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Study To Show Yourself Approved. 6 of 11

Steven Findley
04/13/25 - Sunday AM Bible Study

Series: An Eleven Part Series Aimed At Developing And Increasing Bible "Study" Skills.

So this week we, we've been talking about, you know, some key components, some tools and methods for Bible study, but for the last several weeks I've been passing out a sheet that gives you basically, you know, okay, here's 17 questions to ask as you read through the text and then you'll basically be reading through it 17 times and answering these various questions.
And by the time you're done with that, you should have a pretty good idea on what's in the text, what it says, what are the different, you know, contrast comparisons, teaching things, repeated phrases, all those helpful cues.
And the thing that really is important to notice is we haven't got out besides just the questions which are more prompting than anything, but we have, we're, everything we know, we've learned by examining the text.
Now you also have to know, okay, what's a preposition in order to find the prepositions in there, but everything we know, we learned by examining the text.
And sometimes you think, okay, well, if I want to understand the text, I got to read what someone else says about, I got to get out a commentary or get out a concordance or get out a lexicon or any of those tools, but really the best tool is familiarity, observation, you don't have to have 17 questions.
You just ask them no basic things, okay, what, if you look through and see like four or therefore, you know, I was taught, ask yourself, what's the therefore therefore.
And that kind of a good little, it's just a conjunction, it just says, it's just a, so I said this because of this, you know, and that helps us, but if you go through and notice, what's being said, ask, why is this being said, why is this word in there?
Why are these two ideas joined together with a word? You can find a lot of the same information. So that's what I, but once you study it, then you can go through and draw conclusions.
And I was thinking about it at the beginning of our class, this, I said, we're not studying to teach somebody.
So this might be the same similar process, but teaching adds in a different step.
So as we just learn to study our Bible, what are, what should be our goals? And let me ask you this way, what are your goals when you study a passage in the Bible? Like what are your goals?
Okay, yeah, so, yeah, so that's kind of like the major theme of our class to understand the intent of the inspired author, what he intended for people to understand from it.
So that's an important thing. What else? So we have, yeah, so we have understand the intent. What else? I won't be able to see if you raise your hand, just speak up.
Okay, to better please God. Now this is an important, this is an important part because if we don't know how to please God, we have a, we have a problem, right?
And why is it that we have to use scripture to be able to know how to please God? This is kind of like a, a little off the path, but why, why scripture? Like what, what does it give us that we can't get somewhere else?
It inspired words. Okay, but, but what does it give us? So that you're right, it is inspired words, but why do we need inspired words? Yeah, so it gives us, guides us to, Mike, it comes from the source, but why couldn't we figure it out for ourselves?
So, okay, so, yeah, so we have some, some maybe fallenness in us and that sort of a thing. Maybe what you would say, a propensity towards wrongdoing, but what do we need that we lack that, that requires inspiration?
Yeah, so Bruce really hit it on the head, Mike?
Yeah, to contrast though, in Romans, it says, when the Gentiles do not do that, they do not do that.
Yeah, yeah, to contrast though, in Romans, it says, when the Gentiles do the things of the law, they become a law unto themselves, so we can kind of at least do right things.
But here's the key, we have to learn what is spiritually beneficial or detrimental, right?
So, if I know what is spiritually beneficial and spiritually detrimental, then I can be pleasing to God.
And the reason it needs to be revealed from an inspired source is, we do not have a sense that can detect spiritual, right?
We can't smell it, we can't taste it or hear it or that sort of a thing, it must come from an inspired source.
Therefore, we can't please God or be pleasing to God because we don't know how to measure what is pleasing to God.
So that's really the key of what we're doing is we can't know because we can't determine for ourselves. Now we can kind of know, but for instance, does it make a lot of sense to you from just a, you say you're going to write a pros and cons list of loving your enemy?
Like, where do, if you're just measuring from what, what do I benefit from that?
Are you get, what's going to fall loving your enemy? Is that going to be the pros or loving or, or not loving your enemy?
Maybe protecting yourself from your enemy or avenging yourself of your enemy? Like if you say what just life benefits, you might end up a little bit heavier on the cons than the pros.
So then why would I do it? Yeah, God says it's spiritually beneficial. And then you could go through all sorts of moral conundrums that we look at.
