Well, Matt, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. My name's Don McKenzie. Wherever Trevor is preaching, he's going to be blessed. I'm happy for that. Trevor is our pastor.

He'll be back next week. My name is Don McKenzie. I'm a part of the pastoral staff here and I would like to say a special welcome to our guest here this morning. We're so glad that you're here and I sincerely hope that the message this morning will encourage you. Now today we are restarting our study in the Bible book of James and we're picking up in chapter two.

But before we jump in, let me ask some questions. Have you ever been through a fast food line only to get home and realize your order is wrong? Have you had such a bad experience at a store or a restaurant that you told yourself, I'm never going back?

Now those kinds of things are frustrating, but they don't usually scar us for life. They get close. But what about a bad church experience? Have you ever had one of those? I've talked to a lot of people who have had bad church experiences and it does hurt them deeply spiritually.

See, if you're treated poorly in a restaurant, you think less of the restaurant. But if you're treated poorly in a church, you can end up thinking less of Jesus. A bad church experience can scar someone's view of Jesus. And that's really the topic of James chapter 2, verses 1 to 4, which is what we're going to look at this morning. So we're going to read these verses and they're going to be displayed on the screen.

And I'm going to be using the new King James version of the Bible. All right, are you ready? All right, here we go. James 2, 1, 4. My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filth, filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, you sit here in a good place and you say to the poor man, you stand there or you sit here at my footstool. Have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Alright, that's our passage. I want to make five quick observations about it just to kind of get us going. Okay?

The first one comes from the first verse, first observation. James isn't talking to random people on the street. He's talking to Christians, people like us. It says, my brethren. And that means his spiritual brothers and sisters.

And he clarifies who they are when he says, those who hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. So there's no doubt about it, these people he's writing to share the same faith in Jesus. Alright, my second observation also comes from verse one. It's the main topic of these verses and it's the last word in the verse. What is it?

Partiality. That's our main topic. My third observation comes from verse two. It says, for if there should come into your assembly. And so the point is, James is describing a public church service, what he calls an assembly.

Now my fourth observation can also be seen in verse two. He describes a situation where two different kinds of people come into their church service. A rich man and a poor man. But here's the the rich man and the poor man appear to be guests, not members. See, the Christians are assembling just like we are right now.

And a rich and a poor man come into their meeting. So they appear to be guests who are visiting the church. Now the fifth and final observation is they are each treated differently. And we read earlier how the rich man is given honor and respect while the poor man is virtually ignored and humiliated. So our five observations are one, James is writing to Christians.

Two, the main topic is partiality. Three, James is describing a public gathering, a church service. Four, the two men are guests, not members of the church. And five, the guests are treated very differently. Okay, now with that background, let's start with verse one.

Okay. My brethren do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. And our first point this morning is partiality contradicts the glory of Christ. That's what James wants us to see. So notice how he contrasts the glory of Jesus to the act of treating people with partiality.

He says, believing in Jesus and treating people with partiality don't go together. They're oil and water, they're ice and fire. So whatever it means to be partial, it's the opposite of Jesus and he forbids it. Now, later in verse four, James is going to say that partiality makes you a judge with evil thoughts. And then in verse nine, he's going to say that if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as a transgressor.

All right, so here's the question. Is partiality a good thing or a bad thing? This is not a trick question. Bad thing, right? Okay.

It's a very bad thing because it is the opposite of the Character of Jesus. So what is partiality? So I've got a simple definition here. All right? In the Bible, partiality is developing an opinion about someone based on their outward appearance and then judging them to be worthy of your respect and special honor.

Now, partiality decides who's important, who's worthy and who isn't, all based on outward appearance.

Now, James says this is not how those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ should think or act because it contradicts the very glory of Jesus. Now, let me ask you a question. Would you agree that you have an opinion about everyone? Now, everybody I've asked this. They immediately said yes.

Well, would you agree that people often have different opinions than. Than you have about the very same people? Well, of course. Goes on all the time. And would you agree that people might have different opinions about you than you have about yourself?

See, I used to think everybody liked me because I liked me. But I discovered that some people just have wrong opinions. See, they should agree with my opinions about me and be right. But that's not really how life works, is it? In real life, we are all sinners, even if we're saved sinners.

So James is telling those who have faith in Jesus Christ to stop developing opinions about others based on partiality. And why is that? Well, it's our first point, because partiality contradicts the glory of Christ. Now, when we give glory and special honor to someone based on our opinion of their value, not God's opinion, but our opinion, we've taken our eyes off of the glory of Jesus and he's called the Lord of glory in this passion. See, partiality gives glory to mere sinful humans based on mere human opinions.

