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All Saints ChurchWest Ewell |
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SERMON NOTES & THEMES: July to November 2008
Don’t just believe it...do it! (James 2:14-26) Introduction This week I am off to NotWhit Camp, a gathering of Urban Saints groups from across Surrey for a long weekend camping in deepest Surrey. Many months ago now a core group met to outline what we saw this camp being like, and we all said yes to it, but it's only happening this week because we also committed to take action, plan practically and in detail. To see the vision actually happen. At my other job, JobCentre Plus have recently ‘encouraged’ me to read their latest vision of what they see as the future of the benefits system. It sounds rather wordy, rather glossy, rather visionary. I am not so confident all of it will turn out to be practical or ever get off the page. Read James (as I believe you have been) and you find it is a practical book. It gets down to the nitty gritty, and it touches some sensitive areas, practical teaching and encouragement that we all need as Christians. So what is James saying? Look at verses 14, 17-18, 26 Two types of people There are those who ‘claim to have faith’ but don’t do anything to show it (14) and there are those who show their faith by what they do (18). One is genuine faith says James, the other is not. Faith that isn’t faith The ‘untrue’ faith of v14 is woolly, intellectual assent or acceptance of belief in God. An intellectual faith of agreeing with certain Christian principles without letting them touch or affect the heart and then the hands. It stays in the head. It is easy to say ‘I believe’ but only saying it means nothing, eg how many call themselves ‘Christians’ but do nothing about it? It’s a label, a tradition, how they see themselves without true understanding. Head but no heart and hands. Only ONE true faith The genuine true faith of v18 is a committed and deeper understanding of what it means to trust in God, and that trust, that faith, results in good deeds, in doing good, in showing that faith in action. It is a Spirit filled faith, not merely lip service. Faith is dead without deeds Faith without deeds is like a dead body, says James (vv17 and 26). There is no life. James uses stark and blunt words to make his point. Faith should result in works. Don’t just say you believe it, really believe it and show it in the way you live and act. Look at verses 15-25 Four illustrations (can’t better these examples!) There are 2 negative illustrations (what true faith is not), and 2 positive illustrations(what true faith is). (1)brother in need, and (2) demons (both negative - what faith is not) (3) Abraham, and (4) Rahab (both positive - what true faith is). (1)Love for one another-practically shown Jesus’ command to us is: ‘Love each other as I have loved you’ (John 15:12). John also writes in his first epistle: ‘If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?’(1 John 3:17) James speaks about false faith. John speaks of false love. The message is the same. True faith transforms conduct as well as thoughts; if lives remain unchanged, what does that say of our so called faith? Faith in God’s grace brings us salvation; active obedience demonstrates that our faith is genuine. (2)Even demons believe in God Even demons believe in God (says James) but their deeds are far from godly, by definition. If you look at the gospel accounts more than once Jesus came across those who were demon possessed. The demons knew who Jesus was too well and knew his power (eg Matt 8:29). Even the demons believe in one God.They are firm believers, but they are opposed to Him. Just saying you believe is not evidence of true faith. (3)Abraham -.an example of practical faith Abraham’s faith led him to leave a comfortable life and head for uncertainty miles across the Middle East to Canaan. He believed God’s promises even though he waited a long time to see at least the initial fulfilment (despite some ‘iffy’ moments!). But the ‘faith’ mentioned in James also refers to when he took his son Isaac in obedience to God and was about to offer him as a sacrifice on the altar before God stops him. Abraham’s faith was worked out on a very practical, even painful level. His faith was active. It showed, despite all the ups and downs of his life. He wasn’t perfect, but deep down he had a very real experience of God that shaped his actions, shaped his life. (4)Rahab - a risk taker by faith Rahab was the woman of dubious reputation who hid the spies of Joshua in Jericho and in return hers was the only household spared in the subsequent destruction. Hers was faith taking a risk and proved in action. Humanly speaking she went out on the edge and was rewarded for her belief in the God of the Israelites and his purposes. Incredibly she is listed amongst those heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:31. She was an outsider, but a risk taker. A woman who put her faith into practice. God honoured her stand. We could think of many other examples of those in the bible and through the centuries since who have demonstrated their faith in action and so have been tremendously used by God, as a witness to his grace and love. That brings us back to v 24 How are we saved - by God’s grace or by works? This verse has caused many a theologian a great deal of consternation, though quite frankly, I don’t see why it should. It seems to suggest that the saving