Two Road's Diverged

Jake Edwards

Victory In Everyday Life • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

James 4:1–12

Pride

Wisdom

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We have a choice to make in this life. That choice will determine how God will treat us.

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Transcript

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST (1915)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Everyone is can come to this conclusion by Robert Frost. There are two choices. Don’t let anyone fool you into believing that there are numerous ways to find meaning and purpose in this life.

There are simply two choices:

Your way

God’s way

There are no in between.

Robert Frost did not come to this conclusion alone though.

Jesus preached about this concept in Matthew 7:13-14.

Narrow

Broad

The choice we make in this matter determines the relationship we will have with God and the relationship that we have with people.

The choices we make in this life about Jesus Christ in the present will determine whether or not we will eventually live with regret or satisfaction.

What is the root behind the decision we make to follow “my way” or God’s way?

What is the source behind our decisions?

James 4:1-10

James asked about the origin of the disputes that were taking place in the church among the members.

There have ALWAYS been church conflict.

The word here for passion is hedone that literally means “sensual pleasures”.

The idea of sinful, self-indulgent pleasure.

The type of passion that sets up shop in your soul looking to take over everything inside.

When you took the disputes that were happening then amongst church members and the disputes that happen now in the body of Christ, they can be pinpointed back to selfishness.

1. Natural Desire is Rooted in Selfishness.

Illicit desire was responsible for the disputes and conflicts plaguing the church.

He points out the fundament problem in three statements in verse 2:

You want something but don’t get it.

Constant frustration because of unmet desire.

You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.

Frustration that leads to violence.

You quarrel and fight.

When met by people with the same frustration over different desires, corporately there are major problems.

Why is this desire “to have” frustrated?

Failure to pray properly.

Sure, there is prayer but the way that we ask is done wrongly. There is only selfish motive.

James: An Introduction and Commentary c. Evil Passions Are the Source of Dissensions (4:1–3)

Jesus had promised, ‘Ask, and it will be given you’ (Matt. 7:7). But clearly Jesus had in mind that asking which has as its focus and motive God’s name, God’s kingdom and God’s will (Matt. 6:9–10)—not an asking that had the purpose of the indulgence of those ‘pleasures’ (hēdonai) that are at war with our souls (cf. v. 1). Hort comments: ‘God bestows not gifts only, but the enjoyment of them: but the enjoyment which contributes to nothing beyond itself is not what He gives in answer to prayer; and petitions to Him which have no better end in view are not prayers.’

Then end of the means in prayer is not for self-enjoyment, but in honor of God.

Right now, I have never lived in an era of community conflict than the era that I am living in right now. People disagree more openly, profoundly, and boldly than I have ever seen. What makes now so different than other times in the past 30 years?

Conflict is universal to all. Conflict exists in the home, the church, the workspace, etc.

None of us want to be in conflict, but we cannot seem to avoid it.

What about self-conflict?

Not being able to speak clearly to yourself where you can have mental peace.

If you don’t don’t how to get along with others, then you are not even able to get along with yourself.

Are we willing to be honest with ourselves or do we just want to play around with God until we die unsatisfied?

We argue with ourselves and others because we have a selfish desire to want more than we can handle.

Without the salvation of Jesus Christ taking over our spirit, we are simply selfish creatures led by improper motives.

We always have an agenda that leads to self.

Until we are willing to be honest with our selfishness, we will continue to walk the same circles and never get anywhere.

We will keep getting to where we want to be to discover that we aren’t there yet and it was never enough.

Living in desire is exhausting and it only destroys ourselves and the people around us. Desire may come natural but we cannot be naturally healed by desire. We must be supernaturally healed by the love of Jesus Christ.

2. The Diverged Road Begins With Pride or Humility.

James exposes the members of the church living in their own desires by calling them “adulterers”.

Those who were causing the division were compared to unfaithful spouses. People who cheated on their husbands or wives and lived outside the holy confines of marriage.

Shameful people

Being “friends” with the world in the eyes of God writing through James was no different that being a cheater. Not only did James write that such behavior was shameful, he said that living in one’s own desire makes people and enemy of God.

How serious is God about having a relationship with you and me?

Verse 5 reflects God’s character that He is jealous for His glory is does not find satisfaction in the person who is prideful in their relationship with Him.

He is a jealous husband who will not tolerate a rival.

“They provoked his jealousy with different gods; they enraged him with detestable practices.” - Deut 32:16

“They have provoked my jealousy with what is not a god; they have enraged me with their worthless idols. So I will provoke their jealousy with what is not a people; I will enrage them with a foolish nation.

“Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me...” - Exodus 20:5

“The Lord of Armies says this: “I am extremely jealous for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath.” - Zechariah 8:2

And than James points to where the road diverges. There is either a resisting of God toward people or a grace supplied.

Proverbs 3:34

God is apposed toward the proud who disregard Him and despise others.

God has a grace and kindness to the lowly—those who recognize their insufficiency and depend on Him.

Physics class. My teacher knew I didn’t know what was doing but she honored my respect for her and the subject.

We can all live our lives pretending we know what’s going on, living as if we are in total control, and being prideful.

Society has made a career on it.

Many have made the choice that is destructive and easy to follow.

We can also make the choice to realize that anything with God is unable to be made whole, decide to follow Jesus, and be humble.

Pride and Humility are the two ways that we can choose.

Pride doesn’t cost you you immediately but will destroy your earthly life, keep you out of God’s fellowship, and will separate you from God for all eternity.

Humility will cost you your earthly life and change your life’s plans, but will provide you with a full life on this earth and with God forever and ever in eternity.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.” - Matthew 16:25

Clearly, there is a cause and affect to a life lived in pride and life lived in humility.

3. Follow Your Map

The “humble” submit themselves to God’s mighty plan

Don’t give in to pride and envy. Resist these temptations.

Faith, humble prayers, and heavenly wisdom, are the weapons of resistance.

The language is taken from warfare. “Submit” as a good soldier puts himself in complete subjection to his captain. “Resist”, stand bravely against.

“He will flee” - It is a promise of God, not a mere assurance from man to man. The devil flees from man as he does every time Jesus comes into his presence.

The church that James was writing to was fractured and needed healing. James called the community to collectively approach God.

“Cleanse your hands” - The command is to cleanse themselves from their sin and be purified by Jesus.

“be miserable and mourn and weep” - Embrace an attitude of humility and repentance.

“Laughter” - Language that emphasis having no fear of God.

Humble yourselves before the Lord - be firmly rooted in humility.

The tree, to grow upwards, must strike its roots deep downwards; so man, to be exalted, must have his mind deep-rooted in humility.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time.” - 1 Peter 5:6

If you are walking with Jesus, I don’t care how the rest of your life is looking right now. I can tell you without a doubt that you are not failing.

You are tempted to think that He’s not seeing you right now or hearing your cries. You are doing it right. Don’t fall into the trap.

A humble life does not make you weak.

The standards that are placed in our world do not hold our eternity in its hand.

This is the choice. Two roads diverged. Pride or humility.

What makes our story different is this:

You can be on the path of pride and realize that you have done wrong and change. It’s never too late to humble yourself before the Lord and make a change.

People can spend their entire lives trying to prove to others that they have everything figured out but know in their own hearts that they are going nowhere. The day we quit lying to everyone else and be honest with God, is the day that we are honest with ourselves.

What path are you on right now? Make your final decision before it’s too late.

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