Evaluating Your Allegiance, Part 1

Introduction

Have you ever asked yourself why wars and fights are started?

Michigan vs Ohio State! If you would have followed the sports news this last week from Monday through Saturday and into today you would have found a lot of earthly wisdom being used from college football fans in Michigan and Ohio. Yesterday was “The Game” between the two rivals. Quarreling and fighting has gone on all week over the multiple media outlets.

Jump into a mental time machine and go back with me all the way to the French and Indian War, now jump ahead to the Revolutionary War. Let’s now go ahead to the Civil War. Let’s now zoom ahead to WWI and WWII. If you were to really boil each of these down to the initial instigation you most likely will find the passions of selfish man. Men who thought the world or life should be a certain way and thought it necessary to thrust it on as many as possible to the extent that he was willing to kill for it.

In many ways, we as Christians have allowed this type of mindset to infiltrate our lives and the life of the church. This cannot be! James ends chapter three admonishing us to sow righteousness in peace. He is not saying that you do not battle for what is true and right but within that fighting you show God’s love. You do not tolerate sin as God cannot tolerate it.

However, when you and I allow our passions to consume us and we become self-seeking, wars and fighting ensues. Today we are going to look at this very truth from James 4:1-5.

In way of illustrating, our individualistic American tradition has been particularly receptive to church strife. Recently I read of a congregational business meeting that turned into a brawl which was finally stopped by the local police! Stories like this are such a part of our American folklore that the caricature of a feuding church is found everywhere, as a young father learned from his children. Hearing a commotion in his backyard, he looked outside and saw his daughter and several playmates in a heated quarrel. When he intervened, his daughter called back, “Dad, we’re just playing church!”3[i]

This CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT EVER BE SAID ABOUT YOU AND I AS WE WORSHIP TOGETHER BOTH CORPORATELY AND INDIVIDUALLY ON A DAILY BASIS!

Contemporary Problem: Christians today have a large propensity for walking the line between godly and ungodly. The lines between what is righteous and what is unrighteous is becoming blurred as Christians try to live with so much of the “fun” that the world offers. As a result personal holiness is in a decline and conflict enters into the church. When the church lives out their selfish ambition, they are living in hostility to God and friends of the world!

Thom Rainer, a well-known Christian church evaluator, wrote an article entitled “Twenty Five Silly Things Church Members Fight Over.” He started this survey as a basic curious survey on twitter and he says in the article that church members and leaders were eager to share. Here are a few that were shared with Rainer:

1- Argument over the appropriate length of the worship pastor’s beard

2- Fight over whether or not to build a children’s playground or to use the land for a cemetery

3- A church argument and vote to decide if a clock in the worship center should be removed

4- A big church argument over the discovery that the church budget was off $0.10. Someone finally gave a dime to settle the issue

5- Two different churches reported fights over the type of coffee. In one of the churches, they moved from Folgers to a stronger Starbucks brand. In the other church, they simply moved to a stronger blend. Members left the church in the latter example

6- Some church members left the church because one church member hid the vacuum cleaner from them. It resulted in a major fight and split

7- A dispute over whether the worship leader should have his shoes on during the service

We laugh at these arguments and conflicts. We look at them as absurd. My question for us is, if we are honest, what absurd arguments between church members could have been placed on this list from our church. We must evaluate our passions. James earlier in chapter 3 when talking about the tongue places a severe emphasis on the damage the uncontrolled tongue will have. Arguing and engaging in conflict reveals your selfish ambition and passions. In our text this morning, James begins by asking the believer an evaluating question with a supplied answer in rhetorical question form. We are not to live a double-minded and unstable life (James 1, 3).

John MacArthur in teaching on this passage said “ungodly friendship inevitably results in personal conflict—with others, with oneself, and, most importantly, with God.”

Conflict has no place in the life of the Christian and the church. It is because of this that we must—

Main Principle: Evaluate your passions as they impact your relationship with Christ and the church.

The first evaluation we need to make is in regard to the source of the conflict.

