James 4:1-13

James 4:1-13(NLT)

Previous chapter helped us see how evil flows from our mouth, poisoning our hearts. We also see James tell us our lives are influenced when we listen to worldly wisdom instead of godly wisdom.

Worldly wisdom and ideology causes us to live with worldly priorities and process life with wordly pride

All this leads to interpersonal conflict, and it crept into the church.

Is it possible to draw close to God while being divisive & distancing yourself from the Body of Christ?

Draw close to God through humble loyalty.

We’re more faithful to our opinion of others than to God Himself.

God is looking for loyalty not double-minded unbelief.

divided loyalty to God

unbelief in the goodness of God, due to pride we think God is with-holding from us, so we hurt others to preserve what we want.

We cannot get God-things in worldly ways.

TLC - god doesn’t give the temporary at the expense of the eternal.

competition is not the way of the kingdom. you don’t have to lose for me to win.

God longs for us to be close to Him.

Come close to God, don’t run from His body.

God is not a commodity we consume.

we turn church into a commodity we consume, rather than a body we vulnerably contribute toward…cuz who wants to get hurt.

Draw close to God through blessing The Body.

Division within the family of God is a big problem.

i do believe it takes different types of churches to reach different types of people…unique expressions and focuses - Jesus is okay with that.

it doesn’t mean the church is perfect and you ill have all your needs (physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual) met by the church either.

…we are not loving God with all our heart mind and strength nor loving others with as we would ourselves…we want them to love us like we love ourselves.

but the more we love God and live loyal to His ways, the better we are at human relationships.

selfish ambition and bitter envy are creating problems within God’s family.

God is directly opposed to slander, gossip, malice, and cursing other people.

ALL OF THESE INVITE THE WORK OF THE ENEMY - CHAOS, CONFUSION, DIVISION, & DISORDER.

Are we severing and self-harming part of our body? - “1 Cor 12…you cant say I don’t need you. I’m not like you.”

jealous of other team members

dismissive of God work in others

ongoing-annoyance at other’s worship and learning

overlooked and now withdrawn

offended at sermon

We must view people in light of God’s redemptive work and as part of our body.

forgiveness and celebrating God’s forgiveness in others doesn’t mean we become best friends…but it does mean we don’t distance from BODY and disparage their character.

Proverbs 6:16–19 (NLT) - 16 There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, 18 a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, 19 a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

Proverbs 20:10 (NLT) - 10 False weights and unequal measures— the Lord detests double standards of every kind.

1 Peter 3:8–18 (NLT) - 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 10 For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. 11 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. 12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” 13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! 18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 12:19–21 (NLT) - 19 Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you. 20 For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior. 21 Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.

DEFINITIONS:

slander -speaking truth or falsehood about a person’s character in les than a kind way.

gossip - sharing information about another’s life, but you nor the person listening have power, desire, or capacity to help

malice - angst toward others;

seen in a betrayal (Judas betrayed and was full of the devil)

curse - dismiss, cultivate evil work, condemn, cut-down with sarcasm, and talk with dishonor toward another

vs 11-12 emphasize this too: “Don’t speak evil against brothers and sister…no criticism or judgement (condemn).”

A better translation might be ‘speak evil about’ or ‘say bad things against’ because ‘slander’ often implies in English that the things said are untrue and the Greek word does not imply this. As far as James is concerned, whether the things said are true or not, critical words divide the community and are not in order. Paul would agree (2 Cor. 12:20) as would Peter (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:16).

sarcasm that cuts others, is sharp, or slanders others poisons our heart and speaks death.

There is a difference in using sarcasms for abstract or ideas in a humorous way of communication...but there is a difference in using sarcasm to cut some down.

Similarly, there is difference in talking about your shortcoming, sins, and personal weaknesses and being self-deprecating. One speaks to error the other speaks to value. It’s possible to talk about something negative or a failure without ascribing inherent value to yourself that is not God’s perspective.

to make judgment on motives, criticize, or condemn others is to put yourself in spot of judge..a judge sits over the law. we are not that. we judge, condemn and criticize others on the worst interpretation of a snapshot of their life and ourselves on our best intentions. and we are talking primarily about how we treat others in the church.

Binding (hinder) and loosing (release).

We cannot bind up the enemy from working, because we have not repented from setting him loose with our words of condemnation, slander, gossip the bitter envy and selfish ambition.

God wants us to deal with the offenses and unforgiveness in our heart…which is evident in how we talk. we don’t need to tell people we’ve been offended by them…but we do need to make amends or apologize for the wrong WE have done.

Or if we are in relationship and want to be in relationship, go to a person who has actually wronged you…and try and make it right.

What does it mean to “bless” someone?

Blessing is seeing someone

Blessing is speaking well of someone

Blessing is giving away some of our own life so that someone else can have more life…moves you toward them.

shorthand for “may the Lord bless and keep you…”

“To bless another person fully is to give away some of one’s own life so that another might be more resourced for his or her journey….we bless others when we see them, delight in their energy rather than feel threatened by it, and give away some of our own life to help resource their lives. Sadly, the reverse is also true: we curse others when we demand that they see and admire us, when we demand that they speak well of us, and when we use their lives to build up our own. A gesture of blessing feeds others; a cursing gesture feeds off of them.” - Sacred Fire, Ronald Rolheiser

speak blessing, not curse

illus: “you’re not as good as you think you are.” vs “If you care about people, you’ll be the kind of leader people will willingly give up their life to follow.”

Hometown slander kept jesus from doing miraculous works…all because unbelief and words of dishonor (dismiss or disregard people) were spoken from hearts of bitter envy & selfish ambition.

