{"id":6513,"date":"2024-06-03T18:03:32","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T18:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/?p=6513"},"modified":"2024-06-03T18:03:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T18:03:32","slug":"a-rich-man-and-a-poor-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-rich-man-and-a-poor-man\/","title":{"rendered":"A Rich Man and A Poor Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click HERE for sermon audio<\/a><\/p>\n

My brothers,[a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0the Lord of glory.<\/span>\u00a02\u00a0<\/sup>For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,<\/span>\u00a03\u00a0<\/sup>and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, \u201cYou sit here in a good place,\u201d\u00a0while you say to the poor man, \u201cYou stand over there,\u201d or, \u201cSit down at my feet,\u201d<\/span>\u00a04\u00a0<\/sup>have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become\u00a0judges with evil thoughts?<\/span>\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup>Listen, my beloved brothers,\u00a0has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be\u00a0rich in faith and heirs of\u00a0the kingdom,\u00a0which he has promised to those who love him?<\/span>\u00a06\u00a0<\/sup>But you\u00a0have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who\u00a0drag you\u00a0into court?<\/span>\u00a07\u00a0<\/sup>Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable\u00a0name by which you were called?<\/span><\/p>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,\u00a0\u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself,\u201d you are doing well.<\/span>\u00a09\u00a0<\/sup>But if you\u00a0show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.<\/span>\u00a010\u00a0<\/sup>For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point\u00a0has become guilty of all of it.<\/span>\u00a011\u00a0<\/sup>For he who said,\u00a0\u201cDo not commit adultery,\u201d also said,\u00a0\u201cDo not murder.\u201d If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.<\/span>\u00a012\u00a0<\/sup>So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under\u00a0the law of liberty.<\/span>\u00a013\u00a0<\/sup>For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:1-13)<\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n

Here in chapter 2, James starts off with a command for how we are to conduct ourselves, which is another outworking of pure and undefiled religion as mentioned at the end of chapter 1. He gives the command in chapter 2:1 and then verse 2 and following he gives examples and explanation of this command. The command is very straightforward and simple, but requires explanation and example because we are prone to break it in practical ways and be unaware, or deceive ourselves in so doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

No Partiality<\/b><\/p>\n

James commands the brothers to show no partiality. But he gives this command with reference to holding the faith in our Lord Jesus Chris, the Lord of Glory. Many mistake James for being only practical, but here James shows his high Christology. James\u2019 command to show no partiality is on the basis of our Lord of Glory, and this title for Christ is more significant for this discussion than may initially meet the eye.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cLord of Glory,\u201d or the \u201cGod of Glory,\u201d is not just a title given to Christ in the New Testament. It is a term used in various ways throughout the Bible beginning in the Old Testament referring to Yahweh. And when we come to the New Testament we find that this is a title given to Christ, showing the Christian belief that this is the second person of the Trinity, the Word of God one with the Father. Consider Stephen\u2019s great sermon before he was stoned in Acts 7. He begins saying, \u201cBrothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham\u2026\u201d So God or Lord of Glory is spoken of God and Christ, because Jesus is Lord and God from whom this royal law comes from that James bases his teaching and instruction on.<\/span><\/p>\n

And in God there is no partiality. Romans 2:11, For God shows no partiality.\u201d Ephesians 6:9 says, \u201c…there is no partiality with him.\u201d It is because Jesus is God and in God there is no partiality that we are not to show partiality. And this has great practical application to our lives and in the life of the church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Old Testament God revealed through His laws to Israel that He despises partiality in judgment. Leviticus 19:15, \u201cYou shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.\u201d Deuteronomy 1:17, \u201cYou shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And as James is also very proverbial, such wisdom against partiality comes from the Royal Wisdom of Kings in the book of Proverbs, such as Proverbs 24:23, \u201cThese also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.\u201d And we could quote other Proverbs as well. So James argues from the character of God, the Lord of Glory Jesus Christ, the law for rule in the Old Testament, and the Wisdom of Kings in the Proverbs.<\/span><\/p>\n

So in verse 2 and following James gives an example of how this command is applied to the life of the brothers in the church. It is an example that was a common issue for them, but for us today in similar ways. James says that if they show special treatment, giving better seating to a rich man in fine clothing and gold rings who comes into their assembly, while telling the poor man in shabby clothing who entered their assembly to sit on the floor or at their feet, then they are showing partiality, and this is forbidden. He says it is impartial distinctions shown such actions which betray our thoughts as evil thoughts. So the specific application of showing no partiality is that we are not to make distinctions between those in clothing of rich appearance and those in clothing of poor appearance. This is an evil thing to judge someone based upon whether they appear to us to be wealthy or poor. Men look at appearance but God sees the heart, and we are not to judge the heart based upon the appearance of wealth or the lack thereof. A rich man may be an evil man and a poor man may be a godly brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, we\u2019ve been so influenced by Marxists ideologies today, that the term \u201cbillionaire\u201d is meant as a derogatory term today, and so we may be tempted to see the man entering the assembly in fine clothing as a derogatory thing and the man in shabby clothing as the noble thing. But James does not offer any such statement for or against certain clothing here. What he forbids and speaks against is the distinguishing between persons based upon the price of their clothing. This is what is evil, not the particular outfit.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the context of the early church, this would have been a very real temptation, because in those days, your wealth and status was much more clearly marked by your clothing. If you had fine clothes and gold rings it was because you were indeed wealthy. Those things simply could not be attained without riches. Today, two men could walk in with a suit, and I may not be able to tell who has the larger bank account. Suits could cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars, or $5 from the thrift store. All the more, this shows us the foolishness of judging based upon wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other thing to recognize here is that James is not speaking against honoring others. The Bible teaches us elsewhere that we are to outdo one another in showing honor, that we are to honor those worthy of honor and such. Instead, I think there are two main things going on here that James is prohibiting. One is that partiality is not simply showing honor, it is showing honor to one while neglecting the other, and often based on superficial reasons. It is not wrong to show mercy and hospitality and honor and courtesy to those who come into our assembly, but it is evil to do that to one and not to the other because of their wealth. We should be courteous and merciful and hospitable to all without distinction. The other things I believe James is forbidding is such distinction being made in the assembly, in the worship of God. We know that becoming a Christians does not erase distinctions between men. The Bible still upholds categories of hierarchy and authority. Men are different and are providentially placed at different stations in life and there is nothing wrong with that. It is God\u2019s good providence. But when we come to the worship of God and come to the table we all come to the same table, rich and poor, great and small, ruler and ruled. We are all in the same condition and need before our Almighty Holy God and we are all redeemed by the same blood of Jesus poured out for all kinds of sinners. This has practical application to how we gather together, there is to be no special seats, no special treatment in the worship of God. One group does not drink the $500 bottle of wine, while another group drinks the $5 bottle of wine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, the Church of Jesus Christ is to display love and charity to all in very practical ways. We are all sinners lost in trespasses and rebellion and all resurrected to the same life in Christ through the bloody death of Christ on the cross. We are all poor and needy sinners before Him and all are made sons of God, heirs to heaven, as brothers together. This is James\u2019 favorite term for his audience – brothers – beloved brothers. This is the reality that we are to display in our gatherings and in our life together – that we are all beloved brothers through the same blood of Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

James proceeds to give us more reasons as to why we are not to show partiality. The first is in verse 5, and the reason is because of God\u2019s sovereign choice and electing purposes. God has revealed to us that He does not choose men based upon their merit or worth, or any consideration at all in the person, but because of His mercy and choice. And part of God\u2019s sovereign choice is that He has chosen many who are poor in the world, in order that they may be rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom of God, which he has promised to those who love Him, which hearkens back to James 1:12. This also reminds us of 1 Cor. 1, in which it talks about how God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong. If God has chosen the poor and weak things of the world to be heirs of the kingdom and eternal life, who are we to pretend like He has not and act otherwise. If God chooses such ones, of which we all are, who are we to treat those whom God has chosen with disdain and dishonor. We are brothers who are to love and lay down our lives for all the brothers, which it is God\u2019s choice to make as to who they are. \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit,\u201d Jesus taught, \u201cfor theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, in showing partiality against the poor man, we are dishonoring our own Lord of Glory, who himself became poor for our sake. He had no place to lay his head. He had no earthly riches to His name. Yet He is our redeemer, Savior, King, and brother. As 2 Cor. 8:9 says, \u201cFor you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click HERE for sermon audio My brothers,[a]\u00a0show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0the Lord of glory.\u00a02\u00a0For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,\u00a03\u00a0and if you pay attention to the one who wears […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":6514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1582],"tags":[33,2013,49,1416,205,274,551,557,672,678,679,699,707,765,786,814,2012,1876,1983,1114,1144],"class_list":{"0":"post-6513","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sermon","8":"tag-33","9":"tag-2013","10":"tag-49","11":"tag-assembly","12":"tag-bible","13":"tag-christ","14":"tag-glory","15":"tag-god","16":"tag-james","17":"tag-jenkins","18":"tag-jesus","19":"tag-joshua","20":"tag-judgment","21":"tag-lord","22":"tag-man","23":"tag-mercy","24":"tag-partiality","25":"tag-poor","26":"tag-rich","27":"tag-sermon","28":"tag-sin","29":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/06\/R.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5675,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-man-named-zacchaeus\/","url_meta":{"origin":6513,"position":0},"title":"A Man Named Zacchaeus","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"April 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio \u00a0 He entered Jericho and was passing through.\u00a02\u00a0And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.\u00a03\u00a0And\u00a0he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/posts-icon-zacchaeus-sunday4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6424,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/two-brothers\/","url_meta":{"origin":6513,"position":1},"title":"Two Brothers","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"April 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio\u00a0 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,\u00a010\u00a0and\u00a0the rich in his humiliation, because\u00a0like a flower of the grass[a]\u00a0he will pass away.\u00a011\u00a0For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. 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