The Spirit-Led Life

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This sermon was given on Oct. 13, 2019 and uses the account of Jesus Christ's temptation in the wilderness as recorded in Luke 4 to describe what the Spirit-led life involves. While the Bible clearly urges believers to be "Spirit-filled," that usually gives a little different connotation than to be "Spirit-led." In Christ's example, we learn that the Spirit sometimes leads us to situations in which the devil brings severe temptations against us.

Written Excerpts:

Luke 4:1-2 (NKJV) Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² being tempted for forty days by the devil….

Introduction: I imagine that most of us have heard numerous sermons on the subject of the “Spirit-filled Life.” There are plenty of Bible references that emphasize the necessity of being filled with the Holy Spirit and to continue living in the Spirit. My message today will emphasize that same theme to a degree, but I want to point out a little different angle than we might usually hear, which prompted my title “The Spirit-led Life” (not “spirit-filled life”).

I don’t know if you think in the same mode that I often have, but whenever I think of a Spirit-filled life, I generally think of accomplishing tremendous exploits for God; winning stunning victories; and overcoming all types of obstacles and troubles. I think of a life that remarkably demonstrates wisdom, courage, love and power.

However, I think there is another side that we need to understand. It is a perspective that we normally would classify as routine or average. More than that, it involves struggles and spiritual battles. A truly Spirit-filled person isn’t supposed to struggle and get scarred – so we think. With the help of God’s Spirit, I want to speak to you today about a life that is LED by the Spirit into all kinds of situations we usually wouldn’t consider being part of God’s plan and will for our lives.

For these lessons I want to direct your attention to the example of the Lord Jesus as He was tempted in the desert for 40 days. As we look at this remarkable time of testing in the life of our Lord, I want us to notice the role of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus. (I’m going to be using the account in Luke.)

I.          Anointed with the Spirit

For the first role of the Spirit we will go back a short time prior to the wilderness temptation. Let’s look a moment at Jesus’ baptism.

Luke 3:21-22 (NKJV) ²¹ When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²² And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

Because the Spirit is invisible, He must take bodily form for human beings to see Him. In the OT we have various accounts where God appeared to men in a “human” form. Here in the NT baptismal account, the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.

Why a dove? (Lenski) Luther thinks this was done because of its friendliness, because it is without wrath and bitterness, because the Spirit desires to show that he has no anger toward us but is ready to help us to become godly and to be saved. Others point to purity, innocence, and meekness as being symbolized by the dove. … We content ourselves by saying that the dove-like form intended to convey the idea of the graciousness of the Spirit.

Lenski goes on to explain: He who was conceived by the Spirit, now receives the Spirit as a permanent gift for the ministry He is to perform. The anointing of the Spirit is purely for His human nature since His divine nature was always one with the Father and the Spirit.

The voice of the Father as the Spirit descends testifies, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” This confirmation of the Father and the descent of the Spirit mark the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry - anointed to “preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and opening of prison to those who are bound.” (Is. 61:1)

II.        Filled with the Spirit

Luke 4:1 (NKJV) ¹ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan…

After the baptism account recorded in chapter 3, Luke begins chapter 4 with the words, “being filled with the Holy Spirit…” Jesus was not only anointed by the Spirit and confirmed as the Son of God, but He was filled with the Spirit to perform the ministry He had been anointed for. 

To be filled with the Spirit implies controlled by the Spirit, and aided by the Spirit to accomplish God’s will, including miraculous signs and wonders. Jesus, as a human being, is fully equipped by the fullness of the Spirit to embark on the mission assigned to Him by His Father.

III.       Led in the Spirit

Luke, as well as Matthew and Mark, describes the next event in the life of Jesus being a severe time of testing in the desert / wilderness area. 

Luke 4:1 (NKJV) ¹ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 

When we read the first half of the verse we may think, “Yes, the Son of God has been confirmed and affirmed by the Father. He’s been anointed by the Spirit descending upon Him, and now He is filled with the Holy Spirit to take on the ministry tasks assigned before He ever came as a baby in the manger.”

But… the very next phrase in the verse brings a shocking reality. The same Spirit that is filling Him is leading Him to the desert. The Spirit is bringing Him to the place of testing.

As I said back at the beginning of the sermon, whenever we think of a Spirit-filled life, we generally think of accomplishing tremendous exploits for God; winning stunning victories; and overcoming all types of obstacles and troubles. We think of a life that remarkably demonstrates wisdom, courage, love and power. But wait, the Spirit-filled life is a Spirit-led life and sometimes He leads us to be tested. Sometimes He brings us into the wilderness where it isn’t very easy to feel God’s presence. This is a reminder that walking with God and being led by His Spirit isn’t always going to be times of glory and hilarity, but it will be getting stretched to the limit or feeling the breath of Satan.

The wording here indicates that Jesus was being tempted (tested) during the entire 40 days. It doesn’t seem to imply that He was intentionally fasting, but simply that He hadn’t eaten. One writer says He had “no breathing spell” during the 40 days so His mind was kept from even thinking of the wants of His body. (Lenski) The three temptations we have recorded were probably the final three of the entire 40-day period of temptations.

(Leon Morris, Tyndale Commentaries) Clearly, he faced questions like: What sort of Messiah was he to be? Was he to use his powers for personal ends? Or for the establishing of a mighty empire that would rule the world in righteousness? Or for working spectacular, if pointless, miracles? He rejected all these for what they were, temptations of the devil. 

Some people may quote the words from the Lord’s prayer, “Lead us not into temptation,” and say it goes contrary to this idea that the Spirit led Jesus to be tempted. Jesus does instruct us to pray to not be led into temptation, but that prayer like every other prayer we make must be made with the qualifier – “not my will but Thy will be done.” Sometimes God leads us to the season of testing to prove our loyalty and trust in Him.

Overview of the Temptations: (Adapted from Lenski’s Commentary)

1. Make stones from bread.

“If you are the Son of God…” – Casting doubt on what God had just said about Him at His baptism. (Satan to Eve, “Has God said?”) God will allow us to be tested to show whether we really trust what He has said.

Jesus’ Response: Man shall not live… - The devil’s suggestion to mistrust the Father is met with a response showing the greatest trust. Man shall live by every word of God. Jesus resisted the temptation to make stones into bread by emphasizing the truth (from Scripture) that spiritual needs have priority over physical needs. Yet, Satan is still too often successful in getting people to satisfy physical needs before seeking to have spiritual needs met – to cater to the flesh while their souls are malnourished.

2. Have all the world’s kingdoms.

(Lenski) The whole proposition intends to appeal to the human nature of Jesus. Jesus can rule at once like a god.… Yet the whole proposition is false through and through. Satan does not bow to God in worship as Jesus is to bow to Satan. Satan has not received the kingdoms from God, he rules them as the enemy of God, as a rebel against God, as a usurper whom God is dethroning through Jesus. By this one act of worship Jesus would also become a rebel against God and at the same time a tool of Satan. The kingdoms, authority, and glory promised by Satan would remain Satan's. The transfer would be a delusion. Instead of becoming a king Jesus would become the slave of Satan.

The way in which Satan tried to buy Jesus is the way in which he bought Eve: "Ye shall be as gods." 

Just like Jesus, we will be tested to see what is the core of our devotion – all the possessions and power the world can offer or loyalty, devotion and obedience to God?

3. Prove God is protecting you.

Satan tempts Jesus to prove one Scripture by violating another. It is a mockery of humble trust to take one precious promise from God and challenge God to see if He will do as He said He would, or act as I presume He must act in order to prove that He keeps His word.

All lack of trust and all false trust are closely [related]. Both tempt and challenge God with their presumptions as to what he must really do to keep his promises.

Jesus responded by using a verse that references the wilderness experience in the Exodus from Egypt. The people “tempted” God by demanding that He change the way He cared for them and do it the way they wanted.

We are often tempted to demand that God prove Himself and His care in specific ways, but genuine trust in His nature and His heart allows Him to decide just how He will demonstrate His care and protection. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to engage in spiritual warfare through intercessory prayer to overcome the schemes of the devil.

IV.       Empowered by the Spirit

After the temptations are over, Luke continues the describe the ongoing ministry of Jesus (v. 14ff). According to John 1:35-4:1, there was a great deal of ministry happening between the time of the baptism and temptations and the return to Galilee that Luke mentions here in v. 14.

Luke 4:14 (NKJV) ¹⁴ Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

It is only the Holy Spirit who can give us power to continue in ministry and witness after we have been sorely tested. We are often prone to think in the time of testing and immediately after, “I surely need a fresh visitation of God’s Spirit after just coming through this desert place under the attack of the enemy.” But, we need to remember that it is the Holy Spirit who led us into the desert place and the Holy Spirit that carried us about and protected us during the enemy attacks. 

He hadn’t abandoned us and then shown up again to strengthen us afterward. No, He has been with us the whole time and kept us from falling. He gave us the ability to overcome all of the enemy’s temptations and tricks intended to destroy us.

Conclusion:

We have talked about the various ways the Scripture describes the work of the Spirit in the life of Jesus. We noted His anointing by the Spirit; His filling with the Spirit; His being led by the Spirit and His empowerment through the Spirit. In all of these ways, the activity of the Spirit was crucial in the life and ministry of Jesus. We too need the Holy Spirit. We received the Spirit when we were born again and saved. But we also need to be filled up and keep on being filled with the Spirit in order to be the kind of disciple and follower of Jesus that we are called to be.

I hope everyone of us make it a regular practice to pray and earnestly seek God for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit into our hearts and lives.

The closing song I’ve chosen is one that is not in our hymnals. It is a song written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. 

Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God

A Fruitful Death

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This is a sermon that was preached on Oct. 6, 2019 for a worship service in which the sacrament of communion was shared. It is based on Colossians 1:6 & 21-22 and discusses the benefits of Christ's death on the cross. His death seemed to be a tragedy at the time by His closest disciples and followers, but was proven to be a fruitful benefit to all humanity because of the redemption and reconciliation it provided.

Written Excerpts:

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV) And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

Introduction: When we are facing tragedy and calamity in our lives, we may wonder what good can ever come out of this situation? Having said that, I’m sure that most of us have heard various individuals speak about the good that has come about from some tragic event they have experienced. 

When we are experiencing the adverse or tragic event, probably the last thing we want to hear at the moment from anyone is how much good may result from the situation. At the time of the tragedy, it too often seems trivial and insincere when we are reminded of the blessing that may eventually come out of all the chaos. Yet, there is a substantial reason why we can exercise faith and proclaim to the world that God is able to bring good out of evil and blessing out of tragedy. It is based on the message of the cross.

The title of today’s message may sound silly and paradoxical. The mental images that the words “fruitful” and “death” convey would probably seem totally incompatible. The word “fruitful” implies life, promise, productivity and reward. The word “death” implies everything opposite of that. In normal life situations their incompatibility would be confirmed, but when we look at the cross of Jesus Christ, we find the one exception and discover how death produces a fruitful (blessed) outcome.

There are 2 or 3 verses in Colossians 1 which stress this theme I would like to present.

Colossians 1:6 (NKJV) ⁶  which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; [The pronoun “which” at the beginning of v. 6 refers back to the word “truth” in verse 5.]

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV) And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

I want to draw your attention to this passage in Colossians to explore how Christ's death on the cross turns out to be a fruitful death for each of us.

I.          The Theme of Paul’s Letter

Paul’s letter to the Colossians is one of four letters he wrote while in prison in Rome. The other 3 letters are Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. Ephesians and Colossians are the most similar of the four. We are told that Ephesians emphasizes the church as the body of Christ, and Colossians emphasizes Christ as the head of the church. 

Here in the first chapter of Colossians especially, Paul has been driving home the message of the preeminence of Christ. See v. 15 and following. One thing we need to see clearly is the preeminence of Christ. There are so many different texts in the Bible where Christ is exalted, and the “spotlight” is shone on Him by the Father as well as the Apostles. In all of Paul’s teaching and preaching he tries to stress the priority of Christ. Nothing can change or has changed without Christ.

