Three Wars We Face: War with Ouselves
Book of James • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewAll our external wards can be found rooted in an internal war.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
National Geographic included a photograph of the fossil remains of two-saber toothed cats locked in combat. To quote the article: “One had bitten deep into the leg bone of the other, a thrust that trapped both in a common fate. The cause of the death of the two cats is as clear as the causes of extinction of their species are obvious.”
When Christians fight each other, everybody loses. As Paul put it, But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another (Gal. 5:15 NASB). - Craig Brian Larson, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching: From Leadership Journal, (BakerBooks: Grand Rapids, 1993), 88.
This is a good picture of what last week’s study and this week’s study is about. They are are both about war. Last week, we studied through James dealing with our War with Each Other. This week we address the second of three wars that we all face, the War with Ourselves.
How many of are aware of the war that is within us?
What does this war look like?
What are the affects of this war?
How does it affect the church?
Focus Passage
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts? 2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.
Outline
What do you believe is the greatest cause of strife within the church?
Where does the root of this strife begin?
When addressing a subject in counseling and addressing their need, you begin with looking at the symptoms, because that is what most are familiar with. What I mean by symptoms are the yelling, the addiction, the bad habit, the fights, the depression, etc. With that said, although may begin with the symptoms, you must not end there. To address the symptoms only is to put a band-aid on a festering sore and doing anything else. Eventually that pus within the sore will bleed out and get worse rather than better. The only way it gets better is by addressing the root cause of the sore or the pus. This is what James is doing within our text. He is continuing to address the root of the strife within the church.
He asks, What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you (v.1a). If this question was asked today, we would ask, Where do the fights and controversies of CBC comes from? One day we are happy and love each other and the next, we want to put each other in a strangle hold. It does not make since, but it is what it is. Most of the time, we address it as such. It is what it is. However, God does not want His church to be divided. He wants His church to be unified.
What does Paul write to the church at Philippi when addressing what would make him happy?
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
I believe that the same condition that made Paul happy is the same condition that will make the Lord happy, unity within the body of Christ not schisms or war.
The cause of strife within the body
James 4:1b NASB 2020
1b ...Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts?
What causes our personal, internal strifes?
Our flesh, our pride, our ego. This is what causes our internal strifes, controversies, wars, is the source not your pleasures.
When we see conflicts within the body of Christ, it is due to the pride and ego that is in the heart of the individuals at conflict with one another. One sees this throughout the Scriptures. Just look at a few examples that are evident:
Eve was tempted and failed in the garden by a desire to be like God
4 The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! 5 For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
What was the result of this internal war and failure?
David was tempted and gave into his internal lust of Bathsheba
What was the result of his internal war and failure?
Troubled home
Half brother raping his sister
One brother killing another brother
Son rising up against and causing the kingdom to resist his father, the king
Even the disciples quarreled because of selfish ego and pride
46 Now an argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.
Just about every division and implosion that happens in a church is because of pride vailed in spirituality. As we have already seen from a previous section of James’ letter, the war in the heart is causing the war in the church.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
I will never forget when I was in a business meeting and a well intentioned lady brought up a project. The project was a good project and mission oriented, but how she delivered it was rooted in pride (intentional/unintentional) is not known. What she said was, God has told me we are to do this and if you don’t do it, you are disobeying God. This was often a phrase she used. I am not saying that God can’t speak through us to others, but just because you have an idea (good or not) does not mean that idea came from God and you are not to use that as a guilt tactic or pressure tactic to get others to go along with your idea.
How familiar does this story sound to you?
How did it make you feel when you heard an individual state this?
Selfish desires can be dangerous
2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
We find within the church sacred cows and pet projects far too often. We do not have any problems with things changing in the church or a ministry being dissolved or another ministry being developed unless that ministry is mine or will affect my ministry/influence.
How often have you seen this within the church? A person is good within any changes within the church so long as they do not have to change. So long as their power and influence is not affect?
This is exactly what James is addressing when he writes, You lust and do not have, so… When we begin to allow our pride and ego to drive us, rather than allowing the unity and influence of the Spirit of God to lead us, we begin to embark on a very dangerous slipper slope that will not end until damage has taken place.
Selfish desires can cause a ministry to not only be tripped up, but it could possibly lead to the death of a ministry or a church, so you commit murder (v.2a). Of course the death of a ministry or a church didn’t happen over night. It began with something else. It came with birth pains.
What do the birth pains look like within the body?
How many of us are guilty of these birth pains and causing division within the body?
As James previously wrote about the tongue, So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire (James 3:5 NASB).
Where does James state this fire was started that has irrupted and destroyed so many lives, friendships, ministries, and churches?
James writes...
6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
It started with a complaint here, a voice of doubt or condescension here, a grumble there. Before you know it we have bickering, back biting, and all out warfare within the church, so you fight and quarrel (v.2b).
Selfishness cannot only be dangerous, it is dangerous. Our selfishness and pride often keep us from asking God and others to help, assist, or council us in and through seasons of life and ministry, You do not have because you do not ask. Pride does not come before a fall. Pride comes before destruction.
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
That destruction begins with us in a spiritual realm and then fleshes out into the physical realm and left untreated will begin to fester within the body of Christ. Let us address it before it does.
Some may say, I have asked and still haven’t received. This happens too. Because not only is selfishness and pride dangerous from an individual standpoint and corporate standpoint, so is our motives.
Selfish motives cause loss
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.
What drives us, our lives, our ministry, our service?
What should drive us, our lives, our ministry, our service?
Often our prayers go unanswered because what drives our prayers are not to honor God but to honor self, because you ask with the wrong motives (v.3). We want to have so that we can build our kingdom rather than God’s kingdom, our church rather than God’s church, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures (v.3b).
We must realize that all that this world affords and all that our flesh desires will not last. It will all be burned up and perish.
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.
We must also realize that God knows our motives. That all that we do for the Lord will be tested by the fire of the Holy Spirit and for some there will be loss. Because although we have been serving, it has been with a selfish and prideful motive.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.
We often here about our crowns in heaven, but what are we doing with those crowns in heaven?
10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Let us not forget that some will experience loss on that day of judgment in heaven. We want lose our salvation, but we will lose some jewels from the crown we are offering in worship to the Lord. May we realize that our motives can cause loss not only here but also in eternity.
Conclusion
The tongue causes a fire set ablaze by hell. This fire causes war within the body of Christ which causes destruction and death. It is of utmost importance to realize that the fire began within us as begun to give in to selfishness, greed, and pride. We began to be as Eve and question God. We often will be like Mariam and under the disguise of spirituality and religion resist the authority of God and what He is trying to do by raising our fist toward God’s anointed. In the end, our final war is not with others, it is not with our selves, our greatest war is our war with God.