Sunday School Lesson for November 29, 2020 - Impartial Love - James 2:1-13 NASB

 

James 1:22 NASB

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.

James 1:27 NASB

27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained [aa]by the world.

The verses above are very familiar to most Christians. What is under-appreciated is the fact that these verses in chapter one set the context for what follows in chapter two. First, as Christian, we should be about our heavenly Father’s business. We are His ambassadors in the earth. The only Christ many will see is Christ in you. 

Additionally, God has a heart for the poor. Throughout scripture, we are continually reminded that we must not ignore the poorest among us. In fact, reaching out to the poor is to be regarded as an opportunity, a blessing, rather than a burden or a bother. This is the principle tenet of the Abrahamic Covenant: Blessed to be a blessing. It is in this vein that James presents his argument in chapter two against partiality. So, let us begin.

James2:1 KJV

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

James 2:1 NASB

1 My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 

James 2:1 The Message

1 My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. 

prosōpolēmpsia is the Greek word used for partiality. It literally means ‘respect of persons’. It comes from the root word, prosōpolēmptēs which means ‘acceptor of persons’ or ‘one who discriminates’. The only place the root word is used in scripture is Acts 10:24 in which Peter proclaimed that “God was no respecter of persons.

Act 10:34 KJV

34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Beloved, before we proceed we must recognize that God is impartial and that His impartiality is a function of His nature. After all, all of mankind is made in His image and His likeness. If there was any doubt in that truth, we have only to look to Jesus, who God sent to earth to rescue all of us…..as a man. This is worth repeating: God’s impartiality is a function of His nature. Selah.

James 2:2-4 NASB

2 For if a man comes into your [a]assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you [b]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil [c]motives?

And so, it stands to reason that to show partiality is an entirely human condition. That’s right. It’s human nature. And because of sin, our human nature is fatally flawed. Subsequently, we discriminate. Discrimination is typically a learned behavior. We oftentimes make judgments about our present circumstance based on the conglomeration of our lived experiences from birth. While this is normal for everyone, it can be, and in fact, is stained by and subject to our mere humanity. Let me be clear, it’s not necessarily intentioned, but intuitive. Over our lifetimes we come to know what we like and what we don’t. Only God can, by nature or strength of character alone be impartial. We see that strength of character personified in the life of Jesus Christ.

So when the rich and famous show up at our church,  it is natural for us to show them the utmost respect. After all, based on our past experiences, most of us understand that those who have means have the means to bless….us. Our innate selfishness informs us that it normal to desire, to covet wealth and the benefits thereof. Thus it becomes okay to discriminate.

James 2:5-6a NASB

5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor [d]of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6a But you have dishonored the poor man.

Beloved, God cares for the poor because no one else will. Not normally. Because God is impartial by nature, He sees. He sees Hagar, desperate and alone, rejected by her master's wife, pushed out of home in her most vulnerable moment, the moment she became a mother. He sees Ruth, a young widow, who leaves her people for His. He sees Lazarus, a beggar so poor that he has only dogs to lick his wounds, to show him any mercy at all. He sees a thief hanging on a cross beside Him, with whom He immediately forms an eternal bond. God sees the least among us. and He smiles upon them. He helps them.

Psalms 113:7 KNJV

7 

He raises the poor from the dust,

He lifts the needy from the garbage heap,

____________

James 2:6b-7 NASB

Is it not the rich who oppress you and [e]personally drag you into [f]court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the good name [g]by which you have been called?

James then reminds his readers that their partiality is so often misplaced in that it yields little or no real reward. The rich, the very people to whom they have been showing partiality are the very people, who outside of the church, are their persecutors and accusers. The wealthy victimize the poor at a whim, even Christians are not excluded from their gluttony. Their excess often drives their morality. In America, in the year 2020, our present-day society is rife with examples of excesses of the wealthy.

James 2:8

8 If, however, you are fulfilling the [h]royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

James continues his epistle by now directing his readers to a portion of scripture, Leviticus 19:18b, which is stated, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Combined with verses from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 which implore the reader to Love the Lord God with all of being, this amalgamation of Scripture was known as ‘The Royal Law’. Jesus proclaimed that this royal l was greater than the entire law of Moses and all of the writings of the prophets combined. In James’ mind, care for the poor was the fulfillment of the ‘royal’ law. The royal law required complete impartiality, in that you were commanded to love your neighbor as yourself. Think about that for a moment. In order to accomplish said commandment, one must be willing to share with a neighbor that which they would reserve solely for themselves with no thought for recompense. Who does that? Who can do that, besides Christ? Beloved, this can only be accomplished by the Spirit of God. In that we don’t have the natural compunction to love unconditionally, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us through the work of unconditional love. Our motivation then is to please God.

James 2:9-10

9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law.

But, according to James, if we show partiality, we are revealed to be sinners. James points to the law of Moses as the instrument of our condemnation. This same truth is confirmed by the Apostle Paul, who wrote that, “the letter (of the Law) brought death. The thought is further confirmed by Jesus, who said, ”Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees”, you would not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. 

