In, Not Of

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the lord Jesus Christ. It is with great joy and humbling responsibility that we share in the Word of God as the saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church this morning. Our church exists by grace, for glory, in love.

Many of us are familiar with the story of the Titanic. The giant intercontinental cruise ship that intended to head from England to New York in 1912. When we review the facts of the Titanic, we see that there were many factors that could’ve been helped to avoid the wreck. From design flaws to hubris and unheeded warnings, there were many ways in which the tragedy could have been avoided. But at the end of the day, the giant ship was no match for a seemingly small iceberg.

It’s easy to look back with the benefit of retrospect and think about everything that you would’ve done differently to avoid the problems. But did you know that at least 5 verified ships that have sank from hitting an iceberg since the cautionary tale of the Titanic? That might not seem like all that much, but first those are only the verified accounts where they are certain icebergs were the cause, and second you would think that such an gigantic loss as the Titanic would make all sea traveling vessels steer far away from any icebergs.

But here’s the thing about icebergs, Icebergs can vary in size from small chunks that can be a few feet across to giants that span over 100 feet in height and can stretch for miles. Even a seemingly small iceberg, as was the case with the one that struck the Titanic, can weigh hundreds of tons. This means that the majority of the iceberg’s volume is hidden below the water’s surface, making it nearly impossible to judge the full size of the threat from just the visible part. The portion of the iceberg below the surface is not a simple extension of the visible part; rather, it has an irregular, often jagged shape that can extend much farther into the water. The submerged part of the iceberg has a much more complex structure, which can cause unexpected damage to the hull of a ship, particularly if the ship's design isn't built to withstand such an impact.

It is very easy to underestimate the size, depth, and damage of an iceberg.

I wanted to share that this morning, because as we look at the first six verses of James 4, pastor James is going to be exposing an iceberg in the church. A problem that we may see signs of on the surface but not think that it is all that big of a deal. A problem that runs deeper than we may imagine it ever could. A problem that has been central in the shipwreck of many faiths.

If you would, open your Bibles to James chapter 4. This is our ninth week walking through this letter and we have said throughout that James is giving us the rubric for authentic, tested, lived-out faith. He was originally writing the Jewish Christians that had been dispersed from their homeland. We have seen that these believers, as well as us today, are tempted and tried, but that authentic faith holds on to Christ through the trials. His practical presentation of truly living out what we say we believe, cuts to the heart and exposes the deficiencies of our practices. As we saw last week, the good news in these words that often hit so close to home is that they are opportunity for repentance and thus giving God glory in our lives. This morning we will be looking at another deep deficiency that should cause all of us to evaluate how we are applying the gospel in our day to lives and our relationships with others in the body of Christ. Begin with me in verse 1 of James chapter 4.

There is a problem in the church.

James 4:1 ESV

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

As I have mentioned, James is exposing the problems within the day-to-day lives of people who say they have faith in Jesus Christ. Before we get into applying this verse to our specific behaviors in the church today, let’s review what is going on for the original recipients. James is writing to the Jewish believers in the dispersion. If you go back and review the beginning of the first chapter, you will see that James knows these folks have been through the ringer. They have met trials of various kinds. When we study the cultural context of the day we also know that many within the church would have been subjects to ruling classes. There were “oppressors” who “drug the hapless, dispersed believers into the courts” as we see alluded to in chapter 2. Next week when we progress into the rest of chapter 4, we will see that there is demonic influence on this group, meaning that the tempter and accuser is working amongst them.

I say all of that to point out that James is very aware of all of the outside forces that are working against this group of believers. They are certainly going through a lot. But the problem that we are looking at today, the destructive iceberg, is not everything that is happening TO the dispersed Jewish believers, but rather what is happening AMONG these believers.

It can be very tempting to look at your circumstances and start pointing fingers at everything that is going wrong around you. And honestly, living in a fallen world, there are a lot of things that happen to us that are outside of our control that can be very difficult to navigate through. But the difficulty does not excuse a sinful reaction, nor a defeated demeanor.

To bring this into our text this morning, first remember that last week we saw that biblical wisdom is relying on God to make the righteous reaction to the curves of life. If we take it back to the car analogy from last week, that means that we aren’t encouraged to have road rage when the speed demon cuts us off, but instead we hit the brakes, put on the signal and get in the correct lane. Then, as we are getting into this morning, no matter how rough the ride is around us, we’re not excused to then bring that tension into our own lives and practice.