II.        The Tragedy in the Past

A. The tragedy of their condition.

v. 13 under the “power of darkness”

v. 21 alienated and enemies; wicked works

B. The “tragedy” of Christ's death.

v. 20 – the blood of the cross

The cross was a well-known instrument of death. It involved a bloody death. You can’t accurately speak about the benefits of the gospel without including the gruesomeness of the cross. 

v. 22 – the body of his flesh through death

Tyndale Commentaries - For Paul, the word ‘flesh’ (sarx) frequently describes not merely the physical aspect of human nature, but humanity as it opposes God. ‘Body’, on the other hand, which also describes man as a totality, not merely as a physical entity, is morally neutral. 

The point here seems to be to emphasize the identity of God with humanity in the “flesh” so that the punishment for sin could be legally and adequately assumed by the perfect human – Jesus Christ. That could only be accomplished by a literal death – the stated consequence for sin by God in Genesis.

III.       The Benefit in the Present

v. 14 – redemption and forgiveness

vv. 20, 21 – reconciliation 

IV.       The Prospect for the Future

v. 22 – presentation as holy people

Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised - Like animals suitable for sacrifice, the Colossians are to be found “holy and blameless” in his presence (cf. Eph 1:4). Like prisoners set “free from accusation” (NIV) by a judge in a court of law, the Colossians are to be irreproachable in God’s sight. Christ’s sacrificial, guilt-incurring death has made such a presentation possible (2Co 5:21; Gal 3:13).

v. 28 – present every man perfect in Christ Jesus 

The fruitful end of Christ's death is to present us to God as perfect in Christ. We are perfect as we stand “in Christ.” And… we are being made perfect in the sense that God’s purpose and design for each believer is to transform us into the image of His Son.

Not works of darkness but fruits of the Spirit.

(Expositor's Bible Commentary) The crucifixion (past time) affords reconciliation (present time) and enables presentation before God (future time).  

Conclusion:

As we prepare to share the Lord’s Supper, let us offer our thanks to the Lord for the positive spiritual fruit that has come about in our lives because of His death. May this sacrament not only remind us of His suffering and what He went through in death, but may it also remind us of the fruit it produced in our redemption, reconciliation and transformation.

Let us sing our closing hymn before we share communion together.

Are You Washed in the Blood?

God Is Not Silent

(To download an MP3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player here.)

This sermon attempts to explore several issues regarding the Holy Bible, God's special revelation to humanity. It addresses the topics of reliability, authority, and effectiveness. It is hoped that this message will help the listener/reader to be strengthened in his or her faith in the Word of God as recorded by men who were miraculously aided by the Holy Spirit.

Written Excerpts: (Due to technical difficulties experienced during the delivery of this sermon, these notes contain more information than what is contained in the audio recording above.)

2 Tim. 3:16-17 _(KJV) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly (entirely) furnished unto all good works.

Introduction:

Many Christian philosophers and apologists have capably argued for the existence of God. My sermon today is not intended to be an apologetics argument for the existence of God, but the subject I wish to speak to you about is related to the field of Apologetics (defense of the faith).

Not long ago I realized that even though I try to present the Word of God every Sunday with a strong assumption regarding its authority and reliability, yet I don’t remember clearly explaining an accurate view of Scripture and divine revelation.

I got the idea for my sermon title from the title of a book written by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, He Is There, and He Is Not Silent. 

With God’s help I want to talk to you today about the Bible as the authoritative and reliable revelation of God’s will to us so we do not need to “grope in the dark” for some speck of guidance about all the big questions in life. As we explore this topic together, I hope to reinforce our respect for and confidence in the Holy Bible as the written Word of God to humanity. I doubt there has ever been a time when the view of Scripture was at a lower level than it is today.

I.      God has spoken.

I have often stated that the Creator is a God who desires to be known. He doesn’t remain hidden and secluded; laughing at our attempts to find Him and discover what He is like or what He desires for us. The Bible is very clear about the fact that God has revealed Himself to humanity in a number of ways. He wants us to know Him.

A. He has spoken through nature.

Rom. 1 – Very clearly the Apostle Paul expounds on the fact that the natural world has clearly revealed the existence of God and certain truths about Him.

Romans 1:18-21 _(NKJV) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Psalm 19:1-4 _(CEB) Heaven is declaring God's glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork. ² One day gushes the news to the next, and one night informs another what needs to be known. ³ Of course, there's no speech, no words— their voices can't be heard— ⁴ but their sound extends throughout the world; their words reach the ends of the earth… 

The natural world speaks to us about the power of God, the creativity of God, and the fact that creation reveals order, design and purpose in what He created. The natural world doesn’t reveal very much about the character of God.

B. He has spoken through His word.

Since we can gain a basic knowledge of a Creator by looking at the natural world, we strive to know more about the Creator and His character. We strive to know if He expects anything from us, and if so, what does He expect? Thankfully, we have ample evidence in the Scriptures of the fact that God clearly and personally spoke to various individuals to reveal exactly who He is, what He is like and what He desires from us.

The first person to record this kind of information was Moses. He is credited with writing the first 5 books of the OT. Moses gives first-hand accounts from time to time about the fact that he is not writing fiction, but he is describing face-to-face encounters with God and personal directions or instructions from God.

Heb. 1:1-2 _(NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds 

2 Peter 1:16, 20-21 _(NKJV) For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty…. ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Clearly meaning that they were not giving their own opinions but were giving out the word of the Lord.

C. He has spoken through His Son.

Heb. 1:1-2 _(NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds 

The Bible makes it clear that God not only revealed Himself and His will through the prophets and apostles by inspiring them to write down what God said, but God also sent His own Son into our world as the living Word. John 1 describes the Word becoming flesh and living among us to reveal God to us in human form.

D. He still speaks through His Spirit.

In addition to all we’ve said about God speaking clearly through the inspiration of His prophets and apostles, and speaking through the physical, fleshly revelation of His Son, God continues to speak to individuals through His Spirit. The messages we receive today through the Spirit do not have the same authority as Scripture, but God’s Spirit truly enlightens and illuminates us as we read the Word and hear the Word. Why? Because God wants to communicate His will to everyone.

John 16:13 – …When the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth…

II.    The Bible is reliable. (Material in this section is borrowed from Josh McDowell – Evidence for Faith video series.)

