The Cure for War - Part 8

Recap from Last Time

Faith that Works Part 7: Two Kinds of Wisdom - James 3:13-18

1) Three Examples

A.  Dead  Faith Vs. A  Living  Faith

A living faith produces obedience and good  works

B. A Mouth that  Curses  Vs. A Mouth Which Blesses

A godly tongue is  tamed and focuses on blessing

C.  Demonic  Wisdom Vs. Heavenly  Wisdom

Godly wisdom is expressed by good  conduct  and  meekness

2) True wisdom is  behavioral,  not  theoretical

3) What is envy and how does it talk?

“ If I can’t have it, I don’t want them to have it either ” -Envy

4) Ungodly wisdom flows out of bitter  envy  and selfish  ambition

5) False Wisdom Test - James 3:15

A.  Earthly : is it fleshly? - world

B.  Sensual : is it feelings based? - flesh

C.  Demonic : is it demonically inspired? - devil

6) Notice the presence of  confusion  - James 3:16

7) God’s Spirit moves  ABOVE  the chaos - Genesis 1:2

8) True Wisdom Test - James 3:17

1.  Pure

2.  Peace-loving

3.  Gentle

4.  Accommodating

5.  Merciful/Fruitful

6.  Impartial

7.  Sincere

9) Heavenly wisdom produces  peace

10) Wisdom is the ability to apply  knowledge  and  understanding

Application

A. Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom -  Follow Him  - 1 Cor. 1:30

B. Wisdom comes from the Word -  Apply it  - Prov. 2:6

C. You learn wisdom from those around you -  Surround yourself with the right people  - Prov 13:20

D. The encouragement to walk in wisdom comes from living with eternity in mind -  Live with an eternal perspective  - Ps. 90:12

Let’s turn to James 4:1

Faith that Works Part 8: The Cure for War - James 4:1-10

Preview:

Tonight’s text is surrounded by the context of conflicts and quarrels in the local assembly.

Pride is the driving force.

All of this is allowed to breed because of the love of the world in the hearts of God’s people.

James wants to show us the use of heavenly wisdom in our interactions within the Body.

James 4:1 NKJV

1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

This section continues building upon last week’s text.

1) War with others is a symptom of war within - James 4:1

Have you seen people have chaos all around them? Their outward lives display the inner struggles they are facing.

This war is between the flesh and the spirit. They are both vying for power but only one can win!

James 3:16 NKJV

16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

2) Pleasure = Hedone

a. Pleasure, delight, enjoyment

Where we get the word Hedonism:

Concise Oxford English Dictionary Hedonism

1 the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.

2 Philosophy the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.

Pleasure seeking, as we learn from experience, is a barren business; happiness is never found until we have the grace to stop looking for it and to give our attention to persons and matters external to ourselves.

J. I. Packer

3) The desire for pleasure will lead us to run over others who get in “our way”

Our desires for power, control, recognition, wealth, and position, lead us to places we dare not go. The world, in its pursuit of pleasure, has become captive as a slave to it.

4) True freedom is the ability to enjoy life without the continued rat race of finding meaning in empty things

The difference between false pleasure and true is just this: for the true, the price is paid before you enjoy it; for the false, after you enjoy it.

John Foster

James 4:2 NKJV

2 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.

5) Murder is an act of the heart - James 4:2

Just like Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount - Matt. 5:21-22

Matthew 5:21–22 NKJV

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

Angry speech kills!

James 4:2–3 NKJV

2 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. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

6) Why are our prayers not answered? Because we are operating out of the wrong spirit

God loves us more than answering our self-centered, ambition-filled requests.

7) Praying with wisdom: Holding the line between what you want and what God wants

James 4:4 NKJV

4 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.

James, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude Interpretive Insights

Absorbing the world’s values about money, fame, success, recognition, power, and so on will necessarily cause the reader to be envious, proud, or selfishly ambitious, which will in turn create internal stress and external quarrels.

James, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude You Can’t Be Friends with God and the World

Have you ever seen one of those funny internet videos of people falling into the water? America’s Funniest Home Videos has an astonishing collection of people trying to get out of boats and failing miserably. The best examples happen when someone attempts to keep one foot on the dock and one foot on the boat, which is drifting. Eventually, the splits just don’t cover the distance. So too, there is peril with trying to find sure footing both in the Lord and in the world, for there is no common ground between the two.

