COMMISSION OF SLANDEROUS SELF-SUFFICIENCY

CHRISTIAN ACTIONS PT 2

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."

Who said this?

When was this said?

1863 – Abraham Lincoln – not much has changed 158 years.

As Americans we tend to love to reap God’s bounty but not submit to His Will or give Him credit or recognization.

We rarely seek Him until an emergency arrives - but what does James say about this?

Let us Pray!

Christian Actions

James 4:11–17

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?

Boasting About Tomorrow

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. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

I. A SELF-CENTERED LIFE PRODUCES SLANDER—vv. 11–12

Human pride leads to insulting and unnecessary criticism of others

Pride also causes a lack of humility – something we as Christians should be full of

1. Judging—v. 11. When we speak against other Christians, we speak against God.

Speaking evil of others – slander – is critical speech intended to inflame and incite others against the person being criticized. Talking behind their backs, against them, especially fellow believers, contradicts the life we are called to live.

Live like Christ – allow Christ to live through us – guided by the Holy Spirit

2. Judge—v. 12. There is one judge. Allow God to be the judge. Do not judge others!

Jesus quotes Leviticus 19 when He says to love your neighbor – we cannot love and slander – in slandering we are judging – there is one law and one law giver so there is one judge to law.

When you judge someone else you are not keeping the law you are judging

James clearly reminds us – there is one lawgiver and one judge – and only the one who can save and destroy has the ability to sit in the judgement seat.

Keep in mind – this is talking about judging the person –

Calling a sin a sin is not judging – there is a difference – we are called to hold each other accountable – but holding someone accountable happens in person, with the person – not behind their back.

When we identify sin - The world says you can’t judge me – but it goes back to the poorness of the English language – like having one word for love and now one word judge –

Holding believers accountable – loving our neighbor thus living out the law – is not judgement here – we need other words to describe what we are called to do because the Word of God is perfect – there is no contradictions in His word.

Not only does living a self-center life lead to slander – it ultimately leads to people ignoring God’s will.

II. A SELF-CENTERED LIFE PRODUCES PEOPLE WHO IGNORE GOD’S WILL —vv. 13–17

We must – if we call ourselves Christians – commit to discover and know the will of God then implement the will of God in our lives as we make plans. His will should be the guiding factor in our planning for our future.

1. A rebuke of a self-sufficient attitude

Shortness of life—vv. 13–14 Life is short. It soon fades away.

So we cannot have a self-sufficient attitude –

Wealth should never be our goal – God’s will should be

James is not wealth is bad – capitalism is bad – just should not be our goal – trust God not self

And James is not saying don’t plan for the future – Dave Ramsey’s is not anti-James, anti-Biblical – James is not saying don’t buy life insurance – don’t make plans for the future – but seek His will for your future

We must acknowledge God’s sovereignty and providence

Proverbs 27:1 warns us – Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring.

Job 7:7, 9, 16 – “Remember that my life is a breath;

my eye will never again see good. As the cloud fades and vanishes,

so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath

Psalm 39:5-6 says – Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

James warns us of aspects of life we often ignore –

1. We have no knowledge of the future – yet we act as if we will be completely secure tomorrow and next year

2. We never know when our breathe will be taken – and that in fact life is short – like a mist

Facts –

We are busy

We need to plan to accomplish what needs to be done

We have goals and dreams for ourselves, families, job, church etc

None are bad – unless it all comes before God

Paul several times in Romans, ACTS, Corinthians says I plan to come back to you – if the Lord wills, if God permits

A description of right attitude – v 15. Do not waste it!

Verse 15 – Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

2. An explanation of the present evil attitude

a. Sinful life—v. 16. Do not boast of life, since it is God who gives life!

The root of the problem James is addressing is arrogance – we boast and brag about how intelligent, how talented, how eloquent we are which in simple terms states how independent we are from God.

Paul always pointed everything back to God – when we point to ourselves we are basically saying look at what I did despite God

1 John 2:16-17 states 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.

James reminds us all such boasting is evil

b. Slackness of life—v. 17. Knowing something is right, but not doing it, is sin! You may commit sin by omission and by commission.

There is no delay in doing God’s will – Proverbs 3:27-28 reminds us Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.

As Christians we tend to think of sin as what we do – commission – but James reminds us it is also in what we do not do – omission.

Its easy to confess our sins of commission – we know we did it , we know it was wrong, so we confess – what about sins of omission. Therefore whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it – for you – you who call yourself a Christian – a follower of Christ – that is sin as well.

Remember when the Holy Spirit prompted you to do _______________and you ignored Him and didn’t do it – yeah that’s a sin too!

Principles

• Only God has the ability to judge and evaluate our motives.

• Seeking the will of God must be the goal of our personal planning.

• We must beware of sins of omission as well as those of commission.

Applications

• Don’t slander other believers, for in so doing you set yourself above God’s laws.

• Be concerned not only about what you do but also about what you fail to do.

God wants all of us to live our lives with a conscious commitment to follow Him – follow His Will – trust in His plan!

Are you God-reliant or self-sufficient?

What sin of omission have you not confessed to God?

As we close – let’s just be very clear –

Difference between judging other Christians and holding them accountable to their faith

Slander, gossip, unnecessary criticism have no place in the life and hearts of Christ followers

Need to be fully reliant on God

Sins of omission are just as powerful as sins of commission

Let us pray