort of moral obligation. It frees them from an obligation to sin and death so that they may fulfill God's law and show the immeasurable riches of his grace to the world. Kingdom citizens are still under a law. They will be judged according to this law. And they are called to speak and act as those who will be judged.

To the one who shows mercy, James makes it clear that judgment, to the one that shows no mercy, excuse me, James makes it clear that judgment is still threatened. The one who shows no mercy squanders their inheritance and blasphemes the name by which they were called. They betray not only their King, but also they betray the great salvation that Jesus Christ has bestowed upon them. But for those who fulfill the law and show mercy and love for their neighbor, well, they experience this true liberty that the law intends. They experience confidence in their salvation. They experience assurance that they have truly received mercy.

James is not saying here that God's mercy is earned by showing mercy. No, that would contradict the gospel. Instead, he's saying that those who have received God's mercy will show it in the way that they show mercy to others.

In the next section, James says in chapter two, verse 18, that faith is shown by works. The one who is rich in faith has something to show for it. He has something to show for it, just like the one who is rich in this world. The one who is rich in faith is clothed in righteousness and good works and love and mercy. And in this display of their wealth, they also display their King, who called them in love and mercy. and who offers that same glorious and unfading inheritance to all who come to him by faith.

Final applications

Well, as we conclude this morning, I'd like to offer some final applications to three different groups among us. And I know that puts me in danger of making some distinctions, but I promise I'm not showing partiality in this.

First, I'd like to speak to the group that will be going to Mount View next week. And with that first, I'd just like to say thank you. It truly has been an honor and a joy to covenant with you here over the last few years. So many of you have been a faithful display of God's kingdom here and through JPBC. The way that you've shown hospitality and welcoming members, the way that you've been a friendly face to those who are visiting, the way that you have led ministries that serve the poor and the needy in our community, it's been such an encouragement to this church.

Ben, you've been a chief example of this. And so brother, thank you. Your continued love and care for every single member the way that you've led Southwood, the way that you've led weddings and funerals and visited whoever needs to be visited. Brother, you truly have been a chief example in all of this and you've left a legacy at this church. So for your leadership and your example, thank you.

As you guys all head to Mountain View next week, I wanna encourage you to just be extra careful to display the kingdom to those who currently call Mount View their home. There is gonna be this natural distinction between the current members of Mount View and those who are coming in. So strive to eliminate that as quickly as possible. Enter into that church humbly and honor those who have endured there for years. There may be things that you don't agree with, their ways may not be your ways, But at points of disagreement, I would encourage you to be quick to show mercy. Be quick to forgive, be quick to dignify others, be quick to honor others, and just trust that no matter what happens, no matter what may arise, I'm not saying anything will, but if something does, just trust that nobody's operating maliciously and that everybody is striving to glorify God with a heart that loves him.

One of the best ways that you can love those brothers and sisters is by honoring them, by exalting them. It's the second time this happened. You need to stop. And just by glorifying God in the way that you care for them and love them. Obviously, this isn't goodbye. You guys are going to be right down the road. And we are so excited to hear and see what God is going to do in you all and through you all. We're looking forward to continuing our partnership in the gospel together, even as members of different churches. And in the words of William Carey, we're holding the rope for you guys as you all head across town.

The second I'd like to address the members of JPBC. As we enter into a new year as a church, I'd like to encourage you to think about how you could fulfill our call in this passage this morning. What's one way that in this new year you could honor your fellow member and express merciful love to this body? There's a number of ways that you could do this. But over the past few months, if I could point to two specific things, we've talked a lot about hospitality and serving this past month, or in the past few months, right? And these are two significant ways that we can love others and honor others. They don't just benefit the practical needs of the church. They honor God's people and they reveal and show God's love in doing these things.

So what might these two things look like for you this year? What might serving look like? What might hospitality look like? Serving is one of the most impartial ways that you could show honor and love for the church. Honoring others with serving could look like serving more areas. Some of you are tapped out. You're not allowed to serve anymore. You know who you are. But it could just look like committing to being here more Sundays and Wednesdays. Maybe you commit to less blockout dates on planning center this year. Maybe you strive to fill in more when someone needs a sub. Even when you're not scheduled to serve, maybe you just show up and bless those by being blessed by who's serving you. Honor those by allowing them to serve you.

While serving broadly expresses honor and love, hospitality is a narrow and specific way to honor and love someone. So maybe For you, you could start looking at your calendar this week before New Year's Eve and start planning to invite some families over for dinner in the new year. Maybe you could figure out a regular time slot before your schedule gets filled up. Put that there on pen. Don't let that get erased when something else contradicts those plans. Maybe you look through the membership directory. Put an unfamiliar face on your radar. Maybe you stay after the service for an extra 15 minutes and talk to the person next to you. If you don't have kids, maybe you could go to the playground and talk to parents. If you're older, introduce yourself to college students. I'd say the same for the college students, but none of them are here right now. Strive to cross demographic boundaries in who you engage with.

For some of us, we may just need to start sitting in a different seat on Sundays. I know that we're creatures of habit. My family does the exact same thing. We sit right there where Jack Homer is currently sitting. But maybe it's worth it to mix it up in order to show others that you love them and respect them. Some of us might actually be more partial to our own seats than we realize. These are all little things, but in doing these things, they do make a big display of God's kingdom.

Lastly, I'd like to address anyone here this morning that's not a Christian. And first, I just want to let you know that we are so grateful that you are here with us, and you are truly welcome to worship here with us every single Sunday.

I just want to make it clear one last time what the message of Christianity is. You see, none of us who call ourselves Christians do so because of anything that we have done or anything that we have in ourselves that we can deem to be superior. Right? We simply get to claim Jesus as our Savior and Lord because of his great mercy for us. And that mercy is available to you as well.

You see, in your sin, you are a transgressor of God's law. And apart from Christ, you are destined for eternity in hell. But God is offering you salvation as a free gift this morning. If you would turn from your sin and place your faith in Jesus.

If you want to talk more about this, please come find me after the service or even just talk to the person next to you. We would love to share about that more with you.

Let's now close in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we praise you as the Lord of glory and as the Lord of mercy. Forgive us our transgressions, especially of those sins that have dishonored our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We ask that you would help us to be faithful displays of your kingdom. Help us to honor those whom you honor, judge with your judgments, and fulfill your law with joy and delight. May your kingdom come in our hearts and in our churches, and may your will be done so that many can see you more clearly and glorify you as our great king and savior. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.