What is revealed then, is the condition of the unregenerate human heart. A heart without Christ. A heart not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Since that is not the condition of the believer, we must interpret James’ intent as rhetorical. At least as far as the eternal fate of the believer is concerned. For at the moment we believed, we were saved. We are not working ‘for’ salvation. Otherwise, it would not be a gift. It would not be of grace.

James 2:12-13

12 So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. 13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy [i]triumphs over judgment.

Therefore, Beloved, James admonishes us to speak and act according to our new nature, given us at the moment of the ‘new birth’. As stated before, the moment we believed in and on Christ (there is a distinction) and embraced Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, we were saved. That can’t be undone. Beloved, we must always walk in the knowledge of the immutable truth of God’s love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Only then can our confidence and trust in God flourish. Let go of partiality. Let go of selfishness. Let go of covetousness. Let go of lust, which can never be quenched. Let go and let God. Let God take to places in the Spirit unimaginable in the human mind, inconceivable in the human heart. Let go and let God.

Selah

wb

Jeremiah 31:33 NASB

33 “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Romans 8:1-2 NASB

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [a]in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 

Romans 8:14 NASB

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. 

Galatians 2:20 NASB

20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and [t]the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Sunday School Lesson for November 22, 2020 - Responsive Love - Acts 4:32-5:11

 Prologue

Acts 3:6-10

6 But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” 7 And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they recognized him as being the very one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for charitable gifts, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Something of a paradigm shift is required in order to understand and contextualize the events that occur within the body of this week’s lesson.  In order to accomplish that we must begin in Acts 3 where Peter and John encounter and then heal the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate at the Temple in Jerusalem. The resulting effect on all who witnessed the miraculous event was awe and wonder. In the wake of this miracle, Peter preaches his second sermon, a very forceful, public proclamation of the power of the Name of Jesus Christ, who was sent by God for the benefit of all mankind and had recently been crucified by Rome at the behest and with the agreement of the political and religious leaders of Jerusalem. 

Peter and those who accompanied him were subsequently arrested and detained overnight by the Temple Guard by orders of the Sadducees because he was preaching the resurrection, a doctrine not held by the Sadducee sect. So powerful was the grace in Peter’s message that a thousand souls were saved that day. The next day they were questioned and subsequently released because no accusation could be made against them and because the evidence of the healed beggar was before them. They could not deny that some great miracle had occurred in the Name of Jesus. Only, they were threatened and warned not to preach or teach in the name of and on behalf of ...Jesus. Peter responded by assuring the interrogators that he and his community would not cease to speak in that great name.

Acts 4:27-31

27 For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy [t]servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the [u]Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and purpose predestined to occur. 29 And [v]now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant it to Your bond-servants to speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and [w]signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy [x]servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

As a result, when Peter and those who were with him returned to the assembly of believers, they told them all that had transpired. Upon hearing the report, the entire body of believers, of one mind began to praise and glorify God for confounding their accusers and delivering from their persecution. The bible records that the culmination of all of these events resulted in the place being shaken by the power of God and all of the believers being filled with the Holy Spirit and preaching the Word with confidence. It is within this context that today’s lesson must be framed.

The Lesson: Act I

Acts 4:32-33

32 And the [a]congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them [b]claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

What we observe from the verses above is the same demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the community of believers together, to knot their heats and minds together so that they operate as one unit, one body. “How beautiful it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity.” These early congregations were so united that they unselfishly shared all of their belongings and, importantly, no one lacked anything they had need of. I’m reminded of two things here: God’s presence in the camp of the Israelites as they wandered in the desert and the story of Jesus feeding five thousand with 5 loaves of bread and two fish. The thought being, that when the body comes together in unity and in the presence of the Lord, God magnifies and multiplies. Accordingly, the power of the message of Christ was also magnified with power among them and God’s great grace was upon them all.

Acts 4:34-35

34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the [c]proceeds of the sales 35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each to the extent that any had need.

There are two main tenets of all of scripture: love God, love your neighbor. I could subsequently argue that one of the overlooked responsibilities of the modern church is our responsibility to see to and provide for the needs of the poor, whether within the Church or without. This certainly seems to be the behavior that is being modeled by the early Church. Notice that the onus to provide for the poor within the congregation falls to … the rich, the well to do within the assembly. Again, that is the model being affirmed by the Holy Spirit in this congregation.

Acts 4:36-37

36 Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of [d]Encouragement), 37 [e]owned a tract of land. So he sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

One such example given is that of Joseph, a man of the tribe of Levi. He was one of the early apostles who came known by the other apostles as Barnabus, meaning, ‘the son of encouragement”. Barnabus was a Hellenistic Jew, in that he was born of Jewish parents, but he was a citizen of Cypress. Yet, the bible records that he sold a tract of land and brought all of the money from the sale of the land, and gave it to the apostles for use within the community of believers as they saw fit. This was according to the pattern encouraged by the Holy Spirit as He set about to continue to grow the body of believers in size and in unity. What we can observe in Barnabus was the ability to give cheerfully from a willing heart.

The Lesson: Act II

Acts 5:1-2

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the [f]proceeds for himself, with his wife’s [g]full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.

So, we see the pattern established by the Holy Spirit, tacitly demonstrated by the actions of Barnabus. In the remaining text, we see something that looks quite similar to the outside observer but is actually quite sinister within the context of a vibrant, Spirit-led assembly. Ananias and his wife sold a plot of land, but intentionally withheld a portion of the proceeds for themselves.  To the casual observer, the previously established pattern seems to be being repeated. However, God sees all.

Acts 5:3-5

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the [h]proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not [i]under your control? Why is it that you have [j]conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.”

I won’t venture to expound on the condition of the heart of Ananias: was he saved or unsaved? Was he giving begrudgingly?  Was he fearful of financial insecurity? None of that. When Peter confronts him, he only confronts him about the lie. Why has he allowed Satan, the devil to fill his heart to lie.. to the Holy Spirit. Peter makes three important points. One: before it was sold, the land fully belonged to Ananias. Fully. Two: after the land was sold, the proceeds from the sale were fully under the control of Ananias. Fully. The implication, from the text, is that neither Ananias nor Sapphira were under any compunction to give all of the money. They could have freely given any portion of it that they desired as long as they were honest about it. Three: they lied about it. Where was the lie? They lied about the amount given. They laid a portion at the apostle’s feet and the scripture implies that they somehow communicated that the amount given was the full price of the sale. Why lie about the amount? Again, unknown. Perhaps they saw the acclaim that Joseph, called Barnabus received and maybe they wanted some acclaim for themselves among the assembly of believers. Maybe. 

Acts 5:5-6

5 And as he heard these words, Ananias collapsed and [k]died; and great fear came over all who heard about it. 6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

Whatever the reason, the cost of the lie was extreme: sudden death. And, as was the custom of the day, his body was immediately carried out and buried.

Acts 5:7-10

7 Now an interval of about three hours elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for [l]this price?” And she said, “Yes, for [m]that price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10 And immediately she collapsed at his feet and [n]died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 

Three hours later… wash, rinse, repeat. The fate the befell Ananias, befalls his wife, Sapphira. The reasons are the same, she has lied to Peter, thus she has lied to the Holy Spirit. Thus, this sorry episode comes to a close.

Epilogue

On the surface, there is nothing to see that is remarkably different than the behavior of many Christians today. That the outcomes are unique to this particular moment in history, thank God. How many have misrepresented their intentions to the church, with good intention, just not with full disclosure? How many times has something like this episode with Ananias and Sapphira been repeated? Maybe one made a public pledge and failed to keep it? Maybe another marked the ‘Tithe’ designation on the outside of an offering envelope, while knowingly inserting an amount far less than the ten percent indicated. Beloved, while these behaviors are not okay, God doesn’t punish us in that same way today. While God, mercifully, doesn’t punish in this same way (as far as we know), how can we know God’s purpose in this singular episode?

The result of their lies to the Holy Spirit was their very sudden deaths. Why? One reason comes to mind. They lied to the Holy Spirit. It’s as simple as that. Jesus warned that all sin could be forgiven except one: blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Period. Why is this sin so grievous to God? Let’s look at the definition of blasphemy…

Blasphemy - is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. 

Beloved, to blaspheme is to treat that which is Holy as something common. That was strictly forbidden in the Old Testament. It makes sense that the same would be true in the New Testament. However, a conundrum occurs when we consider Jesus’ warning….

Matthew12:31-32

31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Jesus' warning only applies to the Holy Spirit, not to the Father or to the Son. Why? Because the only way you can be saved is by the activity of the Holy Spirit. You can blaspheme Jesus, then have a change of heart. You can blaspheme the Father, then have His majesty revealed to your heart. But, all of this happens only as the Spirit wills. If for whatever reason, one rejects the Spirit of God, there is no hope for them. They have rejected the very mechanism whereby God brings people unto Himself.

In the very early church, we see the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of the inception of the Church. From the Day of Pentecost forward, the Holy Spirit is in charge. His leadership is evident in everything that occurs happens within the body of believers. His authority was without question. The sin of blasphemy by Ananias and Sapphira threatened the very authority of the Holy Spirit at that moment.

Acts 5:11

11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.

Finally, the end result is the restoration of the reverent fear that all who were witnesses of these things. Beloved, that includes us today, in that we are witnesses as well to these events by the reading of these passages in scripture. We serve a Holy, Righteous, All-knowing, All-powerful God. He is worthy of our highest esteem in all regards. That is the very essence of true worship.

Hebrews 10:31

31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 12:28-29

28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s [a]show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Selah

wb