Ambition

Intro: Start with the Gospel. Give a strong, concise Gospel message and explain that when we accept Christ as Lord, we begin to be sanctified..and we don’t stop being sanctified until we die.

Show sanctification chart - “You are here.”

Why are we spending so much time in James? Because we, as Christians, are called to live out our faith…and the book of James confronts that head on..the book of James shows us a stark contrast, in many situations, of what we are still naturally inclined to (in the flesh) and what God’s best for us is (in the Spirit).

James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Prayer

Highlight 2 contrasts: Meekness vs. Selfish Ambition

What is selfish ambition? Origin and examples.

Ambitio - "going around" or "a striving for favor, flattery, a desire for honor."

Selfish ambition is very natural. We all battle, to an extent, the unholy desire of selfish ambition - the desire to look inwardly (to self) first, as opposed to looking outwardly to others and upwardly to God. We are selfish people by nature. As long as we have a flesh to contend with, we will battle selfish ambition.

That could be in the workplace..I want to be successful, I want this position no matter the cost, and I don’t care what I have to compromise to get there..That’s selfish ambition.

But it doesn’t always look like that..It could be portraying yourself in a totally unrealistic way on social media because you want to be well-thought of by people who you barely even know..Can anyone relate? I don’t wanna post a video of Luke having one of his many toddler meltdowns. I wanna post a video of him being happy, doing fun stuff. I’m not gonna tell Facebook about the last fight that me and Haley had, I’m going to tell them about the great date night or fun trip we took. Why? Why do we do that? If we’re honest, it’s because we want others to see us in a certain light. We want to portray a certain image of self to this audience of people that, many of them, we don’t even really know that well. Sounds really dumb when we say it out loud, right? Why would we do that? Because we have this natural fleshly desire called selfish ambition.

It can be that you just have such a strong desire to be approved by others…I’ll be honest, I struggle with that one sometimes…seeking the approval of other people, that is far from God’s best for us…and that’s textbook selfish ambition.

It would be extremely hypocritical for me to say that I have no selfish ambition residing within me. Please know that anything I preach to you guys, I have to preach it to myself multiple times first.

So selfish ambition, like other sins, will be something we contend with as long as we are here on this earth. But here’s the goal: as we mature in Christ…as we live out our faith (as James is exhorting us to do), as we are being sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit, selfish ambition, just like any other sin, becomes less prevalent in our lives. As we draw closer to God, in relationship, our focus becomes more on Him and less on ourselves.

Our whole goal in life, and our mission here at this church, is to walk in the will of God, amen? We only have a little time here on earth, but what we do with that time carries eternal implications. What James is telling us here in chapter 3 is that selfish ambition is an obstacle in our walk with the Lord - a hurdle in that upward trend of sanctification. Our personal walk in life is greatly affected when we are led by our own desires…but it’s not just the individual that’s affected; it’s the whole body…and that’s what I want to look at first:

Selfish ambition brings disorder to the church: 1 Cor 12

James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

It prevents us from getting to where God has called us to be.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He said pray to the Father, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.” And that’s what we want for our own lives, right? God, have your way here. If I have it my way, I’ll screw it up..so show me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it. That’s how Jesus taught us to pray..that’s the Lord’s prayer.

What’s the first word of the Lord’s prayer? It’s OUR. It’s a reminder from Jesus that this thing is not all about me. I’m a part of something bigger. I’m part of the Body of Christ. And for us, on a smaller level, we’re a part of a local body. Here’s what God’s Word says about the Body:

1 Corinthians 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

This means two things: 1) It means that as a child of God and a dwelling place of the Spirit of God, you possess unique gifts that God has given to you. 2) It means that in order for God’s Church to reach its potential on a grand scale and in order for The Way church to reach its potential on a smaller scale, the whole body has to come together, as a unit, and use what we have for the glory of God.