I. We must evaluate the source of our conflict. 1

James 4:1-3 continues thought from the end of James 3 where the Christian is encouraged to live heavenly wisdom that sows righteousness and does so in peace not arguing and conflict.

The source of our conflicts and arguments is our sinful, fleshly, desires that wage war in our hearts. Paul in Galatians 5:17 shares how our flesh and the Spirit of God in us fight and war for the seat of our affections. Paul even states describes this war in Romans 7: 14-25

Romans 7:14–25 (NASB95)

14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

James (a. The Questions Exposing the Source (v. 1))

Fully aware that all their conflicts are only symptomatic of something deeper, James goes right to the heart of their trouble. They are challenged to identify the true source of their “fights and quarrels.” The plurals indicate that the reference is not to an isolated occurrence in their midst but to a chronic condition.

It is our sinful passions for our own rights, demands, and pleasures that bring conflict in our life and the life of the church. Fighting and quarreling, aka—conflict, have no place in the church as it is not God’s will for the church nor aid in accomplishing God’s plan. Rather, God’s plan is that we love one another (John 13:34-35 “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”)

Fighting and quarrelling among one another is never due to one specific reason. Fights and arguments happen for a reasons and in a variety of ways. James here is speaking of hostility both in a prolonged state and in the short sudden outbursts that can happen. James was most likely alluding to factions that were happening in the church. It is interesting that here in the text James does not relay what the hostility was about but rather focuses on the hostility itself. It seems that James is more irritated by the source of the hostility than the reason for the hostility.

Knowing this truth, knowing about the irritated and agitated relationships in the church community, James warns those he is writing to about giving in to their fleshly passions. These passions James states in James 3:16 (“16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”) that our sinful passions flow from jealousy and selfish ambition.

We so struggle and give in to pride and selfishness. How many times have you caught yourself speaking to how a ministry area in the church should be run but instead of humbly seeking to be a part of the solution, you rather sit back and complain about how someone else is not doing the job they should be or complain that nothing is being done. This is exactly letting your passions go unbridled. It is not allowing heavenly wisdom to drive your thoughts and words and passions but rather your selfish nature…your selfish passions.

James second question is all about getting the Jews to evaluate and diagnose the reasons for the hostility that had been manifesting itself. God does not desire their to be hostility among one another! Our unity is to be in Christ (John 17:21

John 17:21 (NASB95)

21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Acts 4:32 (NASB95)

32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NASB95)

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Philippians 1:27 (NASB95)

27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Philippians 2:1–4 (NASB95)

1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Evaluate your passions this morning! The word James uses for desires is where we get our word “hedonism.” The word means receiving enjoyment from the fulfilment of one’s desires. It is the craving for self pleasure. They were wrapped up in seeking to fulfill their desire for self-love. God calls for us to live unified together for the purpose of the gospel. When we allow their to be hostility among ourselves it provides a stumbling block for the potential salvation and/or sanctification of others. God hates it! This conflict with others leans into the truth of being at conflict with God himself.

Our culture plasters this teaching of self-love all over the place. It is on social media, it is in psychology, it is in intimate relationships. It is promoted on how to have a positive work environment. The concept of self-love being necessary for successful and profitable living is a lie. Our text this morning proves it! Self love will only bring hostility. Sure it may be subdued in short term until one person’s self-love intersects with another person’s self-love. As we will see more fully next week, it goes directly against living in proper submission to God.

James is telling us that we need to evaluate our inner passions that manifest in an external fashion.

What selfish ambitions and passions have caused dissension between you and another brother or sister in Christ? We are going to talk about evaluating the proper response to these evil passions next week in more depth but the victory over sinful passions falls to one simple truth…humble yourself!

So what about you? What sinful passions are leading you toward or providing tendencies to be in conflict with others?

As we evaluate the source we must follow that with evaluating the extent of the passions and ensuing conflict.

II. We must evaluate the extent of our conflict. 2-3

Frustrated desire, James makes clear, is what is breeding the intense strife that is convulsing the community. (Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 183.)

