Equality in the Church

Well, good evening everyone. Let me echo Graham's welcome to you tonight, whether you're here with us in the building or tuning in online.

As has been said, my name is Stuart and I'm one of the Christians that meets here at Brunsfield.

And it's my privilege to be taking us through the first half of James chapter 2 tonight.

James 2 · chapter mention

I want to kick us off tonight with just one word. Equality.

I suspect in the last week, for many of us, this will not be the first time that we've heard, read or spoken this word.

For me this week, it was when I was watching Scotland thump England nil-nil at the Euros.

And during the break, there was an advert that was repeated again and again, promoting football as an equal game.

It goes far beyond sport though, doesn't it?

And in terms of issues being raised by our society right now, you may not find another hotter topic.

Is the issue current? Yes.

Is the issue new? No.

In our passage tonight, James directly addresses the issue of equality.

Not in sport, or in workplaces, or in society in general, but in the church.

It's remarkable, isn't it?

To so many people, the Bible is just an outdated and irrelevant book.

And yet, here we are tonight with a passage like this in front of us.

I fully believe that what God has to say through James in these verses is as current and as relevant to us tonight

as it was when it was written to these churches over 2,000 years ago.

Tonight, as we look at the issue of equality in the church, we're going to split our passage into three sections.

And as we go through each one, we're going to see three very different ways of seeing other people.

Seeing from the perspective of the world in verses 1 to 4.

Seeing from the perspective of God in verses 5 to 7.

And then seeing from the perspective of the law in verses 8 to 13.

I trust that as we go through this together, we will all be challenged as we consider the question,

from what perspective do we see other people in the church?

So in our first section, in verses 1 to 4, we see the perspective of the world.

It's clear from these verses that the attitudes of the world and the wisdom of the world,

it hadn't taken long to creep into the early church.

James uses an example to prove this.

So here we have two men walking into the church.

We don't know if they were Christians, but we do know that one is paid attention to and the other is not.

One is given a seat in a good place, the other is not.

He's told to stand or to sit at someone else's feet.

What point is James trying to get across here with this example?

Is it that the church needs to change who's on the rota for making the seating plans?

No.

The seats, they weren't actually the issue here.

The issue is the way that these two men were treated and the attitude behind it.

He's making the point that they both walked into the church,

and yet they've been treated completely differently,

simply because one was rich and well presented and the other was poor with filthy clothes.

James asks him in verse 4,

Have you not shown partiality amongst yourself?

Partiality carries with it a similar thought to favouritism,

or to use another very current word, discrimination.

Let's stop for a minute and just examine why this was going on.

There may have been a number of motives behind why this man was treated so differently.

We aren't told very much about the men.

The rich one, he may have been a prominent figure in the area,

a successful businessman,

or from a family of great influence perhaps.

Whoever he was,

the congregation, they quickly worked out

that it was in their interest to treat this man well.

Maybe they thought if they treated him well,

he would be extra generous with a collection box

when it came round at the end.

Or maybe they thought he would be able to promote them

and use his influence in the local area.

These are pretty logical thoughts, are they not?

Here's someone who can benefit us,

so let's make sure he is well looked after.

Let's roll out the red carpet, so to speak.

The problem is that this is exactly how the world thinks,

and its motive is selfish.

I'm sure in our lives we've all heard sayings like,

you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

Or, you owe me one.

The idea of course is that after we do a good thing for someone,

then we expect them to do something good back in return.

This worldly perspective,

it seems to have been the mindset of the churches here

when deciding how to treat people when they walk through their doors.

What can they give us if we treat them well?

Unfortunately for the poor man,

because he had seemingly little to offer,

he was treated as a second-class citizen.

And the mindset was,

why would we waste one of our best seats in the house

on a man like this?

To give the lack of seating situation a wee bit of cultural context,

as we know from our studies so far,

the letter of James,

it was written to Jewish Christians.