While selfish ambition may look like saying a certain role is beneath us and that we’re after a title or a position in the church, that isn’t always necessarily the case. Sometimes our selfish ambition looks like pursuing our own comfort in the church rather than pursuing God’s will…For example, showing up to church, enjoying the worship, being fed, and kind of sitting on the sidelines until next week. That’s living with an inward focus. God doesn’t call us to be comfortable spectators..as part of the Body, we’re on the team..we’re in the game..and God is calling us to actively fulfill His will. And in order to fulfill the will of God as a church body, we have to be outwardly and upwardly focused. Jesus, when He took on flesh 2,000 years ago, He spent His whole life focused on others and focused on fulfilling the will of the Father. The heroes of the faith, throughout the Bible and since the Bible was written, those who built God’s church, have been outwardly focused (on others) and upwardly focused (on God). Think about the greatest man or woman of faith that you have ever known personally…I can guarantee that that person is not a self-focused person..they are most certainly focused on others and focused on God. A focus on others and a focus on God is what builds the Kingdom. And a focus on self brings disorder to the church, stunts the growth of the church…

But it’s not only the body that is affected by selfish ambition. We, as individuals, are greatly affected when led by selfish ambition.

1) Selfish ambition brings disorder (a lack of peace) into our lives…

James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder (ἀκαταστασίας) and every vile practice.

1 Corinthians 14:33: "For God is not a God of confusion (ἀκαταστασίας) but of peace.

When our central focus in life becomes our selfish ambition, then our lives will be totally out of the order that God has designed for us. And this disorder, as James says, is synonymous with the confusion that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 14…it’s in direct opposition to peace. In short, here’s what God’s Word is telling us: selfish ambition and the peace of God cannot coexist…

2 examples in the New Testament of peace and how we get there:

1) Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Don’t we all want that, so bad? Who here has experienced the supernatural peace of God that surpasses all understanding? So how do we get there? Let’s look at the prerequisites for the peace of God.

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by 1) prayer and 2) supplication with 3) thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer (unselfish) - What does Biblical prayer look like? If there’s one model of Biblical prayer that we should use, it’s what? THE LORD’S PRAYER.. When Jesus said, “pray like this”, and He gave His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, what’s the first word that He gave them? What’s the first word of the Lord’s Prayer? OUR…then we are to pray for God’s will to be done, and not our own..indicating that our prayer life is not intended to be a selfish practice. It’s not all about me..It’s all about us..it’s all about the church..and when we pray that way, we abandon selfish ambition, and the Bible says that leads to the peace of God.

Here’s a practical response in prayer that we can make every single day, and I guarantee it will transform your relationship with God. This is one of the most frequent prayers I pray, and it’s something we should all pray every day…“Lord, if there is any desire in my heart that doesn’t align with your will, TAKE IT AWAY.”

Supplication (humbly) - A supplication is an earnest but humble request before the Lord. A humble request, coming in humility, stands in opposition to selfishness. The Bible says that this type of supplication leads to the peace of God.

And finally Thanksgiving (God-focused) - When we are giving thanks to God, then we are directing our thoughts toward God. It’s impossible for our thoughts to be self-centered when they’re God-centered. And when we approach God with that unselfish posture of thanksgiving, then the Bible says we are rewarded with the peace of God.

2) Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

That’s the kind of peace that we should all strive for, amen? That’s the kind of peace that Jesus says is available for us, a peace where we don’t have to be concerned about tomorrow…but like the peace of God in Philippians 4, there is a prerequisite to that peace.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The key to that kind of peace, Jesus says, is seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…seeking first to discover His will and to fulfill His will, no matter the cost. If there’s one verse we anchor ourselves to in this church, it's Matthew 6:33..that’s why we meet at 6:33 on Tuesday nights..if you are in Christ, and you want to choose one verse for your life to be guided by, here it is.

But seeking first the kingdom of God and seeking first our own desires are two ideas that stand in opposition with one another. It is impossible to be selfishly ambitious and simultaneously kingdom-seeking. And incidentally, it is impossible for us to be selfishly ambitious and walk in the peace that God offers to us…

The constant want to gratify one’s own needs, to fulfill our own desires, to be directed by our own selfish ambition will always be accompanied by a lack of Godly peace. Selfish ambition brings a lack of peace and disorder to our own personal lives…

COMBINE W/FORMER POINT? Here’s what else selfish ambition does for us personally:

2) Selfish ambition Takes us out of the will of God (breeds evil)

James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Verse 15 says that being led by selfish ambition earthy (it’s of the world, and we are called to not be conformed to the pattern of this world), it’s unspiritual (not of God), and it’s demonic (it’s in line not with the will of God but the will of Satan).

And here’s the fruit that it produces: verse 16 says that where there is selfish ambition, there is every vile practice. The Greek word used for vile here is translated as wicked and evil throughout other passages of the New Testament. Here’s what it means..if we are driven by selfish ambition..if that becomes the guiding focus of how we live our lives, then other ungodly works will follow 100% of the time. It means that it is impossible to walk in the will of God if we are guided by our selfish desires.

