Harvest Detroit West
Sunday Sermon -James 4:11-17 - “Faithful Living in a Fallen World (Part 2)"
August 4, 2024 In this week’s sermon, Pastor KRE finishes his exposition of James 4 by admonishing us to hold our toungues and to live rightly. James 4:11-17
"We hope and pray that you are blessed by the Word of God as it's preached." So last week I began working through James chapter four and we will look to finish the chapter today. As I mentioned a week ago, James is one of the most uncomfortable books to read because it is so convicting and it quickly points out each of our weaknesses and failings. I made the comment that one of the hardest things to do is to preach James fully without being a hypocrite. Today will be no different. This passage is very blunt and honest and raw. My prayer is that the Lord uses these verses to challenge and convict you as he has already done in my own life. Please look past me as the speaker and hear the Word of God that he has for you from our passage this morning. As I continue this two-part message titled, "Faithful Living in a Fallen World," this morning looking at verses 11 through 17, I have two divisions again. The first one is hold your tongue. Hold your tongue and the second one is live rightly. As we look at this morning's passage in James 4, I want to let you know that I will be reading from the reading from and working out of the legacy standard Bible or the LSB. The LSB is a 2021 revision of the NASB, the new American standard Bible, for those who are familiar with that translation. Normally, here at Harvest, we preach from the ESV. However, with today's passage, I believe the LSB reads a little bit more smoothly. So would you turn with me in whatever translation or version you have to James 4 and verse 11? James 4, verse 11. Do not slander one another, brothers. Here we go again. Just like last week, James starts off with a punch landing right where it hurts. But note this time he calls them brothers. Even though James is being tough and chastising them, there is a level of affection and love. Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother slanders the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one law giver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But who are you who judges your neighbor? Let's go back and put this passage in context. In Chapter 3, as I mentioned last week, James introduces the new topic of the tongue and the dangers of the words. With that, he then begins a subsection on wisdom. In a classic manner of writing and James' style, he begins this subsection by asking a question, "Who among you is wise and of understanding?" For those who are ready to raise their hands and to answer that I'm wise, he immediately calls for them to show their wisdom through good conduct. The next verse in Chapter 3, verse 14, is a translated, "But if you," the critical verbiage in the original Greek, "seems to imply," James is actually saying, "I'm talking to you, you who are already doing this. There's a group of you who are," as it says, "being bitter and jealous, selfish ambition in your heart." James is contrasting this against the wisdom from above. You who are behaving jealously and selfishly, but wisdom from above is peaceable and considerate and submissive, full of mercy and good fruits without doubting and without hypocrisy. The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. That is again James 3. That brings us to last week's passage where James says, "Yo, why are you fighting and quarrelling? Why are you getting into arguments with your brothers? You're going to war with each other." He calls them out and shows how it is because of their selfish desires, is a lack of them getting what they want that leads them to these jealacies, that leads them to fighting amongst their brothers and their sisters in the church. He tells them to stop chasing after these worldly things, to humble themselves and to submit to God and receive God's greater grace. So he has just talked about their selfish desires, causing those in the church to fight and to quarrel, and now he adds this postscript, this appendix of sorts, this transition as he turns their focus to slandering. This caution against slander, it alone is convicting. However, what James actually wrote is broader than just slander. Some translations say, "Do not speak evil against another, but is it even more broad than that?" The word James uses here means do not speak against or do not speak down about someone. Don't slander them, don't talk negatively about them, don't say anything that may hurt them or run them down. The Christians had become jealous, selfish, prideful, quarrelsome, and even violent according to one commentary. James as readers had fallen into the habit of criticizing one another, and so he says stop speaking against one another. Again, this message was written to Christians 2,000 years ago. So it is still relevant for us today. We need to stop the division and disunity that is causing amongst ourselves. Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother. James adds this now action of judging. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother. When we begin to slander a person or speak against a person or run them down, we are putting ourselves in a position that is above them into that position of judgment. We're looking down on them and making that person out to be less than we see ourselves. McCartney writes, "Many slanders probably are unaware that they are spreading falsehoods. They believe their negative accusations and censorious remarks to be reasonably well-founded. And they may even see themselves as having a special calling to inform the world of someone's evil or persevere a church's purity by excising its less than perfect members." He goes on, "To spread accusations or publish unproven allegations is, however, in effect to act as a sentencing judge, but without authorization and probably without adequate information." Whatever we are right or wrong, and no matter what our intentions may be, whenever we run someone down, whenever we speak poorly about another, we are placing ourselves above them. This is the opposite of John the Baptist in his words when he says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother slanders the law and judges the law. But if you judge his brother, sorry, he who slanders a brother or judges his brother slanders the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. The very nature of law is obedience. Laws are meant to be obeyed. If we chose to disregard a law, we are in essence saying that we are above the law because we do not believe the law to be necessary. Maybe you're asking yourself, "How is slander connected to the law? How am I putting myself above the law when I slander a person?" Well, it's a logical question as the two don't seem to initially be connected. But Leviteus 19, 18 says, "You shall not take vengeance, and you shall not keep your anger against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself." I am Yahweh. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." Earlier in James's letter, he writes, "If however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the law as transgressions." James is reminding his readers, "Loving your neighbor as yourself is part of God's law. And when you slander against your brother, you are certainly not loving them. And thus you are going against God's law." Galatians 6-2 says, "Bare one another's burdens so fulfilling the law of the Lord. Verse John 2-9 and 10 says, "The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. And the one who loves his brother, bides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him." I didn't take the time to confirm this, but I read this week that in the Old Testament, slander is denounced more than any other sin. And yet it is probably the most common sin that we commit. It is so easy to say something about another person. It is so easy to get caught up into the gossip and discussions about another. Proverbs 20 says, "He who goes about as a slander reveals secrets, therefore, do not associate with one, with loose lips." Of course, the old World War II adage, Loose Lips, Sinks, Ships. There are many stories in the Bible that I could use as an example about slandering and the dangers of slandering. Last week we talked about jealousy. I mentioned the story from 1 Kings 21, the story where King Ahab desired Naboth's vineyard. And that led to Ahab's wife, Jezebel, leading the king to killing Naboth to be able to acquire the vineyard. So what was her plot? How did she get Naboth killed through slander? Jezebel wrote letters and gave instructions on behalf of the king and told them, "Call for a fast, call for a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the people, and seat two vile men before him, and let them testify against him, you cursed God and the king. Then take him out and stone him so that he will die." The men did as they were instructed, slandered Naboth, and thus he was killed. Maybe you're thinking, "Well, I'm not a king, and I'm not plotting to kill somebody." So do you have a more applicable story? Well, I'm glad you asked. There is a more dramatic story by far. It does involve kings, but their kingly-ness is not what actually highlights this story. And in it, you will see the consequences of a small slander. In 2 Samuel 2, we find out that Nahash, the Ammonite king, has died and his son Han takes his place. King David hears about the king's death and wants to go and pay his respects. David specifically says, "I will show loving-kindness to Han and the son of Nahash, just as his father showed loving-kindness to me." David's intentions were pure. The story starts off good. You have two kings who respected each other, and now one of them has died and the other wants out of loving-kindness to go and show respect. So David sends a delegation of men to comfort the grieving son, now king. But this is where the story takes a turn. Instead of receiving this graciously, "Hey, Nahans, men lie in slander about David." They tell Hanan, sorry, they tell Hanan that David is only doing this to spy and to ultimately overthrow him, the new king. Well, that's not even true, and we know that. But the men slandered David. So Hanan believes the word of his men and sent his men out to humiliate this delegation. They shave half their beards. They cut off their robes right at the mid-height of their hips. Of course, David was upset. And when Hanan heard of David's anger, it escalated. He hired Eremians to form an army, as he was expecting David then to bring war. David hears of this army being formed, so he calls his commander Joab and gathers an army. And it does escalate to war. And David's men kill 40,700 Eremians. And then it says, "And the Eremians, the ones of course that survived, and the Eremians were afraid to save the sons of Ammon anymore. Now it happened in the spring, at the time when the kings go off to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all of Israel. And they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Reba. Over 40,000 men were killed due to the slander of a few. The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, the one who utters slander is a fool. The words are many, transgressions is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent." Proverbs 10. A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisper separates close friends. Proverbs 16. Mark Hartney continues in his commentary, "This should be a sobering thought, because those within the church who slander their brothers and sisters often see themselves as upholding and safeguarding the word of God." On this point Kent Hughes says, "The argument here is meant to deliver us from the mind games which we tell, which tell us it's okay to be judgmental, because we are so spiritually sensitive and insightful, or because we have the kingdom's good as a motivation behind our judgment. We are not the law, and we are not above the law." At this point there are two common misunderstandings on both sides. First is the person who in support of this, recognizing that we are not above the law, says, "Yes, Matthew 7, we are told, judge not, lest ye be judged." Well in context that passage does say that, but in context it's actually saying, "Don't judge, because you haven't even looked at yourself yet." It's pointing the finger back at yourself, making sure that you look for the speck that is in your own eye before you try to do, look at the log that is in your own eye before you try to take the speck out of someone else's. The second misunderstanding also coming from that Matthew 7 passage about judging others is that we actually are called in one sense to judge. A few verses later, Jesus says, "Beware of false prophets, you will know them by their fruits." So we are supposed to observe and make wise decision based on those judgments, and the words of John do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. And then if you have evaluated yourself first, and if you've evaluated your own actions, if you have found something still to be sinful and wrong, Matthew 18 gives instructions on how we should respond. And the answer is not, tell someone and talk behind their back. So through slander, we have put ourselves above our brother. We have put ourselves above the law. And now verse 12, we see that we are putting ourselves above God. Do not slander one another brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother, slanders a law and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one law giver and judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy, but who are you to judge your neighbor? In his commentary on James, Alex Madier says, "His law is the expression of who he and who he is and what he is. He gave us his command in order that by obeying them, we might fashion ourselves to his image. His law is the expression of who and what he is." James says, "There is only one law giver and judge." Pat McLean, one of our elders, is a retired judge. Imagine if, when he was still serving as a judge, I walked into his courtroom, sat on the bench and tried to declare a person guilty and for the sake of the scenario was actually innocent. Outside of being arrested and Pat being very confused, I could imagine that he might say something along the lines of, "You are not over this person and you are not over this courtroom in this law and you are not the judge." There is only one law giver and judge. The one who is able to save and destroy, but who are you who judges your neighbor? Deuteronomy 32 says, "See now that I am he and there is no God besides me. It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal and there is no one who can deliver from my hand." There is a moment in the story of Job where God appears to be a bit sarcastic as he makes a point in chapter 40. He says, "Now girt up your loins like a man, basically saying, 'Come on, brace yourself.'" God says to Job, "I will ask you and you make me know. Will you really annul my judgment? Will you condemn me that you may be justified or do you have the arm of God and can you thunder with a voice like his, adorn yourself with exaltation and loftiness and clothe with yourselves with splendor and majesty, put out the overflowing of your anger and look on everyone who is proud and make them low, look on everyone who is proud and humble them and tread down the wicked in their place, hide them in the dust together, bind their face and hide, bind their face in the hidden place." Now if you can do that, then I will also praise you that your right hand can save you. Now of course Job couldn't do that. This was a wake-up called a Job. God was asking Job, "Who's God here? You or me?" Isaiah 32 says, "For Yahweh, the Lord is our judge. The Lord is our law giver. The Lord is our King. He will save us." Psalm 75, "But God is the judge. He puts down the one and rises up the other." Luke 12, "But I say to you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I show you whom to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has the authority to cast into hell." Yes, I tell you, fear him. There is only one law giver and one judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you who judges your neighbor? So what is the application? Ephesians 4, "Let no unwholesome talk proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed so that it will give grace to those who hear." Let me repeat that. "Let no unwholesome talk proceed from your mouth, but only such a word that is good for building up what is needed." Galatians 5, Paul wrote it in this way, "For you are called to freedom, others, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word in this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite into power one another, beware that you will, that you are not consumed by one another." Until now, James has been discussing the selfish and arrogance of one's words. But as we move into the second division, James will shift the focus to the selfish arrogance of one's lifestyle. So far, studying James 4 has sounded very similar to the book of Proverbs, and I think you'll find in these next few verses, it will sound more akin to that of Ecclesiastes. As we move into our second division, live rightly. Verse 13, "Come now, you who say, 'Today, or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do also this or that.' But as it is, you boast in your arrogance, all such boasting as evil. Therefore, to the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it to him, it is a sin." Have you ever had dreams of being rich? Of course you have. We all have, right? In our dreams, we have these plans that come together just right so that we can live out the rest of our lives in luxury. Since I was a child, I have enjoyed the James Bond movies and have always wanted an Aston Martin. It has been my dream. For those who may be not familiar, an Aston Martin is a sports car that on the low end is valued around $140,000 to a higher end model, about $3.5 million. For many years, I worked for a luxury hotel brand. I did very well and I was promoted several times and had a very bright future ahead of me. My boss, the general manager at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, was an influencer before that word became an occupation. On the same time that I received my fourth promotion in two years, my boss, the general manager, got an Aston Martin. I'm on the way up and I see this man who's not too many more steps ahead of me getting my dream. So my dream is possible. To add to this, to make it seem even more possible, I had been assisting a gentleman by the name of Christopher Gardner. He is the man behind the real life rags to riches story, the pursuit of happiness. I've been taking care of him for several days at the hotel and one day after foreseen a need of his and preemptively taking care of it, he said to me, "One of these days you're going to be running this place." I smirked and chuckled a little and he quickly responded, "What? You don't believe me?" The story definitely proved that it would be possible. I was on top of the world. In my mind, I already had that Aston Martin, it just hadn't come yet. But only a couple months later, the Lord called me away from that job. He changed my heart. I packed up my belongings. I left LA. I headed to Detroit because this is where my brother lived. My last day of work was September 19, 2008, four days after Lehman Brothers had filed bankruptcy in the start of the 2007-2008 recession. The worst possible time to quit your job and move to Detroit. If my hope had been built on my finances or in getting an Aston Martin, my future outlook would have been completely lost. In the Moody Bible commentary, it says, "Entrepreneurial plans that exclude God make believers boast in their arrogance as if they have the ability to make themselves profitable." And Luke 12, Jesus, tells the parable. The land of a rich man was very productive and he began reasoning to himself, saying, "What shall I do since I have no place to store my crops?" The guy has so many crops, so much money, he has no place to store it. Then he said, "This is what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and I'll build larger ones. And they'll store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods lined up for many years to come. Take it easy, eat, drink and be merry." But God said to him, "You fool. This very night your soul is required from you. And now who will own what you have prepared?" So is the one who stores up treasures for himself and is not rich towards God. Verse 14, "You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Then you wake up in the morning and a fall morning and you look out the window. And there's a fog just sitting above the ground. The rising sun illuminates its breathtaking and its beauty. You admire it for just a moment and then you go to tell your wife or your husband. And you get them to look out the window to see this amazing sight and by the time they're there it's gone. It's vanished. The mist, the vapor, the fog has gone away. It had vanished in just a brief moment. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. We do not know how long we have. Now it's not bad to make plans. In fact it's actually quite wise to make plans. Proverbs 21 says the thoughts or plans of the diligent lead to profit but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. Proverbs 16 though sums it up. Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. Mottier says James is not trying to banish planning from our lives but only that sort of self-sufficient, self-important planning that keeps God for Sunday but looks on Monday to Saturday as my own. Let me repeat that James is not trying to banish planning from our lives but only that sort of self-sufficient, self-important planning that keeps God for Sunday but looks on Monday to Saturday for as my own. Make plans. Prepare for the future but make them with God. Seek God. Pray to God. Come as the focus while you are making your plans. You don't know what tomorrow will bring but God does. Instead, you ought to say if the Lord wills. As I have traveled I truly have enjoyed local phrases and gestures. In Australia it's the common phrase no worries or she'll be right. They use this so much that it's become part of their culture instead of saying goodbye on the phone they'll say no worries and hang up the phone. And Hawaii it is the shaka which is part of this aloha spirit, a gesture of understanding and gratitude. But it is in the middle east that they have the phrase inshallah. This phrase simply means God willing but what I love is they use it all the time. I mean all the time. One day I went to a clothing store to be fitted for a Thobe, a traditional white robe that you often see Middle Eastern men wearing. And after being sized and asked all the various questions the store representative said to me come back tomorrow after 5 p.m. inshallah. I'm not sure if he meant God willing I'll be able to return the next day or God willing my Thobe would be ready but it was striking how this phrase acknowledges that it is in God's hands to demonstrate this all the more and how they use this phrase. One day I was in the mood for traditional American styled pizza. And there's a pizza hut not too far from my hotel. After the waiter took my order he said something to the effect of thank you I'll have your pizza out soon inshallah. One would not normally consider God at the forefront when placing a pizza order. However it is such a cultural custom for them to acknowledge God in every thing that they do. And here in James 4 we see this same concept instead you ought to say if the Lord wills we will live and also do this or that. All that we have and all that we do is in God's hands. Maybe as we have been reading and going through this passage you have felt like this verses don't seem to fit with the others that verses 13, 14 and 15 seem to be out of place. James has already been very on the nose and somewhat harsh about jealousy, slandering, selfishness, pride, attitudes. Did he just randomly sidetracked the future planning? Well verse 16 brings it all together. But as it is your boasting in your arrogance all such boasting is evil. If wisdom from above as James wrote in chapter 3 is pure and peaceable consider it submissive full of mercy and good fruits then the opposite of this is jealous and selfish ambition which creates disorder of every evil practice. This selfish attitude as we saw last week leads to quarrels and fights as we seek out our own desires and chase after the world. It is out of our arrogance that we place ourselves above others above the law and in our own hearts we are placing ourselves above God. Now as we live out our lives it is the same arrogance that makes us think only about our pocketbook or the bottom line. Verse John 2 says do not love the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lusts of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the father but it is from the world. And the world is passing away and also it's lusts. But the one who does the will of God abides forever. But as it is you boast in your arrogance all such boasting as evil it will pass away. It's not boast in our arrogance but let's as Paul says boost in our hope of the glory of God. And finally therefore to the one who knows to do the right thing and does not do it to him it is a sin brothers and sisters God has placed the Holy Spirit on our hearts. We know what is right and what is wrong. We know when we are trying to look for or use a loophole. If you know what is right and you do not do it that is a sin. So let us walk in a way worthy of our calling. Let us demonstrate the wisdom from above through our peaceful attitude and let us humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord. Let's pray. God your word is direct and refining. It is challenging and it is convicting. It is so easy to fall into the traps of this world and to become like them in our loose talk of others. May this morning be a reminder that we are not above our brother. We are not above the law and we are certainly not above you. We fall humbly before you as we seek your grace. Let us make our plans with you in mind first. Let us look to you in all that we do. It is in your name we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. If you want any more information about our church you can visit our website harvestattroitwest.org. [MUSIC PLAYING]