You Can Listen to the Full Sermon Here:-
http://www.nec.org.au/index.php/listen-to-a-sermon-series/practical-faith/
Message
James 4:1-17
Submission To God
Here is a simple question.
If you are a Christian do you need to submit to God?
How many people here would say “yes” (hands up).
How many people would say “no” (hands up).
Ok, now how many people here know that they do not submit to God all the time (hands up).
Our “acts of submission” are more like a little boy whose mother keeps insisting he sit down in his highchair. When he finally unlocks his knees and plops into the seat, his glare tells the real story, “I may be sitting down on the outside–but I’m still standing up on the inside!”
That is us at times isn’t it. We are supposed to be sitting before God in submission – but we are really standing up on the inside. And it happens in all sorts of circumstances. In his letter James identifies a couple of those circumstances.
James 4:1-17 (read)
How are these two examples of submission to God?
It is all about the way we speak.
How do we speak to others?
How do we speak to God?
The way we speak reflects whether we are sitting down on the inside, or standing up on the inside.
Let’s start by focussing on the way we speak to others.
Now I don’t know about you, but I do not think I would want to be a member of one of the churches James is writing to. They really don’t like each other do they?
• fighting and quarrels.
• battling desires within.
• killing and coveting.
• self-centred prayer.
No I don’t think they were literally killing each other – James is exaggerating to make the point. But it is pretty clear that this was one very sorry place where people were just tearing one another apart. And I look at this and I say “This is not us ... this is not NEC”.
Is that a fair judgement?
Is that me just being boastful?
I don’t think so.
So ... when it comes to the first section of this passage our prayer should be:-
“Lord continue to keep us in unity without fights and quarrels. We want to be Your friends and show that we are by having speech which is encouraging towards each other. Lord keep us humble in this”.
A church which is divided is a church that has little or no impact on the community. If we ever find ourselves fighting with one another, it should be the red flag that indicates something has gone really wrong.
Enough said there. Let’s skip down and have a closer look at verses 13-17 ... we have a closer look because James is highlighting issues where we definitely have trouble submitting to God. It all has to do with The way we speak to God. In order to make his message clear James begins by introducing us to a group of people.
In the days of James successful businessmen were those who went from city to city, selling their wares in each place, then moving on. The key to a good and profitable business was the ability to be flexible and change to commodities which were in demand in each individual town.
These were the men who were saying … let’s go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.
Understand that these people are part of the Christian community.
They have made a confession that Jesus is Lord.
If they were here today they would be putting up their hands when I asked, “Should you submit to God?”
Yet, they are like that child in the high chair. Sitting on the outside but standing on the inside.
Their problem is that they are speaking as if God doesn’t exist.
Listen again.
Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money
Do you hear what they are saying?
Listen again ... because doesn’t it sound familiar.
All these grand plans ... but where is God?
In one breath they have planned the time, place, duration, activities and results of their trips.
In one breath visions of good travels, profitable exchanges, quality products and the spoils of wealth spin around in the minds of these men.
In one breath a whole years events are proposed.
And at no time has God come into the picture.
Their planning oozes with arrogance … and God is not happy.
They’re in the church.
They sing the praises of God each week.
Yet, for all intents and purposes, the planning of their business trips is no different to a non-believer.
And it is so easy to see ourselves in them ... isn’t it.
It’s so easy to let the plans form in our minds and roll off our tongues – and before we know it we have organised our future without stopping to consider what God wants.
It’s so easy to fall into a mindset that says, “God can have my Sundays; but Monday to Saturday are mine”.
It’s so easy to think that we can determine our future:- to act as if we are the masters of our souls and the captains of our destinies.
We sit on the outside ... but we are standing on the inside.
And God looks at all of this and says:-
Maybe you need to stop for a moment and understand your limitations.
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes.
James 4:14
Recently Corianna and I were watching a documentary about John F Kennedy – he was an American president who was assassinated on 22nd November 1963. The striking thing about this documentary is that they had footage of Kennedy talking to a group of people who had gathered for a breakfast meeting. Kennedy talked about the future of America, and how he would make it a safe place. By lunch time that day he was dead.
When we were in college in fact it was the same week Amelia was born. A young man from our church was driving from Geelong to Melbourne. He had a diamond ring in his pocket and he was going to propose to his girlfriend. As he was travelling on the highway his front tire blew out which caused him to veer off the road into a tree. He died instantly.
