Worldliness

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James Chapter 4 verses 1 through 12 what causes quarrels what causes fights among you is it not this that your passions or at war with each other you desire? I do not have so you can murder your coverage cannot obtain. So you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose at the scripture says he yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in US. But it gets more grace. Therefore. It says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you Sinners purify your hearts you double-minded The Wretched and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning in your joy to glue. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another Brothers the one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There's only one lawgiver and judge he who was able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

It's just going to be that kind of day Brian. I'm sorry, man. This is nothing on Brian. This is all on Richard and on me. Sorry guys. So as we we hear James has words here in chapter 4 they come on the heels of all of his words leading up to this point as we walk through the Book of James. We've been seeing this need to fight this meet as Christians to engage with the Christian Life that we have. I don't think I'm putting too fine a point on it to say James is words that were looking at this morning. Are hard words? Right. It's not every day. You can come to church and be called an adulterous people after all right, he's are not easy words, but they are good words because we are told that we need to engage throughout the Book of James in fear. He really brings that to ahead and we need to fight Right Live this week cuz I was reading his passes. I was thinking about what are the things that we fight and there's a young man from our community right now who is fighting cancer diagnosis if you think about it pray for Mason nothing about that we talked about disease in this way. It's not just fight You Know The Enemy or fight a battle? It's we also talked about this this lymphoma, right and fight becomes a term that we can apply to a disease and that's why I was thinking about that this week praying for Mason and looking at this passage. I thought this is a disease. Please. James is calling out. He's focusing the church in on the disease. And here's the disease. It's not cancer its conflicts. Right the conflict is a disease that can infect the people of God and that conflict as James is looking at it. He says it it's it's conflict that comes this disease is something good scene outwardly right in this way says in verse 1 what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? What is external conflict when you see the people of God fighting with one another and quarreling with one another that's a disease that you're seeing that conflict outside but James doesn't just leave it outside and sometimes that's where we'd wish James would leave things. It's so much easier to look outside of ourselves and say oh there's the problem. There's the disease these people just can't get along but he says no and he turns it inside me says the problem is both outside us, but it comes from inside us. The external conflict this visible symptoms of the disease. Are coming from the internal diagnosis the problem isn't those people out there? The problem is in in fear in my heart. He says there are conflicting passions. Right your passions are at War within you. So the disease of conflict has external visible things when you see people of God fighting with one another quarreling with one another you're seeing the disease, but that disease is coming from inside. It's coming from our hearts. It have conflicting Passions. Now those conflicting Passions. Are something that we're all familiar with right? I know the good that I ought to do. I know what it is that I should be wanting right now, but I really want this right this this conflicting thing often shows up in my life in the arena of food, okay? The other day I was sitting down to a meal of meat and potatoes and cheese lots of cheese by this is about as good as a meal gets for me. My dearest loving wife said hey, do you want me to make a salad to go with this?

No, I'm good. I know that I should want. To eat healthier. I know that starches and fats or not everything that my body needs and yet that's all that I want my body to needs write this conflicting passion. And James is not saying that all of these passions are bad. Although that is certainly an implication here, but he's not saying that it is very possible for us to see this when we want good things. But we keep getting distracted by the other stuff when we want to eat the salad, but doggone it. There's the steak and potatoes again, right? So some of that external conflict arises when we want the wrong thing when we come together as the people of God and we come together and instead of focusing on giving God glory we focus on ourselves. That's what we talked about last week in James chapter 3 when we focus on ourselves When We Gather instead of on God, yes, our passions can be misplaced and instead of coming to get us, how can we best glorify Our Father who is in heaven? We come together and say, how can I best glorify myself here in this place? How can I make sure that other people know just how dog gone amazing I am How can I impress? The pastor's how can I impress my neighbor's how can I look better than everybody else here if I dress up a little nicer if I drive a newer car if I have the best kept yard in the neighborhood. Right, we turn it into a competition Faith as competition. That's that's the wrong kind of passes, but we can do this even with good passions. Right when you come into this place as a Christ follower. I expect a certain amount of thing. I expect that God if he has transformed you he's giving you new desires but here's the thing. He's gifted us all to express those in different ways. Okay, some of us really really really like worship music and we would gladly have the entire service given over to nothing but singing others are in indoor the singing so that we can get to the word and we just want to study the word and some people are all about children's ministry and you see this stuff up here and you're like, yes my people right and some of you were all about missions in your like why are we giving every dime we have to go take the gospel overseas? You're my people.

