LIFE APP – Applying Surrender
James 4:1-12 (p. 848) October 5, 2014
Introduction:
In my ministry life I’ve spent a great deal of time talking to people who couldn’t or wouldn’t see any reason to be a part of God’s family, the Church.
Almost always there’s a hurt from the past...and some are truly heartbreaking...but these individuals feel like the church has let them down in one way or another, or didn’t come through in the way they were supposed to.
It’s my opinion that there’s usually another issue or two that goes into that decision to reject the church...maybe after being hurt or leaving...they accumulate some “habits” or “baggage” that they are convinced they can’t do without...and they know eventually God will ask them about it.
Most of these folks want to convince me that they’re “saved” (usually they mention a baptism when they were 8 or 9 or a time when they confessed Jesus as Savior) but there is only anger and distain for His bride.
[Let me tell you...If you told me...”Rick, I love you...I enjoy your messages and you’re a pretty good guy...but I hate your wife...I can’t stand Kari!” I wouldn’t take it as a compliment, nor would I really believe you cared about me since you just attacked the one I love the most.]
Let me ask each of you, “Have you ever been hurt by someone in the church? Has another person who claims to be a Christ follower ever done something or said something that you don’t agree with?” Have you ever had an argument or a quarrel with another Christian?”
Those are really rhetorical questions because I know the answers before I asked the questions – Absolutely!!! All of us have been hurt...all of us have argued and been angry at another Christian.
Why? My dad used to say, “You can choose your friends, but you’re stuck with your family.”
Churches are made up of imperfect people who have different personalities, and who are at different levels of maturity...there are people in every church, including the New Testament examples where individuals have selfish motives for being there....Jesus uses a parable about a field being full of weeds & wheat. I think it is a perfect example of the Kingdom of God.
But think about your family...it’s filled with Godly Grannys and idiot uncles...but most of us don’t reject our blood families (some do) because of the idiot weeds.
James has spent a lot of time challenging us to apply our faith in the real world...and especially in our conversations...He’s taught us it takes perseverance and godly wisdom to do this with any degree of success...and no one does it perfectly.
James ends Chapter 3 by saying “Here’s what the wisdom that comes from God looks like: Pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere (and then he says)
“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
What kind of crop do you think you get if you sow bitterness, envy, selfish ambition? James tell us:
I. THE SEEDS THAT PRODUCE FIGHTS AND QUARRELS
James starts our text with a question “what causes fights and quarrels among you?”
Most of us quickly respond: “That idiot over there!” Listen to what they did...what they said!”
Like this example:
The church service ended at the Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine as everyone “passed the peace.” It was the first Sunday after Easter, and the 50 people in attendance headed to the fellowship hour to have some coffee. Some of the people complained that the coffee was bitter, but people usually complain about church coffee, so they didn’t think much about it until some people began to get violently ill. By the end of the day, 16 people were hospitalized and one of them would die by the next morning. Police discovered that arsenic had been dumped into the 30-cup coffee maker, making this the nation’s worst case of mass arsenic poisoning. The next shock was that a well-respected member of the church, 53 year old Danny Bondeson, a potato farmer, was found dead at home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He left a note implicating himself in the poisoning. The investigation is now expanding to other members of the Bondeson family, whom police suspect may have been involved in the poisonings.
The story behind the story at this point seems to be that there was a disagreement in the church about a communion table. For years the church had a communion table that was against the wall, and the blessing of the bread and wine was done while facing the wall. The Bondeson family had donated a new altar so that the bread and wine could be done while facing the congregation. But traditions die hard, and the board seemed unwilling to replace the old altar, even though a new one had been donated, because they did not want to offend some of those who wanted the bread and wine blessed while facing the wall like it had always been done. Speculation is that not only Bondeson, but other members of his extended family, had become as bitter as the church coffee and decided to teach some people a lesson.
Listen, most of us won’t poison coffee because our communion table isn’t used in the right way...but many poison their conversations behind the scenes because of things just as unimportant.
Fights and quarrels begin to destroy the unity of Christ’s family when we take our eyes off Jesus and begin to focus on our desires or preferences.
James says, “Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you.”
He mentions 2 loves that destroy your spiritual life. Your relationship with God and others - 2 seeds planted by Satan himself.
1. WE LOVE OURSELVES WAY TOO MUCH!
James says, “you desire...you covet...you want...and when you don’t get what pleases you...you destroy others...your motives are all wrong.”
Isn’t that the problem always...I want it done this way! I like it when we do it that way! We usually blame someone else, but the problem lies with the person we see in the mirror.
