Who Wants to Fight?

Introduction

Good evening and welcome back!

Tonight if you will start turning in your Bibles back to James 3.

We are going to pick up where we left off this morning and then move through the rest of chapter 3 and the very few verses that begin in chapter 2.

And just as a short refresher, this morning we talked about “tongues of fire,” and not talking about the good kind that we see in Acts 2.

No, we were talking about tongues that were on fire with the flames of hell raging in them.

Tongues that were out of control and tongues that did nothing but damage and ruin a person and by extension a church’s witness for Jesus Christ.

And we concluded with the fact that without the Holy Spirit leading, guiding, and directing us, there is no way we can ever “tame the tongue.”

We lack within ourselves and within our flesh the ability to fully control even our own tongue.

And the reason behind that is because the way we act, apart from God is just our nature.

Our way.

The way we function.

And God allows us to overcome and rise above our nature.

But that only happens when we relinquish control to the Holy Spirit.

When we let the Holy Spirit truly transform us as Paul puts it.

But again, that, like any amount of Spiritual growth or even Spiritual discipline has to be voluntary.

We have to voluntarily give ourselves to the Holy Spirit in order for the Holy Spirit to work.

So, let’s assume we have done that.

We have made that choice and are trying to live the best we can under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.

Then, what’s next?

What should we be striving for?

What should we be seeking?

And there are many things we can seek and should seek, but there is one in particular that James keys in on and speaks about specifically.

And that one thing is wisdom.

But even with that, not all wisdom is equal.

And not all wisdom should be sought after.

And James in the end of chapter 3 is going to expose us to the two kinds of wisdom and then in the beginning part of chapter 4, he is going to address another major issue for the church.

That being quarrelling and fighting amongst themselves.

So, with that said, lets get right into it.

Starting in James 3, verse 13.

He writes . . . .

Scripture Focus

James 3:13–18 NIV - Anglicised

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Who Is Wise

So, right off the bat, James asks us the question of the hour . . .

James 3:13 NIV - Anglicised

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

In other words, he’s asking us to look around see who we think is the wisest among us.

Who in our lives would we consider “wise?”

And I’m not talking about being “smart” because remember from a few weeks ago, there is a difference between being smart and being wise.

James is looking to us to look within ourselves and discern who we would consider wise.

And to each of us that will look slightly different.

But think about it, what are some of the qualities of the wise?

Quick to listen

Slow to speak

Slow to become angry

Just like what James has already shared with us.

And once we come to the conclusion and have those in mind that we consider wise, now we have to see how they measure up.

James finishes that verse by saying, let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.

And James is not just telling us that so that we can compare those we consider wise with how good they stack up or not.

James is telling us this so that we also may strive to exhibit and express the same behavior.

If we want to be wise, then we need to:

Live a good life-a life given over to God, led by the Holy Spirit.

Do our good deeds in humility-do it because you love God and not to be recognized.

Do all things out of wisdom-out of a place where you are listening and responding to God and not others.

If we can manage to do that, then we are well on our way to a life of wisdom and service to God.

But that is difficult because our flesh and our self gets in the way.

That internal war is going to rage right on and we have to be active in the fight.

And when things start to get a bit out of whack, then we start to exhibit what is called “wordly wisdom.”

James explains . . .

James 3:14–16 NIV - Anglicised

But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

And that, unfortunately is the attitude of the world that has wormed its way into many churches.

People seek after their own selfish ambition, trying to lift themselves up.

Paul says they “think of themselves more highly than they ought.”

And as part of that selfish pursuit, they become bitter with envy toward others who have achieved what they are after.

And they will do whatever they can to make themselves look good, regardless of whether it is fake or not.

And that is the fakeness we see in the world.

And honestly, it is that attitude that many today turn to the Church to get away from.

People are turning to the Church because they are looking for something true and something real in a world of lies and deception.

In the world of disorder and chaos, ruled by the attitude of the week, people are seeking order, acceptance, love.

And all of those things are what the Church is supposed to be.

But what happens is that if we are not very careful and very diligent about it, we allow the this worldly attitude, this “wordly wisdom,” that stands in direct opposition of God, to worm its way into our Churches.

And people end up finding the same things in the Church that they found outside the Church that they were trying to get away from.

