Honor One Another
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Intro:
Intro:
On December 17th, 1903 on a frigid morning with gusting winds whipping the sandy beach, history was made as man’s fevered imaginings became an incredible reality. Orville Wright became the first man to achieve successful powered and controlled flight. It was an accomplishment that earned Orville and his brother Wilbur a prominent place among the greatest human inventors of all time and an honored position in the history of mankind.
And yet things were almost very different. Just days before, on December 8th, 1903 the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, Samuel Langely who was himself an inventor and aeronautical enthusiast, attempted to fly a plane of his own design, which crashed immediately upon take off. To the day of his death three years later, Langely would insist that his plane was capable of flight and that it was the launching mechanism that had failed, and that therefore he was in fact the one that had designed the first flying machine. Except of course, it had not flown.
And yet history was almost rewritten on that very point, as Langely was succeeded as the Secretary of the Smithsonian by his friend Charles Walcott who also had a personal animus toward the Wright brothers. Consequently, Walcott refused to display the Wright brother’s plane at the Smithsonian, and instead had his friend Langely’s plane put back together to undergo another test flight to prove it had been the first machine capable of flight. But secretly, modifications were made to this plane similar to the Wright brother’s design, and after a successful and public flight test, it was reconfigured back to the original Langely design for display at the Smithsonian so that no one would be the wiser—but of course this ruse was eventually uncovered for the scandal it was. All of this time and effort, all of this deceit and manipulation for the sake of stealing the prestige, fame, and honor from someone else.
We can hardly be surprised. Ruthless pursuit of fame, honor and glory at the expense of others is the selfish ambition of sinful man, it is a hallmark trait of a fallen world. But these things are not to be true of the people of God. The only thing at which we are to outdo others is in showing honor to one another. And it is this counter-cultural command that we will be looking at this morning.
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Pray
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Continued One Another series
this morning “what does it mean to honor one another”
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
straightforward text
cuts against the grain of our fallen natures
my prayer throughout the week: we would have ears to hear and eyes to see, that we would be convicted of our sinfulness that we would live among one another well before a watching world
this text and this message is not about moralism
It is about the people of God living in the will of God for the glory of God
It is about the people of God living in the will of God for the glory of God
Where we are going:
Principle—>Problem—>Pattern
James: An Introduction and Commentary c. Evil Passions Are the Source of Dissensions (4:1–3)
The seventeenth-century Jewish philosopher Spinoza observed: ‘I have often wondered that persons who make boast of professing the Christian religion—namely love, joy, peace, temperance, and charity to all men—should quarrel with such rancorous animosity, and display daily towards one another such bitter hatred, that this, rather than the virtues which they profess, is the readiest criteria of their faith.’
The Principle
The Principle
Context
Chapters 1-11 are theology heavy
Theology—>doxology
Paul has developed significant doctrinal themes
the nature of grace and justification through faith
the preserving love of God for the saints
the sovereignty of God in salvation
the spread of the gospel to the gentiles
Orthodoxy—>orthopraxy
Theology—>doxology
>Now the question becomes “how shall we then live?”
—>Principally (not exclusively) in chapter 12, Paul is focused on how we live together as God’s people, how we relate to one another, in light of these great truths he has been proclaiming.
We are to be living sacrifices
God does not require from us a blood sacrifice, a sacrifice of death to appease his wrath—that has already been accomplished
God desires the sacrifice of lives lived for His glory
What does that mean?
that means that what we do with ourselves, with our bodies, our hearts our minds and with our souls mattes—eternally matters
it means that what we treasure with our affections, what we undertake with our actions, what we intended by our motivations matters.
it means absolutely that the way we live in relation to one another as the called out people of God matters.
We are to be people of transformed minds.
>There are numerous ways that Paul lays out we are to accomplish this but this morning our focus is on two key elements in verse 10. Loving one another with brotherly affection and honoring one another.
3. We are not to think of ourselves more highly then we ought
4. We are to love one another with brotherly love and give honor to one another.
>We don’t do this naturally, even as Christians
>anyone who has even a superficial knowledge of churches knows how often they are characterized by proud, arrogant, hypocritical, self-serving, self-interested people.
James: An Introduction and Commentary c. Evil Passions Are the Source of Dissensions (4:1–3)
The seventeenth-century Jewish philosopher Spinoza observed: ‘I have often wondered that persons who make boast of professing the Christian religion—namely love, joy, peace, temperance, and charity to all men—should quarrel with such rancorous animosity, and display daily towards one another such bitter hatred, that this, rather than the virtues which they profess, is the readiest criteria of their faith.’
The Problem
The Problem
Story of Narcissus
> we live in a self-obsessed world as self-absorbed people
Consider social media—a platform often used for self promotion, glamour shots, and social influence
The problem is that we are lovers of self rather then those that love one another, and we fight for our own honor, prestige, recognition and rights, rather then submitting those things to our brothers and sisters in honor.
we pursue our desires
we indulge our needs
we pursue our fame
we protect our rights
—>This is hardly surprising—we are born idolators whose chief idol is the self!
pride is the noxious fruit of an idolatrous heart!
we think of ourselves more highly than we ought when we are engaged in self-worship.
when we engage in this idolatrous self-worship by allowing sinful desires to reign and rule in our lives, it creates strife among us, not unity and affection
James 4:1-2
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 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.
—> Story of James and John
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They said to Him, “We are able.”
So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
James and John come with a BIG ask (their setup lacks some subtly)
They treat Christ as a monarch—it was common for kings and rulers to grant these “name your price” favors—in fact that mistake forced Herod (“even half my kingdom” to the dancing girl) to behead the popular John the Baptist
Jesus does not give that same blank check to James and John
Jesus asks these men “what do you want Me to do for you?”
what an unbelievable opportunity!
this same question will be asked in a few verses of blind Bartimaeus
Bartimaeus in faith asks for sight from the one who has come to open blind eyes and hearing to deaf ears
James and John ask for fame and recognition
The ask: “let us sit on your right and left hand in your glory” (Jesus has just addressed this issues in ch. 9!)
they still don’t understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom
they are awaiting the overthrow of Rome
They are not interested in brotherly love or outdoing in giving honor—they want to reserve the place of honor, recognition and authority for themselves!
how many disciples are there? 12—their requests comes at the exclusion of the other 10
and while we may not hold this against them due to their underdeveloped theology regarding Christ’s coming kingdom, their question would also exclude the likes of Abraham, Moses, David, and Elijah.
they failed to do what Paul warns us of in —not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought!
>in fact, in the next verse in Paul says that we should instead think soberly!
-the implication is that self-centered, prideful thinking is delusional because it is idolatrous thinking
-failure to see ourselves rightly in relation to God means that we will also fail to see ourselves rightly in relation to those made in His image!
Jesus responds: the cup and baptism
How has pride
They anticipate the cup of blessing ()
Christ awaits the cup of suffering
The disciples reaction: indignation
The warning of —quarrels and fights
This is the heart of Paul’s warning in
Christ’s response: you are to be different
Before we look at James and John too critically, ask yourself how well you love your family in Christ with brotherly love, and how well you show honor to others in this fellowship.
>Are we not ready to take offense when others receive the recognition we think we deserve
>Are we not ready to fight for our rights and privileges rather then cede them to others?
>Don’t we create and defend our own little kingdoms from one another “my ministry, my Sunday school class, my preferred style of worship, my regular seat, my parking spot, my time.”
>If we are completely honest, don’t we make it a hobby to compare ourselves with one another to see “which is the greatest”
>When I examine my own heart I am often far more inclined to fight for positions of honor then I am prepared to give honor to others, and that is wrong.
The Pattern
The Pattern
Putting off the pattern of the world and putting on the mind of Christ
Who is Jesus?
the image of the invisible God
the firstborn over all creation
the head of the church
the Logos by whom the worlds were created and through whose power they are sustained
the one to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given
the possessor of the name at whose utterance all knees bow and all tongues confess his absolute Lordship
And it is this Jesus
who we find washing his disciples feet
who wanders without home or wordly comfort
who divests himself of heavens glories to take into himself all human trouble
who is the suffering servant, who we did not esteem but was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief
and it is this Jesus, friend of sinners, savior of the world, who hangs naked and friendless on the tree of humiliation and crucifixion.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
—>Being the disciple of Jesus Christ means taking up his cross and that you, the sinner, must daily die to self that you may live to God—and that must radically change the way you live toward others.
—> You are no longer a priest at the temple of your own self-worship, bringing sacrifices to offer on the altar of your own pride and ego for your glory!
—>you are now a priest to the most high God and your life is a living sacrifice of praise for His glory!
—>—>SO THAT we may stand forth from the world as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light.
It is about the people of God living in the will of God for the glory of God
Why does this matter?
For the sake of the world and the glory of God we must be a people of radical distinctiveness.
For the health of this church we must be a people obedient to the word.
Unity is a dominant NT theme
Christ asks the father for a supernatural, otherworldly unity for his disciples
What God has joined together let no man separate
