Friday, October 30, 2015

Three additional ways that we can treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure...


This week we are looking at a section of a letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James. Wednesday, in James 5:1, we discovered that  the faith that works does not treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure. We talked about the reality that to treasure someone or something is to view or esteem someone or something as being of great worth or value.

In addition, we saw James reveal for us the reality that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we hoard our treasure. James point to those who are wealthy throughout history is that we should not hoard our treasure because the treasure of earth is temporary and will testify against us. A sign that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure is when we hoard the treasure that we have here on earth instead of leveraging that treasure in a way that helps to meet the needs of others here on earth. Today, we will see James reveal for us a second way that we can treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure in verse 4:

 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Here we see James confront those who were far from God and who were wealthy with the charge of robbery. You see, what was happening was that these early followers of Jesus who were of lower socioeconomic status would work for those who were wealthy land owners as laborers in their fields. However, at the end of a long days work in the fields, these poor laborers would come in to receive their pay only to be denied their pay by these wealthy landowners.

In essence, these wealthy landowners who were far from God were stealing wages from these poor laborers who were followers of Jesus. James here paints a word picture of the wages of these laborers crying out from the pockets of these wealthy landowners to proclaim the wrongdoing of these wealthy landowners.

James then proclaims to these wealthy landowners that the cry of the withheld wages, along with the cries of the poor laborers had reached the ears of the Lord of the Sabaoth. Now when James uses this phrase “the Lord of the Sabaoth”, he is referring to the Lord God Himself. James point is that the injustice that was being committed by those who were wealthy and who were far from God had reached the ears of the Lord God. And the Lord was fully aware of the injustice that was being committed against these early followers of Jesus.

And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we steal treasure from others. We treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we steal treasure from others, whether it is stealing time from our employer or stealing wages from those we employ. We treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we steal treasure from others, whether it is overcharging for a service or underpaying for a service. We treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we steal treasure from others instead of generously rewarding others for the service we receive from others.  James then reveals for us a third way that we can treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure in verse 5:

 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

Now to fully understand what James is communicating here, we first need to understand a few things. First, when James uses the phrase lived luxuriously, this phrase literally means to live a life of self indulgence. This phrase conveys the sense of living a life that revels in and is focused solely on one’s own pleasure.

In addition, when James states that those who were wealthy and were far from God led a life of wanton pleasure, this phrase means to indulge oneself beyond the bounds of what would be considered appropriate and respectable. Their self-indulgence was over the top in its nature and scope.  James point here is that those who were wealthy and who were far from God lived a self-absorbed and self-indulgent lifestyle.

However, James reminds those who were engaged in this self indulgent lifestyle that they had “fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter”. But what does that mean? When James refers to the day of slaughter here, he is referring to the day of God’s judgment upon selfish and rebellious humanity. James here is painting a powerful word picture to reveal the reality that just as a cow would be fattened up until the day it met its end, not realizing what awaited them at that end, those who were wealthy and lived a self indulgent lifestyle had fattened themselves up partying it up without thinking of the consequences that would await them at the end of their lives as they stood before Jesus. 

And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we live a self-indulgent lifestyle. We live a self indulgent lifestyle when we focus solely on our own pleasure. We live a self indulgent lifestyle when we indulge ourselves beyond the bounds of what is respectable. And we live a self indulgent lifestyle when we live without concern of consequences of that lifestyle.

But not only do we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we hoard our treasure. Not only do we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we steal treasure from others. Not only do we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we live a self-indulgent lifestyle. We see James reveal for us a fourth way that we can treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure in verse 6:

You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

Here we see James charge that those who were wealthy and who were far from God “have condemned and put to death the righteous man;” Now a natural question that arises here is “Is James saying that the wealthy were murdering the poor?” While that could be what James is saying, what is more likely the case is that as the wealthy who were far from God were taking these poor followers of Jesus to court in an attempt to get more from them, the result was that the judges were ruling in favor of the wealthy. That is what James means when he uses the word condemned here.

And as a result of successfully achieving a guilty verdict in court, those who were wealthy and who were far from God were taking what little that these poor followers of Jesus had from them. Now in the culture of the first century, there was no such thing as bankruptcy or public assistance. So when you take what little was left from those who had very little, the result was often death for those who had lost what little they had left.

James here is charging that those who were wealthy and who were far from God with murder as a result of taking all that was left from those who had little or nothing, which was leading to their death. James point is that those who were wealthy and who were far from God were oppressing others through the exercise of their influence and power that came from their wealth.

And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we oppress others through the power that our treasure provides.  You see, because increased treasure often results in increased influence and power, we can easily treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure because of the power and influence that the treasure provides.

However, with increased power comes the possibility of increased corruption. And we use the power and influence that we have to oppress others in a way that results in us increasing our treasure, we demonstrate that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure.

So here is a question to consider: How does how you handle your treasure reveal about what you treasure? Does how you handle your treasure reveal the reality that you treasure treasure as your ultimate treasure? Or does how you handle treasure reveal that reality that you trust Jesus as your ultimate treasure? Because, the faith that works does not treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure.

However, we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we hoard our treasure. We treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we steal treasure from others. We treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we live a self-indulgent lifestyle. And we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we oppress others through the power that our treasure provides.

However, the faith that works does not treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure, but instead treasures Jesus as our ultimate treasure and uses the treasure that we have been given in a way that points others to Jesus as our ultimate treasure.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The faith that works does not treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure...


At the church where I serve we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who repeatedly doubted Jesus claim to be God, but became a follower of Jesus who was the pastor at the church in Jerusalem and who was ultimately killed for believing that Jesus was God.

James turned from being a doubter in Jesus to being a pastor of Jesus church and an author of this letter that is recorded for us in the Bible after seeing Jesus after He was raised from the dead. And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus.

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James, we will see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works.  So let’s discover that timeless truth together beginning in James 5:1:

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

James begins this section of his letter to early followers of Jesus with a very pointed message to a very specific group of people. When James uses the phrase “Come now, you rich”, this phrase if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this “Now listen here, those of you who are rich”. 

Most likely, James is addressing those who were far from God and were financially well off and who were demonstrating prejudice against followers of Jesus who were poor. As we discovered earlier in this series, there were followers of Jesus that were being exploited by those who were well off and were far from God. These individuals were demonstrating prejudice by dragging these early followers of Jesus off to court in an attempt to get more money from them as they spoke of Jesus in a disrespectful and demeaning way.

And in the midst of this letter to these early followers of Jesus, James decided to turn his attention to these wealthy individuals who were far from God so as to give them a piece of his mind. James gives these individuals who were wealthy and who were far from God a piece of his mind with a powerful and pointed statement: “weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.”

Now this statement, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Now listen here, those of you who are rich and who are demonstrating prejudice against the poor by exploiting them and dragging them off to court so as to get more from them. You better get ready for what is coming to you. You better get ready to weep crocodile tears and to wail and cry aloud over the trouble and tribulations that are coming to you. You see, you are going to wail and cry aloud because you are about to experience God’s judgment as a result of how you have been treating others as a result of your desire for more wealth”.

And it is here that we see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless and true principle is this: The faith that works does not treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works does not treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure.

Now, a natural question that could arise here is “Well Dave, that sounds great, but what do you mean when you say that the faith that works does not treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure?” Simply put, to treasure someone or something is to view or esteem someone or something as being of great worth or value.

And the faith that works does not view the treasure that we accumulate here on earth in such a way that makes that treasure preeminent and of ultimate value and worth. The faith that works does not value or esteem treasure as being of ultimate value and worth because the faith that works esteems and values Jesus as our ultimate treasure.

Now another question that could arise at this point would be “Well Dave, if that is the case, if the faith that works treasures Jesus as our ultimate treasure instead of treasure, then how can we know when we are treasuring treasure as our ultimate treasure instead of treasuring Jesus as our ultimate treasure?” That is a great question. And in James 5:1-6, we see James reveal for us four specific ways that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure. We see James reveal for us the first way that we can treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure in verses 2-3:

Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

Here we see James reveal for us the reality that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure when we hoard our treasure. Apparently, those who were rich and who were far from God were stockpiling all of their treasure. And because they were stockpiling and hoarding all of their treasure, James proclaimed to them that “Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted”.

James proclaims this statement to the rich to explain and remind them that the treasures of this earth do not last but are only temporary. James point to those who are wealthy throughout history is that we should not hoard our treasure because the treasure of earth is temporary. James here is echoing the words of his half brother Jesus, who said the following in Matthew 6:19-21:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

James then makes a seemingly cryptic statement in the second half of verse three when he proclaims “and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire.” But this morning, what does that even mean? To understand what James is communicating here, we first need to define some terms.

