James 4

Tradition claims that Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchure is built over the cave in which Christ is said to have been buried. In July 2002 the church became the scene of ugly fighting between the monks who run it. The conflict began when a Coptic monk sitting on the rooftop decided to move his chair into the shade. This took him into the part of the rooftop courtyard looked after by the Ethiopian monks.

It turns out that the Ethiopian and Coptic monks have been arguing over the rooftop of the Church of the Holy Sepulchure for centuries. In 1752 the Ottoman Sultan issued an edict declaring which parts of the Church belong to each of six Christian groups: the Latins, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Copts, and Ethiopians. Despite the edict conflict over the church remains.

The rooftop had been controlled by the Ethiopians, but they lost control to the Copts when hit by a disease epidemic in the 19th century. Then in 1970 the Ethiopians regained control when the Coptic monks were absent for a short period. They have been squatting there ever since, with at least one Ethiopian monk always remaining on the roof to assert their rights. In response a Coptic monk has been living on the roof also, to maintain the claim of the Copts.

And so we get to a Monday in July 2002, when the Coptic monk moves his chair into the shade. Harsh words led to pushes, then shoves, until an all our brawl is going, including the throwing of chairs and iron bars. At the end of the fight 11 of the monks were injured, including one monk unconscious in hospital and another with a broken arm.

Source: story reported by Reuters, Monday July 29, 2002

Hard to imagine a more inappropriate place for Christians to get into a fight over a rooftop than the site of Jesus’ tomb! And yet there you have it.

Certainly gives new light to the conflict we see James describing in our chapter today.

Wise Peacemakers (3:13-18)

You might remember that at the end of Chapter 3, after all that talk of the tongue in vv 1-12 James moves on to wisdom. He says there are two kinds of ‘wisdom’. One is not wise at all. It is rather bitter, envious, and selfish.

Wisdom that comes from heaven we read is

James 3:17 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

He then finishes the chapter 3 with these words: James 3:18

James 3:18 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

As Christians we ought to be wise peacemakers.

Division in the church (v1-5)

Of course this is not always the case and so we get the opening of chapter 4.

James 4:1–2 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

Killing, coveting, quarrelling, fighting… This is what is happening amongst the people of God James is writing to because they have become self centered and bitter just like James described back in the end of chapter 3.

So self-centred in fact that they even pray wrong.

James 4:3 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

So self-obsessed have they become that their prayers had become selfish, and so God was choosing to answer them with a no.

This kind of selfish, bitter, whinging fighting Christian who prays only for themselves and for their own ends is described by James in even more detail in verse 4-5

James 4:4–5 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?

Notwithstanding the fact that verse 5 is notoriously difficult to translate, James is saying here that for the Christian who have God’s spirit dwelling in them, we ought not live the kind of self focused, bitter life that has been described. If God’s Spirit dwells in us how can we chose friendship with the world over God?

Our need for God’s grace (6-10)

Of course tit’s easy isn’t it when we read these verses to immediately bring to mind someone else.

Oh gee I wish Bob was here today he could really do with hearing this message about not being so selfish all the time. Or gosh this describes so accurately Stephanie, she’s really bitter.

Let me tell you I did that as I was preparing these verses.

But then I read these words written by Alec Motyer as he reflects on this passage in his commentary:

The Message of James Plotting Our Course

It is not only the notorious, most outrageous and insistent demands, to have our own way and feed our own needs, that make for wars and fightings. It is at root no more than the existence in each of us of a self-centred heart, a controlling spirit of self-interest.

Each one of us has the very problems James is identifying in these opening verses of chapter 4. And of course when we acknowledge this fact we are now in the right place for God’s grace to go to work on us because this is the place of humility.

James 4:6 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.’

The first step in seeking to be wise peacemakers is to admit that your heart has a tendency on its own to run away from God and become self focussed. Humble yourself and admit your need and God’s grace will go to work.

This is what James says isn’t it in verse 7-10.

James 4:7–10 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

When we realise that sin is not just someone else's problem but our own and we therefore humble ourselves, submit to God, ask for his help God pours out his grace upon us. He changes our sorrow and grief at our sin into laughter and joy at his salvation and grace. How good it is to know God is changing you to be more like Jesus because of his grace not because of your efforts! That is joyous news! God is lifting you out of your sin and causing you to have faith that works.

A final word on conflict (v11-12)

James then finishes this section by talking again about conflict like he began this chapter with.

James 4:11–12 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbour?

When we realise that each one of us has a sinful heart needing God’s grace it ought to motivate us to be careful in how we speak of others. Verse 11 brings to mind the words James wrote at the start of chapter 3 about the power of the tongue which I talk about in my corner in the bulletin today.

James in these verses is not saying we can’t call out bad behaviour. If he was saying that, he’d be writing words that he himself is guilty of breaking. I mean he’s said things like “you foolish person” (2:20). Or “your motives are wrong” back in verse 3 of this chapter.

They key word I think is there in verse 11. “Slander.”

I wonder what you do when you feel like your Christian brother or sister has done something wrong? Has hurt you? Has behaved poorly? James isn’t saying we can’t rightly be upset by bad behaviour. But he is saying our first port of call is to go to the other person in humility and seek to sort things out with them. Knowing that as we do that it’s highly likely we too will have contributed to the behaviour.

Personally I’m thankful that I can suspend judgment about who is saved and who is destroyed. Instead I’m invited by James, mindful of my own need for God’s grace, to journey together with my neighbour in seeking God to work powerfully in both our lives.

Pray, trust God and just do it (13-17)

We have a final few tips to round out chapter 4.

James 4:13–16 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

13 Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

James wants us to plan for the future but to do so again in a humble way. To do so in a way that trusts God and relies on him. If we do that then we will not only be more likely to succeed, but also when we do succeed we won’t become arrogant boasters taking all the credit ourselves. Instead we will give the credit to God for our success.

James’ final words in chapter 4 are an encouragement to action:

James 4:17 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

As we’ve talked about division and conflict in the church. As we’ve talked about humbling ourselves before God. As we’ve talked about being wise peacemakers perhaps God has revealed something to you today that you need to do.

Maybe it’s go and sort out a problem you’ve got with someone?

Maybe it’s to say sorry to someone for slandering them?

Whenever God makes it clear to us that there is good work to be done, but we can’t be bothered, or it feels too hard, or we just don’t make time for it, this is sin. I think it’s sin ultimately because it’s a failure to put our faith into action. It’s a failure to hear God’s word and put it into practice (1:22).

Don’t go home today convicted by God’s word of something you need to do nothing for that is sin.

Instead humble yourselves right now and ask God to give you all the grace you need to be able to do whatever good it is he’s placed on your heart.

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