James and The Art of The Ask
James 4:1-3

Welcome back to our series through the book of James.

Together we are going verse by verse through this very practical letter written by the half-brother of Jesus.

Throughout our study of this letter James challenges us to confirm our love for Jesus by our actions.

His famous line “faith without works is dead” is a central theme, sometimes in the background and sometimes in the forefront.

Live like Jesus! Is the cry of James’ heart for his readers.

At the end of chapter 3 James is unpacking for us the fruit of wisdom in our lives.

Wisdom can be thought of how we view the world, how we make decisions, and yes, how we act.

And for James there are only two sources of that Wisdom
Heaven or Hell…Our wisdom is either sourced by God or sourced by the devil.

If we live sourced by earthly or demonic wisdom, we will constantly be filled with envy and selfish desires. Where those things are present, we will only find evil and disorder of every kind.

Contrast that to living sourced by God in heavenly wisdom.
our lives are marked by graciousness, mercy, and ultimately leading to peace and righteousness.

We are presented two distinctly different ways to live, and two distinctly different outcomes of our lives.

As we come into our text in Chapter 4, James is inviting his readers to see the root source of the disagreements and fights they are dealing with. To see the source of that conflict, and most importantly, to see a different way forward.

‭‭James‬ ‭4:1-3‬‬
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 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. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James is writing to believers outside of Jerusalem, not to long after Jesus ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit.

To be a Christian was a very controversial thing. The church was likely comprised of people from all walks of life as we know the gospel was spreading throughout the land.

It was a cultural melting pot, that apparently boiled over in conflict on occasion. And it was serious enough that James felt compelled to address it.

With a head on approach James is challenging his readers to consider what’s causing the fights that are happening among them.

‭‭James‬ ‭4:1‬‬
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

The word for fights here was typically used of military campaigns, larger battles, or wars.

Quarrels is literally armed combat or physical altercations.

Within these two descriptors James paints an encompassing portrait of large battles and personal conflict among the church.

“Don’t these fights come from your desires that battle within you?”

Desires here translates a word that we get the English word hedonism from.
Hedonism says the goal of life, the ultimate place of meaning and purpose for our existence is for to find pleasure, to fulfill our senses. Hedonism is essentially a religion of lust

These desires are never stagnant in our lives, in fact, James says they wage war within us.

‭‭James‬ ‭4:2‬‬
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.

“You Desire” is present and active.
This is not a passing thought, it’s what our hearts are set on. It’s a yearning to have something for yourself, to achieve something.

“You do not have, so you kill”
From a desire in your heart, to murder in your life, the impact of our lust for things is never a “no harm no foul” event.

“You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight”
Covet is that burning in your bones, that quiet seething anger, while you grit your teeth.

James says it’s those places of envy and selfish desire in your heart, that is creating the wars around you.

Warren Wiersbe says “The wars among us are caused by the wars within us. We want to please ourselves, even if it hurts somebody else.”

As we conclude this verse, can we just for a moment step back and see how much self is contained within this text?

Honestly, if we took out self, and removed the priority of our desires of this verse- there would be nothing left!

‭‭James‬ ‭4:3‬‬
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Without taking up one single argument of his readers, James universally shows where the conflict and tension is coming from. He highlights two breakdowns that have led to all the frustration, all the fights, and all the fallout.
We fail to Ask God.
We ask with wrong Motives.

We have not because we ask not, and when we do ask, we ask with wrong motives…

So what’s the alternative?

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:7-8‬‬
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

The portrait of asking here is one of continual persistence.

In our Asking we are coming in the humility of admitting our need for God.

In our seeking, we are actively bringing God into our everyday lives, pursing His will and not our own.

In our knocking we persevere in prayer, remaining committed to hear from the Lord, not folding back into our own ways when he appears quiet.

Ask, Seek, Knock, NOW…

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY

Rooted
What does it mean to be rooted in God and who God is? And what does it mean to be rooted in who God has called us to be?
Exudes 3:1-6, 13-15 NIV
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”
‭
Who is God?
In light of who God is, who am I? Who are we?
Compassion always results in action
God says I am who I am!
When you feel like your faith isn’t enough let the faith of those along side you and those who have gone before you and those who are coming right behind you, after you, let their faith sustain you.

James: A Life Transformed
A look at the Faith Journey of James

This week in our James series we are going to pause our progression through the letter itself, to take a look at the heart transformation of the Man behind the letter.

As we have walked through the book of James, it’s easy to see he takes Faith in Jesus and how we act seriously. They are inseparable for James.

But where did this passion come from in James’s heart?

James has experienced life in Christ and he knows it’s so transformative, so magnificent, so revolutionary that if it doesn’t change everything for us, we haven’t really experienced Jesus.

‭‭Mark‬ ‭3:20-21‬‬
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

The crowd of people trying to see Jesus is so big, is so excited, desiring to be in his presence, that Jesus and his disciples cannot even have a meal.

Verse 21 records a different response from his family however.

When Jesus’ family heard about him and all that was happening, they didn’t come to join the crowd, they came to take him back home because they reckoned he was out of his mind.

‭‭Mark‬ ‭3:31-35‬‬
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Within the crowd that is pressing in, those on the inside, there are some noticeably absent from this inner circle of followers. His own family…

In only a few words Jesus radically redefines what it means to be a part of HIS family.

He says “Look It’s not just who knows about me, it’s not even those who are related to me. My family is those who do the will of God, those who have responded by faith in Me as their Lord”

In one moment, Jesus embraced every seeker, every person who has the guts to bring their brokenness, their needs, and even their mess, before him. He stands with open arms to those who seek him, longing to transform and restore.

Where are you in this story?

Are you hungry for him, longing to be restored in his loving embrace? To know what it is to belong, to be forgiven and restored, to celebrate new life

Or are you outside with James and the rest, thinking this Jesus thing is crazy? Maybe it’s skepticism, maybe its fear that keeps you outside. Fear of what Jesus might say, that you’ve said no to Jesus too long or too many times.

Friends the beauty we find in the life of James is that it doesn’t end here in this moment of doubt. James will go on to live a completely different life than what we see here.

And so can you…

So what about James?

We know that James’ journey began in familiarity but ultimately gave way to living faith, that changed the trajectory of his life forever. From a doubting onlooker to a dedicated disciple, it was a magnificent transformation…

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:3-8‬‬
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Did you catch verse 7?
Then he (the resurrected Lord) appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

In words so simple they are easy to miss, I think we get a glimpse of what happened in heart and life of James that lead him to be the compassionate and zealous man we have come to know in his letter. James encountered the Resurrected Lord.

I believe that transformation is the source of passion, the reason James is so thorough and to the point in his letter. He doesn’t want a single one of his readers to miss out on the life that is available in Christ.

The grace offered to James in transformation is the same grace that God extends to you today.

No matter where you are in your Jesus story today- it doesn’t have to end there. Your life can be different because of Christ.

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY

http://bible.com/events/48825642

James and True Wisdom
The wisdom of God is just as much about who we are to be than what we are to do.

A review of last week’s focus on false wisdom:
1. God is the only source of true wisdom.
2. If you hold on to your wisdom, God can’t give you His.
3. Worldy wisdom is always hostile to God.

‭‭James‬ ‭3:13-18‬‬
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 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. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

There is a kind of scorecard implied in the text. How are you doing?
Pure? Peace-loving? Considerate? Submissive? Full of mercy? Impartial? Sincere?

How do we grow in this True Wisdom?
-“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18)
-Living wisely (in true wisdom), produces fruit in us!
-And ultimately, this fruit that is being produced is a pathway to something remarkable.

‭‭James‬ ‭3:17-18‬‬
Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

The bottom line:
The wisdom of God is just as much about who we are to be than what we are to do.

Other verses for further study/reflection:
Matthew 5:3-9
Psalm 111:10
Proverbs 3:13-18
Proverbs 1:7
Ephesians 5:15-17
Proverbs 12:15
Proverbs 10:23
Proverbs 2:6

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY

James and True Wisdom
James 3:17-18

As a Church we are taking a verse-by-verse journey through the Book of James.

We know that James, the half-brother of Jesus, is writing this letter to believers who are outside of Jerusalem, and they are facing the ongoing challenge of persecution and rejection.

James is very blunt in his practicality of the faith. (There’s a famous movie line: “You can’t handle the truth.” Well, if you can’t, the book of James isn’t for you.)

One of the key themes of the entire letter is that “Faith without works is dead”

For James, if the faith we have in Christ, doesn’t change our everyday lives, it’s useless, it’s as good as dead.

As we are coming into the conclusion of Chapter 3 in our study, we find James once again challenging us, this time not just in our faith, but in our wisdom.

‭‭James‬ ‭3:17-18‬‬
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. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

James is calling his readers, you and me, to something different, a different way of life, a God given, Jesus oriented, spirit lead way of living.

In verses 17 and 18 James goes to great lengths to help us see what this Heavenly wisdom alternative looks like in our lives.

‭‭James‬ ‭3:17‬‬
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.

Wisdom from heaven is first of all pure
-Wisdom that is from God is un polluted by sin or selfish ambition.

Wisdom from heaven is then peace loving.
-William Barclay says here “peace, used in a human context, its basic meaning is right relationships between individuals, and between individuals and God”

Wisdom from heaven is Considerate or Gentle
-The idea is that heavenly wisdom is gracious and patient. Not vengeful and harsh. It is sensitive to the needs of others. It’s yielding to others, not demanding to have things a certain way.

Heavenly wisdom is submissive
-Basically, heavenly wisdom isn’t stubborn.

Heavenly wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit.
– It is stuffed full, packed tight, with Mercy and good fruit. Quite a contrast to the produce of earthly wisdom: disorder and evil desire…

Heavenly wisdom is impartial
-Impartial carries the idea of not making distinctions between people. Treating everyone fairly and equally, especially those with whom we may disagree

Finally, heavenly wisdom is sincere or without hypocrisy.
-Heavenly wisdom is genuine and authentic. Real and true. Someone with heavenly wisdom is someone you can count on, you can go to them for advice, you know they are rock solid and dependable.

If we are honest, whether we have been a Christian 30 years, 30 days, or still on the fence about this Jesus thing, these 7 things mark a completely different life than what we are inclined to live on our own.

And I think that’s a big part of what James is saying.

‭‭James‬ ‭3:18‬‬
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

James has already told us in Chapter 1 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

God is longing, desiring to give us his wisdom.

God is yearning that our lives would produce the fruit of Righteousness rather than a trail of destruction, disorder, and pain.

Today, there is a way. There is a way to live a new life…

God’s wisdom is a precious gift. Ask Him for it, and continue asking.

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY