Overcoming Favoritism Through the Transformative Power of Grace

Devotional

Day 1: The Subtlety of Favoritism

Favoritism is a subtle sin that often goes unnoticed in our daily lives. It is rooted in our sin nature, tempting us to gravitate towards those who can offer us something in return. This tendency is not new; it was prevalent in the early church and addressed by James in his epistle. James calls us to live counter-culturally, rejecting favoritism and embracing the gospel's transformative power. Favoritism is a human problem that requires a conscious effort to overcome. It challenges us to examine our hearts and motives, ensuring that we are not showing partiality based on superficial criteria. [39:42]

James 2:1-4 (ESV): "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 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, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' while you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there,' or, 'Sit down at my feet,' have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"

Reflection: Think of a recent interaction where you may have shown favoritism. How can you approach similar situations differently in the future, ensuring you treat everyone with equal respect and love?

Day 2: Embracing God's Impartiality

Favoritism is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus, who showed love and compassion to the marginalized and outcasts. It is judgmental and evil, as it goes against the nature and character of God, who shows no partiality. Every individual is created in God's image and deserves equal honor and respect. Favoritism is not only foolish but also sinful, as it contradicts the royal law of loving our neighbors as ourselves. By embracing God's impartiality, we align ourselves with His character and reflect His love to those around us. [50:48]

Acts 10:34-35 (ESV): "So Peter opened his mouth and said: 'Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.'"

Reflection: Consider someone you may have overlooked or judged unfairly. How can you reach out to them this week, demonstrating God's impartial love and compassion?

Day 3: The Gospel's Solution to Favoritism

The solution to favoritism and discrimination lies in the gospel. We are all sinners saved by God's mercy, and the ground at the foot of the cross is level. When we experience God's mercy and grace, it transforms us, enabling us to extend the same to others. The gospel reminds us that we are all equal in God's eyes, regardless of our social status or wealth. By meditating on the gospel, we allow God to transform our hearts, enabling us to reject favoritism and embrace love and compassion for all. [01:00:38]

Ephesians 2:14-16 (ESV): "For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility."

Reflection: Reflect on how the gospel has transformed your life. How can you share this transformative power with someone who may be experiencing favoritism or discrimination?

Day 4: Mercy and Grace as Transformative Forces

Mercy and grace flow from those who have received them from God. As we experience God's mercy and grace, it changes us from the inside out, allowing us to be conduits of His love to others. This transformation enables us to extend mercy and grace to others, regardless of their social status or wealth. By being recipients of God's mercy, we are empowered to reject favoritism and embrace a life of love and compassion. [01:02:44]

Titus 3:4-7 (ESV): "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Reflection: Identify a situation where you can extend mercy and grace to someone in need. How can you be a conduit of God's love in this situation?

Day 5: Finding Sufficiency in Christ

Finding our sufficiency in Christ frees us from the need for validation from others. When we are secure in Christ, we don't need anything from anyone, allowing us to love others without favoritism. Our identity and worth are found in Christ, enabling us to live from a place of peace, hope, and joy. By finding our sufficiency in Christ, we are empowered to love others selflessly, reflecting the love and compassion of Christ in all our interactions. [01:05:53]

Colossians 2:9-10 (ESV): "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority."

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you seeking validation from others? How can you find your sufficiency in Christ, allowing you to love others without favoritism?

Sermon Summary

Good morning, everyone. Today, we gathered to worship and exalt the name of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. As we reflect on our journey as a community, I want to express my gratitude for your generous contributions, which have enabled us to create environments that foster love for God, others, and outreach. Despite a financial shortfall, your giving has been instrumental in our mission.

Today, I want to address a deeply rooted issue that affects us all: favoritism. Reflecting on a personal experience, I realized that favoritism is a subtle yet pervasive sin that can manifest in various aspects of our lives. It's a part of our sin nature, tempting us to gravitate towards those who seem to offer us something in return. This tendency is not new; it was prevalent in the early church and addressed by James in his epistle. James calls us to live counter-culturally, to reject favoritism, and to embrace the gospel's transformative power.

Favoritism is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus, who showed love and compassion to the marginalized and outcasts. It is judgmental and evil, as it goes against the nature and character of God, who shows no partiality. Every individual is created in God's image and deserves equal honor and respect. Favoritism is not only foolish but also sinful, as it contradicts the royal law of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The solution to favoritism and discrimination lies in the gospel. We are all sinners saved by God's mercy, and the ground at the foot of the cross is level. When we experience God's mercy and grace, it transforms us, enabling us to extend the same to others. Our sufficiency is found in Christ, freeing us from the need for validation from others. As we meditate on the gospel, God will transform our hearts, allowing mercy and grace to flow through us to others, regardless of their social status or wealth.

Let us pray for God's continued transformation in our lives, that we may live from a place of peace, hope, and joy found in Jesus. May we be conduits of His grace to those around us, reflecting the love and compassion of Christ in all our interactions.