A. The New Testament

The Bibliographical Test –Two factors: 

1. The Time Factor – Asks the question, how far removed are the oldest manuscripts from the time of the original writing? A predominant “rule of thumb” says, “the closer the copy is to the original, the more accurate it is.” 

·     Aristotle’s Writings – time gap is 1,200 years.

·     Tacitus’ Writings – time gap is 1,000 years.

·     Plato’s Writings – time gap is 1,200 years.

·     Aristophenes’ Writings – time gap is 1,200 years.

·     New Testament Writers – time gap is about 80 years.

2. The Number of Manuscripts Available – The general rule is the more manuscripts there are, the easier it is to check out possible discrepancies and inaccuracies.

·     Ceasar – 10 manuscripts.

·     Plato – 7 manuscripts.

·     Tacitus – 20 manuscripts.

·     Sophocles – 193 manuscripts.

·     Suetonius – 8 manuscripts.

·     Herodotus – 8 manuscripts.

·     Thucydides – 8 manuscripts.

·     Aristotle – 49 manuscripts.

·     Aristophenes – 10 manuscripts.

·     New Testament – 24,633 manuscripts.

B. The Old Testament

1. The lack of manuscript copies in no way takes away from the reliability of the Old Testament because of the exact guidelines used by Jewish scribes.

2. Until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest manuscript of the Old Testament was the Leningrad Manuscript written approximately 1,008 A.D. The Dead Sea Scrolls were dated about 100 B.C. The text of both manuscripts was nearly exact. The accuracy was miraculous.

3. These are some of the rules that had to be followed by scribes:

    a. Manuscript pages had to come from the skins of a clean animal and tied together by strings made from clean animals.
    b. Each skin (page) must contain specific number of columns.
    c. The ink must be made from a specially prepared recipe.
    d. Between every consonant (letter) there had to be a space the width of a hair or thread, but they couldn’t touch each other.
    e. Between each book of the OT there had to be 3 empty lines.
    f. The Pentateuch had to end exactly at the end of a line or it must be recopied.
    g. The scribe had to sit and work in full ceremonial dress.
    h. If a king entered the room while the scribe was writing the name for God, the scribe could not acknowledge the king.
    i. They must use an authorized manuscript to copy from and no part could be copied from memory (that is, scribe must look at source copy for every single letter).
    j. Accuracy was checked by counting nearly everything:
       Counted the verses, words, and letters of every book.
       Calculated the middle word and middle letter of each book.
       Counted the number of times each letter occurs in each book.
       They identified the middle letter of the Pentateuch and the middle letter of the whole Hebrew Bible.
    k. If more than three mistakes were found, they could not merely correct them, they had to destroy the manuscript and start over.
    l. New manuscripts were given the same authority as the one it was copied from because of all these safeguards. Previous copy was used for readings in Synagogue until too worn.
    m. When a copy got too old and worn to read clearly, then it was destroyed to avoid corrupting future copies.

III.   The Bible is authoritative.

2 Tim. 3:16 _(KJV) All scripture is given by inspiration of God…. That is, God-breathed.

Throughout the Books of the Law we repeatedly read, “The Lord spoke unto Moses.”  The prophets often stated, “Thus says the Lord.” Or, “Hear the word of the Lord.” If it truly is the word of God (and I wholeheartedly believe that it is), then it is the highest authority that we will ever be accountable to.

Heb. 2:1-3 _(NKJV) Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 

2 Peter 1: 21 _(NKJV) ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

When we read the Word and we hear the Word, we need to keep in mind that this is not men’s words or men’s ideas but God’s.

Revelation 22:18-19 _(NKJV) For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Even though these verses primarily refer to the prophecy of John in this book, yet the message is applicable to the entire Word of God. i.e. It is a very grave offense to add to or take away from what God has said or revealed.

It really doesn’t matter what I think or what any other preacher thinks. It doesn’t matter what the “scholars” say. It only matters what God says.

IV.   The Bible is effective.

Not only is the Word of God reliable and authoritative, but it is also effective.

2 Tim. 3:16 _(KJV) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Isaiah 55:11 _(KJV) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Heb. 4:12 _(NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Deut. 8:3 _(NKJV) So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.

We must realize that God never intended for us to exist as mere physical beings who are sustained by physical nourishment only. He created us as spiritual beings who were created to thrive on spiritual food.

We have often heard testimonies especially from representatives of the Gideons International organization who have shared stories of individuals who were converted and dramatically transformed by reading the Word of God.

Conclusion:

I hope that the Lord has spoken to each of us today through His Holy Spirit and reminded us of at least two things:

I hope we have gained a renewed confidence in the reliability of God’s Word. There is so much more we could say, but don’t ever let anyone convince you that we can never know for sure if we truly have the words that God wanted us to have.

I also hope we have gained a renewed confidence in the authority of the Word. When we stand before God, none of us will be held accountable for what some person said. We will be held accountable for what God said.

The closing song I’ve chosen for today is an appropriate reminder of God’s revelation of Himself to humanity.

God Has Spoken by His Prophets

Living Faith: Reaching the Goal

(To download an MP3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player here.)

This sermon is the ninth and final message in a series of sermons on the New Testament book of James. The sermon speaks about the topics of patience, prayer, and restoration in the believer's quest to reach the final goal - eternity with Christ.

Written Excerpts:

James 5:7 ^(NKJV) Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

Introduction:

Today I hope to conclude our series of messages in the book of James. (This is the 9^th sermon in the series.)

We have repeatedly mentioned that James is writing about faith that is genuine and living because it is a faith that applies to everyday life. It is a faith that is practical and impacts one’s values, choices and conduct.

In this brief letter James addresses a number of practical admonitions for his readers to follow in order to show their faith is living and genuine. Remember that we pointed out in the very beginning that there were over 50 imperative verbs (commands) in this letter, which demonstrates that the admonitions James offers are not mere suggestions. In the closing verses of chapter 5, James exhorts his readers to keep practicing their faith in the long-term pursuit of the final goal – eternity with Christ.

Let us look at James 5 to learn important details on…

Reaching the Final Goal (5:7-20)

In the first verse of this section James says, “Be patient… until the coming of the Lord.” 

