Welcome to Day 2128 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

James – Wisdom is Faith in Action 10 – The Perils of Playing God – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church message – 11/14/2021

James: Wisdom Is Faith in Action – The Perils of Playing God

We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James.  Last we focused on what causes quarrels and fights between people, specifically between Christians. It stems from insisting that we have our way. We also learned how to avoid conflicts, by being content and allowing God’s Spirit to control our lives. James continues with this theme of self-desire and self-reliance in our passage for today. If we insist on controlling our lives instead of allowing God to guide us, we fall into The Perils of Playing God.  Playing God is split into two sections: Warnings against Judging Others and Warnings about Self-Confidence. So join me on page 1884 in the pew bibles as I read the Scripture for today. James 4:11-17 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them 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? Boasting About Tomorrow 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 in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. Without question, Jesus Christ best demonstrates true humility. He voluntarily gave up His heavenly position and came into the world, became a blue-collar laborer, lived in perfect obedience to God and the Law, and willingly sacrificed His life on the cross for all sins (Philippians 2:6-8). This perfect humility of God the Son becomes a model for us to follow in our pursuit of humility. Paul said in Philippians 2:5, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” If we back up two verses, Paul warned the Philippians against the same egocentric arrogance that James is focused on. Paul writes in Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” In the broader section of his letter (3:13-5:6), James develops the theme that real faith produces genuine humility. He illustrates this cardinal virtue of the Christian faith with powerful words and compelling images. We’ve already seen how he contrasted those wise in their own eyes with those with humble wisdom from God (3:13-18). And we looked at the cause of quarrels and conflicts— envious ambitions, cured only by submitting to God in true humility (4:1-10). In the present passage (4:11-17), James reveals more ways we proclaim a proud spirit. The first has to do with the way we often view others (4:11-12). James deals with our tendency to take the place of God in other peoples’ lives as we judge or criticize them. The second has to do with the way we often view ourselves (4:13-16). In these verses, he deals with our tendency to take the place of God in our own lives as we presume or boast in ourselves. In both cases—whether playing judge over others or playing king of ourselves—we err by playing roles reserved for God alone. The objective of playing God in the lives of others is to imagine oneself as superior to other Christians and to put them down in various ways. Thus, the one who takes on God’s role becomes a qualified critic, somebody who stands over a fellow, assuming a position of superiority. The two simple rules of the game are in 4:11. The first is to “speak against” a brother or sister in Christ. What does this look like? Scripture gives several examples using the same Greek word, both in the Greek translation of the Old Testament and the Greek New Testament.

• Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses for marrying a Cushite woman (Num. 12:1,8).
• The people of Israel spoke against God by complaining about their conditions in the wilderness (Num. 21:5).
• The Psalmist says a wicked person will speak against his brother, slandering him with lies (Ps. 50:20).
• Job’s friends spoke against Job, insulting and crushing him with their words (Job 19:1-3).
• Unbelievers speak against Christians, slandering them as evildoers (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:16).

  What does this recounting of this Greek translation tell us? Let me put it bluntly. James suggests that Christians who “speak against” their brothers or sisters in Christ include themselves in that biblical register of rebellious mumblers, moaning grumblers, deceitful slanderers, crushing insulters, and wicked slanderers. Not exactly the best company! Let me show you how this game works. You speak against the other person in the ears of the hearer, hoping to lower their estimate of the person—and in the process, you expect to make yourself look all the better. Of course, you have to cover up your malicious intent with creative sentimentality. So, you begin your statements with, “Now, stop me if I’m wrong, but . . .” or, “Now, I don’t mean to be critical, but...” or, “Perhaps I shouldn’t say this about him or her, but...” or even, “I really like so-and-so as a person, but...” James also brings up the horrible habit of judging believers. These two go hand in hand—speaking against and judging another person, slandering a person, and condemning him. The Bible repeatedly condemns judgmental attitudes and actions. Jesus said, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). I find it curious that those who judge most harshly many times will be guilty of the same, similar, or even greater sins. This attitude was just as prevalent in Paul’s day, which he wrote about in Romans 2:1, “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.” The idea of withholding judgment is certainly biblical. Remember our lesson from Matthew 7:4? “How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?” And Paul makes it pretty clear in Romans 2:3, “Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?” In short, the Bible targets self-serving, malicious judgment while encouraging wise, righteous discernment. Jesus said, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly,” John 7:24. So, let’s be clear. James isn’t suggesting we be gullible and permissive, letting people get away with everything. Remember, in his letter, James confronts fellow Christians about their sins. But there’s a difference between confrontation to build up and condemnation to tear down. The real problem with judging others is that it comes perilously close to playing God. James reminds us that there is only one “Lawgiver and Judge” (4:12). Only God can judge a person’s actions and motives without fault, hypocrisy, and spite. The final indictment in 4:12 packs an emotional punch in Greek. He’s saying, “But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” We might paraphrase the indictment in 4:12 this way, “So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?” or even “Who made you God?” We rarely know all the facts about a person’s situation, and therefore are not qualified to judge. The principle bears repeating: only God is qualified to judge, because only He has all the facts.   In 4:11-12, James addressed the problem of playing God in the lives of others. Then, in 4:13-16, he looks at playing God over our lives. I have to admit; I struggle with this section of James. All my life, I have been driven by making well-thought-out plans and ensuring they are correctly executed to achieve my goals and objective.  I work best following a concise schedule, and my daily to-do list drives my agenda. It is the only way I can handle the various business obligations and the privilege of preparing messages for Putnam each week.  While I work long days, we all fill our days with what we feel is most important.  Most days, the results speak for themselves. It is almost a game where victory will be achieved if I accomplish my goals. How much do you allow God to work through each of us and seek His guidance in our pursuits?  Suppose the objective of this game is to imagine ourselves as the final authority over our own lives, and we live like it. In that case, this is what James addresses in verses 4:13-16. You sequester God in His own compartment of your life and keep Him there except in a rare instance when you’re in a bind. Now, most people wouldn’t admit to banishing God to the back room of their lives. But many assign Him sovereignty over specific tasks, keeping daily and mundane tasks for themselves. God becomes the boss of religious issues, moral matters, international conflicts, and questions of faith. That’s His realm. But we’ll handle things like finances, relationships, and business decisions—those things God couldn’t care less about as long as He has our hearts. At the core of this false philosophy, though, is the idea that we’re the masters of our own destinies. Such people recite the hymn of self-reliance encapsulated in the verse of William Ernest Henley’s poem, “Invictus”: It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. That’s the philosophy of the person who plays God in his own life. Pray only for essential things. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps! Call your own shots! The rules for this game are found in James 4:13. Let me break it down step by step. RULES FOR PLAYING GOD (ACCORDING TO JAMES 4:13) 1. Set your own schedule. Today or tomorrow ... 2. Select your own path. I am going to a certain town... 3. Place your own limits. And I will stay there for a year... 4. Arrange your own activities. I will do business there ... 5. Predict your own outcome. And I will make a profit. Now, notice that none of the activities James describes is negative in and of itself. There is nothing wrong with planning ahead, nothing evil about setting a schedule, nothing terrible about engaging in business, and nothing sinful about making a profit! In fact, Jesus taught this in many parables, and James describes the everyday affairs of ordinary life. But that’s precisely his point. Because God is our sovereign Lord, we must consider His will in every aspect of our lives.   James begins pointing out problems with a go-it-alone attitude toward life in 4:14. First, as mortal humans, we have no idea what the future will bring. We don’t know what will happen today, much less what the next year or two will look like. Think back two years pre-Covid – how have our lives changed? Every one of us is one heartbeat away from death. One rude intrusion of an unexpected event could end all our plans. We could live into our 90s, and many at Putnam have, or die tonight. Nobody knows. Only God knows. Second, playing God with our own lives is risky because we have no assurance of a long life. James describes our lives as a “morning fog” that appears suddenly and dissipates quickly. Imagine yourself outside in the middle of a subzero winter day. With a scarf wrapped twice around your neck, you’re bundled in your thick coat, stocking cap, and gloves. As you exhale, what happens? Your warm breath forms a small puff of white vapor that lingers for a second, then vanishes. Gone. That’s life—not just the life of somebody who dies young. Even a relatively long life flies by. People in their nineties say they feel like it was just yesterday they graduated from high school. But youth doesn’t last. Before you know it—poof!—the fog of life dissolves. And it happens fast. About the time your face clears up, your mind gets fuzzy! Third, we have no right to ignore God’s will. In 4:15, James provides the necessary corrective to the folly of playing God. James 4:15, “What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’”  In days past, country folk would say, “If the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” it was trite, but people understood God controlled their lives. Besides, if the creek did rise, it would be the Lord’s will to prevent leaving the homestead.  James’s instruction to say, “If the Lord wants us to…” reflects an attitude and orientation toward life. It means submitting ourselves humbly before the one true God entitled to be the Lord of all things in our lives, not just a few things. It means erasing from our minds the sacred/secular, heavenly/earthly, and spiritual/physical dichotomies that delegate some things to God and some to us. That is why I am not too big on church titles or business titles. It is no more sacred for me to speak on Sundays than for Delbert to clean the pews we sit in. I may be more responsible for what I teach, but it is all sacred.  God governs all things, even the seemingly “mundane” daily decisions. He owns it all. The alternative to submitting all things to God is an evil, boastful arrogance—living life as if we are the masters of our fate or the captains of our souls (4:16). Otherwise, you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. James concludes by pointing out two ways to stop playing God in our lives (4:17). Both relate to true humility that flows from authentic faith—first, know the right thing to do, then; second, start doing the right thing. God has a standard of right living that transcends our own interests and pursuits. He wants to guide us along the path He’s set for us. To make that happen requires staying close to His Word and shaping our path according to its wisdom. But that’s only half the solution. When we know what God wants from us, we need to do it. If we continue to live as though God isn’t interested in certain areas of our lives, it’s sin. If we try to call our own shots, make our own plans, and do our own thing, we’re not doing what God wants us to do. That’s the point of James’s final warning. Know the right way. Then humbly submit to it. Application: James 4:11-17 Psalm 14:1 says, “Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’” I suppose something worse than pronouncing that there is no God and living in that manner would be knowing and believing in the true God and acting like He’s not God.  That is the point of our passage today. When we stand in judgment over our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re playing the part of divine Judge. And when we plan our lives as if God were uninterested or uninvolved, we play the exalted Lord’s role. James 4:17 is especially practical for those of us who tend to encroach on God’s territory, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” In this short verse, James gives us two simple rules to follow. First, you must know what you ought to do. Whatever the cost, you must evaluate your life and pattern it according to God’s Word, not according to your habits or traditions. Second, you must start doing the right thing. Instead of doing the wrong thing, replace it with the right thing. First know, then do. We’re all guilty of the sin of playing God to some degree. We play God with others when we talk down to and judge them. We play God with ourselves when we leave Him without room to guide our steps. So rather than the me-centered philosophy of Henley’s “Invictus,” how much better to emulate the lyrics of Frances Ridley Havergal Hymn – “Take My Will and Make It Thine,” which sums up what our lives will be like when we allow God to be the Lord of all areas of life: Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee, Take my moments and my days Let them flow in ceaseless praise Take my voice and let me sing Always, only, for my King; Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee, Take my will and make it Thine— It shall be no longer mine; Take my heart—it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne, Is something keeping you from making this hymn of surrender your prayer today? We know that wealth is not the source of Thanksgiving and happiness. This will next be pointed out in James 5:1-6 as we look at, Warnings to the Wealthy from James 5:1-6. 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! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!