Sermons

In writing to the church in Jerusalem, James in [v. 1-6] of chapter 4 explains why they argued and fought with others so much…he reveals that it comes from the evil desires that are at war within them.

2 You lust and do not have, so you (symbolically) commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.
3 You ask, and do not receive because you ask wrongly so that you may spend it on your own desires.

Evil desires are the result of the selfish desires that cause us to want to always be right or in control…if it’s not done your way you get mad…so we then become easily offended and you feel like you just really have to say something to aggravate the situation even more…so you inject your opinion into the conversation.

Then in [7-11] James explains how to combat this urge by identifying a series of commands that are to be examples of the types of behavior needed to keep us in close fellowship with God.

He gives eleven imperatives…commands that demand immediate obedience if they are to remain in a true fellowship with God. So far we have looked at five.

First imperative 7submit to God
Second imperative to Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
Third imperative 8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.
Fourth imperative 8Cleanse your hands… and purify your hearts.
Fifth imperative 10 Humble your-selves before the Lord.

In verse 11 James says ‘I’m not done’ so he adds another issue that keeps us out of fellowship with God and one another.

Sixth imperative Do not speak against one another (evil is implied)

Another reason why we argue with others…because people are overly critical of others…they feel like they have to correct everything and everyone…they feel it necessary to give you their opinion…If God doesn’t care about your opinion what makes you think someone else does?

Know what’s amazing…only 20% of Americans say the Bible is the literal word of God.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/394262/fewer-bible-literal-word-god.aspx#:~:text=Americans’%20Views%20of%20the%20Bible&text=In%202022%2C%2049%25%20of%20Americans,God%20to%20be%20taken%20literally.

But here’s what’s interesting…the other 80% who are skeptical that the Bible is the literal word of God, have no problem quoting it to you when it’s to their advantage.

Even people who are not familiar with the Bible know the verse about judging: judge not that you be not judged [Matt. 7:1]…There is hardly any verse that is more misunderstood than that one…people quote this verse for two reasons:

One…to justify not getting involved in people’s lives regardless of the destructive decisions they are making.

Secondly…people throw that verse out if they feel someone is being judgmental towards them even though they could care less about anything Biblical.

I mentioned last week in his book ‘The Most Misused Verses in the Bible’ (Eric Bargerhuff) he lists 18 misused verses…this is first on the list.

There’s a reason for these misused and misunderstood verses…it’s called the Americanization of Jesus…Christianity…and the Bible.

For example…there is a famous picture of Jesus…

It is the all-time most-reproduced image of a light-eyed…light-haired… neatly trimmed beard…portrayal of Jesus as a white European…it’s from a commercial artist—Warner Sallman—who created art for advertising campaigns in the 1940’s.

Sallman’s partnership with two Christian publishing companies helped this picture to be printed on everything from prayer cards…to calendars…to hymnals…all depicting a European image of Jesus.

Growing up, this picture was in every classroom in the church I attended.

And just like with that picture which is obviously not even a close representation of what Jesus looked like…the Americanization of the Gospel coupled with changes in American society has had a direct impact on the church as well.

People believe they are following a form of Christianity the way God intended… but some of these beliefs are actually just values of the culture.

For example… Oprah Winfrey preaches a gospel of divine self…a ‘God within’ that risks making selfishness a virtue…

Or Joel Osteen’s church of prosperity that insists that God’s desire for all Christians is financial prosperity.

Hence the importance to carefully look at what James says regarding being judgmental and compare that to what Jesus meant because there are instances in the Bible when we are to judge others.

When the Bible commands us to not judge…there’s a difference between making a judgment and being judgmental…between constructive judgment and condemning judgment…Jesus’ intention was not to stop judgment…but to enforce accurate accountability especially between believers.

Let me give you some examples when being judgmental is acceptable…ever try to share something from the Bible to someone…try to give them some godly advice…and they get mad?

Mat. 7:6 Jesus said…Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy

Jesus is being judgmental regarding people who are argumentative and contentious…said it before…never debate the Bible…in most cases the person you’re talking to has already made their mind up concerning whatever it is you’re debating…they’re just being obnoxious.

In the statement Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy… Jesus is saying you need to make a judgmental decision about the person’s character… a judgment call on whether these people are ready to hear what you have to say… or do they just want to be argumentative.

Now…to counter that…in Matthew 7:15 Jesus says to

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really wolves. You can identify them by the way they act (NLT).

Here He’s saying you need to make a condemning judgment…there’s no shortage of people who claim to be ‘Christian ministers’ but are nothing more than charlatans.

They have huge followings who contribute money to their every need… including lavish homes…cars…and jet aircraft…and they want you to be a part of it…as a Christian you need to make a decision and a judgment on whether or not they are speaking from God.

It takes a discerning sheep to recognize, ‘That’s not a true sheep…that’s a wolf dressed like a sheep’…it requires judging if the person’s teaching is false.

The Bible does not say to NEVER judge others because there are times when you do need to judge and evaluate others.

Another instance when you need to be judgmental at times when assessing someone’s sins.

I hear people say “I could never confront anyone about their sin, because we’re not supposed to judge others. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone!”

This attitude is dodging a difficult but loving responsibility you have as a Christian…James addresses this very issue in the last paragraph in his epistle…

19 if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death.

To do that you need to make a judgment about the sin and the person in order to help them…this is in agreement with what Paul says in Gal 6:1:

if another believer is overcome by sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.

These verses are not suggesting we have a right to be judgmental… condemning or to make moral judgments about their behavior…but in a loving Christian manner help them realize the error of their way.

There’s one last area that as Christians we need to be especially critical of…that’s when it comes to evaluating or judging someone’s spiritual maturity regarding spiritual matters and doctrinal views.

That also includes their personal lives as well…this usually is associated with those in leadership positions in the Church…especially those who are pastors.

If anyone aspires to be a church leader, he (implied) desires an honorable position.’ It is necessary therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, [1 Timothy 3:1-4]

Couple things…when selecting a pastor the church needs to be to a certain extent critical of the man they are considering to be their shepherd.

Secondly…let me say something about the statement…the husband of one wife… ‘well that was written back when women were thought of as second class citizens’…times have changed and the church needs to change with them.’

One statement is true…women were thought of as second class citizens until Christianity elevated women to a position of equality with men.

However…the Church needs to be careful of adapting to the times…of adopting policies that are clearly against Biblical guidelines…the Baptist Faith and Message says…the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

This goes back to the Americanization of the Church…this is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination…it doesn’t imply men are better teachers or that women are inferior or less intelligent…it’s an issue of Biblical interpretation.

The Greek clearly defines a pastor as a man…(ἄνδρα anthropology) that’s the way God designed the church to function.

Last week at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans there was a vote to remove Rick Warren’s 30,000 member Saddleback Church from the Southern Baptist Convention…because they ordained a woman as pastor.

It’s not a matter of hating anyone or denying what some believe is their constitutional right…it’s abiding by what the Bible dictates.

When you compromise in one area of the Bible it becomes easier to compromise in another area until you have a situation like the Methodist and Presbyterians have.

You cannot violate the commandments of God and expect to stay in fellowship with Him…no matter how trivial you think they are.

There is no… ‘well I don’t think God would mind’ …or… ‘Well just this once it’ll be OK’ ….because it won’t be…you can’t take God’s place.

Saddleback Church was removed from the Southern Baptist Convention because they took it upon themselves to do what God had not permitted, thinking… believing God wouldn’t mind.

OK…so what’s this have to do with…Do not speak against one another
When we are being judgmental and critical of others we think we can take God’s place…we think we have the ‘right’ to judge those around us.

James gives the reason we don’t and should not…speak against each other …some translations say ‘evil against one another’ that’s implied…when you’re speaking against someone aren’t you just naturally speaking evil against them?

To “speak against” (καταλαλέω) is two separate words…κατα means down and λαλέω means ‘I speak’ the word literally means to speak down in a hostile degrading way.

So to speak against someone refers to making a statement in a mindless… careless thoughtless…critical…derogatory…way directed against someone with the malicious intent to be hateful…spiteful…mean…cruel…or in some way hurtful.

Throughout our study of James, we’ve been reminded of the powerfully destructive potential of our tongue…from the opening chapter James has pointed out the way our speech can bring harm to others reminding us to be

Quick to hear slow to speak and slow to anger [1:19]

In addition in chapter 3 he gives examples of the evil use of our tongue and its ability to pollute the whole body [3:6] and why it matters:

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.[26]

The command to you and me is really nothing more than a reflection of how Jesus relates to us…throughout the Bible we are reminded of Satan and his way…that he is the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them (us) before our God day and night…” Don’t be like Satan.

The Bible says a lot about humility…God calls on all people to humble themselves (Micah 6:8; Matthew 23:12; Romans 12:16; Philippians 2:3–4; 1 Peter 5:6). but He especially calls on believers to humble themselves.

In the 4th chapter of James he lists a series of commands that are concrete examples of the types of behavior needed to keep us in close fellowship with God.

In [v 7-10] of Ch. 4 James addresses the interpersonal conflicts occurring among his readers…he gives eleven imperatives…commands that demand immediate obedience if they were to remain in a true fellowship with God.

First imperative 7submit to God
Second imperative to Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
Third imperative 8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.
Fourth imperative 8Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Here’s how these four imperatives play out in our lives.

We submit to God by knowing and obeying His Word…we submit to God when we trust in His will for our lives.

We resist the devil by knowing and applying God’s Word…through righteous living…through collective fellowship…and through prayer.

To come near to God is a call for action…an action we initiate…not for God’s benefit…but so that we might have a closer walk in the Spirit for our benefit.

To cleanse our hands is to be positionally cleansed by the Holy Spirit… removing our judicial condemnation by giving us a new life in Christ.

To purify your hearts is a call for inner purification…a genuine heartfelt sorrowful admission to God for what we’ve done.

James warns against being a ‘double-minded’ person…one trying to live with one foot in the world while claiming to love and worship God…this will cause a person to become unstable in all their ways.

James’ fifth imperative is to 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

The thought of humbling ourselves is often thought of as an act of weakness… having low opinions of yourself…low self-esteem…and a lack of confidence.

Here’s the thing about humility…it’s not thinking less about yourself…it’s not disliking who you are…or demeaning yourself…it’s not thinking less about yourself…it’s thinking of yourself less…we live humble before God when we demand less of what we want and more what others may need.

Humility is knowing we cannot succeed by trusting in our own human effort… it goes hand in hand with being poor in spirit.
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Being poor in spirit is realizing that you cannot in your own efforts please God. It’s admitting that you are spiritually bankrupt before God…it’s recognizing that there is nothing you can do to gain God’s acceptance or approval…that I am spiritually worthless.

In that respect being poor in spirit is like humility…as a Christian God has sovereign authority over you…He created you…He paid your sin debt…you now belong to Him…goes back to trusting in His will for our lives.

I want to share something with you regarding that statement…that you belong to God…it brings up the horrible situation Alyssa and Cameron are experiencing.

To humble ourselves before God is to let go of our ideas…plans…and purposes and instead surrender to God’s purpose for our lives.

That means letting God have full control of what happens and when it happens in our lives…accepting His timing in all things according to His plans and purposes.

Don’t know why sickness…distress…or physical ailments happen to people…I don’t even attempt to explain why…and neither should anyone else.

We need to remember…even in the direst of circumstances…the central purpose always is to bring about God’s sovereign will…Bible says so…[Rom. 8:28]:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

That statement makes it plain that as a Christian you can be assured that the things that happen in your life will always work for God’s good.

Regardless of whether God actively inflicts an illness or passively allows it… God’s ultimate purpose is to bring glory to Himself…it’s not so you can be happy…as a Christian you have essentially given God the right to use you to bring about His sovereign will.

At conversion…when we make the decision to trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior…along with that decision is a commitment that we will be obedient to Him…that we will submit to Him by giving Him authority over our lives.

God uses whatever means necessary to accomplish His will…including using you…I said it earlier…as a Christian God has sovereign authority over you…He created you…He paid your sin debt…you now belong to Him.

First 4 words of Rick Warren’s book, Purpose Driven Life ‘it’s not about you’.
As Christians we need to realize that we may never truly know why God permits certain events to occur in our lives.

People mistakenly say ‘when we get to heaven God will explain everything to us’ …why should He?…He doesn’t owe us an explanation on why He does what He does…BUT we can be certain that He does so for His benefit.

Far too often when bad circumstances happen people are quick to blame the person, saying it’s their fault…usually for some sin…that belief is grounded in Middle Eastern thought that’s called the retribution principle.

The idea that God prospers the righteous and afflicts the wicked…therefore if you’re suffering you must have done something bad…that’s not biblical.

Even disregarding that idea it’s still difficult for us to accept sickness as being part of God’s divine plan…we are all confronted with issues in life that are mysterious and don’t make sense.

If we can’t see a purpose in life we get frustrated…discouraged…and unfortunate for many depressed to the point of wanting to quit the church.

We may be tempted to distrust God…blaming Him for our current state of health BUT… we must never allow ourselves to believe that God is cruel, but rather, God is always a just God both in His rewards and in His punishments.

Those who go through life living on explanations will always be unhappy because sometimes there are no explanations for what happens, and God is not obligated to explain them.

Bad things do happen to good people…more often than not there is no meaning to why they happen to us because there is no satisfying answer.

But we can give them a meaning by imposing a meaning on them. The question we should be asking is not, “Why did this happen to me? …that’s really unanswerable because there is no explanation that makes sense of it all.

God’s goal for your life is not ease, comfort, or pleasure…too many TV preachers would have you believe God’s will for your life is health, protection, and prosperity…that is not the message of the New Testament.

We may not like to hear that sickness is allowed by God to bring us closer or He’s using that sickness to bring someone else closer to Him…BUT…because God owns you He orchestrates the events in your life according to His plans.

He calls us to humble ourselves not because He is a controlling God that wants you to bow down to Him…it’s not to make you His servant…it’s not so He can boss you around…here again is another conditional promise…it’s because He wants to exalt us…to lift us up.

In verse 8 and 10 we see two conditional statements…these don’t represent the standard conditional if-then statements seen in the New Testament, but the language used suggests if you do one thing the other will result.

8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

God’s desire has always been that we would draw near to Him with all our hearts. God created us to walk with Him in fellowship.

Drawing near to God is a major theme in redemption history…but it’s conditional.

The statement ‘draw near to God’ indicates that the separation from God was a result of our choice…it is our involvement with the world that has moved us away from God…that’s what happens when we are friends with the world.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of how God responds to us.

There was a reason some were not as close to God as they once were…they had stepped away from God and allowed Satan to be an influence in their lives…as a result they had broken their fellowship with God.

In this verse James is not giving an evangelistic invitation…this is not a call for the lost to be saved…James is speaking to believers…‘draw near to God.’

BUT…the catch is:
—can’t be living in sin and at the same time be close to God…just like
—can’t be living a disobedient lifestyle and expect God to hear your prayers.

God doesn’t care how sincere you are…how earnest you are…how genuine you are in your request…God will not hear your prayers and you cannot be near to God when you are out of fellowship with Him.

The other conditional statement is:

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Peter writes almost the same thing [1 Pet 5:6].

humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He
may exalt you at the proper time.

Jesus makes mention of the importance of being humble and the result of being exalted [Matthew 23:12].

whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.

We’ve already talked about the importance of being humble…it’s recognizing God’s providential interest in our lives even during times of great distress… putting our complete trust in the Lord and when we do…God will exalt you.

So what do James and Peter mean that God will exalt you? There’s no shortage of people in the church today wanting to exalt themselves…more people wanting to be Reverends…Apostles…Bishops…and Prophets than ever before…giving themselves titles in order to get a price.

The answer is in the phase…He may exalt you at the proper time.

Two key words in this verse:
One…is ‘exalt’ meaning to receive a high place of privilege and honor…
Second…is ‘time’ καιρός time meaning the opportune time…more specifically God’s time…in His own good time.

In life there will be many things that don’t make sense…there are many problems we face that we don’t want to face…but when we humble ourselves in those circumstance by allowing God to work in our life by releasing our life into His hands…you open the doors for God to exalt you by sending His blessing into your life.

In James’ letter to the Jerusalem church he identified some issues that needed to be resolved…his suggestion was that what they needed to experience was a revival… a restoration of their fellowship with God.

In [7-10] of chapter 4 James gives eleven imperatives…that demanded immediate obedience if they were to enter into a true fellowship with God.

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and He will come near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded 9 Grieve, mourn and weep. Change your laughter to mourning and Your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He Will lift you up.11do not speak against one another…

The first imperative was: 7 submit to God
The second imperative: to Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
The third imperative we talked about last week was 8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.

James adds a fourth…. 8 Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Something I have repeatedly pointed out as we continue to look at the fourth chapter of James is his insistence in what seems to be his continual bad mouthing of the Christians in the church he is writing to.

It’s rather startling that James would accuse the church members of fighting… quarrelling…coveting…while symbolically calling them murderers and adulterers because of their attitudes toward one other.

On the surface it would seem that James is using language more appropriate to unbelievers rather than believers…saying such things as ‘you adulterers’ … and calling them ‘sinners’ …this is not the type of language that is spoken with respect to genuine believers.

And that is exactly the case…in the New Testament Christians are always referred to as saints…those who belong to the body of Christ…saved by grace through faith in Jesus…are never referred to as sinners…so who’s James referring to?

Something I’ve often said is the Bible was written to believers…and that is almost always the case.

HOWEVER…there are a few instances where verses are directed to those who are still considered sinners because they haven’t yet committed to trusting in Jesus as their Savior.

When reading the Bible it’s important to use the context and choice of words to determine if the verse is directed to believers or unbelievers…most generally it is always directed at believers but there are times when verses are directed to unbelievers.

So what are unbelievers doing in the church anyway? …should we encourage unbelievers to be in church? …obviously YES we should…BUT here’s where we need to be cautious.

Should we permit unbelievers to serve in the church? …NO…unfortunately this has been an area that many churches and pastors have gotten wrong.

The rational for allowing unbelievers to serve in various capacities in the church is that it might cause them to know God through serving…on the surface that sounds good…but…that’s putting the cart before the horse.

Also, in an effort to bring more people into the church, many churches are changing their names so they don’t sound like a church…or to disguise their religious affiliation…years ago we changed our name to remove the word ‘Baptist’ because some thought it was too offensive.

Let me share some things with you about worship service.

First…it’s not for you…worship service first and foremost is to worship and praise God…when churches turn their ‘praise music’ into a rock concert with people dancing… jumping around…flashing lights with trendy gimmicks…that is shallow entertainment for the people…not for God.

Secondly…having an unbeliever singing on the worship team or serving in any capacity in the church is inherently hypocritical…unbelievers cannot worship the Lord…therefore the lyrics they’re singing really are nothing more than empty words…and anything they’re doing in the church is from a secular viewpoint.

We find no examples in the Bible of non-Christians leading Christians in public worship…as teachers…preachers…or in positions of authority in the church.

Here’s why…whenever someone is serving in a church ministry they are in effect representing the values of the congregation…if that person has beliefs that are contrary to the Bible that is hypocrisy.

Thirdly…pastors wearing skinny jeans with their cool shirts untucked so they can appear to be relevant to the culture while preaching a feel good sermon so the unsaved will feel more comfortable or not so out of place when they leave is also hypocritical.

In verse 8 James calls them double-minded…this is the second time in this epistle he refers to people as being double-minded…back in chapter 1 referring to the misplaced idea that all you have to do is ask and you shall receive, he says:

7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. [James 1:7-8]

Here James is saying one reason, and there are more…you’re not receiving because you’re double-minded.

Here’s what’s interesting about the word ‘double-minded’ …it appears only in the book of James…most scholars believe James might have even coined this word himself…to grasp the full meaning of this word it’s best to understand how it is used.

This statement goes hand-in-hand with what precedes it, referring to purifying your hearts….double-minded people lack purity of heart…that is why James mentions purity of heart before he lists someone who is double-minded.

Again…it’s important to note that James is using language more appropriate to sinners…unbelievers…rather than believers.

To purify your hearts is a call for inner purification…here’s the issue when dealing with purity of heart, because there’s two kinds of sorrow.

There’s the sorrow that is the result of a person who only repents outwardly who may ‘feel sorry’ for their actions…but it’s only superficial… and it’s done for a couple reasons.

1. People often say ‘I’m sorry’ not to express genuine regret…instead they use it to manipulate you in an attempt to regain your friendship.
2. People often feel guilty because of what they said or did and it makes them feel uncomfortable so they say I’m sorry to make themselves feel better…not you.
3. People will say they’re sorry to get you to admit that it was you who was really in the wrong… ‘I wouldn’t have said or did what I did if YOU hadn’t said or did what you did’ …I was only reacting to your inappropriate behavior…so I’ll say I’m sorry but you started it…this is the action of a double-minded person.

That’s the kind of sorrow that shows no remorse…the Bible says that’s the kind of sorrow that leads to death…because there’s no genuine heartfelt sorrow nor is there an admission of guilt for what you did.

Then there’s the sorrow God wants you to experience that is more intense than just being sorry.

That’s the sorrow that is according to the will of God (2 Cor 7:10), a sorrow that includes an intellectual recognition and confession of sin over having grieved another person and God…this results in the purification of the heart.

Sorrow that is according to the will of God is recognizing your sin and confessing it.

This is why James is tying purity of heart with being double-minded…the double-minded person is the person Jesus was referring to when He spoke about the one trying to serve two masters…calling him unstable. [Matt. 6:24]

A double-minded person is one who is restless and confused in their thoughts …actions…and behavior…always being in conflict with themselves…they lack solid convictions and as a result they have inner conflict.

Being double minded prevents them from never fully leaning with confidence on God…that’s why James describes such a person as one who…is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed (vs.6).

To be double-minded is to be inconsistent, acting one way today and another way tomorrow…it’s the description of a hypocrite.

James branded them double-minded because they continued to live with one foot in the world while claiming to love and worship God.

God and the things of this world are so opposing that it is impossible to love one without hating the other…trying to love them both will cause a person to become unstable in all their ways.

James says our actions should be to be miserable…mourn…and weep [9].

I thought the Christian life was supposed to be one of joy…happiness…and rejoicing…so where’s James going with this? Actually it has a twofold meaning.

First…I somewhat enjoy hearing people give their testimonies…something we seldom do anymore…but it is still done on occasion…BUT…what bothers me is the humorous…casual attitude people take when sharing their conversion experience….seldom is there a sense of remorse.

Often times it’s done with an attitude of how much fun I was having…or how I was enjoying my former life as a sinner…or telling about all the things I did were was causing someone else difficulty.

Here’s a problem we have as Christians…we laugh at sin when we should be mourning over it…here’s the danger in that…if Satan can get us to laugh about sin we’re one step down the path toward the acceptance of it.

Remember Grieve, mourn and weep are commands…so what is the intent?

As Christians we are not to rationalize…humor ourselves…or justify how we live before we became Christians…we are not to rationalize sin BUT…rather we are to lament over its destructive nature…the power it had over our lives… and the evil it caused.

Jesus Himself told us that when we reflect back on the sinful condition we were previously living in we should mourn and weep over how we were living.

Secondly…grieving and mourning should produce repentance…if it is genuine …if we are truly sorrowful for what we have done…not talking about worldly sorrow that shows no remorse but Godly sorrow that includes confessions of sin resulting in the purification of the heart…Jesus says you will be blessed and comforted.

Two kinds of comfort…almost everything in the Bible is conditional…there is not universal comfort for all mourners…done lots of funerals…people are mourning for lots of reasons… usually for the kind of natural grief that comes from not being able to physically see the deceased…to hear their voice…to touch them…to be with them…and the loneliness of not seeing them.

For unbelievers…there is no comfort…because there is no hope in the resurrection of the body…BUT…there’s another kind of comfort.

Scripture says…as Christians we don’t grieve as others who have no hope… we are secure in knowing that they are with the Lord.

That’s why Jesus in the Beatitudes says…all mourners who are poor in spirit and hunger and thirst for righteousness will find comfort…so there is comfort for some but not for all.

Thirdly…as Christians we should lament over our sin and be regretful about what we did but it should not consume us to the point of thinking what I did in the past is preventing me from living the abundant life today or keeping me out of heaven.

Nor should we pretend to be so sorry over sin thinking that wallowing in the wretchedness of it will somehow justify us in the eyes of God.

Admitting to sin…grieving over sin…and weeping over sin is an important step in bringing a lost sinner into fellowship with Christ…and it’s important in restoring our fellowship with Christ when we sin…but…the true benefit is in what Paul had to say… godly sorrow produces repentance which leads to salvation.

The widespread problem of worldliness is infiltrating the church…splits in the Presbyterian and Methodist church are evidence of that…I believe there is a clear reason for that…said it already…unbelievers having positions of authority in the church and dictating church policy.

James is inviting those who are unbelievers pretending to be believers to Draw near to God…to cleanse your hands and purify your hearts…and at the same time is telling Christians…to do the same…to take a second look at how we assess sin and our reaction to it…to also evaluate their lifestyle.

Reading through the book of James it’s apparent that there were some issues in the Church that specifically needed addressing…he has already accused them of fighting…quarrelling…and coveting…symbolically calling them murderers and adulterers because of their attitudes toward each other.

James’ desire throughout his letter is for those who are true believers to act in accordance with their faith…do your actions mirror the faith you proclaim?

There’s a term being used today to describe those who give a verbal affirmation of Scripture but fail to live their lives in a manner that conforms to Scripture….it’s called Theoretical inerrancy.

What are some of the signs of a Christian who is experiencing Theoretical Inerrancy?…failing to read their Bible…failing to pray…not attending church… failing to live their lives in humble submission and conformity to Scripture.

Christians evidence their faith by the way they live their lives…for James…a faith that does not produce real life changes is a faith that is worthless.

What they needed to experience was a revival…a restoration of their fellowship with God….so in verses 7-10 of chapter 4 James gives eleven imperatives… commands that demand immediate obedience if they were to enter into a true relationship with God.

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and He will come near to you. Cleanse your hands…and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and weep. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble your-selves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.11do not speak against one another…

Last Sunday we looked at two imperatives… first imperative is 7 Submit to God.

Here’s the problem with that statement…it’s the easy believism idea that I’ve submitted to God because I prayed a prayer and that’s all there is to being a Christian…praying a prayer is not submitting to God.

Satan loves it when people think that’s all there is to being a Christian…that’s the very issue James is addressing in this letter…a faith with no substance.

How do we submit to God?

1. We submit to God by knowing and obeying His Word.
2. We submit to God when we trust in His will for our lives.

Knowing God can only be accomplished by knowing God’s Word…by listening to it…by memorizing it…by studying it…by attending Church.

The second imperative we looked at was James’ directive to Resist the devil, and he will flee from you…what if anything can be done to resist the devil?

1. We resist the devil by knowing and applying His Word.
   I’ll say it for the second time…the only way that can be accomplished is by knowing God’s Word…by listening to it…by memorizing it…by studying it…by attending Church.

The more we know and apply God’s Word the more we will defeat the devil and send him on his way.

2. We resist the devil through righteous living.
3. We resist the devil through collective fellowship
4. We resist the devil through prayer

Said it last week and I’m going to repeat it this week…when we make the decision to become a Christian that is the beginning of a great spiritual conflict.

Before you became a Christian Satan had his way with you…you might not have thought that…but he did because there was no one to resist him.

But when we made the decision to follow Jesus a major conflict erupted… because the Christian life is a warfare and that’s the problem with the great majority of American Christians…they’re totally unaware that a deadly conflict is occurring in the spiritual realm…a conflict that is not against flesh and blood but against forces of wickedness in heavenly places.

Here’s how Satan attacks the church and you.
—First by false teaching
The Heretic…who teaches what contradicts essential Christian teaching..
The Charlatan…who uses Christianity as a means of personal enrichment.
The Prophet…who speaks fresh revelations outside of Scripture
The Abuser…who uses his position of leadership to take advantage of other people.
The Divider…who uses false doctrine to disrupt or destroy a church

—Second is in the realm of our imagination
—Third by our conscience that will either accuse us or excuse us.

As Christians we are largely unaware of at least two things:

1. Satan is constantly on the attack…even though we know this truth from the Bible [1 Pt. 5:8] we don’t realize it because it’s so subtle.

Satan draws us into sin and bondage using emotional baggage like anger… worry…complaining…arguing… anxiety…holding on to grudges…that’s why we live in a world that doesn’t belong to God…we live in a world in which we are only visitors.

2. Christians have all the power and authority from God to resist him and the authority to cast him away…that’s the benefit of memorizing Scripture.

James’ third imperative…8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. God’s desire has always been that we would draw near to Him with all our hearts…God created us to walk with Him in fellowship.

Drawing near to God is a major theme in redemption history…but it’s conditional.

The statement ‘draw near to God’ indicates that the separation from God was a result of their choice…it was their involvement with the world that had moved them away from God…that’s what happens when we are friends with the world.

On the surface this verse seems to be so simplistic… Come near to God and he will come near to you…just like the verse…2 you do not have because you do not ask.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of how God responds to us.

And really it is that easy…BUT…the catch is we can’t be living in sin and at the same time be close to God…just like you can’t be living a disobedient lifestyle and expect God to hear your prayers.

He doesn’t care how sincere you are…how earnest you are…how genuine you are in your request…God will not hear your prayers and you cannot be near to God when you are out of fellowship with Him.

In this verse James is not giving an evangelistic invitation…this is not a call for the lost to be saved…James is speaking to believers…‘draw near to God.’

There was a reason some were not as close to God as they once were…some had stepped away from God and allowed Satan to be an influence in their lives …as a result they had broken their fellowship with God.

God is in fellowship with us when we ‘diligently seek Him’ [Heb. 11:6] so what does it mean to diligently seek Him?

The word diligent means to persevere…to be persistent…when you draw near to God you don’t just do it once in a while or when the mood strikes…it means spending time with God becomes a priority in our life.

Studying the Bible is essential if you want to draw near to God because it tells us what the Lord requires of us.

As Israel was preparing to cross into the Promised Land Moses gathered the people together one last time to tell them what the Lord your God asks of you.

To fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands [Deut 10:12]

Hundreds of years later the prophet Micah reflected on Moses’s instruction by identifying three things the Lord requires of us.

what God does require of you…to do justice…to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God [Micah 6:8]

It’s these three things that give us the framework to hang all of Jesus’s teaching on…essentially… do your actions mirror the faith that you proclaim?

To do justice …is something you must commit doing yourself…it means that you’re fair in all your judgments…the challenge in this is doing what is morally right and fair in every circumstance…even when it’s not popular.

Doing justice means not just loving people who look like me…or live like me … we are called to love all people and we can’t do that faithfully until we are working toward justice for all…this is what the Lord requires of us.

Said before I don’t preach on social justice issues…the gender pay gap… income inequality…universal healthcare…poverty…domestic abuse…that’s not what God has called me to preach on…are they important?…they are… but you don’t need me to lecture you on what needs to be done to eliminate them.

I don’t preach on gender identity issues even though half of adults ages 18-29 say someone can be a man or a woman even if that differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.

I don’t preach on political issues…political polarization is a serious issue in America today…it is having devastating consequences…Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today than at any time in the past 50 years.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that people in the pews are deriving their moral meaning from politics instead of allowing their theological convictions and values shape their political ideas.

I want my preaching and pastoral leadership to help people increase the abundance of Christ in their life…to help people meet God on a personal level. By saying things that have a Biblical impact and help reveal Christ’s presence in the world.

That’s why I stay away from social justice issues…gender identity issues…and political issues…doing justice means not placing ourselves as superior to others but to walk in love…sharing and living out the truth of the gospel and with a desire to honor and glorify God.

As a Church…as Christians…when we do that… sharing and living out the truth of the gospel…social justice issues…gender identity issues…and political issues are driven by scripture instead of by our prejudices.

To love mercy…in Hebrew the word ‘mercy’ implies a loyal commitment that flows out of love…it is a call for us to be faithful to the love of God which is demonstrated in a commitment to love others.

We define ‘mercy’ as ‘not getting what we deserve’. This is how we think about God’s mercy…we all deserve punishment…because all have sinned… BUT… God’s mercy says I’m not going to do that. Instead God gives us grace…‘getting what we don’t deserve’…spending eternity with God and our loved ones.

To love mercy means that we are required to give people what they don’t always deserve…to cut them some slack and show them mercy instead.

To walk humbly is to walk carefully before God…being mindful of how you live before Him…the person who walks humbly with the Lord does so without arrogance.

To sum this up…Come near to God and He will come near to you…is a call for action…an action we initiate…coming near to God is not for His benefit…drawing near to God and walking in the Spirit is for our benefit.

That’s why the more you abide in God’s Word and in His presence the more accessible God will be to you.

James’ desire throughout his writings has been to get some important truths across to his fellow Christians regarding what being a Christian entails.

James’s purpose is for professed Christians to test their faith to find out whether it is genuine or false.

James was concerned that the Jewish Christians he was writing to were practicing spiritual adultery by giving their allegiance to an idol…that their attitude towards each other was less than Christ-like…and they were living a double standard lifestyle that resembled more of a worldly one than a Christlike one.

James is encouraging his readers to act like God’s people…he has already accused them of…fighting…quarrelling…and coveting…calling them murderers and adulterers…James’ desire is for those who are true believers to act in accordance with their faith…do your actions mirror the faith that you proclaim?

Christians evidence their faith by the way they live their lives…and for James…a faith that does not produce real life changes is a faith that is worthless.

What they needed to experience was a revival…a restoration of their fellowship with God….so in verses 7-10 of chapter 4 James gives eleven imperatives… meaning commands…that convey a sense of urgency and demand immediate obedience if we are to enter into a true relationship with God.

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. cleanse your hands…and purify your hearts, you double-
minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and weep. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.11do not speak
against one another…

This morning I want to look at just the first two imperatives.

First thing James says is to (7) Submit to God…in the Greek ‘submit’ is a military term meaning ‘to align oneself under the authority of another’ …like troops arranging themselves in an orderly manner for roll call.

Here’s the problem with that statement…it’s the easy believism idea that I’ve submitted to God because I prayed a prayer and that’s all there is to being a Christian…that’s not submitting to God.

Satan loves it when people think that’s all there is to being a Christian…that’s the very issue James is addressing in this letter…a faith with no substance.

So how do we submit to God?

1. We submit to God by knowing and obeying His Word.
   At conversion…when we make the decision to trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior…along with that decision is a commitment that we will be obedient to Him…that we will submit to Him by giving Him authority over our lives.

As a Christian God has sovereign authority over you…He created you…He paid your sin debt…you now belong to Him… He has the right to tell you what to do.

Here’s what’s important to know about God’s sovereign authority over you… it’s not to make you His servant…it’s not so He can boss you around…it’s like the Disney movie Aladdin.

Aladdin…is a story about a poor outcast boy who finds a magical lamp…when Aladdin rubs the lamp a genie appears and tells the boy… ‘You’ve never had a friend like me.’ …a friend who will stick closer than any friend before or after.

That’s a staggering concept if we let that sink in… a friend like you’ve never had before…who will stick closer than any friend before or after.

That is exactly the kind of friend God wants to be…but that requires a little more than rubbing a magic lamp…so what must we do to become friends with God?

It’s hard to submit to someone you don’t know…the only way we can come to the place where we whole-heartedly trust in God is by getting to know God.

Knowing God can only be accomplished by knowing God’s Word…by listening to it…by memorizing it…by studying it…by attending Church.

2. We submit to God when we trust in His will for our lives.

So…how does this ‘God’s Will’ thing work?…preachers like to talk about God’s will so how’s that pertain to my life?

The Four ‘Wills’ of God

1. God’s Perfect Will…it never changes…it will always come to pass… everything will run its appointed course at its appointed time until God ends everything exactly according to His plan.
2. God’s Revealed Will….defines our duties and responsibilities…the Bible.
3. God’s Will of Desire…what God ‘wishes’ or desires to happen…but not always does…God desires all to be saved…there be no sin…not happening.
4. God’s Permissive Will…the things God allows in our lives to accomplish His purpose in our lives.

Here’s the key thing about God’s will if you’re a Christian…trusting in God is hard because you’re trusting in something you can’t see…sense…feel…or smell…which leaves you believing that in this life you’re on your own…how hopeless is that?

Here’s the promise when we Submit to God…it means we can trust that what He wills for our lives is what is best for us even when things don’t make sense.

Things will go bad in your life…more frequently than for someone who’s not a Christian…Bible says so.

The only way I can know God’s will for my life is doing what I said earlier… that can only be accomplished by knowing God’s Word by listening to it…by memorizing it…by studying it…by attending Church.

James then states…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you…for many the Devil is just a mythical symbol depicted with horns…dressed in red… having a pointed beard running around carrying a pitchfork…far from it.

For those people Satan and evil is something of our own making…evil is nothing more than humanity’s inhumane treatment of one another.

Been said the devil’s greatest trick is to make people believe he doesn’t exist …I don’t need to spend time arguing for the existence of Satan because Scripture reveals the existence of him and his angels who are just as real as Jesus.

Scripture provides clear evidence for the existence of the devil and his demons… that he is indeed a personal being and not a mere symbol of evil.

Throughout the Bible he is presented as a functioning being capable of engaging in a number of different capacities.

There are accounts of the devil’s attempts to thwart the coming of God’s Kingdom…a major theme throughout the New Testament is the clash between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan…this is depicted in the last book in the Bible… Revelation…which describes the final climactic battle between Satan and God.

SIDE BAR—Here’s the problem with the great majority of American Christians: they’re not in touch with reality…they’re totally unaware that a deadly conflict is occurring in the spiritual realm…a conflict that is not against flesh and blood but against forces of wickedness in heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 describes the spiritual battle we’re engaged in better than any other place in Scripture…it clearly describes an enemy that is not physical.

For our wrestling match is not against persons with bodies, but against…spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

What heavenly places? …thought there was only one ‘heaven’ …wrong…Bible clearly says in the beginning God created the heavens (plural)…more than one… and the earth (singular)
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ׃

In fact, Paul even mentions a man who was caught up into the third heaven …the place God dwells.

Logic tells me if there is a third heaven there must be a first and second…you cannot have a third of anything without the first two.

The first heaven is the visible heaven we can see…the sun…moon…stars and so on…the second heaven we can’t see…that is where the conflict takes place… because there is no conflict in the third heaven where God dwells.

Three times in Scripture this is played out…in Ezekiel…in Daniel…and in Revelation where human rulers are influenced by evil forces in the heavenlies and attempt to gain control of human rulers and use them to carry out their purposes.

This is not fictional…it’s occurring worldwide…and on a personal level it’s happening in your life everyday…as Christians we are involved in a wrestling match and in order to be victorious, we must understand the origin of this conflict and realize how it wants to defeat us.

One reason Satan is viewed as mythical is in how we as humans are led into sin.

The idea that he actually whispers a lie or an accusation in our ear is thought of as a little elementary…people’s response to that concept is ‘how childish is that’ but that is exactly what happens…then we react to these satanic emotions.

Satan’s main goal is to drive a wedge between us and God.

So…what if anything can be done to resist the devil?

1. We resist the devil by knowing and applying His Word.
   I’ll say it for the third time…the only way that can be accomplished is by knowing God’s Word…by listening to it…by memorizing it…by studying it…by attending Church.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness He resisted Satan’s temptations by quoting Scripture…you’re not going to out debate Satan…you’re not going to out argue Him…you’re not going to win your case by using logic…over the course of thousands of years he’s heard every excuse imaginable…hence the importance of memorizing Scripture.

The more we know and apply God’s Word the more we will defeat the devil and send him on his way.

2. We resist the devil through righteous living.
   Trusting in God’s will for our lives begins by living a righteous life.

Sin and unrepented sin causes a break in our fellowship with God…we resist the devil by choosing to live a righteous life as we faithfully apply Scripture to life’s situations.

3. We resist the devil through faithful fellowship
   Since we are in a spiritual war with demonic forces who rule this world [Eph. 6:16] it only makes sense that we need as many people on our side as possible… the body of Christ…the Church is there for spiritual protection.
4. We resist the devil through prayer
   Prayer is one of the most important things a Christian can do not only individually but corporately as a body of believers.

Let me reiterate on something I said a couple weeks past regarding prayer…we talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him. We have the mistaken idea that we can just go to God anytime we want in prayer with no thoughts about how we’re living our lives…that’s not so.