grace of God through Jesus’ death and resurrection is not enough; that we have to work out that faith in order to be ‘justified’ (put right before God). But I don’t think that is what James is saying at all. The bible is clear. We are saved by the undeserved favour, the love and grace of God. Let’s be very clear about that (John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world. Eph 2:8 ‘it is by grace you have been saved...not by works.) You are not saved by works or deeds of your own but works and deeds are a sign of true faith. In fact without works and deeds faith is meaningless. You cannot ‘earn’ salvation by good deeds, but good deeds show that our commitment to God is real and genuine. Some say that James puts faith and works on a par, as if both are equal and the same. Not so. One is the result of the other, good deeds come out of something that has already happened in a person’s heart. James isn’t saying ‘faith and works’, but faith that produces works is genuine faith. James 1:22 ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.’ ‘Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at himself in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like’ And Paul says... At this point I should mention Paul again because some have argued over the years that he and James actually say two different things causing even some distinguished figures of Christian history to want to do away with the book of James altogether. Martin Luther said this, ‘A man is justified (declared righteous before God) by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone’ Paul, in his teaching, makes it clear that we are saved only by the love and grace of God: ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.’ (Romans 3:23-24). ‘But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.’ ‘For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast.’ ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Eph2:4-10) Paul also teaches that genuine faith will produce good deeds. But only faith in Jesus saves. Only by grace are we saved, made right with God, but that experience of finding faith should lead to a desire to pursue God’s purpose for us – created to do good works in Christ Jesus. James and Paul...Not Contradictory but Complimentary Both Paul and James say that faith and deeds go together. True faith result in good deeds. Paul speaks against those who seek to be saved by ‘works’ ie wanting to earn their salvation. James speaks out against those who confuse mere intellectual assent with true and active faith. The views of Paul and James compliment each other – not contradict. Paul was writing for Gentiles against Jewish legalism (saved with works). James was writing to Jews against Gentile licence (saved without works; you can sin). In James and Paul we have 2 angles on the same view, a clearer and more comprehensive view. We need both Paul and James to get the right picture, they compliment each other. So what is the message for us. There’s a world out there needs to SEE Jesus in and through us. When it looks at our churches, when it looks at us as Christians, what do they see? So often we come across indifference, ‘it’s ok for you, it’s not for me’, we come across ignorance of what actually it means to be a Christian. Let us make sure our witness, our reaching out, has a very real and Christ-like practical edge to it. Let the world outside see Jesus in us. Jesus spoke of wise and foolish builders in Matt 7, he said we should be hearers and builders. True lives of faith are centred on Jesus. Let him guide you each morning. Ask Jesus how he would have me live today that I might serve him and reach others for him. God has saved us by grace and for now we live out that new life he has bought for us on the cross in this world until he either returns or we go to be with him. What God has ‘worked in’ us has to be ‘worked out’ in the world in an alien atmosphere. Let us not be so ‘wrapped up’ in Christian circles that we only mix in Christian circles and nowhere else. Let us seek to be an influence for good in our world, at whatever level. Will we allow God’s love and power so to fill and overflow us that we seek opportunity to show Jesus’ love and compassion in a practical way as God leads? Will we seek to influence our world in whatever way we can, however small? Will we seek to stand for God’s standards, Jesus’ teaching and example, and speak out against what is wrong? We so often underestimate who we are in Jesus. We underestimate his power available to us. Perhaps if we are honest we don’t want him to have full reign in our lives. But what if we did, what difference would that make to our homes, our neighbourhood, our land? The example of Jesus Jesus didn’t just teach, he didn’t just say great things, he showed God’s love and what being in his kingdom really means in a very practical way. Power and authority were his in abundance, and he gave that same power and authority to his followers, right down to you and me. Are we letting him work through us? Jesus, the servant king, who came to serve, held onto nothing of this world, but lived his life in the service of his Father and of others. If we want to understand what a genuine life of love and good works borne out of a real relationship with God is, he is our ultimate example. The example of the early church (Acts 2-4) especially Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-35 shows us that they had an intolerant attitude towards want, an example to us all. They looked out for each other’s practical needs. That was not just for now, that principle of sharing and concern is sorely needed today. Conclusion James is not out of date, he is ‘bang up to date’. Faith is a word much used these days - interfaith, the faith, faith etc. can so easily be misunderstood (eg Prince Charles, Tony Blair). James helps us to understand what true faith is. Saving faith can be seen in a distinctive life - don’t just believe it...do it James 1: 19-27 Can you hear me now? INTRODUCTION When was the last time you stopped to listen to the birds sing? When was the last time you just stopped and reflected? We are living in an ever increasing busy and hectic world
It is interesting to note: A public consultation launched by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation canvassed the opinions of 3,600 people in an online survey. Participants were asked to name what they considered were the 3 greatest social evils. From this four major concerns about society appeared
The problem with all this busyness and filling our lives with stuff is we don’t have time to stop to listen to what God has to say to us Yet James in Verse 19 tells us that we should listen, in fact he says we should be quick to listen. IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING TO GODS WORDS Verse 19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry When we talk too much and listen too little we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. To put a mental stop watch on our conversations and keep track of how much we talk and how much we listen. When people talk with us do they feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value? The problem is if we don’t listen how will we know what others think. We will find ourselves jumping to conclusions, not really seeing the whole picture, which could lead us to seeing monsters where there are none. What is more if we are to listen it is important to listen to the right people. Not everyone has our best interest at heart. Often people will spin a story in a way that suits their situation, or some private agenda they have going that you don’t really know about. We need to listen and reflect However the most important thing is are we listening to God and what he has to say to us? Or are we just too busy telling him what we want! But what about what God wants?
Verse 20 For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires This verse is speaking about the kind of anger that erupts when our ego is bruised: “I am hurt;” “My opinions are not being heard.” Now of course when injustice and sin occur we should become angry because others are being hurt. But we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument or if people don’t see things our way. Remember there is always two sides to a story. Selfish anger never helps anybody. No one ever won an argument with angry words. All it helps to do is entrench people in their view of the situation. This is sadly sometimes true of church life! I was reading the “Church of England” newspaper this week when I came across this article entitled “Trouble in the parishes.” I have to say it was an interesting read. Particularly in relation to people acting in aggressive ways towards clergy, I quote. A previous home office study found that almost three-quarters of clergy had been abused or assaulted between 2000-2001, with one in eight physically attacked. It goes on to say; One memorable case involved police being called to a service in Wetherby, York’s, after a parishioner stormed the pulpit to denounce the Vicar, the Rev Philip Evans. Sued by his organist who fought to uphold his right to “live in sin”, he (the Vicar) finally left after taking months off work suffering from “exhaustion”. What a sad state of affairs But should not church be a place where people feel welcome, loved, forgiven, affirmed, accepted as they are? A place where forgiveness is acted out not just in words. We should be seen as a people who go the extra mile, a community where we treat people in the way we would want to be treated. We should be a Christian community that seeks to work together. Did you know that the Amish don’t have insurance - why? Well if anyone in their community has a need, they will provide for all that person needs. They club together. A good example is if a barn was to burn down they would get together and build a new one. We as Christian communities should, I believe, be building barns instead of pulling them down. IMPORTANCE OF OBEYING GODS WORDS Verses 22-25 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. Whist it is very important to listen to what Gods word has to say to us, it is much more important to obey it and to do what it says. We can measure the effectiveness of our Bible study time by the effect it has on our behaviour and our attitudes. It is all very well coming to church, singing hymns and going to home group, but do we put what we have learnt into practice? Is it changing the way we live our lives? And I am not talking about putting on social events, or doing charity work. I am talking about our day to day lives. CONCLUSION So in conclusion, are we becoming more;
Are we:
