Chronos: James #8 Series

A few weeks ago, we started a year-long journey chronological study of the New Testament today. Hence the reason we are calling this message series Chronos. It's a word that means “time.” We will be journeying through time back to the start of the early church. We will be doing this by walking through the books of James, Thessalonians, Galatians and Corinthians. We will take a few detours along the way for the major Christian holidays. However, we will be opening up our bibles each week to unpack the scriptures as they were present in the early church.

We start with the book of James because it is the earliest writing determined by present day scholarly dating.

It is the first book or letter written to this new ‘church’ or gathering.

It was written by Jesus to his first half brother, James.

It was written to the messianic Jews who had come to believe Jesus was the Messiah and those first followers who weren't Jewish called Gentiles who had become aware of and believed in Jesus.

It was written to the first bad actors and their practices that were stunting the movement’s growth.

Last week we spoke about how the knowledge of the world competes with the wisdom of the Lord and our call to be peacemakers. This week continues the call to be peacemakers by diving into James 4:1-12. It’s a powerful lesson about conflict and peace. James begins with a simple question that tells us that even in the beginning there were church fights.

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“What causes fights and quarrels among you” (James 4:1)? Our current world situation makes James’s opening question as relevant in our day as in any previous generation. The whole world seems to be fighting with each other. Nations, states, communities, neighborhoods, ethnic, race, class, political parties and even Christians. This is what James is really upset about.

While fighting has been a part of every era of human history, many of the conflicts have their roots firmly embedded in our self centered nature. A nature often called "the flesh" in scripture.

Our flesh is in conflict with the Spirit, with Others and even with God himself. James reveals the heart of all conflict so let’s dive in…

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.

There is a vast difference between symptoms and sources. The believers to whom James is writing were engaged in a personal war of words. Their words were the external symptom, not the cause of the fighting itself. James knows the real problem of conflict comes from within, so he asks a second question:

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“Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you” (James 4:1)?

In essence, James is saying conflict is but a symptom of a greater disease. A spiritual disease that has a common source. This is true whether we are speaking of Joe Itasca or Jane Wood Dale. It’s the same symptom in Vladimer Putin as Saddam Hussein.

James is about to get passionate. I see him screaming these next lines of scripture like a revival preacher before an altar call. Let me see if I can do this justice.

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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.”

James reveals to us that the source of all conflict is found in our rebellious understanding of our role in God’s economy. James called this conflict between God and man a “battle within” (James 4:1). He goes on to say, “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

James asks a poignant question in verse four- “Don’t you know?” He's expressing surprise and shock because those who had claimed to know Christ were committing spiritual adultery.

Adultery is engaging in the most intimate of activities with someone other than your spouse. It’s a betrayal of sacred trust. Spiritual adultery is worshiping another God other than our creator, redeeming and sustaining God. Worship is an intimate time of togetherness. It directs our steps and consumes our thoughts.