8) Throughout Scripture covetousness and idolatry are equated to adultery

Hosea 3:1 NKJV

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

Covetousness - Idolatry - Adultery

James 4:5 NKJV

5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

“Do you think the Scriptures say without reason...”

Possibly quoting from:

Exodus 34:14 NKJV

14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

9) Our God is zealous for us and He desires for us to seek wisdom only from Him

James 4:6 NKJV

6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Quoting from:

Proverbs 3:34 NKJV

34 Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.

James gives a harsh rebuke but provides the way out. We’ve got to humble ourselves!

10) What does it mean to humble ourselves? - James 4:7-9

James 4:7–9 NKJV

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

a. Submit to God

Coming out of slavery to our fleshly desires.

b. Resist the devil

Stand up to the enemy and cut the strings he has attached to your flesh, thus manipulating your behavior.

1 Peter 5:8–9 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

He is the source of demonic wisdom:

James 3:15 NKJV

15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

Through the authority given to us by Jesus, we have the power to resist the enemy.

c. Draw near to God

Accept the invitation that god is giving you to live in His presence.

The Hebrew word for “offering/sacrifice” is Korban which comes from the word:

Karav: Draw Near

Hebrews 4:16 NASB95

16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

d. Cleanse your hands and purify your heart

Hands represent actions.

The heart represents attitudes.

James, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude Interpretive Insights

Here the immediate context is of readers who have been adulterous by being friends with the world while belonging to God. Many adulterers are of two minds as to what will truly make them happy, their spouse or their lover. James is accusing his readers of being of two minds as to whether following God or their own desires is the best way to achieve the blessings of life.

The Temple imagery continues here. In order to draw near to His presence we must cleanse ourselves both “outwardly” and internally, just like the Priest did before they entered His presence.

Hebrews 10:22 NKJV

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Psalm 24:3–4 NKJV

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.

e. Lament, mourn and weep

True repentance acknowledges the full weight of the damage that sin causes.

2 Corinthians 7:9–11 NKJV

9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Joel 2:12–13 NKJV

12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

Joel 2:17 NKJV

17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

Laughter is associated to the fool in Biblical wisdom literature. God will have the last laugh!

Luke 6:25 NKJV

25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.

11) The war within is due to the pain we are in, the sense of brokenness and loneliness we carry until we submit fully to the Lord

Many of us carry a deep sense of insecurity, rejection and a desire to be known. We find our value in false things which try to fill that vacuum. Things like position, the pursuit of money, and the desire for power are the things we lean on, and when that sense of security is threatened, we end up fighting in the flesh in order to satisfy ourselves, thus hurting others.

We think that relationships, positions, money, or things will fill our needs, but they never do.

Finding our identity in the right place

James 4:10 NKJV

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

“There are people who can strut while sitting down.” -Woodrow Wilson

For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, humility is the third.

Augustine of Hippo

Our bitter envy, selfish ambition, the wisdom of this world, and pride, end in chaos and confusion, destruction and strife. But humbling ourselves before the Lord and others releases true authority, and peace and strengthens our relationships with one another.

There is great power in humility!

Luke 14:11 NKJV

11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

12) Humility and contentment equal fulfillment

Application

1. The choice is simple, humility, which proceeds from gentleness and the meekness of wisdom, or pride, which results from bitter envy and selfish ambition.

2. Our heavenly Father gives us our sense of purpose and identity. When we fully submit to Him, we stop running desperately trying to feel valued and accepted.

When we embrace Him He gives us new desires - to love others and show them how to embrace Him.

3. Corporate fights and internal struggles are symptoms of demonic wisdom and the world’s values in our midsts.

This gives room for pride and envy to grow.

4. Unanswered prayer can be largely based upon our requests being made with the wrong intentions.

5. We need to actively resist the enemy! This means we identify and fight against the source of temptation and demonic wisdom.

6. Humbling ourselves before the Lord and others, releases true authority, and peace and strengthens our relationships with one another.

AMEN!