August 5, 2010

"But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12b

I remember one time I was playing a golf match against an opponent from the club where I belonged at the time. That day I was playing very well and beat the daylights out of him. As we walked off the eighteenth green we shook hands and as I was turning to walk away he said, "You want to know what you were doing wrong?"

I said, "I beg your pardon."

He replied, "Do you want to know what you were doing wrong in your golf swing?"

While I am fully aware that my golf swing is far from perfect, I wasn't interested in taking instruction from a guy I had just beaten like a rented mule so I politely refused his well-intentioned offer. Who was he to criticize me when I had handled him so easily? Why should my golf game be judged by him?

Now if someone like Jack Nicklaus wants to give me some golf tips - I'm there!

That is what I think of when I read this portion of Scripture about judging. Who am I to pass judgment on someone else when my game is far from perfect? Shouldn't I rather keep trying to improve my game? Wouldn't it be better for me to set a good example for other by the way I live rather than imposing my opinions upon them?

Who are you to stand in judgment of another person? Would your thoughts and energies be better served perfecting your own walk?

Which would you rather be part of, a church where everyone is telling each other how to live and criticizing one another personally and privately OR how about a fellowship where each believer is seriously seeking God to become a more excellent follower of Christ?

Me, too!

Granted, it is easier to analyze and criticize others instead of confronting our own glaring weaknesses but it is also destructive. It is certainly more consistent with human nature to pull someone else dawn rather than working hard to be lifted up. But believers are called to live under the supernatural not human nature.

How about you? Are you playing the role of Monday morning quarterback finding fault with others from the cheap seats?

Why not be a team mate that is practicing hard to improve your game and a coach to help others get better?

Which do think would please God? Which do think will build a stronger fellowship? Which will you choose?

August 4, 2010

"When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it." James 4:11b

There are laws everyone knows. For example, the law of gravity. If you jump off the roof gravity is going to win and you will lose. The only people who didn't know that one are no longer with us as they discovered it the hard way.

Then there is the law of double chocolate fudge nut brownies. Choosing to enjoy their addictive delightfulness will result in the expansion of your waist-line. That's just the way it is!

James refers to THE LAW in this portion of Chapter 4 with the assumption everyone knows what he is talking about. And they do. They know he is referring to the Law given to Moses, the Commandments.

When the Law was first given, God gave one law - "don't eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". Everything else was in play, there was just this one thing they couldn't do.

After they broke that one law and sin entered the equation life became more complicated because that is what sin does - it complicates life. Therefore, more laws were needed and God gave Moses the ten. By the time the Jewish religious leaders got done with their amendments and codicils there were 632 rules to observe. Wow!

So, when Jesus arrived He reduced the Law to just two commands, love God completely and love your brother as yourself. Those two laws satisfied the spirit of the Ten given Moses. And it is to this law of love that James is referring. He knew it and it was clear to them!

You need to understand that God is the Law-Giver so that you can also comprehend why He must also be the Judge. It is not for you to pass judgment on any other person. It seems simple enough doesn't it?

Well, unfortunately there was a lot of judging going on in the church so James had to upbraid them with this reminder.

Which would you rather be part of, a church where everyone is looking for reasons to criticize and condemn you OR a fellowship where people give the benefit of the doubt to others, judge themselves carefully by the Word, and leave the rest to God? Okay, take some time and think about it. I know it is a tough choice.......

The very heart of the Law of Love is that you love God which requires putting Him first in all you do. Therefore, let Him be the judge! Also, it demands that you love your neighbor as yourself. If you don't want another passing judgment on you then you must not judge others.

If you REALLY must judge - American Idol has a couple of openings!

August 3, 2010

"Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." James 4:11-17

We talk a lot about judging. We know it is not a good thing and we know that we shouldn't do it and we know that we don't want others doing it to us. But, really, what is it? What does it mean to judge someone else? Let's examine that this morning.

When you meet someone you immediately form an opinion of that person. That is natural and is actually healthy. If you had no discernment toward other people, you could possibly put yourself in danger.

When someone else meets you they do the same thing - they form an initial opinion of you. God wired us that way for our protection and benefit. It is called prejudice - you prejudge them.

So, when does it become judging? When does a natural thing become a sinful thing? When does forming a healthy impression cross the line to judgment?

Great question!

First impressions or prejudging becomes a sin when you allow your first impression to become your final impression and you never take time to get to know the real person. You would not want someone to treat you that way. You would want to be given the chance to prove yourself and reveal yourself more fully. So, judging is to draw a conclusion about someone without really getting to know them.

Also, judging is when you allow a personal prejudice such as race or religion affect your opinion of another person. Anytime you arbitrarily catagorize someone into a group without making the effort to get to know them, that is judging.

Slander is even worse than judging because it involves imposing your opinion about someone upon another person before that person has an opportunity to get to know them. You are depriving another person of the opportunity to draw their own conclusion. Keep your opinions to yourself!

Judging can also be projecting a previous experience upon a present situation. Maybe you were hurt by a person of a certain race or from a certain place and that causes you to suspect anyone else who is like that. You form your opinion based on your own baggage and never give that person a chance to be known for who they are.

James says that a Christian should never allow a first impression to become a lasting impression. A Christian should always extend the benefit of the doubt and make the effort to become personally acquainted with that person. And even if you do get to know that person and you still decide you do not like him that is fine, but do not impose your dislike for that person upon another person.

God is the only One qualified to judge because only He knows everything about everyone. He knows who you are, the condition of your heart, how you think, and why you do the things you do. He knows that about everyone else, too.

So, unless you are God or until you become God - keep your opinions to yourself.

August 2, 2010

"Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." James 4:11-17

As I was preparing this series of sermons I looked over this section of verses and thought, "Why are these verses tacked on here? They don't seem to fit."

Perhaps I was a bit hasty. Indeed I was!

On further inspection it not only fits in this section but it actually summarizes it!

I will be examining it this week and then putting it all together in Sunday's message. Stay tuned this week it should be helpful!

Yesterday's message ended at verse 10 taking about humility. These verses show several illustrations of humility.

Let's start with the big picture. It makes a difference when you look at life from an eternal perspective. Don't you agree that it influences your thinking and decision-making when you understand you are going to live somewhere forever?

It absolutely does!

First, it changes how you look at yourself and your spiritual condition. If your eternal destiny is at stake and dependent upon what you believe and how you behave that will impact your decisions and your actions. And it should!

Second, it impacts how you look at others. If they are eternal and you are eternal and how you treat them has eternal consequences it ups the ante, doesn't it? When you understand that your slander or accusations about another person could possibly influence what happens to him eternally, that causes you to be more careful! By the way, it will have an impact on your behavior as well!

Third, it should determine how you relate to time. Since how you spend your time determines how you spend your eternity, be very wise about how you spend your time! You will understand that people of faith don't spend time - they invest in it! Planning is paramount! But planning must be done with the humble recognition that God is in charge of time and He must be vitally involved in how you think about planning.

So, properly relating to time and eternity will necessarily result in an attitude of humility. Humility looks like someone who lives, loves and plans backwards - from eternity to today. If you were to live today from an eternal perspective, what would you do differently?

Take some time to ponder and pray about that. See what happens.

August 1, 2010

“FAITH THAT WORKS OUT”

Week Six – “Winning the War With Worldliness”

James 4:1-10

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

Conflict is a part of life; it is a part of human history. One study that was done gave these horrific results. This study reported in the Canadian Army Journal regarding the frequency of human conflicts came up with this interesting statistic – since 3600 B.C. the world has only known 292 years of peace. During this period there have been 14,531 wars, large and small, in which 3,640,000,000 people have been killed.

Every generation since Adam and Eve has longed for peace and yet the history of the world is a war history. WHY IS THAT? WHAT IS GOING ON? James answers when he makes it clear that our personal stories are war stories as well, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (v.1). What a penetrating question! Why can’t we get along? Why do we rub each other the wrong way?
(SUMMARIZE SERIES)

How do we preserve the unity and fellowship of the church despite the pressures of living?

I. THE WAR WITHIN, Vv. 1-5

We have problems with people and problems with God, and James addresses the reasons in the first five verses. The first reason for our fighting and quarreling is “desires that battle within you.” Abrasive words and abusive actions are expressed to one another because we are not a peace within ourselves. So we take it out on one another.

A. You Lust Rather Than Trust, Vv. 1-3

The word for “fights” is also translated “war” and means a continuing state of hostility. “Quarrels” are outbursts of active animosity. We tend to think that peace is our natural state, and that conflict is unnatural. The reverse is actually true.
We have constant battles because of our “desires” or passions. Lust for power, popularity, prestige and pleasure create strife. Desires is from the word hedone, a term for pleasure, with the usual negative connotation of sinful, self-indulgent pleasure. The word “hedonism” comes from hedone. It consistently has this negative meaning in the New Testament. Paul uses it when he says, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasure”. We have constant battles because of our “desires” or passions. “

The Minnesota Crime Commission reported on the growth of crime and reached a startling conclusion:
Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it — his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toy, his uncle’s watch. Deny him these once, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He is dirty, he has no morals, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children — not just certain children — are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to his impulsive actions to satisfy his ants, every child would grow up a criminal — a thief, a killer, or a rapist.

When you are motivated by the belief that satisfaction, happiness and fulfillment come from what you have or how powerful you are, you will never have peace.

DOES THAT DESCRIBE YOU? ARE YOU DRIVEN BY A LUST FOR POWER, OR POSSESSIONS, OR PROSPERITY? ARE YOU SUBSTITUTING LUSTING FOR TRUSTING?

B. You Choose Your Pleasure Over Pleasing God, Vv. 4-5

Tom Sine wrote an article in World Christian and one truth he lamented, “Perhaps the most troubling of all is that a growing number of American Christians, of all ages, are not only embracing these self-indulgent values but moving them to the very center of faith. Instead of challenging the self-preoccupied living of a secular society, we have elevated it to normative living for Christians. This decision to place ourselves and our egoistic interests at the center of the gospel literally stands Christianity on its head and we have a perverted cultural faith, not a biblical one.”

”There’s an unquestioned assumption that American Christians seem to agree on: The self-involved cultural agenda must come first. Getting our career underway, our house in the suburbs and our upscale lifestyles started, come first. And then, with whatever time and energy is left, we try to serve Jesus. The problem is that the cultural agenda occupies so much of our lives, there is precious little time or energy for anything else, including Jesus.”

When your personal pleasure and comfort becomes your reason for living, God slips into the role of your servant and prayer becomes your way of placing your orders to Him!

“You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (vv 2-3).

Sine also says,

Too many Christians think they can just live the American dream with a little Jesus overlay as if it all goes together but it doesn’t. If people are going to seriously follow Jesus, they need to recognize that the secular culture is trying to pull them in a very different direction.”

Are you seeking what you can get from Him rather than seeking what He needs from you? Not good!

C. You Choose Strife Rather Than Submission, V. 5

When you call yourself a believer and yet commit your life to the pursuit of pleasure, power, possessions and position, you are guaranteeing that you will live a miserable life. God has a name for people who choose to live like that – ADULTERER!

I understand that adultery doesn’t have the same negative stigma that it once had. But I still don’t know anyone who really welcomes having that label attached to them.
While it is no longer the “Scarlet Letter” it is not something that is welcomed.

And I suspect that enough of you here in this room have enough painful scars and memories associated with adultery that you understand how destructive it is. Maybe it destroyed your parent’s marriage or perhaps it ruined yours. I am confident that everyone in this room has been touched in some way with adultery and you know it is not something you want to be involved with.

That being true, perhaps you can comprehend the amount of pain God must experience with the huge number of professed Christians who have fallen in love with the world and are chasing worldly desires.

Do you really want to for your life? Do you really want to cause yourself that grief and misery while inflicting it upon God? Is that how you want to spend your days?

An Eskimo fisherman had two dogs and he always brought his two dogs with him. One was white and the other was black. He had taught them to fight on command. Every Saturday afternoon in the town square the people would gather and these two dogs would fight and the fisherman would take bets. On one Saturday the black dog would win; another Saturday, the white dog would win—but the fisherman always won! His friend began to ask him how he did it. He said, "I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he stronger."
This story about the two dogs is apt because it tells us something about the inner warfare that comes into the life of a person who is born again. We have two natures within us, both struggling for mastery. Which one will dominate us? It depends on which one we feed. If we feed our spiritual lives and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us we will have success." - BILLY GRAHAM

II. WINNING THE WAR, Vv. 6-10

The great news is that this war within is winnable! The not so good news is that you REALLY need to be serious about wanting to win.

History gives us a rather interesting account on resolution of conflict. French novelist and playwright Alexander Dumas once had a heated quarrel with a rising young politician. The argument became so intense that a duel was inevitable. Since both men were superb shots they decided to draw lots, the loser agreeing to shoot himself. Dumas lost. Pistol in hand, he withdrew in silent dignity to another room, closing the door behind him. The rest of the company waited in gloomy suspense for the shot that would end his career. It rang out at last. His friends ran to the door, opened it, and found Dumas, smoking revolver in hand. "Gentlemen, a most regrettable thing has happened," he announced. "I missed."

That attitude won’t get you any inner peace. You must be ruggedly determined that something has to die if you want to win the war within! You have to aim to kill!

A. Be Ready To Surrender, Vv. 6-7a

Surrender requires humility. He must be first! He must be most! He must be all!

Surrender requires submission. The word used here means – “allegiance” – “LEIGE”

Alexander the Great and a small company of soldiers approached a strongly fortified walled city. Alexander, standing outside the walls, raised his voice and demanded to see the king. When the king arrived, Alexander insisted that the king surrender the city and its inhabitants to Alexander and his little band of fighting men. The king laughed, “Why should I surrender to you? You can’t do us any harm!” But Alexander offered to give the king a demonstration. He ordered his men to line up single file and start marching. He marched them straight toward a sheer cliff. The townspeople gathered on the wall and watched in shocked silence as, one by one, Alexander’s soldiers marched without hesitation right off the cliff to their deaths! After ten soldiers died, Alexander ordered the rest of the men to return to his side. The townspeople and the king immediately surrendered to Alexander the Great. They realized that if a few men were actually willing to commit suicide at the command of this dynamic leader, then nothing could stop his eventual victory. (David Yarbrough/Sermon Central)

THAT IS SURRENDER! Have you done that?