Illustration:
[STORY: A man was irritated by his wife’s refusal to admit her hearing problem. Speaking with his doctor one day he asked, “How can I get my wife to admit that she needs a hearing aid?” “I’ll tell you what you need to do,” his doctor replied. When you get home peak your head through the door and ask, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” “If she doesn’t answer, go into the living room and say, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” then walk into the kitchen and ask, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” “If she still doesn’t answer walk right up behind her and say, “Honey, what’s for dinner? Then you will be able to convince her that she needs a hearing aid. “Great! I think that will work.” So he repeats the question as he goes through the house. No answer any of the times. Then he walked right up behind his wife and spoke directly into her ear. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” She turned around in a huff and resolutely replies, “For the fourth time, I said WE ARE HAVING SPAGHETTI!!!”
Our selfish tendency is to always believe that the other person is hard of hearing, and usually it’s us!”]
So we give each other the cold shoulder, we tear down another person with slander or criticism. Either way, it’s because we love ourselves more than we should. And Satan plants a seed that destroys “the message of the gospel.”
The message version of James 4:11 says, “Don’t bad mouth each other friends. It’s God’s Word, His message, His royal rule that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?
James says there is a second wrong love...a second seed Satan plates.
2. WE LOVE THIS WORLD AND IT’S WAYS TOO MUCH!!!
VERSES 4-6
[Let me ask you...do you think my wife Kari would be happy if I was faithful to her 75% of the time? How about 85% or 95%? (that’s pretty close to 100% right?)]
When I stood before God and man and said, “I will keep myself only unto you so long as we both shall live, so help me God.” That’s an all in...100% commitment to faithfulness...anything outside of 100% is adultery.
What keeps me faithful...the fear of a skillet cracking off the back of my head? Not really...It’s my love for Kari, a love that’s grown over the past 34 years. I want to cherish her, make her feel secure, safe, valued and honored. “I want to love her like Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) James reveals that.
God desires intensely...Intensely!!! that kind of love. He doesn’t want to be in a covenant relationship with you 75% of the time, or even 95% of the time. He desires for the marriage bond of Christianity to be in effect 100% of the time.
When a covenant bound, believer begins to flirt and then give themselves over to the world James calls it spiritual adultery.
Once I’ve become “one” with my wife I break that “oneness” if I sleep with someone else. When the Holy Spirit creates a “oneness” between a person and God. If that person then begins to become intimate with the world again...James says, “you become an enemy of God.” You are unfaithful to God.
“God jealously longs for the Spirit He cause to dwell in us.”
Satan always offers “immediate gratification” over “faithful trust.” The god of this world always wants us to try and get it on our own without asking God, he wants our motives to be selfish and short sighted “give me what I desire, now!!!” Forget the commitment...focus on the desire.
Satan is a master at planting seeds where we love ourselves and this world too much...and the consequences aren’t happiness...the consequences are separation from God and people...jealousy, fights, quarrels...and a pride that won’t let us repent.
And according to James, that’s the faith application for us when we break the covenant.
II. AS GOD EXTENDS MORE GRACE, HUMBLE YOURSELF AND RETURN
All of us are covenant breakers...spiritual adulterers if you will...all of us choose self and the world over faithfulness...even after we are born again through our baptism into Christ, and the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit.
So verse 5 says something about the depth of God’s love.
“But He gives us more grace.”
James says we fight and quarrel with each other, try to live independent of God, when we do pray it’s selfish...we cheat on God by loving the world
And what is God’s response? “He gives more Grace!”
That’s so unlike us isn’t it...we’ll give people we love some chances...usually our family we won’t give up too quick...but our hearts have a limit, don’t they? And if you’re just a friend or acquaintance...we give up and move on pretty quickly.
I’m so glad God doesn’t treat us that way. I’m so glad He doesn’t treat me that way.
James says, “we slander one another, we speak against our brother and sister. We judge them...that’s how we treat other Christians...How do we treat people in the world? Well, they’re not really worth our energies...“you know those Hispanics...you know she’s living with him...you know she had a child out of wedlock...you know He’s a drunk...you know His parents were no good...you know I heard he served time.
And out of that same mouth we sing...Jesus Friend of sinners and Amazing Grace.
In our arrogance we should hear over and over again...“God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”
Instead we puff up our chests and echo the Older Brother who speaks to the Father with distain! “Look!! Al these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.”
No celebration for His lost brothers return. Just anger. Anger at the Father’s Grace. Pride...it separates you from the Father’s loving grace and from celebrating your lost brothers return.
Forgiveness is offered to both the younger and older brother...for the moral church attender and drunk in the gutter. Equal Grace is required for both sinners. Equal grace and forgiveness are extended to the prodigal son in the pig sty...and the older brother pridefully standing in the outer courtyard. Equally extended...equally needed!!!
James tells us the spiritual, emotional, intellectual response to God’s grace...His favor extended to us.
JAMES 4:7-10 (p. 849)
Submission to God, resistance to Satan, run toward God, and He’s running towards you. Wash...cleanse...Grieve over your sin...your rebellion, mourn its depth...repentance puts you on your face humbly before the King...only to have Him lift your head up so you can see His beautiful face...full of forgiveness and more grace!