Now these early Christians,

they were steeped in Jewish traditions,

and so many of the things that went along with Judaism

had crept in to the early church.

This was a big issue,

and it's addressed in many passages throughout the New Testament,

and even a whole book,

the book of Hebrews,

is dedicated to showing the people

that the new covenant through the blood of Jesus

had superseded the old covenant through Moses and the law.

In this particular case,

the thing that had crept in was preferential treatment.

In synagogues back then,

and I believe in some today,

there were places of honour

given to the people of importance.

These would be benches right at the front and centre of the synagogue.

So to use here as an example,

we'll keep the two benches in front of me here,

and then we'll just strip the rest away.

And then next week,

the welcome team can have the job of deciding

who gets to sit on the benches

and who gets to sit on the floor.

So here we have,

quite literally,

everyone walking into the church,

getting judged at the door.

Were they worthy,

or were they not worthy?

This is what is going on here.

In James,

he doesn't hold back

with what he says

in the second half of verse 4.

He doesn't say,

this isn't a kind of way to treat people.

He tells them,

in unmistakably clear language,

that they become judges

with evil thoughts.

Telling the churches

what they were doing was evil.

Strong words indeed.

But we have to see

that God treats

the subject of equality

in the church

very seriously.

And so for us,

as the children of God,

we ought to do the same.

This world,

it can so easily influence us

with the way that it thinks.

You know,

when you go into

a large enough plane,

when you either turn left

if you have a first class ticket,

or for most of us,

we'll turn right

and go into the economy class.

When you go to a football

or a rugby stadium,

in the main stand,

right at the centre

of the pitch,

you'll see the corporate section.

This will be

where all the family

of the players,

the people high up

at the club,

the gold season ticket holders,

etc.

This will be where they sit.

And then you look up

far high

into the stands,

right up in the corners,

and the seats

where you can hardly see

the players,

you're so far away

from the pitch.

Or,

you maybe go to a concert

or the theatre,

and you have the seats

that are right

at the front row,

or you maybe even have

the boxes,

and you have the seats

then at the back

that are behind the pillars

with the obstructed view.

In so many situations

in life,

we experience people

not being treated equally.

The seemingly most important

are those that have

paid the most

receive the better treatment

than everyone else.

This is the way

that the world operates.

What James is saying here

is that when it comes

to the church,

there is not to be

a first class section

or a VIP area

in sight.

everyone is to be treated

the same way,

as equals.

Friends,

we must always remember

that when we come together

as a people of God,

we need to be so careful

to leave the perspective

of this world

the way that it thinks,

the way that it treats people,

outside the door

where it belongs.

Let's now move on

to see what God

has to say

on the matter.

In our next section

in verses 5 to 7,

if we've just seen

the selfish perspective

of the world,

let's see what the perspective

of God is.

If you read with me

the words of verse 5,

it says,

has God not chosen

the poor of this world

to be rich in faith

and heirs of the kingdom

which he promised

those who love him?

But you have dishonoured

the poor man.

Throughout the Bible,

God very often chooses

the weak and the poor

to do his work.

We'll only have to look

at the story of King David

as an example.

The prophet Samuel,

he asked David's dad,

Jesse,

to bring all his sons

before him

so he could anoint

the one that God

had chosen to be king.

Out the seven sons came,

no doubt all strong

and able men.

But one by one,

God said to Samuel,

nope, it's not him.

Nope, not him either.

Samuel says to Jesse,

is this them all?

And Jesse says,

well no, there is one more,

my youngest son David.

Jesse had left them out

in the field

to look after the sheep,

not thinking for a second

that God would have chosen

the young lad David

to be king.

And yet,

that's exactly

what God had done.

A few chapters later

and we see

this same young lad David

defeating a mighty giant,

Goliath,

in front of both

the armies of Israel

and the Philistines,

proclaiming the name

of God.

This is just one example,

but time and time again,

God does this.