B. Be Ready To Stand, V. 7b

“Resist” the devil! Once you have stepped over the line – stand there! Put on the whole armor of God and stand against him – HE MUST FLEE!

C. Be Ready To Sanctify, Vv. 8-10

“Draw near to God” – V. 8

“Wash your hands” - V. 8

“Purify your heart” – V. 8

“Repent” – V. 9

“Humble yourself” - V. 10

The Perfect Illustration: THE PRODIGAL SON

When he repented and got right with his father:

He got the RELATIONSHIP
He got the ROBE
He got the RING
He got the ROAST

ARE YOU TIRED OF THE BATTLE?

ARE YOU READY TO WAGE PEACE?

WHEN YOU MAKE PEACE WITH GOD – YOU GET PEACE and GOD!

July 31, 2010

"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:4-6

A good friend once challenged me with this question, "If you don't feel close to God, who moved?"

His point was well taken. The truth is I can be as close to God as I want to be. So can you! He longs for intimate fellowship with us.

So, what is it that keeps you from enjoying that close fellowship with God?

Sometimes it is other people.

Here are several examples:

You can allow another person to get between you and God. If you are in a relationship with a nonbeliever that can draw you away from God.

If you over-invest in a relationship where you spend all your time and energy focused on a person that can distract you from God.

You might get wrapped up in your children, running to their activities and events. Before you know it your week-ends are all spent traveling and you neglect the fellowship of your church. Soon you become a stranger with God.

Sometimes it can be other pursuits.

Here are some examples:

You might get preoccupied with a hobby and spend all of your spare time involved in it.

You might get caught up in a sports activity and focus your time and energy bowling or golfing or fishing and not have time for God.

You might get involved in outdoor recreation and spend all your week-ends boating or camping or riding a motorcycle or RV.

After several weeks or months of devoting yourself to these pursuits you suddenly find your heart cold toward God.

Always it is your pride.

All of these things we have mentioned are good and wholesome in themselves. But when you place more inportance on them than you do on your relationship with God, they get between you and Him. But when that happens the problem is not them - it is you! You have placed your pleasure, your needs, your enjoyment ahead of God. That is the essence of pride.

James reminds you that God is a jealous God. He demands to be first in your life. If you are going to choose Him and decide to serve Him, He must hold first place in your affections, your thoughts, and your time. He will not occupy second place to your pride, your pursuits or other people.

These verses pronounce some harsh judgments on those whose pride comes between them and God. He calls them "adulterers". Do you want to be an adulterer?

He says God opposes the proud. Do you want to be in oppostion to God?

If you are not as close to God as you once where or as close as you want to be - who moved?

Have you allowed something or someone to come between you and God?

If so, how do you think that is going to work out for you?

What are you going to do about it?

July 30, 2010

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

What would the world give for a workable peace plan? If someone had a way to convince nations to lay down arms and begin working together to solve poverty and disease, how would that be celebrated?

James gives such a strategy. It involves three simple steps. Anyone could wage peace with this plan. And since world peace must happen from the inside out, this plan is the only one that has a chance to succeed.

Step One: "submit"

What does it mean to submit? How does this accomplish peace?

To submit means to bring yourself into alignment with God's will. Lining up with God's will requires that you surrender your will. Give up on your dreams and your ambitions. Stop trying sell God on your agenda and surrender to His. Sign up to serve Him and live to accomplish His purposes. Receive His Kingdom into your heart and crown Him King. When you get God you also get His peace and His power and His purity.

Step Two: "stand"

When you surrender to God you stand against the devil. Because God is resident in your life with all His power, purity and peace the enemy has no authority over you and no weapon that can harm you. He can threaten and intimidate but cannot touch you. The only reason he can do any damage to you is because he has infiltrated your nature with a sinful desires and a selfish will. But submitting to God transforms that nature and changes that will. Therein is the peace!

Step Thre: "see what God will do"

John declares in one of his epsitles, "greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world"! Once you have won the war within, you can trust that God will work through you to win the wars waged against you! When you recall the great victories of God in the Old Testament, most of the were won without His people having to fight! Once they got right with God, He made things right around them. The key to transforming your world is allowing God to transform you!

Are you ready for peace?

Stop warring against God!

Line up with His will, stand against evil and see what He will do!