Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19990328.htm

JAMES: OVERCOMING DEAD RELIGIOSITY IN OUR BACKGROUNDS
Part II: Overcoming A False Spirituality's HEARTLESS Errors In Relating To Other Believers
B. Overcoming A False Spirituality's Damaging Bent To Form Cliques In The Church
(James 2:1-13)
  1. Introduction
    1. It is a blessing for God's people to dwell together in unity. Psalm 133:1 (KJV) puts it well, saying, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
    2. However, clique-formation was a problem in the Early Church as it can be in today's Church, and with its presence comes a notable loss of divine blessing and hurts. James addresses this problem with solutions in James 2:1-13 as follows:
  2. Overcoming A False Spirituality's Damaging Bent To Form Cliques In The Church, James 2:1-13.
    1. James commanded Christians who trusted the glorious Lord Jesus Christ not to show favoritism, Jas. 2:1.
    2. Having introduced the problem, James named a specific clique problem in his readers, James 2:2-4:
      1. Some of James' readers were elevating wealthy visitors to their Church meetings by urging them to sit in places of honor where they dishonored poor believers by making them sit in lowly seats, James 2:2-3.
      2. The reasoning behind this might have been a subliminal effort to coax higher contributions out of the wealthy for the good of the Church's financial benefit, and that by patronizing the wealthy!
      3. This practice was evil discrimination according to James, a discrimination based upon a very worldly value system that had nothing to do with the heart relationship people were to have in Christ, James 2:4.
    3. Accordingly, James described the sinfulness behind this cliquishness, James 2:5-11:
      1. First of all, showing favoritism toward the wealthy as opposed to the poor ran contrary to God's election of even poor believers to be heirs of God's kingdom in Christ, James 2:5-6a.
      2. Second, it was the wealthy who usually abused the poor by using their money for unjust legal clout in business, 2:6b. That made showing them favoritism to be the sin of exalting sinners as a class, 2:6c.
      3. Third, it was predominantly wealthy people who blasphemed the name of Christ as they felt secure in the political clout that their wealth could buy, and this spread over into a disrespect for God, James 2:7. Thus, favoring them was to favor people as a class who were predominantly opposed to God.
      4. Fourth, showing favoritism to any class of people, whatever worldly classification that might be, violates the royal law of loving one's neighbor, regardless of his classification, James 2:8-9. That made him guilty of all of God's law by way of Deuteronomy 27:26, James 2:10.
      5. Fifth, showing worldly favoritism actually exhibits a form of hatred toward the person left out of one's favor, and that hatred is equivalent to the sin of murder in God's eyes, James 2:11 with 1 John 3:14 -15!
    4. Finally, James admonished his readers to function righteously in overcoming their cliques, James 2:12-13:
      1. James stated that we as believers are going to be evaluated by our Lord by an absolute law that gives freedom from sin's bondage, James 2:12.
      2. Therefore, if a believer does not show mercy in his relationships so that he shows favoritism, shutting out the less fortunate for godless reasons, he will be shown no mercy by the Lo rd, James 2:13a.
      3. Yet, to triumph over such harsh divine judgment, the Christian must show mercy to "down-and-outers" as the world views them, making his love triumph over his prejudice, James 2:13b!
Lesson: (1) Cliques or ungodly discrimination formed by godless favoritism is a dreadful SIN in God's view, for it (a) runs contrary to God's grace in WHOM He saves, (b) it is grossly inconsistent in often favoring the worst of abus ers, (c) it favors often the most wicked of people, (d) it violates the law of love a Christian must keep and (e) is a form of dreadful MURDER in God's eyes! (2) Thus, the believer must OVERCOME it to be sure to escape CERTAIN judgment and gain mercy!

Application: Favoritism and cliques are the OPPOSITE God's GRACE and MERCY, for HAD God dealt with us according to our innate QUALITIES as discriminators do, NONE of us would make it to HEAVEN, cf. Romans 3:23; 6:23. Thus, as peopl e who rejoice in God's UNMERITED favor toward us in Christ, we are obliged to ACT without FAVORITISM towards one another!