Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Introduction

Turn to .

We’ll be continuing our topic on “self-centered life.”

I made a point that self-centered life is the source of all our conflicts.

This self-centered living comes within our selfish desires.

We cannot have what we want, so we fight for it.

Sometimes, when we can lose control of our emotions, we really fight.

James does not mention what these Christians are fighting about.

But, today’s lesson may give us a hint, and how that could serve as a warning to us, and how God offers us hope and grace when we fail to live the life that He desires of us.

Big Idea: Self-Centered Life Is Spiritual Adultery.

Adultery

Adultery is a strong word.

It means a husband is being unfaithful to his wife by sleeping with someone other than his lawful spouse, and vice versa.

In the Ten Commandments, the 7th commandment says, “You Shall Not Commit Adultery.”

God condemns adultery because it is a sin.

When adultery happens, it breaks relationship between the married couple.

As a result, trust, marriage vows/promises and hearts are broken.

Adultery is so treacherous that it destroys individuals and families emotionally, mentally, financially and spiritually.

The unfaithful spouse betrays the loyalty and trust of the faithful spouse.

Sometimes, divorce happens as a result of adultery.

I think most, if not all of us would agree that adultery sinful and wrong in many levels.

Sometimes, divorce happens.

Spiritual Adultery

What I do I mean by that?

The Bible depicts God as a husband to Israel.

God is a faithful in rescuing Israel from Egyptian slavery.

So, both God and Israel have entered into a relationship with each other.

Just as God is faithful to Israel, Israel is commanded by God be faithful and obedient to Him.

If Israel is faithful, then God will bless them.

If Israel becomes unfaithful, God will discipline them and not bless them.

But, even though Israel becomes unfaithful, God will always remain faithful.

Israel was unfaithful by worshipping idols, following false prophets and rebelling against God’s commandments.

Israel was supposed to be faithful to the one and true God, but they ended up being faithful to other gods.

That is spiritual adultery.

Israel was supposed to be faithful to the one and true God, but they ended up being faithful to other gods.

Israel is commanded by God be faithful and obedient to Him because

There is a book in the Old Testament known as Hosea that describes vividly this spiritual adultery.

God tells Hosea to marry a woman called Gomer.

Gomer would later become unfaithful to Hosea by committing adultery.

Hosea would use this marriage and unfaithfulness to describe how Israel was unfaithful towards God in their relationship.

If you have time this today and this week, and if you have the courage and bravery, then you should read .

It is probably the most graphic picture of spiritual adultery in the whole Bible because Ezekiel uses some extremely strong words (and some words may sound offensive to our hears).

In the New Testament, there is a picture of Jesus’ relationship with Christians (the church).

In , the marriage relationship between a husband and a wife is paralleled to Christ’s relationship with the church (the Christians).

In the New Testament, there is a picture of Jesus’ relationship with Christians (the church).

In , the marriage relationship between a husband and a wife is paralleled to Christ’s relationship with the church (the Christians).

The church is not a building or a facility.

The church is people, not building.

The church means the gathering of Christians.

If you’re a Christian, then you are part of the church.

This may sound weird to some of us, but if we are the church, then we are married to Christ.

the marriage relationship between a husband and a wife is paralleled to Christ’s relationship with the church (the Christians).

This may be something that you never realized, but if you are a Christian, then you have entered into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

VERS 4

The discussion on adultery, spiritual adultery, marriage and faithfulness are meant to help us understand James’ language in verse 4.

He calls these Christians, “You adulterous people!” James is not accusing Christians of committing actual adultery, but he is indicting them for committing spiritual adultery.

Self-Centered Life Is Unfaithfulness Towards God (v.4a)

How?

They commit spiritual adultery by developing friendship with the world.

They commit spiritual adultery by developing friendship with the world.

Friendship is not an ordinary friendship like being buddies.

This kind of friendship means to have a deep love and affection for something or someone.

In this case, James says that these Christians have love and affection with the world.

James is not talking about the world as referring to the universe or the earth.

He is speaking generally about things, systems and people that are hostile to God or hate God.

We live in a society that is ANTI-God.

It is a society that loves sin and wickedness, and is in rebellion against a holy God.

And so, James gives a stern warning (or an alarm) to those who are listening: “whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

In other words, if being a friend of the world is your desire, if that is your ambition in life, if that is what you are planning to do, then you have positioned yourself to a dangerous side: you have chosen the side of being an enemy of God instead of a friend of God.

Do you know who’s THE enemy of God? Satan.

Satan opposes God.

He opposes God’s purposes, God’s Word and God’s Work.

If you love the things in the world are against God.

People who love the things in the world are against God.

Friendship with the world is an opposition against God, His purpose, His Word, and His Work.

If there is this kind of friendship with the world, then Christians are in danger of being hostile towards God.

If there is this kind of friendship with the world, then Christians are in danger of being hostile towards God.

So, it comes back to the issue of why the Christians are fighting and quarrelling with each other.

Perhaps, they are fighting because they have the desire to be friends with the world, which would feed a person’s self-centered life.

They do not have what others have or they do oppose things that they do not want: it could be leadership and authority (such as being a teacher); it could be ideas or proposals presented in the church meeting that they oppose because they do not fit with their preferences.

Satan opposes God.

He opposes God’s purposes, God’s Word and God’s Work.

Reflection: Is it possible to intimately love the world that hate God while at the same time loving God who hates sin?

Reflection: Is it possible to love the things and people that hate God?

Self-Centered Life Is Unfaithfulness To God (v.4a)

2. Self-Centered Life Displeases God (4b)

Self-Centered Life Displeases God (4b)

We look at verse 5, which is probably the most difficult verse to interpret in James.

There are at least two reasons why it’s hard.

First, we do not know where James is exactly quoting from the Old Testament.

There is no verse that says, “He yearns jealousy over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us.”

Second, who is “He” referring to?

Is James referring to God or referring to human?

Without getting too technical, all you need to know is that James might be quoting from various places in Scripture and summarizing it.

The “He”, I think, that James is speaking about God’s jealousy.

James is warning the Christians that flirting with the world or being in an intimate friendship with the world is a serious matter because it invokes the jealousy of God.

But the key to understanding this verse is the way James uses the Old Testament teaching on spiritual adultery.

Remember, the Old Testament paints God like the husband to Israel, God’s people.

I think that James is speaking about God’s jealousy.