Welcome to Day 2127 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

James – Wisdom Is Faith in Action 9 – Starting and Stopping Fights – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church message – 11/07/2021

James: Wisdom Is Faith in Action – Starting and Stopping Fights

We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James. Two weeks ago, we looked at persons who are Wise, Unwise, and Otherwise.  One sign of wisdom is understanding what causes fights and how to avoid or stop fights. James 4:1-10 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so 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 means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor 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. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. As I grew up in a large family with ten kids, we often fought each other. There was sibling rivalry as we competed for attention. I am sure our squabbles were mostly unimportant, but that did not prevent us from fighting. Growing up in an apple orchard gave us the perfect weapon, especially when they were rotten. They were nasty to get hit with but never did any real damage. Unfortunately, as adults, too often, we still seem to work arguments and fights into our lives. Fighting comes naturally to most people, especially men. Why? Because we’re each born with a scrappy nature that prefers going for the jugular instead of giving in. It all started after the Fall (Genesis 3). The first fight between Cain and Abel ended in murder (Genesis 4:1-8). Since then, we can chart history easily by its conflicts and wars. So it isn’t surprising that James addresses the cycle of conflicts among Christians. Worshiping, fighting, praying, worshiping, fighting, praying—it was the same two thousand years ago as it is today. That’s the problem James addresses in 4:1-10. The chapter break between James 3:18 and 4:1 is unfortunate. Remember, James didn’t number chapters or verses—those were added centuries later for convenience. The fourth chapter continues to develop the major themes of chapter 3. In fact, the initial comments he made regarding the destructive nature of the tongue in 3:6-10 build to a climax in the beginning of chapter 4 as he deals with open conflicts among Christians. James further unpacks the effects of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition introduced in 3:13-15. So, in 4:1-10, James sets forth the reasons for fights among believers and their tragic results. But James also provides us with solutions to stop these conflicts that have taken their toll on our ranks. His diagnosis includes a prescription for handling all kinds of conflict. We should expect that the world, devoid of God’s Word and Spirit, would be characterized by fighting with its back to God. Of course, people fight in business, politics, religion, education, marriage, and sports. But sad to say, believers also fight in the church. In fact, this is the specific arena of conflict James has in mind in the first verse: “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?” Throughout his letter, he addresses Jewish Christian believers. This section reveals that they are having problems getting along. Their problem? Quarrels and fights. The Greek word for quarrels is “polemos.” It is a general word for fights or warfare from which we get our word “polemics or arguments,” The word fight is the Greek word “mache” and is a more narrow term for skirmishes and personal attacks. These Christians were in a constant state of quarreling that often exploded into open conflict. Where do these quarrels and fights come from? We might be tempted to say, “From Satan!” or “From false Christians!” or “From heretics who crept in secretly!” Wrong! James answers, “Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” James is good at rubbing our noses in our depravity when needed. It may seem harsh sometimes, and if you let your mind dwell there every minute of the day, it can be. Reminders that our sinful natures, apart from God’s grace, can do us no good. Remember that James told us that the source of temptation and sin was our “own lust” (1:14). And disorder and wickedness result from our own “jealousy and selfish ambition” (3:16). In the same way, we are primarily responsible for our infighting. Satan may have a field day, and unbelievers may be pleased to see us go at it, but we are the ones to blame. James 4:1 uses a more neutral term for “pleasures,” translated as evil desires. In everyday Greek, it meant “enjoyments.” This word includes the desire to be successful, use your gifts and talents, and the desire for relationships, food, leisure, and life necessities. But the problem comes when the world stifles our achievement of these desires. Then the “pleasures” of life become sources of conflict. When something fails to fulfill our desires, we tend to fight until we get our way. James 4:2 says, “You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it.” Of course, few people murder in a literal sense, but we are all guilty of murder in our hearts and with our lips. Remember Christ’s interpretation of the Law we learned in The Sermon on the Mount Series in Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’  But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.”   Those who fight out of frustration of not getting their desires, fail to turn to God for their provision. Jesus said in John 16:24, “You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” Fighters fail to pray. “But,” we may object, “I’ve prayed and prayed for such and such, but He still hasn’t given me what I want!” James has an answer for this in verse 3, “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”   God’s promise of answering our prayers and giving us what we ask for must be governed by all the Bible’s teachings about prayer. So the apostle John helps balance our perspective on prayer in 1 John 3:22, “And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him,” and in 1 John 5:14, “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.” Did you catch that? James warns against pleasure-motivated prayer; John encourages God-pleasing prayer. Spiritually-minded Christians pray for good things in God’s sight, not for something that fuels their envious, selfish desires. James addresses his readers in (4) as severely as any passage in Scripture: You adulterers! That grabbed their attention. Why did James do this? Because they’re cheating on God! Their attention, affection, and allegiance are not toward God and His people but toward themselves and the world.  James says, “Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?” “World” here is the Greek word “kosmos.” Here it refers to the world system at odds with God. It’s fallen humanity collectively shaking its fist at God, turning its back on the Creator. God only calls his people “adulterers” because they’re supposed to be faithful to Him. The unsaved person is not an adulterer. But the saved person who cozies up with the “kosmos” is committing adultery, making himself an enemy of God. (Globe) So James refers to Christians committing spiritual adultery. This worldliness in the church causes quarrels and conflicts. It comes when we play politics, place economics before ministry, or try to entertain rather than focus on learning God’s Word. It surfaces when we replace unchanging truth with cultural fads or turn a relationship with Christ into another world religion. Those moves split churches and destroyed ministries. In summary, frustrated inner desires lead to murderous thoughts, arguments, failure to pray, and prayer with wrong motives (1-3). A heart beating to the world’s rhythm leads to anger with God and opposition to His words and works (4). These conditions lead to quarreling and fighting among believers. Thankfully, James doesn’t leave the problem to us without a solution. Instead, like a good physician, he follows the diagnosis of our ailment with a prescription. Then, he presents a synopsis of the resolution, a treatment for infighting that includes pointing out the power and laying out a principle.  In James 4:5, he tells us, “Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.” After calling the believers, who pursue the world, adulterers, James follows God’s response to believers’ unfaithfulness by telling us that we should be faithful because of our Spirit.  That’s the kind of control God wants to have in our lives. So if we release our grip and selfish demands, He’ll ensure that our lives will reflect Him as His Imagers. This kind of humble surrender to God’s control is the crucial principle described in verse 6: And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Generous grace is poured through us as we turn from our proud ways. That’s the primary work of the Holy Spirit. Of course, it’s not easy to turn from the self-centered pride of life and humble ourselves before God. But when we do, we’ll find a storehouse of God’s grace ready to be poured out through us. A verse in our closing hymn today puts it well: He giveth more grace when the burden grows greater; He sendeth more strength when the labors increase. To added affliction, He addeth His mercy; To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. (7-10) As James so aptly does, he ends this section with practical advice on how to put the principle of humility into practice through the power of the Spirit. Our frustrated pursuit of pleasure was the cause of our propensity to fight (1-4). And God’s Spirit of grace is the prescription (5-6). James now spells out how we apply the cure to our lives (7-10). The daily regimen, the proper dosing, if you will, describes how to make God-given humility a part of our character. Initially, we must submit to God. Submitting is an imperative—a command. Don’t fight, resist, and push. Instead, surrender, resign, and relinquish. Yes, it goes against our natural tendency to fight, but God gives us the grace to do it. Say, “Ok, Lord, I give up. I will follow your prescription.” Submitting to God goes hand in hand with resisting the devil, which James commands next. Following the philosophy of the world is to follow the demonic worldly wisdom (3:15). It’s the opposite of following God. Then James tells us in verses (7-8), “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” In terms of salvation, we can’t draw any nearer to God than we already are, and God provides us with everything we need. 2 Peter 1:3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. James 4:8 speaks about our daily relationship with God—our experiential growth in knowing Him and progressively becoming more like His Son. So then, how do we “come close to God” in our personal relationship with Him? The rest of 4:8-10 provides that answer in rapid-fire fashion:

• “Wash your hands.”—Stop doing evil!
• “Purify your hearts.”—Stop thinking evil! Don’t be double-minded.
• “Let there be tears for what you have done.”—Feel remorse for your wickedness!
• “Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.”—Don’t make a joke out of your wickedness!

All these commands reflect the inner thoughts and outward effects of repentance. If we clench our fists and turn our back to God in our proud rebellion, then drawing near to God means turning our faces toward Him and opening our hands to whatever He has for us. Only then can we receive from Him what we had been trying to gain for ourselves in verse 10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” James’s message is clear. Instead of putting up a fight, put on faith. Instead of causing conflict, nurture contentment. Instead of stomping and stonewalling, willingly submit to God. When you do, He will give you the grace to handle whatever circumstance. Application: James 4:1-10 Slaying the Green-Eyed Monster Those words from Shakespeare’s Othello are the background for the English idiom “green with envy.” O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock The meat it feeds on. The ancient Greeks thought that feelings of envy and its sister sin, jealousy, caused an overproduction of bile, turning a person a pale, putrid green. The idea of being sick with jealousy comes from that deep, nauseous feeling we get when we’re jealous or envious. James blames uncontrolled envy for all kinds of problems when he writes, Let me re-read verses 2-3, “You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” What exactly is envy? How does it differ from its sibling, jealousy? Envy is a painful and resentful awareness of an advantage one enjoys, accompanied by a passion for possessing the same advantage. Envy sheepishly wants to have what someone else possesses. Jealousy takes it one step further and wants to possess exclusively what it or someone else has. Jealousy is coarse and cruel. Envy is sneaky and subtle. Jealousy clutches and smothers. Envy is forever reaching, longing, squinting, pondering, and saying wicked things. Look at the monster of envy in Scripture. It sold Joseph into slavery, drove David into exile, threw Daniel into the den, put Christ on trial, and nearly split the church at Corinth. All of us are undoubtedly prone to it. So let’s ask ourselves, am I struggling with envy?  How do you respond when somebody at work or in an organization gets a commendation or promotion you hoped for? When somebody at church is recognized for an accomplishment, what’s your reaction? Do you share the news with a “but” attached? Do you try to discern wrong motives that might be driving the recognition? Do you try to “put it into perspective” by comparison? If so, you’ve been bitten by the green-eyed monster. Are you feeling sick yet? What’s the cure? Contentment. Feeling comfortable and secure with who you are and where you are. Not having to “be better,” “go further,” “own more,” “prove to the world,” or “reach the top.” Contentment means surrendering your frustrated hopes and missed goals to God. 1 Samuel 2:7 tells us, “The Lord makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up.” Are you having some struggles with envy? Is it eating your heart out because somebody’s a step or two ahead of you in the race and gaining momentum? Relax. You are you—not them! You are only responsible for doing your best with what you’ve got for as long as you can.  God is pleased if we use what he has given us: nothing more, nothing less. The choice is yours: contentiousness or contentment. If you want the peace that comes with contentment, follow verse 10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” Then turn to God and ask for strength to resist the devil and slay the green monster. Next we will learn, The Perils of Playing God from James 4:11-17. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday!