James: Practical Faith(Ch4:1-12)

Where We’ve been

Good morning and welcome again family to Horeb Baptist Church. We are glad that you could join us this fine morning. Please turn your bibles to James chapter 4:1-12. We have been on quite a journey in this letter. This is a Letter that is constantly challenging the church and its idea of what is important or more importantly who is important. A letter that has challenged us to love greater and without bias or favoritism. We’ve been challenged to watch our mouths because even the smallest flame can start a forrest fire, and only you can prevent forrest fires. We’ve also learned that the testing of our faith in trials produces a deeper faithfulness, or steadfastness and that when we do encounter them it takes wisdom that we can ask for when in need. As a reminder, James is speaking to a church who has started to look down on each other and forget the call to love neighbor as yourself and to love your brother or sister in christ, no in betweens and no room for favoritism. Yet the dispersed churches he was speaking to had other ideas. This is where we find the goal of this letter and our series. James shows us practical faith, for the good of others.

Envious War

James 4:1–4 ESV

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

oof, what a heavy text. We often think that quarrels and fights happen due to external influences, “he said/she said; they started it” and the list goes on. But the truth is that quarrels spoken of here are internal realities. Meaning that it is our heart that lead us to be at war with each other.

Wanting what we do not have is not new, this is the reason why we work,, right? We work to have a better life, one that takes a bit of effort. A better, more comfortable life. It becomes our ambition and passion. Sometimes we’re just not satisfied with what we do have and our eyes begin to wander.

How often do we look around and see people with things or situations that we want? How often does that turn into something bigger? Into envy or lust. So much of what we experience in this world, especially as americans, is directing us to want certain products, or certain end results or lives. In the dispersed jewish/christian church this was no different. They didn’t need to see ads or have instagram to be tempted to be envious of their neighbors. they longed for status and the things they thought others had. This has been an age old sin.

Genesis 3:4–6 ESV

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Even further back:

Isaiah 14:12–14 ESV

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

this second portion is Isaiah’s account of the fall of satan.

The issue isn’t in wanting or desiring different things, the issue is when these things become our only passion, the only reason why we exist. When they take the place of God or like satan, When we exalt ourselves to be like God because we can do better. And that is what is happening when we covet or are envious of others.

If there is a position at work and you want to work up to it, someone else has it is also working for it, are you going to sin against them just to get your way? Or likewise trying to gain favor in your family, ministry or friends, are you willing to be cut throat just to attain that? Sometimes we can lust after good things. As a worship leader its easy to visit a church different from yours and lust what they have that we don’t, whether it be tech, band size, vocals(especially for myself). Or watching another preacher it can be easy to covet their gift and their voice. But the question is, should we risk our relationships with each other, or risk the testimony of the church and by extension risking the testimony of god.

Brothers and sisters, the king james version uses the word war instead of quarrels.

James 4:1 KJV 1900

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

“Quarrels” and “wars” illustrates the same thing. Self-reliance and reliance on our passions is worldly wisdom vs. the peace of heavenly wisdom that comes in humility and submission.

Be Humble

James 4:5–10 ESV

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore 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. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

In verse 5 we see reminder begin to happen. Meaning:

God doesn’t treat our betrayal as grounds to abandon us, or abandon this relationship that he has with us. Instead, he has james write of his passion towards us and a holy, righteous jealousy the causes him to express himself in this way. -Jon Moffit

Believer, God doesn’t lash out because of our betrayal, but instead, because of the work Christ we drawn closer to him in the midst of our betrayal. So often we think that we have to be right before God in order to serve at church, let alone come to church. “I have to be right before God” fill in the blank. But we don’t see that in scripture, old or new testament. Our righteousness comes from outside of us, that’s why God will never leave us. Instead, his jealousy burns for his people and he gives more grace!

Biblical humility is this, to see your status as having nothing of value and living in that status. KNowing that we are wretched sinners who on this side of eternity only produce more sin.

Think about the prodigal son. He decided to return only after reaching the end of himself, digging down deep and seeing the gravity of his lacking. He’s walking back and setting up a speech, yet, the father meets him where he is at, runs to him. He wasn’t good enough, he hadn’t even repented and given his speech before he was met in the road and brought into the family again.

That is us family. We need to humble ourselves by realizing there is nothing that we can bring to God that is of value. That without christ the songs we sing are empty. That it is christ who makes our lives a worthy sacrifice.

And to resist satan is to his resist his ways. What is the way of satan, pride. It is his pride that reduced him. It is pride that caused adam and eve believe they could be in understanding like God. It is pride that leads us to try and run from God and believe that we are better off or that we know better than God. That we deserve more than what he has given us. It is pride that causes us to celebrate our sin, instead of

James 4:9–10 ESV

Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

It is the pride of the churches that James was writing to that caused him to write what he was writing when he was writing about what he wrote.

James 4:11–12 ESV

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

How often in our lives have we judged people, especially other christians, since this is the first context of this first part? how often have we come to church and seen that a brother or sister maybe didn’t take communion and say to ourselves, “wonder what’s going on there. Can you believe that blah blah blah didn’t take communion?” or maybe we haven’t seen a brother or sister in a while and instead of reaching out to check in we judge. Or how often does it happen that we jduge intetntions or emotions, assuming the best or the worst. I know I’ve been there.

The judgement or discernment isn’t necessarily the bad part, But when we read in scripture about judgement it is usual a legal and exacting term. Meaning that a biblical judge not only discerns the situation but condemns or absolves. So when Jesus tells us

Matthew 7:1–5 ESV

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Do not condemn. Our pride leads us to think that we are at God’s level, that we are equal with God, when we are not.

When we judge eachother we condemn. When we discern or contemplate a situation, borthers, or as v.12 refers to neighbors, not just believers, we have the opportunity extend grace to our neighbors and our struggling brothers and sisters. When we set our pride aside, take on humility and live in that humility we get to dish out what we’ve been given, grace and mercy.

This is the grace of God that pours down on us and that permeates our lives. The grace of the gift of christ. The gift of the cross that should not only remind us of our sins and failures, but remind us that we’ve been called by name and forgiven.

John 10:27–30 ESV

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

God given humility leads to repentance, peace, contentment, calm in the storm(ask jesus). This humility shirks the pride that Satan has been working in us since the fall. Humility protects our relationships as believers and is marked by grace and mercy. Humility reminds us of our constant need of Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, let us love one another, showing mercy and grace as we have been shown mercy and grace. Lets reach out in concern, pray with concern for each other. Let us love our unbelieving neighbors so that they can know the love of christ. Teaching them and reminding eachother of the law of liberty. I pray that we can be content in what God has done for us, in all that we have or don’t have.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art Thou my best thought, by day or by night Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise Thou mine inheritance, now and always Thou and Thou only first in my heart High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of heaven, my victory won May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun Heart of my own heart, whatever befall Still be my vision, O ruler of all

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall Still be my vision, O ruler of all