James writes, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?” This is a rhetorical question used by James to expose there is a problem in the church. It’s not all the craziness of stuff happening TO them that is beyond their control. It is the fighting, quibbling, and waging of war BETWEEN them, among them, within the body of Christ!

James sees the tip of the iceberg that is a bigger hazard than the members of the church are willing to recognize. They are at war with one another. It could be that James is referring to a generic problem, like giving a warning about something that these people might potentially face down the road. But I think that it is more likely that James is referring to real fights happening among these bodies of believers. But I think the tone of this verse suggests that he is privy to some real divisions happening in these churches, either by divine illumination from the Holy Spirit, or that the fights were so large that word of them had made it all the way back to the church in Jerusalem.

Whatever the case may be, James knew that fighting in the church was so serious that needed to be addressed. In a moment, we will be given the theological reasoning as to why fighting in the church, fighting amongst believers exists, but first we just need to look the ugly problem directly in the face. It’s that old adage for therapy, the first step is admitting you have a problem. Church, we have a problem, and this problem has exists in the church really since its beginnings.

James Robert Johnstone, the nineteenth-century Scottish theologian and preacher, remarked: “Men and women who on the Sabbath have sat side by side at the Lord’s table and drunk of the common cup of love, will scowl at and calumniate and thwart each other all the week. And the feeling between congregations or denominations, which are but different companies or brigades in the army of the Captain of salvation, is not unfrequently such as to remind one of the host of Midian in the night of Gideon’s victory, when “every man’s sword was turned against his fellow, throughout all the host.””

Don’t hear me incorrectly in quoting Preacher Johnstone, I’m not saying that we need to be ecumenical and forget all of our doctrinal distinctions. However, we can recognize that the Kingdom of God is bigger than our church and bigger than our Baptist bubble. I’ve said before, when we get to heaven we’ll find out Pap was right, but until then we can have some charity in interpretation, so long as that interpretation isn’t endorsing clear sin.

However, our text this morning is more directly addressing the first half of Pastor Johnstone’s statement. People will come together and share communion at the Lord’s Table then be rivalrous with one another, beating up, tearing down, and taken advantage of one another all throughout the week. Church, it ought not be so! We share a common eternity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our active, proactive, and visible love ought to be so apparent in all settings that others know us by our love! “There’s those folks at Durbin, I don’t get it because they’re all so different, but they sure know how to get along and help one another out!”

That’s how its supposed to be!

And while I don’t know of a particular issue going on in this moment, I know that we must be vigilant to ward off divisiveness, quarrels, and fights amongst. Why? Because as James explains at the end of this verse, using another rhetorical question, “Is it not this, that you passions are at war within you?”

James is pointing out to the original recipients and us today that our passions, our flesh, our desire for personal pleasure is still at war with us! The word translated “passion” in this verse is the same root word for what is called “hedonism”. If you are unfamiliar with hedonism, it is the worldview that you exists to seek out personal pleasure at all costs. The ultimate goal from this perspective is to self-satisfy no matter who else may be hurt along the way. Now, we have to be careful here. If you aren’t listening carefully you may be tempted to think that I am saying all pleasure is bad. That is not what I am saying. There is much to enjoy in this world and we can do so for the glory of God. But the problem with sin is that it twists that which is good and elevates it above God. Intimacy is good and to be enjoyed within a biblical marriage, rationalizing relations in other contexts is sinful and destructive while providing fleeting gratification in the moment. Making money and providing for your family is good and work should be enjoyed, but taking advantage of others for easy gain is sinful. Food is good and a feast can be for God’s glory! But being consumed by eating is not for your good nor glory of God. The list goes on and on, almost all sin is rooted in the perversion and over promotion of some “good” pleasure used in moderation for the glory of God. One pastor noted:

James Contents

Pleasure is not sinful per se, but what is wrong is a driving desire for pleasures. The only other uses of this word in the New Testament suggests this idea: Luke 8:14, where Jesus describes those who fall among thorns as “choked by the. . . pleasures of life,” and Titus 3:3, which refers to people as “slaves to various passions and pleasures.” James’ emphasis is on a feverish search for one’s own pleasures and gratifications.

When we come to understand Christ as Lord, we see that His ways are greater than our ways. His desires are better than our own. This means that there are certainly times in which we deny ourselves, deny the fleshly desires that rise up and seek consolation in Christ over some fleeting euphoria that is not for our ultimate good.

There is one chapter of Scripture that always comes to mind when we are talking about this tension in following the Lord and battling the flesh. Romans chapter 7. This is one both one of the most comforting and unsettling chapters in all of Scripture for me.

Paul writes,

Romans 7:20–24 “20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

This is unsettling to me because this is Paul! This is the guy who wrote half of the New Testament! Writing well after his miraculous conversion and into a life of ministry, and he is lamenting over this internal battle between the flesh and his desire to follow Christ. It’s unsettling because if Paul still fights it, then what hope do we have!

But it is comforting because of the next verse Romans 7:25 “25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

As a Christian, “While sin no longer reigns over you, it still rages within you until you have died and been glorified, or Jesus returns.” And He who began a good work in you will bring it completion at the day of Christ. God’s grace, Word, and Spirit sustain us to keep serving the Lord as we battle this flesh. Our passions are at war within us, but Christ is our Victor.

The problem James is exposing in the church is unhindered passions driving the practice more than a desire to humbly follow the Lord. Let’s now see how perverted pleasure leads to pain. Look at verses 2-3.

Perverted Pleasure leads to Pain

James 4:2–3 ESV

2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet 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 wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Well, that escalated quickly! James goes from showing the problems with fighting are caused by following personal passions to accusations of murder! Now, if you read commentaries on this you will find a variety of opinions on this verse. Some say this was an error. Others suggest it is a metaphorical hyperbole, an exaggeration to get the readers attention. But there’s really no evidence for that. Given the tone of the rest of the letter, I think it’s safe to say that there was literal murder amongst angered church members who cared more about themselves than the body of believers.. There would be biblical precedent for this. Kane murdered his brother Abel over having his sacrifice rejected. Even the man after God’s own heart, King David, had Uriah murdered when David lusted after Uriah’s wife.

We may not often see murder in the church, but I have shared before of the story of the deacons that didn’t like the pastor so they hid a live snake in his car. Further be reminded of Jesus’ words on hatred and murder. Jesus equates unrighteous anger at another brother with being subject to the same judgment as murder. He says we can’t even worship right when we’re angry with another believer.

So the churches James is writing to have been dealing with anger and murder, then we read fighting caused my covetousness. They wanted what they didn’t have and picked at one another over it. They were praying and not receiving answers for their prayers, at least not the answers they wanted because their prayers were selfish! We learn in 1 John that if we ask in accordance with the will of God, He hears us and answers our prayers. These folks weren’t praying, “Thy will be done, oh Lord.” But “MY will be done.”

These are all things that can and do rear their heads today in our church! They lead to pain! They lead to division. We have to be proActive in rooting them out and denying ourselves for the good of others and the good of Christ’s church!

Not only does murder, anger, covetousness, and selfishness lead to division, but it just may expose an even deeper problem! Look to the next verse:

The Stakes of our Pleasures

James 4:4 ESV

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

There aren’t many more labels more grating, more piercing, that you could call me than an adulterer. I don’t think many of us would gladly wear that label. Yet, when it comes to our relationship with Christ, too often that is the label we deserve.

Believers who choose to pursue the pleasures of the world are inescapably drawn to friendship with the forces of the world-system, which are at the very least indifferent to God and at the worst openly hostile to him. These friendships will ultimately spawn in the believer’s heart the same indifferences and hostilities, thereby turning a true Christian into a practical enemy of the God he claims and desires to love.

We make ourselves practical atheists. We say we love the Lord, we claim the name Christian, but there is no desire for the things that are above where Christ is. There is a callousness and indifference to the very sin that we say we have been saved from. And here is the most fearful thought. If we are presented with the reality of how we are carrying ourselves, if like in the preaching of our text this morning we are expose to our spiritually adulterous behavior, and we have no desire to change for the glory of God, then we have to ask ourselves if we truly have received the grace of God.

Philippians 3:18–19 ESV

18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

As we continually evaluate our lives, seeking to glorify our King and Savior, we have to now ask ourselves, are we walking as enemies of the cross of Christ. If so and there is no desire for repentance, for honoring the God of our Salvation, then it very well may be that your god is your belly, your own passions, and your end is destruction. I don’t say this so that you feel compelled to justify yourself to me. I am not your judge to whom you must make your case. Rather, I tell you this to wake you up to the seriousness of your sin and plead for your repentance, so that one day you will hear well done my good and faithful servant rather than depart from me you worker of lawlessness, I never knew you.

You see, our God is a jealous God. Look to verse 5.

God is Jealous

James 4:5 ESV

5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

Now there is a lot going on in this verse that we have to look at analytically before we get to the simple meaning. First, we need to note that this is probably the most difficult verse in all of James to evaluate. James is seemingly quoting Scripture when he says, “the Scripture says, He yearns jealously.” The problem here is that there is no verse included in the Old Testament canon, or even the non-canonical writings for that matter, that says this verbatim. However, we can see James is referring to the general theme of God’s Jealousy that is evident throughout the Old Testament. The second difficulty in translating this verse is figuring out if the word “Spirit” is the subject or the object. It could either be a reference to the Holy Spirit that is jealously longing for the believers loyalty or it could refer to the created human spirit, which the Triune God jealously desires full allegiance from. If you compare translations side by side, you’ll notice that some Capitalize Spirit as a reference to the Holy Spirit and others, like the ESV, leave it lower case suggesting a reference to the created human spirit.

But despite these interpretive challenges, the point and application here is clear. “Regardless of how one translates the verse, the point of God’s holy demand for His people’s unadulterated loyalty is clear.”

James Contents

To realize that the awesomely holy God who transcends the universe and is wholly other and self-contained is at the same time personally and passionately and lovingly jealous for our affection—this realization ought to stop any of our “affairs” with the world and cause us to prostrate our souls adoringly before him. How we are loved! And how we ought to love! For as John informs us, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Church, do you realize that great honor it is that God desires your undivided devotion? It is an utter disgrace to seek fulfillment in anything else, anything opposed to the will of God.

I would hope that all of us would stop in this moment and consider how we are living, what we are doing, and who we are serving. I would venture to guess that if we do so, it would bring tears to our eyes considering how often we cheat on our God who righteously, and jealously desires our devotion. If that is you, if you have been humbled by understanding the seriousness of your sin, then listen closely to our last verse this morning.

God Gives Grace

James 4:6 ESV

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

We have a problem, the problem is our self serving pleasure, the perverted pleasure causes pain, it makes us adulterous towards the God we say we love, the God who is jealous for us. It is a detestable affair. BUT. HE. GIVES. MORE. GRACE.

When God would have every right to reject and refuse us, He gives more grace. There is always for the believer in Christ Jesus as Lord a greater grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin. We can lean on the everlasting arms of our God while He renews our repentance and draws us back to Him. What a blessed peace. What a joy divine. Leaning on the everlasting arms.

James Contents

Whatever our condition or situation, he always gives us more grace. He gives grace to overcome personal weaknesses. If to your alarm you find that you are repeatedly succumbing to a burning pursuit of hedonism, God will give you more grace if you ask. If you are a victim of an imploding self-centeredness that repeatedly sucks you into its nothingness, and you want deliverance, there is grace for the asking.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. I hope that you have been as humbled this morning as I have in reflecting on this text. Church, God is always better and deserves to be the object of our affection.

There once was an experiment that shows a male butterfly will ignore a living female butterfly of his own species in favor of a painted cardboard copy, especially if the cardboard one is big. He begins courting a piece of cardboard.

Too often, we get caught up courting cardboard with our life, when the real thing is right there. The sin you are in, the sin you are chasing, will never satisfy. It can’t. It’s full’s gold, a cardboard cutout. The satisfaction you are ultimately searching for can only be found in Christ. So stop looking elsewhere and cling to Him! Follow Him! Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. Serve His church. Love His people. Today is the day for the adulterous bride to return to her righteous bridegroom. And He gives more grace.

Though you may have fallen to the temptation of Satan, given way to the prevalency of the corruption remaining in you, neglected the means of your preservation and fallen into grievous sin, maybe for a long time continuing there in. You may have incurred God’s displeasure and discipline, you may have grieved His Holy Spirit, having your graces and comforts impaired, you may have hurt and scandalized others, you may have brought temporal judgments upon yourself, yet by the great grace of God you can renew your repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end.

May today be a great day of God honoring repentance. Respond today. Come find me during this hymn of response. Let’s pray.