Writing to Christian believers that are dispersed throughout the whole region, James wants them to understand that opposition and adversity will come in all kinds of ways and from different sources. They must have a persistent determination to keep practicing faith with all the endurance necessary until life is done.

The final goal is the end of this life – the coming of the Lord.

A.  Patience is necessary to reach the goal. (7-12)

This section starts with the word “therefore” which links it to the previous verses. In contrast to the disappointment and judgment that the rich will experience, he urges his readers to endure until they are rewarded.

1. Patience is encouraged. (7-8)

Actually, in the outline we’re using for this study, I should have typed “Patience is commanded” rather than “encouraged.”

“Be patient” – (in v. 7 & v. 8) imperative verb; endure with expectation.

Just like the farmer waits with patient expectation for the “early & latter” (autumn & spring) rains in order to get his crops, they also must practice patience or endurance. 

“establish your hearts” – imperative verb; fortify, prepare your hearts for the wait, however long that may be.

This can only be done by God as we “fortify ourselves” through studying the Word of God. The Word of God and the Spirit of God produces stability in our faith.

1 Thess. 3:12-13 ^(NKJV) And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³ so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

2. Patience is practically applied. (9, 12)

Probably two of the most common expressions of impatience are: grumbling and swearing, although the discussion about swearing in this context probably does not refer to cursing or vulgar talk, but rather the practice of invoking the name of God to support one’s claims.

a. Do not grumble. (KJV, Grudge not) Do not allow yourself to nurse and/or express critical feelings. 

Typically done “against one another.” (Tyndale) … [it means that] believers should not grumble to others about their difficulties, or that believers should not blame others for their difficulties (cf. NEB). It is entirely possible, however, that both ideas are involved.

It is a natural human tendency to grumble about what we’re going through. Yet, everyone of us have probably acknowledged at times that other people have problems far worse than ours. So, James says let us refrain from grumbling (which, by the way, expresses doubt concerning God’s care), and let us trust the Lord to give us grace to make it through the test.

b. Do not swear.

v. 12 may or may not be directly connected to the discussion about patience. (Some think so, and others don’t.)

One author (Tasker, Tyndale Commentary-earlier edition), says this, “What James is denouncing is the levity with which the name of God… tended to be uttered when men’s minds were disordered by impatience, and self-control was abandoned.”

 “above all” – i.e. take care of this problem before anything else.

“do not swear…” – Probably referring to the practice of invoking the name of God to “prove” I’m telling the truth. It often was done precisely because they were NOT telling the truth, or they could not always be trusted to tell the truth.

“any other oath” – any of the common substitutes people use in place of God’s name, but still accomplish the same purpose – i.e. emphasize that what I say is REALLY TRUE!

“let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’…” – speak and live in such a manner so everyone who knows you will be confident of your integrity and the truthfulness of what you say.

We’ve all probably met those people who often share “information” that we must take “with a grain of salt” because we’ve learned from experience that the actual truth is sometimes different than what they shared.

3. Patience is illustrated. (10-11)

James refers to the OT prophets and to Job as examples of people who practiced endurance and patience in order to let God’s will and God’s timing to be accomplished. God was faithful to all of them to not only bring them through the trials and adversities they faced, but in some cases, He also caused their latter situation to be far better than what it had been. For every Christian who endures to the end, our latter situation (eternity with Christ) will be far better than our present situation!

B.  Prayer is necessary to reach the goal. (13-18)

If we want to maintain our faith all through life until we reach the final goal, then we not only need endurance, but we also need prayer. The topic of prayer is a logical conclusion to the book by indicating that the Christian faith finds its center of power in a vital relationship with God through prayer in all the experiences of life.

1. Prayer is appropriate for all circumstances. (13-15)

Kinds of circumstances:

Afflicted? i.e. suffering; same word used in v. 10 in reference to the prophets. It is a general term denoting all sorts of afflictions and trials. (Tyndale)

Merry? i.e. cheerful; it is the same sense of well-being that the Apostle Paul encouraged his shipmates to have in the midst of the storm. (Tyndale)

Sick? i.e. without strength, illness.

Appropriate responses:

Pray – take our burden/problem to the Lord

Sing – singing a psalm = prayer of praise

Call – for others to pray; grammatically = call for oneself. i.e. the one who is sick should call for the elders.

Calling indicates faith.

Anoint – Some disagreement whether it is speaking of literally using oil when we pray for healing, or if the reference to anointing with oil was reference to the common “medical practices” in that time. Thus, it could be a reference to use the common medical practices of the day, but it was more than that because the elders (not doctors) were to anoint. But the healing comes from the Lord. In any case, the wording in the original language refers to “real” anointing with oil, and not a spiritual anointing such as Jesus mentioned when He quoted Isaiah, “… the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...”

Mark 6:13 _(NKJV) And they [the twelve disciples] cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Prayer of faith…heal the sick – God is the one who heals.

Sins… forgiven – lit. it will be forgiven, i.e. the fact that sins have been committed. Sometimes illness is caused by sins committed. When praying in such cases, pray for forgiveness and healing both.

2. Prayer hindrances need to be removed. (16)

Confession of sin. i.e. sins that may have caused the sickness, but also any sins.

“confess” – lit. say the same thing; admit the truth about ourselves.

Confession removes obstacles to faith and enables the Lord to move in our situations and in our lives.

cf. 4:6 “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

“effectual, fervent prayer” – lit. prayer in its working; a supplication or petition. Probably meant to have a connection with the first part of the verse, i.e. to be effective and fervent prayer needs to be preceded with confession.

3. Effective prayer is illustrated in real life. (17-18)

“prayed fervently” – lit. he prayed with prayer. Emphasizes the fact that the OT prophet wasn’t some kind of superhuman but was like all the rest of us. God answered his prayers. The implied truth is that God will do the same for anyone. We must always believe in the effectiveness of prayer and practice it faithfully in order to endure through life until Jesus returns.

C.  Even the wayward may reach the goal. (19-20)

These last two verses are a call to action (per Tyndale Commentary) and emphasize the importance of everyone making it, even the ones who have strayed. Part of our desire to endure to the end should be to help everyone else to make it as well.

“cover a multitude of sins” – probably referring to the sins of the one who has been restored to salvation and saved from death. But could also include the blessings God gives to those who minister to others. The notion that our efforts to bring others to repentance will bring benefit to our own spiritual standing is certainly biblical. – (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)

Gal. 6:1 _(NKJV) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 

When we attempt to restore a wayward brother, we are to consider our own condition, so we do not stray as well. This process will help “cover a multitude of sins” in our own lives as well.

Conclusion:

In these closing paragraphs of James, we have emphasized the importance of patience and prayer in order to keep our faith alive until Jesus returns.  We need to keep the right perspective on our trials (they’re only temporary), and a right perspective on our deliverance (only through the prayer of faith).

It seems significant that James ends up the letter with an appeal to restore any wayward brother (or sister). Jesus was always concerned with the lost and James shows the same concern.

As we finish up this series of messages over the book of James, I want to ask you today if your faith is really alive? Does your faith enable you to live out God’s will in a practical way day by day? Or are you living in willful violation of God’s Word while at the same time comforting yourself in the fact that you still believe in God? Have you wandered away from the truth like James describes in the closing verses?

Whether you have discovered that your faith really wasn’t genuine at all, or if you have wandered away from the faith you once practiced, I want to invite you to give Christ your whole heart and life today. We are going to sing an invitational hymn to close the service today. If anyone realizes you have a spiritual need, I hope you will come forward and seek the Lord today.

Jesus, I Come

Living Faith: Separating from Worldliness - Part II

(To download an MP3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player here.)

This is the eighth sermon in a series of messages on the New Testament book of James. This sermon is based on verses 13-17 of chapter four and verses 1-6 of chapter five. The sermon speaks about separating from the worldly traits of arrogant planning and living for luxury. 

Written Excerpts:

James 4:17 ^(NKJV) Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Introduction:

Today we are going to resume our topic of separating from worldliness which we started in the last sermon in James 4. Today we plan to finish chapter 4 and the first 6 verses of chapter 5.

Because of James’ statements in 4:4 (“friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever is a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”), we have concluded that the different topics James addresses in chapter 4 and first part of chapter 5 are all related to the subject of worldliness. In the last sermon we talked about worldly strife and conflict. I think we can all agree that these are typical conditions in the world and spirit of this age.

What is worldliness? 

I think I would define worldliness as a pattern of thinking and conduct that is shaped and influenced by the values and practices of the present age contrary to God and heaven. Here are some definitions of worldliness from a few others:

C. H. Dodd, (Commentary on the Johannine Epistles, quoted in Tyndale NT Commentary) …the life of human society as organized under the power of evil.

John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life ― “I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth "home." Before you know it, I am calling luxuries "needs" and using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I don't think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached people drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mind-set that looks first to what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness. And I thank God for those who have forced me again and again toward a wartime mind-set.” (www.goodreads.com/quotes)

Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate ― “The sin of worldliness is a preoccupation with the things of this temporal life. It's accepting and going along with the views and practices of society around us without discerning if they are biblical. I believe that the key to our tendencies toward worldliness lies primarily in the two words "going along". We simply go along with the values and practices of society.” (www.goodreads.com/quotes)

There are two more topics that James discusses in connection with the subject of worldliness. These are also areas from which we need to separate ourselves in order to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. The first one is...

Worldliness includes arrogant planning. (4:13-17)

In these verses, James addresses the problem of living life without considering the future, which only God knows.

1. Arrogant plans ignore key factors. (13-14)

v.13 – describes the attitude of people who make plans for improving their lives as if they are completely in control. This is the normal thought pattern of those who do not believe in God – they plan and live as if everything depends and revolves around them. Sadly, many “Christians” live and act the same way.

v. 14 – Two key factors that have been ignored by those who make such plans.

a. First, No one knows the future.

“You do not know what will happen tomorrow.” (lit. "what is on the next day")

Only God knows the future, and when we make our plans without any consideration of our need for His direction, His will, and His aid, then we essentially set ourselves up to usurp His authority and position. 

b. Secondly, Human life is brief. “…it is a vapor.”

A person living with a worldly mindset makes all kinds of plans for the future to improve his/her life, but doesn’t consider factors from a spiritual, eternal point of view.

Luke 12:15-21 ^(KJV) And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ¹⁶ And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? ¹⁸ And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. ²⁰ But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? ²¹ So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

Worldliness blinds us to the fact that life is unpredictable and brief. It is just like a mist or cloud that vanishes into thin air. No matter how long life is for anyone, when we look back at any point, it always seems like the years have flown by and opportunities have slipped away.

Since no one knows the future, and since life is brief and fragile, then none of us should be acting as if we are in control of all our plans and our future. We certainly need to keep our focus on God and what His will is in every area of our lives.

2. Arrogant plans can be corrected. (15-17)

James does not simply condemn the attitude or behavior, but he offers an alternative way of thinking and behaving that is compatible with God’s Word and God’s will.

a. An example of humble planning (15)

In contrast to a worldly mindset which doesn’t take God into account when making plans, the proper way to plan does involve contingency for God’s will and God’s plan.

I sometimes find myself almost absent-mindedly saying, “…the Lord willing.” But, James is talking about more than simply repeating a few words. He is urging his readers to count God into their plans.

b. A condemnation of arrogance (16)

Boasting about what we have planned and what we are going to accomplish is evil. Why is it evil? Because it does not give credit to the Lord, who made everything possible in the first place. It is evil because it essentially credits self for past and future accomplishments without giving credit/ praise to God who provided all the knowledge, the strength and the time to do what was done.

Some of us might have been critical of former President Obama when he made the (in)famous statement, “You didn’t build that…” Many people felt that he didn’t give adequate acknowledgement for the hard work and ingenuity people put into their companies and businesses. However, he was pointing out the fact that every successful person or company has had advantages of other people’s hard work that provided the foundation for which they built their own company upon.

James is basically warning against the same arrogant attitude that people exhibit when they act as if they are not dependent upon God every single second of life in order to accomplish what they accomplish. So they ought to include God and His will into their plans for the future.

c. A description of sin (17)

There has been some debate about the interpretation of this verse and whether it really fits in with the rest of the chapter because James changes from 2^nd person pronouns to 3^rd person pronouns. However, the word “therefore” at the beginning of the verse does indicate that it is tied it in with what has already been said. 

He seems to be urging his readers to follow the instructions he has just provided in verse 15 for the right way to think and plan for the future. (Tyndale NT Commentary) i.e. if you know you should consider God’s will and His control over the future before you make any plans, then whenever you don’t do that, it is sinful.

Even though the meaning of the verse should be connected with the context in verse 15, the principle has a broader application to the Christian understanding of sin. Sin = omission of what one ought to do. Jesus has given believers instructions about what we are to be doing in the world (make disciples), so if we do not obey, we have committed sin.

Jesus also gave other examples of sins of omission: “Just as you did not do it to the least of these my brothers, you did not do it to me.”

Sin also includes the assumption that knowledge was present. This brings some theologians to define sin as the “willful transgression of the known law of God.”

The second topic James discusses in connection with worldliness is...

Worldliness includes the love of luxury. (5:1-6)

One area of worldliness that has always been a trap and snare to all people, including Christians, is the area of wealth, materialism, and luxury. All the finer things of life have an alluring affect upon every person, which we must intentionally resist in order to keep our affections on things above and not on things of the earth. The whole problem with materialism and luxury stems from the fact that our list of “daily needs” keeps on getting longer and longer.

(Dale Yocum, This Present World, p.79, 1972) G. Ernest Thomas, in his splendid book on stewardship, entitled To Whom Much Is Given, declares that slightly over 100 years ago in the United States, approximately 6000 different articles were being manufactured. The average individual had 72 different wants, but only 16 needs. Standing in sharp contrast to this in one recent year, 400,000 articles were being manufactured, while the average individual had 484 wants and 94 needs! Undoubtedly the latter figures have risen much higher since the publication of his book.

As more products became available, the number of items “needed” rose also. I found out that Thomas’ book was published in 1946. Can you imagine how large the list of “wants” and “needs” for the “average individual” has grown today?

I am quite certain that all of us here today would not consider ourselves wealthy and living in luxury. Probably most of the things we have we can cite good reasons why we “need” them. Yet, I am also confident that everyone one of us here today would be considered “filthy rich” by people of other countries.

       1. Love of luxury produces disappointing results. (1-3)

James warns his readers of pending ruin to all the material wealth they have been relying on. There will be wailing and weeping due to the worthlessness of all they had trusted in and invested in. The condition described by James in these verses shows the futility of “laying up treasures on earth” rather than “laying up treasures in heaven.”

2. Love of luxury causes injustice. (4-6)

In all probability, James would acknowledge that riches and wealth do not affect everyone the same and certainly not to the extent as he describes here. However, he describes the natural tendencies of the human heart to take extreme advantage over our fellowman when a person is completely motivated by the love of money and the things money can buy.

James describes: Cheating on wages; poor treatment of employees; and even killing (or abusing) the innocent. – Greed. It can affect even the most pious.

“murder” or “killing” may not be intended literally, since such crimes would be handled by civil authorities. However, as one author points out, wealth has been used to pervert justice and influence the legal system against others who are not so affluent. (Terry Pollard, 24/7 Living: Hard Truths from James)

“The love of money is the root of all evil.” People have done and will do unbelievably horrible things if there is money in it.

Conclusion:

The story is dark and depressing. There have been many people who have ended up doing some very evil things because they did not guard their hearts and minds from the influences of this ungodly world. Instead, they caved to the world’s values and allowed them to change them.

As I said earlier, there are many, many expressions of worldliness. James only gives a few examples here. The only answer against the lure of worldliness is for every believer to be constantly cleansed in our minds and hearts by the purging, purifying fire of the Holy Spirit.

One of the Scriptures that was read earlier came from Romans 12:2 – “Be not conformed… but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

I want to close the service today by singing the hymn: Cleanse Me (O God)   

Living Faith: Separating from Worldliness - Part I

(To download an MP3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player here.)

This is the 7th sermon in a series of messages through the New Testament book of James. This sermon covers verses 1-12 in chapter 4 of James and speaks about the worldly trait of conflict and strife.

Written Excerpts:

James 4:4 ^(NKJV) Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Introduction:

Today we are continuing a sermon series that I started 7 weeks ago on the book of James in the New Testament. I titled the series Living Faith for two main reasons:

1. In the entire letter, James provides “down-to-earth,” practical advice on how to live out our faith. Faith clearly applies to real life in the real world.

2. In the 2^nd chapter, James tells us that there is such a thing as “faith that is dead.” Therefore, we conclude that genuine faith is a “living faith” when it is backed up by works of faith that confirm it.

So today we continue the series by studying chapter 4, and we learn that Living Faith means…

Separating from Worldliness (4:1-5:6)

If you have a copy of the outline I have created for this study, you will notice the 6^th main point of the outline shows that the section on separating from worldliness includes all of chapter 4 and up to v.6 of chapter 5. I am sure we will not have time to cover the entire section today, so I plan to just focus on part of chapter four.

Paul wrote to the Romans and admonished them:

Romans 12:2 ^(NKJV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….

In one of His prayers, Jesus described his disciples like this: John 17:14 ^(NKJV) … they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

There is a phrase we hear often that probably originated from this verse: They were in the world, but not of the world. These are just a couple examples of what the Bible teaches concerning the need to separate ourselves from the influences and values of the ungodly world we live in.

Erwin Lutzer, former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, said: “Worldliness twists values by rearranging their price tags.”

The primary reason we conclude that James is addressing the issue of worldliness comes from verse 4. James 4:4 ^(NKJV) Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

If worldliness means adopting the value system and moral standards of the ungodly environment we live in, then it certainly applies to numerous topics that James doesn’t even talk about. But, he does address 3 different issues in this letter and we will look at one of those today with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

A.  Worldliness includes conflict and strife. (4:1-12)

The first matter James addresses relating to worldliness is the problem of conflict and strife. He uses the words, “wars” and “fighting.” Other translations use the words, “quarrels and conflicts.” Any “list” of traits of worldliness certainly should include fighting/conflict/strife.

1. The source and result of strife is revealed. (1-2)

James identifies the source of all the strife – it is the inward lusts, passions and desires that people have inside their hearts.