There’s this message (I think well-meaning) that is pretty much universally communicated in our society, that says above all else, we should just follow our hearts. Like that’s the answer to any problem we face..just follow your heart and it will all work out. The Word of God says that’s really bad advice. Jeremiah 17:9 says The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; unless the Word of God is tattooed on your heart, following your heart is a bad idea.

We see a whole culture whose guiding principle is ‘follow your heart; do what YOU want to do’... and as a result, we see a culture full of disorder and every vile practice…wickedness and evil everywhere we look.

Selfish ambition has taken a whole culture out of the will of God, and it will do the same for us personally.

And if our goal is to live out our faith, if our goal is to be sanctified, to be less like our former selves and more like Christ, then we have to lean into God..we have to abide in Him, to walk closely with Him..we have to be directed by His Word.

Selfish ambition may be a barrier that stands between where we are and where God has called us to be, but like any other obstacle we face in our faith walk, God’s Word gives us a solution to overcome that barrier, that obstacle.

And when it comes to our own selfish ambition, that solution is what the Bible calls meekness.

3) Meekness: The Antidote to Selfish Ambition.

James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom...17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

So what is meekness…what does it look like on a simple, practical level? Your Bible translation may say gentleness or humility, which is fine, but I love the word meekness because it is unique, and it shows us the clear Biblical answer to defeating selfish ambition. Here’s the best definition I could find:

Meekness (πραΰτης): The quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one's self-importance. (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature)

If we want to walk in the will of God, if we want to see Godly fruit flow in our lives, if we want to sow a harvest of righteousness, as James says, if we want to live a life of peace and fulfillment, then God calls us to walk in meekness. One of the most prominent characteristics of Jesus Christ is meekness. Here’s maybe the best Biblical example I can give you of what that practically looks like:

Philippians 2:2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Paul is writing not to an individual but to the church, and here’s his message: be of one mind! That doesn’t mean be totally uninformed in how you think..it means you’re all part of the same body, like he said in 1 Corinthians 12, and being of one mind means we have one goal: together, we’re going to do whatever it takes to see God move in this church however He sees fit. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. So this mindset is a selfless one. Seeing the kingdom of God come in our lives, in our church, may depend on us putting the needs of others above the needs of our own. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Jesus came as a man, but still fully as God. But He never pulled the God card. He just served, and served, and served, devoted His life completely to others and to fulfilling the will of the Father. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. The meekness, the humility, of Jesus is what led to our salvation. Being fully God, Jesus could have taken Himself off the cross, but because He considered you, and me, and all the rest of the sinful world, more significant than the agony that He would endure, than the wrath of God that He would be poured out on Him, we can have eternal life by trusting in Him as Lord and Savior. If no one has ever told you how much Jesus loves you, that’s how much He loves you. And if you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then don’t leave here tonight without doing so. Because that’s what Jesus offers us through the humility that led Him to the cross. Amen?

The will of God was fulfilled through Christ when He surrendered His own desires and gave His life for you and me.

More than anything else, here at this church, we desire to see the will of God fulfilled. We desire to see the will of God fulfilled in your personal lives, in your marriage, in your families, and in this movement that we call The Way Church, seeing God’s will fulfilled often starts with us denying our own desires, surrendering our wants to Him…in meekness, humbling ourselves before Him, and saying, “Lord, I can’t figure this out on my own. Do it your way.”

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

The will of God is fulfilled in our lives and in our church when we shift our focus from ourselves to others and to God. My challenge for you this week is to strongly oppose selfish ambition by shifting your focus to God and to others..to focus on your spouse more than yourself..to focus on your kids more than yourself..to focus on your friends, your co-workers, others in your church, more than yourselves. Before you serve yourself this week, serve God and others. When you say your prayers tonight, spend 10 minutes praying for other people before you ask for anything for yourself. And God will move in a powerful way through that meekness and humility. Amen?

We’re going to end service a bit differently tonight. As the band begins to play, I want to challenge you to respond in humility, if you feel the Holy Spirit leading you, to receive prayer, whether it be for God to help you overcome an obstacle you’re facing, or if you need healing, or if you need comfort, or if you just need someone to pray with you. I’m here to pray with you, Ms. Mary is here, Tim and Marie are here to pray with you. Respond as you feel the Spirit lead you.