And the reason you can tell that the cons tend to weigh against the spiritual because how do most people make their decisions?
And even in your life, what kind of decisions do you tend to make when you forget to consult with your God?
Yeah, the ones that benefit me. And selfishness is spiritually detrimental. And so if it's pride, if it's selfishness, if it's self-preservation, which is a little bit different fear, like, you know, Jesus said, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.
Self-preservation and fear is the exact opposite of self-denial. And yet why is it that we have to be told, deny yourself?
And even as Christians, how good are we about denying ourselves? Really? How good are we?
Yeah, and so that's something we got to even ask people who are alert to the spiritually beneficial things, we have to remind ourselves because it's definitely not physically beneficial a lot of the times.
So that gets back to the intent of the author is to reveal the mind of God, what is spiritually beneficial and spiritually detrimental, which will conflict with our own definition of beneficial and detrimental blessing and cursing.
And when we do the spiritually beneficial thing, that makes us that allows us to be pleasing to God. So there's an assumption in what we're saying.
Let's just say you do all the spiritually beneficial things, but you've never been saved. Are you pleasing to God?
Yeah, because our actions do not contribute to our holiness. Once we are holy, our actions can be acceptable to God, but our actions, apart from holiness, don't contribute to our own holiness.
We can't make that contribution ourselves. We can't act in a manner that makes us acceptable to God. And also, we can't act in a manner to do all the spiritual beneficial things and open the gates of heaven for ourselves.
What's the one way to the Father? Through the Son. And through the Son means you must be atoned by His blood. And once you are atoned by His blood, then all the spiritually beneficial things can be acceptable to God, can be pleasing to God.
And so there's an assumption we're going to make in this class that it's the same assumption James makes in the study we're going to make that you've accepted God and you have been atoned by the blood of Jesus.
Therefore, you can actually do good things that are acceptable to God. Not because they have some kind of merit to them, but because God has made you holy and as a holy person, then righteous acts.
And righteous acts are pleasing, whereas an unholy person, their righteous acts are not pleasing because they're unholy and they don't have access to the presence of God in the first place.
So that's kind of the things as we have to know what is spiritually beneficial and detrimental. That's why we study the Bible. That's the only reason.
You might find wisdom, I guess. And so that's some physical beneficial things, but wisdom's going to lead us to doing what's pleasing to God.
And you're going to find right and wrong. You're not going to, I mean, you might find things that apply to this world, right?
So there's passage, I think it's Colossians 3, 23 or 24. Do your work heartily is unto the Lord rather than for men.
So okay, well, if you live that way, if you work to please God rather than to please the guy, you know, because they deserve it or don't deserve it, that might add to your success on earth.
Like it's a good principle to live by. But, you know, with the so that you can learn those sorts of things too, but our primary goal is what's spiritually beneficial and detrimental.
So we can be pleasing to God. And our secondary goal is also then, where's wisdom in this? How can we apply this wisdom to our life?
Because there's scripture that says we had it on our, one of our sheets that I handed out is in with a multitude of counselors there are success, right?
And so scripture can be a counselor for you in all aspects of life. And also the nature of scripture in that it's fundamental truths that are revealed.
Those fundamental truths will apply and be true in all situations. So we'll be able to find some of that stuff.
So with that on our minds, we're going to go ahead and start looking at this passage in James. I have a highlighted version of the text.
So if you haven't done it or if you need it, I can, who needs one of these? Who needs the text? Okay. Curtin, do you mind volunteering for me?
Okay. So that's yes you will. Okay. Yeah. Is that yes you mind or yes you'll do it. Okay. All right. Come here, Curtin.
Just whoever raises their hand just pass one of these to him real quick. So see, this is fun for me to do this because when I was a kid, this is like, I was always the handout guy.
And I also was responsible for making the copies. So it's fun for me to put put the other guys on the spot. I appreciate you doing that. Appreciate it.
All right. Let's open our Bibles to James chapter two. I'm just going to read these 13 verses first of all.
Just so we can get we can just hear the text and start mulling it over.
My brother and do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes and there also comes in a poor man and dirty clothes and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes and say you sit here in this good place and you say to the poor man, you sit over there or sit down by my footstool.
Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives.
Listen, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich and faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him.
But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If however you are fulfilling the royal law according to the scripture you shall love your neighbors yourself, you are doing well.
But if you show partiality and you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as a transgressor for whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all.
For he who said do not commit adultery also said do not commit murder.
Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder you have become a transgressor of the law.
So speak and so act as those who are judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy, mercy triumphs over judgment.
So as we look at this passage, what is James trying to get us to do?
So that's kind of our first thing. Let's let's view the big picture. What is James trying to get us to do in this passage?
I see people the same way God sees people.
Okay. So to see people the same way God sees people. All right.
Okay. Yeah. So Bruce says to see people the same way God sees people.
Okay.
Okay. Yeah. So to be so I'm just going to say be like God but that means what Bruce said just a quick and to then let's just say act like God.
Now have you ever heard like in Bible class they ask a question and the kids are like God Jesus.
Is that what they just did to us?
Yeah. Although that is the point of the passage so I'm just teasing you guys but yeah be like God act like God.
Did you have something Mary?
I was going to say to not be, or to be impartial for people.
Okay. So yeah. So there's a.
It's easy for us to have a tendency to do exactly what James is saying.
I mean we don't bring them up to the front but we can have a tendency for being inclined to do that.
Yeah. So so yeah being impartial which we'll talk about a definition of that.
You know kind of what does that mean but Becky?
So I think it's so sweet and actually those were being judged by the law.
But it kind of tells them what you're talking about on the whole.
Do you think this way which is kind of what they said.
Yeah. So yeah. So you're going to be judged.
And so you're going to be judged by a law.
So don't be condemned right so that's kind of a different word but don't be condemned by the law.
So that's our conclusion.
How do you do that?
How do you be like God?
How do you act like God?
How are you impartial?
What does impartial mean?
You know so just we're asking follow up questions in here.
What are we saying here?
So this but this will give us our big picture.
So now we've picked up on these things.
I want to look at the text that we did this last week but I want to look at the text and we're going to see a few cues that that kind of help us to find the foundational statements of this text.
So this is in your highlighted paper.
It's underlined by green I believe.
So but we'll go ahead and look at that.
So verse one it says do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
So right here is a it's kind of like the foundational statement.
Don't if you are faithful and real quick.
What is James telling us about the people he's addressing?
These are not unbelievers.
These are believers.
Believers.
And so you see this problem among a congregation.
You also see in verse two they're assembling regularly.
So you kind of see some patterns in there but that's kind of a that's more of a picking up facts from the text rather than what it's actually saying.
But your faith does not have room for personal favoritism.
What does anyone's Bible say something other than personal favoritism?
Okay.
So partiality is one of the words that are used and that's actually internal in the text.
And what's the other state?
Is there another statement here that's used?
Let me see if I can find our lines here.
So we as we highlight it is partiality and making distinctions.
So that's the second term that is used here.
So he says don't show partiality.
Don't make distinctions.
On what basis?
Yeah, something superficial, right?
But we're just saying okay.
I guess really it's about preference.
What if I prefer dirty people to rich people?
And so I give the dirty people more advantage.
Does that make me better?
Yeah.
Maybe.
Maybe.
But.
You'll be walking into this interrogation.
And what does that bring with a whole notion?
And you can tell it all first because it looks like a whole.
And the other person is not intellectually important.
Well, I suggest to you that the normal person gets our preference.
And I find it up to 10 before the other.
Yeah.
So yeah, but what we're pointing out is we're making distinctions, right?
We're making distinctions.
We're saying what do I prefer?
Who do I want to be a member of this church?
Someone who's going to take or someone who's going to give?
Someone who's going to be a lot of work?
Or someone who's going to contribute to the work, right?
That's kind of the thing that's being put in, put out initially.
So don't be partial.
So right here, this word four, why does he say,
and I guess really four and if.
So here's our two words, four and if.
What does that mean?
Why do we add these words to the text?
It's based on what it's just been stated in.
Yeah.
What does if mean?
Hypothetical.
Hypothetical, right?
Suppose we maybe you could put for suppose.
And so now you're going into a mind space creating a fictional scenario.
So what James is telling us by putting four F in here or whatever the Greek equivalent is,
is let me use this mnemonic.
