Sermon Tone Analysis

Peace and Contentment

The two things that seem to slip through our like water in your hands is peace and contentment.

Unfortunately, peace and contentment slip through the lives of God’s people in the church.

How often has the church split over selfish ambition?

How often have families been torn apart or friends destroyed because of bitter envy inside the church?

Last week, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we learned why this happens and how must fight against it.

James showed us, bitter envy and selfish ambition come from a heart that is worldly, unspiritual, and under the influence of demonic hellish wisdom.

Hellish wisdom must be rejected because it is of Satan and it allows Satan to create an atmosphere in your heart and mind where bitterness and selfishness and bear the fruit of disorder in your relationships and vile practices.

Hellish wisdom hardens your heart toward God making your love for him and your neighbor bitterly cold.

So much so, that if you do not aggressively crucify your bitter envy and selfish ambition and reject this hellish wisdom, you will suffer God’s wrath in hell for following such hellish wisdom.

John of the Cross commends us this morning that peace and contentment come through a crucified life with Christ.

Inwardly and outwardly live always crucified with Christ, and you will attain unto peace and contentment of spirit, and in your patience you shall possess your soul.

JOHN OF THE CROSS*

Last week James showed us that we must crucify our bitter envy and selfish ambition inwardly and outwardly.

This morning, James exhorts you to,

Receive heavenly wisdom so that you become a peacemaker who cultivates a harvest of righteousness.

Peacemaking is James remedy to bitter envy and selfish ambition.

Peacemaking is one of the defining marks of God’s people, and should be the defining mark of God’s community.

Peacemaking happens when we live a crucified life with Christ first inwardly, then, outwardly.

For true peace that surpasses all understanding, Jesus must first do a work of purity in your heart, and you must receive this purifying work if you are to be the solution to bitter envy and selfish ambition in the church.

Those who receive heavenly wisdom are pure (James 3:17a)

James 3:17 (ESV)

But the wisdom from above is first pure...

James makes a distinction with the word “pure” by designating it as first; “wisdom from above is first pure.”

It’s as if James is telling his readers that purity is the point of origin.

From being pure, one is peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, compassionate, unwavering, and sincere.

By doing this James is contrasting those who abide in hellish wisdom with those who receive heavenly wisdom.

Those who do not reject hellish wisdom are filled with bitter envy, selfish ambition, and their hearts are ruled by demonic influences.

On the other hand, those who receive heavenly wisdom are pure and loving peace is the prominent characteristic of their of life.

James uses a common word for purity.

The word pure, in James context, connotes the idea of being faultless or innocent.

It also means to be morally pure.

The kind of purity that James is speaking of can only come to a person who has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

John clearly says,

1 John 3:3 (ESV)

And everyone who thus hopes in him [Jesus] purifies himself as he is pure.

To be pure you must receive Christ’s purity.

How do you receive his purity?

John says,

Confess your sin, repent, and accept Jesus’s atoning sacrifice on the cross for you impurity.

He will take your impurity and in return give you his purity.

He will cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

Furthermore, he will give you his spirit to empower to live moral life.

That is, the power to turn away from sensuality, pride, covetousness, bitter jealousy, and selfish ambition.

You may be an astute reader of James’ letter and know that he says latter on in the letter,

How is it that we are pure, and yet we must purify our hearts?

James is recognizing the already-not yet tension we live as Christians.

Christ’s atoning work on the cross completely cleanses you from all your sin.

In that regard, positionally, before God, we are a sanctified people.

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, … that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph.

5:25–27).

On the other hand, the not yet is that we are progressively being sanctified.

We are cooperating with God in his process of purifying us as we walk on earth.

Or, as Paul puts it, we are “Working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil.

2:12–13).

What you notice is that your faith is both passive and active.

Its passive in that it is God working in you, and receive his work and allow him tom work in your life.

On the other hand, your faith is active.

You must cultivate it with faith-filled works.

James speaks to this in verse 18

You have to verbal ideas: sowing and making in verse 18.

There is your action.

You must sow peace and make peace with your good conduct.

When you actively sow peace you will reap a harvest of righteousness.

But, we already know, according to Paul in Phil 2:12-13, that it is God working in you to work peace for his good pleasure.

Dr. Greg Allison sums up the process of progressive sanctification well when he says,

“God calls and nourishes his people to be holy as he is holy and to be devoted to his purpose.

As he sanctifies them, he provides sufficient resources for their ongoing progress toward increasing Christlikeness.

The exhortation, then, is to strive “for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb.

12:14).”

Dr. Greg Allison

You are pure in Christ, and yet, you are being made pure in your progressive sanctification.

Your sanctification will produce a harvest of righteousness from peace (James 3:18), which James reveals as list of seven virtues.

Seven Virtues of Heavenly Wisdom

The list of seven virtues paints a portrait of a genuine Christ follower whose sanctification is conforming them into the image of the Son.

When the world sees these virtues in you, it sees Jesus.

When you manifest these virtues in your conduct, the church, community, and home flourish in peace.

In turn, you must strive to cultivate these virtues in your conduct to show your works in the meekness of wisdom James 3:13.

Heavenly wisdom cultivates peace-loving (James 3:17a)

The idea behind the word used here for peace is, peaceful.

Loving peace is having a desire to work peace into every relationship you have.

Because James follows the scripture for Old Testament wisdom, it is not far off to think that James has the idea of shalom in mind.

Douglas Moo makes says that shalom is a “peace” that involves harmony between humans and God, humans and other humans, and humans with the natural world.

In our fallen condition, we are not at peace with God, and therefore we are not at peace with each other.

Paul describe our natural hearts as hostile to God and will not submit to Him (Romans 8:7-8).

In chapter 4, James says the source of wars and conflicts among you happen because your passions are at war in your hearts (James 4:1-2).

We are not by nature lovers of God, and therefore by nature we are not lovers of peace.

We need Jesus’s divine love in our souls to transform our wills to cultivate peace from a place of contentment in Christ.

Henry Scougal is wisely helpful when he says,

“Behold! on what sure foundations his happiness is built whose soul is possessed with divine love, whose will is transformed into the will of God, and whose greatest desire is that his Maker should be pleased.

O the peace, the rest, the satisfaction that attends such a temper of mind!” Henry Scougal

Jesus is the supreme peacemaker who transforms you from an enemy at war with God to joyful servant of the most High God.

Jesus, the supreme Peacemaker, paves the way for you to have peace with God through his death and resurrection.

He gives you the peace that surpasses all understanding when he fills your heart with his divine love; then enabling your heart to love peace the way he loves peace.

Additionally, His love for peace flows out of your heart onto your neighbor, even onto your enemies.

Jesus is the shalom your heart desperately needs.

Being in shalom with God enables you to be at peace with your neighbors, even the one that are hostile to you, the same way Jesus was at peace with his neighbors, even the ones who put him on the cross.

Receiving heavenly wisdom means you will strive to cultivate a love for peace with your neighbor and your enemies.

Your peace will flow from the peace, or shalom, you have your Father in heaven through Jesus.

St. Francis understood the work it took to cultivate peace in a prayer he wrote.

He beautifully recalls:

“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

Where there is hate, may I bring love;