First, when James refers to rust, here is referring to the corroding effect that time has on the treasure that those who were wealthy were hoarding and stockpiling for themselves. James then explains that it is the corroding effect of time that will serve as a witness to testify and provide the proof that those who were wealthy treasured treasure as their ultimate treasure by hoarding all of their treasure. James point to those who are wealthy throughout history is that we should not hoard our treasure because our treasure will testify against us.

In addition, when James states that the rust of the treasure that has been hoarded will consume your flesh like fire, James is painting a word picture of God’s judgment. In the letters that make up our Bible, fire was often used as imagery of God’s judgment on the selfishness and rebellion of humanity. James point here is that those who selfishly hoard treasure do so in a way that reveals their selfishness and rebellion and exposes them to God’s judgment of their selfishness and rebellion.

James then hammers his point home by proclaiming “It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” When we see the phrase, “last days” in the letters that make up the Bible, this phrase refers to the final chapters of God’s story here on earth that began with the arrival of Jesus and will end with Jesus return to earth.

James is reminding those who are wealthy throughout history that we should not hoard our treasure because the end of God’s story is coming. And at the end of God’s story, all of humanity will give an account to Jesus for how they lived their lives here on earth. And part of that accounting will involve how they handled the treasure that they were given here on earth.

And a sign that we treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure is when we hoard the treasure that we have here on earth instead of leveraging that treasure in a way that helps to meet the needs of others here on earth.

Friday, we will see James then reveals for us three additional ways that we can treasure treasure as our ultimate treasure...

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The faith that works rejects human arrogance and instead looks to God for guidance...


This week we are looking at a section of a letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James. Yesterday, we looked on as James was attempting to grab the attention of a group of people who would be reading his letter. And that group of people, James explains, were those who a group of early followers of Jesus who were making big plans when it came to their future. These early followers of Jesus were full of confidence in their plan and believed that they were in control of their future and their destiny as they prepared to implement their plan.

We discovered that the issue that James was addressing here is not whether or not you should make plans for the future. Instead, the issue that James is addressing is how we should make plans for the future. James point here is that because of the fact that none of us know how events in the future that will impact our futures; because of the reality that our lives are temporary, we should make plans for the future by seeking God’s guidance and direction as we make our plans.

As we plan for the future, we should be asking questions like “How do my plans line up with the message and teachings of Jesus? Or do my plans place me in opposition to the message and teachings of Jesus? Do my plans place me in a position where I can reveal and reflect Jesus to others? Or do my plans place me in a position where I would have to compromise what I believe about the message and teachings of Jesus?

Are the plans that I am making wise? Are the plans that I am making about what is best for me or what is best for my family in light of what the message and teachings of Jesus say about my role and responsibility in my family? Do my plans line up with how God has wired and designed me? Do my plans match up with the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given me? Have I run my plans by others who love and follow Jesus and who are mature enough to tell me what I need to hear about my plans and not simply what I want to hear about my plans?”

However, these were not the questions that these early followers of Jesus were asking. That was not what these early followers of Jesus were doing when it came to the plans that they were making. We see James reveal this reality for us in James 4:16:

But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

Now when James uses the word boast here, this word literally means to take pride in something so as to brag about it. James then explains that what theses early followers of Jesus were taking pride in so as to brag about was their arrogance. In other words, these early followers of Jesus were bragging and boasting about their self confidence. These early followers of Jesus were bragging and boasting about their self sufficiency.

After all they had a plan: A plan that they came up with as a result of their arrogant self confidence that they were captains who were in control of their futures. And these early followers of Jesus were full of confidence in their plan and believed that they were able to control their future and their destiny as they implemented their plan.

So, instead of asking “How do my plans line up with the message and teachings of Jesus and His desires for my life”, they were asking “How do my plans line up with my desires for my life?” Instead of asking “Do my plans place me in opposition to the message and teachings of Jesus” they were asking “Do my plans place me in opposition to my desires for my life?”

Instead of asking “Do my plans place me in a position where I can make much of Jesus” they were asking “Do my plans place me in a position to make much of me?” “Instead of asking “Lord what is you plan for me” they were asking “Lord here is my plan, bless me”.

James then explained that such arrogant bragging and boasting about one’s self confidence and self sufficiency is evil. In other words, the plans that were driven by such arrogant self confidence in the belief that they were captains who were in control of their futures were morally and socially worthless.

These plans were morally and socially worthless because they overlooked the reality that the makers of these plans did not know how events in the future that would impact their futures.  These plans were morally and socially worthless because they overlooked the reality that they were only here on earth temporarily. James then hammers his point home with a powerful statement in verse 17:

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Now to fully understand what James is communicating here, we first need to understand what James is referring to when he uses the word sin. As we discovered earlier in this series, when James uses the word sin, he is referring to acts of omission or commission that hurt God and others and that flow from our selfishness and rebellion against God and the word of God.

