string(7) "m-66998" Burnt Hickory Baptist Church

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Sep 01, 2024

No Favoritism

No Favoritism

Follow Along with the Message

No Favoritism

September 1, 2024

James 2:1
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
If We Show Favoritism…

1. We are living with the Gospel that saved us when we were at our worst.

James 2:2–4
2 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. 3 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 “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Romans 15:7
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

2. We are at with the Creator God of the universe that has chosen the poor.

Psalm 41:1–2
1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. 2 The Lord protects and preserves them — they are counted among the blessed in the land.
Proverbs 21:13
Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.
Proverbs 29:7
The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
James 2:5–7
5 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? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
1 Corinthians 1:26–29
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

3. We are God’s supreme and royal law.

James 2:8–9
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
Matthew 22:37–40
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
James 2:10–11
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

4. We are of shattering the whole law of God and are considered a sinner.

Matthew 5:19
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
James 2:12–13
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

WALKAWAY: In all things, speak and as those who will be judged.

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