7. Finding Peace Where Conflict Abounds
Notes
Transcript
Welcome to part seven of our sermon series, All Day, Everyday. In this series we are learning how to live a life of faithfully following Jesus, in every area of our lives.
Peace is hard to find, isn’t it? It seems like there is always some type of war or conflict happening somewhere in the world.
War or conflict has always been a constant on our planet. Sadly, most wars are fought over petty or insignificant things. Take for example the The War of the Whiskers. A war between France and England that started in 1152.
It all started when bearded King Louis VII of France was married to Eleanor, daughter of a French duke, he received a dowry of 2 provinces in southern France. Coming home from the Crusades, King Louis VII shaved off his beard. Wife Eleanor said he was ugly without beard. He refused to grow whiskers back. Eleanor divorced him, married King Henry II of England, demanded return of her dowry of 2 provinces for new husband. King Louis would not release them. King Henry declared war to regain dowry by force. The war raged 301 years. Peace declared in 1453, after Battle of Rouen.
That’s just one of countless wars that started over trivial and petty incidents. We could talk about “The War of the Oaken Bucket” or “The War of Jenkins’ Ear” just to name a couple…or we could talk about the silly argument you had with your spouse or co-worker just this last week. But as we all know, this conflict goes even deeper then personal relationships. There are times we feel like we are at war with ourselves over things that we have done, mistake we have made. Or we may feel like we are at war with the culture that surrounds us. It flows in one direction and we are called to live in a completely different way…so we find ourselves torn at odds with how to live. We even use the word “conflicted” when it comes to how we are to live life in our current surroundings. We could even say that there are times when we feel like there is conflict between ourselves and God. Maybe it’s over things we have done, a mistake made, something disobedient we have done…and it feels like we are at odds.
So here’s the question:
As a Christian, how am I supposed to live a life of peace, when conflict surrounds me?
Is that even possible? As a Christian, is it a goal to live as a person of peace in this world? Well…let’s take a look and see. If you have a Bible or device, find James 3. If you don’t have a Bible, you can follow along with the verses on the screen.
James 3:17–18 (NIV)
17 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. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Followers of King Jesus, who live as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are to live as peacemakers…who in turn bring peace.
So we are to be people of peace in a world of conflict. How is that supposed to work? Let’s take a look at how James breaks down the different conflicts we face.
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
Now, jump down to verses 11 and 12. We are going to bundle them together.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
We Experience Conflict with each other
James points out not only here, but throughout this letter, the amount of negative conflict that takes place between Christians. When we talk about the church, we are truly talking about an outlier when it comes to the amount of diversity that can be represented in it. The diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, philosophies, not to mention socio-economic situations. All of these differences find oneness in Jesus. However, living together in community is a completely different story! Our differences have a tendency to leak out. We say and do things that hurt others. Some of our deepest wounds and current hurts come from the people in the church.
However, it’s not just in the church. It can be in our own families, even our marriages. We live with tension. Unresolved conflict, and even building resentment with those we live with every day. Do you feel conflict in your personal relationships?
James gives a helpful starting point for resolving that conflict: Look at the first part of verse 12: “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge” and it’s not you. Of course there is going to be conflict in your relationships if you are acting as judge, jury and executioner. According to James, that’s not your job.
What is our job? We are to be peacemakers who sow in peace. How do we become that? For starters, take off your judge hat. Let’s keep reading.
Here’s another area of conflict.
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
We Experience Conflict with ourselves. Have you ever felt conflicted? It’s a word we use to describe when we are torn between options or situations. Every single one of us has desires and motivations that we have to sort through to see which ones are worth pursuing. There can literally feel like there is a war raging inside of us. The apostle Paul puts it this way:
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Take bodies that are easily tempted. Put them in a culture which encourages the pursuit of any and every desire or motivation. It’s not hard to see why feel conflict with ourselves. Think about it for a moment. We live in a culture which encourages us to pursue each and every desire or motivation. Happiness is found in buying what we want, even if we can’t afford it. Joy is found is hooking up with whoever we want, even if we aren’t married to them. Your true purpose is found in pursuing the right career, profession, degree, or reaching a certain financial class. We could talk about appearance, relationships or even entertainment or finding approval on social media.
If left unchecked, our desires and motives will lead us in a pursuit of all these things…and in so doing, create conflict in our relationships. Think of how your unhealthy pursuit of desires, brought conflict into other areas of your life. Your unhealthy pursuit of more money or status, brought conflict to your marriage or family relationships. Your unhealthy pursuit of acceptance created a strain on your other relationships. Your unhealthy desire for a relationship ruined other relationships.
Unchecked, unfiltered desires and motives will create conflict with yourself and others. So how can we find peace?
Here’s one last area of conflict.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
We Experience Conflict with God. James uses very strong language here to drive home the point. He uses the phrase “adulterous people”. Throughout the Bible, God’s people are described as being in a covenant relationship with him. This is true of God’s covenant relationship with Israel at Mount Sinai, and it’s also true of our covenant relationship with God through Jesus. Another way to understand a covenant is to think of marriage. Marriage is a covenant relationship between a husband and a wife. Vows and promises are exchanged. To break that covenant is adultery.
James simply says, that to pursue friendship with the world or culture is to live as adulterous people. Think of it this way. If you are married, yet your spouse keeps boyfriends or girlfriends on the side…or your spouse wants to live as though they are single do you really have a marriage? Is your spouse your friend or your enemy?
God’s call for his people is to live differently…to live set apart or holy. We are called to live a life that looks like Jesus. This is where the conflict happens. It’s hard to do this. We will always feel the tension and conflict. In many cases we will fall short of living as God’s people. However, James is quick to point out that God is jealous for us. He always longs for his people, that’s why he gives us his spirit…and why he continues to extend to us grace upon grace…if we continue to humbly seek him even when we break our end of the covenant.
James, makes it very clear…the conflict in our lives as Christians, is very real! So, how can we begin to resolve conflict and seek a life of peace? James has a solution:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
The Pathway to Peace Starts by Submitting to God. This means to come under God’s authority. Submit to him as the authority for your life. What’s interesting is that James is writing to Christians. What he is acknowledging is that there are many times we live lives as Christians which don’t come under the authority of God. Those are the moments we will most likely experience the greatest amount of conflict. However a life lived in submission to God is a life of peace. Or as the apostle Paul writes in Philippians.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So how does a Christian submit to God? James gives some very practical ways:
Resist the devil. Our enemy, the devil is going to tempt us to pursue ungodly desires. So every desire does not need to be pursued. We need to discern godly desires, and evil desires…and those desires which are going to pull us away from our submission to God and into conflict, we need to resist. Simply put, to avoid conflict and live in peace, we must resist. We must be engaged. We must be thinking. GK Chesterton says it this way: “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” We’ve been made alive in Jesus so we can resist evil desires and instead pursue what is good, holy and right.
Draw Near to God - Make a daily habit of creating space in your life to connect with God. This could be a regular time of prayer. Pausing to read, study or memorize Scripture. Maybe it’s a time of being still and listening to worship music. It’s amazing how often we can blow through day after day, not even stopping to acknowledge the work of God in our lives…and we wonder why our lives feel like one big conflict. Create space for God to bring peace into your life.
Wash Your Hands & Purify Your Hearts - If we have broken our covenant with God, we need to acknowledge the sin, repent of it, and confess it before God. One of the ways we do this weekly is through our time of sharing in the Lord’s Supper. This is specifically designed for you to remember your covenant relationship with Jesus, acknowledge your sin, and confess it to him. Confession of our sin is a specific spiritual discipline that moves our lives from conflict to peace. In just a few minutes we will share in it together as a church family.
Humble Yourself. If there is one theme which echos throughout all of Scripture it’s this: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. You find it in the proverbs, you find it even from the lips of Jesus. A life of humility towards God is submitting to him and his authority. However, a life of stubborn arrogance and pride will always lead to conflict. A humble heart will always submit to God.
If I could summarize what James is teaching I would put it this way: If we obediently submit our lives to God, our conflicts will diminish and our peace will increase.
When I write my sermon each week, one of the thing I like to do is put on some jazz music in the background while I write. There’s something about the rhythms, flow and feel of jazz music that is conducive for writing. It find it relaxing, yet energetic. It’s good for getting a solid writing flow going. It gives me a peaceful, easy feeling while I listen.
What most people know jazz for is it’s improvisation. Where a musician picks up their instrument and in an almost random fashion plays a solo or riffs for a while along with the band. If I was to pick up an instrument and start playing random notes, it would not only be chaotic, it might cause some conflict.
According to theologian Steven R. Guthrie, John Coltrane is one of a handful of musicians (including other greats like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis) who defined jazz music. But Coltrane's musical creativity and excellence didn't just happen; he became an outstanding musician only by submitting himself to a long process of practice and apprenticeship.
As a teenager he would practice for hours and hours. He memorized and practiced all the scales and patterns. He attended every class he possible could.
For decades [he] dedicated himself to learning and internalizing the styles of older and established jazz musicians. For nine years, from 1946 to 1955, Coltrane was "an anonymous journeyman," working as a supporting musician in the bands of more established musicians.
Steven Guthrie comments:
Coltrane developed his voice by surrendering to another. Before he could speak on his own, he first gave himself to repeating again and again the things Monk had said …. The paradox of artistry is that the loss of self is the prerequisite for self-expression. And, conversely, the object of mastering another's voice is finding one's own.
If beautiful, artistic, and peace giving jazz music is a result of submitting to a master and relentless years of practice, it’s not too hard to see that a life of growing peace only happens when we submit our lives to God.
If we obediently submit our lives to God, our conflicts will diminish and our peace will increase.