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“Wars And Fights?” • 5.20.18 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The early Jewish church had been
in the process of re-settlement after having been chased out of Jerusalem by
Paul's persecution.
- They have re-entered their lives
and have begun to resume fellowship. From what James addresses, there seems to
have been varying methods employed.
- He has had to warn them about
adopting worldly wisdom as a method of attaining spiritual goals, offering them
a reminder that godly wisdom would bring peace to their lives and gatherings.
- James, in chapter 4, continues to offer his audience
insight into the fruit of following worldly, sensual wisdom and why we should
avoid it all costs. Verse 1.
Text
• James
4:1-3 : "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come
from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You
murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have
because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may
spend it on your pleasures." : One of
the first benefits of following
worldly wisdom is tension and frustration. As you read these words, do
you find it inviting?
- "Wars" and "fights" will
follow when we adopt wordly wisdom. The English word "war" comes from
the Greek word which gives us our word "polemic."
- A "polemic" is a type of response
that is considered to be an aggresive verbal attack.
˚ "A polemic
is contentious rhetoric that is intended to support a specific position by
aggressive claims and undermining of the opposing position." wikipedia
- "This person is ranting and
raving!" Nothing goes better with polemics than controversy. When a person
said this about a battle, he would be speaking of drawing up on opposite sides.
- These words form a picture of abusive verbal
jousting and that within the ranks of the church!
- When worldy wisdom reigns in a fellowship,
everyone is raising their voices louder than the other, trying to get their way
by being as brutal as they can verbally!
- Nobody who engages in such activity can say
that they are motivated or empowered by the Holy Spirit. He will never lead you
to act this way! James says it clearly: "It comes from your desires!"
- Literally, "does it not come from your
hedonism, your pursuit of pleasure?" This person doesn't get into verbal
altercations on account of the truth. He does so because it gives him pleasure.
- This person loves to be seen, to have the
attention, to promote his own ideas and to get one up on the perceived
competition! That's the struggle, the war, in his own being!
- The picture that James is painting is of a
command center staging post for a battle. A man who is catering to worldliness
is experiencing an inner war waged between his heart and his Lord!
- Part of him wants to please God, but a larger
part of him wants to please himself! His own desires are acting as a military
command station, barking out orders for him to follow!
- And what is the result? You would think that
there would be satisfaction. He would find relief and desire would be met, but
that isn't what happens.
- "You lust and do not have!" Both
are written in the present. You are always lusting and you are never having!
You can't get no satisfaction! It will never come to the man of God in this
way!
- This person is driven to obtain the object of
his lust, proverbially willing to murder and covet, but it eludes him, so he
continues his aggression. All he needs to do is ask God.
- Of course, why would a person ask for
something that they desire from God when they believe they can attain it
through worldly wisdom? Besides, they know better.
- They have asked before and did not receive.
James asks them, "Do you know why you didn't receive? It's because you are
asking for the sake of your own gratification, not God's glory!
- This gives us a great insight into the heart
of God. He won't give you or I anything good unless you have the wisdom to
spend it upon something that enhances your walk with Him!
- In this case, to "spend" would
better be translated "to waste." For God to give you what you want
when He knows your wayward motive, would not be a gain for you or Him, but a
waste!
- He knows better than to ruin you or the gifts
that He would give you that way! Verse 4.
• James
4:4-6 : "Adulterers and adulteresses!
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever
therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or
do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The Spirit who dwells in us
yearns jealously'? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God
resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.'" : If tension and frustration are not enough, how about hostility
between you and God?
- James doesn't pull any punches. When you are
flirting with the world by adopting their ways, you are acting unfaithful to
the one that you love most! You are committing spiritual adultery!
- These Jewish believers would have been very
familiar with the Biblical concept of intimacy that God desired to have with
His nation. They were His people, they were His bride!
- Marriage itself exists as an enduring
illustration of the Christian's relationship with the Lord, according to the
Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:32.
- When one adopts worldly methods to gain their
own desire, they are seeking satisfaction from another source other than God,
which ultimately puts them in a position opposite of God!
- Enmity, hostility is the eventual outcome,
even to the point of being an enemy! Who wants to be an enemy of God? A person
who prefers and fights for their own desires over His!
- Anyone wishing to indulge their own desires,
especially those that are contrary to God's desires within the church, cannot
think that they are supporting His will!
- They are living in contrast to it and are
thus, in the same boat as the Enemy, even if they confess orthodox positions!
They are practically fighting against God!
- Had they not listened to scripture? Had they
not deduced it's meaning? James quotes a verse that they all knew, but that we
are unable to track down in our English versions.
- It is likely that the Greek Old Testament,
the Septuagint, which they read and were familiar with, may have translated a
verse this way.
- The idea is that there is an intimate desire
placed in us by the Spirit for the things of God, to be fulfilled by God
Himself! This Spirit dwells or settles in our hearts to cause us to yearn for
that.
- The problem becomes painful when we do not
yield to His Spirit or wait for His timing or seek His best pleasure. When we
seek to move ahead or away, the Spirit doesn't stand idly by.
- In fact, James tells us that He yearns
zealously. The verse is written in the present indicative, meaning that He
always, repeatedly, intensely craves that our attention would be singular.
- He fights to maintain our attention on the
Lord, to be sure that we remain satisfied in Him!
- When we give into desires that come from our
own flesh, we are seeking to be satisfied from forbidden fountains! That is the
essence of spiritual adultery!
- The Holy Spirit continues to press our
hearts, to draw us back to being satisfied with God and His ways. And when we
walk after our own desires, He doesn't give up, but gives more grace!
- Literally, He is always giving more grace, in
this context, divine assistance to make the right choice! God, through His Holy
Spirit, continues to apply the work of redemption to His people.
- This is what Solomon meant when he penned Proverbs 3:34, which James quotes.
- Those that God finds to be proud will find a
certain response from Him. Those that are humble will receive another response.
- Before we consider that, let's look at the
two categories that are before us. The word "proud" comes from two
Greek word, which when put together, essentially means to "over
shine."
- There are two ways that the Greeks used this
word. One was to describe a person who thought to show themselves above others.
- The second is defined like this: "an overweening estimate of one's means or
merits, despising others or even treating them with contempt, haughty."
(BLB)
-
This type of person God will always oppose. He will stand against Him.
He will determine not to allow him to have resource because they see themselves
as a sufficient.
- The humble are quite different. This word
refers to being unable to raise oneself from the ground. This is a person of
"low degree."
- James writes it this way regarding God's
response to the humble: This person and this person alone, now and forever, is
always given grace!
- To the one who decides that they deserve to
act in a way that is contrary to God's desire for them, thinking somehow that
they have earned the right, God will always and forever, oppose them!
- When one understands that they are offending
God by giving into their fleshly, carnal nature and that they are unworthy of
the least of God's mercies, God's extends His grace!
- God promises to respond this way. Which
person will you be? Turn in your Bibles to Luke
18. I can't help but think that James was thinking of His Lord's words in
this parable.
• Luke
18:9-14 : "Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the
other a tax collector. The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that
I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would
not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be
merciful to me a sinner!’ I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted.'" : Why do I feel as though this was
going through our author's mind? He is adopting similar language and compare
that last phrase to verse 7-10.
•
James 4:7-10: "Therefore submit to God. Resist the
devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your
hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your
laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of
the Lord, and He will lift you up." : Don't
miss the connection: God responds favorably to those that humble themselves
before Him.
-
Lord, I want your will for my life, done in your way, for your purposes. I've
had enough of tension and frustration between myself and other believers and
hostility between us!
-
The solution? "Therefore, humble yourself before the Lord! What does that
look like? First, James tells them that a humble man is a submitted man!
-
"Submit" is a command directed toward an officer in the military. It
is the equivalent of saying, "Fall in behind your leader!" Organize
yourself behind the Lord. Get back to trusting in His lead
-
A humble man is submitted to the Lord and at the same time, a rebel against the
devil! Once again, this is command language. The Christian is set to oppose the
Devil's work!
-
Practically, you are taking sides with every decision that you make. If you are
submitting to God, you are standing in opposition to the Devil.
-
As we run to submit to God, the devil will flee from us! He'll turn tail and
run, not because we are so powerful and have authority over him. He'll run
because we are standing behind the Lord!
-
A humble Christian is submitted to the Lord as His command officer, but is also
intimate with the Lord as their spouse! "Draw near to the Lord!"
-
What a statement to make to these Jewish Christians! You can come close to God
and not only will He not destroy you, but He will reciprocate! He will draw
near to you!
-
There should be a growing desire in a Christian's heart for greater intimacy
with Christ as you age. Is that happening in your life?
-
Are you closer with the Lord than they were a year ago? Do you feel that you
know more of His ways today? Have you gone deeper into His mind through His
Word?
-
God calls you to this, but please don't assume that the directive doesn't also
require holiness. Draw near and "cleanse your hands and purify your
hearts!"
-
You aren't and haven't been clean if you prefer to use your words to harm
others! That's what a sinner with a foul and divided heart does!
-
The people of Israel had to do this physically when they came near the
Tabernacle. They had to sanctify themselves. We aren't told to wash physically,
but we are called to do so spiritually!
-
Do you prepare to come before the Lord? Do you cleanse yourself before you
enter into His presence? James commands us to do this! What does this mean?
Look at his description.
-
Look at your condition and don't accept it. Don't think that it's only
"natural given the circumstances." Don't think it an irrelevant
character flaw! Lament! Mourn! Weep!
-
These words are so foreign to us in this age of "be anything but
negative" Christianity! When you see these words, it might even cause you
to bristle?
-
This is the fruit of a false, superficial theology that remains a plague upon
our nation! A Christian person is a real person who can be a Christian while in
a state of elation or depression!
-
When we are confronted by what God calls sin, we should be afflicted and
miserable! We should be inconsolable! We should weep as though a loved one
died!
-
That isn't to be our permanent state! God is not calling us through James to be
unceasingly miserable and introspective. We do have to honestly face our
actions with the same grief He has!
-
It is good for a Christian to set aside their laughter and joy to allow
mourning and gloom to set their hearts aright! That is what it looks like to
humble yourself before the Lord!
-
For those that learn this, who take this to heart, you'll find that the benefit
is far superior to the expenditure: He Himself will lift you up! He will bring you to Himself! There
isn't a higher place!
-
This is phenomenol given what most have given up to get! Sin makes us reach out
for something other than Him.
-
In the end, sin destroys everything that we set out for and when we repent, God
gives us Himself, which is what we should have wanted in the first place!
-
What a beautiful concept! If you will repent, if you will humble yourself, He
will lift you to Himself! God has provided a wonderful picture of what humility
does.
-
As we move onto the rest of the chapter, I believe that we will see a portrait
of what it meant to be unduly influenced by worldly pride. We'll save that for
next week.
Conclusion
- Friends, when
you come to believe that a relationship with God can be reconciled with your
own hedonistic desires, you must listen and learn from what James is saying.
- That heart
will bring tension and frustration into your experience. You will wonder why
those other Christians can't align themselves with you and why you aren't
satisfied!
- God's Spirit
dwells in you to produce His fruit in His time by His methods. You don't want
to resist that! You will find yourself to be His enemy, actively working
against Him!
- God is
calling you to humble yourself. Submit to God. Get back in line. Draw near to
the One that loves you most!
- Ultimately,
He knows what you do not know: That you will be most satisfied in this life
when you are most satisfied with Him!
- When all that
matters to you is having Him, you will have all that He wants for you!
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