A mnemonic is a teaching device, any kind of teaching device.
So it could be seven repeated words or it could be a format of the text.
There's any number of things that could be a mnemonic.
Writing every word with the same letter is a mnemonic.
So that's just a mnemonic devices.
So this teaching section is a mnemonic device.
It's a tool to help us understand something.
So we're going to hold off on that because that just explains the point.
A mnemonic device helps you understand the point that's being made.
If we don't need the explanation, we don't need that mnemonic.
So we'll hold off on that.
So verse four, you made distinctions.
All right.
Where does our mnemonic end?
I think it ends in a round.
Is it here?
I have it on my sheet here.
It ends for he who said.
So that's where I have an ending.
So he's bringing up another thing when he says another four.
So verse, I don't have verses in the one.
I have verses in the other right here.
Hang on.
You guys are welcome to help me out too.
Don't leave me sitting here struggling.
You're fulfilling the law.
So that's where I have an ending.
So if you're fulfilling the law, so right here.
So that's our next conjunction thing.
Okay.
So here's an application of what he's saying.
So there's things about the poor.
There's things about the rich.
But now you, if you, if however you, so we're back on what you're doing,
you're fulfilling the royal law.
According to the scripture, you should love your neighbors as yourself.
You're doing well.
But if you show partiality, you're committing sin and convicted of the law as a transgressor.
So here's our next teaching section.
Don't be partial.
Why shouldn't I be partial?
Because being partial isn't loving your neighbor.
Right?
That's, that's really, you know, he makes this, the subpoint.
He may use this as a mnemonic tool and then he goes on and says, okay.
Here's the law.
You're violating if you show partiality.
Here's the law.
Okay.
So now I know what I would be guilty of.
Am I just guilty of the one thing?
Right.
So if it's interesting, because this actually brings up a second, a secondary topic.
And maybe a more primary topic to what's being said.
So this is how do you show partiality to people based on personal preference?
But now here you have a situation, but don't show partiality.
Well, man, that seems like you're being pretty harsh, James.
Partiality is not nearly as bad as murder.
At least I'm not murdering people.
I mean, everybody likes some people more than others.
But I mean, I'm not murdering people.
I'm not committing adultery.
That's his next teaching device.
That's why I'm bringing that up.
And James is saying, do you realize it is also sinful to show partiality as it relates to sin?
So wait a minute.
What if someone walks in and their dirty clothes happens to be some sort of sin that you happen to be very disgusted by?
And another person walks in and their sins much more acceptable to you.
Do we do that?
Oh yeah, we do that.
Don't we have things that we're much more willing to overlook than other things?
Yeah?
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
You, someone's a good friend and they're really fun and jovial.
But you know, I mean, like I don't know what to do.
I'm not going to bring up examples.
But they're doing something and maybe it's just like, they just lose their temper from time to time.
You know, not bad, but they get really irritable.
They can be discouraging.
Maybe they can just come up and just punch someone in the face with the Bible with the gospel, you know, like they do that sort of a thing.
And we might look at them and say, yeah, well, man, look how faithful they are.
They're going to say what needs to be said.
Is that what the Bible teaches?
Just lambast somebody with scripture so that they can know what they did wrong?
But man, doesn't that seem bold?
Doesn't that seem committed?
Doesn't that seem like speaking out for Jesus?
See, you can frame something any way you want to frame it.
But what James is saying, if you start making distinctions, Jesus has speak the truth in love and be angry and do not sin.
And, you know, 2 Timothy 2, 24, where the bonds of the Lord is gentle and patient and patient went wronged, hoping just to save people from their sins and save people from the snare of the devil.
So there's some teaching in their scripture in that scripture that says, you have to interact with people.
You have to be a certain kind of person, a certain kind of Christian, like the kind of person who loves their neighbor is themselves.
Like, that's what we're called to be as Christians.
But sometimes we show preference over how someone looks and then we start showing preference over what is their particular brand of sin and is it more palatable to me or not, right?
So this is the second point is partiality as it relates to sin.
So if you show partiality, you're committing sin and convicted by the law as a transgressor.
And so there's the second thing is don't hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
If you show partiality, you are convicted by the law as a transgressor.
Verse 10 right here, here's our, it says 4.
It says 4 again. So here's another example for whoever keeps the law, symbols in one point, it's been convicted of all.
Verse 12, so that's our next change, or actually we have four second example.
So third change of kind of change in the conversation.
So speak and so act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
That's the, that's actually what James is telling them to do.
Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
What does that mean?
It means that mercy will be attractive when they and we are judged by that.
Yeah, yeah, that's a, that's yeah.
When you stand before the throne of Jesus, what will you need?
Mercy.
When they stand before the throne of Jesus, what will they need?
And so if we're going to make a mistake in the way we deal with people, what mistake should we make?
Two, two merciful.
Two patient, two merciful.
Yeah, and that you can err on that side too, so I'm not saying be, you know what do they say?
Be open minded, but not so open minded your brain falls out.
I think that kind of applies to this kind of a situation.
You may be merciful, but not so merciful your brain falls out.
But also give people a time, give them, help them, invest in them.
And so that's, that's kind of the, the idea is.
So speak and so act as those who are judged by the law of liberty.
Now, here's our final commendation.
Remember the first statement he says, don't hold your faith in our Lord.
You're going to say, this Jesus wants me to be partial.
It is faithful for me to behave in this way, to have these preferences.
Here's a way that society, our society says this.
You're not going to go to hell for that.
That's not a salvation issue.
Should we discern for God what salvation issues are?
Isn't that an interesting call?
Now, I think that the sentiment, there is an aspect of truth to that, right?
There is an aspect where, okay, maybe this is unclear or maybe not everybody agrees on this or that sort of a thing.
So, and what we're acknowledging is this is an area where we don't have really clear ability to demonstrate.
And that's maybe about our ability rather than what the Bible says.
But for whatever reason, this is, this is difficult to discern.
And we say, all right, we're not going to spend all our time arguing over that.
We're just going to have to agree to have different draw different conclusions until we can, until we can be united on.
When I understand what the Bible says, then I'm going to do that.
But for now, we have to have this different conclusions because we're not agreeing on what the Bible says.
So, you might say, okay, well, that's not a salvation issue, right?
Like, you have to agree on who Jesus is.
You can't say Jesus was created in Jesus as eternal and have fellowship at all.
So, that's why, you know, I did a study with some Jehovah Witnesses one time.
At the end of the study, we couldn't pray together because we prayed to different gods.
And so, so that's kind of one of the, that's not a, that's a salvation issue in that sense.
But to say, okay, well, that's not a salvation issue.
A lot of times that also gets used to just ignore and to not deal with sin.
And so, okay, well, you want to do this.
I want to do that.
It's not a salvation issue. Go ahead and do it. God's group merciful.
You're not going to go to hell for that.
Like, yeah, we're already saying that.
It's kind of like when you say, I don't mean to offend you, but whatever comes next will be offensive, right?
Because that's why else would you say that?
And it's the same thing. You're not going to go to hell for that.
You're already acknowledging this is probably sinful.
Because otherwise, hell wouldn't be on the table for it, right?
And so, so what James is saying here is, let's not do that.
Let's not be that way.
So that's kind of the fundamental on all of this.
It kind of you get down, okay, well, God doesn't want us to start picking and choosing what laws we comply with,
or what people were willing to accept, or any other form of partiality, right?
That's not good.
And so, let's go back through now.
Any thoughts or comments or questions on this, any additions?
All right, let's go back through then.
He makes a statement, don't hold our faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
For, if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring, and dresses in fine clothes,
and there also comes a poor man and dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes,
and says, you sit here in a good place.
And you say, the poor man, you stand over there or sit by my footstool.
Have you not made distinctions among yourself and become judges with evil motives?
What do you learn from that?
What is the illustrating?
It's pretty simple.
Like, this is an easy example.
That's why I chose this passage.
It's pretty, it's not complicated for us.
I think that what he's saying is, the have you not just before.
He's saying, that's what you have done.
Yeah.
You have made distinctions and you have become judges and you have people.
What is a judge with evil motives?
Self-serving.
Self-serving.
That is a term from the Old Testament, and it means a judge who would take a bribe.
Right?
If you take a bribe, are you now, didn't you just stop trying to do what's just and right?
