Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro
Fighting is nothing new to God.
From before the foundation of the world, God was dealing with fights.
and inform the reader of God’s Word of God’s experience with fighting in Heaven.
The devil, whom God named Lucifer (light bearer) was envious of God (source of light) and attempted to ascend to place of God.
And the Lord had to deal with a fight.
Abram, whom God chose to be the father of His nation, had his nephew Lot’s herdsmen begin to contend with his own herdsmen for prime grazing grounds and God had to guide Abram through a fight.
From the time that Abram’s grandsons, Esau and Jacob, were in the womb, there was contention.
For a significant portion of their lives, there was discord between them; battle brewing beneath the surface, so that when they met as mature men, God Himself, would have to navigate their circumstance to avoid a fight.
In the NT, the disciples had issues with who would be greatest, there was conflict.
Peter cut off a man’s ear, the disciples wanted to call fire from heaven on those whom they didn’t recognize as followers of God.
I said God has always dealt with fights, even among His people.
So even in 2017 when there is a fight among God’s people, we don’t have to panic, we don’t have to get beside ourselves, we don’t have to leave the church, because this is nothing new to God.
He’s seen it before, He’s dealt with it before and if we are willing to receive His Word, He can empower us to deal with it and move forward through it in our own lives in a way that God can receive glory.
James writes to a group of believers in Jerusalem.
He is writing to instruct the church to live out faith.
His desire and thrust is that believers be doers of the Word and not hearer only!
But he’s writing in an environment of conflict.
There is social conflict; conflict between rich and poor.
But there is also spiritual conflict -conflict between different factions in the church.
Cliques if you will.
I’m encouraged this morning that the Holy Spirit moves James, not to shy away from confronting the issue but gives him a word that is applicable to us today even on the other side of a fight.
This morning I just want to deal with the pathology.
It’s my desire next week to allow God to give us the prescription.
Pathology
James first ask a question.
Where do wars and fighting or brawling come from?
Beloved, this is significant.
You see we must understand that in order to adequately deal with any problem, in order to sufficiently confront it, we must address its source.
Yes, we can make our statements, we can shake hands and say it won’t happen again, we can say she said this and he said that.
The truth is in those instances we are just dealing with symptoms.
Unfortunately however, if we only address symptoms and don’t allow God to access the source, we’ve still got problems!
James say the source is in you and I, namely our malignant desires.
James first ask a question.
Where do wars and fighting or brawling come from?
Beloved, this is significant.
You see we must understand that in order to adequately deal with any problem, in order to sufficiently confront it, we must address its source.
Yes, we can make our statements, we can shake hands and say it won’t happen again, we can say she said this and he said that.
The truth is in those instances we are just dealing with symptoms.
Unfortunately however, if we only address symptoms and don’t allow God to access the source, we’ve still got problems!
James say the source is in you and I, namely our malignant deires
Malignant Desires
The word James uses is transliterated “lust.”
The word articulates a hedonistic mindset.
This means the person described here is one who is consumed with his own pleasure.
Don’t get it twisted, although many times our minds run there, this is not limited to sexual fulfilment.
This is pleasure is all inclusive.
It’s anything that caters to self even when it’s caustic to others.
Watch it, this mindset is consumed with comforting the flesh even if it corrodes the soul.
Consequently, there is an internal war that James describes.
Remember James is speaking to Christians.
He is confident that they know what is right, even if they are not doing what is right.
Essentially, there can be no war unless they know what’s right.
So the battle is between the selfish desires and spiritual desires.
This battle is described in .
Paul says, the spirit and the flesh stand in opposition.
The flesh wars against the spirit and the spirit fights against the flesh.
spirit- reconcile flesh -retaliate
spirit -release flesh -remember
spirit -family flesh -enemy
spirit -Savior flesh- self
But it is when the flesh begins to dominate the war internally, that the malignant desire overflows and leads to fighting externally.
Malicious Methods
Notice the nature of the interaction of those whom James characterizes as lustful.
Here he uses another word, suggesting a fixation on something.
Watch it, possessions, position, prestige, or praise -its definitely personal.
The evidence is seen in the methods, which is the focus of this verse.
Watch the method of obtaining their desire.
The method is anything but godly.
He points out wicked and futile attempts to secure the desire of their fixation.
He says they covet, fight and murder (2).
Although, this murder is probably not literal, this strong language is used to characterize the intensity and gravity of this conflict.
It highlights hostility, manipulation, division and dissension.
Clearly, this kind of attitude has a focus on the individual will rather than the church’s collective well-being.
We see assassination, attacks; we know there is anguish.
Beloved, this kind of posture is ungodly.
Why you ask, because it minimizes relationship, with God and one another.
We can’t have relationship with God and sever our relationship with one another.
The word of God, instructs us to “be kindly affectioned on to another.
“
attacks -no affection
anguish inflicted on one another -no affection
assassination -affection
The word says “continue in brotherly love.”
These malicious methods toward our brothers and sisters, again, don’t reflect God.
Perhaps the most glaring point of godlessness is that this individual does not seek God at all.
James says you ask not!
This helps our understanding.
The reason our communication with one another is broken, is because our communication with God is broken.
Prayer is how we access God.
We talk to the Lord through prayer.
We receive our power through prayer.
We are enabled by God’s Spirit through prayer.
We can do nothing without prayer because we can’t access Christ without prayer.
When we forfeit prayer we forfeit Christ.
It’s a sad Christian, who tries to do anything without Christ.
Alicia Keys had it right when she said, i ain’t nothin’ without you.
Take Christ out Christian… All we’re left with is our methods and James teaches us, they become malicious.
I hear you though, you say I’m not like that, I’m praying...
Misaligned Prayers
James says you might be praying, but you’re not praying right! the Lord says we’re asking amiss.
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