[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 20th of August, 2017. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
How many of you have or had brothers or sisters? Did you ever disagree over anything, get into fights or squabbles? Did you always believe everything your sibling told you?
James was the brother of Jesus. We may know very little about Jesus’ youth and early years, but James grew up with Him! Do you think they fought and argued? Maybe – we have no way to tell. But one thing we can be sure of: James believed in Jesus. He opens his letter to the Jewish Christians that had fled Jerusalem after Jesus’ death by introducing himself as, “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”.
James believed in Jesus as the true Son of the living God, the Messiah, the Christ. Not only did he believe, James learned and understood what Jesus was trying to tell us, especially as it relates to God. Listen and follow along as I read from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible from chapter 4 verses 1 through 10 of the letter the Apostle James wrote…
James was the brother of Jesus. We may know very little about Jesus’ youth and early years, but James grew up with Him! Do you think they fought and argued? Maybe – we have no way to tell. But one thing we can be sure of: James believed in Jesus. He opens his letter to the Jewish Christians that had fled Jerusalem after Jesus’ death by introducing himself as, “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”.
James believed in Jesus as the true Son of the living God, the Messiah, the Christ. Not only did he believe, James learned and understood what Jesus was trying to tell us, especially as it relates to God. Listen and follow along as I read from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible from chapter 4 verses 1 through 10 of the letter the Apostle James wrote…
1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 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. 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.
4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 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. 6 And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 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. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.
--James 4:1-10 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, James grew up alongside Jesus and knew Him as a brother and as a growing boy. Yet James clearly understood why Jesus came to us and the role He played in Your great plan for humanity. Speak to us now, Father, through Your Holy Spirit directly into our hearts, that we might gain from Your wisdom as did James. Show us Your will in Your message this morning. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Even if you don't have an iPhone or a Mac computer, you may have heard of Siri, the artificial intelligence Apple programs into their devices to act as a personal assistant. You can ask Siri a question, like "Is it raining outside?" and she will check the local weather forecast and answer. Well, there are a number of questions you probably shouldn't ask Siri that are either silly or have no definite answer, but if you do ask you may get a humorous response. If you ask, "Siri? What is zero divided by zero?", she'll respond, "Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn’t make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad that you have no friends." Or ask Siri if she has a boyfriend and you'll get questions back in her response: "Why? So we can get ice cream together, and listen to music, and travel across galaxies, only to have it end in slammed doors, heartbreak and loneliness? Sure! W
here do I sign up?"
But ask, "Siri? Do you believe in God?", and she might respond, "Humans have religion. I just have silicon," or more to the point "I’m really not equipped to answer such questions." For Siri, and apparently for her programmers, that question cannot be answered. Or perhaps they're afraid of offending someone with their answer. Maybe Siri and her programmers need more proof of God's existence before they'll believe. As Christians, we need no proof. That's what faith is all about. We don't even have to ask. In Siri’s case, it’s better to ask not.
I think James is very insightful in his opening of chapter 4. He notes that the underlying cause of all our fights and quarrels is the war that is waging within ourselves, a war rooted in our unrighteous desires. We want things we don’t have or can’t have or shouldn’t have, so we set out to get them in any way we can. If someone else owns what we want, we just take it from them. If someone else gets hurt in the process, that’s tough.
This makes sense, doesn’t it? Just about every war started because some person in a leadership role desired the lands or wealth or resources of another people. We are jealous of what other people have. Things, possessions, worldly goods… we want all that the world values. James reminds us that if we stand on the side of the world, we become an enemy of God. We looked at this just last week, when Jesus told us we are either on His side or we are against Him.
James tells us to humble ourselves before God, and to ask Him for what we need. He says we don’t have what we want because we don’t ask God for it. But then he cautions that even if we do ask God to fill our desires, we still won’t get them because our motives are all wrong. We’re asking for the wrong things and for the wrong reasons! If we humble ourselves and seek God’s will in our lives, then we will be asking for what would please Him, and He will grant our request!