And because of that, they become disheartened and leave the Church, searching for what they are looking for somewhere else.

And James plainly tells us that . . .

James 3:15 NIV - Anglicised

Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

Its of the devil and all it is, is more lies and deception of the devil.

And we, as the Church have to be able to recognize and discern what is really going on.

What is really of God and what is really of the flesh and of Satan.

Because the flesh is very deceptive.

We want what we want and if we do not have the self-control offered by the Holy Spirit, we don’t stand a chance.

But James goes on here and tells us . . .

James 3:17–18 NIV - Anglicised

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Do we see here the contrast between wordly wisdom and wisdom from God?

Heavenly or God given wisdom is:

Pure

Peace-loving

Considerate

Submissive (to God and to one another)

Full of mercy

Full of good fruit

Impartial (not playing favorites like we have already talked about)

Sincere

And if want a roadmap as to what real and true wisdom looks like, here it is.

This is how we actually discern things.

And this is what we should be seeking after.

And how do we obtain it?

Through the Holy Spirit and the power and influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

That is the only way.

In-Fighting

But what do you suppose would happen if the two types of wisdom collided with one another inside the Church?

Do you think one would just give in to the other and everybody would just go about their business?

If that were the case, all Churches would be full because there would be no internal conflicts and internal struggles.

And we know that this is not the case.

And this is exactly what James addresses next in the first part here of chapter 4.

He says this . . .

James 4:1 NIV - Anglicised

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

And there it is again.

Those internal battles, those internal struggles.

That war that wages inside of each one of us that drives us to do things at times that we don’t even understand what we are doing.

And as that war wages on, guess what, it spills out into our Churches as well.

That internal battle turns into battles between groups and factions inside the Church.

One group thinks one thing and another group thinks something else.

And the problem is, neither group is listening to God.

Neither group has the wisdom of heaven behind their decisions.

Both are being ruled by the flesh and by the wordly wisdom.

And the fight begins.

And it is driven by this . ..

James 4:2 NIV - Anglicised

You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.

We ask ourselves and determine what we want and not what God’s will is.

We seek after our own selfish ambitions and not God’s perfect will for us or our Churches.

We do not have because we do not ask God.

But wait there is much more.

Sometimes we wise up and think to ourselves, hmmmm…maybe we should pray and ask God for _______ (you fill in the blank).

And we think we are being all Spiritual and Godly and wise because we decided we should pray for it.

And notice I didn’t say pray ABOUT IT because we don’t do that.

We pray FOR IT.

But what’s the difference?

Everything.

Look at what James says in the next verse . . .

James 4:3 NIV - Anglicised

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

And there lies the difference between praying about something and praying for something.

When we pray about something we lift it up to God and ask for God’s wisdom and guidance.

When we pray for something we pray for God to give it to us, regardless of what it is.

And we have all done it—and I would venture that this is the default of how we pray many times.

We say, “Lord, this is what I want, give it to me.”

And it doesn’t matter if it is good/bad, right/wrong.

We want it because we want it.

Instead we should pray, “Lord, this is what I’m feeling, please reveal Your will to me.”

Or we could even say, “Lord, this is what I’m feeling, I think it’s right, I really am not sure, please reveal Your will and if it’s Your will, and if not, please help me find peace and understanding. Please Lord increase my faith so that I can trust You completely with all things.”

And we should learn to do this because God’s not going to grant us a wish like a genie in a bottle for things that we just want.

Especially when those things are not God’s will and when those things are not going to be good for us.

God protects us because sometimes we need to be protected from ourselves.

But when things are not going well and we are not getting our way, we become frustrated.

And the fighting ensues.

And we have to decide who will win God or the flesh?

Altar Service

And most if not all of us would say— “Well, we want God’s will,” and in our minds we do.

But what happens when God’s will doesn’t line up with what we want?

What do we do then?

That’s where it really matters.

Are we wise enough to discern God’s will?

Do we have the necessary trust in God to accept His will and His decisions?

Or do we continue to fight and scratch to achieve our own ambitions and desires, regardless of whether they are God’s will or not?

So, tonight as you pray, there may be things you have been hoping for, praying for.

Why not spend a few minutes asking God to reveal His will.

And asking Him to help you understand and accept His will whatever it may be.

Can we do that tonight?

Let’s pray . . .