God has given some conditions in which He will not listen to our prayers.

People say God’s promise is ‘I can ask God for such and such and I will receive it’ —BUT they often overlook the CONDITION…when we choose to hold on to sin rather than repent God will not hear our prayers.

Here’s the key thing about prayer most people fail to understand…we often think prayer changes God…or causes God to do something…that isn’t the case.

When we spend time with God in prayer…the more we are like Him…our habits and lifestyles change…we no longer live a self-centered life…but one that is focused on one another…with motives that are pure from a sincere heart… prayer changes us from the inside out…that is the benefit of a persistent… consistent prayer life.

We cannot be stagnant in our Christian life…if we are going to overcome Satan and the temptations of the world we must always be moving forward…pursuing intimacy with God.

If we’re not pursuing God we will be pursuing something else…and slowly over time we will lapse into spiritual decline.

BUT…if you go after God He will go after you…it is the only way we can stand against the spiritual warfare of the devil.

This morning we’re going to look at two verses…[v 4,5 of Ch 4]…but especially at verse 5 which Bible scholars assess to be one of the most difficult verses to translate in all the New Testament…this is reflected in the many different ways this verse is translated.

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that in vain the Scripture says,

here’s the verse assessed to be one of the most difficult verses to translate in all the New Testament:

He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us.

On the surface this doesn’t seem to me to be all that confusing…the issue is not over the words themselves…but how it should be translated into English.

I think most of you have gone to this church long enough to know that I’m going to tell you the truth…I’m not going to hold back…I’m going to tell it like it is.

I’m reminded of something a preacher once said regarding preaching… ‘I’m not called to give my opinion…I don’t get to say what I think…I only get to say what the Bible says.’

I don’t preach to make anyone feel bad…or make you feel less about yourself … nor to make you feel uncomfortable…I preach because I want you to know what the Bible says.

Last week’s sermon is an example…mentioned that some people pray as if God hears them regardless of what their relationship is to Him…even as Christians we have the mistaken idea that we can just go to God anytime we want in prayer with no thoughts about how we’re living our lives…and He hears us…No He doesn’t.

God has stated that there are times He will not listen to your prayers…you can go on our web page and hear that sermon.

In addition…in last week’s text James referred to Christians as murderers…then this week he’s referring to them as adulteresses…so what gives?

If you were writing a letter to a church and referred to the members as murderers and adulteresses…your letter would probably be thrown in the trash.

So exactly what does James mean in using less than acceptable language… referring to people in that manner?

In verses 4 and 5 of chapter 4 James is about to bring the hammer down.

In referring to them as murderers James is probably echoing what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount regarding when a person has unrighteous anger in their heart toward someone…it’s as if they are committing murder [Matt. 5:21].

James may have known about such an incident in the church…so obviously he is not indicating they’ve been physically killing someone.

Using the word murder heightens how truly devious our hearts become when we’re obsessed with selfish desires.

When sinful attitudes and actions are done against someone, they can cause damaging consequences to us and the person we’re talking to.

When James makes reference to those in the church as adulteresses he is using a term that was applied to the ancient Israelites…he is extending that term to any person who worships anything other than the one true God.

Scripture depicts God’s relationship with the Jewish people as one of husband and wife (Isaiah 54:5; 2 Corinthians 11:2)…and because they were likened to a marriage when the people lapsed into idolatry the common biblical metaphor for spiritual unfaithfulness with God was that they were said to have committed adultery Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16).

So…along this same line of thinking James is saying that when we are friends with the world, we are just like the ancient Jews who left God for other idols…we are in essence committing spiritual adultery against God.

To be a friend of the world while claiming to be a Christian is not only self-deceiving — but hypocrisy.

We must be careful not to deceive ourselves into thinking that we can live in close fellowship with God and at the same time set our hearts on the things of the world.

Again…this goes back to last week’s message regarding prayer… A sinful, disobedient heart, though it be the heart of a child of God, does not arouse God’s interest in what we have to say.

When you are a friend of the world you are basically living your life as though God does not exist.

Remember James has already accused them of…fighting…quarrelling…and coveting…which are the result of being envious and jealous…because of the rampant worldliness in the lives of those in the church.

If anything or anyone takes a more important place in our lives than our relationship with God and His Son Jesus, we have entered into fellowship with the world and become an enemy with God.

Then in verse 5 James writes what some scholars believe is the most difficult verse in the entire New Testament.

5 Or do you think that in vain the Scripture says, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us.”

Let me just say at times I think theologians and those who write commentaries need to get a full time job somewhere…there are in fact some difficulties in this verse and I want to look at them but this verse in no way contradicts anything written in the Bible regarding how God deals with us as individuals.

First of all…what Scripture is James referring to?

Secondly…is the phrase ‘jealously desires’ in a good or bad sense?

Thirdly…is spirit capitalized or not?
…12 translations render spirit with a capital “S” suggesting God’s Spirit…the Spirit which God has caused to live in us.

…14 translations render spirit with a small “S” suggesting the spirit of man…and renders it as…the (human) spirit that God caused to dwell in us.

This is a big deal…determining if it is God’s Spirit or man’s spirit, because that is key in identifying if the human spirit is the object of the main verb…or if the divine Spirit is the object of the verb.

Fourthly…is James making a statement or asking a question?
…24 translations render this a question.
…5 translations render this a statement.

I’ve told you before it’s not my intent to turn Sunday sermons into a classroom but I want you to see at times Scripture is difficult to understand…even the Apostle Peter said that Paul wrote stuff that was difficult to understand [2 Pet 3:16]

I want us to look at this verse because it is so powerful…it defines how God looks at us as Christians…we see just how intense God’s love for us is.

So let’s dissect this verse…when looking at verse 5 the question is…what Scripture is James referring to?… we can assume James is not citing a particular passage since there’s not a specific verse with the exact quote…“He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us.”

When we think of Scripture we usually are thinking of the New Testament… remember…when James wrote this letter there was no New Testament…it was in the process of being written…all the early Church teachers had was what we call the Old Testament.

So which part of the Old Testament is he referring to because there is no verse in the Old Testament that says “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?

We must assume he is summarizing the truth expressed in several Old Testament passages (Hiebert).

In regard to the phrase ‘jealously desires’ it needs some defining…too often when referring to God as being jealous we think in human terms.

Of someone who has something we don’t have and we’re envious of them and want it as well…or want what they have.

God is not jealous or envious because someone has something He wants or needs…it cannot refer to or imply anything sinful in God…God is never sinfully jealous.

God becomes jealous when we give what rightly belongs to Him to someone or something else…i.e. the worship that belongs to Him alone.

James is agreeing with the many Old Testament passages that tell us God is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 32:16 / 32:21; Exodus 20:5 / 34:14; Zechariah 8:2)…

The simple fact is that we serve a jealous God who will not be shared…at the very core of God’s being…in the center of His personality is an immeasurable quality called jealousy.

God loves us with such a passion that He cannot bear any other love within our hearts for anything other than Himself.

Scripture even declares God’s name as ‘Jealous’ [Ex. 34:14].

In fact…God’s jealousy is so intense that it borders on hate…when He has to share us with anything else.

SIDE BAR…I just want to comment on this because some suggest one of the attributes of God is that He is tolerant.

God is not tolerant…tolerance reflects an attitude of open-mindedness… an acceptance of behavior…beliefs…and values of others…God does none of that.

If God were tolerant…He would just accept our sins as being human…and Jesus would not have needed to die on the cross for our sins.

That’s why God is said to be patient…meaning He does not tolerate our sin but He will wait for us to confess them and change.

When we as Christians continue to live according to the world’s ideas…God takes that choice very personally…He is jealous for us…He won’t easily allow us to continue to lead lives separated and apart from the Spirit He has placed in us.

This is where the word ‘yearns’ comes in…in the Greek it’s a strong term meaning to long for or to greatly desire something…God greatly desires you… His indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in you has a jealous yearning for our friendship with God.

So…what is the meaning of [5] and what is the application to me…that’s the importance of the word ‘dwell’ which means to cause or put within…it’s the Holy Spirit’s dwelling in us (Ro 8.11; 1Co3.16) and His yearning or immense desire for fellowship with our human spirit that causes Him to be jealous.

As Christians we are indwelt by God’s Spirit and that Spirit longs for the undivided loyalty and love of God’s people.

This very difficult to translate statement seems to suggest the following:
God jealously longs for the spirit that He made to live in us.
Another translation could be:
the Spirit which he made to dwell in us jealously yearns for the
entire devotion of our heart…(Ro 8:11; 1Co 3:16; Gal. 4:6; Ep 4:30; Jn 7:39; 16:7).

God’s jealousy points to the fatherly love He has for us and for our lives…there is great comfort in knowing God is jealous…we know we are wanted…we know God’s desire is to be with us…we know God has a purpose and a plan for us…we know that we have the assurance of eternal life with Him.

Beginning in the 4th chapter, James is emphasizing two main points…ONE is he’s asking what is it about us that causes us to be quarrelsome.

4 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

And because God knows what the answer is…He inspires James to give us the answer.
Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

Just because you’re walking in divine wisdom doesn’t mean you won’t have conflicts in your life…

So what is divine wisdom?…for those who are truly saved…who sincerely know God…who possess a living faith…divine wisdom gives evidence of what kind of person you are.

Biblical wisdom is the application of godly knowledge in the reshaping of your life…transforming attitudes and behavior into righteousness… wisdom then in Biblical terms equals lifestyle.

That’s why James begins the 4th chapter the way he does.

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

Sometimes I think it would have been exciting to be a part of the early church… not the persecution part…but…listening to the apostles…watching them perform miracles…seeing the Holy Spirit moving in the lives of people.

BUT the first verse in chapter four implies a different impression.

James is writing to a first century church…Christ has only been gone a few short years and there’s already quarrels and internal conflicts among church members… unfortunately what is true among churches is also true in our homes…internal conflicts that destroy Christian homes.

James points out three causes of internal conflict:
Uncontrolled desire (4:1b) selfish desires that are opposed to God.

Unfulfilled desire (2a) When people can’t achieve their desired goals of money power…drugs…alcohol…success…or whatever…the results are often catastrophic to others.
Selfish desire (2b-3) asking with wrong motives so you may spend it on yourself.

When you look at Scripture conflict in the early church was not that uncommon.

…The Corinthian church had divided into factions
…the Philippian church had two women who were so opposed with each other in conflict that Paul singled them out by name in his letter
…the Galatian believers were biting and devouring one another
…Ephesians begins with an appeal to unity, tolerance and love between members.
…on a personal level Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement so serious that they parted ways…how does such a thing happen among God’s people?

We would diagnose the problem by saying…‘well so-and-so did such-and-such so really it’s their fault’…putting the blame on someone else.

BUT…the Spirit speaking through James diagnoses the problem differently.

Is not the source YOUR pleasures that wage war in your members?

James places the responsibility squarely on us…you want but you cannot obtain, you want but you don’t get…he says fights and quarrels come because of the sinful desire in our hearts…even to the point of committing murder.

Sinful desires in our hearts coupled with friendship with the world results in
1) Personal conflict with others (vv. 4:1a)
2) Internal conflict with oneself (vv. 1b-3)
3) Conflicts with God (vv. 4-6)

Conflict with Others [4:1a]
Personal conflict with others or within the church often times is the result of members who are not saved…think about this… members who are not saved…why would you want to be a member of a church if you’re not saved?

Many people who are unbelievers don’t consider themselves enemies of God… they may not be openly hostile against God…in fact…may even acknowledge His existence but this is not a saving relationship with God.

And because they’re still lost…the Holy Spirit has no working in their life…they are enemies of God, enemies of each other and enemies of true believers within the church…as a result they continue to live a life that is controlled by sinful desires.

They think because they live basically a good and a socially acceptable life they don’t feel in need of salvation…many unbelievers may even feel bad about their sins…recognize their imperfections…even have a concern about their standing before God but never desire to forsake or confess their sins and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

As a result…internally they are in chaos…and they cause chaos in the Church.

Internal Conflict with Oneself [1b-3]
When self-desires conflict with what God desires…these conflicts wage an internal war within us…what is really happening is that there is a disagreement between our heart and head.

Issues that may include…questioning God after the death of a loved one… conflicts between your morals and sexual desires…conflicts between your personal feelings and societal norms or expectations…conflicts in bending your morals for a perceived greater good or immediate need.

The evidences of internal conflict in society today are – psychological disorders …drug addiction…alcoholism…domestic violence…abuse…suicide…anger and hostility.

People react to these in a wide range of physical and emotional reactions… that’s why there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to think…feel…or respond.

NOW…when it comes to dealing with those types of issues…I’m not a psychologist or even a counselor…I can give you my advice…but the guy dumping trash at the Quick Trip can give you advice.

There are few things more painful and matter more to God than unresolved conflicts in the Church or within families…and while some situations are resolved over time…conflict with self or others can go on for months or even years.

Conflict with God [4-6]
God’s laws call on us to meet a personally demanding standard that few people are willing to consider…that statement is what is wrong with the world today…goes back to the original question:
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

And the answer:
Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

Just narrow it down to the Ten Commandments…people can’t even keep those … rejecting God’s laws because of selfish concerns for what is best for them.

James is identifying the source that wages war in your lives…THAT’S WHY …the first place to start with a difficult person in your life is to start with the person in your mirror.

In the middle of verse 2 James introduces the second main point…making a very controversial statement…

You do not have because you do not ask

This in exactly in line with what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [Matt7:7-8]

And what He told the disciples:

Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24)

How many of you have done that…asked…seeked…and knocked…and got no response…on the surface these verses seem to imply that as most prosperity preachers suggest…all you need to do is ask and God will provide…more realistically…God responds better if you send them money…then God will provide.

FIRST of all…James is saying…‘there’s a better way’…instead of coveting… fighting…quarrelling…and even killing there’s a better way.

Hard to believe when he mentions words like…fighting…quarrelling… coveting and killing…that’ he’s addressing his remarks to Christians…but he is.

SECONDLY…your experience tells you… You do not have because you do not ask…isn’t really true…and the reason it isn’t that simple is because textually that’s not what that means.

Since the text doesn’t really mean that…nor does it mean that everything you ask for you get…what does it mean? …James gives us the answer.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your own pleasures.
—————————SIDE BAR — PRAYER————————————–
We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him…we have the mistaken idea that we can just go to God anytime we want in prayer with our thoughts about how we’re living our lives…that’s not so.

God has given some circumstances in which He will not listen to our prayers.

People point to this verse and say—This is my promise, I can ask God for such and such and I will receive it”—BUT they often overlook the CONDITION… 99% of all promises in the Bible are conditional.

When we choose to hold on to sin rather than repent God will not hear our prayers.

Isaiah 1:15, the Lord says, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.
Proverbs 28:9 “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.”
Psalm 66:18 If I regard wickedness in my heart the Lord will not hear me.
Jeremiah 5:25 Your sins have withheld good from you.

A sinful, disobedient heart, though it be the heart of a child of God, does not arouse the activity of God.

Here’s where the promise comes in.

The real difficulty is not with God’s promise—it’s because we are not obedient… we’re not making God’s Word a part of our life…knowing what pleases God…so our prayers are not answered…here’s where the condition comes in.

1 John 3:22 – And whatsoever we ask we receive of Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

John 15:7 – If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

When we’re not listening to God’s word…He’s not listening to our petitions.

If we are to obtain from God all that we ask from Him Christ’s words must abide in us…we must study His words and let them sink into our thoughts and into our hearts…keep them in our memory and obey them constantly in our life…let them shape and mold our daily life and our every act.

Let me say this about answered…or unanswered prayer—at the expense of preaching another whole sermon—there are many things we will never know…or understand…this side of heaven…and even then there is no guarantee we will ever know the ‘WHY’ to anything…God doesn’t have to explain Himself to us.

Things like…why some people are healed and others aren’t…why some people are spared from tragedies and others aren’t…you need to know that when prayers aren’t answered it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re doing something wrong…but it never hurts to do a soul check.

Sometimes we can be doing everything right…living a life that is pleasing to God then something happens…and we ask…where’d that come from…we can pray… ask in faith…and believe with all our hearts that God can and will change the situation…BUT He doesn’t.

We should not believe those who misconstrue Scripture and say…if we have enough faith we’ll never be sick…or…if we’re sick it’s because there’s sin in our life…or that if we just had more faith God would have done something …there will be suffering in the world and as Christians we will share in that suffering.

I just want to be clear than I’m NOT saying that someone you love died because you lacked faith…or that you weren’t healed because of some unconfessed sin in your life.

I have no idea…and neither does anyone one else…I don’t presume to know why anyone’s prayers aren’t answered…nor is it in any way an attempt to heap guilt… or blame…I hope in sharing with you what the Bible says about prayer that you might see if there is anything in your life that might be hindering your prayers.

That you might see the complexity in the verse…You do not have because you do not ask…that it isn’t just asking and then expecting…God expects things from us.

If we are to be the kind of Christians God want us to be…and the kind of Christians that represents a Christlike life…James has revealed a biblical truth on why there are quarrels and conflicts among God’s people…and why at times prayers are not heard.

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart,
do not be arrogant and lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. [3:13-18]

In these verses James is identifying yet another way in which the world contrasts and conflicts with the Church…it has to do with their respective views on wisdom.

James brings this whole faith and works thing to a conclusion by asking a rhetorical question:

Who is wise and understanding among you?

To experience what James has been telling us for the last two chapters we need wisdom when…
…facing trials, troubles and temptations
…about being hearers and doers of the word
…about not showing favoritism
…about that real faith produces actions of faith
…about the power of our mouths and the damage it can cause

Have you ever thought about what makes a person wise?
Have you ever thought about what makes a person smart?

So…what does it mean to be smart…generally think of smart people who are intelligent…or knowledgeable…for example someone who is smart can easily pass exams…score good marks…and receive academic awards.…such as magna cum laude… summa cum laude or cum laude.

Google ‘what does it mean to be smart’ and you’ll find tons of articles about the topic…not surprisingly…different articles on the topic gave different perspectives but there were a few that were consistent across several articles.

Smart people are usually more curious…they have a desire to seek out new information…they have the desire to continuously evolve…have the ability to put ideas together and create solutions to problems.

Here’s something about being smart…you can be smart in one particular area but not in another…so being smart doesn’t mean you’re smart in everything.

Some people become smart by reading books or other material…have a desire to continue to learn more…whereas some are born with a higher intelligence.

SO… What is wisdom…and what is the importance in having it? …The Old Testament is broken down into five divisions…((Law…Historical writing… Poetic writing…Prophets…Wisdom)) …wisdom is one of them.

Three books in the Bible that are known as the Bible’s wisdom literature… Proverbs…Job…and Ecclesiastes.

There is abundant value in having wisdom and the Bible mentions it often… there are over 30 verses in Scripture telling us the importance in having wisdom.

Wisdom is what assists the wise person in making good judgments…a wise person has the experience and knowledge to act on a situation by making good choices…that’s why wisdom is thought of as the proper use of knowledge.

Here’s the importance in having both wisdom and knowledge…we live in the most skilled…knowledgeable and advanced generation ever… BUT…we also live in the most profane…violent…and self-seeking generation ever…a result of many having knowledge but lacking wisdom.

Keep in mind that James has been identifying those traits that reveal who is genuine in their faith…and wisdom is next on that list.

He is telling his readers that those who are truly saved…who sincerely know God…who possess a living faith, have a certain kind of wisdom that gives evidence of what kind of person they are.

In Scripture wisdom is not limited to higher intelligence…academic learning…or having superior knowledge.

Biblical wisdom is the application of knowledge with divine power in the reshaping of your life…transforming attitudes and behavior into righteousness… wisdom then in Biblical terms equals lifestyle.

That’s why it’s been said…“If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees!”

James identifies four classes of wisdom…earthly…natural …demonic… and wisdom from above. [3:15-18].

First is earthly wisdom…
Earthly wisdom appeals to the senses and the emotions.
Earthly wisdom says always follow your heart.
Earthly wisdom says love family and friends, not so much your enemies.
Earthly wisdom says the most important things in life are materialistic.
Earthly wisdom is about the here and now with little thought of afterlife.
Earthly wisdom says there are many ways to God.

Here’s what Paul says about earthly wisdom…[Col 3:1-2]

1So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

If your life is about the here and now, then you’re living your life by earthly wisdom.

Second is natural wisdom…
In the Greek the word is unspiritual…it’s like in the movies when you call a zombie ‘undead’. They look alive but they’re not…unspiritual is like that…it’s someone who looks and acts spiritual but they’re not.

To be unspiritual is to be driven by emotions…being selfish…being driven by one’s feelings…that part of you that hungers…craves…and desires something apart from God.

The source of someone who is unspiritual is their own selfish desires…attitudes, interests…and pursuits…being driven by what makes you happy regardless of God’s desire…it’s their will, not God’s will that really matters to them.

Here’s the problem with being unspiritual…people who are unspiritual can’t receive the truths from God’s Spirit…this is how Paul explains it. [2 Cor. 2:14]

13 we do not use words that come from human wisdom, instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

Unspiritual or natural wisdom ignores what God says and will eventually take you where you don’t want to go.

Third is demonic wisdom…
Here’s what demonic wisdom does…it’s a combination of earthly and unspiritual wisdom and combines the two so it sounds correct…but it will always lead you away from God.

Demonic wisdom is in a battle with Godly wisdom…it’s a wisdom that the devil wants you to be on his side when you make choices.

God tells us that earthly wisdom…natural wisdom…and demonic wisdom are how we can become captivated by the world…[Col 2:8]

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

James then tells us the consequences of these three types of wisdom is that they produce contention…confusion…and corruption.

Natural wisdom produces contention…you’re going to have more arguments… more conflicts and more controversy because these three are the root cause of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist there is disorder [16]

James mentions jealousy and selfishness three times in connection with these three types of wisdom.

In the Bible there are two types of jealousy…there is good jealousy and bad jealousy.

Good jealousy refers to an attitude toward something that belongs to you and is being taken away…that’s the kind of jealousy God has.

Paul writes about God’s jealousy
…I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy [2 Cor. 11:2].
…(I) will not tolerate your affection for any other god [Ex 20:5].

Bad jealousy on the other hand is a jealousy that has no concern for the feelings or welfare of others…bitter jealousy will lie…steal…cheat …slander… manipulate or deceive in order to keep or get back what they thought was theirs.

James says natural wisdom also produces selfish ambition…again ambition can be good or it can be bad.

In a good way ambition is that trait that causes us to strive towards some kind of success or goal…it’s the willingness to stay committed even in the face of adversity or failure.

BUT…Selfish ambition says… ‘I will do or say anything in order to get my way’ …it will nag…complain…gripe…or do whatever is necessary in order to get what it wants.

BUT…at the same time it can also be nice…kind…polite…generous…and helpful in order to get what it wants…selfish ambition approaches life and says…’The end justifies the means.’

When you’re operating out of natural wisdom your needs become the driving force behind what you do…your decisions begin to revolve around you and how your feel…when someone begins to think like that there will eventually be contention and controversy in their home…work…and among friends…people will eventually begin to feel used by you rather than loved by you.

In addition James says where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder…referring to instability and confusion.

When you find a life…a marriage…a home…a relationship…a church…or a nation that is unstable…in disarray…and in confusion you will find jealousy and selfish ambition…the reason…they are operating out of natural wisdom.

The third thing James says results from natural wisdom is corruption…which is summed up as…evil of every kind.”

Evil of every kind…that’s pretty generic…what are the specifics?…Paul describes them in Galatians [5:19-21].

the deeds of the flesh are evident which are immorality…impurity …sensuality…idolatry…sorcery…strife…jealousy…outbursts of anger…disputes…dissensions…factions…evil and drunkenness

There is a warning attached to these types of immoral activities…people too often think ‘well just a part of living’ but God says… I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So in contrast to all this there is the wisdom that comes down from God… This is the second time that James has made reference to the wisdom that comes down from above…back in [1:17] he writes:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights

There are 3 points about God’s giving in this verse.
…FIRST…God gives only good gifts
…SECONDLY…God only gives perfect gifts
…THIRDLY…Good and perfect gifts come from only one source…God

In the English we miss the true meaning of this verse when we assume that ‘good’ and ‘perfect’ are synonymous…they are closely related but not identical.

The English translation ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift’ is incorrectly translated…it fails to reveal the difference between ‘good’ and ‘perfect.’

In the Greek there are 2 different meanings:
FIRST the phrase ‘every good gift’…refers to the manner of giving.
SECOND is in the phrase ‘every perfect gift’ which refers to what is given.

SO…one signifies the act of giving…every good act of giving…and the other is what is given…perfect gifts….Combining them together‘every good gift given that we have is an undeserved gift from God …given as a result of unconditional love.

Whereas the phrase ‘every perfect gift’ refers to what is given… everything we touch… feel…see…or hear is a gift God gives of His own free will…a gift we did not make…or buy…or deserve.

BUT what about those times when God gives us difficult trials…troubles…and even disciplines us?

It ties back to [1:2] and how we are to receive what has been given…even if they don’t seem to be good we are to ‘Consider it all joy when encountering various trials’.

Here’s the key to considering it all joy when encountering trials…
Don’t ask how to get out of your trials.
Ask what to get out of your trials.

The trials God gives us when we persevere is the spiritual maturity that is produced in us.

Already talked about the wisdom that comes from below…it’s natural…earthly… and demonic…the other type of wisdom comes from above.

In verse [17] James lists eight traits or characteristics of true wisdom that come down from above.

First pure…then peaceable…gentle or considerate…reasonable…obedient (used only here in the N.T)…full of mercy and good fruits…impartial…and without hypocrisy…That’s a lot of stuff.

But that’s what God wants to give every Christian…and here’s the prescription: let him ask of God [1:5]…the character of God is that He is a giving God…He gives generously…liberally…purely…sincerely…and freely.

Here’s the key…He gives to all generously [1:5]…in His sovereign grace He chooses to be generous to all…and here’s the blessing.

You do not have to worry that God will scold you for asking Him for wisdom.
You do not have to worry that God is too busy to help you.
You do not have to worry God may mock you for not knowing how to face life’s trials.
You do not have to worry God will become irritated because you ask for the same thing.

James begins chapter three with what appears to be a statement that comes from out of nowhere:

Let not many of you become teachers…knowing that as such, we will incur a stricter judgment.

So right from the get-go it gets uncomfortable for me…James is directing his attention on those who teach…and here I stand in front of you preparing to teach. Every Sunday I’m inviting God’s judgment on myself because of what I say.

I think a lot of preachers today should take a second look at that verse and reevaluate what they’re saying because sound Biblical doctrine is among the things that matter most for the well-being of a Christian and the church.

This verse is an advisory to any believer that before they begin teaching God’s Word there should be a deep sense of the seriousness involved and of the pending judgment of God when it’s done in a less than responsible manner.

One area that is particularly troubling for me is when preachers use the pulpit to voice their own views on moral and social issues… especially on social justice issues that many times do nothing more than divide a congregation.

Probably why a nationwide survey of sermons given by mainline Protestant pastors found that only in 5% of the time were sermons preached on social issues.

As a pastor and as Southern Baptists we have drawn a hard line in the sand on certain issues that we will not compromise on…but.. because Christians can be on all sides of an issue a lot of bad things come about when the church tries to legislate morality in individual lives.

Maybe why James decided to insert it immediately following his comparison in lifestyles between Abraham the father of the Jews and a prostitute…the intent was to reveal the common trait between the two…both of them had faith and that faith was revealed in how they acted.

Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness…Abraham had conversations with God…the Lord spoke to him [Gen. 12] …BUT it’s never recorded that God spoke to Rahab…she never heard the voice of God.

So how did Rahab come to the conclusion that this God of the Israelites was the one true God?…She knows nothing about God…she lives in a corrupt… depraved pagan culture that was about to be destroyed…killing every living thing.

Rahab was given an opportunity to make a conscious decision for God based on the facts she knew about God…for Rahab it was through hearing about who God was from her customers and through general revelation…because that which is known about God is evident…and is clearly seen. [Rom. 1:19] That is how she understood there was a God.

Every person who has ever lived is given the same opportunity…initially no one knows anything about God until they’re taught or have some kind of revelation about who God is…this is how God reveals Himself to every person who has ever lived.

God opened her heart…she responded with faith…faith that resulted in action.

This nullifies the common response of…“What about those who have never heard the gospel?”

Here’s the answer…NO ONE will be judged for not doing or obeying something they didn’t know about…God is fair…here’s how God works… every person who has ever lived will be judged not according to what they do not know…but according to what they do know…according to the knowledge of the truth they have access to.

For those who have never heard God’s Word…or have never read the Bible, they have limited knowledge about who God is…But here’s where the issue lies…

Every human being on the planet does have access to the knowledge of God… because that which is known about God is evident… and is clearly seen.

That text carries a huge implication for understanding the justice of God in dealing with people around the world.

Here’s what Jesus Himself says about this:

48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving (of) punishment will be beaten with few blows. [Luke 12]

For unbelievers it nullifies the idea ‘well I didn’t know’…because actually they did know…so that isn’t an excuse… I was never told or didn’t know will not be a valid excuse…people will be held accountable for what they knew was right but did not choose to do so.

People who have never heard anything about the Bible…Jesus…Moses…the Ten Commandments or any other Godly standard are still subject to judgment because they have the truth written in their hearts.

BUT…even then…notice the wording…the one…who does things deserving (of) punishment will be beaten with few blows.

They may have never been told what the Bible says regarding sin…BUT…they did know right from wrong…they just elected to purposefully do wrong…they will receive a light punishment….because God is fair.

There is nothing vengeful…vindictive…revengeful about God…there is no such thing as ‘now it’s my turn to get even.’…they knew what was right but did not do it so they will be held accountable for that.

BUT…at the same time this is also addressed to Christians who mistakenly think they can ignore what the Bible teaches about living a Christian lifestyle …because Jesus has a stern warning for them as well.

47 The servant who knows the master’s will and does not…do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. (Luke 12)

Again…he’s just finished writing about the contrast in lifestyles between Abraham and Rahab then offers up a statement regarding the importance of being a responsible teacher…so where’s he going with this?

He is reiterating his concern regarding the need to be swift to hear and slow to speak…this seems to be a major issue with James as he returns to that topic throughout his writing.

