HOFC Sermon Archive: Book of James Part 13: How to End Wars

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SERMON TIMELINE

1. Introduction to the Book of James

2. Trials and Temptation

3. Gaining Wisdom

4. Poverty & Wealth

5. Dealing with Temptation

6. Slow to Anger

7. The Implanted Word

8. Pure & Undefiled Religion

9. Sin of Partiality

10. Three Kinds of Faith

11. A Warning about Teaching

12. Heavenly & Earthly Wisdom

13. How to End Wars

INTRODUCTION

Today is Sunday. August 11^th, 2024

Last week, we finished the third chapter of the Book of James and spoke about the differences between earthly and heavenly wisdom. As we begin the fourth chapter of James, we will examine what the verses say about war.

Have you heard of the Gallic Wars? 58-50 BC Caesar conquered the ancient Gauls in modern-day France, Belgium, West Germany, and northern Italy. They were a Celtic people.

How about the Jinshin-no-ran war? This was a war of Japanese imperial succession in 672 AD.

How about the Crusades that lasted 200 years from 1095-1291 AD? This is when Pope Urban II from the Catholic Church sent armies to fight and kill non-Catholics in the name of God, of course holding the Council of Clermont first to create canon such as the Peace of God and plenary indulgence to justify the actions.

From as far back as 1300 BC in secular records and thousands of years more in religious texts from around the world recorded in various religions and dialects, we have records of wars between nations.

Despite earthly wisdom bringing treaties, world peace organizations, and even threats of a more powerful nation using nuclear weapons, war is still a fact of life, not only between countries but within a nation: civil war, or other types of conflict, between individuals.

Personally, I am 100% anti-war. I don’t believe we should ever be the aggressor, nor do I believe we should support, supply, or pay for other countries to kill.

However, I am not a pacifist. I believe as a nation, as a state, and as an individual, we have the right given by God to both be armed and defend our loved ones, our property, and ourselves. Even as far back as Genesis, God gave Moses the right to lethal protection of life and property as a law.

Even now, each of you is at war in one way or another at this very moment. Even if it is not of this world, it is of another. Spiritual battles in our lives sometimes manifest, but sometimes, they can never be seen in this realm.

Some may battle in their minds, with thoughts, with their faith, with emotions, with feelings, hurt, pain, or even physical issues or health. Sometimes, it appears as a war with other people, but all of these are rooted in the spirit because, in reality, sin is the cause of strife and conflict, and we do not battle against flesh and blood.

James describes three types of wars going on in the world today. The Scripture also tells us how they can be prevented.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

James 4:1-12

“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have, so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4 You adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?

6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

11 Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother, slanders 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. 12 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?

I. WAR WITH EACH OTHER (James 4:1; James 4:11-12)

a. Even among Christians

i. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

1. But there is rarely unity among believers

a. Lot fought with Abraham

b. Absalom started a war with his father David

c. The disciples argued about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom

d. Paul and Barnabas argued and split up on a mission trip

ii. Even the churches in the New Testament had problems

1. In the Corinth church

a. Christians were suing each other

b. They were competing in public assemblies

2. In Galatia believers were “biting and devouring” each other

3. In Philippi two women in the church could not get along.

a. Philippians 4:2 “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to think the same way in the Lord.”

b. James implies different kinds of conflicts among believers

i. We have talked about some of these before, and about how we sin when we take part in things like favoritism, etc.

ii. Class wars (James 2:1-9)

iii. Employment wars (James 5:1-6)

iv. Church fights (James 1:19-20; James 3:13-18)

v. Personal wars

1. James 4:11-12

2. Where we are admonished not to speak evil to one another nor condemn (judge) one another

To understand how we can easily be at war with one another, James explains through telling us about the second type of war Christians are involved in, the war within ourselves.

II. WAR WITHIN OURSELVES (James 4:1-3)

a. This is the reason we are at war with one another

i. It is a war in our hearts that causes us to war with others inside and outside of the church

ii. Our desire for things to satisfy our pleasures

1. Our desire for what we want

a. Weather power, position, possessions, money

iii. This desire for worldly things causes us to war with others

iv. They key problem is SELFISHNESS

1. Greed

2. Egotistic

3. Narcissistic

4. Vanity

5. Self-centered

6. Prideful

b. These selfish desires lead to;

i. Selfish actions

1. Which we talked about last week

2. Selfish actions are not the godly love of I Corinthians 13

3. They are sinful

ii. James 4:2-3a “You lust and do not have, so you murder. You are envious (jealous, resentful, spiteful) and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask (wickedly) with wrong motives…”

1. 1 John 3:14-15 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. The one who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

2. I Corinthians 13 tells us that godly love of others is putting their needs before our own.

3. Every time you allow selfish desire, put yourself above or before others, act out in a selfish manner, go after what YOU WANT regardless the cost to others, you are living selfishly and NOT in godly love.

iii. These self-centered people pray for what they want, but their prayers go unanswered because their prayers are for selfish reasons.

This is why people are at war with one another; they are at war within themselves. When they give in to selfish desires and do not get things their way or get what they want, they war with others inside and outside the church.

And why are they at war with themselves? James gives us the answer in James 4:4-10

III. WAR WITH GOD (James 4:4-10)

a. Here is the root cause of every war, internal and external

i. Rebellion against God!

ii. Inside, they are at war with God, which creates conflict within their hearts, and if they allow it to fester, it grows and pours out into all they say and do

iii. Causing conflict with others

b. How does a believer declare war against God?

i. By being friends with God’s enemies!

1. James 4:4b “…whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God.”

ii. How are you a friend of the world?

1. Friends with a society that is contrary to God

2. In conduct, belief, thought

3. Anti-God or anti-Christ

iii. This makes you an enemy of God and an adulterer (spiritual)

1. James 4:4a “You adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?”

2. If you are “hostile” toward God, you are His enemy.

iv. We declare war with God in the flesh (James 4:1; James 4:5)

1. Sinful desires and actions leading us away from God

2. These desires wage war against us inwardly, but we must resist and not give in to them (1 Peter 2:11)

3. Such desires are in direct conflict with the Spirit of God

a. James 4:5

b. Galatians 5:16-26

4. To give in to these desires (works of the flesh) sets you contrary to God and His Spirit.

v. And there is always the devil (James 4:6-7)

1. Pride (narcissism) is Satan’s greatest temptation

2. When we give in to pride (selfish ambition, motivation, actions) we become friends of the devil and enemies of God

a. James 4:6b “…God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

c. How can we have peace with God?

i. Easy, submit to the Word and Spirit of God

1. Literally, recognize and get into your proper rank to fight the real war, the spiritual one

2. When a private acts like a general, there is going to be trouble

3. Surrender to God is the ONLY way to victory!

4. Submission is saying, “NOT my will, but YOUR WILL be done!”

ii. Resist the devil

1. He (devil through sin and temptation) is behind every war we have or will ever have!

2. Resist him and temptation, and he WILL FLEE.

iii. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord (James 4:9-10)

1. Do not just submit outwardly and not be humble inwardly

2. True mourning for our sins is how we humble ourselves before God.

3. To what end? Real humility for your sin will cause God to lift you up!

CONCLUSION

If we obey these instructions, God will draw near to us, cleanse us, and forgive us!

The wars in our lives with God, ourselves, and others inside and outside the church will CEASE!

Solomon wrote in the Book of Proverbs:

“When a man’s ways are pleasing to Yahweh, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7)

Are we diligent in making sure our ways are pleasing to the Lord?

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Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Book of James Part 13: How to End Wars

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