Sermon Tone Analysis

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

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.

Even further back:

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.

“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

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

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.

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

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.

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.