Sermon Tone Analysis

*James 4:1-3*

*Your Internal Conflict*

*Just Spilled Over into the Church*

 

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?

Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

You desire and do not have, so you murder.

You covet and 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.”[1]

Every individual involved in a church fight cloaks his or her participation in the conflict with pious statements justifying the fray.

One will not have attended services of a church long until he or she either witnesses or participates in a church fight.

Such fights tend to be particularly vicious, leaving the field of battle littered with the detritus of the conflict together with broken lives.

Unbelievers feel that their distorted perception of Christians is justified by the godless action of the combatants.

Seekers become cynical and desert exploration of the Faith.

Christians cease serving God and withdraw from ardent pursuit of the souls of the lost.

Perhaps if we understood the impact of our actions we would avoid such destructive battles, or at the least we would implement measures to avoid such devastation in the future.

That seems to be in part James’ motivation in exposing the wickedness of Christians who are intent on pursuing internecine fights within the churches.

*The Constancy of Conflict* — “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?

Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?”

If church fights were rare, James would not have needed to address the issue.

However, fights within churches are distressingly frequent.

Nor should we imagine that this is a novel phenomenon arising only recently among the faithful.

James makes it clear that conflict within the churches was a problem from the earliest days of the Faith.

When he says that our passions are at war within us, he uses the present tense which implies that this is an ongoing action.

In other words, our passions (desires) are constantly at war within us, and with dismaying frequency these internal conflicts spill over into the church.

This is an appropriate time to emphasise a most dismal observation—conflict appears to be disturbingly constant among the people of God.

If there were no other evidence for our fallen nature despite God’s grace than the constancy of church fights, this knowledge alone would be sufficient to overwhelm the most vigorous protestations that might be raised by any individual.

Tragically, none of us are immune from succumbing to this dreadful malady.

Throughout the years of my service among the churches of our Lord, it is not uncommon that I have received complaints that I speak too far too often about conflict among Christians.

Since I endeavour to provide expository messages that follow the verses of a book in a sequential manner, the complaint could certainly reflect the fact that I am simply reflecting the concern of the One who has given us the text

In retrospect, those who voice the objections are usually the ones who promote and participate in ecclesiastical brawls.

As I mentally review a list of individuals who registered such complaints, I can only conclude that they were stung by the exposure of their dark character that they struggled unsuccessfully to keep hidden from the view of their fellow church members.

I believe it is important for you to understand why I would risk relationships within the congregation and deliberately increase the difficulty of my service in order to address the issue of conflicts within the churches.

I suppose that I could plead that confronting problems is consistent with my nature; but an appeal to character is not sufficient reason to raise unpleasant issues through a sermon.

I suppose there are some who imagine that I gain some perverse pleasure through being controversial.

However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The primary reason I speak so frequently of conflict and point out sinful behaviour among the people of God is that the Bible invests a surprising portion of what is written addressing these very issues.

To sidestep these issues, or to attempt to transform pet sins into something more palatable, would be to violate the tenor of Scripture.

I can also testify that my deep desire is that the people of God prove pleasing to Him who gives us life through obedience to His Word.

The reason for the biblical emphasis on the destructive nature of conflict arises from God’s desire for His people to reveal His peace through their lives.

It is not simply that the Father wants His people to live in peace, but that He wants them to promote peace among all peoples.

The will of God is that His people will live in harmony—building one another and making one another strong in the Faith.

When we are at war with one another, we cannot build one another.

When fighting with one another we dishonour the Father and injure the innocent.

There is a battle going on in the life of each individual; Christians are not exempt.

The story is told of an American Indian who had come to faith.

On one occasion he confided to his pastor that it often felt as though there were two dogs fighting within his life; one of the dogs was black and one was white.

“Which one wins,” asked the pastor.

“Which ever one I say ‘sic ‘em’ to,” replied the Indian.

There is certainly truth in that wry observation.

Evil is always present with us, and if we give permission for evil to reign, it will do so.

However, when we resist evil and promote peace, God is honoured.

Make no mistake; it is not easy to do what promotes peace; whereas making concessions to evil is always the easy path—at first!

The will of God is for His people to be at peace—at peace with Him, at peace with one another, at peace with others.

Those identified as living in the world are said to be ignorant of “the way of peace” [*Romans 3:17*].

However, we who have been “justified by faith … have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” [*Romans 5:1*].

We are taught that “to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” [*Romans 8:6*].

This peace, together with spiritual joy, is an essential aspect of the Kingdom of God [*Romans 14:17*].

As Christians, then, we are called “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [we] have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” [*Ephesians 4:1-3*].

Indeed, we are called to “let the peace of Christ rule in [our] hearts, to which [we] were called in one body” [*Colossians 3:15*].

Since the will of God is that His peace should prevail in the life of His people, anything that threatens that peace is opposed to the divine will.

How much more terrible is the introduction of chaos and disorder when it is introduced into the congregation by God’s own people!

Looking once more to the text, when James says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder,” he uses the present tense as though to say that the struggle against desire is an ongoing process.

Consequently, he says since that we cannot have our way, we murder.

Though his language is surely figurative at this point, I have no doubt that one could find instances where the pent up rage resulted in murder within the church.

When we cannot physically murder someone, we will assassinate their character through slander and gossip.

Tragically, this is an altogether too common response among the churches.

This, also, is a response that is unbounded in time.

Similarly, covetousness is a constant companion, as are the fights and the quarrels.

There is also the fact that because James uses the plural throughout, he is indicting the tendency of all within the Body to choose sides and enter into the battle.

If there were but one individual who was always restlessly pursuing her own desires, it would be bad enough; but a solitary individual would not be destructive if others did not lend their own passions as fuel to the growing conflagration.

The wise man has astutely observed:

 

“For lack of wood the fire goes out,

and where there is no whisperer, quarrelling ceases.”

[*Proverbs 26:20*]

 

Why do we listen to the slanderer?

Perhaps it is that we do not want to offend the one pouring garbage into our ear, so we politely listen.

We console ourselves that we are not really doing anything wrong because we would never say a word to another person.

However, even were that true, the reputation of the one slandered has been damaged in our own estimate.

However, we seldom keep such confidence.

The tale is so juicy that we must tell another, and they in turn will find themselves compelled to tell another, who in turn will tell yet others.

Therefore, the vile slime spreads, insinuating itself into the life of the church.

Perhaps we imagine that there is a deficit in the character of the one being talked about, and we tell ourselves that we only want to learn the truth.

We imagine that if we know the “truth” we will be able to pray more knowledgeably.

We fail to take into consideration that if the one being discussed is not present it is impossible for him to respond to what is being said.

Communication is more than simply a recitation of information—supposedly accurate or otherwise; communication is visual as well as aural.

Communication is composed in part by the manner in which a report is delivered as well as the demeanour of the one bringing the report.

Eye contact and attitude are necessary for proper assessment of the reliability of what is said.

Demeanour can change radically when the one being discussed is present; certainly, the presence of the one under discussion permits opportunity for that individual to respond to a negative report.

However, few of us are discriminating about slander; we tacitly accept it as verified simply because it is recited in our presence.

Ultimately, I am convinced that the reason we allow slanderers to spill their pernicious sewage into our ears is due to our own prurient interests.

We enjoy imagining that we have an advantage over another—that we have knowledge others do not have.

We flatter ourselves by thinking that we are superior to another, supposing that we know some character flaw or dishonourable action of which they are guilty.

Thus, we tolerate what is otherwise intolerable.

Moreover, once the wicked tale is told, we find our own passions stirred.

Then enmity, strife, jealousy, dissensions, divisions, envy and pride surge to the forefront of our lives to fuel the flames of conflict.

Thus, James is correct—our passions are at war within us leading us to perform the works of the flesh.

It is vital that Christians understand that conflicts are not some new phenomena that have only recently disturbed the peace of the churches.

Conflicts have been part of the ecclesiastical landscape since the days of the Apostles.

Until the day Jesus returns, Christians will witness conflict within the churches.