What's Your Motive

James  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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We all have motives.

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Introduction: What do you want out of life? Stuff, Wealth, The American dream? Which is the ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed.
That sounds rather interesting and rather self serving.
In the beginning the American Dream was about equality, justice and liberty for all. It wasn’t about anyone individual and what that individual wanted. But that is what it has become. What’s in it for me?
Is that the Dream we should be chasing after? Is that what Jesus chased after? Let me read you this simple devotion from David Jeremiah. (Read it) Jesus preached a simple gospel that turned the world upside down. Has the gospel changed? No, but culture certainly has. David Jeremiah said that Jesus’ motive for life is a deep and abiding love for God; the big question is - what are your motives?
Our passage today talks about this very thing.
James 4:1–10 NASB95
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit therefore 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 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Transitional Sentence: We are all motivated by something; is it an earthly motivation or a heavenly motivation?
1. So, once again what are your motives?
a. What are motives? Motives: a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.
How do our motives fit into our daily lives?
b. Give some examples - the motive for a crime, murder, win a game. What is your motive for coming to worship service this morning?
In verse 2 of our passage it says: James 4:2
James 4:2 NASB95
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
We Lust so we murder; we are envious so we fight and quarrel.
Last week we had Jealousy and Selfish Ambition. Some others that can be added to the list include Greed, Hate and Fear.
c. But then James ties these attitudes of our heart to our prayers. James says we ask and do not receive. He says when we ask we ask with improper motives - We want for personal or selfish reasons. We want God to supply us with stuff we can spend on our own pleasures.
So what are correct motives? Colossians 3:2
Colossians 3:2 NASB95
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
James 1:7-8 (double minded)
James 1:7–8 NASB95
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 4:3 (Motives) Which is worse?
James 4:3 NASB95
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
2. So here’s the trouble with our motives. James 4:4
James 4:4 NASB95
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
a. James is calling us adulteresses: What?
James is telling us that we are having an illicit affair with the world. That’s right, our motives point to us having an affair with the world. Sounds crazy doesn’t it. You might be thinking that makes no sense. Sure it does, Deuteronomy 6:5
Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB95
5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
If we are loving God that way our motives will be all about the things above, not earthly things.
b. So, How is friendship with the world hostility toward God?
John 12:25 NASB95
25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
Luke 14:26–27 NASB95
26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
In both of these passages Jesus is telling us that we have to love Him more than anything else in this world. In the context of His presence when He is saying this it makes perfect sense - but now. Does it still work this way? How many of you are willing to walk away from everything and everyone in your life to follow Jesus. Have you ever felt compelled to follow Jesus?
Another way to look at this is that Jesus didn’t come to make peace between people - He actually came to bring a sword between people. His presence in our lives may bring a sword between a son and his father, or a mother and her daughter. In Islamic cultures the acceptance of Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior brings a sword between the one who accepts Him and everyone else who doesn’t believe.
3. So, How do we avoid friendship with the world?
a. The first step is to submit to God (What?) Who wants to submit? Who wants to: accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person.
No - not me, I want to be my own boss. That’s rebellion - that’s where it all started in the garden in the very beginning. The desire to be my own god. Even though I have read and studied God’s word I still don’t want to submit. So I guess I will continue being a friend of the world and an enemy of God.
On the other hand submission brings peace and reconciliation with God. That is far better.
b. So what does the rest of James 4:7-10 say? (explain these)
James 4:7–10 NASB95
7 Submit therefore 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 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Resist the devil -
Draw near to God -
Cleanse your hands you sinners -
Purify your hearts you double minded - Remember what Colossians 3:2 says:
Colossians 3:2 NASB95
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Mourn and weep -
Humble yourselves -
c. Be transformed Romans 12:1-2
Romans 12:1–2 NASB95
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Do not be conformed to the world. This world has damaged us, we have trauma, pain, We've seen and done things that we wish we hadn’t. All of this makes us think in worldly ways - it draws us away from God. But we want to draw near to Him so we must renew our minds. We have to change the way we think, we have to put our minds on Jesus.
Have you ever listened to yourself talk in your head. For me it can down right frightening with what is going on in my head. So I have to do some of the stuff in verses 7-10 like resist the devil. But I also have to renew my mind. I have to allow it to be transformed.
So how do we do this?
Ask the Lord to guard and direct your mind.
Recognize the source of self-focused and self defeating thoughts.
Replace self-focused thinking with God-focused thinking (put your mind on things above)
Rest in the truth that you are accepted in Christ Jesus.
Repeat steps 1-4 regularly throughout the day everyday.
Exit: So what are your motives?
Are they all about the American Dream and what you can get out of life or are they about the things above?
Have you accepted Christ Jesus and Lord and Savior? Have you submitted your life to His will or are you fighting to keep living the life that you want to live. It’s hard to fight against God, it can bring a lot of pain. So stop fighting Him, submit to His will.
Resist the devil -
Draw near to God -
Cleanse your hands you sinners -
Purify your hearts you double minded -
Mourn and weep -
Humble yourselves -
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Stop being an adulteress and enemy of God by loving the world.
Let your motives be to do all things for the glory of God!!!!!
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