“wars/fighting” – first word indicates broader and bigger conflicts while the second word refers more to smaller or single disputes. (Overall war vs. individual battles.)

(Tyndale N. T. Commentaries) In a metaphorical sense, however, both words could describe violent verbal disputes…. And since disputes of this sort are almost always accompanied by harsh words, criticism and slander, the misuse of the tongue that James castigates (cf. 3:1-12; 4:11-12; 5:9) probably arose from these disputes.

“lusts that …” – lusts = pleasures; same word that our English word “hedonism” stems from.

“war in your members” – they go “on the warpath” in our lives resulting in fights with others.

(Lenski New Testament Commentary) He is dealing with the personal animosities, quarrels, factions, etc., that disgrace the Jewish Christian membership itself.… when passions are given free rein in Christian congregations, we see the members tearing each other in all manner of fights, each person or each faction seeking only its own ἡδοναί [pleasures].

v. 2 - James is probably not literally talking about murder, but equating anger, hatred, etc. with murder much like Jesus did and like we also find in: 1 John 3:15 (NKJV) Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 

Result? “You have not because you ask not.” In spite of all the conflict, these people still do not have what they seek, and the reason is because they haven’t asked the main one that can satisfy our longings – God.

While Chapter 3 directly addresses the misuse of the tongue, here in chapter 4 James digs deeper and speaks to the motivation behind such verbal wars and fighting that was taking place.

2. The cause of strife is described. (3-5)

With language that compares their passions to the kinds of lusts that bring about infidelity in a marriage, James describes their worldly pleasure-seeking. In v. 2 he says they haven’t asked, so they don’t have. Now in v. 3 he goes on to identify why they haven’t received what they may have asked for – it is because they asked for the wrong reasons.

This is part of growing up spiritually – understanding that God is not just some benevolent Santa Clause in heaven ready to just give us whatever we want and ask for. There is a spiritual maturity that brings us to the awareness that we ought to ask God for things that are in agreement with His will.

v. 4 “adulterers / adulteresses” - James’ use of ‘adulteresses’ thus serves to characterize his readers as the unfaithful people of God. (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)

In the OT God’s prophets often described Israel’s unfaithfulness and departure from His commands as spiritual adultery.

“friendship / enmity;” “friend / enemy” These words remind us that we cannot serve two masters, as Jesus stated. We can’t love God with all our hearts and still crave the pleasures of the world.

See the quote in the bulletin today? “We worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.”

I shared a few minutes ago a quote from Dr. Erwin Lutzer, “Worldliness is all about twisting our values and priorities.”

v. 5 “Spirit yearns to jealousy” – a reminder that God will not tolerate competing “lovers” in our hearts. The Bible tells us that God is a jealous God. Just like a truly devoted husband cannot tolerate competition for the love of his wife, neither can God tolerate competing affections for our hearts. It is either the “world” or God. It can’t be both.

3. The remedy for strife is explained. (6-10)

I’m so glad that James doesn’t just end with the sordid description of the problems that they were having. But he continues by defining what the remedy is. It can be summed up in one word – “grace.” What can be done about all the conflict, quarreling and strife? Grace! What is the solution to the problem that the Spirit jealously yearns for all of our affection when we are divided in our love? Grace! How much grace?
MORE! 

However…. God only gives grace to certain people. He freely gives grace to the humble, but He firmly resists the proud.

v. 7 – So, what should we do in light of this fact?

James promptly gives 10 imperative verbs in the next four verses. Yes, God gives grace, but He expects us to do something with it. We need to use His grace to do the things that promote deliverance.

(Imperative verbs underlined)
We need to resist the devil, submit to God and draw near to God.

v. 8 – We also need to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts.

Psalm 24:3-4 ^(KJV) Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

“double-minded” – wavering between world and God. (v.4)

v. 9 – We need to be afflicted (lament), mourn, weep and turn our laughter into mourning over the condition of our hearts that leads us to such behavior as he has been describing in verses 1-5.

Paul says, “Godly sorrow produces repentance or change. (2 Cor. 7:10)

v. 10 – We need to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord. (A repeat of the command in v.7)

A total of 10 imperative verbs from vv.7-10. They admonish us to see our sins of worldly strife as God sees them and feel the sorrow and remorse that we should feel when we truly understand.

4. Admonitions to avoid strife are offered. (11-12)

James begins v.11 with another imperative command. 

“Do not speak evil” – (Lenski) All ten of the previous commands are positive; this one is negative.

These two verses seem to hearken back to the theme of chapter 3 – the misuse of the tongue, but he is still specifically dealing with the problems cited in the earlier verses of this chapter. As we said earlier, chapter 4 deals with the inner heart motivations that prompt the misuse of the tongue that is addressed in chapter 3. Here in verse 11, James is briefly restating the emphasis of chapter 3.

One author (Lenski) points out that in this context James is not appealing to the matter of love, which also would keep us from speaking evil of a brother, but he is appealing to the matter of law. Whenever any of us speaks evil of a brother [or sister], we are setting ourselves up as judges. We are not only judging the brother, but we are judging the law, because we are acting as though we are superior to God’s law which is there to protect both of us. (Lenski)

Conclusion:

In closing I want to emphasize the fact that we have been speaking about separating ourselves from worldliness. Worldly attitudes and actions are expressed in numerous ways, and this passage of Scripture has focused on the specific problem of dissention and fighting. In our next message we will be looking at two additional examples of worldliness that James addresses.

Let us not lose sight of the fact that this is just one expression. The expression is wrong and needs to be corrected, but the inherent problem in our hearts must be addressed or there will still be problems. The only way to truly separate from worldliness in our daily lives is to experience the grace of God that was mentioned in verse 6. 

When God’s grace is applied by the Holy Spirit in our hearts, it confronts the heart problems of selfish pleasure seeking, self-centeredness, and the like. His Spirit can cleanse our hearts and make us whole-heartedly devoted to Him and His will. However, it requires our earnest seeking and cooperation with God’s probing work in removing everything that is contrary to His heart.

The closing song I’ve chosen for today emphasizes the need to be holy. To be holy means to be separated from the unholy, the worldly, and the ordinary; set apart for God’s purpose.

Let us sing Take Time to Be Holy