We come in here and we all have this different idea of this is what is burning in my heart. This is what God has placed on my heart and that's good. We need people who love kids. We need people who love missions. We need people who want to dive deep into the word. We need people who love to express the glory of God in song. We need all of that, but we can't be about just one of those things and sometimes our conflict comes from the fact that our passion for our ministry means we expect everybody else to be all about the thing that we're all about. That's not what we are as a church where meant to be functioning actually when it says here in James chapter 4 verse 1 when it says your passions at War within you that's talking about your passions the monks your members. He's talking to the church is a holy said he's picking up what Paul talks about another place. The church is a body right next to ear says because I'm not an I I don't belong or the news says we don't need that chin. We have a dysfunctional body. What we need James is saying what we need to fight this disease first and foremost says we need to check our hearts. Are we wanting to glorify God we wanted to glorify ourselves. But we also need to check our passion for the ministry that God has given us are we willing for there to be different callings in our midst? Are we willing for the whole church do not share our passion for that one aspect of ministry that we love. When we disorder that when we get that out of line and we expect everybody else to focus on what we're about. We have a church in Conflict we have ourselves in Conflict, right? This isn't just a whole church thing. This is something that can happen. Just within us as we get passionate about something good or bad. We have this conflict within ourselves. That's the disease. That's what James did say. We need to fight this we need to fight against conflict outside of us with our brothers and sisters inside of us with the passions at war with why do we need to fight that why can't we just Ignore it, right? Why can't we just sweep it under the rug? My mom was here this past week and she told several really embarrassing stories to people about me and Me growing Up She had she was teaching the 5th and 6th graders in Bible camp and she told them the truth about me which really hurt And that's this when I was a kid. I did not want to make anybody mad. Right you have those kids were just a handful and there trouble right? I got in trouble not because I wanted to you know, push my own way because I was trying to make everybody happy. So I go along with this group and I go along with this group and she's like you could not make a decision to save yourself and if there was conflict, the only thing you wanted to do was just sweep it under the rug and hide from it. Yeah, exactly. So that's why James here. He says we got to fight this and I'm like, I don't want to hear it James. I just want to ignore it. I want to pretend like everything is fine, but we can't because of the effects. We don't ignore cancer, right? We don't we don't pretend that everything's okay. If everything's not okay, right, we got to treat it why because of the effects of the disease and if we don't seek to address conflict if we don't try to address that in our hearts or address that in our midst, There's some really serious effects from that disease. And the first thing we see as he looks in verse 2. He says you desire and do not have so you murder now. I may not know all of the history of Red Hills. I've only been here for 3 years, but to my knowledge we have not had a murder yet. Does that mean we're doing good? On this what? Yeah, that is. Very good. Actually now that you mention I'm glad we haven't had to deal with that.

But James is picking up on something bigger than just murder, isn't it? He's picking up on something that Jesus said and several times throughout the series we've talked about the fact that James is not writing in a vacuum, right? He's not just coming up with this on his own initiative, right? He's riding under the inspiration of the spirit and he's riding knowing what Jesus said already said. It seems like actually might have a copy of The Sermon on the Mount in front of him and he's got a working through it systematically because in Matthew Chapter 5, you don't have to turn there is not up on the screen, but in Matthew Chapter 5 Jesus addresses murder. He says you've heard that it was said You shall not murder, but I say to you if anyone is angry. Essentially, it's like he's committed murder in his heart. Kevin James says you you you have these desires and you can't fulfill them. So you murder he's not just talking about. Actually shedding somebody's blood he's talking about the anger that gives rise to that. He's addressing this comprehensive problem. That win. We as humans have unfulfilled desires. It leads to anger and that anger expresses itself and how we deal with the people around us. It expresses itself and how we speak to one another how we interact with one another.