You see, so often we think of sin as involving acts of commission that we do against God and others. In other words, we tend to think of sin as something that we do that we should not do. Here, however we see James reveal for us the reality that we sin by committing acts of omission. That is, we sin when we choose not to do something that we know we should do. 

What James is communicating and focusing on here are sins of omission, the failure to do what we know we should do that flows from our selfishness and rebellion against God. James point here is that when we know that the right thing to do is to ask God for guidance and direction as we plan for our future, but instead choose not to ask God for guidance and direction as we plan for our future, we are acting in selfishness and rebellion against God.

 And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we see James reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless truth is this: The faith that works rejects human arrogance and instead looks to God for guidance.  Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works rejects human arrogance and instead looks to God for guidance.

As followers of Jesus, we are to reject the temptation to arrogantly rely on our self importance and self confidence in our plans and in our ability to control our future. As followers of Jesus, we are to reject the temptation to think of ourselves as captains who are in total control of our futures. As followers of Jesus, we are to reject the temptation to say “here are my plans Jesus, now make sure you bless my plans”.

Instead, as followers of Jesus, we are to make plans for the future the right way by looking to God for guidance and by asking the right questions. As followers of Jesus, we are to make plans for the future by asking “Does the Lord desires us to be making these plans?” As followers of Jesus, we are to make plans for the future by asking “Do my plans place me in opposition to the message and teachings of Jesus? Do my plans place me in a position where I can reveal and reflect Jesus to others? Are the plans that I am making wise? Do my plans line up with how God has wired and designed me? Have I run my plans by others who love and follow Jesus and who are mature enough to tell me what I need to hear about my plans and not simply what I want to hear about my plans?”

So here is a question to consider: How are you planning for the future? Are you planning for the future by not planning for the future? Are you planning for the future by saying “I don’t need to plan for the future; I just need to trust Jesus for my future.” Because, the message and teachings of Jesus clearly reveal that to fail to properly plan for the future is to prepare to foolishly fail in the future.

Are you planning for the future with an arrogant self importance and self confident belief that you have the ability to predict and control future events? Are you planning for the future by demanding of Jesus “here are my plans Jesus, now make sure you bless my plans”?

Or are you planning for the future by looking to God for guidance? Are you planning for the future by asking “Does the Lord desire me to be making these plans?”

Because, the faith that works rejects human arrogance and instead looks to God for guidance...

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Should we plan for the future?


At the church where I serve we have been looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who repeatedly doubted Jesus claim to be God, but became a follower of Jesus who was the pastor at the church in Jerusalem and who was ultimately killed for believing that Jesus was God. James turned from being a doubter in Jesus to being a pastor of Jesus church and an author of this letter that is recorded for us in the Bible after seeing Jesus after He was raised from the dead.

And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus.

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James, we will see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works.  So let’s discover that timeless truth together beginning in James 4:13:

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."

James begins this section of his letter by raising an issue that followers of Jesus throughout history have wrestled with. James begins to raise this issue with the phrase “come now”. This phrase is very similar to the phrase “now listen” that we use in our culture today. You see, James was attempting to grab the attention of a group of people who would be reading his letter. And that group of people, James explains, were those who were saying "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."

These were early followers of Jesus who were making big plans when it came to their future. These were early followers of Jesus who were laying out a long term plan and strategy that they believed would result in long term success. These early followers of Jesus were full of confidence in their plan and believed that they were in control of their future and their destiny as they prepared to implement their plan.

And because these early followers of Jesus exuded with self confidence in their plan and strategy, James jarred their attention with a strong “Now you listen”. James is basically saying to these early followers of Jesus “Now you listen, you who are brimming with self confidence about your long term plan and strategy for a successful future. Make sure that you listen well to what I am about to say”.

Now a natural question that could arise at this point is “Well Dave is it wrong to have a plan? I mean shouldn’t we plan for the future? Shouldn’t we have a retirement plan? Shouldn’t we make plans and goals for our future when it comes to our finances and careers? Shouldn't we plan for potential future health issues by having health insurance? Dave what is wrong with planning?”

If those thoughts and questions are running through your mind, I want to let you know that those are great questions to be asking. And my response to those questions and thoughts is this: Yes you should plan for the future. Yes you should have plans and goals when it comes to your family and your career. You should plan for the day when you will no longer be able to work. Yes you should have life insurance and health insurance.

You should do all of those things because that is what followers of Jesus who are wise managers of their resources do. To fail to properly plan for the future is to prepare to foolishly fail in the future. You see, the issue that James is addressing here is not whether or not you should make plans for the future. But if the issue is not about whether or not we should make plans for the future, then what is the issue? We see James begin to give us a glimpse into the issue that James is addressing in verses 14-15:

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

In verse 14, we see James provide for us a statement and a word picture that were designed to drive home two specific points. First James states “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.” Now this statement, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means “you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What kind of life is yours?”

With this statement, James is revealing for us the reality that at the end of the day, none of us know what the future may hold for us. At the end of the day, none of us know how events in the future that will impact our futures. At the end of the day, all we really know is what is happening in the present. While we can and should plan for the future, we should understand that we have no control over events in the future that could impact our future plans.

But not only do none of us know how events in the future will impact our futures. In addition, James states “You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” But what is that all about?

Have you ever driven early in the morning and seen a veil of low lying clouds covering an area of land? Yet, in a matter of hours, that veil of clouds disappears. If you had not seen it with your own eyes, you would never have known that the veil of clouds had ever been there. That is the word picture that James is painting here.

James here is revealing for us the reality that our lives our temporary. Unlike the Lord, who is fully aware of the future events that will occur on this earth, we are temporary and have no knowledge or control over the future events that will occur on this earth. And because of the fact that none of us know how events in the future that will impact our futures; because of the reality that our lives are temporary, James states that instead of relying on our self confidence in our plans and our ability to control our future, we ought to say "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

In other words, James is basically saying “Instead of you saying, ‘here are my plans Jesus, now make sure you bless my plans’ we should be saying ‘If the Lord desires us to be making these plans, then we will be blessed.” You, see the issue that James is addressing is not whether or not we should make plans for the future. The issue that James is addressing is how we should make plans for the future.

James point here is that we should make plans for the future by seeking God’s guidance and direction as we make our plans. As we plan for the future, we should be asking questions like “How do my plans line up with the message and teachings of Jesus? Or do my plans place me in opposition to the message and teachings of Jesus? Do my plans place me in a position where I can reveal and reflect Jesus to others? Or do my plans place me in a position where I would have to compromise what I believe about the message and teachings of Jesus?

Are the plans that I am making wise? Are the plans that I am making about what is best for me or what is best for my family in light of what the message and teachings of Jesus say about my role and responsibility in my family? Do my plans line up with how God has wired and designed me? Do my plans match up with the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given me?

Have I run my plans by others who love and follow Jesus and who are mature enough to tell me what I need to hear about my plans and not simply what I want to hear about my plans?” However, these were not the questions that these early followers of Jesus were asking. That was not what these early followers of Jesus were doing when it came to the plans that they were making. Tomorrow, we will see James reveal this reality for us…

Friday, October 16, 2015

Living in recognition of who God is and in relationship with our neighbor...


This week we are looking at a section of a letter in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. And it is this section that we have discovered that the faith that works places God first. The faith that works willingly places themselves under God in a way that places God first as the One who is large and in charge of their lives.

So far this week, we have discovered that we place God first when we place ourselves in opposition to the devil. We have discovered that we place God first when we pursue a closer relationship with God. Instead of dancing with the temptation and the tactics of the Devil, instead of pursuing our selfish desires, we are to pursue a closer and deeper relationship with Jesus. We have discovered that we place God first when we pursue moral purity and truth. James point is that, as followers of Jesus, we are to pursue moral purity with our external actions and activities.

And we have discovered that we place God first when we demonstrate remorse for the selfishness within us. As followers of Jesus, the selfishness within us should distress us. As followers of Jesus the selfishness within us should cause us to grieve over its impact in our lives. And as followers of Jesus, the selfishness within us should cause us to take selfishness, sin, and rebellion seriously. Instead of attempting to minimize, manage, or tame those selfish desires within us, we should take those selfish desires seriously and put to death those selfish desires by placing God and His desires first.

Today, we will see James reveal for us two additional ways that the faith that works places God first. We see James reveal a fifth way that the faith that works places God first in verse 10:

  Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Now to fully understand James command here, we first need to understand what the word humble means. As one person famously stated “to be humble does not mean that we think less of our self; to be humble means that we think of ourselves less. To be humble means that we live our lives in light of the reality that there is a God and we are not Him. And to be humble means that we act according to that reality by placing ourselves under the Lord and by placing the Lord before ourselves.

And it is in this command that we see James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we live our lives in recognition of who God is. James then explains that when we place God first by living our lives in recognition of who God is, then He will exalt you. Now the word exalt literally means to cause someone to have an enhancement of honor and fame. James point here to followers of Jesus throughout history is that the Lord responds to those who live their lives in recognition of who God is by placing themselves under the Lord and by placing the Lord first by enhancing their reputation in the eyes of others. James here is echoing the words of his half-brother Jesus that are recorded for us in Luke 18:14:

for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

So this morning, here is a question to consider: Who or what are you exalting? In other words, who do you think is God? Who is large and in charge of your life? Are you living your life in light of the reality that there is a God and you are not Him? Are you acting according to that reality by placing yourselves under the Lord and by placing the Lord before yourself? Or are you living life as though you are God and are large and in charge? Because the faith that works places God first when we recognize who God is. James then concludes this section of his letter by revealing a sixth way that the faith that works places God first in verse 11-12:

 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

James begins verse 11 by commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to “Do not speak against one another”? Now the phrase “speak against” literally means to speak evil or ill of another. And here we see James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we refuse to speak critically of others.

James then explains that the reason why he was commanding followers of Jesus to not speak critically of others was due to the fact that “he who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law”. But what does that mean?  When James refers to the Law here, he is referring to the first five letters that are recorded for us in the Bible today, which the Jewish people referred to as the Law, or Torah.

In addition, when James uses the word judge here, this word means to pass an unfavorable judgment upon something. This word conveys the sense of finding fault with or criticizing someone or something. And in a section of a letter that is a part of the Law called the book of Leviticus, we see God say the following in Leviticus 19:16-18:

'You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD. 'You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

James point here is that when we speak critically of others, we speak critically of the message of Jesus. But not only do we speak critically of the message of Jesus when we speak critically of others. In addition, James states that when we speak critically of others, we are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. James is revealing for us the reality that when we speak critically of others, we fail to follow the message of Jesus.

You see, as Jesus pointed out in Matthew 22:34-40, the most important command in the entire Law is to love God with our total being and to love our neighbor as ourselves, because we show and demonstrate our love for God when we love our neighbor. So when we speak critically of others, we disobey the most important command of the Law.

And as a result, as James points out, when we speak critically of others, we place ourselves over the message and teachings of Jesus. When we speak critically of others, we are not following the message and teachings of Jesus, but are instead sitting as judge over the message and teaching of Jesus. When we speak critically of others, we are placing ourselves in a position to judge others, instead of allowing Jesus and the message and teachings of Jesus to judge others.

James then hammers his point home by reminding followers of Jesus of a timeless truth that we should make sure that we do not forget: “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy;”. James point is that there is only one being that gives us the standards to follow and there is only on being that reserves the right to judge. There is only one being that is able to rescue us from our selfishness and rebellion and there is only one being who has the power and authority to bring ultimate destruction. And that being is Jesus.

And because of that reality, James asks a very pointed question: “but who are you who judge your neighbor?” Now this question is rhetorical, because the answer to this question is so obvious that is does not need to be answered. James point here is that when we speak critically of others, we fail to recognize Jesus as the only One who has the right to judge. And because of that reality, we place God first when we refuse to speak critically of others.

So here is a question to consider: What do the words you say reveal about who is in first place in your life? Do the critical words that you say about others reveal that you are actually failing to follow the message and teachings of Jesus? Do the critical words that you say about others reveal that you place yourself as judge and jury over those around you?  Because the faith that works places God first when we refuse to speak critically of others.

And as we have seen this week, the faith that works places God first. The faith that works places God first when we place ourselves in opposition to the Devil. The faith that works places God first when we pursue a closer relationship with God. The faith that works places God first when we pursue moral purity and truth. The faith that works places God first when we demonstrate remorse for the selfishness within us. The faith that works places God first when we live our lives in recognition of who God is. And the faith that works places God first when we refuse to speak critically of others.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Placing God first in what we pursue and in what we feel remorse for...


This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. Yesterday, in James 4:7-12, we discovered the timeless truth that the faith that works places God first. The faith that works willingly places themselves under God in a way that places God first as the One who is large and in charge of their lives. And in James 4:7-12 we will see James reveal for us six different ways that the faith that works places God first.

We saw James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we place ourselves in opposition to the devil. James then explains that when we obey the command to place ourselves in opposition to the Devil by placing God first, the Devil will flee from you. And we saw James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we pursue a closer relationship with God. Today, we will see James reveal for us two more ways that the faith that works places God first, beginning in the second half of James 4:8:

Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Here we see James make two different commands that are tied to a common purpose or goal. First, James commands followers of Jesus throughout history to “Cleanse your hands, you sinners”. Now this word literally means to cleans or purify in a moral sense from sin. When James uses the word sinners, this word refers to activity that does not measure up to, but rebels against the message and teachings of Jesus. 

James then commands followers of Jesus throughout history to purify your hearts, you double-minded. This word purify conveys the sense of causing something to be morally pure. When James refers to the heart here, the heart refers to the center and source of our moral decisions. The heart refers to the core of our moral life. In addition, when James uses the phrase double-minded, this phrase refers to someone who is a doubter that is uncertain about the truth of something.

And it is here, in these two commands, that we see James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we pursue moral purity and truth. James point is that, as followers of Jesus, we are to pursue moral purity with our external actions and activities. Our hands, what we are engaging in when it comes to activities and actions, should pursue what is pure and pleasing to God. And, as followers of Jesus, we are to pursue moral purity with an internal confidence in the certainty of God’s truth. From the core of our being, we are to pursue purity with a confidence and trust in the truth of the message and teachings of Jesus.

So here is a question to consider: What actions and activities are you pursuing? Are the actions and activities that you are pursuing and engaging in go against the message and teachings of Jesus? Or are the actions and activities that you are pursuing and engaging in are pure and pleasing to Jesus?

Are you pursuing from the core of your being what is pure and pleasing to Jesus with a confidence in the truth of the message and teachings of Jesus? Or do find yourself doubting the message and teachings of Jesus by saying things like “I know the Bible says, but?” Because the faith that works places God first when we pursue moral purity and truth. James then reveals a fourth way that the faith that works places God first in verse 9:

 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

Well isn’t that encouraging. James commands followers of Jesus throughout history to be miserable and mourn and weep. I mean why would James command us to do that? So is James saying that we should walk around like Eeyore? Is James saying that we should walk around saying “Oh bother, I’m just a sinner saved by grace.”

I do not believe that is what James is commanding us as followers of Jesus to do here. Instead, I believe James is addressing the temptation that we often have as followers of Jesus to minimize the selfish desires that are within us. I believe that James is addressing the temptation that we have to want manage our selfish desires. I believe that James is addressing the temptation that we have to want to tame our selfish desires as though they are a house pet. 

James is basically saying “Hey it is the selfish desires within you that are the source of the conflicts that you are experiencing among you. So are you going to attempt to minimize, manage, or tame those desires? Or are you going to recognize the impact that those selfish desires are having in your life and kill those desires by instead placing God first”. 

And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we demonstrate remorse for the selfishness within us. As followers of Jesus, the selfishness within us should distress us. As followers of Jesus the selfishness within us should cause us to grieve over its impact in our lives. And as followers of Jesus, the selfishness within us should cause us to take selfishness, sin, and rebellion seriously. Instead of attempting to minimize, manage, or tame those selfish desires within us, we should take those selfish desires seriously and put to death those selfish desires by placing God and His desires first.

So here is a question to consider: How do you view the selfish desires that are within you? Are you attempting to minimize, manage, or tame those selfish desires so that they can be a house pet? Or are you taking those selfish desires seriously and striving to put those selfish desires to death by placing Jesus first? Because the faith that works places God first when we demonstrate remorse for the selfishness within us.

Friday, we will see James reveal a fifth way that the faith that works places God first…

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

The faith that works places God first...


At the church where I serve we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who repeatedly doubted Jesus claim to be God, but became a follower of Jesus who was the pastor at the church in Jerusalem and who was ultimately killed for believing that Jesus was God. James turned from being a doubter in Jesus to being a pastor of Jesus church and an author of this letter that is recorded for us in the Bible after seeing Jesus after He was raised from the dead.

And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus. Last week, in James 4:1-6, we discovered that the faith that works recognizes that conflict among us flows from the selfish desires within us. The faith that works recognizes that it is our selfish desires that drive us toward hostility with others. And the faith that works recognizes that it is our selfish desires that drive us toward hostility with God.

We then asked the question “Well Dave if that is the case; if our selfish desires drive us into hostility with God and others; then how are we to combat and overcome those selfish desires within us? How can we experience victory over those selfish desires so that we can experience the faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus?”

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that the half brother of Jesus wrote to early followers of Jesus, called the book of James, we will see James reveal for us the answer to this question.

And it is in the answer to this question that we will discover another timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works.  So let’s discover that answer and that timeless truth together beginning in James 4:7:

Submit therefore to God.

James begins this section of his letter to followers of Jesus with a command. And that command is submit therefore to God. Now when James uses the word submit, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to place oneself in a submissive role in a relationship where appropriate respect is shown to someone based on the role that they have within an ordered structure. In other words, we are to willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first based on our role in the relationship.

For example, the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals places himself under the coach of the Cardinals. Because the coach has been give the role of leading the team, for the team to be successful, the quarterback must demonstrate the appropriate respect for the coach and place himself under his leadership. The coach has a role and responsibility and the quarterback has a role and responsibility as part of the team. Conflict within the team can occur when either the quarterback or the coach do not function within their roles on the team.

So James is basically saying to followers of Jesus throughout history, “therefore, in light of all that I have just said about how the conflict among us flows from the selfish desires within us. In light of all that I have just said about the reality that it is our selfish desires that drive us toward hostility with others. In light of all that I have just said about the reality that it is our selfish desires that drive us toward hostility with God. In light of all that, I am commanding you to overcome those selfish desires within you by willing placing yourself under God in a way that places God first.  Instead of placing your selfish desires first, you are to place God and His desires first.”

And it is here, in this command, that that we see James reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless truth is this: The faith that works places God first. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works places God first. The faith that works willingly places themselves under God in a way that places God first as the One who is large and in charge of their lives.

Now, right about now you are thinking to yourself “Well Dave that sounds great in principle, but that seems so hard to put into practice. That sounds great to talk about, but so hard to do. So how do I practically place God first?” That is a great question.

And in James 4:7-12 we will see James reveal for us six different ways that the faith that works places God first. We see James reveal for us the first way that that the faith that works places God first beginning in the second half of verse 7. Let’s look at it together:

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Now when James commands followers of Jesus throughout history to resist, this command literally means to place oneself in opposition to someone or something. And who James commands followers of Jesus to place ourselves in opposition to is the devil.

Jesus and the other authors of the letters that make up the Bible teach us that demons are a group of supernatural beings who are under the leadership of the devil, or Satan. We also know that demons have superhuman, but limited knowledge and power. Demons are angels that were created by the Lord before the creation of the universe, who rebelled against God sometime before the fall of humans that is recorded for us in the very first letter in the Bible in Genesis 3.

And the Devil and the demons that follow the Devil are driven by a desire to destroy the Kingdom of God and the people of God. The Devil and the demons are driven by a desire to be worshipped as gods instead of worshipping God. And because of the reality, we are to oppose the temptations and tactics of the Devil and the demons that follow the Devil because the Devil wants to be first.

Here we see James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we place ourselves in opposition to the devil. James then explains that when we obey the command to place ourselves in opposition to the Devil by placing God first, the Devil will flee from you. What is so interesting is that the word flee literally means to seek safety in flight.

You see, the Devil and the demons fully understand the fate that awaits them. The Devil and the demons fully understand who is large and in charge of the universe. And when we place God first by placing ourselves in opposition to the Devil’s temptations and tactics through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Devil responds to seeing the power of the Holy Spirit as displayed through us by fleeing for safety.

So here is a question to consider: How are you responding to the temptations and tactics of the devil? Are you placing God first by placing yourself in opposition to the Devil’s temptation and tactics? Or are you attempting to dance with the Devil’s temptation and tactics. Because the faith that works places God first by placing ourselves in opposition to the Devil. James then reveals a second way that the faith that works places God first part of verse 8:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Now when James commands followers of Jesus to draw near to God, this command conveys the sense of coming near to God. And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that we place God first when we pursue a closer relationship with God. Instead of dancing with the temptation and the tactics of the Devil, instead of pursuing our selfish desires, we are to pursue a closer and deeper relationship with Jesus.

James then explains that when we pursue a closer and deeper relationship with Jesus, that He will draw near to you. In other words, as we pursue a closer and deeper relationship with Jesus, Jesus will respond to our pursuit of Him by drawing us to a deeper intimacy with Him. This morning Jesus is not up in Heaven playing “catch Me if you can”. Instead Jesus desires to respond to our pursuit of Him by pulling us toward a deepening relationship with Him.

So here is a question to consider: Who or what are you really pursuing? What does your calendar, your checkbook, your conversations, and your contemplations reveal about what you are really pursuing? Are you pursuing your selfish desires? Or are you pursuing a closer relationship with Jesus? Because the faith that works places God first when we pursue a closer relationship with Jesus.

Tomorrow, we will see James reveals a third way that the faith that works places God first…