April 15, 2007

Favoritism, Part One

by Alistair Begg

In a culture that is fixated on outward appearances, it is often easy for Christians to show favoritism within the church. As people who have been shown abundant grace by the Lord Himself, we should be most willing to show grace to those around us. Alistair Begg urges Christians to treat all people with respect and dignity, regardless of their education, finances, social standing, or race.

James 2:1-4

The Sin of Partiality

¹My brothers,1 show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ²For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³and 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,” ⁴have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.

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Alistair Begg is Senior Pastor at Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Bible teacher on Truth For Life, which is heard on the radio and online around the world.

Other messages in: Faith That Works, Volume 1

Wisdom isn’t a matter of age, education, or experience. It’s the product of God’s Spirit at work in a life that has been transformed by the grace of God. In Volume I of this series of messages from James, Alistair Begg examines the Christian’s call to live God’s way in God’s world. This biblical wisdom is demonstrated through patient perseverance in trials as the Christian finds joy in God’s purposes. It is seen as we endure the onslaught of temptation. It is experienced as the members of the Body of Christ learn to love one another radically and with great sacrifice. Godly wisdom is a work of God Himself expressed in every aspect of our lives.

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Message	ID	Scripture	Buy
When Trials Come, Part One ID: 2557	2557	James 1:1-3	DVD CD
When Trials Come, Part Two ID: 2559	2559	James 1:2-4	DVD CD
Asking God for Wisdom ID: 2558	2558	James 1:5-8	DVD CD
Rich Man, Poor Man ID: 2560	2560	James 1:9-11	DVD CD
The Genuine Article ID: 2561	2561	James 1:12	CD DVD
When Tempted... ID: 2563	2563	James 1:13-18	DVD CD
The Word of Truth ID: 2564	2564	James 1:18-21	DVD CD
Don't Kid Yourselves! ID: 2565	2565	James 1:22	DVD CD
Do What It Says! ID: 2566	2566	James 1:22-25	DVD CD
Religion, Part One ID: 2567	2567	James 1:26-27	DVD CD
Religion, Part Two ID: 2568	2568	James 1:27	DVD CD
Complete volume:	15901	CD Series MP3 CD Series DVD Series

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Other messages in: Faith That Works, Volume 2

Genuine faith results in action motivated by thankfulness for all that God has done. In volume 2 of this series, Alistair Begg helps us discover what true faith looks like in the life of a Christian. True faith in the Lord Jesus Christ produces godly wisdom, which is demonstrated by how we conduct ourselves toward God and others. James gives us tremendous insight into temptations Christians often face - from showing favoritism to having an uncontrolled tongue. As God’s Spirit enables, we can learn true wisdom and find strength to serve God and each other.

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Message	ID	Scripture	Buy
Favoritism, Part One ID: 2571	2571	James 2:1-4	DVD CD
Favoritism, Part Two ID: 2572	2572	James 2:1-7	DVD CD
Favoritism, Part Three ID: 2573	2573	James 2:8-13	DVD CD
False Faith ID: 2575	2575	James 2:14-17	DVD CD
Faith: True or False? ID: 2577	2577	James 2:14-26	DVD CD
Abraham and Rahab ID: 2579	2579	James 2:21-26	DVD CD
A Warning to Would-Be Teachers ID: 2581	2581	James 3:1-2	DVD CD
The Power and Danger of the Tongue ID: 2582	2582	James 3:3-12	CD DVD
Who is Wise? ID: 2583	2583	James 3:13-18	DVD CD
The Wisdom from Heaven ID: 2584	2584	James 3:13-18	DVD CD
Such "Wisdom" ID: 2585	2585	James 3:14-16	DVD CD
Complete volume:	15902	DVD Series CD Series MP3 CD Series

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Other messages in: Faith That Works, Volume 3

The Christian life involves a constant battle against sin. Christians are often guilty of “respectable” sins that may not seem gross by the world’s standards, but about which the Bible speaks quite strongly. As Alistair Begg continues our study in James, we see how far short we fall of God’s perfect standard. God’s law reveals that we are desperately proud, prone to controversy and slander, and often inclined to mismanage our time and money. This wonderfully practical study reminds us of our great need of a Savior and points us to the Cross, where we find complete forgiveness and peace. Having peace with God compels us to resist these sins as God draws us ever closer to Himself.

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Message	ID	Scripture	Buy
Fights and Quarrels ID: 2587	2587	James 4:1-6	DVD CD
Submitting to God, Part One ID: 2591	2591	James 4:7-10	DVD CD
Submitting to God, Part Two ID: 2592	2592	James 4:7-10	DVD CD
Saying No to Slander ID: 2593	2593	James 4:11	CD DVD
Only One Judge ID: 2594	2594	James 4:11-12	DVD CD
Planning Properly, Part One ID: 2595	2595	James 4:13-17	DVD CD
Planning Properly, Part Two ID: 2596	2596	James 4:13-17	DVD CD
Listen, You Rich Men ID: 2597	2597	James 5:1-6	DVD CD
Ill-Gotten Gain, Part One ID: 2609	2609	James 5:1-6	DVD CD
Ill-Gotten Gain, Part Two ID: 2610	2610	James 5:1-6	DVD CD
Complete volume:	15903	MP3 CD Series DVD Series CD Series

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Other messages in: Faith That Works, Volume 4

Alistair Begg ends this series in James by highlighting important principles that help Christians live in an unjust world. We may be prone to grow impatient toward God’s plans, which can cause us to become complacent in bearing Christian fruit. When we realize that everything in life is under the control of God and will ultimately be made right, we can live in a way that is contrary to human nature. The way we talk, worship, and pray becomes God-centered, not man-centered. Viewing the world from this perspective is a gift that can only be given to us by God’s amazing grace. When His grace captures a human heart we have a new song to sing and a loving Heavenly Father to whom we can humbly bring all of our cares.

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Message	ID	Scripture	Buy
Be Patient, The Lord is Coming, Part One ID: 2611	2611	James 5:7-11	DVD CD
Be Patient, The Lord is Coming, Part Two ID: 2612	2612	James 5:7-11	DVD CD
Telling the Truth ID: 2613	2613	James 5:12	DVD CD
Prayer and Praise ID: 2615	2615	James 5:13	DVD CD
If Anyone is Sick..., Part One ID: 2618	2618	James 5:14-18	DVD CD
If Anyone is Sick..., Part Two ID: 2621	2621	James 5:15	DVD CD
Confession and Prayer ID: 2624	2624	James 5:16-18	DVD CD
Bringing Back the Wanderers ID: 2625	2625	James 5:19-20	DVD CD
Complete volume:	15904	MP3 CD Series DVD Series CD Series

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