Resisting the devil only works when we have severed our partnerships with him.

…slander is the language of satan.

May of us cannot resist the devil because he as become a familiar spirit we’ve invited in with our mouths and divided loyalty.

We’ve been asking God to help us grow and move beyond something…but our prayers aren’t getting answered. We ask and don’t receive because our hearts are off-course…bitter envy & selfish- ambition…and Jams 1:14-15.

we ask with selfish ambition, not heaven’s agenda. and we’ve never actually repented for our words that have been harsh, slanderous, or full of gossip.

Dream, Interpretation, & Response.

Dream from 10-10-2024\

The earliest part of the dream I can remember was I was called to respond to a threat. It’s like I was a landlord and a tenant was having an issue. Someone forcefully entered the house. They refused to leave and so I was called to handle it. When I arrived the tenant was distressed and the stranger was in the house. He wasn’t damaging anything or even acting like a threat, but he didn’t belong there and he wasn’t leaving. I knew I had two guns and so I got one and took aim. I warned him. I told him to leave. He began to make fun of me, so I pulled the trigger. Nothing. I tried loading the gun. Pulled the trigger again and nothing. After another failed attempt. I was able to properly load the gun and shot him in the throat. There was no blood. He almost was unfazed but he did put his hand to his neck and left the house. He seemed more annoyed than anything. Not really pain. Not really rage. Immediately after he left I checked my other gun and same thing except no matter how hard I tried the gun wouldn’t load. That’s the dream.

I believe this is a warning that an attack is coming in the form of the Spirit of Fear. Expressed through verbal channels. Like Faith Church is about to go through a slanderous attack. The exhortation is that we have weapons at the ready, but we must pick the correct one and know how to use it.

weapons are not carnal…greatest weapon we have is repentance (scripture cut soul, thoughts, etc) and intercession with God’s word.

I bear witness to your interpretation. This is a call to arms in the form of prayer and spiritual disciplines. The ineffective weapon is our "persuasive" speech and debate. Say less, pray more. Let the Spirit do the work and form our defense. I believe an element of this admonition by the Spirit should be at the heart of our monthly prayer meeting in November.

After talking with the person who received the dream and praying over it, there are a couple additional "interpretative elements" I want to share.

1) the tenants represent our church members. There was "familiarity" of the tenants with evil person, even tho entry wasn't expressively welcomed.

2) the evil is in relation to speech & words. Slander, gossip, back biting, manipulation, lies, etc. I believe the way the tenants (church folk) have used their words has inadvertently forced this agent of "disorder and evil" in our midst.

3) repentance and using Gods word properly is needed and effective.

I sense this "attack" of verbal assault is leas about outside forces coming against us, but rather is already among us; it's a corrective & comping invitation from the Spirit back to proper speech and using Gods word

I have gone back to read this dream and interpretations this morning as I kept sensing Holy Spirit wanting me to understand something. What has come to me is that I am aware of many situations and have been in a few conversations involving tension, conflict, and unforgiveness between adult family members or in longtime close friendships, in our church. These situations vary in intensity of course. Some people are just trying to put it aside and go on but not praying or forgiving. Others are finding it difficult to come to and sometimes avoiding church because the other is there. Whatever the degree of conflict, all of these situations have the fruit of backbiting and slander, and lack acknowledgement of what God has done in lives. A common theme is people being caught in a view of their family members based on old lifestyles and wounds rather than who their family members/friends are becoming in Christ. I have had an awareness for awhile that some of the people in these conflicts may move into accusing the church of allowing such people to serve or be part, and that we are being tricked by falsehoods that these people are putting on while at church. Those believing these accusations from the enemy are becoming victims of what they're believing. This victim mentality can quickly escalate to holding the church responsible for allowing such people to harm them again.

A call to repentance - not just remorse but choosing to return to be close to God.

Holy Father - we have sinned in word and deed against your Son and His body. We have grieved the Holy Spirit within us because of the words we has spoken. With our lips and words we have cursed others. We confess we have been people who spread gossip and speak slander against another in the family of God. Jesus forgive us for harming your body. We have used our words to abuse, cut down, and mar the honor of others. We admit we are in need of the Spirit to cleanse our hearts and heal our memories. We have processed our pain to the point it has tuned to slander and bitterness, polluting our heart with bitter envy and selfish ambition. Purify us. Forgive us as we forgive those who have harmed us. Holy Spirit fill our heart and mouths with good things. May be bless and not curse. May we build up and not tear down others. Use our words to cultivate God-honoring loyalty and love. Fill our mouths with gratitude and praise for Your Holy Name!

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PRACTICING THE WAY

As disciples of Jesus, we know our allegiance to Him as King is expressed in our daily practice. We are not pursuing perfection but want to practice our faith each day. These practices will point you toward spiritual formation as an apprentice (disciple) to Jesus.

(1) Start the Bible Recap reading plan.

(2) Recite this prayer/liturgy daily: “This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. 20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” (Eph. 1:15-23)

(3) Talk it Over (with friends, a spouse, or your Group)

The message was about drawing close to God through loyalty and blessing The Body of Christ with our words and actions. What is one idea from Sunday’s message that impacted you?

Read James 4:1-13. What does this passage teach about God? What should we do in response to the Truth of this text?

How can bitter envy or selfish ambition corrode a relationship or a church family?

How would you describe a life that is “drawing close” to God?

God takes very seriously slander, gossip, back-biting, malice, and cursing others?

Read 1 Peter 3:8-18. What are some truths presented in this text?