TOPIC: DISORDER IN THE CHURCH
Text: James 4:1-10
Introduction:
(ILL. Wrong Attitude – Many of us Christians are like the little girl who started fighting with a friend. Her mother who heard about the quarrel talked with her little girl about it trying to show her she was wrong and her need of asking God’s forgiveness. Accordingly, when the little one kneeled down to pray, she humbly asked, "O God, please forgive me for getting angry and quarreling with Charlotte." So far so good. But the wrong disposition was still there, for the child went on, “And makes Charlotte come to me and ask my forgiveness. O Lord, give her no rest until she is sorry and comes and tells me so!")
What causes disorders in our lives, in our family, in the church, in our nations? Today we will continue discussing the book of James in our series – A Life That Makes a Difference! And from our text today in James 4:1-10, we will learn how to make a difference to have order not only in our lives, in our family but in the family of God – in the church!
1. THE RESOURCE OF DISORDER
a. Desires Within Us – v. 1, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” James is talking here to the church and he points out that the major source of quarrels and conflicts in the church centers in a desire for one self for recognition, honor, power, pleasure, money and superiority. (ILL. How Do Wars Begin? – A boy once asked, “Dad, how do wars begin?” “Well, take the First World War,” said his father. “That got started when Germany invaded Belgium.” Immediately his wife interrupted him. “Tell the boy the truth. It began because somebody was murdered.” The husband drew himself with an air of superiority and snapped back, “Are you answering the question or am I?” Turning her back upon him in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard, an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the son. “Daddy, you don’t have to tell me how wars begin; I know now!”) The desires that battle within us. This is true not only in the church but in the family, also in the nation. The satisfaction of selfish desires becomes more important than righteousness and God’s will (cf. Mk. 4:19, “…but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful or they do not mature.” Gal. 5:16-17, “…live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful natures desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”). When this happens, self-centered conflicts are created in the fellowship. Those responsible show themselves to be without the Spirit outside of God’s kingdom (Gal. 5:19-21; Jude 16-19, “These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”).
b. Wrong Motives – v. 3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…” Wrong motives are also a source of disorder, wherein the motives of asking or doing things is for there own pleasure, instead for the good of others.
c. Friendship With The World – v. 4, “Friendship with the world is hatred toward God.” Friendship with the world is what we call “spiritual adultery” Isa. 54:5, “For your Maker is your husband…” Jer. 3:20, “But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel.” (e.g. Unfaithfulness to God and our pledge of commitment to Him.) Hosea 1:2, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife & children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.” I John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” It involves embracing the world’s sin, values and evil pleasures. God will not accept such friendship Mt. 6:24, “No one can serve two masters.” for He is a jealous God, Ex. 20:5, “…for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” One example of such friendship is participation in secret orders (e.g. masonry) that demand unscriptural religious oaths and yoking together with unbelievers, both of which are forbidden in God’s Word (Mt. 5:33-37, “Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord. Let your Ye be Yes and your No, No; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”; 2 Cor. 6:14, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”). Believers cannot belong to such groups without compromising Christian doctrine (2 Pet 3:16), Godly standards, separation from the world (2 Cor. 6:17-18, “What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God… therefore come out from them and be separate, touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”), and loyalty t Christ (Mt 6:24).
d. Pride – v. 6, “God opposes the proud…” It should be impressed on our hearts and minds how much God hates pride. Pride causes God to turn from our prayers and withhold his presence and grace. To be exalted in our own minds or to seek the honor and esteem of others in order to satisfy our pride is to shut out God’s help.
So from this text we can see the source of many disorder in the church are: Selfish & evil desires, Wrong motives, Friendship with the world and Pride. Actually if we are going to analyze all of these it just boils down and points to one thing and that is – SELF! The reasons of disorders in the church are me, I, I, and I!
2. THE REVELATION OF DISORDER
a. Hatred & Covetousness – v. 2, “You kill...and covet…” This phrase may be used figuratively in the sense of hate (cf. Mt. 5:21-22). Coveting is wanting something that is not yours.
b. Quarrel & Fight – v. 2, “…you quarrel and fight…” (ILL. Put Out Fire First – In Brussels, Belgium, a house burned to the ground while two fire brigades lost time arguing about who was to put out the blaze. “The volunteer fire company in suburban Denderleeuw was first on the scene. The full time fire brigade from nearby Aalst soon joins them. When the Denderleeuw fire chief said his company had priority on the job, the Aalst firemen rolled up their hoses. But the fire proved tougher than expected, and the Denderleeuw firemen called back the Aalst brigade and eventually had to summon a third company from Liederke. The house was destroyed, and two neighboring houses were damaged.) Many lives are also being destroyed because of quarrel and fights in the church, among Christians. And many pf them resort to court. It sad to hear these things but it happens. “It takes two to make a quarrel.”
c. Unanswered Prayer – v. 3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…” God refuses to answer the prayers of those who are selfishly ambitious, love pleasure, and desire honor, power or riches. All of us should take note, for God’s will not listen to our prayers if we have hearts filled with selfish desires. Scriptures tells us that God hears only the prayers of the righteous Ps.66:18-18, “If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.” and of those who ask according to his will (I John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”).
3. THE RESOLUTIONS OF DISORDER
James point out here that the very reasons of disorder in the church is we live for ourselves. But James didn’t stop there he gave us a solution for this.
a. Submit Yourself to God – v. 7, “Submit yourself then to God…” But for those who submit to God, he gives abundantly grace, mercy and help in every situation of life. (See Heb. 4:16, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 7:25, “Therefore he is able save completely those who come to God through him…”) Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”
b. Draw Near to God – v. 8, “Come near to God…wash your hands… and purify your hearts…” God promises to come near to all who turn from sin, purify their hearts and call on Him in true repentance. Heb. 10:22, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” God’s nearness will bring His presence, grace, blessing and love to us. Ps. 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”,
c. Humble Yourself Before God – v. 9 & 10, “Grieve, mourn and wail. Humble yourself before the Lord….”, v. 6, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Grieving is a sign of brokenness, sign of humility before God, of being sorry for our boasting and sins. .”, Those who call on Him in truth of the genuinely repentant and humble (Lk. 18:14, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled , and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Php. 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves.” ) And God gives a promise that He gives grace to the humble – v. 6. And this is what submission and coming near to God, allowing Him to direct, changing our attitude, and it’s our choice! (ILL. A Choice Each Day – Charles Swindoll said: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string that we have, and that is our attitude on life. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.")
Submit to God, Come near to God, Wash & purify your heart and Humble ourselves before God and others, this is the key where order will come flow to ones life, his family, his church, his nations. (PowerPoint – Show the circle where God is in the center, everything is in right order.)
Conclusion:
We can see that the Reasons of disorders in the church is me, us. But if we will also analyze the very reason of disorders can also the very solutions for this and that is also me, us by submitting ourselves to God, by coming near or drawing near to Him, by living with a pure heart and by humbling ourselves before God and before others. Do you want to see loving relationships, caring, understanding, order in the church? Then the key is in your hands! Use it right!
