The Trouble with a Big Mouth
Talk is Cheap: A Study of James • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 10 viewsJames quoted the confident talk of merchants: “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town, do business, and make a profit.” They spoke as if they controlled the future, but James reminded them their lives were a mist that appears for a little while and vanishes. We make the same speeches about our plans and careers. Humble people say, “If the Lord wills,” and mean it.
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When you were little, did you ever sing…
“Oh be careful little mouth what you say.”
“For the Father up above is looking down in love”
“So be careful little mouth what you say.”
When we think about BAD words or words we shouldn’t say
lies
profanity
insults
But what about plans for the future?
have you ever thought, “better be careful what I say?”
maybe that has never crossed our minds
but James says that boasting about future plans can be EVIL
how could that possibly be evil? before you disagree, let’s look at what the text says…
let’s start all the way back at the beginning of James 4…
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 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.
fighting and quarreling is called “murder”
not because they’re literally murdering each other
Matthew 5:21–22 “21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”
1 John 3:15 “15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
Of course, THEY didn’t call it “murder”; they called it
ambition
going after what they wanted
holding on to what is theirs
self-sufficiency
Our angry and argumentative words reveal
our desires
that we haven’t fully submitted and surrendered our desires to God
in order to get what they wanted, they were making “friends” (patronage) with the world
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. 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”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
friendship with the world
probably another reference to patrons
give your loyalty to your powerful and wealthy friends
so they can get you what you want
how do you think God feels when you tell him that the church needs rich and powerful benefactors in order to survive?
It is “adultery” when the church depends on the world for the things that ought to trust God with.
The spirit that he made to dwell in us
some think this refers to our human spirit
I think he means the Holy Spirit
either way, the idea is that God desires our UNDIVIDED ALLEGIANCE
Sunday morning class
Humility versus pride
Father, I’m scared, I’m hungry, I’m poor, I NEED you!
I’m good, I’ve made friends with wealthy and powerful men
7 Submit yourselves 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 wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
you double-minded
“your loyalty is divided between God and the world” (NLT)
you boast about your faith, but your actual faith is in
the worldly systems
yourself to curry favor with people
that’s your real loyalty
these should be reassuring and comforting, if we DO Them
submit
draw near
cleanse
purify
be wretched
mourn
weep
humble yourselves
move to a lower position
give up some of your aura
they were trusting in themselves and the world to honor, exalt, and glorify them, rather than humbly pursuing the honor that comes from total submission to the Lord
this sort of self-exaltation is seen in this next command
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
do not judge or speak evil against
this doesn’t mean, never criticize sinful behavior
if so, he would be doing the very thing he was telling them not to do
you’re being judges of the Law, instead of doers of the Law
rather than trying to figure out how to do it
we debate it
we create loopholes for ourselves
we talk about how other people are wrong
God is the ONLY lawgiver, judge, destroyer, and savior
After all, isn’t it exhausting…
Trying to do God’s job all the time?
Wouldn’t your life be a whole lot better if you let God be God?
which brings us to the next point
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
James isn’t claiming
You shouldn’t have a job
You shouldn’t go anywhere
You shouldn’t make plans
He is claiming you should recognize your
fragility
dependency
mortality
Not just arrogant, but EVIL
What does “evil” mean?
worthless
devoid of any good
rotten
It’s evil because it reflects an attitude of
self-sufficiency
self-reliance
selfish ambition
Our CASUAL words often reveal the truth we’re hiding from ourselves
finally, James brings back around to a familiar idea…
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
They knew the right thing to do
they made a lot of noise about being
law-keepers
religious
faithful
wise
teachers
judges
but many of them were all talk
James could see what they were hiding from themselves and we ALL have to realize…
Our functional faith is showing.
Our functional faith is showing.
Who / what you really trust
practically
functionally
not just who/what you say you trust
Your functional faith is showing…
how we deal with conflict
how we deal with conflict
Do we really trust God to give us what we need
Do we think we have to fight for what we want
the alliances we form
the alliances we form
Do we trust God to be our provider and protector
Do we think we need to form worldly friendships with wealthy and powerful people
the way we make plans
the way we make plans
Do we recognize our own fragility and mortality?
Are we functionally dependent on God?
the judgment we pass on others
the judgment we pass on others
Are we doers of God’s commandments or judges of it?
Do we trust God to be God, or are still trying to do his job?
how we follow through on the good we know to do
how we follow through on the good we know to do
care for the widows and orphans
show no favoritism toward the rich and powerful
be peacemakers
show gentleness and kindness
take up your cross and follow Jesus
What if we actually did those things?
What if we actually lived like Jesus is King?
What if we actually trusted him to govern our lives?
Invite response
baptism
recommitment
prayer and encouragement