I mentioned to the kids that King Solomon’s request pleased God. Listen to the passage from the 1st book of the Kings of Israel, chapter 3, verses 5 through 14 where Solomon asks the Lord for what he desires…
As the son of David and in the direct line of God’s own Son Jesus, Solomon could have asked for pretty much anything he wanted, and God would likely have granted it. Yet Solomon humbled himself and asked only that he be given the wisdom to rule his people, God’s own chosen people, with justice and mercy. His heart was right with God, he sought to do God’s will over the people entrusted to him, and not only did the Lord grant his request for wisdom, God also gave him the worldly riches and power he did not ask for.
In a famous speech, President John F. Kennedy once quoted Oliver Wendell Holmes when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Taking my cue from James and Solomon, I’d like to reword that a bit. Ask not what the Lord can do for you; ask what you can do for the Lord.
If we humble ourselves, push aside those waring desires within us, ignore what the world values, and seek only God’s will in our lives, then He will give us what we ask for. He will give us what we ask for because what we ask for will please Him. He will give us what we ask for because we will be asking only for what we need to carry out and accomplish His will.
When our heart is right with God, we will only seek what pleases Him. And when we do, He will give us not only what we ask of Him, but also much, much more.
In our responsive reading of Psalm 32 this morning, we read that judgment will not touch us if we confess our sins before God while there is still time to be forgiven. We saw that our Lord will instruct us and guide us along the best pathway for our life, if we let Him. He will advise us and watch our progress.
Family, our loving Father God is advising us this morning, through the words of James and the request of Solomon. We must humble ourselves, seeking only to do God’s will. God finds little value in what the world thinks is important, so we must extinguish our worldly desires, desiring instead only to please our Lord. If we resist the devil, he will flee from us. If we come close to God, He will come near to us.
We need to take a close look at ourselves; give ourselves a thorough self-examination. Are our desires for what we don’t have waring within us? Is our loyalty divided between God and the world? Then let us humble ourselves before our Lord. Let us seek His face. Let us strive to do only His will in all we do. Let us ask not what the Lord can do for us, but instead ask what we can do for the Lord.
In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, throughout our Bible we can see countless times when You reward those who humble themselves and follow Your will. You provide not only for our needs, but You give what we ask for when our request helps us accomplish Your will in our lives and the lives of others. And You reward us with riches the world simply cannot understand. Thank You, Father, for looking after us, for taking care of us, for loving us this much. Please help us to humble ourselves before You, to remember our place in Your creation, to play our role in Your great master plan. Please forgive us for our disobedience, for our divided loyalty, for our worldly nature.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thankful for Your grace and mercy, repenting of our sin, and seeking Your assurance of our pardon…
Lord Jesus, Your own earthly brother James tells us that the many conflicts in this world all arise from the warring of unrighteous desires within us. He cautions us that our divided loyalty makes us Your enemy, for if we don’t completely stand with You, we work against You. Help us, please Jesus, to call a halt to the wars within us, to ignore the world and all its lustful desires and pleasures, to humble ourselves before You and our Father God, to turn our hearts solely to God’s will, to carry out the mission You assigned us. Help us share the Good News of salvation with the world. Help us teach others what You have taught us. Help us make more disciples of the world so that more will stand with You and fewer will be against You. Help us, dear Jesus, to do our Father’s will.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
Even if you don't have an iPhone or a Mac computer, you may have heard of Siri, the artificial intelligence Apple programs into their devices to act as a personal assistant. You can ask Siri a question, like "Is it raining outside?" and she will check the local weather forecast and answer. Well, there are a number of questions you probably shouldn't ask Siri that are either silly or have no definite answer, but if you do ask you may get a humorous response. If you ask, "Siri? What is zero divided by zero?", she'll respond, "Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn’t make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad that you have no friends." Or ask Siri if she has a boyfriend and you'll get questions back in her response: "Why? So we can get ice cream together, and listen to music, and travel across galaxies, only to have it end in slammed doors, heartbreak and loneliness? Sure! W
here do I sign up?"
But ask, "Siri? Do you believe in God?", and she might respond, "Humans have religion. I just have silicon," or more to the point "I’m really not equipped to answer such questions." For Siri, and apparently for her programmers, that question cannot be answered. Or perhaps they're afraid of offending someone with their answer. Maybe Siri and her programmers need more proof of God's existence before they'll believe. As Christians, we need no proof. That's what faith is all about. We don't even have to ask. In Siri’s case, it’s better to ask not.
I think James is very insightful in his opening of chapter 4. He notes that the underlying cause of all our fights and quarrels is the war that is waging within ourselves, a war rooted in our unrighteous desires. We want things we don’t have or can’t have or shouldn’t have, so we set out to get them in any way we can. If someone else owns what we want, we just take it from them. If someone else gets hurt in the process, that’s tough.
This makes sense, doesn’t it? Just about every war started because some person in a leadership role desired the lands or wealth or resources of another people. We are jealous of what other people have. Things, possessions, worldly goods… we want all that the world values. James reminds us that if we stand on the side of the world, we become an enemy of God. We looked at this just last week, when Jesus told us we are either on His side or we are against Him.
James tells us to humble ourselves before God, and to ask Him for what we need. He says we don’t have what we want because we don’t ask God for it. But then he cautions that even if we do ask God to fill our desires, we still won’t get them because our motives are all wrong. We’re asking for the wrong things and for the wrong reasons! If we humble ourselves and seek God’s will in our lives, then we will be asking for what would please Him, and He will grant our request!
I mentioned to the kids that King Solomon’s request pleased God. Listen to the passage from the 1st book of the Kings of Israel, chapter 3, verses 5 through 14 where Solomon asks the Lord for what he desires…
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
--1 Kings 3:5-14 (NKJV)
In a famous speech, President John F. Kennedy once quoted Oliver Wendell Holmes when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Taking my cue from James and Solomon, I’d like to reword that a bit. Ask not what the Lord can do for you; ask what you can do for the Lord.
If we humble ourselves, push aside those waring desires within us, ignore what the world values, and seek only God’s will in our lives, then He will give us what we ask for. He will give us what we ask for because what we ask for will please Him. He will give us what we ask for because we will be asking only for what we need to carry out and accomplish His will.
When our heart is right with God, we will only seek what pleases Him. And when we do, He will give us not only what we ask of Him, but also much, much more.
In our responsive reading of Psalm 32 this morning, we read that judgment will not touch us if we confess our sins before God while there is still time to be forgiven. We saw that our Lord will instruct us and guide us along the best pathway for our life, if we let Him. He will advise us and watch our progress.
Family, our loving Father God is advising us this morning, through the words of James and the request of Solomon. We must humble ourselves, seeking only to do God’s will. God finds little value in what the world thinks is important, so we must extinguish our worldly desires, desiring instead only to please our Lord. If we resist the devil, he will flee from us. If we come close to God, He will come near to us.
We need to take a close look at ourselves; give ourselves a thorough self-examination. Are our desires for what we don’t have waring within us? Is our loyalty divided between God and the world? Then let us humble ourselves before our Lord. Let us seek His face. Let us strive to do only His will in all we do. Let us ask not what the Lord can do for us, but instead ask what we can do for the Lord.
In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, throughout our Bible we can see countless times when You reward those who humble themselves and follow Your will. You provide not only for our needs, but You give what we ask for when our request helps us accomplish Your will in our lives and the lives of others. And You reward us with riches the world simply cannot understand. Thank You, Father, for looking after us, for taking care of us, for loving us this much. Please help us to humble ourselves before You, to remember our place in Your creation, to play our role in Your great master plan. Please forgive us for our disobedience, for our divided loyalty, for our worldly nature.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thankful for Your grace and mercy, repenting of our sin, and seeking Your assurance of our pardon…
Lord Jesus, Your own earthly brother James tells us that the many conflicts in this world all arise from the warring of unrighteous desires within us. He cautions us that our divided loyalty makes us Your enemy, for if we don’t completely stand with You, we work against You. Help us, please Jesus, to call a halt to the wars within us, to ignore the world and all its lustful desires and pleasures, to humble ourselves before You and our Father God, to turn our hearts solely to God’s will, to carry out the mission You assigned us. Help us share the Good News of salvation with the world. Help us teach others what You have taught us. Help us make more disciples of the world so that more will stand with You and fewer will be against You. Help us, dear Jesus, to do our Father’s will.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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