He chooses the seemingly

most insignificant people

and he does great things

through them

for his glory.

So no matter how,

no matter who you are,

listen to this tonight,

how insignificant

you may feel,

God is able

and God is willing

to work through you.

Not only that,

God loves you

more than you can

possibly imagine.

There's no one too poor,

there's no one too weak,

there's no one too bad,

there's no one too unimportant

for the love of God.

The Bible makes it very clear

that the love of God

goes out to all.

A verse in 1 John

says this,

this is love,

not that we love God,

but that he loved us

and he sent his son

as an atoning sacrifice

for our sins.

If you're a Christian,

then I hope that is

an encouragement to you.

This world may beat you down

and tell you

that you're nobody,

but in God's eyes,

you're someone

and you're someone

special to him.

If you're not a Christian,

then I pray that you would come

and experience

the love of God

for yourself.

A love so great

that it caused

the Lord Jesus

to go to the cross

and take the punishment

that we deserved

so that you could have

your sins forgiven

and you could be made

right with God.

Going back to our passage,

why is it that God

is so angry

with what's going on

here in the churches?

It's because

these poor people

who are being treated

like second class citizens,

they are loved dearly

by him.

And God demands

that those that are loved

dearly by him

are treated

as they ought to be.

For us today,

that means that

no matter

who comes into

our church building,

we are to treat them

as Jesus would have done,

with love

and with care.

The service

of the welcome team

is a very valuable one,

but this can't

just be left

for the welcome

or leadership team

to do.

Showing the love

and care of God

to those who he brings

amongst us

is all of our

responsibility.

The Lord Jesus,

when he was here,

he was called

the friend of sinners

because he used to

spend so much time

with people

that society

wanted nothing

to do with.

A tax collector

who was the most

despised profession,

tax collector

was the most despised

profession

in Jewish society.

A tax collector

was chosen

to be a disciple

of Jesus.

He was called

Matthew

and he wrote

the first book

of our New Testament.

Jesus was here

to save the lost

and that meant

everyone,

whether they were rich

or whether they were

poor,

from the rulers

to the beggars

in the street.

The Lord Jesus himself,

he was born

into a poor family.

Mary and Joseph,

they weren't people

of any wealth

or great influence.

As well as being known

as the carpenter's son,

Jesus also grew up

in a place

called Nazareth.

Nazareth was a place

that we're told

it was despised

and it was looked

down upon

by other people

in the region.

Jesus knew then

and he knows now

exactly what it's like

to be treated poorly

because it had been

from humble circumstances.

It's no wonder then

that it brings

such sadness

to God's heart

to see

discrimination

against the poor

going on

in his church.

The poor

and the lowly

undoubtedly

they have a special place

in the heart of God.

But those that are rich

and have power

they are loved by him too.

But the rich

they certainly don't get

a good mention

in verses 6 and 7.

As we know

these Jewish Christians

have been driven

out of their country

because of the ongoing

persecution

from those in power.

James,

he makes the point

in these verses

that they're pandering

to the rich

and the powerful

at the expense

of the poor

and yet

at the same time

it was the rich

and the powerful

that were persecuting them.

I also

it is true

that there are

comparatively few

rich and powerful people

who come to follow God.

However,

we are thankful

that there are some

who are saved

and just like the poor

God loves

and God is able

to work mightily

through them.

I also need to say

at this point

that what we are

looking at tonight

treating people

equally in the church

is not just applicable

to rich

and to poor.

Churches,

they have an amazing

mix of people

so different

in so many ways

and yet brought together

by a shared love

for Jesus.

whether it's

wealth

or appearance,

education,

age,

race,

gender,

political views,

whatever differences

we may have,

we must always remember

that in God's eyes

we are equals

as brothers

and sisters.

our differences

there should never

be a reason

to drive us apart.

In fact,

they should be celebrated

as they give us

an opportunity

to show to the world

what being a church family

really means.