It seems for James the tongue is the single deterrent that hampers a closer fellowship with God…that’s why…if you’re a teacher [2 Tim. 2:15] is especially for you:

be diligent to present yourself approved to God…accurately handling the word of God.

But this verse really goes deeper than that…although this verse is targeted at those who hold teaching positions in the church…it can be expanded to include anyone who shares the Bible…we must be careful in what we say because it may have lifelong consequences.

That’s why I hope that everyone knows their Bible well enough to explain the plan of salvation to someone…using the Bible as the source.

Not controlling what you say is an indication that your religion is worthless [1:26] …therefore

We should speak with the awareness that we will be judged for what we say [2:12]
We are commanded to not slander one another [4:11-12]
We are commanded to stop murmuring against one another [5:9]
We should not boast about our intentions because it is evil [4:16]
We should never make an oath using God name [5:12]

BUT…He begins this section with what might be the most damaging of all the issues he’s listed…one that can have eternal consequences.

I’ve already mentioned it…it can be expanded to anyone who shares the Bible… to be careful in what we say because it may have lifelong consequences.

That’s why I hope that everyone knows their Bible well enough to explain the plan of salvation to someone…using the Bible as the source.

So many times we don’t even realize we’re spreading misconceptions about Christianity…our attempt is to help people understand how God works in the world not realizing the damage we’re doing by sharing things that aren’t Biblically correct.

This statement is not just directed at Sunday school teachers…Pastors…leaders in the church…it’s directed at anyone who is sharing the Gospel…that you know what is Biblical and what is not…possible why James begins this entire section with the importance in knowing what you’re saying before you say it.

Some Misconceptions about Christianity

1. There are multiple ways to get to Heaven.
2. The Bible has been changed throughout the years.
3. The Bible is so riddled with errors you can’t believe any of it.
4. God gives people diseases to test them.
5. Once you become a Christian God will solve all your problems.
6. Bad things don’t happen to Godly Christians.
7. As a Christian you should not associate with unbelievers.
8. When bad things happen in your life God turns them into good.

I think we fail to realize how much damage has been done to people…their lives…their belief in God because people who have good intentions but are misinformed about the Bible make reckless statements to people that only deepens their distress.

James is once again emphasizing the importance of being a doer of the word… this ties back to previous verses regarding how professed Christians can determine if the faith is genuine or false.

The tongue is one indicator for that:

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. (James 1)

Bluntly said…no one should think of themselves as being ‘religious’ if they cannot control their tongue.

If we cannot control the words that come out of our mouths…then we are lying to ourselves about being a Christian.

someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. [2:18].

When we last left the Book of James we were looking at a very controversial subject…something that is a hot topic in Christianity today…faith vs. works.

James…begins by introducing three kinds of faith…in which two are bad…like throwing a football… three things can happen and two are bad…in the same way…James is introducing two kinds of faith that are bad…I want to insert a third kind of bad faith.

First is dead faith…sometimes people assert that faith is all it takes to be a Christian…BUT…faith alone is not enough…again that sounds contradictory to what Paul says, that faith is all you need for salvation.

Salvation IS trusting in God alone…BUT…it must be whole-hearted and produce good deeds ‘I’m just hanging out till I die to go to be with Jesus’ is dead faith.

Faith is always active…it’s either producing good deeds or laying stagnant thereby being worthless to anyone.

It’s important to reiterate what I said earlier about faith and works.

If someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? [2:14]

Is salvation simply having faith in God…is just having faith in God enough to get you into Heaven?

That’s the question…Can that faith save him? …what’s the answer?…I don’t see an answer in [14].

On the surface it seems as though James is asking a question without giving you the answer…but the answer is in the question.

Don’t see this in any English translation because they all just simply state the question…Can that faith save him? Too often the English doesn’t bring out clearly what is written in the Greek… we lose something in the translation… that’s with any language.

BUT…in the Greek it gives you both the question and the answer…because the answer is in the question.

In the English it seems to be an open-ended question…can that faith save him? …the answer comes in the form of a little two letter participle (μή) (Mu-Eta) at the beginning of that question that is the KEY.

When a question begins with that word…a negative answer is expected…it negates the idea…ruling out its possibilities… so the best translation could actually be…Can that faith save him? …No, of course not.

A mere claim of faith is not sufficient…genuine faith produces good works.

Genuine faith produces a life that is God honoring.

Second kind of faith is demonic faith [2:19]

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe–and shudder!

Even demons recognize who Jesus is…in that regard they have more sense than most people …they even call him King…their theology is amazing…they know Jesus and they know the truth associated with Him…the issue is their knowledge is informational only…not transformational.

Demonic faith is the kind of faith that believes the facts about something but it doesn’t have any bearing on their lives…goes back to the question… Can that faith save him? …No it can’t.

Believing that a man named Jesus lived 2000 years ago and was crucified is an historical fact…don’t need faith to believe that…nothing in knowing that will save you.

That’s what’s known as mental or intellectual acceptance…if your life…heart …mind…and body are not being transformed…you may be like the demons… having a demonic theology and demonic faith that is worthless.

I want to add a third kind of bad faith…emotional faith…many religions are popular because they stimulate emotions.

Some churches deliberately arrange activities that stimulate excitement and or emotions so people claim they ‘feel close to God’ or ‘feel the Spirit moving’ …mistaking emotions for spiritual mindedness.

This is accomplished in a lot of different ways…with the use of instruments or singing groups that arouse or excite to move the audience to create a mood that is more like a high school pep rally…based on feeling alone…apart from reality.

People think such activities are ‘spiritual’, but they are just natural emotions that appeal to man’s carnal desires for excitement…people may enjoy the mood but excitement is not spirituality.

Then in verses 21 thru 26 James introduces the third kind of faith…he contrasts faith that produces action with what he has just finished describing as dead faith and demonic faith using two people from the Bible.

The first is Abraham…the patriarch of the Jewish people…there is no one that is held more to a higher standard than Abraham…a man who obeyed unquestioningly the commands of God and is revered by the three great monotheistic religions… Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Abraham is the father of all those religions.

Abraham is the example…Scripture confirms Abraham as “the father of all who believe” because of Abraham’s unwavering belief in God and in God’s promises.

Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you’ (Gen.12).

—In faith he went out, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8).

—In faith being about a hundred years old He did not waver at God’s promise that he would have a son.

—In faith Abraham believed God that through him many nations would come about. That his descendants would be as numerous as stars in the sky.

—In faith Abraham was told to kill his son as a sacrifice…but believed that even in death…God could bring him back to life and did not hesitate to offer him up.

In all those instances it was a combination of both faith and works.

22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

Understand why Abraham is called “the father of all who believe.” [Rom. 4:11]

He then contrasts Abraham’s faith against the most unlikely of all people…a woman…a Gentile…and a prostitute.

25 In the same way, (James is saying there is no distinction between what Abraham did and what this woman did)…Rahab the prostitute (was) also justified by works when she received the spies and sent them off in a different direction.

Rahab was part of a corrupt…depraved…pagan culture that was under God’s condemnation…a city that was to be destroyed…killing every living thing.

Rahab was a woman who benefited from what she heard…in her line of work she had heard from the many men that came into her establishment that the Israelites were to be feared.

She heard the stories about
…their crossing of the Red Sea on dry land…
…their wandering in the wilderness for forty years
…water coming from a rock…
…food that was just lying on the ground every morning…
…their clothes and shoes that never wore out…
…how God dried up the Jordan river and they crossed over on dry land
…their military exploits and how God fought for them.

This God of the Israelites is a God of action…unlike the statues of stone and wood others worshipped which could do nothing…these Israelites worshipped a God who protected those who worshipped Him.

So when the two spies came into Jericho she took advantage of her knowledge of what they were there for.

they came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there” (Joshua 2:1).

By Hebrew definition this woman’s lifestyle meant she should be dead…yet this is the woman whose door the two spies chose to knock on.

What’s the odds that these spies would select this particular ‘business’ to hide in…what are the chances of picking that particular place…it’s called Providence.

It is through Divine providence that God directs all things in the universe…it is how He accomplishes His will to ensure that His purposes are fulfilled…divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things…everything …He is sovereign over the entire universe.

A couple examples in the Bible are the stories of Joseph and Moses.

Rahab tells the spies that she knows the God of Israel is great and He is about to destroy the entire city…she’s heard the rumors.

This is how God works in the lives of people…how did she come to that conclusion that this Israelite God is without equal?…obviously no one else realized that…we see this in the story of Lydia in the New Testament…

Now a certain woman named Lydia …who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul [Acts 16:14].

When God looked down on Rahab He didn’t see a prostitute…He saw a woman who recognized God’s might…through general revelation God opened her heart to understand there was a God…because that which is known about God is evident…and is clearly seen. [Rom. 1:19]

God saw a woman who made herself available to be used by God…she didn’t know all the deep things about God…had never heard of the teachings of Moses.

But she had learned enough through general revelation to reach the correct saving conclusion…your God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11).

God saw a woman who was willing to risk everything including her own life to save her family…she trusted these strangers to keep their word…to promise safety to her and her family…and they trusted her to honor her word despite the demands of the king to turn them over.

That was the result of faith with works…a faith that is coupled with actions…this is what God wants in the life of every Christian because He has plans and purposes for every person to accomplish.

Here’s the most incredible thing about this whole story…God was not done with Rahab…God continued to bless her faith and works for thousands of years …her descendants would not only include the greatest king in Israels history …King David…but whose descendant would one day include the incarnate God. This prostitute is in the linage of Jesus’ genealogy.

By mentioning the actions of these two people, James is continuing to deal with evidences of true genuine faith.

True faith is exemplified by action…both Abraham and Rahab’s faith resulted in action.

So far in his letter James has identified areas that reflect the importance of how faith works in our lives to produce action:

One….How we respond to trials that come into our life.
Two….The importance of being perfect and complete in Christ.
Three…Importance of asking in faith without doubting.
Four….Knowing temptations do not come from God.
Five….Anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.
Six……Not allowing any unwholesome words to proceed from our mouths.
Seven…Not showing favoritism.
Eight…Proving yourselves doers of the word and not just hearers only.

Genuine salvation, which is always and only by God’s grace working through man’s faith…inevitably (that faith) will be demonstrated outwardly by serving God and obeying His commandments.