argument

ON THE WARPATH AGAINST CONFLICTS – James 4:1-10

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INTRODUCTION:

Can you remember a time, or times, when your parents were really upset about something you did or said?  Can you remember words being said to you in anger?  Words like:  “How could you do such a thing?”;  “What’s the matter with you?”;  “You know better than that!”;  “Now listen to me!”;  “I want you to say you’re sorry!”;  “Don’t you ever do that again!”.  Do those words bring back memories?  Didn’t those words make you hang your head in shame?  Didn’t you want to go to your room or find a corner somewhere and cry?  The fact that you remember those words is evidence that they made a lasting impression on you, and that’s what they were intended to do.  We often call that “scolding”.  If you can’t ever remember hearing those words, or words similar to that, you must have been a much more well-behaved child than myself!

Why am I bringing those words back to your minds?  Because the apostle James, the writer of this letter, has some “scolding” to do!  You are going to find some similar questions and statements in this passage of Scripture because he is very angry.  And this won’t be the last time he does some scolding to the churches addressed in this letter, and for good reasons!  When I was a kid we used to say that a person was “on the warpath” when they were really angry about something, and were venting their anger at others.

I encourage you to read James chapter 4 several times slowly.  Read it as if you were the apostle James, and you were scolding the churches for their sinful behavior.  Then read it slowly again, as if you were a member of one of the churches, and you just received a copy of this letter from James.  You might even want to read it outloud, as if you were the parent, scolding your children!  Put some feeling and emotion into it!  If you have children, don’t say it within ear-shot of them.  They might think you’re talking to them!

You’re probably familiar with this verse of Scripture:  “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1).  And how bad and unpleasant it is when they don’t!  Wouldn’t’ you agree?

Remember that this letter was written by James to groups of Christians who were scattered throughout the surrounding nations because of the persecution.  He knows that this letter will be read aloud at the church gathering.  Then it will be copied and sent to other scattered groups of believers, where it will also be read aloud.  The Spirit of God is not only telling James what to say, but also how to say it.  So James isn’t just writing a letter.   He’s preaching a sermon!  You may want to take notes as James continues to reprove and correct.

I.  CONFLICTS WITH OTHERS:  THEIR SOURCE AND REMEDY (verses 1-3)

James begins by asking a question:  “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” (NIV)  He wants his readers to think about it for a second.  Then he answers his question with a rhetorical question:  “Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”(NIV)  James is saying, “doesn’t that make sense?”, or “wouldn’t you agree”?  He wants them to think it over and be honest with themselves.  He wants them to be true to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, in Matthew 5, that sin begins in the heart, and He exhorted people to love one another, be reconciled to one another, and serve one another unselfishly.  The recipients of this letter know these things!  That’s why James is reminding them so strongly!

James is saying, in verse one, “the desires that battle within you”.  That’s where it starts, isn’t it?  Our selfish desires are battling inside us, seeking a way to express themselves outwardly to the world around us.  If those desires aren’t met the way we want them to be met, others are going to hear about it and suffer for it!  James uses words of warfare here; words like:  “quarrel”, “fight”, “kill”, “battle”.   But in the context of his letter, it’s obvious that James isn’t talking about punching and stabbing people, or putting them to death.  He’s talking about the way we use our words to destroy people’s reputations or get even with them.  If you don’t believe that words can kill, you’ve probably never been in a heated argument that has lasted for hours, and has had lasting results for days, weeks, months, and even years.

Here in the United States we have a sharp increase in such activity every four years.  It’s called an “election year”!  And we’re in one right now!  Turn on the news on your TV or radio and you’ll see and hear what I mean!  This activity also goes on in workplaces, schools, public places, and homes where people are trying to promote the “candidate of their choice”.  Sorry, my purpose is not to “get political”, but to give a “down to earth” illustration that we can relate to.

James now gives the solution to this belligerant activity.   At the end of verse 2, he says,  “You do not have because you do not ask God.” (NIV)  But don’t stop there!  The rest of the solution is found in verse 3:  “When you ask,you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”(NIV)

Irving Jensen, in his “Self-Study Guide on James”, asks us to think about the logic of James’ words in 4:1-3:

a.  What you really need, you may have.

b.  You may have what you need by asking for it aright (or rightly).

c.  Wars and fightings, waged in order to get, are therefore unnecessary.

The Epistle of James is closely related to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  When Jesus’ disciples asked Him:  “Teach us to pray”, He gave them principles of prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.  It is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”.  I often wondered why Jesus didn’t include prayer for others when He gave these instructions.  Now I realize that this focus on others was there all along.  Jesus  begins by saying, ” Our Father”.  I’m not an “only child”, and neither are you!  Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are all members of God’s family.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  When we approach “our” Father, let’s be reminded of “the rest of the family”, and include them in our prayers.

The Lord Jesus also said “give us this day our daily bread”, not “give me this day my every desire“.  Bible scholar, William Barclay, in his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, had these words to say about this verse;  “The problem of the world is not that there is not enough to go around; there is enough and to spare.  The problem is not the supply of life’s essentials; it is the distribution of them.  This prayer teaches us never to be selfish in our prayers. It is a prayer which we can help God to answer by giving to others who are less fortunate than ourselves.  This prayer is not only a prayer that we may receive our daily bread; it is also a prayer that we may share our daily bread with others.”

This may seem like a side-track, but I think you’re beginning to see how this information relates to what James has to say in verses 2 and 3 of chapter 4.  On this subject of prayer, there is much to be learned from little children because their prayers are often so honest and free from hypocrisy.  The following is one example.  A little boy had the habit of sucking his thumb and was told he must stop.  One evening in his bedtime prayer he was heard to say, “O God, help me to stop sucking my thumb.”  After a pause, he continued, “Never mind, God, because I don’t want to stop sucking my thumb!”  How’s that for being honest to God in prayer?  How often have we prayed to God for something, but we didn’t really want God to answer our prayer, at least not the way we prayed it.  That can be especially true when we  are praying outloud in the presence of others.  God is not going to answer our prayers if we don’t mean them, or if we are trying to impress others by our prayers.

Little children can also have a very simple and keen sense of logic when dealing with problems.  A farmer whose barns were full of grain which he was holding for a rise in prices, was accustomed to pray for the poor and needy, and constantly repeated his petition, “Oh God, remember the poor and needy and supply their wants and needs.”  But he never offered them any help himself.  He expected God to do it all.  One day, after hearing his father pray, his little son said to him, “Daddy, may I have half of your corn in the barns?”  Astonished, the father replied, “Why my son, what would YOU do with all that corn?”  The boy replied, “I would answer your prayers!”  (Our Daily Bread 12/20/1958)

II.  AT WAR AGAINST GOD (verses 4-6)

Here comes the scolding again in verse 4!  “Adultresses!  Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God!”  That’s the literal translation!  If somebody called you an adultress, wouldn’t  you feel like smacking that person for saying it?  James is writing to men and women, so why does he use the feminine form of the word?  His readers know the reason!  This isn’t the first time this word has been used, and several Hebrew words and phrases came to their minds immediately.  Most of the readers or hearers of this letter were Jews that had become Christians.  They were educated in the Law of Moses and the Prophets ever since childhood, and the words of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea came to mind (specifically, Isaiah 54, Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 16, and Hosea 2).  In Isaiah 54:5-7, Isaiah says to the nation of Israel:  “Your maker is your husband, the Lord Almighty is his name . . . “.  In Ezekiel 16 God says to Jerusalem:  “You adulterous wife . . . you prostitute!”

In spite of these prophesies, God’s people continued to worship and serve other gods.  Finally, in Hosea, God gives them a visual aid!  He tells Hosea, in chapter 1, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children by her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”  So you can see why the Hebrew Christians addressed in James’ letter knew exactly what James meant when he said, “You adultresses!”  Not only that, but the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5, and the apostle John in Revelation 19 and 21, declare that the Church is the bride of Christ.  Therefore, to pursue the world’s sinful pleasures is to commit adultery against our Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ

Let me write the rest of verse four again in “scolding-mode”:  “You know that friendship with the world means enmity against God, don’t you?”  James is saying:  “You know better than that!”

I asked myself this question, and you should ask yourself the same question also:  “What does it mean to be a ‘friend of the world’?”  When we determine the answer to that question, there is a second question you and I need to ask ourselves:  “Am I a friend of the world”?

In attempting to answer the first question, the word translated “friendship”, in verse 4, is the Greek word “philos”.  The word acturally means “love”.  It is the love you would have for a close friend, someone you enjoy being around, and with whom you share much in common.  The word translated “world” is the Greek word “kosmos”.  We often use that word to speak of the universe.  However, James uses “kosmos” to refer to the human world system that is self-seeking and in rebellion against God.  And who is the “lord” of this world?  It is Satan, the devil!  And his goal and efforts are directed toward getting people to exalt themselves and become jealous of others (John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:4).  Bingo!  Now we see all the elements involved in these conflicts!  James is going to address that in verse 7.  So to be a friend of the world, the “kosmos”, is also to be a friend of Satan, helping him to accomplish his objectives in your life and in the world!

More will be coming soon!  Are you becoming convicted by God’s Word?  I am! James gives some remedies to this situation.  They are just a few verses away!

This “work in progress” is progressing slowly but surely!  I’m showing you each step of the construction process in the hope that it might encourage you to work on your own right along with me.  I’m noticing that this sermon is really getting long, and I’m only on verse 4!  So I’m going to start a James 4:1-10 (Continued) sermon, and I’ll see you there next time.  Same sermon, different page!

The foundation for this passage of Scripture has been laid and some of the structure has been built.  Keep your hard hats on because there could be some more dust falling from above!  More reproof and correction are still on the way!

 

 

 

MAN’S WISDOM VERSUS GOD’S WISDOM – I Corinthians 1:18-25

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INTRODUCTION:

Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”  Proverbs 16:25 says the exact same thing.  Is that significant?  How can something that seems so right be so wrong and have such terrible consequences?

The passage of Scripture I’m sharing today, I Corinthians 1:18-25, gives us an instance in which the reverse principle is also true:  “There is a way that seems wrong to a man, but its end is the way of life.”  In I Corinthians 1:10-17 we read that the Corinthian church was being divided because of quarrels between groups in the Church.  Today we will see that the problem was a reliance on human wisdom.  There is one area where human wisdom plays absolutely no part, and that is the salvation of one’s soul.

I.  THE SUPERIORITY OF GOD’S WISDOM (verse 18)

When man focuses on and glories in his own wisdom, he automatically tries to lower God’s wisdom, which seems like foolishness because it disagrees with his own thinking.  In verse 18, “the word of the cross” includes the whole gospel message and Christ’s saving work.  The thought of God becoming a human being and dying on a piece of wood on a small hill in a remote part of the world, and that this would determine the eternal destiny of every person who has ever lived, sounds foolish or stupid to the natural man.  It leaves no room for man’s wisdom, man’s achievements, and man’s pride.

A Christian was made fun of by an athiest because of his faith in God.  “The idea that the blood of Christ can wash away sin is foolishness”, said the atheist.  “I don’t understand it or believe it.”  The Christian, a student of the Bible, answered, “I think you’re telling the truth.  In fact, you and the apostle Paul agree exactly on one thing.”  “What do you mean?”, asked the atheist.  The believer read I Corinthians 1:18 which says, “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness”.  Then he witnessed to him and told him that Christ could change his life.  But the atheist walked away unmoved.  He was not willing to accept the Lord. The next time you share the Gospel with someone  and the person responds by saying, “that’s’ ridiculous”, you might show that person I Corinthians 1:18 and say, “that’s just how God said you would respond!”

On the other hand, verse 18 goes on to say, “but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  Another story illustrates the truth that those who believe the Gospel will experience the Lord’s saving power.  A missionary told the story that he went to a western town to pastor a small church.  He didn’t know that many of its members were antagonistic to “old-fashioned preaching”, and that some were practically atheists.  As he spoke about sin and the atoning work of Christ, the irritation of his audience became obvious.  In a few weeks the attendance had dwindled to 10.  But the faithful preacher continued to give out the Word and the Holy Spirit brought sinners under conviction.   At one service three entire families received the Lord, and the downward trend was reversed.  The Gospel is indeed the power of God!

There’s a Chinese tale about a young man who captured a tiger cub, brought it home, and raised it in a cage.  When it was full grown, the man loved to brag about how ferocious and powerful it was.  “That tiger isn’t wild anymore,” scoffed his friends.  “He’s as tame as an old house cat!”  This went on until a wise old man overheard them and said, “There’s only one way to know whether this tiger is ferocious or not.  Open the cage!”  The young man smiled, placed his hand on the latch and challenged his friends, “Want to try out my tiger?”  There was a moment of silence, and then one of the friends said, “We’ll believe you!  Just don’t open that latch!”

A tiger’s strength, of course, is destructive and can bring death, but the power of the Gospel leads to life and freedom.  It destroys guilt and breaks the stranglehold of sinful habits.  If we have experienced this power ourselves, let’s challenge others to “try out our tiger!”

