How to Treat People Right

07/07/2009 by John Marsden.

I. The Principle: Faith and Favoritism are Incompatible.v.

1 “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”Notice that James addresses his reader as brothers. These people are saved, born again, and Spirit filled. He speaks to them as one in the family with love and affection. The words he speaks may be hard and sometimes cutting, but they are spoken with love and compassion. They are spoken out of a heart of concern for their spiritual growth and welfare. James calls them his brothers because he wants to explain to them how they should treat other people.We need to look at some areas of discrimination.

Appearance –We discriminate often because of appearance. Beauty is everything in our world. If you’re good looking person, you’ve got it made. If you’re plain, tough luck! We judge people on their appearance — how they look, how they dress. The Good News says, “Never treat anybody in a different way according to their outward appearance.”How do you judge people? Do you judge them immediately by how they look? If somebody has long hair and a beard do you walk up to them and say, “Jesus saves and shaves”. Do you judge them immediately? Even Christians get caught up in this dress for power, dress for success, dress to be cool. We’re so concerned with what’s in and what’s out, what’s hot and what’s not.

Ancestry –We judge people according to their race, their nationality, their ethnic background. I heard about a black man who went to a church in the south of America and was trying to get in. They were full of bigots and they wouldn’t let him in. He went to the pastor and told him. The pastor said, “You just need to pray about it.” About three weeks later the pastor saw him and asked, “Did you talk to the Lord about it?” The man said, “Yes, and God said, `Don’t worry, I’ve been trying to get in that church 20 years and I still can’t get in.’” 

Age –You’re too young - You’re too Old!

Achievement –Our society gushes over winners and forgets the losers. One minute you’re a hero and the next minute you’re a zero.

Affluence –We judge people by their wealth — whether they’re rich or poor — their economic status. What attitude do you have toward people who make more money than you do? What attitude do you have toward people who make less money than you do?James is telling us today that one way You can Treat people right is stop showing Favoritism, stop being partial. In the eyes of God there are no Big I’s and Little You’s.

The Problem: Favoritism James says there are three problems with favoritism.

1. Favoritism is unchristian.If you want to be like Jesus you can’t play favorites. “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.” Faith and favoritism are incompatible — we’re a family. This word “favoritism” is used only four times in the Bible. Every other time it’s referring to God and it says, God does not play favorites.Romans 2:11 “God does not show favoritism” Jesus treated everybody with dignity. Peter had to learn this lesson before he went to Cornelius. God loves everybody. If there is one place in the world where there shouldn’t be any kind of discrimination it ought to be the church. There is discrimination everywhere else in the world. But there ought to be one place no matter who you are or what your background is that you’re welcome.

2. Favoritism is unreasonable.v. 5-7 he says it’s illogical, it doesn’t make sense — in the first place, he says, God has chosen the poor, “Has not God chosen the poor to be rich in faith and inherit the kingdom?” He’s not saying that it’s good to be poor and bad to be rich. He’s not saying that only the poor will be saved. Everybody in this room is rich compared to the majority of the world. It doesn’t make any difference to God. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t check your wallet before He saves you? Aren’t you glad your salvation isn’t based on your savings account? Wealth in itself does not deserve any special treatment. Maybe the person got it dishonestly. Your value is not based on your valuables. Don’t confuse your net worth with your self worth.It’s illogical, he says. Don’t confuse where you get your self worth from. God chooses the poor. He doesn’t expect them to be wealthy in order to be saved. On top of this, he says, the rich could care less about you. Why worry about catering to them. “Is it not the rich exploiting you.” In New Testament times it was the Roman nobility who were feeding the Christians to the lions. It was the upper crust (a bunch of crumbs held together by their own dough) that were persecuting the Christians, judging the Christians, insulting the Christians, throwing the Christians to the lions. James says, “Why are you worried about impressing them. They’re certainly not worried about impressing you. They’re doing the opposite.”