James here seems to be using some hyperbole to make his point. With that said, the end result of severe arguments have led to murder. He uses somewhat of a chiastic structure where the first phrase is supported by the last and the middle sections somewhat mirror each other. Writers do this to help emphasize what they are writing. James is emphasizing here that we fight and quarrel, sometimes severely, because we do not have what we want. When we do not get what we want the selfish ambition steps in and we begin war within ourselves over covetous thoughts for something we want but do not have. We may even begin to concoct a plan to get what we want.

Any of us in here with kids or who work or have worked with kids see this concept all too often. Liz and I have to sit the kids down throughout the week to correct them on the conflict between each other as they want to play with the same thing.

For us adults is morphs a little bit but the same selfish ambition and desires cause the same responses.

Though we may not be in conflict at the moment with others we may be at conflict within ourselves. If our sinful passions of selfish ambition are present and trying to reak havoc we need to evaluate them, assess them, and get rid of them. These desires have devastating effects. These desires are in opposition to God’s purpose and will. It goes against the work that God desires to see from his Church.

Our world’s society give evidence of the selfish ambition and conflict that can and/or does make an impact on people’s lives. If you type in life coach or counseling, you will arrive to see the overabundance of psychology and psychiatrists, counselors and life coaches and therapists. The reason for this rests in the fact that people are in conflict with themselves. Their passions are driving their actions rather than God controlling their thoughts and actions. We give into our internal conflict and often that boils into conflict with others.

Quarrels and fights, living in selfishness is antithetical to the message of the gospel. Jesus died on the cross for their sins, for our sins and when we fight and quarrel, we are elevating our demands, our desires, our cravings above that which God desires. It is these attitudes that will destroy the unity of the church. It will set the church on fire in the way James describes the tongue does in James 3:5.

James 3:5 (NASB95)

5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

We cannot allow our uncontrolled and unfulfilled desires to dictate and motivate our thoughts and actions. How are you responding when you do not get your way? How severe are your reactions when you do not get what you want. What extent are you finding yourself wanting something you do not have? These desires and passions can be highly tempting and impactul for the wrong purposes. What are you holding too tightly where you are at odds against someone in the church? Or someone in your family? You seek to find yourself spiritual so you think to yourself if I pray for this specific thing to happen then God will be pleased and reward me.

You are sorely wrong! James says here that you ask wrongly! It is here that James discusses how our selfish ambition seeps and creeps into our prayer life with God along with impacting our relationships in the church.

III. We must evaluate the motives of our prayer life. 3

What is the premise you find yourself praying to God? James is telling the recipients of this letter about getting rid of selfish ambition and living with heavenly wisdom.

Heavenly wisdom is not asking God with the correct motives. We allow our selfish ambition and pride to drive our prayer life. We pray in a way at times that our desires are going to be met! God does not give to us the things he has given us in order that we can consume it on their lust.

We have no reason to pray for God to heap blessings on us for our own selfish fulfillment. We need to be struggling with God in prayer. We do not live praying and trying to manipulate the results.

In the context of these verses we can safely conclude that the prayers being made were specifically in relation to the quarrels, fightings and selfish ambition that was driving the conflict. Asking God with wrong motives so you can use God’s gifts for your own selfish purposes is wrong and sinful. It only aids in the conflict you have with others and with God and in your own heart!

James (c. The Reasons for the Condition (vv. 2b–3))

Their worldly, self-centered desires have invaded their prayer life and perverted their relation to God.

We need to stop praying selfishly but rather pray according to God’s plan and will. We will see next week that we need to submit our prayer life to God!

So, what is your prayer life like? Is it full of selfishness and covetousness? What are your motives in your prayer life?

As you evaluate your prayer life we need to continue to evaluate the source and extent of the conflict! We must also lastly, evaluate the impact of our conflict.

IV. We must evaluate the impact of our conflict. 4-5

This stands to be the worst part of conflict! James makes a strong statement of fact that God wants you and I to understand! We are to understand that conflict places us in a position of hostility rather than friendly in our relationship with God. We are God’s enemies!

