No Partiality in the Church of God

The title of the sermon today is No Parseality in the House of God.

I want to read from an article entitled, Why Parseality is Wrong. It's from Bible.org. Stephen J. Cole wrote this article. It was published May 29, 2013. Quote, When he was a student, the famous Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi considered becoming a Christian. He read the gospel and was moved by them. It seemed to him that Christianity offered a solution to the caste system that plagued the people of India. One Sunday, he went to a local church. He decided to see the pastor and ask for instructions on the way to salvation. But when he entered the church, which consisted of white people, the ushers refused to give him a seat. They told him to go and worship with his own people, and he left and never went back. Quote, If Christians have a caste differences also, he said, I might as well remain a Hindu. And that was a quote from Our Daily Bread in February of 1979. Isn't that interesting? Gandhi, one of the most influential people in the Hindu religion, actually considered becoming a Christian until he went to a Christian service. How pathetic is that? James chapter 2 talks about showing partiality, which is making a distinction between people. And I'm going to talk about that probably in the next two, possibly the next three sermons in different varying aspects, getting to a specific point at the end. Making a distinction between people, treating some people well while disregarding others. James wrote the words, My Brethren, 15 times in only five chapters, emphasizing the fact that we are all family. He addresses why we have problems in the family. Let's go to James chapter 2, why we're having problems in the family. James chapter 2, and starting in verse 1. James 2 and verse 1. My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. Now note Lord of glory, he is, James is noting Christ's deity and God's deity. All right? So he is making a distinction. Isn't that interesting? That James is actually making a distinction and then telling us not to make distinctions. Because the distinction has already been made. Isaiah 42 and verse 8. Isaiah chapter 42 and verse 8. I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory I will not give to another, nor my praise to carved images. So the distinction of who is to be honored above all has already been made. And when we show partiality, when we favor one person or one group of people over another, then we are actually changing God's judgment and God's superiority. Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. The word for partiality in the Greek is prosopolepsia. And the fair definition of it is respecter of persons or partiality. I'd like to read a little bit from what Thayer says. They say, the fault of one who when called to give a judgment, in other words, to make a decision, has respect of outward circumstances of man and not their intrinsic merits. And we'll get to this eventually. We can't even see their intrinsic merits. And so prefers as more worthy, as more to others, it does do not have those qualities. So the title glory which belongs to God is establishing God's superiority in James 2. And if God is established as superior, where does that put us? So James then takes this superiority of God and he draws a hypothetical situation. Still in James 2, let's go to verse 2. If there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come a poor man with filthy clothes. And you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, sit here in the good place and say to the poor man, you stand there or sit here at my footstool. So we draw distinctions between people, And judging, and that word evil means...

...really don't matter, like wealth or poverty, like gender, like perceived race. Even the most powerful rich man on earth is nothing compared to the glory of God and Jesus Christ. And that's the point James is drawing. Daniel chapter 4, we see Nebuchadnezzar talking about just how great God is. Now remember, Nebuchadnezzar at the time was the most powerful man on planet earth. He was the king-emperor of the Babylonian empire. And after God had humbled him and turned him into a beast and then brought him back into his right mind... ...in Daniel chapter 4 and verse 34, Nebuchadnezzar says this... At the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven and understood my understanding, returned to me. And I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever. For his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom is from generation to generation. All... Listen to what Nebuchadnezzar says... All inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain his hand or say to him, What have you done? In other words, no one can bring God into question. So why did James make a distinction between Jesus Christ and God and man? Because in reality, that is the only distinction we need to know. We are not God. We are man. Verse 36, still in Daniel chapter 4, verse 36... At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom my honor and splendor returned to me, my counselors and nobles resorted to me, restored me, and I was restored to my kingdom. An excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, and all of whose works are truth, whose ways are justice, and those who walk in pride, he is able to cut down. When we draw distinctions, and that's how great God is, that's the purpose for showing you that, distinction between God and man. And when we draw distinctions between people, based on status, or perceived power, based on gender, the perception of race, when we show partiality, we take the glory of Jesus Christ, who literally laid down his life, giving us redemption, back to God, and salvation to eternal life. And we take the glory of God, who literally gave us everything, and we reduce their glory. Now let's go back to James chapter 2. We're still in James chapter 2 talking about partiality, and let's pick it back up where we left off in verse 5.

By which you are called?

What are you actually doing when you show partiality? Are you not making yourself the supreme being, the judge? Is not your life the center of your little universe? First Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 7. Notice what Paul says about making a difference between people. In other words, having favorites, being a part of a smaller group, not part of the whole. First Corinthians 4 and verse 7. For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now, indeed, if you received it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? In other words, you've got it. So why are you bragging? And how are you brag- separating from other people? Paul or group? Paul calls group. And you're actually when you show partiality. Everything came from God. So where is your boast? When you and I show partiality, we make one person different from another. Different in worth, different in respect, or different in loving actions. In other words, showing love to one, but withholding it from another. When we do that, then we are actually making ourselves judge. And you're bragging about yourself. And you're actually lowering God out of his lofty position when you do that. When you make a distinction between people based on outward appearance, you usurp Christ's authority and his sovereignty. You know, he will come to earth to judge men. And you actually challenge that authority when you show favorites, when you have favorites. John 5 and verse 26. John 5 and verse 26. For as the Father, as life in himself, so he granted the Son to have life in himself. And that is, by definition, what the word Yahweh means, by the way. Yahweh means self-existent. When God was talking to Moses in the burning bush, I don't have time to go into that. But he said, I am that I am. In other words, I am self-existent. And then he told Moses, go tell the people that, not I am, but basically you are, which is Yahweh sent you. And the great you are, the great self-existent one. And here, there was any question about the... Verse 27.

Given him, notice this, authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Okay. Who has the authority to execute judgment? Who has the authority to make a distinction between people? Only Jesus Christ. It's not that judgment doesn't take place. It's not that distinctions don't take place. But there is a way, which we will get to, to make distinctions. And there is a way where we're actually sinning against God when we make a distinction. When we judge on things that don't matter, like on outward appearance, like on wealth, for example, which was the example that James used, God and Jesus Christ don't judge that way. They judge on the heart. Excuse me. 1 Samuel 16, verse 7. We're very familiar with this passage. 1 Samuel 16, verse 7.

Now, that's a great defining scripture. We can't see the heart. Reading on. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Now, that's not an instruction for us to look at the heart, because we are man and we don't...

So that is an instruction to not judge.

We, to make distinctions between ourselves. We become judges with evil, in other words, self-serving heart.

This loving character. Love your neighbor as yourself.

So, when we group together with the haves or the have-nots... Yes, that's right. The have-nots can actually group...

...as those who have, rejecting those who have not. Partiality is partiality. Making a distinction between people is partiality. And it shows a lack of love of God. And it is a sin.

A group that shows partiality is a group that shows a lack of conversion. A lack of deep conversion. These are people who do not reflect the character of God and will not be in the kingdom of God. Make no distinction between people. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 44. This goes all the way to your enemies. Back to the sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 44. But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you and do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you. Notice there is no distinction made. Even when people take 5. That you may be the sons of your Father in heaven. Otherwise, if you make a distinction between people, even your enemies, you are not a son or daughter of God.

Powerful statement. And it's right in the Sermon on the Mount. It's huge.

May be the sons of your Father in heaven. If you make a distinction between people, even your enemies, you are not a child of God. This is an absolute attribute of a child of God. This is part of love. And if you don't have this, if you show favoritism, if you show partiality, consider yourself unconverted. That's my recommendation for you.

The kingdom of God. Stop wasting your time coming to church and not being part of the church.

Actually look at yourself in the mirror, repent, and become part of the true firstfruits of God. There's a lot of parables that talk about people that are in the church, that have the sheep and the goats, but why are we the goats, they say? We did all of these things in your name. And Jesus says, I never knew you. Don't be a goat. And this is one of the things that defines what a goat is. It's someone who shows partiality, someone who has their favorites, and someone who mistreats everybody else. You know, when you're born, choose the analogy of a family. When you're born, you don't pick your family. You're born into it. You have no choice in who gets to be in your family when you're born. You're just born. All of your brothers and sisters, your parents, your grandparents, your uncles, your aunts, your cousins, they're all chosen for you. And it's way outside your reach of control. Likewise, in the church, you don't choose who God calls and who he doesn't call. God is very involved in who he will call. And the choice is not yours. John 6, verse 44. Notice this from the point of view of God is the one making the choice. John 6, 44. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. If the father is the one bringing people into the church, don't pick favorites, or you will actually be criticizing God's choice. So there's two problems now with what you're doing, which makes you're putting yourself in awesome glory. And two, you're criticizing God's choice for bringing someone in the church. It's very similar to point number one, but it's actually interfering with God by having favorites, by being part of a clique, and not associating with anybody else.

You're criticizing God's choice. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 18. 1 Corinthians 12 and 18. Notice it's God who puts people in the body. You don't pick your family. 1 Corinthians 12 and 18. But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body as he pleased.

Okay, let's go back to James chapter 2, and let's read verse 5 again. Here James exclaims that it is God who chooses who he puts in the church. We're talking about partiality in James chapter 2, and in verse 5, which we had already read, but we read over this, Listen, my beloved brethren, has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which promise to those who love him? So in this hypothetical situation that James draws on the rich versus the poor, and this is just an example, partiality can be based on any difference that you have with people. It can be in a difference between opinions. It can be, you know, those who wear masks and those who don't wear masks. As we saw in 2020 on Facebook, the battle was waged, you know, waged in the church. It's not that you need to be poor to be a Christian. That's not James' point. His point is God chooses who he will call. He, and by the way, does call mostly poor because they appreciate what God does. The rich have a tendency to trust him themselves. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 26, For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. Notice why God chooses his family members. It's so critical that we don't have partiality. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised of God. He has chosen. He has chosen. And the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are. Why? Verse 29, that no flesh should glory in his presence. Humility and repentance are required in order to be in the kingdom of God. They're required in order for you and I to learn to become something that we are not. It requires humility. Partiality is the opposite. Partiality is glorying in your own flesh. It's putting yourself above God. Nay, nay, brethren, that is not a Christian attribute, and you will not be in the kingdom of God. No flesh glories at the presence of God. And that's the point. Partiality causes men to judge in the place of Jesus Christ and to be unthankful for those whom God has chosen to put in the body.

And why? Judging on outward criteria. Things that don't matter. Wealth, status, power. Oh, I'm friends with so-and-so. That's nothing. That is literally nothing and will keep you out of the kingdom of God. That will give you no advantage in the long run. What about race or perceived race? What about gender? Oh, why can't women be more like men? The famous song says. A ridiculous statement. Thank God that He made us opposite and facing each other, men and women. Anything like that, making a distinction between people, is glorying in your own flesh.

So what I'd like to do with the balance of the sermon today is to tell you a story. It's a story you already know, but we're going to put it in context of partiality. And it's a story of consequences. The consequences of favoritism or partiality. Brethren, why is God so against partiality? It's not just because you're insulting Him and you're lowering His glory. It's actually for you. Partiality is devastating on love and creates divisions, war, bloodshed.

It is incredibly destructive. This is the story of Esau and Jacob. We heard about this story in the sermon that Mr. Sean Venish gave when he was talking about Psalm 137 by the waters of Babylon. And we heard a little bit about this story. I want to go back to Genesis and I want to give you an overview of this story and where the jealousy and the fighting and all of the bloodshed began. Let's go to Genesis chapter 25 and verse 24 and let's learn and make this part of us, brethren, that we are not partial people.

We don't make distinctions between people and set some people as worth our attention and other people as not worth our attention. Genesis 25 and verse 24. So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. So Isaac's wife, Rebekah, has twin boys. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over and they called his name Esau, meaning red.

Afterward, his brother came out and they and his hand took hold of Esau's heel. So his name was called Jacob. In other words, the supplanter, one who trips, one who grabs the heel and knocks you down. Later his name would be changed to Israel, prince of God. So this is the birth of Israel. Isaac was 60 years old when she bore him.

Verse 27. The boys grew and Esau was skillful intent, skillful a hunter and a man of the field. But Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. So these two twin brothers could not have been more different. And notice the huge statement in Genesis chapter 25 and verse 28. This statement was incredibly devastating. Verse 28. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game but Rebecca loved Jacob. Dad had his favorite, mom had her favorite.

And when the boys got older, it was time to portion out the inheritance. Rebecca and Jacob conspired to take Esau's firstborn blessing, the promise that God gave to Abraham, which was passed down to Isaac. Now God intended that that promise go to Jacob, but Rebecca tried to work it out on her own instead of trusting God to do it. And the consequences lasted many generations, as we will see. What are the consequences of this one act of partiality, of having favorites? Genesis chapter 27, the immediate consequence was hatred between the two brothers.

These are twin brothers who should have loved each other and stood by each other's side like the proverb says. But Genesis chapter 27 verse 41, so Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing which his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand, then I will kill my brother Jacob. And sibling rivalry to the point of death came from this favoritism.

And this favoritism, by the way, goes on. Jacob does this with Joseph, and that creates all kinds of problems where Joseph gets sold into slavery. We're not even going to go. We're just going to stay focused on Jacob and Esau and what this one act of favoritism did through generations that, by the way, is still going on. So what happened when favoritism and partiality was shown in a family or in a congregation, people start to loathe on divisions form in the family or in the congregation. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 10, Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you speak the same things, that there be no divisions among you, but that you perfectly join together, of being perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Judgment is making a distinction. So how are we to judge?

We heard in the sermon by Mr. Sean Vinnish that the children of Esau and Jacob met again. When the children of Israel or Jacob's kids met the children of Edom, which are Esau's kids, in battle on the mountain that God said belonged to the children of Esau, when they were coming out of the... they had just passed through the Red Sea and they had gone all the way up to the Promised Land, the spies spied out the Promised Land, and they said, there's giants in the land, let's just go live on this hill. Well, that hill belonged to Esau's children, and the children of Jacob were handed a bitter defeat. And so then Korah's rebellion started right after that, and the next thing that followed was the incident where God sent the plague killing thousands of Israelites. What started that whole thing off was a bitter defeat between Jacob and Esau. When Jacob's children went to try to move Esau out of his mountains, and God said, nay nay. When you read the Old Testament, the children of Esau and Jacob fought more than one war against each other. They were constantly killing each other. The rivalry between those two peoples got so bad that the children of Jacob were carried when they were carried off by the Babylonians for their sins. The children of Esau, then called Edom, actually cheered the destruction of Jerusalem and helped the Babylonians capture the fleeing children of Jacob, as we heard in the sermon by Mr. Vinnish. And he read this, Psalm 137, verse 7. Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom, those are Esau's children, the day of Jerusalem who said, raise it, raise it to its very foundation. So they wanted Jerusalem destroyed, and they actually coveted Jerusalem. They coveted that land, and they wanted it to be there. They lasted through all generations. Even though the two brothers themselves reconciled when Jacob returned, that jealousy between them never went away. And it started with parents picking favorites, which is exactly what James says not to do in James chapter 2. Judging on outward things like one's a shepherd and one's a hunter. Things that really don't matter in the long run. You know, the prophet Obadiah tells of God's punishment for the children of Esau's jealousy against the children of Jacob. The entire prophecy of Obadiah, just one chapter, is all about the children of Esau and this jealousy that happened all the way back when mother Rebecca favored Jacob and father Isaac favored Esau. And this is the result, generations later, thousands of years later, from one incident of favoritism. Obadiah 1 in verse 10, For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. In that day you stood on the other side, in that day strangers carried captive his forces. Speaking of the Babylonians, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were as one of them. You were just as bad as the Babylonians, and they were your brothers.

As though they were Babylonian, but they coveted that land of Jacob, they were jealous of Jacob, and that family jealousy, that sibling rivalry, continued all of their lives. There's another prophecy about these two brothers. It's in Ezekiel 35, and it also gives a similar prophecy against the children of Esau, for their hatred of Jacob. But we're not going to go there today, we're just going to stick with what Obadiah says. So just to set context of this next passage, there's more than one occurrence of the day of the Lord, but the final fulfillment of this day is actually at the end of the age, the end of the age of man's rule. So this prophecy is still going to take place. And speaking of that day in Obadiah 1 and verse 18. Now this did take place in the past, but as we've learned, there's duality in prophecy, and the day of the Lord is still to come. Obadiah 1, 18. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, the house of Joseph aflame. Now these are the sons of Jacob.

All shall be stubble. Now what happens when dry straw meets flame? They shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivors shall remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken. Whoa! Jealousies, partialities, God will not tolerate, and will literally wipe out those who will not let it go. That rivalry between two brothers literally lasted thousands of years, and it started with partiality. James takes a picture of how bad it is in the church by favoring a rich man over a poor man. When you show partiality, you actually put yourself in the place of God and Jesus Christ by becoming a judge, and that has devastating consequences on a family, including the church, our family, our congregation. Showing partiality or making a distinction between people and treating some people poorly, there is no place for that in your life. None. Don't put yourself in the place of God who judges. Don't put yourself in the place of God who chooses who He will call. Show love, the love of God among us, by being unified, by being one, by having no partiality, no distinction between us.

The righteous judgment according to the laws of God, which lead us to love one another. Partiality has no place in the house of God.