3. Favoritism is unlovingThen he gives his primary reason in v. 8. That’s why you shouldn’t do it. “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ you’re doing right.” Why is it called the royal law? Because if we obeyed that one we wouldn’t need all of the rest. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 “All the law is summed up in one sentence, `Love your neighbor as yourself’.” If I play favorites I’m being unloving.The Bible says that how we relate to other people shows how much we really love God. I John 4;20 “If a man says he loves God and hates his brother he’s lying. How can you love God whom you haven’t seen if you don’t love your brother whom you have seen?” How I relate to you proves how much I love God. Favoritism is unloving.We don’t know how to love unconditionally. All we know is how to show favoritism.v. 9 “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.” How many laws do you have to break to be a lawbreaker? One. How many crimes do you have to commit to become a criminal? One. How many links do you have to break to break a chain? One. Have you ever been in a china shop that has the sign “You break it, you’ve bought it.” They don’t care if it’s broken in one place or into a thousand pieces, if you broke it you bought it.James is saying, people think favoritism is such a small sin. He says if you break God’s rule, you break God’s rule. Be careful it’s serious business.v. 11 “For who said, `Do not commit adultery’ also said `Do not murder’. If you don’t commit adultery but you do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” What is he saying? He’s illustrating his point about being unloving. If I come to your house and say, “I really respect you a whole lot. The way I’m going to prove how much I love you is I’m not going to commit adultery with your wife. However, I reserve the right if you tick me off I’ll murder you.” Are you going to thank me for that? Will you appreciate my love? How absurd! It’s ridiculous! “I don’t drink, smoke, curse, or run around with girls that do. What’s God care that I’m partial to certain kinds of people?” God says it’s all the same! It’s all important.v. 12 “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will not be shown to anyone who has been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Love treats people with mercy. Love gives people what they need, not what they deserve. James is probably thinking about his half brother Jesus who said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”That’s the problem. It’s unchristian, it’s unreasonable, it’s unloving to show favoritism — to be a snob. How do you treat people?

III. THE PRESCRIPTION: HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT

How do you have a loving church? There was an article in the paper that said, “A loving connection in church growth. More people are drawn to caring facilities scholarly studies says.” It’s talking about how the churches that love grow. “On the basis of a survey of people from congregations in different denominations they measured their `love quotient’. The institute reports growing churches are more loving to each other and to visitors than declining churches. Loving churches attract more people regardless of their theology, denomination or location.” Most churches that are growing today have learned how to love. A church that loves people is a church that grows. Typically in analyzing reasons for growth in a church the focus in the past has been on such factors as pastoral leadership, attractiveness of facilities, location, liberal or conservative theology, evangelical fervor. But there is increasing evidence that none of these influences a church’s growth or decline as significantly as how much love and acceptance people experience when they attend.” It’s love that reaches people. You don’t argue people into the kingdom of heaven. You love them into the kingdom of heaven.How do you do that? Three steps:

1. Accept everybody.Have you ever been in a church of spiritual snobs? “We got it and you don’t.” Do you know why people have a hard time accepting others? They confuse acceptance with approval. There’s a big difference between acceptance and approval. You can accept somebody without approving of his life style. He may be doing something totally contrary to the word of God, but you can accept him as a person without approving of the sin he’s involved in.“Accept one another just as Christ accepted you.” Romans 15:7. That’s a start — acceptance. At Calvary Church, Prestatyn we are trying to cultivate an attitude of acceptance. The church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints where they dress up for dress parade. Some people go to church to close their eyes, others go to eye their clothes. If you’re perfect, you don’t belong here. This is a church where people are growing. This is a church for people who don’t have it all together. We have every kind of background you can imagine in this church. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been. It matters where you are now and do you know Jesus. If you want to grow up more and more like Him every day you’re welcome here. In the essentials we have unity. Jesus is Lord. The Bible is God’s word. In the non essentials we have liberty and in all things we have charity. Acceptance is the key.Some of you are not going to like Heaven because it’s not exclusive enough. If we can’t learn to get along together here on the earth, what makes us think we’ll get along together in heaven? Accept everybody.

2. Appreciate everybody.This goes a little bit further than acceptance. Philippians 2:35 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interest but also the interest of others.” Appreciate everybody. Find something you can like, not just accept. Tell them so.

With some people this may require a little creativity. You may have to look a little while. Maybe you just need to value them for their uniqueness.

3. Affirm everybody.Give everybody a lift whenever you can. I Thes. 5:11 “Encourage one another and build each other up.” When people stumble, don’t criticize, sympathize. Be an encourager not a complainer, not a condemner, a critical person, not a judger. You can encourage people just by smiling at them. What is God saying in James? The church that accepts, appreciates and affirms people is the church that God blesses. Absolutely nothing can stop the church that’s filled with love. Nothing. It doesn’t happen accidentally. It requires an all out effort by each of us. Everybody needs to contribute to the atmosphere of the church. Everybody here contributes to the atmosphere of the church either negatively or positively. Would people come back to this church just because of you? Are you a greeter, a smiler? There are two kinds of pillars in the church: One that holds the church up and caterpillars that walk in and out. Together we need to make a commitment that this church will receive people unconditionally. We don’t expect people to act like believers until they are believers. Love draws outside people in. I want our church to have a reputation for love. I believe that God is just waiting for a church that will love people unconditionally. He can use that kind of church to spark a spiritual awakening in this valley that all the forces of hell couldn’t stop. It would change the climate of this community for Christ. Nothing can stop a loving church.

Galatians 3:26-27 “For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We are no longer Jews or Greek or slave or free men or even men or women.” We’re all the same. There is no distinction in the body of Christ. We are Christians. We are one in Christ Jesus.”

Have a great day.

John

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »