Fights And Quarrels Series

James: Practical Faith 

James 4:1-6

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church 

11-03–2024

A Fight on an Exit Ramp

I’ve only been in a couple of fights in my life. One was when I was thirteen years old and I was walking to a friend’s house. This older kid on a bike came out of nowhere and started trying to get me to fight him.

I said to him that I didn’t know him and fighting someone you don’t know is dumb.

At that, he got off his bike and said something about my mom that I can’t repeat in church. I hit him so hard I thought I had broken my hand.

By the way, this took place in the grass on the exit ramp to I-240!

We rolled down the grass, wailing on each other. I finally kicked him off of me and said, “This is stupid! I don’t even know you.” He got on his bike and rode away.

The next night at the dinner table, my dad said that his boss had come into his office to say that he thought he saw me fighting another kid, rolling down the grass when he was getting on I 240.

I just smiled and said it must have been someone else. Pass the mashed potatoes.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!

From the hurried halls of our high schools to the hallowed halls of the United Nations, from the floor of the Senate to the floor of the preschool, from the boardroom to the bedroom, from the highway to the subway, conflict is a part of our human existence.

Nations fight over land and boys fight over girls. Husbands and wives fight over money and brothers and sisters fight over toys.

Cain killed Abel. Oswald killed Kennedy. Churches fight over the color of the carpet, the nature of their worship, and whether to have real coffee or decaf. As Rodney King cried out, “Can’t we all just get along?”

The answer to that haunting question is found in the book of James:

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. (James 4:1-3)

Conflict happens when we allow our sin nature to rule. When we let selfishness, personal preferences, and our own opinions take priority, chaos and conflict are inevitable.

We want to do things our way and our motives are often suspiciously self-centered. We are quick to point out others faults and ignore the “log in our own eye.”

We quarrel and fight and often we enjoy it!

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “There’s nothing I love as much as a good fight.”

That could be the mission statement of many churches today!

Review

James is a practical book and he is most interested in our spiritual maturity.

Warren Wiersbe didn’t hold back when he wrote:

“Spiritual maturity is one of the greatest needs of churches today. Too many churches are playpens for babies instead of workshops for adults.”

So far, we’ve seen the test of trials, temptations, how we handle the Word, how we handle other people, how our faith results in good fruit, how our words can glorify God, and how Godly wisdom can be shown by a godly life:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

James set up a contrast between human wisdom and Godly wisdom.

Earthly wisdom is characterized by bitter envy and selfish ambition. This person is arrogant and denies the truth about the condition of their heart.

James doesn’t mince words. It is temporal, unspiritual and demonic and leads to “disorder and every evil practice.”

But the wisdom from above is a gift from an all-wise God. Last week, he gave us a spiritual maturity test:

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.

This type of wisdom results in peace and a harvest of righteousness.

This morning, James will continue his theme of faith being shown by our deeds, particularly in the areas of conflict, prayer, and pride.

We are going to take chapter 4 slowly over the next few weeks.

Please turn with me to James 4.

Prayer

Two questions

Much like his older half brother Jesus, James loves questions. He began chapter three with a question. Now he begins chapter four with two questions!

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

Let’s remember that he is writing to Jewish Christians scattered through the nations.

Before we really jump in, let me make an important point.