CHRISTIAN ACTIONS

SELF-CENTEREDNESS

In the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy, the guy who does “You might be a Redneck if…” is this useful list, “You might be selfish if...” So, just listen, and you judge whether or not this sounds like you. If so, you might be selfish.

You might be selfish if…

• You have a genuinely difficult time letting someone else have the remote control

• You pick up the last piece of chicken, take a bite out of it, hold it up and say, “Did anybody want this?”

• You know all the words to Frank Sinatra or a remix of the song “I Did It My Way.”

• You start conversations with your spouse – Don’t you agree that we should…

• You rush to be the first in line at a buffet or pot luck

• You get mad when things don’t go your way

• You buy yourself a gift when shopping for others

• You tell your spouse how much you saved instead of how much you spent

• You get home from the store saying, hey look what I got

• You’re a baby, a toddler, a preadolescent, a teenager, or any male or female over 20.

One of the most famous lines of the 19th century naturalist Henry David Thoreau was "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." – Commenting on Thoreau’s defense of his personal oddities, Bible teacher H.A. Ironside said, "The Christian may well say this. If our inner ears have been attuned to the music of the heavens, we hear the drumbeat of the skies. Therefore, we must of very necessity seem to the world to be out of step with all that goes on down here which is contrary to the Holy Spirit who dwells within us."

Dennis Davidson said this about HA Ironside’s comment regarding HD Thoreau’s statement. Sad to say, it is sometimes impossible to distinguish those who call themselves Christians from those who don’t. They think, speak, and act like the average non-Christian. On the other hand, believers who are filled with the Spirit will not feel at home with the world’s philosophies and practices. They will resist conformity to its unholy standards, even though such a position is unpopular and may cause them to be ridiculed. They realize that as citizens of heaven, they are in the world but not of the world. They show by their conduct and attitudes the truth of that beloved old spiritual, "This world is not my home, I’m just a-passin’ through." They march to a different drummer.

Christians, we are told to walk just as Christ walked (1 John 2:6 – whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked). If we are walking "in step" with the world, we’re "out of step" with heaven. He who walks with God will be out of step with the world.

James warns us – we face 5 dangers living without God – a stagnate and suppressed prayer life, a friend of the world which makes us an enemy of God, this leads to neglecting God, persecuting other believers, and life plan without seeking God’s input.

Let’s look at James 4:1-10 regrading Christian Actions and why Christians don’t stand out in this world.

Let us pray!

Christian Actions

James 4:1–10

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. 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.” 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.

God desires us to live with a conscious commitment to follow His divine will and make our own desires the chief goal of our prayers.

I. A SELF-CENTERED LIFE STIFLES PRAYER – vv. 1–2

1. Actions—v. 1. Wars and arguments come as the result of sinful lusts.

Compare with James 1:14, 15.

Ch 4 says – 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.

Ch 1 said – But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

The Greek word for desires is translated to English as hedonism – pleasure is the highest good, fully devoted to pleasure –

Our sinful desires – our dedication to our desires, personal goals is what cause fights, quarrels, disorder

Fighting and causing division with fellow believers!

2. Attitudes—v. 2. Wrong attitudes separate from God. Lust leads to greed, hate, wars and murder.

When your desires are outside the Will of God – you are technically separated from God

Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:1 – 4 to pray “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”

You desire and don’t have so you hate, your jealousy causes rage so you kill

3. Asking—v. 3. Asking wrong. Using it on own lusts.

As Americans we tend to ask for wants and desires and not needs – and a lot of needs that don’t align with God –

Psalm 34:15 – 16 – 15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil

1 John 3:22 – 23 – 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

1 John 5:14 – 15 – 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Matthew 6:33 – But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Are we asking according to His Will or our own personal desires?

God demands complete loyalty from His believers, His children and He provides the grace and mercy to achieve it – but we must desire it and not separation from Him.

Not only does a self-centered life stifle prayer, but a self-centered life displeases God.

II. A SELF-CENTERED LIFE DISPLEASES GOD —vv. 4–5

You adulterous people – you have cheated on your first love – God and are having an affair with the enemy – the world!

1. World—v. 4. Friend of the world, an enemy of God! The world opposes God, church and the Bible.

1 John 2:15 – 17 – 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Who are you trying to impress – who are you trying to get attention from?

2. Wrong—v. 5. Lust leads to hatred. Hatred leads to murder. Hatred equal to murder (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).

III. A SELF-CENTERED LIFE DEMANDS REPENTANCE —vv. 6–10

As believers we should submit to God but when we don’t James reminds us how to – 4 things we need to do!

1. Proud—v. 6. God resists the proud. Pride is sin.

1 Peter 5:5-6 – 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you

James outlines 4 ways to repent and follow -

2. Persistence—v. 7.

a. Submit to God – is God your pilot or co-pilot? When we recognize that He is greater and His will is better, more worthy, more honorable

b. Resist the devil – stand your ground – give no footing to the enemy! Refuse to surrender to the impulses of sin and he will flee from you

Remember Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6:11 -the full armor of God.

3. Purity—v. 8. Draw near to God, cleanse your hands, purify your hearts.

Approach God in worship and commitment – the more we develop a heart of worship the more we know of His strength and power and guidance

Cleanse your hands – get rid of all filth – morally upright – keep yourself from compromising and sinful situations

Purify your hearts – desire a heart of God, for God, after God

Psalm 24:3-5 – Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation

Don’t continue to double-minded – you can’t chase after the World and follow God – they are going in opposite directions

4. Personal—vv. 9–10. Being broken hearted. Humble self, God will lift us up!

Finally – the call to repentance – open repentance.

Be wretched – be broken hearted

Mourn and weep

Take this seriously – not light-hearted

Humble yourself before God

1 Peter 5:6 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you

Matthew 23:12 – 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Principles

• We sometimes scheme and fight to obtain what God would give us if we would only ask.

• God yearns for us to give him our undivided allegiance.

• God exalts those who humble themselves before him.

Applications

• Don’t ask with wrong motives, or you will not get your requests from God.

• Seek grace from God to love him with your whole heart.

• Resist temptation, and God will enable you to overcome it.

Who are you trying to impress and get attention from? Who do you desire to have a deeper relationship with, those of this world or God?

When we pray, are we asking according to His Will or our own personal desires?

Do we allow Him to guide or do we demand that He follow?

Do you seen not to be receiving answers from God? What do you think is missing? What will you do about it?

Remember that there are two types of sin – sins of commission – what you do and sins of omission – what you don’t do. Has God brought to mind sins of omission? What are you willing to start do?