Where do the wars come from?
James 4:1-5
Introduction
In an old monastery near Bebenhausen, Germany, you may see two pairs of deer horns interlocked. They were found in that position many years ago. The deer had been fighting; their horns got jammed together and could not be separated. (James 4:1) If every pastor would look at this first verse and weigh his heart carefully he may understand why he has chaos in his church. If there is fighting among us lost victories among us I will look at me first. Let’s all weigh our hearts carefully through the next several minutes.
I. Desires for pleasures (1)
a) The perpetual battle
i) First the battle is among us… some may enjoy that I do not it is obvious that it does nothing but create division
ii) And second the battle among us has not ended and nothing has been settled and it won’t be until we deal with ourselves first
b) The war inside
i) Where do the wars and battles come from?
ii) Take your finger and point it right at me… notice the three pointing back
iii) If you want to have victories in the battles outside you have to win the battle inside first.
iv) They are coming from your desires for pleasure…The war that is in you…
v) Romans 7:14-24
vi) Cruelty towards one another… just joking?
c) Cleaning out the tent
i) Achan’s greed (Joshua 7:10-13)
ii) In his desire for pleasurable things he robbed God… treasury not spoils
iii) What have you robbed God of? Hoarding the tithe and offering?
iv) God is cleaning His House: But first you have to clean out your tent
(1) We have to get rid of those relics and idols… look under the dirt, rug
(2) I found bitterness, jealousy, hate, pride, arrogance, envy, self-seeking, deceit, greed, idolatry, …God is cleaning His house.
(3) Achan hid his greed in the earth under the dust. Where is yours hidden?
(4) Clean house because the enemy is coming closer…
(5) We can’t be fighting each other…
(6) We are not going to lose battles because we are going to fight the real enemy.
(7) No more fighting one another because of our own desires for what pleases us.
(8) **We’re gonna wash that world right outta the church.**
(9) We want the people of the world to come into the church, but we’re not going to let the world in the people to stay in the church.
(10) We are all part of that cleaning process… as we are clean we are going to get cleaned… Wash us by the blood, wash us white as snow.
v) (Joshua 8). After they cleaned the camp up then they had their victories.
II. The War of Prayer (2&3)
a) You are not asking… Lack of prayer…
i) We know the importance of Prayer, ask, ask, ask
ii) James is concerned first that these Christians are not praying…
iii) Not petitioning their Father for their needs…
iv) But what is the motive in which you ask?
b) You are asking with wrong motives…Pleasure praying…
i) You don’t have what you want, because what you want… is with out God
ii) To ask “amiss” is translated ill, sore, grievously, improperly… tone…
iii) There is nothing more frustrating than not getting what you want…
(1) It causes tantrums in Toys R’ Us…
(2) Asking amiss is like: me doing some wrong things and my mom found out and she said do you think Jesus wants you to do that. “I don’t know”….
(3) I was listening for a “yes”. If get a figment in my imagination that sounds like a yes I say that’s from God. I was not open to a “no”.
(4) Why are we praying/asking less? Maybe we are not open to a “no”
(5) I was asking “amiss”. This is what I want and don’t tell me “no”. I am not open to a “no”… He is my God of “yes”…
(6) And when we make that “yes” God’s voice and God’s stamp of approval even though it goes against scripture or teaching of His Word we are bring that false word into the church and add fire to the War within the body.
(7) One of the motivations of war was bringing in the spoils, if God allowed, but coammanded otherwise in the war against Jericho (Josh 6:17-21).
(8) The silver, the gold, the shekels were all supposed to be brought into the treasury of the Lord (6:19).
(9) But God said “Achan had stolen that which was mine.” (7:10)
(10) Achan did not ask for he knew the answer would be “no”…
(a) It cost a victory… it cost lives
(11) Gehazi’s greed in 2 Kings 5:20. Servant of Elisha
(a) Elisha refused the gift from Naaman…
(b) Elisha’s servant Gehazi lied to Naaman and took the gifts.
(c) He did not ask Elisha, God or Naaman “could I have it”,
(d) he used deceit instead, because he did not want to risk a “no”
(e) It created sickness… Gehazi got leprosy… No one is getting healed
iv) A body of believers that does not pray will fight… be open to a “no”
v) We signed on with God may say no. The world never says no to pleasure.
vi) We want to pay attention to the things He says yes to:
(1) Lord can I be filled…talk? …walk? Yes.
Adulterers and Adulteresses are terms that contradict the bride that the church is suppose to be? Virgin… 2 Corinthians 11:2 An adulterer is separate from the one betrothed to…
Conclusion
Who or what is your battle and look closely inside yourself do the wars and little battles start with you? And can the battle end with you? What can you do?
Time to pick your side. Time to clean house. Time to have some victories.
