Years ago, when my kids were smaller, if they would kind of start acting up, I had this song I would sing.  When I did this song, it would cue them in to straighten up.  I stole the beat from a group called “Queen.” I changed the words and here is what I would do.  Let’s say the kids were acting up several years ago and I would do this, “Bomp, bomp, bomp!  I’m gonna gonna tan some hide!  Bomp, Bomp, Bomp!”  When they heard that, let me tell you something, it would snap their heads.  They would go, “Okay, that is serious.  He might tan my hide.”  All I had to do was, “Bomp, bomp, bomp!” and that was it.

When it comes to developing an authentic faith, when it comes to flavoritism or discrimination or favoritism, I can almost hear James humming that same beat.  Because I am going to warn you today, in James chapter two, verses 1-13, James is going to tan our hides.

I thought that was a pretty cool letter because I agree with this pastor.  I agree because, of all the churches I have been in contact with, I have never seen a church as warm and as friendly as Fellowship.

It thrills my heart to see how we treat people with love and with honor no matter what they look like, no matter what their skin color happens to be, no matter where they live, who they are and so forth.  So I want to give you a big round of applause.  Don’t you clap.  Let me clap for you because you are doing a great job.  Fellowship Church is a friendly church.  I hear it all the time, over and over again, and we do not for the most part show favoritism.

Today, I am talking about something called “flavoritism.”  James, the book we have been studying lately, talks direct to you and me about this interesting and fascinating subject.

Several days ago, I received the following letter that I want to share with you:

Pastor Young,

I just wanted to write you a quick letter letting you know that I visited your church this past Saturday evening for the 5:00 pm service and was very impressed.  I appreciate your creativity and willingness to go the extra mile in your ministry.  Although I already knew of the church from reputation and your Internet broadcast, it was a wonderful experience to visit.  Let me say that as a staff member of another large church, I was watching your workers closely to see how they handled the crowd and really made the church warm.  Allow me to say to them that they were the best I have ever seen.

From the parking team to the information booth, I was very impressed with your staff and volunteers.  The music was fantastic, the people very friendly and the message was very inspirational.  Again, I want to say how glad I was to be a part of your service and may God continue to bless you and the church he has given you to lead. If all works out, I hope to come in January to your conference and learn more about your assimilation process.  God bless you and your family.

When you are skiing, maybe cruising down a Black Diamond, you are watching and looking at and checking out snow.  So when you see the snow or maybe when you wipe out and eat snow, what does it cause you to do?  Maybe you are not a skier but into the weather channel.  You check it out and see snow.  Maybe you are praying for snow.  When you think about snow it should cause you to worship.

Case in point.  Isaiah 1:18, Living Bible.  “Come, let’s talk it over, says the Lord.  No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.”   Have you ever had a stain on your clothing that seemed impossible to get out?

Well sometimes sin seems to be permanent, doesn’t it?  We say that God can never forgive us for that one, no way we are worthy, no way we can be restored because of that sin.  But God has promised us that He can make us as clean as freshly fallen snow.  Snow should point us to worship, to worship the fact that God is the God of forgiveness.

What was going on?  What was happening?  This mountain in the dessert became sort of a symbol in my life that pointed me to worship.

It was as if God was saying, “Ed, you have 110 hours every week.  Think about this mountain.  Think about your progress.  Reflect me and mirror me in all that you do and that you say.”  And that is precisely the direction in which we are going over then next few minutes.  I want to help you through the Bible, God’s revealed word to us.  I want to assist you in becoming keenly aware of the things in your life, the significant symbols that God has placed in your path to point you to worship.

I’ll begin by asking you this question.  How many of you love to snow ski?  Raise your hands.  I have skied one time in my life, fifteen years ago.  It was a lot of fun and hopefully I will do it again one day.

How many attorneys do we have in the house?  I love lawyers.  Lawyers are funny.  (audience laughter)  They really are.  And that’s this next question I’m going to talk about.  The attorney question.

Lawyer’s can ask some questions.  They’ll go like, “Technically speaking, can a person go to heaven without being baptized?  I mean can you prove that beyond a reasonable doubt?”

Yeah, I think I can.  Jesus was crucified between two common criminals.  One of the criminals said, “You know, Christ, I want to follow you and Jesus said, ‘Jump down off the cross get baptized.’”  No, he didn’t say that!  What did he say?  “From this day forward, you’ll spend eternity with me in paradise.”

So technically speaking, yes, we can go to heaven without being baptized.  But I always wonder the motivation behind that question?  Why would someone ask that question?  Why, why, why why?  Because once again, once we understand the grace and the mercy and the favor of God, the love of God; once we’ve been ambushed by that love; once we’ve received that, we should joyfully and obediently and lovingly enter the waters of baptism.  We should humble ourselves and show others, “I am on Christ’s team.”

The H20 Question

The fourth question is the H20 question.  That’s the water question.  In Mark 1:5 it says that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.  I’ve baptized people in the Jordan River before.  That’s a great place to get baptized.  And I’ve baptized a lot of people there.  The last time I was there in Israel, it was during the winter, and the snow was melting off those mountains and flowing down into the Jordan River. The river was so cold, when I baptized people, it sounded like this [Ed sings in a high pitch to illustrate how cold it is.] It was crazy.

Mark 1:5; Jesus was baptized “…in the Jordan River.”  This word “in” in the original Greek is spelled “en.” “En” in Greek means… “in”! Not alongside.  “In” the Jordan River.

What did the wrong they influence you to do that you would not have done if they hadn’t been around? Those are some deep questions, penetrating questions.

This New Year we’re thinking about what’s in store for us. And if we could see what God wants to do in our lives we wouldn’t believe it. God is that awesome. He’s that’s amazing. He has some giant stuff for us to do by His power and by His mercy. But we have got to think about they. The sway of they. The wrong they will keep you in the fray and the right they will keep you above the fray. Who are they? Have you ever tried to chase down they?

Whenever I think about “they,” though, I think about my boy Nehemiah. Nehemiah, a man mentioned in the Old Testament, knew about the sway of they, because Nehemiah did something that they said could not be done. Nehemiah had a cush job in the Persian government. He asked permission from the king to leave and to rebuild the city walls around Jerusalem.

Now that seems weird to us because we’re thinking, “Okay, what’s so big and bad about city walls? Who needs city walls? Why are city walls important?”

Well, in our day they’re not. But back in the day, 440 B.C., city walls were huge because city walls provided protection. Also, in Jerusalem, they provided an opportunity for the Jews to worship in the temple. They could have protected worship in the temple.

So, Nehemiah asked for permission, and because the favor of God was on his life, the king of Persia gave him all this money and all the supplies to rebuild the city wall. Nehemiah was a great leader, a great difference maker. He wrote a book in the Bible. If you have your Bible’s turn there, Nehemiah 2. I’ll begin reading with verses 19 and then I’ll go to verse 20. Then I’ll skip over to Nehemiah 4 and we’ll close it down.

Well, today I’m continuing this series called “Love Affair,” so let’s bow for a word of prayer. [Ed leads in prayer.]

A covenant is a blood bond of life and death. In our modern day vernacular we might call a covenant a commitment on steroids. So a covenant is a blood bond of life and death. Our culture would say it’s a commitment on steroids. The word covenant is used throughout the Bible. All you have to do is thumb through the Scriptures and you’ll see this word. It’s mentioned 286 times. A covenant, a covenant, a covenant.

God was always making covenants with his people. I want to draw your attention to one of the covenants that God made to a guy named Abram. God made this covenant with Abram and they got together. It’s a very interesting situation how it plays out.

Genesis 12:1-3, “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go the land I’ll show you…”

Abram was a squillioniare. Don’t think about a mom and a dad and 2.3 kids and maybe a dog and a cat just moving from one area to another. Abram, who lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, was commissioned by God to move to this new tract of land, this ultimate piece of real estate, Canaan. Think Bill Gates. Think of a Fortune 500 company moving from one area to another area. That’s the picture.

Let’s continue reading. In verse 2 God says, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

What does this word blessing mean? Blessing means to be on the receiving end of the supernatural favor of God.

At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, ‘How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.’ Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife? For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.”

I jump over or I swing over to a more comfortable emotion—anger.  It makes me feel better to just jump down someone’s throat.

Maybe anger is driving a lot of stuff in your life.  Maybe anger is causing you to pick apart your spouse.  Maybe anger is just causing you to really be too hard on your kids.  Maybe anger is causing you to push that person beyond their limit at work.  Anger.

Greed

How about greed?  That’s another one.  Do you have a read on greed?  What does greed say?  Greed says, “More.  One more deal.  More.  One more play.  More.  One more club.  More.  One more house.  More.  When I get to that position, I won’t want any more.”

But see, the More Monster has a lot of us hung up.  The More Monster is this big old stump that has a lot of people impaled. And some of you right now are saying, “Oh, Ed, just get on those people who have a lot of stuff.  They’re the ones who are greedy.  It’s the rich people.”

Well, you know what?  A lot of rich people are greedy.  Not all of them, but a lot of them are.  That’s why they’re rich, because they’re selfish and greedy.  Not all of them, but a lot of them.  But…

Let’s go over here.  I know a lot of people who don’t have very much who are very, very greedy.  In fact, the Have Nots might have a greater level of greed than the Haves.  There’s this reverse thing going on.  So, don’t say, “Well I don’t have that much, so I can’t be greedy.”  I don’t know.

Here’s what Jesus said about greed in Luke 12:15. Jesus said “Watch out…”  You know what that phrase means in the Greek?  Watch out!  That’s what it means.  “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”