I guess what I am saying is are we becoming more like Jesus! Heavenly Wisdom James 3:13-18 We possess more knowledge today than ever before. Someone has estimated that if all of man's accumulated knowledge from the beginning of recorded history to 1845 were represented by one inch, what he learned from 1845 until 1945 would amount to three inches and what he learned from 1945 until 1975 would represent the height of the Washington Monument! (The monument is the world's tallest stone structure, and is the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5⅛ inches in height.) Since then who knows how many times it has doubled. And now with the advent of the Internet, we have more knowledge at our fingertips than we can possibly process. Few people, however, would argue that the incredible leap in scientific, technological, and other such knowledge has been paralleled by a corresponding leap in common sense wisdom, not to mention spiritual and moral wisdom. If anything man's understanding of what he is doing and why he is doing it seems to have decreased as his knowledge increases. The saying “the end justifies the means” seems to be the moral compass these days. So why aren't people any better? The answer should be obvious. Knowledge alone isn't enough. For example let me share with you some things you probably didn't know: Did you know .. · That a West Virginia man once escaped from jail by using a rope made out of dental floss? · That a kangaroo jumped a pile of wood 10 1/2 feet high and 27 feet long? · That only two people in Saudi Arabia subscribe to a magazine called Surfer? · That Englishman John Evans kept 66 bricks, weighing a total of 296 pounds, balanced on his head for 10 seconds, a world record? · That Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per person than any other country in the world? · That you can sing "Amazing Grace" to the tune of the theme song from Gilligan's Island? · That Heinz ketchup, poured from the mouth of an upended bottle, travels at an average speed of 25 miles per year? Now that you know these things you certainly have more information, but what practical good will it do you? Just knowing doesn't mean you know what to do with what you know! Now some have taken practical knowledge and tried to turn it into wisdom and sometimes in very humorous ways. In a book called The Dilbert Principle the author, Scott Adams, offers a blend of sarcasm and irrefutable wisdom in "Dilbert's Laws of Work": · Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted. · When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried. · Everything can be filed under "miscellaneous." · If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it. · If it wasn't for the last moment, nothing would get done. · Keep your boss's boss off your boss's back. · Eat one live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. What do you think? Is this true wisdom? The real problem is that most people have no idea what true wisdom is. And often they settle for a wisdom that is not wise at all. In fact James tells us that there is a wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. Wisdom, unlike knowledge, is not merely a matter of the head. It is rather a matter of the heart and of our behaviour. Do you remember the line from the movie Forest Gump where Forest said, "My Momma always used to say, 'Stupid is as stupid does'? Well James is saying something very similar to us about wisdom. It is this - "Wisdom is as wisdom does." Listen to what James says in verse 13: “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, the person who is really wise will show that wisdom by the way he lives his life. Your lifestyle will be the leading indicator of the level of your wisdom. And, depending on the kind of lifestyle a person has, you can make an accurate judgement concerning the kind of wisdom they have - whether it is the wisdom that comes from God or the wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. James has already told us how we can get this true wisdom which is from God. In James 1:5 we read "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." The place to begin is to ask. We need to talk to God. But the real question is how can we put true wisdom in to practice in our daily lives? In order to help us answer this question James gives us 4 pointers. In order to put true heavenly wisdom into practice you must do something. 1. You must repent of sin and walk in purity. James tells us that the first characteristic of the wisdom that comes from heaven is that it is pure. God is interested in our character. Proverbs 15:26 (NIV) says, "The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him." He is holy, and he desires for us to be holy as well. And if we are going to be holy we must deal with those sins that get in the way of our relationship with God. This requires repentance. You must repent of sin in order to walk in purity. Repentance means a change of mind. Everywhere that the word repentance is used in Scripture it fundamentally means a change of mind. Some people believe that repentance means a change in behaviour. It does not. It means a change of mind. Now that will ultimately result in a change of behaviour because when our minds change our behaviour will follow. Behaviour, however, can be altered to suit a particular situation and not be a reflection of how we truly desire to live. Everyone knows how to be on his or her best behaviour when the situation requires it. The real question is how we behave when we are alone, or among our close friends. God does not want us to merely act holy, he wants us to be holy. This requires true repentance -- a change of mind. 2. To gain Heavenly wisdom you must refuse arguments and pursue peace.
James tells us that this heavenly wisdom is also peace-loving. Is your attitude characterized by a desire for peace? Proverbs 20:3 (NCV) says, "Foolish people are always fighting, but avoiding quarrels will bring you honour." If you keep finding yourself fighting with people on a regular basis that should tell you that something is not right inside you. If you are angry and hostile you need to find out why. You can be sure that the anger and hostility is not inspired by God. It is so easy to be angry and hostile, especially in our hectic and fast-paced world. If we are going to experience peace we are going to have to pursue it. Peace will not come on its own. We have to be proactive. Make peace your goal. Listen to what James says in verse 18 will happen to Peacemakers: “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” 3. We must not be selfish but become considerate. Selfishness is at the root of so many of our problems. Selfishness makes us inconsiderate of others. But James says that heavenly wisdom is considerate. When we consider others we are looking outward instead of inward. It is hard to think of others when we are only thinking about ourselves. That is why it is so important that we give up selfishness. And, surprisingly, one of the most effective ways to do this is to focus on other people - on their needs and how we can help them. As Christians we are called to love and care for one another. (Colossians 3:12-14) Christianity is characterized by relationships. There is the vertical relationship with God and the horizontal relationship with one another. How we live in these relationships is critical. Christians should be a model of how people can live in love and concern for one another. Christianity should display to the world that it is possible to overcome selfishness. 4. We must renounce stubbornness and be submissive if we are to become wise. Are you stubborn? Some of you are probably stubbornly refusing to admit that you are stubborn. I suppose that all of us are stubborn at times. Often that stubbornness centres around our own opinions. We think we are right and we refuse to consider that we may be wrong. This kind of thinking keeps us from being submissive in the true sense of this word. James tells us that heavenly wisdom is submissive. The way this word is used in this context has to do with our own openness and teachability. The New Living Translation gives us a more accurate reading by translating submissive as "willing to yield to others." And the only way that we will be willing to yield to others is if we are teachable. It should be apparent to us that we don't know everything. Wise people learn from other people. Proverbs 12:15 (GN) says, "Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice." That is probably how they got wise in the first place. 5. If we are to become wise we must reject insensitive attitudes and be merciful in actions. James goes on to say that the wisdom that is from God is full of mercy and good fruit. As we show mercy we are simply reflecting the nature of God. God's nature is one of mercy. God is merciful and we ought to be merciful also. What keeps us from showing mercy? Callous attitudes toward other people is one of the biggest hindrances to showing mercy. Therefore, we must reject callous and insensitive attitudes. This is difficult to do because it is so easy to get a hard heart. We have all been disappointed by other people. We have all been hurt by other people. Often we put up walls to keep people from hurting us. But those walls not only keep people out, they keep us in. Those walls tend to make us insensitive and unfeeling. By building these walls we end up hurting ourselves. Instead we should practice the art of showing mercy. And the fruit of mercy is the merciful action. It is the kind touch, or caring word, or encouraging deed. We should look at people and ask ourselves what can we do to be an agent of mercy in their lives. Everyone needs mercy. Think about it in relationship to our interaction with God. How do we want God to deal with us? Do we want what we deserve only? If we really got what we deserve we would get judgement, because we have all violated God's laws. No. We don't want what we deserve at all. Rather we want what we don't deserve - mercy! And the good news is that God deals with us on the basis of mercy. So we should also deal with others on this same basis. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:7 (NIV): "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." 6. Finally, you must reject prejudice and be impartial from the heart. Of course, like everything else that James has asked us to do, this is easier said than done. It is hard because everyone has some sort of prejudice in their heart. It is literally impossible to grow up in our culture without being exposed to prejudicial attitudes. And some of those attitudes stick. They stick because our hearts are selfish and we are prideful. We like to think of ourselves as better than other people. This is why we must reject prejudice of all kinds. We should rebuke it in ourselves and in others as well - especially in other Christians. It has no place in Christianity. We have already seen in James 2:8-9 (NIV) these words: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbour as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” Showing favouritism violates the royal law to love your neighbour as yourself. Do you want true heavenly wisdom? Do you want the wisdom that is from above? If so you must repent of sin and walk in purity. You must refuse arguments and pursue peace. You must give up selfishness and be considerate. You must renounce stubbornness and be submissive. You must reject callous attitudes and be merciful in actions. And you must reject prejudice and be impartial from the heart. How did you score in each of these areas? They are indicators of whether the wisdom that we say we possess is really God's wisdom. To be humbled or to be humble. James 4:1-12 We live in a world full of conflict. I don’t think anyone would deny that fact. All of us struggle with attitudes of hostility in our own hearts at times. This is nothing new. This kind of thing has been going on since the beginning of time. In fact did you know that in the 3100 years of recorded world history the world has only been at peace 8% of the time, or a total of 286 years, and over 8000 treaties have been made and broken? At the beginning of the Bible, in the book of Genesis, we find conflict and violence. Cain killed Abel. And today we are still fighting, quarrelling and even killing each other. Why is that so? James even asks that question. “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” It is certainly a relevant question. It is as relevant today as it was when James wrote his letter, and we will be looking at this in a moment. But there is another question that is relevant as well. It is this: “is there such a thing as a just fight”? I believe there is. However, we need to be able to identify the right fight and what is the wrong fight! So how can we avoid being drawn into the wrong fight? To help us do that we need to look at the difference between the wrong fight and the right fight, and see what we can do to assure that we fight the right fight. The Wrong Fight. As Christians we are aware that we are engaged in a very real warfare. We are engaged in a warfare against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. We are fighting against God’s enemy, Satan. And we are fighting for the souls of people. Satan is our adversary, and he has marshalled his devilish and demonic army in a serious and sinister attempt to destroy Christianity and the Christian Church. He will use any strategy necessary in order to win. One such strategy he often uses is to incite the children of God to war with one another, thus diverting their attention from the real foe. It’s hard to win the war abroad when there is civil war at home. But this is Satan’s strategy. The real fight is not against each other. When we find ourselves fighting with one another it should be a red flag that indicates something has gone really wrong. Unfortunately, conflict in churches among Christians is not uncommon. James was addressing it in his day. He tells us why it happens. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” James is telling us that our desires lead to conflict with others. The source of conflict lies within us. Our desires are the problem. They put us at odds with each other. This is why there is conflict in the world and within the Church. However, what are these desires? They’re selfish in nature. In verses 2 and 3, James says: “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Our motives are often self indulgent in nature. We want things, we want to possess things for ourselves. We don’t always want to depend on God. We don’t want to ask him for what we need. The problem is there is a certain self-sufficiency about this kind of attitude. And when we finally do ask God we don’t receive what we want because our motives are so selfish. So we become frustrated with life. We become angry. The problem with this kind of attitude and lifestyle is that it can lead to hostility with God. Look at verse 4: “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Strong stuff nevertheless friendship with the world is a result of misplaced priorities. Our first priority should be following God. If God is important to us we will live for him. If material things are important to us we will seek to get all of them we can. We will live for what the world can offer us. Madonna was not the only material girl living in a material world. There are lots of material girls and guys. Are you one of them? If your life revolves around your own selfish desires, your own desire to possess, your own self image, your own needs, and your own prideful self-sufficiency, you will always be fighting the wrong fight. Your life will be one of conflict. Life will be frustrating and a struggle. You will be at odds with people and with God. Don’t fight this fight. Don’t fight the wrong fight. The Right Fight What is the right fight? We have identified the wrong fight — the wrong battle. What is the real battle? The real battle is with our own selfish desires and sinful pride. James himself is quoting from the Scripture (Proverbs 3:34) when he says in verse 6, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Pride and selfishness go hand in hand. Where you find pride you will also find selfishness. The real need is for humility. James tells us in verse 10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Now it seems to me that we have a choice here. We can choose to go on in selfish pride or we can choose to humble ourselves. The way of humility leads to receiving the blessing of God. However, the value of humility has been misunderstood in today’s culture. We pride ourselves on self-sufficiency. We like to hear stories of how people have actively pursued a goal and achieved it. Somehow we think that humility equals submissiveness. Or we think that humility equals humiliation. These notions are not true. Humility is a heart attitude of dependence upon God. It is understanding who we are and who we are not. We are people who have been created in the image of God, but we are not little gods ourselves. You have heard the expression, "Who died and left you in charge?" Well one answer is, "God didn’t!" So, how can we express this humility? How can we fight the real fight against our own selfish desires and sinful pride? James gives us four things we must do. 1. We must accept God’s will. In verse 7 James tells us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God.” When we submit to God we are acknowledging that his way is right. But submitting to God is more than that. It is giving him control of your life. To do that you must yield to him. Put God in charge of your life by obeying him. One of the reasons why we have so much conflict is because we have not settled our own relationship with God. We have not really decided to submit to him in practical ways. Make no mistake about this - you can’t follow Jesus without obeying him! Jesus is not the Lord of your life if you do not do what he says. And if you, as a Christian, are still trying to run your own life you will be an unhappy and frustrated person. There is no real peace if you do not submit to God. So accept God’s will. Submit to God. However, James not only tells us to submit to God but he also tells us: 2. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. How do we do this? How do we resist the devil? You do it by resisting his philosophy of life. You do it by resisting what he wants you to do. You do it by resisting living by his standards. Be smart. Be on your guard. The devil is trying to trip you up. He is trying to destroy you. He is not trying to help you. He wants to hurt you. The problem is that most Christians don’t recognize how the devil turns up. They’re looking for some person in a red suit with horns and a tail. That’s not the devil! That’s just a person going to a costume party. No, the devil turns up in ways that you don’t expect. He turns up when you are tempted to substitute other things for God. So when he turns up like this - resist him! Don’t give in. If you won’t give in, he will flee from you. 3. You must also pursue God’s presence. In verse 8 James says “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” In other words you must be proactive. It is not enough to accept God’s will and reject God’s enemy. You must actively pursue a living relationship with the living Lord. In order to do this you must focus on those things that build or strengthen your relationship with Christ. It is so easy to neglect those basic disciplines that are essential for a healthy Christian life — things like prayer, Bible reading, fellowship with other Christians, personal and corporate worship, giving and serving. They seem so elementary, and they are. But when we feel that we have moved beyond them we make a very serious mistake. It is like a golfer getting away from the fundamentals of his golf swing, or a baseball player getting away from the fundamentals of hitting the ball or fielding. When we get away from the fundamentals our relationship begins to deteriorate. Have you become too busy to work on your relationship with God? However, there is still one another issue James addresses in this passage of Scripture. We must accept God’s will, reject God’s enemy, pursue God’s presence, and then 4. We must receive God’s forgiveness. Look at verses 8-10: “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your heart, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Here James gives us the key to receiving God’s forgiveness. The key to receiving God’s forgiveness is to turn away from our sin and repent of it. Remember that repentance is fundamentally a change of mind. We will never turn away from our sin until we see it for what it is - an offence to God - something that breaks his heart. God’s heart is grieved over our sin and our heart should also be grieved over our sin. The Bible speaks of this as godly sorrow. It is a sorrow that leads to true repentance. It is not the sorrow that comes from getting caught in our sin. Many people have that kind of sorrow but it doesn’t change the way they live. Godly sorrow, on the other hand, will cause us to come to God for forgiveness. This is where humility comes in. It is humbling to ask God for forgiveness. It is humbling to ask anyone for forgiveness. But we need to do it. We need to do it because it is the right thing to do and we need to do it because we need forgiveness. Just think of how much conflict could be avoided if we were to say, "I was wrong, please forgive me."
If you are, then you are fighting the wrong fight. Are you willing to do something about that? Don’t let your desires bring you into conflict with others. Don’t let your motives cause you to be frustrated with life. Don’t let your lifestyle result in a hostile relationship with God. Deal with it. Humble yourself and God will lift you up. God will bless your life. He will give you his joy. Your relationship with him and with others will, I believe, grow stronger James 1: 1-18 Navigating through difficult times INTRODUCTION: Facts about James Author: 4 possible James but most likely 2 are 1. James the brother of Jesus 2. James the brother of John It is, James Jesus’ brother, a leader in the Jerusalem church To whom it was written: James writes to former parishioners who have had to leave Jerusalem. In this letter James expresses his concern for these Christians who are now being persecuted, mainly by the Jewish communities they are now living in. Date it was written: Probably between A.D. 44-48, prior to the Jerusalem council which was held in A.D. 50. Main themes of James The overall theme is expressed in chapter 4: 4-6: Believers must commit themselves wholeheartedly to their God who demands absolute allegiance. Other themes are:
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