A community

where people

of all ages

with many different

backgrounds and interests

come together

to worship God

united as one

in our love for him.

Jesus said,

a new commandment

I give you

love one another

as I have loved you

so you must love

one another.

By this

everyone will know

that you are my disciples

if you love

one another.

This doesn't mean

that we aren't

without distinction

in the church family.

There are many

other passages

that talk about

the different gifts,

roles and responsibilities

within the church.

I think the image

of the body of Christ

is particularly useful here.

A hand

has a different role

to an eye

and yet

both are equally

important

for the body

to function.

So it is

with the church.

Many different parts

but we're all

equally part

of the body

of Christ.

Before we move on

to our last section,

as we've considered

the perspective

of God,

we have to conclude

that the selfish

perspective

of this world

has no place

in the church.

In fact,

we are to think

the complete

opposite way.

Lord Jesus,

he tells us

in the Gospel of Luke

that if we treat

someone well

hoping for good

to be done back

to us in return,

then that will be

our only reward.

However,

if we do good

to others

hoping for nothing

in return,

then we will be

rewarded by God

for our actions.

So not only

are we to avoid

seeking out those

who will repay

our goodness,

but we are to

cherish the opportunities

to do good

to those

who cannot repay us.

We do find it easier

to show love

and care

to those people

who we get on with

though,

don't we?

It's to those

who we don't

get on with as well

that we can sometimes

struggle

to show God's

love and care to.

Let's be open here.

We're not going

to get on equally

as well with

everyone in the church.

There will be

some people

who we will

naturally

be more friendly

with than others.

However,

if we only show

love and care

and do good

to the people

who we get on with

then,

and not to others,

then we are

showing favouritism

and we're not

treating people

equally

as God

would have us.

The same passage

in Luke,

it says

that even sinners

show love

to those

who love them

in return.

As Christians,

we're to be different

and to love

in an unconditional way

just like

the Lord Jesus did.

Dear friends,

since God

so loved us,

we also

ought to love

one another.

when we think

of fellow Christians

who we may find

it harder to love,

I think

this saying

sums it up well.

If God the Father

chose him,

if God the Son

died for them,

if God the Spirit

lives in them,

then I can love them.

what a contrast

to the thinking

of the world.

This is the challenge

for our heart tonight.

Do we see others

in the way

that God

sees them?

Our final section

from verses

8 through to 13,

we see the perspective

of the law.

So if you read with me

in verses 8 and 9,

it says,

if you really

fulfill the royal law

according to the scripture,

you shall love your neighbour

as yourself,

then you do well.

But if you show

partiality,

then you commit sin

and are convicted

by the law

as transgressors.

So here,

James tells the churches

that if they show

favouritism,

then they're breaking

the command

to love their neighbour

as themselves.

Jesus himself,

he spoke at length

about what it means

to love our neighbour.

When his disciples,

they asked him directly,

he told them the story

of the good Samaritan,

the one who looked

after the Jewish man

who was attacked

by the thieves.

The Samaritan,

he had no reason

to show love

and to show care

to this man

and yet that's

exactly what he did.

He treated him

the same way

that he would wish

to be treated himself.

That's exactly the point

that James is making here.

How can you say

you're loving your neighbour

as yourself?

How can you say

that you're treating people

the way in which

you would wish

to be treated

when you're judging others

based on their wealth

and based on their appearance?

The religious Jews,

they loved going

through the law

and telling God

how righteous they were

because of the laws

that they managed to keep.

You shall not murder.

Well,

no problems there.

You shall not commit adultery.

Yep,

find me that one too.

You shall not steal.

Wow,

three out of three.

God must really be pleased

with me.

Well,

we have to realise

that the law

is not some sort of

school exam

where seven out of ten

gets you an A,

six out of ten

gets you a B.

It doesn't work like that.

The law required

that every single thing

was to be done perfectly

or else the whole law

would be broken,

even something

as seemingly small

as partiality

or favouritism.

