Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 8/9/2019 Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

    1/7

    1

    Following Jesus amid Objections: Hypocrisy

    (James 2:1-13)

    Immense, Immediate and Directional

    Churches are full of hypocrites. Much evil has been done in the name of Christianity. A

    Christian deeply offended me. All are objections people offer as to the reason they dont embrace

    Christ.

    How do we respond? We really cant get defensive about these accusations because they hold

    an element of truth. Some Christians have offered a balance scale argumentBut Christianity hasnt

    done as much evil as other religions and it has done more good than most. Theres empirical evidence

    to support that rationale, but remember our hope is to adorn the Gospel. And, this defense hits

    objectors much like a mans frustration with his wifes unforgiveness struck me recently. She should

    give me credit for not being as bad as her first husband who cheated on her at least a dozen timesI

    only did it three times and Ive always worked hard providing well for her.

    Perhaps, we should take the optimist route and ignore the evil weve committed just talking

    about all the wonderful good deeds Christianity has achieved. Or, we could assume that the oppressive

    tones of Christendom are part of its brutal past thereby distancing ourselves from it. The de-

    converted I listen to tend, however, feel offended by treatment they received personally and not

    because theyve observed a distant historical event.

    We tend to react to the hypocrisy objection in a way noticed by the 19th

    century satirist Abrose

    Bierce who called hypocrisy prejudice with a halo. But the Faith, as James calls it, refuses to be used

    as a cosmetic. Far from prettying up something ugly, the Faith aims to change us on the most

    radical and internal level.

    Three words can be used describe James warnings against favoritism (or surface judging)

    immense, immediate and impactful.

  • 8/9/2019 Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

    2/7

    2

    Favoritism is a far more immense danger in us than we realize (2:1).

    If we dont embrace Christ because we treasure His glory, we have no other option but

    favoritism. Put another way, where the supremacy of Christ is not pursued as our highest joy we will

    default to a world-view of favoritism. There are two alternativeseither we will embrace the Christian

    faith for the sake of Christs glory or we will try to hold a religion which is flattering to some and

    oppressive to others.

    The word James chooses literally means to fasten to someones face. The face was a

    euphemism in the Greco-Roman world for a persons image. Guy Trebay writes for the Fashion and

    Style page of the New York Times. In 2006 he followed celebrity models and wannabe celebrity models

    around for a major fashion event.

    His opening paragraph reads, Spend a week looking into the glass of fashion and you soon

    realize that the individual actually is the universal. Almost nobody not the rich, not the celebrated,

    not the occupationally beautiful has any true sense of how theyre perceived.

    Since we probably dont know the reality under all the airbrushing either, I thought it might be

    good to be reminded of how false image can be. Check out this wonderful video by Dove Soaps

    Campaign for Real Beauty.

    Trebay entitled his article, Look at Me, Look at Me, PLEASE, Look at Me! Under the layers he

    discovered the painful reality that the male models dont think theyre handsome enough, the female

    models dont believe they are too skinny, celebrity modelsthe starspretend to not know what all the

    fuss is about. And then he comments, Our crazy cultural obsession with the perfected surface has

    become so absolute that everybody ends up having to work off some obscure psychic debt.

    Favoritism externalizes the Faith as a bucket full of good works. James is warningno he is

    insistingthat favoritism or judging people for their surface is our default. There is a Christian

    counterpart to our cultural obsession with the perfected surface. It is when we turn the Christian faith

    into an external or into a bucket full of good works or sound doctrine. Kevin DeYoung says thats like

  • 8/9/2019 Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

    3/7

    3

    carrying your blood around in a bucket. Most everyone would say, Gross because your faith like your

    blood belongs inside your body.

    The danger of favoritism is always immediate (2:2-3).

    Favoritism creates its own Christian sub-culture. James illustration of two men, one dressed

    well and the other poorly, is yanked directly from the religious sub-culture. Jesus counseled His

    followers to not sit at the head of a table at a religious feast else they may be humiliated by being

    moved down. Where you were seated within a religious event was significant.

    Favoritism will always erect class standings. Poor and rich are meant as a parable of any

    sort of classism. James 1:9-10 tells the person whose community standards consider him poor or of

    low degree to exalt in the glory of Christs Gospel. Those estimated to be well off by their culture

    should exult in the humbling God brings into their life and heart. In other words, you might be guilty of

    favoritism if you judge someone by their surface or if you tie your self-esteem, your worth and your

    identity to the way your culture values you. Paul told the Galatians to not let themselves be defrauded

    by surface judges.

    Why you embrace Christianity will put you on a trajectory (2:4, 13).

    Favoritism will be extraordinarily impactful on the course your life, your demeanor, your sort of

    Christianity takes. It has a dramatic influence on what youre going to be like when youre older.

    Favoritism will make you into a judge with evil thoughts (v.4). If you arent intentional about

    treasuring the supremacy of Christ you will default into favoritism. And it will turn you into a judge

    with evil thoughts.

    Treasuring Christs glory will make you a lover of mercy (v.13). On the other hand, if you choose

    to discipline yourself to godliness by treasuring the glory of Christ and His supremacy in all venues of

    your life including your self-esteem, your looks, the way others view you and how you view others, then

    hell mature you into a Jesus follower defined by the maxim, Mercy triumphs over judgment.