And it robs Jesus of his glory because it contradicts his glory. See, we should be so enthralled with Jesus that we want to see people the way he sees them, but we get caught up with what we think are the beauty of our opinions. I love my opinions, but they're not all how Jesus thinks. I end up ignoring the teachings of our true God when I put my opinions above how he sees people. In other words, when you roll out the red carpet for somebody because they're out, outward appearance is appealing to you.

You're actually taking glory that belongs only to Jesus and you're handing it to a mere human. Look at Isaiah 42:8. This is a big deal to God. He says, I am the Lord, that is my name. And my glory I will not give to another.

And that's why this is so serious. It's not just a bad look. It's an actual attack on the character of God. It's smearing the glory of Jesus by giving it to someone else. And at least that's the argument of verse one.

And it's our first point. Partiality contradicts the glory of Christ. All right, now our second point shows that partiality not only offends God, it paints a false picture of Jesus and it can hurt others.

Partiality, our second point, partiality distorts the Gospel to outsiders. Now, let's look at verses two and three and see where I get that. Okay. In verse two, it says, for if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in thick, filthy clothes. And you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, who is the you.

And you pay attention. This is the Christians at this assembly. And you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothes. And you say to him, sit here in a good place. And to the poor man, you stand there or sit here at my footstool.

Now, I have to tell you, when I first read this, and I thought, wow, this doesn't even apply to our church because we don't dress up and we don't have VIP seating. So why did I get stuck with this passage to preach when Trevor is out of town? But as I kept studying, I simmered down and I came to realize that the specifics of this church situation in this passage don't match how we do church, but the principles are timeless. See, in James, we see two opinions that develop instantly, and they are both based on outward appearances. Now, it has nothing to do with the people themselves.

It's only based on how they look. So a man comes into the assembly or the church service, and he appears to be wealthy. And some people start oohing and ahhing, and they quickly tell the ushers, move him to the VIP section and it becomes a little parade as the man is declared valuable, important, special, and based on what his appearance of wealth. The poor man comes in and he's quickly evaluated as un. Unimportant.

So he's told to stand over there, out of the way, or even worse, here, sit on the floor next to my seat. Could you imagine that if we did that to somebody here? Steve, you usher them in. Where do you. Here, just sit on the floor right next to me.

I might even put my foot on you as a footstool. This is bizarre, but James makes a big contrast between who gets honored and who gets Dishonored, who is a somebody and who is a nobody? And James says this is partiality. Now, why would these church people give such honor to this guest who came into their service who appears to be wealthy? Could it be that they hoped he might spread some of his wealth and a nice big contribution?

Is it just all about the money? I mean, doesn't it appear that way? Apparently they didn't have the same policy that we have when we normally say. I was just telling Randy, we didn't say it this morning, but we do normally say, if you're a guest here today, we are not asking you to give. Now, have y' all heard us say that?

We say that verbatim and we do it on purpose because we don't want you as a guest to think, nor do we want to think. It's all about the money. It's the joy and responsibility of our members to support the ministry of Jesus here, not our guest. But do you want to hear something that absolutely blows my mind? Every year, non members of our church give almost 10% of our contributions.

I'm the financial administrator here and I'm telling you every year. It amazes me. But hey, I want people to know we spend every penny to spread the good news of Jesus wherever we can. And so thank you very much for doing that. Look, just the other day, I mean, like three days ago, I was told that a man who's a non member gave one of his relatives, who is a member here, a thousand dollar check.

And he said, hey, y', all, put this wherever you need it. So we're putting it in our missions matching fund. So his thousand dollar gift, and he's not even a member, just turned into $2,000. But in James chapter one, they don't seem to care that this rich man is not a member. They only seem to care that he appears to be rich and could perhaps benefit them.

That's partiality. And then there's this guest who is the poor man. Well, he can't do anything for us, so let's ignore him. And if that humiliates him, I mean, too bad. I mean, we've already decided he doesn't really matter anyway.

He'll just be a drain on our ministry. He has nothing. So one man is declared to matter while the other man is declared to not matter. And it's all based on worldly outward appearance. Is that how our glorious Lord Jesus evaluates and treats people?

No, of course not. He is not partial. He offers his love and acceptance to everyone without distinction. And yet Here is the awful truth.

The poor man will believe Jesus thinks of him the same way these church members do. It would only be natural for this poor man to think, I guess Jesus doesn't care about me either. See, the poor man had a bad church experience that day at the hands of those who profess to believe in and follow Jesus. If this was not possible, it would not be in the Bible addressed to my brethren.