James does not hold any punches. He really is providing in James 4:4-10 an invitation to repent from one’s selfish ambition, envy and divisiveness that he discussed in James 4:1-3. We will look more fully next week at what that repentance looks like. This week we are evaluating and identifying the problem.

He labels these Christians who live in their selfish ambition and in conflict, as enemies of God. Living as enemies of God is a hihgly scary place to be!

The Christian here is labeled unfaithful! In many ways James through his admonishment through question has presented to you and I a choice we have to make?

Don’t you love making decisions? We have to make decisions every day.

On July 25, 2008 , I had a couple of beers and was driving home at night with friends when I had a serious car accident. I thought I was okay to drive. I was not wearing my seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. My friends were wearing their seat belts and walked away unharmed. I was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) where the trauma team performed an emergency craniotomy to relieve the pressure on my brain and stop the bleeding in my skull. I was in a coma and on life-support for nearly three weeks. I suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and broke numerous bones throughout my body. On August 14th, I was transferred to Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ for acute rehabilitation. I had to relearn how to walk, talk and move my right arm and hand again.

Some of our decisions can be hard and some not so hard. We may have asked:

- Who am I going to marry?

- Where should I apply for a job?

- What house should I buy?

- What car should I buy?

- What church do I join?

- When do we start a family?

The list could be added to with a variety of questions. It is important for you and I to make the correct decisions.

As James discusses the source of all the conflict we have with others and with God, he really lays out the foundational truth in James 4:4 that our two choices are God or the world!

We are using the word “evaluate” today and again next week. Have you chosen the world more than God? IF conflict is present in your life, you are living as an enemy of God and you have chosen the world over God.

The first way that God labels the believers receiving this letter is as unfaithful and an adulteress. The prophets frequently compare the relationship between Yahweh and his people to a marriage relationship.See, for instance, Isa. 54:5–6: “ ‘For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected,’ says your God.” As this text suggests, the Lord is consistently portrayed as the husband and Israel as the wife in this imagery.[i]A rebellious Christian who has an illegitimate relationship with the world is at enmity with God![ii]

[i]Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 187. [ii]J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 830.

But their tendency to imitate the world by discriminating against people (2:1–13), by speaking negatively of others (3:1–12), by exhibiting “bitter envy” and “selfish ambition” (3:13–18), and by pursuing their own destructive pleasures (4:1–3) amounted to just that. James, as it were, wants to raise the stakes so that his readers see their compromising conduct for what it really is. God tolerates no rival. When believers behave in a worldly manner, they demonstrate that, at that point, their allegiance is to the world rather than to God.]

Here in verse 4 the Christians simply acted adulterous and wanted to please their own selfish ambitions that were aligning more with worldliness rather than godliness!

James (Explanation of Text)

Friendship in James’s day indicated identification to and relationship with something or someone, so to be friends with the world means to identify with its standards and priorities

The other way we see selfish ambition driving conflict is not just straight up worldliness but an indifference to God’s Word.

Verse 5 explains why flirtation with the world is so serious a matter by bringing to mind the jealousy of the Lord, which demands total, unreserved, unwavering allegiance from the people with whom he has joined himself.[i]

[i]Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 188.

There is a holy, loving jealousy that a husband and wife have over each other, and rightly so. The Spirit within jealously guards our relationship to God, and the Spirit is grieved when we sin against God’s love.[i]

[i]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 369.

Are you ignoring scripture and living in enmity with God? Are you living in hostility toward God? Are you a friend of the world or of God?

Conclusion

Michigan and Ohio State—conflict in a big way! Social media is full of derogatory comments regarding coaches and players and the football programs. People on both sides hurling horrific statements. It is not right for people to use earthly wisdom and words of fire to fulfill their pleasure.

IF it is not okay for a football rivalry between two universities and their fanbase, how much more so, is it, not fitting or godly for the church to function with the same quarreling and fighting.

Repeat Main Points

I. We must evaluate the source of our conflict.

II. We must evaluate the extent of our conflict.

III. We must evaluate the motives of our prayer life.

IV. We must evaluate the impact of our conflict.

Evaluate your passions as they impact your relationship with Christ and the church.