II.  THE PERMANENCE OF GOD’S WISDOM (verses 19-20)

In verse 19, Paul quotes from Isaiah 29:14.  It reads:  “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”  Paul’s purpose is to point out that the wisdom of men will be destroyed.  The background of this verse is important to the understanding of it.  In chapter 8 of Isaiah, God tells the people of Judah that Assyria is going to invade them.  Instead of asking the Lord what they should do, they went to witches and sorcerers, and in Isaiah 30, following their advice, they make a treaty with Egypt, thinking that will protect them.  But that treaty gets them into even more trouble!  Their plans fail, but God shows them that He has a better plan.  Judah would be saved completely by God’s power, with no human help.  In Isaiah 37:36 God destroyed 185,000 men of the Assyrian army with just one angel!  The complete account of this is given in II Kings 17.  I encourage you to read it.

The apostle Paul teaches here in verse 20 that human wisdom is not only unreliable, it is also not permanent.  Paul asks several questions.  Each question is asking, “Where are all the smart people today that have all the answers?”  How much closer to peace, in the world and in the heart, is man today than he was a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago?

Paul asks:  “Where is the wise man?”  He is paraphrasing Isaiah’s words, and the prophet Isaiah was referring to the wise men of Egypt – the sorcerers and magicians who made promises but gave bad advice that led Egypt astray.  “Where are the scribes?”  Paul is probably referring to the Assyrian scribes who went along with the soldiers to record the plunder that was taken in battle.  But God saw to it, in this case, that they had nothing to record, and nothing to count or to weigh.  What was left of the Assyrian army ran away empty-handed.

“Where is the debater of this age?”  Paul is probably referring to the Greek philosophers of his day who spent most of their time arguing with each other!  Throughout history human wisdom has never solved the basic problems of man.  And nothing has really changed over the years, has it?  Life has the same problems.  People have the same struggles.

III.  THE POWER OF GOD’S WISDOM (verses 21-25)

Verse 21 says that God planned it that way.  Man cannot come to know Him by the wisdom of the world.  In Acts 17, when Paul came to Athens, he noticed a shrine on which were written these words:  “To an unknown God.”  With all their learning and philosophies they made for themselves many gods, but the God who had made them, they did not know.

God does not expect people to come to Him through their own wisdom.  He knows they cannot.  But they can come to Him through His wisdom.  And that wisdom has been given to us in the simple message of the Gospel.  It is not through philosophy or human wisdom that salvation comes, but through believing God’s’ Word and His plan of salvation.  God saves only those who believe.  People cannot figure out salvation, they can only accept it in faith.

Unbelief is always the basic reason for not accepting God’s will and God’s way, but unbelief can be expressed in various ways.  In verses 22 and 23, the Jews wanted supernatural signs before they would believe the Gospel.  The Gentiles, represented by the Greeks, wanted proof through human wisdom, through ideas they could consider and debate over.

These two groups that Paul mentions here, the Jews and Greeks, are representative of all unbelieving mankind.  Whether, like the typical Jew, they demand proof by a supernatural sign, or like the typical Greek, they want proof by natural wisdom, unbelievers will find an excuse for rejecting the Gospel.  But God has called out a people for Himself from among the Jews and the Gentiles.  These will believe and find that Jesus Christ is both the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Paul closes this portion of his letter by saying that, even if God could possess any sort of foolishness, it would be wiser than man’s greatest wisdom.  And if God were able to have any weakness, it would be stronger than the greatest strength that man could muster.  Jesus may have appeared to be foolish and weak as one imagines Him hanging on a Roman cross, suffering and dying.  But by doing so, Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the world and opened the gates of heaven for all who would believe in Him.  Christ’s death and His resurrection were actually His greatest demonstrations of His infinite wisdom and power.

CONCLUSION:

I would like to give two different applications of what Paul has taught us in this passage of Scripture.  First, God’s wisdom is opposed to man’s’ wisdom.  We Christians make a great mistake when we water down the Gospel message to make it acceptable to people, and reasonable to them.  The Gospel isn’t an argument, but an announcement.  And this announcement is meant by God to be proclaimed clearly and accurately.

Secondly, if you still have your own personal philosophy about God and about life, and it doesn’t agree with the Bible, the wisest and most needful statement I can make to you is that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on the cross for your sins in your place, and shed His blood so that you could be acceptable to a holy God.  And the wisest decision you could ever make in your life would be to believe that announcement, repent of your sins, and accept Jesus Christ into your life and your personal Savior and Lord.  If God is calling you to make that decision, don’t delay or look for excuses, but respond to His call by receiving Him into your life;  and let other Christians know what you have done so that they can rejoice with you and help you grow in your knowledge of Him.