We can sometimes

be like that,

like the religious Jews

though,

can't we?

We can put emphasis

on what we see

as more important

teachings to follow.

Surely,

if I'm telling others

about Jesus

and reading my Bible

and praying,

then a small thing

like a bit of favouritism

will be overlooked.

There's a saying,

isn't there,

when someone gets

pulled up for something

that they think

there's been an overreaction for.

They say,

well,

I haven't killed anyone,

have I?

Well,

if that's our attitude,

then,

when it comes to

treating people equally,

then we need to ask ourselves,

why has James put this section

about the law in here?

I believe it's because

he wants his readers then

and he wants us here tonight

to see that in the eyes

of the law,

we were all the same.

Whether you'd broken

only one or two commandments

or whether you'd broken them all,

it all resulted

in the same thing,

that he had broken

the law of God.

As Christians,

it's true

that we are no longer

under the law of Moses.

However,

apart from the fourth commandment

regarding the Sabbath,

all the other ones

are repeated

in similar forms

in the New Testament

as teachings of Jesus.

So for us today,

the law still has

the same effect

that it shows us

just how far short

of God's perfect standard

we are.

In the context

of our passage tonight though,

James is saying that

since we have all

fallen short,

how can we possibly

justify

seeing some people

as better than others

and some people

as worse than others?

In terms of our standing

before God,

it is impossible

for any of us

to have been made

right with God

if it wasn't

for the Lord Jesus

and what he did

for us.

It doesn't matter

how rich

or how powerful

someone might be,

they're a sinner

just like the beggar

in the street.

If we are a Christian,

then the law

reminds us,

no matter who we are,

that we were once

equally lost

and we're now

all equally

saved.

So as we draw

to our close,

let's re-ask ourselves

the question

that we had

right at the start.

From what perspective

do we see

other people

in the church?

The world?

Think on what we can get

in return

for our good actions?

God,

a love that goes out

no matter who they are?

Or the law?

That we are all sinners

and fall short

of God's standard?

We've seen how seriously

God takes the issue

of equality

in the church

and that there's

no justification

for treating people

differently

because of any

distinctions between us.

On a personal note,

it does,

it makes me sad

that so many people

including some of my

friends and colleagues

feel that they would

be judged

the second they walk

through a church door.

Regrettably,

in some cases

they would be correct.

However,

in my wife Amy

and I's experience,

churches,

including this one,

have been some of the

most welcoming places

we've ever been in.

I believe that

if we strive

to see others

as God sees them,

then our churches

will be places

where no matter

who walks through

the door,

they will feel

the love of God

shown towards them

and that amongst

the church family,

there will be

a wonderful unity

as part of the

body of Christ

and as a gathering

of people

saved only

by the grace

of God.

Let's pray.

Our God and Father,

we come before you

tonight

and we just want

to thank you

once again

for the Lord Jesus.

We recognise fully

that there was nothing

we could have done

to ever merit

favour with yourself.

It was only because

of the Lord Jesus

and what he did

that we can sit here

and be called

the family of God.

We thank you

for that privilege

that it is

that we can be

brothers and sisters

and we can address

you as Father.

We thank you

for what we've been

looking at tonight.

We thank you

for what you've brought

before us

and we do pray

for ourselves

that we would not

be influenced

by this world

and that the way

it thinks,

we pray that

our motives

would not be selfish

when we look

to others.

We pray that

we would be filled

with your thinking

and we pray

that we'd have

that desire

to think more

and more

like how you think

God and Father.

We just pray

that we would see

others in the way

that you would

have us see them

as those that are

loved dearly

by you.

And so we just

ask this for ourselves

that you would

leave this on our hearts

that we would all

each and every one

have to examine

where we stand

on this

and that we might

be challenged

by what has

been said.

And we just

thank you

once again

for your goodness

to us

and your Son

and what he has

done for us.

We just thank you

once again

for this time

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.