Key Takeaways

1. Favoritism is a subtle sin rooted in our sin nature, tempting us to gravitate towards those who offer us something in return. It is a human problem that James addresses, calling us to live counter-culturally as followers of Jesus. [39:42]
2. Favoritism is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus, who showed love and compassion to the marginalized. It is judgmental and evil, as it goes against God's nature, who shows no partiality. Every individual is created in God's image and deserves equal honor. [50:48]
3. The solution to favoritism lies in the gospel. We are all sinners saved by God's mercy, and the ground at the foot of the cross is level. Experiencing God's mercy and grace transforms us, enabling us to extend the same to others. [60:38]
4. Mercy and grace flow from those who have received them from God. As we experience God's mercy and grace, it changes us from the inside out, allowing us to be conduits of His love to others. [62:44]
5. Finding our sufficiency in Christ frees us from the need for validation from others. When we are secure in Christ, we don't need anything from anyone, allowing us to love others without favoritism. [01:05:53]
** [65:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:59] - Financial Update
[38:26] - Personal Reflection on Favoritism
[39:42] - The Sin Nature and Favoritism
[41:29] - Favoritism in the Workplace
[45:18] - Cultural Context of Favoritism
[46:52] - Jesus' Example of Love
[48:36] - Judgmental and Evil Nature of Favoritism
[50:48] - God's Impartiality
[52:09] - Spiritual Richness of the Poor
[52:57] - Reality of Oppression
[55:00] - The Royal Law
[55:44] - Favoritism as Sin
[57:32] - The Gospel as the Solution
[60:38] - Level Ground at the Cross
[62:44] - Mercy and Grace
[65:53] - Sufficiency in Christ
[68:19] - Closing Prayer and Reflection

Sermon Clips

1) "But here's what I really want you to know this morning. For those of you who give and contribute, bring your tithes and offerings to here at Community Bible Church, thank you, thank you, thank you. It's because of your sacrificial giving that CBC is able to create environments that help individuals love God, love others, and reach out. So thank you for your giving, and continue to pray that God would provide for our needs as we move into the summer." [08:59] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2) "But as I reflected on that email, I had to acknowledge that there was truth to what he said. That there were certainly times that I favored the athletic kids. I had more in common with them. I gave them attention that I didn't give to him and his friends. I had showed favoritism. And so I needed to track him down. I needed to call him. I needed to apologize to him. And if you would have asked me up until that point whether I was someone who showed favoritism, I would have said, no, absolutely not. That's not the kind of person I am. Like, that's beneath me. I'm a follower of Jesus. I'm not going to show favor to one individual and discriminate against another individual." [38:26] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3) "You and I have been born with a sin nature that wants to make life all about us. And the sin nature impacts all of our areas of our life. It even impacts the way we view and relate to others. And because we all have this sin nature, we're all going to be tempted to give attention to those who are popular, wealthy, smart, athletic, and powerful and the list goes on." [39:42] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4) "Showing favoritism goes against everything Jesus stood for, everything he lived, everything he taught. Look with me at Luke chapter 15 verses 1 and 2. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. So you need to have a little bit more of a historical context for tax collectors. Tax collectors were at the very bottom of the Jewish social culture. And here's why. The Roman Empire would hire Jews to be tax collectors. And so Jews were collecting taxes from their own people. And not only would they collect taxes from their own people, they would also, because they had authority, because they had officers and individuals from the military around them, whatever they said the tax was, it went." [46:52] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5) "Favoritism and discrimination need to be rooted out of our lives and churches, because it's judgmental and evil. Think about these two words that James uses, the word judgment. It's judgmental. He's saying, you, mere humans, who are you to judge other humans? Who are you to determine who has significance? Who has worth? Who has value? Who are you to determine that this person doesn't have worth? value, and significance. Not only is it judgmental, it's evil. It's a strong word, right? Evil. Why did he use the word evil? Because that's what it was. It goes against the nature and the character of God." [50:48] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6) "James is saying, hey, let's step back a little bit here. Let's view this from a spiritual perspective, from God's perspective. Has not God chosen those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith? And throughout Scripture, we see that the poor many times are more open and drawn to Christ and what He has to offer them. And James is saying, not only are the poor in this world rich in Christ, they're heirs of His kingdom. They are loved and chosen by God." [52:09] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7) "James says, if this is what you're doing, you're doing well. So, he brings them back to the Old Testament Scriptures. Leviticus 19 is where the royal law is first, it shows up in Scripture. That the standard of how we're to treat people is that we're to treat people with the same love and respect that we would want to receive. And so, he's drawing to their attention that they're not loving each other well. Why does favoritism and discrimination need to be rooted out of our lives and churches? Because very simply, it's not loving." [55:44] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8) "The solution for favoritism and discrimination is the gospel. The gospel, the good news that 2,000 years ago, the God of the universe entered our world in the person of Jesus. And after 33 years on this earth, willingly went to the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and your sins. And I quote, could be forgiven so that you didn't have to pay for your sins. You weren't on the receiving end of God's judgment and wrath and eternal separation from God in hell. Jesus went to the cross so that you and I could have a relationship with God here and now and for all of eternity so that we didn't need to live underneath shame and guilt so that we could be forgiven. That's the good news of the gospel." [59:11] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9) "Sufficiency of Christ is that the deepest longings of our hearts can be found in Christ. And what are the deepest longings of our heart? Peace, hope, joy, rest, purpose. All of those deep longings of our heart, all of those things that we need, not want, can be found in Christ. So, our sufficiency is found in Christ. So, Christ, at the end of the day, is really all that we need. And when you're finding your sufficiency, in Christ, you don't need anything from anyone." [01:05:53] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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