  • 8/9/2019 Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

    4/7

    4

    What does a community of judges look like?

    Celebrities and spectators (v.4a): James warns that favoritism makes distinctions among

    yourselves. Or, we might say it turns us into either celebrities or spectators. Think home videos.

    Theres always the family ham who wants in every shot and the other who hides from the lens. They

    volunteer to hold the camera.

    Favoritism so externalizes the Christian faith that either we tie our self-worth to how we look in

    front of the camera or how well we are able to hide from it.

    Self-serving (v.4b): Evil motives means self-focused. You look for ministry opportunities

    because it makes you look better or you shrink from them because of what others might think of you.

    Disfigured (v.5-6a): James says that by oppressing the poor we are dishonoring the very

    manner in which the Gospel works. It comes to people who know they are poor in spirit. They dont

    value themselves by the worth their community attends to them but receive freely the gift of

    forgiveness.

    History and present day experience is full of examples of poor people groups responding in an

    overwhelming fashion to the Gospel of Christ. The opposite is the case for those who feel theyve

    reached a level of acceptance and significance by being wealthy in the eyes of their community.

    The wise man of Proverbs wrote, He who oppresses the poor taunts His maker (14:31a).

    There is nothing more penetrating, more personal, more internal, and more soul-centered than the

    Gospel. Everything about it is radically inside-out.

    Suffers (v.6b-7): On more than one occasion in his letter James attributes the suffering these

    believers were enduring to their own sin. God, in essence, is disciplining them. Even though they are

    being attacked by those without Christ, the Lord is superintending the process.

    Interestingly enough, they were enduring persecution in the two most prominent standards by

    which they showed favoritism. Their standing in the community through suits in the court and their

  • 8/9/2019 Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

    5/7

    5

    reputation was slandered with accusations of cannibalism and occult practices. They themselves were

    suffering at the hand of favoritism. Sometimes the most judgmental people suffer deeply from the

    surface judgment of others.

    Surface judges are often persecuted by other surface judges. The Lords hope is to teach

    you to not hope in your standing (your abilities, your feeling of irreplacability) and your reputation (what

    others think of you). Such discipline is a smelting and forming process. Like iron you are heated in the

    furnace and then placed on an anvil to be pounded by Gods hammer. He is shaping you as an expert

    blacksmith.

    Ridden with guilt (v.8-11): You have to see how God sees favoritism. Repeatedly were told

    God is not a respecter of persons. God does not look at the outside but at the heart. Whenever

    Scripture deals with favoritism it sticks it between great sins such as here with murder and adultery. If

    you exalt surface things above Christ then you will find His law to be terribly oppressive. His discipline

    will be heavy.

    What does a community of mercy lovers look like?

    Exalts the royal law as liberating (v.12): Like the Psalmist of old, Gods Word will become our

    portion. We will be refreshed and renewed by Him through it. We will speak and act accordingly

    instead of speaking without doinghypocrisy. We wont try to dress hypocrisy up with a halo but will

    adorn the Gospel with heart-felt and loving submission to Gods royal law of libertylove your

    neighbor as yourself.

    When hurt by a lack of mercy recognizes it as Gods discipline in ones own life for a lack of mercy

    (v.13a): Have you ever wondered why it seems like people keep mistreating you? A mercy trajectory

    will help you personalize such attacks as Gods discipline to treat others with mercy. Youll say to

    yourself, I dont want to make someone else feel this way. Or it might open your eyes to how youre

  • 8/9/2019 Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

    6/7

    6

    making someone else feel: Oh, Lord, forgive me. Im doing the same thing to someone else that my

    offender is doing to me.

    I came across a fantastic example of that in the comment section of a blog entitled Why do

    people leave the church. Listen to the trajectory Karen shared in December of2006: I will say that I

    have been hurt at least 2-3 times really bad by people in the church. The first one was a shocker and I

    had a very hard time getting over it. After that incident I could see why people not as strong as me

    would leave the church. I could have left the church being bitter and hateful. Oh, it was hard to stay. Im

    not saying it wasnt. I cried and cried. But I knew my relationship with God was more important. Gosh, I

    hope I never hurt people the way Ive been hurt. I dont want to be a stumbling block like that.

    Mercy always wins (v.13b): He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the

    LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God (Micah

    6:8)? Thats the kind of believer Karen is becoming.

    Jesus is Micah 6:8

    Jesus was perfectly just. He knew no sin. He loved mercy. He fulfilled the royal law. He did it

    so you would not be enslaved to favoritism. Jesus always moved towards those who felt oppressed.

    Thats what youll do as you live out Micah 6:8. If you will treasure His supremacy in all things youll

    become a cross-centered, Christ-exalting Jesus follower whose heart hurts for both the rich and the

    poor.

    To a church rife with favoritism Paul describes his heart for the Gospel, I preach Christ

    crucified who is a stumbling block to the Jew (religious judgmentalism) and folly to the Gentile

    (cultural classism).

    Then adds, For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the

    flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame

    the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and

    the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may

    nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ

  • 8/9/2019 Following Jesus Amid Objections Hypocrisy Sermon

    7/7

    7

    Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so

    that, just as it is written, Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

    Christ came to give you Himself to be your boast, your confidence, your hope, your glory, your

    esteem, your richness.