And you started doing what was beneficial to yourself.
That's what a bribe is.
It's when you set aside right and you do what personally benefits me.
Personal favoritism is personal benefiting.
I'm doing what's best for me.
I'm thinking about myself first.
And that's really what he's bringing up.
If you recall in the end of Revelation chapter 6, we just went studying this on Wednesday.
It says, all men, the great and the small and the slaves and the free.
And he goes through this with the rich and the poor.
Like, all men are going to stand before the judgment seat of God.
And God is going to judge them impartially.
He won't take into consideration their status.
He's going to take into consideration their heart and their obedience.
Right?
And so you have this situation.
Well, here's two people with different statuses.
Should we take that into consideration?
Absolutely not.
Here's another one.
This is kind of a side note to this, but it's just something to think about.
When you come to church, what should you wear?
Yes?
I think the way that I was told to me closes if you're going to see the key to the dress well.
I mean, you know, it's not fancy or fun, but the dress well makes the attention to how you dress.
Okay.
Is that a Bible principle?
No.
No.
It's interesting.
It's a hard, like, I'm just asking questions that really don't have answers, right?
So, but, you know, I've heard people, I knew a preacher and he sometimes he'd wear a suit,
sometimes he wear jeans and a vest because he was a little claustrophobic in a suit.
And he had a man come up to him and said, you know, when we worship together,
this isn't the south, so yeah, a little bit more traditional point of view.
When you worship God, you should always bring your best.
And he's like, okay.
Wear your best.
Wear your best.
And he's like, okay.
And he asks the guy, so how many suits do you own?
And he's like, well, you know, five, six suits or whatever.
And he's like, is that your best suit?
And he says, well, I mean, he's like, no, you just told me.
Wear your best. Why are you wearing five or six suits?
You should only wear one suit every time.
If you're to be wearing your best, then maybe it should be a tuxedo or something, right?
And he says, how about this?
How about I love your brother?
And sometimes I'll preach in a suit.
And you can love me and let me preach sometimes in a vest.
And the thing is, you know, that's the idea is, what this text says is,
someone's coming to church and dirty clothes.
Is that the thing?
No.
You know, in fact, when I used to work in construction, I used to get real dirty.
And a lot of times I kind of went through this and this passage I read it.
And I was like, all right, you know what?
I think it would be better for me to, and not if I'm filthy,
but if I'm just like after a day of working in there, I'll go to church dirty.
And they can put up with that because I'm trying to keep my commitments of attending regularly.
And so a lot of Wednesday nights I'd show up in dirty clothes.
And I would, you know, maybe if I wear bring extra shoes or something,
so I'm not tracking in mud with my boots or whatever.
But, you know, you come to church and you bring, or maybe I would bring extra clothes,
but I didn't always plan ahead for that sort of thing.
But, you know, you just say, okay, that's going to happen.
Chris used to show up, Chris Haldey used to show up after his mechanic work,
and he'd be in greasy clothes.
And, you know, the thing is, sometimes we're going to see that.
And also, here's another example.
In their day, slaves wouldn't have multiple pairs of clothes.
And so you would have slaves coming in from the field trying to attend church,
tend the assembly, and they just didn't have it.
And so you start thinking, okay, well, how should the church,
how should the church, what should the church's disposition be here?
Well, we're not here to look good.
We're here to honor Jesus.
Do you want?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Can be, yeah.
I heard of a preacher, and what happened?
So he was like, you know, from America.
And so he decided he was, he went to go preach in Africa in this one village.
And he had his gold watch and his suit and everything looked nice.
And he showed up, and they were all in like, you know, poor kind of clothing.
And they didn't listen to him because who's this rich American here to preach the gospel to us?
And so he did another trip to Africa to a different village.
And so he just wears khakis, you know, just plain like what you'd wear out just every day,
you know, short sleeve shirt, khaki pants, you know, maybe safari kind of pants or whatever.
He goes to church and everyone shows up dressed up nice.
And they won't listen to him because he doesn't respect God enough to get dressed up nice.
You know, because they had one nice pair of clothes in that village,
and this is true in Africa, is that one nice pair of clothes,
and they kept it really nice and they'd only wear it on Sunday,
because that was a way that they learned to honor God and what they're doing.
Right? And so they didn't listen to him then.
And the reality is, is there's a aspect of this that's going to go along with the culture where we live.
Recently, it was a few weeks back, we had someone from the North Seattle congregation visit us.
And I was wearing jeans and a polo shirt.
And he said, oh, you must not be preaching tonight because look where you're wearing.
And I said, no, I'm going to be teaching tonight.
And he looks at me and I'm like, we're in North Idaho.
It's a little bit different around here, you know.
And so, you know, that's just the way it is.
We're a little bit more relaxed in some of that stuff.
And so it's just the characteristic of our congregation.
And so the thing isn't whether or not you wear a nice clothes.
The thing is, is what is your disposition towards God when you come?
Right? Is your disposition to be here to show honor?
And maybe honoring God means coming dirty.
And maybe honoring God means wearing a suit and tie.
But the goal is, I'm going to just do what's respectful and honorable.
And that's what James is pointing out here.
But if you start making judgments on people based on these superficial things,
because guess what? Someone with a black heart can come in dress really nice.
And someone with a heart of gold could come in with dirty clothes.
Right? I talked about Chris Holy coming in as greasy.
He's got kids got a heart of gold and yet he come after a long day's work,
he'd make sure he'd come to Bible class on Wednesday night.
So that's what Paul is pointing out here.
Or James, excuse me.
Okay, what basis are you making distinctions?
And why are you making those distinctions?
And so we can look at this and see that.
So let's look at this last little section.
Listen, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
But you have dishonored the poor man.
He's not the rich who oppressed you and personally dragged you into court.
Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
And so here you have a contrast.
Who are the ones God chose?
God chose the poor to love him.
Who are the ones that this congregation chose?
Who did they dishonor?
You have a contrast.
God honored them, you dishonored them.
And so here's a really good tool.
As you study the Bible to learn from it,
learn to ask yourself the question that James is presenting.
As a great teacher, he's presenting this idea.
Are you honoring the things that God honors?
For the reasons God honors them?
That's one of the takeaways from this, right?
How do I honor?
What do I honor?
What does God honor?
Well, how do you honor things?
In this case, it was where you sit.
Foot, stool, or good place.
Maybe in your life that might take on the look of priorities.
What do you get priority to?
Do you prioritize the things that God honors?
Or do you prioritize the things that you honor?
So that's the question James is asking them.
And he's like, don't the rich drag you into court and blast him, God?
That's another question.
Do I prioritize and invest my time and money and effort and energy into things?
That are blasphemous to God.
That this honor him.
That can become a stumbling block.
That can become something like that.
That's another good question.
And he just leaves it.
He just says, answer it for yourself because there's a question.
There's no answer and he moves on to the next point.
So anyway, as you're studying this, you see how you can take the text
and as you start going through and asking questions about it and start saying,
okay, what is James saying?
Why is he saying it?
What's the contrast?
What's he bringing up?
And then you start, you can get it to the point where you're asking yourself, what am I doing?
And let me tell you something interesting.
We start out talking about homeless people.
There's a kid named Jacob Bazel.
And I just studied this or taught it or something.
And I was ready to go home and I had to go pick up Mason from school because Mel was out of town with Avery.
And so I had to rush over to their school and pick him up.
And so I used to go from my office, I go around and look out the foyer door
because I could see my office door because sometimes people would be outside my office door camping,
homeless people or whatever.
And I see this kid tattoo on his face.
And I was thinking, and when I stopped and he didn't see me and I was like,
I do not want to have a conversation with this guy.
And I thought, you know what, that's personal favoritism.
I'm looking at him and I'm making a distinction.
And I just studied this.
So it was on my mind.
So I decided, you know what, I'm just going to go talk to him.
I went out and talked to him.
And long story short, guy was baptized.
His wife was baptized and church, it was good for the church.
He was a lot of work, but also, you know, we did some good in his life because of that.
So you say, okay, what's the benefit of this?
Well, in that case, a soul was saved because I decided to do priorities of what God would prioritize.
And I was able to go get Mason on time and that sort of thing as well.
So anyway, we'll leave it at that.
But next week we'll take a look at the next half of this and then we'll move on in our study into some other aspects of it if we get there.
So let's go ahead and close with a word of prayer.