Anger now, that's the last thing you'd expect to find when you come to church. You're the last thing you'd expect to find when you walk in the doors here and you meet the people of God here and yet it happens because all of us come into this place and we've got these desires and it's an if we don't have those fulfilled. We can get angry. So we've got to watch out the effects of conflict is anger. It's murder whether it goes that far or not that's broken relationships with other people. My dad is Father's day. I think it's appropriate if I sent a got a mic and everything. So I just talked about my dad for a second. My dad is my hero and I don't say that lightly. He's not a perfect man. He was not a Christian when he and my mom got married. He was a baby Christian when I was born and he had a lot of growing and maturing to do but he is my hero. He he taught me more about leadership as the manager of a tire store than I've learned from 50 different leadership books that I've read. And my dad was one of those guys who just did not lose his temper. He did not get mad. I can literally count on maybe maybe one hand plus another finger. Not that I'm bitter good times that my dad expressed himself in anger. I on the other hand in a redheads.

And all that I said about earlier not wanting to cause waves and stuff. My mom would say it this way. I have a really long fuse but a really big barrel. All right, I just blow my top and you know what happens every time I do that. broken relationships we got to deal with the disease because the effects are broken relationships is more than just anger. It's also when we come it, right when we come and we want to let somebody else has this leads James says 2 fighting and quarrelling you covet and cannot obtain. So you fight and quarrel. We don't go so far as to be angry if we don't go so far as to pull the knife out and murder somebody James's you still fight and quarrel because you're coveting you're wanting what other people have bickering disunity right? This is the kind of stuff that arises when we want what somebody else has. We want the Acclaim that that person had And so we might pick out a little bit in conversation. Right, we want the influence that they have and so we might run them down as we're talking to other people. The effects of this disease are deadly then he goes so far as to say not only does or unfulfilled desires or a covetousness break our relationship for the people. He says it impacts our relationship with God. He says this he says you ask and do not you do not have because you do not ask you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. Right? What did Jesus say to his people John chapter 15 John 15. Jesus said, I am the vine you are the branches If any man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit and if you ask anything in my name. I will do it. According to my will I will do it. That's an incredible promise. And James is saying Church Christian if you're praying and God's not answering it could be because you have this disease of conflict. It's because instead of letting Christ reign in your heart and you're letting your passions rain in your heart and you're asking for things so that you can spend them on your own pleasure instead of on the kingdom of God. The disease is conflict. It produces broken relationships with the people around us it breaks our relationship with God himself to the point where Jesus says if you ask in my name according to my will I will answer.

And James says you guys are asking but he's not answering that relationship is currently broken because of this disease of conflict. Where does that disease come from? That's where he gets to next. Where does this this disease that causes these broken relationships with the other people around me. Where does this disease of conflict that causes broken relationship with God? Where does that come from? James and verse for is going to tell us you adulterous people. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God there for whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God and this is where I wish James would just quit meddling right? Leave me alone James. I'm okay with this if my passions are for good. But you're saying that my passions aren't really for good. They're coming out of a desire to be a friend of the world. This is really the Forgotten sin. In the American church and most of us in this room where we're Americans and so I'm going to I'm going to just say look, this is a problem for the American Church. It could be a problem Elsewhere for all I know it's a problem in Korea for all I know it's a problem in South America for all I know it's a problem in Kenya, but I know the American church and I know this is a problem we've forgotten that worldliness is a sin. The disease is conflict, but the cause is worldliness now, that's even a word right there. That we just don't talk about anymore. We'll talk about that. When was the last time? And I want people to actually shout shout me out a date here. If you can remember the last time you heard the word worldliness. Other than like 5 seconds ago, that doesn't count.

6 days ago atom movie a Christian movie

Talking about the movie. Okay, that's legit. That's legit. I can go with that. We just don't talk about this anymore. If you haven't talked about it a while ago hang out with Austin and you can talk about it. This is a problem. This is a problem because James says this is at the heart of the problem. This is the heart of the disease of conflict is the fact that we are still in love with the world. That's why James uses that really inflammatory phrase you adulterous people now, we're not going to spell this out. But we're all clear on what adultery is, right? We all understand what that implies it implies somebody who has professed faithfulness. Somebody who has professed a obligation to honor a covenant with one person breaking that with another person That's what it means and James says Church Christians. You are the adulterous people because you've pledged your love to Christ. You've given your heart to God. You said in my affections your number one. And yet you turn around in your loving the world. Here's why I think this is a forgotten sin in America because it's so doggone easy to love the world here. We've got stuff. We got good stuff. We got lots of stuff and there's more stuff that we can get if we could just get a higher-paying job if we could just get a nicer car if I could just get a bigger house. Right? We love the things of this world. Why because it makes her life so much easier. So much easier, but do you see the problem when we say the thing that would fulfill my desires is something this world offers when we've said Christ. You're the only satisfaction for my heart. Do you see the problem when we've said Jesus you own my loyalty and then we go camp out for a couple days to get the new iPhone. Do you see the problem when we are so dedicated to the things of this world then it would cause us to forget Christ for even a second. To get so excited about the latest gadget or Gizmo. So excited about our hobby or interest our sports team. That we would forget about Christ even the split seconds. When Christ has died for us. When Jesus was willing not just to give up his life like we get that the older you get the more you get that like there comes a point when you'll stop breathing. You get that, right?

Jesus didn't just give up a life like we have in Philippians were told that Christ did that he was willing to give up his connection with God. He was willing to give up all of the blessings inherits of occupying heaven with the father. And with the Holy Spirit. He was willing to give all that up to take the form of a servant for the sole purpose of dying.

And yet we can't give up. a few moments of our time because we stayed up too late binging Netflix.

To get up and spend time with him in prayer.

James says you adulterous people you people who have given the love that you owe to the one who gave everything for you. You've given it to the things of the world that is worldliness. That's the cause of the disease.

I don't want to beat you guys up. Because I got the same diagnosis. The same problem in my head that I imagine is in yours thinking that if I just had that thing my life would be so much easier. If I just had a newer car this be great if I just had a house that didn't need a hundred million things done to it where some projects were actually finish that would be that would be perfect. what to do so to put my desire there to put my heart there to desire the things of the world and say world give me your good stuff James says that saying to God you're not My love, you're not my desire.

If we're friends with the world James says we're enemies with God. We need to check our hearts. We need to check and see is worldliness. Taken root inside of us is a desire for this things of this world causing us to forget for even the smallest nanosecond the Jesus gave everything for us that's worldliness forgetting what Jesus gave for us. His people James says if you forget that if you focus on the things this world inevitably You're going to have conflict with the people around you inside of you because your heart is meant to be solely devoted to Christ. But now it's trying to share that space with the world how many of you know. Don't answer that question.

Okay, I was going to ask how many of you had one instead. Let me ask it this way. How many of you are familiar with the concept of the bucket list?

Bucket list I joke about having a bucket list this week. I realized a bucket list is about the most unchristian thing that a Christian can have

Sometime before I die. I want to do this sometime before I die. I want to get this. Christian

death is not the end.

Christian expecting this world and your time in it to fulfill you and to meet your needs. Is the recipe for disaster? Christian you will inherit a new Heaven and a new Earth. You will have all of eternity to go visit that place to go do that thing. If it's not Christ honoring know it won't be there. But why do you want to do it anyways?

We make plans. Hey, you know in a couple years are going to take this vacation in a couple years. I'm going to do this, you know, couple 20 years from now. I have my house paid off all three up all this money. I'll be able to golf. I'll be able to hunt I'll be able to do whatever it is. It's on my bucket list. Christian quit thinking a year out quit thinking 20 years out that's worldliness saying I've got to do this before I quit breathing forget the fact that you'll live forever with Christ.

I've heard it said I don't remember who it was if you were if you know shoot me a text or something so I don't make a fool of myself, but somebody said as Christians we think far too short term we're making plans for retirement. We're making plans for 30 years from now.

What are you going to be doing a million years from now, don't you think that should take precedence? Over what happens 30 years from now. World-leading worldliness ignores God and ignores his promises and says, I've got to ring whatever satisfaction enjoyed. I can out of this life before I quit breathing. Give me some sort of satisfaction will two things. That doesn't work. Second thing you got a lot longer to worry about remember God and his promises because the cause of our conflict is worldliness. K the good news the good news is this that we do have a Healer. This is not a disease that is incurable. As a matter of fact, we have a doctor a physician A Healer who has perfected the solution to our worldliness that causes conflict that breaks relationships. And that's God. How does he do it? Look at verse 5, the scripture says he over the spirit that he has made in us the good news when it comes to this disease is that we have a jealous God Now that sounds strange to us because we're used to thinking of jealousy as a bad thing. We're used to thinking in human terms of jealousy as me wanting what you have. That's not what it means when it says God jealously yearns for the spirit that he's made live in US jealousy here means that God is watching us give what is his to begin with to someone else? It's not that someone else has something God wants its that we have what God gave us and we keep giving it to other things we could giving it to the things of the world and God knows because he loves us that that will destroy us and so God yearns jealously over the spirit in us because he knows that the way we find joy the way we find satisfaction is by giving him his due. Is jealousy is not selfishly motivated. It literally is the ground for our Salvation the fact that God deserves Glory. Is the reason that he would even bother to save us? the fact that we can bring him glory is the only reason that he would ever allow us. to crucify Christ

in our place To have Christ bear the punishment that we deserved was so that God could receive back from us that which we owed him already. Here's the thing. We're dead in our sins and God makes us alive. And that's why for James. Is he speaking to Christians and saying fight World In His it's good news for him to say your God is a jealous God. It's good news because that's the only way that were saved. Because God takes us who naturally would not give him glory takes us who are naturally dead in our sins and makes us alive with Christ that's good news alive with Christ so that we can glorify Our Father through the good works that we do God is a jealous God and that's the first step in our healing to recognize what it is that we owe him. That's what do you think? Imagine with me a man? Who takes someone in off the street? And and cleans them up gets them a job gives them a car give them a place to stay.

Walks in to find that guy taking 20 bucks.

Out of that man's wallet.

It's right. At that point for that man to say no. That's not okay. It's right at that point for that man who gave so much over that $20 stolen to say no get out. Why because he is demonstrated so much grace. He's given so much and it's just been thrown in his face.

Christian you deserve Eternal separation from God. That's what you deserve.

And God has made you a CO Heir with Christ everything that Jesus has coming to him as his inheritance Christian. That's yours. God has literally taking you out of the grave and said you now get to live forever and enjoy all of the blessings that are do my son.

and to fall back in love with the things of this world is to try to steal 20 bucks. out of his wallet What are we thinking? Literally, what are we thinking when we love the things the world God is a jealous God. He can kick us out. We'll get to the rest of the good news though. He's not just a jealous God willing to redeem us to receive from us that which is rightfully his he's also a gracious God. For 6, but he gives more grace. Thank you James. Thank you James for bringing us back. You've called us adulterers. You've called us Warriors. You've called us every other name in the book. But you point us back to the fact that God gives Grace no matter how much conflict there is in your life due to worldliness no matter how far down the path of loving the things of the world that you have gone. No matter how many times you forgotten Christ. God gives more grace. He is a jealous God, but he is a gracious God continually holding out to us the promise of redemption.

If any of us sins. We have an advocate with the father if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You have a gracious God. This is God walking in as we're stealing the 20 bucks out of his wallet. And saying hey put that back. I'm going to give you everything I have.

Don't do that. Just tell me you were trying to steal it.

I'm going to cover that. Better fat Jesus already paid the penalty for that World In His God just gives more Grace, but he gives more grace. Therefore. It says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And this is where we come to the core issue. If God walks in with steel in the things of the world, even though he's promised us the universe. And we say I got you. You didn't understand. See, I was trying to take the 20 bucks because I was going to go give it to somebody that really needed it.

James says there's no Grace there for that person. There's no Grace there for the person who won't own their fault. There's no Grace there for the purpose and for the person who tries to cover up their sin who in Pride says will God know you really misunderstood me. I don't think God misunderstood. What God is looking for as he gives Grace, he's looking for the people who will say? Yes God I screwed up. This is why David is called a man after God's Own Heart King David in the Old Testament is called a man after God's Own Heart King. Saul is rejected in the kingdom is taken away from him. Here's what these two guys do King Saul offer to sacrifice to God without waiting for the priest to show up.

David got another man's wife pregnant. And then killed that man. on purpose

This dude's offering sacrifices.

This guy is kind of messed up. In scripture says David the man after God's Own Heart. Why because when King Saul was confronted about his sin, you know what he said. Not my fault. Your fault you didn't come when you were supposed to prophet of God. And God should be fine with it. Anyways, I'm not going to humble myself profit. You pray to God you ask him to fix this. I'm not going to humble myself before David. Nathan the prophet stands and points at him and says you did this and David says yes, I did and he tears his clothes and he won't eat and he's weeping before God saying God forgive me. We're not going to be perfect. We are going to stray. We're going to our eyes going to get caught by the newest iPhone or I is going to be caught by that raised by that car by that house by That Power by that Fain. It's going to happen. When it happens the thing that distinguishes those who receive God's grace the abundant grace the more grace and he gives those who receive it or those who humble themselves and say yes, I did screw up. Forgive me and James goes on to give us this is how you take your medicine, right? The Healer. The gracious jealous. God has offered you Grace, but you need to humble yourself before the Lord. Look at verse 7 submit yourselves therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you cleanse your hands you Sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded be wretched and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning in your joy to Gloom humble yourself before the Lord and He will exalt you. The problem I think the reason why we see worldliness not address. The reason we see worldliness in the American church is because we don't know how to actually humble ourselves before the Lord. We just go to the part where it says God gives more grace more like

Even if I screw up I'll just go back to God and get more Grace from the grace account. Right? Like I don't even have to change. Like I just keep loving the things of the world and going back to guidance and give me Grace. Okay. I'm going to go love. Okay now give me more grace. All right, here we go.

James says no disgrace is not cheap. Do not approach this flippantly do not cheapen what God has offered. God has offered you Grace no matter how many times you send if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, but there's a big difference between confessing our sins.

And just going to make another withdrawal from the grace Bank. The grace that is offered is Grace that requires true heartfelt rejection. Sorrow change it listen to the words that James uses submit to God. Submit to God let God control your life.

flea resist the devil Right resist the devil. So don't just give into it. Next time being like Oh Grace is going to come in and fix it resist. It fights against it draw near to God. This is an active choice. This is a decision to approach God. Where do you find God?

It is word. in prayer and in his people if you are sin has you not in the word not in prayer and not wanting to hang out with people of God. That's precisely what you need to start doing hang out with the people of God. Pray read the word of God. Seek God Drawing Near to God restore what you've taken that this this idea of cleansing your hands, right? Zacchaeus Was a wee little man, right? We all know that But what is Zacchaeus do when Jesus got a hold of his heart? He says everything that I've robbed everything I've taken I'm going to give it back. Right? What we do is like okay. I'm just going to pursue the things of the world throughout once I get those things then I'll come back to God. Maybe God saying you pursued those things now get rid of them. So that you can come back to me. Maybe not. Maybe he says change from using those things for your good change to using them for my kingdom. Maybe that's it, but it might be that he says give it all up. Give up the money. You gained wrongly give up the money you fought for. Give up the stuff. Did you went into debt for? And return to me. Change how you're thinking, right? This is this is this idea that we purify our hearts double-minded right? We're called double-minded when we seek the things of the world and seek God at the same time. He says purify your hearts. How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word. We're back to the word of God. Grieve over your sin. Listen to Listen to how he says it's be wretched and mourn and weep. When was the last time that your sin could cause any of those things to be said about you. When was the last time you were wretched? Because you had love the things of this world more than you love God. When was the last time you mourned? For the things of God that you had rejected in your pursuit of the things of the world. When was the last time tears fell down your cheeks because of sin? James says there is Grace there.

But only if there's transformation here. There is Grace there but only if we recognize the exceedingly great.

depth of our sin There is Grace for those who reject sin and the reward there's reward their first 10 humble yourself before the Lord and He will exalt you.

If you hate your sin. If you repent of your sin, if you humble yourself before the Lord like David and say yes God I'm a sinner. Please forgive me. He will exalt you. He will give you eternal life. And in that eternal life, there is no good desire in this world that will not be met in the course of that eternal life. I want you to hear me say this. I want you to believe this with me. No desire that you have for something in this world. That is a good desire will not be met. In the new heavens and the new Earth every single one will be fulfilled. If you humble yourself God will exalt you the things that you want.

Are what Drive the disease of conflict in your heart and in the church? Got this covered that I'll give you Grace for that reject that come back to me and I will fulfill all of those good desires. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but one day. I will. That's what God is doing. So. The broken relationship with God is fixed when we humble ourselves and submit ourselves to God and his way but there's another element to this whole problem, right? What about the people around us? Right. It's not just a God who we broke our relationship with because of our worldliness as we break our relationship with the people around us. And God just doesn't say wait for Heaven someday. I'll fix it. He says no you're responsible for what happens today? That's where James goes and verse 11 and 12. Do not speak evil against one another Brothers the one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the light, you're not a doer of the law but a judge there's only one lawgiver and judge. He was able to save him to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? That feels kind of disjointed like James just really switch gears on us, but I think he's brought it back around full-circle. He's saying don't receive the grace of God don't grieve over your sin. And then instead of offering that Grace to other people go back to them and just judge them while you're not as humble as I am. He says if you do that, you just started the whole cycle back up there a commitment to God our hump humility before God has to translate into humility with others instead of treating them as projects for us to fix instead of treating them as wrongdoers who are somehow beneath us. We relate to them as fellow recipients of Grace. I think it was Moody who said right? He was just one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread. When you have that perspective like we all need what God gives I know better than you. You don't judge. You just say hate go to Christ reject the things of this world. Quit looking for satisfaction here. I'm not judging you just pointing you to the one who can truly satisfy your desires. We have to Humble ourselves before God. We have to Humble ourselves before others be willing to say I'm not all that but Jesus is really really cool, and he'll forgive you and he'll satisfy.

It's also been said, I'm really not good at attributing quotes today. It's also been said every man knocking on the door of a brothel is looking for Jesus. That's a sharp way of making the point when you see somebody. Who's singing when you see somebody's whose morals don't conform to your own when you lament the decline of your American culture.

Don't stop there. That's just judgment. That's just why won't you meet up to my standard? Christ is calling his church to be the kind of people who see in those desires that the world is fulfilling and all the wrong places to see that God is the one who will truly bring joy and satisfaction in to take that message of hope not a message of condemnation a message of hope there is a solution to the problem and his name is Jesus. Let's go. Let's read that let's share that we don't need to share our morality. I talked with some of you people. Please don't share your morality.

We need to share Jesus. We need to share us. We need to take Christ. We humble ourselves before God we humble ourselves before others. We quit thinking that we're all that. We quit thinking. We have all the answers. We start just saying everybody just look at Jesus. submit to Jesus until solve the problem was great.

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