What is your life? You are a mist? You are so vulnerable. Not just to death, but to so many things.
You are vulnerable to an education system that, one day, just might deem you not smart enough and therefore determine your future.
You are vulnerable to the whims of an employer, who could put you out of work at any time, putting you in desperate need.
You are vulnerable to the economy where hard-earned money can disappear in an instant – and you might not recover.
You are vulnerable to sicknesses, diseases, bacteria, viruses and a whole host of microscopic things that can make your life miserable.
That sounds morbid – but that is the reality. Whether you like it or not you have limitations.
How can you plan for a year down the track when we can’t even be sure one of these limitations is going to strike today? Plans are made with specific knowledge in mind.
In planning for the future there is always one insurmountable obstacle; our knowledge of the future severely limits our understanding.
Isn’t it arrogant to make concrete plans without accepting this fact?
Indeed it is. So James makes the situation very simple.
Plan with the eternal consequences in mind.
Let’s read Matthew 16:24-26
If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26
Through these words Jesus is saying,
“Look. Look carefully at your goals. Look at how you go about achieving them. Look at who is getting the credit. Am I among them?”
You can have all sorts of plans and take all sorts of credit:
You credit your cleverness or good business sense.
You thank a stroke of good luck or a fortunate gamble.
You rely on a shrewd mind or skilled merchandising.
You boast about your ability to perceive problems and come up with solutions.
It is human to be like this – but dangerous if your soul is forfeited in the process.
So how do we avoid such an attitude?
Remember who is in charge.
The captain of the aircraft carrier sat in his chair on the bridge – he was the biggest ship in the sea. One stormy night, as the ship ploughed through the seas, the captain spotted a strange light rapidly coming towards with his own vessel. Immediately he ordered the signalman to flash the message to the unidentified craft, “Alter your course ten degrees to the south.” Only a moment had passed before the reply came: “Alter your course ten degrees to the north.” Determined that his ship would take a backseat to no other, the captain snapped out the order to be sent: “Alter course ten degrees--I am the CAPTAIN!’ The response beamed back, “Alter your course ten degrees--I am Seaman Third Class Jones.” Now infuriated, the captain grabbed the signal light with his own hands and fired off: “Alter course, I am a aircraft carrier”. The reply came back. “Alter your course, I am a lighthouse.”
No matter how big or important we think we are, or how big or important we think our contribution to life is, God is ultimately in charge. In the words of James Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that”.
Now James is not saying that every time you do something, you need to say, “If it is the Lord’s will”.
I’m going to the shop to get bread – if it is the Lord’s will.
I’m putting on my shoes – if it is the Lord’s will.
I’m hopping into the shower – if it is the Lord’s will.
If you do that you will just end up trivialising your whole day. The context here is making plans for the future.
We see Paul doing it in his letters.
They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.
Acts 18:19-21
Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.
1 Corinthians 4:18-21
If the Lord wills. It is not a magic formula always required to be spoken for every little decision. It is an attitude to life that says, “I will live in submission to my Creator”.
There is a biblical way to plan for the future – and it begins with submission.
Submission places us in the right relationship with God.
Submission enables us to have a clearer understanding about the ways of God.
Submission helps us to know what upsets God.
It is an issue of faith and obedience ... and being in the right relationship with Him.
Once again it comes back to the person and work of Jesus.
When we are in His hands nothing can separate us from His love … not even the future.
A future with Jesus is a future which is bright. We may struggle now as citizens on earth but we can endure knowing that we are, and always will be, citizens in heaven.
Our future is one where we can celebrate as sinners who have set free from the slavery of sin.
We can plan biblically for the future only when we have submitted to the author of the future.
We know we ought to. We know it is important. So what stops us?
Have a think about this quote:-
If the devil can’t make you sin, he will make you busy … busy getting on with life and conveniently forgetting about God.
Our business is often our biggest hindrance.
We don’t stop and think.
We don’t stop and pray.
We don’t stop and ask, “What does God want”.
In the end it means we might be sitting down on the outside – looking like we are obeying – but we are standing up on the inside – just doing it all our own way.
It is time to stop.
Submit yourself to God.
Keep praying “Is this God’s will”.
Then you can sit down on the inside as well ... and be at peace.
Prayer