So do you see how partiality distorts the Gospel to outsiders, to guests? It sends the wrong message about Jesus. See, the good news is Jesus cares about everybody, and he is willing to receive anyone who will come to him for mercy. He's a God of love, full of compassion for everyone, without any partiality. So when we act with partiality, we send a distorted message about Jesus to others.

Now, I want to tell you a story of how this principle actually happened to me about three weeks ago in a church service. No, they didn't ask me to sit on the floor. About 6 of the church staff were asked to go visit another church and observe how they do certain things and see if we could perhaps learn something that might help us serve Jesus better here. So I picked a great church out in the general Collierville area that's about one and a half times our size, you know, a little larger than us. And when I first drove into their parking lot, I was appalled.

They did not have guest parking. Gosh, I so wanted to park in guest parking for, like, the first time in my life. And I couldn't find it. And I thought, oh, I'm just going to have to be a regular person. And so I got over it.

Okay, I got over it quickly. I just noted it as I walked through the front doors. A man gave me a worship guide, and there I was. I was standing in the middle of a big, buzzing, beautiful lobby, people laughing, hugging, sipping coffee. And I started to wonder, am I invisible?

And as I stood there, not a word, not a smile. No one greeted me, no one spoke to me. So after I was convinced nobody was going to speak to me, I went in and I sat on the fourth row. And as people came in, again, no one spoke to me. Listen, it was a great church service.

I really enjoyed it lot. And afterwards, I slowly walked out with a mob of people around me. And again, not a single person spoke to me. I then just walked around the building all by my little lonesome self, and no one seemed to care that I was there. Well, the security guard didn't actually notice me, and I thought for a second he was going to speak to me, but then I think he decided I was not a threat.

That was as close as it got. You know, I could have easily engaged people.

I could have started talking to them, but I was a guest in their home. They should have welcomed me.

And the church was filled with friendly people who enjoyed talking to each other, but. But they just ignored me. Now they were friendly but not welcoming. Do you see the difference? They were friendly but not welcoming.

They were partial to each other. And it made me feel very unimportant. Not even a word. And they all looked so nice. I wanted to interact with them.

Did you know out of the six churches our staff visited, four of them had the exact same experience I did. James is relevant.

So the church. So what I'd like to say to our church, this message is for us. We can grow as a welcoming church and we can fight against partiality that we have for one another when we have guests in our home. Hey, did you know that we actually consciously work on this every Sunday? And it's because we want to be welcoming, because Jesus is welcoming.

Jesus said, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He welcomes everyone who comes to him, and he expects those that he welcomes to welcome him back. And the Bible says that anyone who welcomes Jesus becomes a child of God. That verse says as many as received him. That word received could be translated.

Welcomes. All your sins will be forgiven by Jesus. It's glorious. And then you can start enjoying a meaningful, everlasting relationship with the living Lord of glory. And all he asks is that you welcome him back.

Trust him. Believe that he died for your sins on the cross because he loves you and he cares for you. So you can trust Jesus to save your soul right where you're sitting. You can do it right now. But if you're going, I have questions or I'm just a little confused.

Then come speak with someone on our prayer ministry teams after the service. They'll be right up here and they'll be happy to help you. And may I say to every member of gcc, if there are people sitting in front of you or behind you that you don't know, take a step of faith in the Lord of Glory and speak to them. Welcome them. Just be kind, like your savior.

See, Jesus is thrilled they are here and so should we. Now, look, I actually think we do a pretty good job of welcoming our guests, but ask yourself if you could be more alert and willing to speak to our guests, especially People sitting around you that you don't know. Look. But overall, this is an area we have really grown in because we focused on it. And we actually now hear from people something we used to never hear.

We actually. I saw a text just yesterday from a guest that said, you guys are the friendliest church I have ever been to. And he goes, that's a big statement for me because I used to be on staff at a church. Okay, well, that's very encouraging. But I'm saying we can grow in this.

And you ask yourself, is this something I could grow in? Am I just being partial to myself or to others? And am I just ignoring people that Jesus really would love to send a message of welcome to? But I think the Lord has helped us, so let's keep up the good work and even become more welcoming. And that leads us to our third and final point.

I know some of you are going, oh, you're not almost finished, are you?

So here's the third and final point. In verse four, he says, have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Partiality puts us in God's seat. That's point number three. Partiality puts us in God's seat.

Now, how would you answer this question? Who is the only lawgiver and judge? And you go, well, since you said only, wouldn't you say God? Or would you say, well, no, it's me. And this is the point of this verse, because we actually, in experience, when we're partial and we're judgmental and we let our opinions triumph, we're saying, oh, no, no, the answer to that question is me.

And it's absurd. Look at this verse. In Isaiah 33:22, it says, for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king. He will save us. Now, later, in James 4, where he really develops the whole concept of being judgmental, he probably pulled from this Isaiah verse, because this is what he says in James 4:12, there is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy.

Who are you to judge another? See, when we sit in judgment of people, we're declaring that we don't think that God is a good judge, so we need to step in and do it for them. God takes too long to judge people. They need it now. And so I'm going to step in and I'm going to do it.

And when you do, since there's only one judge, you're saying, God, get off the bench, let me put on your robes, and I will now evaluate and decide who is good, who is bad, who is worthy and special, who is somebody that should be liked or disliked. And what we're saying is that we're better at judging than God, but we aren't. So James tells us, all that comes from evil thoughts. It is the sin of partiality. And Christians must not hold their faith.

And Jesus with this awful judgmental sin of partiality. Now look, we all naturally have judgmental opinions. I mean, they happen just like that. But I'm saying we must resist them and turn from them. And the way to do that is you learn more about the glory of Jesus.

And as you do, and as you learn to trust him and leave judgment to God, you start crying out to him, fill me with your love. Because it's so much easier just to judge this person and criticize them, but to love them while they don't deserve it yet. Deserving is a judgment word. The love is a gift. And God can fill your soul to love people that are your enemies, people that wound you and hurt you.

But it can only come from God because he is love. He has a monopoly on it. And this should be our focus on the Lord of glory who can give us his love.

So I desperately need Jesus to give me more of his love because I wrestle with this every day.

If you guys would just get your act a little bit better, I wouldn't have to struggle with judging you so much. That's not actually true. But every person you interact with, you're going to develop opinions and your opinions start to become judgmental. Do I like it? Do I not like it?

And if I like it, they're okay. If I don't like it, well, then I've just deprioritize them. And I'm gonna be partial to those that I like and I won't be to those I don't. Partiality is tied to being judgmental. So as I close today, I wanna give you three simple ways you might need prayer and could receive help from Jesus today about these things that we've looked at, and if one of these hits home, then come receive prayer from one of our prayer teams after we dismiss.

Here's number one. If you've been scarred by a bad church experience and it's wounded how you see Jesus and his precious church, come for prayer. The Lord can help you with that. Number two, if you struggle with fear and coming out of your shell to welcome people that you don't know well, come for prayer. Ask the Lord to give you some of his boldness so that you're more interested in representing Jesus than you are concerned about your own inner fears.

He can help you with that. Number three, if you've been struggling to love someone more than you hate them, well, come for prayer and ask that Jesus would flood your soul with his love and experience what it's like to be able to love people as a gift, especially when your soul says, and they don't deserve it. Well, you don't deserve God's love either. And look what he's done for you and how much you enjoy it right now. Prayer teams, if you would go ahead and stand up and come forward.

Just go ahead and do that right now.

And as you do, I want to share how you can take a next step in your spiritual life. Because it's good to make progress in your spiritual life. Wherever you are, you can take a next step. And we have this welcome card and it has on there, what's next for me? Well, look down that list and whether something directly applies or not, if you check any of those boxes, we'll follow up with you and we'll help you take whatever next step you feel like you need to take.

And so I want to encourage you if you're thinking, I would love to be a part of a small group that talks about Jesus and they live life together. We're starting up our new new small group session in about a week and a half. Just mark on there. I want to get to know people by joining a group. If others apply, mark one of those.

We'll follow up. We would love to hear your story and encourage you in any way that we can. And also these prayer ministry teams, they were made aware of these three points, and they've been asking the Lord to strengthen them and help them to minister to you this morning about these very things. So don't be shy. These folks absolutely delight serving the Lord by praying for and with you.

All right, at this time, if you would stand together with me, I'm going to pray and then we'll dismiss our church service this morning. All right, let's pray together. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the gift of your son to us. We don't deserve it. You could have just been judgmental and punished us in an everlasting place that you call hell.

Your ability and willingness to love us when we're so undeserving is something that we need from you. Because if you don't give it to us, we'll be locked in the sin of being judgmental and partial. And it's going to distort the gospel and it's going to hurt people. God, deliver us from this awful sin that is the opposite of your very character. Lord Jesus, fill our souls with your presence.

We ask in your wonderful name. Amen. Thank you for being here. We are dismissed.

The prayer teams are waiting.

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Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience.  Great Commission Church is a family-friendly church in Olive Branch, MS. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.

We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.

At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.

Great Commission Church is a non-denominational, family-friendly Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia. Great Commission Church is conveniently located, making it easy to find and attend. Many people have even called it their go-to “church near me” or the "Church nearby" because of how accessible it is and how quickly it feels like home.

See you Sunday at Great Commission Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi!