The Book of James: Signs of True Religion
LESSON THREE: True Religion begins with humility (Chapter 4)
INTRODUCTION
At the Sydney rabbinical conference some years ago, one rabbi from Brooklyn said, "I have been praying and fasting, meditating and studying religion for 20 years. I have finally reached the level of humility. I am truly a nothing."
He met Rabbi Goldstein from Jerusalem who nodded gravely. "I too have spent my life devoted to serving Hashem. Because of my great learning, I too am a nothing."
At that moment a janitor passed, holding his mop. Overhearing the conversation, and feeling quite spiritual, he interrupted. "You know what, i am also a nothing."
The rabbis looked away in disgust. "Who does he think he is, to be a nothing?"
Yes, humility is a fascinating concept, an ever-elusive character trait, for which many of us are longing. And it’s one which rivets Ya’akov in today’s reading to his half-brother, the living Messiah, the Lord Yeshua. And to his words. It’s that idea of humility which underscores today’s reading.
1. Three wars (The world, the flesh, the devil)
Verse one introduces us…. again to the subject of getting along with each other. We are moving into the philosophy of Ya’akov. He ponders why people are at war with each other.
Even though “Hine ma tov…” means we should be in unity, we often are far from that. Whether in lockdown Covid time and ‘discussions’ or in great synagogue lawsuits or church fights over property and prestige, we often do not display the very character of the Almighty. Ya’akov saw it in his day between Galatians (5.15) or Corinthians (1 Cor. 6.1-8) as well. He has already mentioned class warfare between rich and poor. Next week he will zoom in on the problems of labourers and their bosses, but today he highlights the antagonism between people, speaking badly of each other. This is a flashback to last week’s sermon on the tongue.
What is the cause of that interpersonal conflict or even national conflicts? Mention Afghanistan today and although most would not be able to find it on the map, we all know a little something of the problems there. 20 years ago on September 11, less than 30 people created a war that lasted until this week. They flew airplanes they highjacked into buildings and a field in Pennsylvania and the reaction of the US and her allies caused trillions of dollars of expense and thousands of deaths to add to the nearly 3,000 who died that tragic morning in New York City.
What caused that? Ya’akov avers it is pleasures. The Greek work is ‘hedone’ from where we get hedonism, but by, the way, we also get the Garden of Pleasure in the beginning of the Bible, the Garden of Eden. God DOES want us to live a pleasant life, but when those pleasures are at the expense of others, and we demand to get, at whatever cost, that’s where wars come from.
God has already told us that pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God is to visit the widows and orphans in their distress and keep oneself unstained by the world. Here we see the world staining and infecting the members of the community of faith. How? By their lusts. Their needs to gain at whatever cost.
The writer of Proverbs already told us that ‘ill-gotten gains do not profit’ (10.2) but we want it anyway. We long to have the life of the rich and the famous. We long to bat like Sir Donald or the Babe. We long to throw a pass like Patrick Mahomes and win as many Super Bowls as Tom Brady. We want the wealth of ‘that guy’ and the ease of the life of Bill Gates. But dear friends, we don’t have their life. We have our life. And that life is one we can have with God and with his people right where you live.
The 10th commandment is the flip side of the 1sst commandment. The first is God is. And don’t want anything else. The 10th is ‘don’t covet’. IF you are content with your lot, with your life in God, with where he has placed you, then coveting is sin. I don’t want the life of Clive Palmer. I don’t want to be Justin Timberlake or Nelson Mandela. I want to be me, and I want to know God in my own person and pray and live in him today.
Lusting to have the approval of others is deadly.
Lusting to have the riches of the wealthy is deadly.
Lust, as we have seen, leads to sin and that leads to death.
Ya’akov calls the battle with ‘the world.’ Greek ‘kosmos’ that is, the world system. The world’s values.
Even when we pray we don’t get what we ask because we are asking ‘amiss.’ We want to spend it on our own benefits.
Michael Jensen wrote this week in his daily meditation about Matthew 7, and the summary of Yeshua in his admonition to ‘ask, seek and knock.’ He wrote this in part, “
“What are we asking, seeking, knocking? I don’t think Jesus here means ‘any random thing you like’. Asking here is not about Lamborghinis or diamond necklaces. That is not the promise being made here. The desire of the disciple is for the kingdom of heaven and God’s righteousness. His or her longing is to be at home with God, to dwell with him and to be at his table. So: here is what the disciple asks for, what she seeks, the door upon which he knocks. He or she is seeking admission to the fellowship of God’s people.”
Look at verse 4. He uses the term adulteress. You can’t miss that one. We are supposed to be the Bride of Messiah and not giving ourselves to another. We are to be faithful in our desires to him. When we look to the world and its values, we lose. We find wrong and thus do not get our requests answered.
Weirsbe wrote this about the battle with ‘the world.’
“A Christian gets involved with the world gradually. First there is ‘friendship of the world “(4.4). This results in being spotted by the world (1.27) so that areas of our lives meet with the approval of the world. Friendship leads to loving the world (1 John 2.15-17) and this makes it easy to conform to the world (Roma. 12.2). The sad result is being condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11.32) and our souls saved ‘yet as by fire.” (! Cor 3.11-15)” (page 130)
WE also have to battle “the flesh.” That’s probably more in view in the opening of this chapter.
Finally, we have to fight ‘the devil.’ We see that in verse 7.
Those three forces, the world, the flesh and the devil all have an awareness of our weaknesses and our needs, our failures in the past and our lusts in these days. God will give you some measures to battle those and I’m so glad he sees to us.
2. The answer to our lusts: Humility
Verse 7 introduces the answers to that whole battle. Submit to God. In summary that’s the real and the best. We acknowledge that there is a problem. We acknowledge that God is able to fix it. And then we submit, we surrender, we bow to his plans and his ideas. To his person and to his power to fix it. It’s not that we bow to a procedure. We don’t acquiesce to the Torah and Talmud and to the mechanics of religion. We submit. End of story. God is. We are not God. Let Him be who he is in you.
The word ‘submit’ is actually an old military term that means ‘get into your proper rank.’ That ought to be clear. Let the General be the one. You be the private or sergeant and submit.
Then resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Don’t give him no place and don’t give him great place. Resist means to declare him having no right to your person or to your situation. Stand against him. It’s also military, isn’t it?
Verse 8, ‘draw near to God.’ Karov in Hebrew. Korban is the offering. Draw near with an offering. Don’t resist God; draw near, he is the welcoming God of our ancestors. It’s most natural when you are in war, or rather, have finished a battle, that you are battle-weary, fatigued. And you cannot spend any further energy. You have fought the world, the flesh and the devil, and now God says, ‘draw near.’
Why don’t we? We think God wants us to perform, to make up for all the wrongs we have committed. We are called into a relationship with God, not into performance. Draw near. Like walking into the ‘drawing room’ with God. The ‘lounge.’ What sounds like work there? NOTHING. It’s a place of relationship.
I know in the OT that God would promise to be with us if we did that, but in the NT, God promises to be with us at all times. Yeshua said, “Lo, I am with you always, to the end of the earth.”
My friends, draw near to God. He loves you. He wants to be with you. Relationships are like that. We want to be with each other.
Verse 8 continues with ‘cleanse your hands you sinners.’ Sounds like COVID safe information.
Verse 9: “Be miserable and mourn.” What? I just told you that you should rejoice. You should have a relationship with the Lord. That this will be a time of gladness with the devil having no place with us. How is this mourn possible?
“Let your laughter be turned into mourning.” He’s talking about those who are infected by the lusts of their demands. If you live like that, you will end up in tears. Here’s the solution.
Verse 10. “Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord, and he will exalt you.” Here’s the bad thing. You can get what you want. But no matter what you desire, no matter how much or how many you get, you will long for more. The Proverbs says, “riches makes itself wings.” (Prov. 23.5) If that’s you, weep. If that’s you, mourn.
Humility is not a philosophy. It’s an action. Humility is drawing near to God and submitting to him. Surrender and white flag. “God, you are the only one who can solve my life. You can put my life into order, into the order it needs to have.” That’s how this works.
What’s the source of our conflicts and wars? It’s US! It’s the lusts within us.
How do you win? Humble yourselves ‘in the presence of the Lord.” Not ‘so that you can get to God and be in God’s presence.’ No, rather BECAUSE you are ALREADY in God’s presence. God has come to you.
Don’t walk in with pride, saying ‘I am somebody.’ Rather, you declare to God, “You are Somebody! I long to be your man.”
Verse 11ff. “Don’t judge your neighbour or else you are judging the Law.” Here’s what he’s saying in context. First, we lust after our neighbour and we conquer our neighbour. We judge them as being deficient and ‘less than’ us. It will come back to bite us.
No, if you want to be a doer of the Word and not a judge of it, then humble yourself and embrace your neighbour. Here in this Zoom room, and in all aspects of community, we are not here to judge one another. We are not here to choose rich over the poor. That won’t work. Humble yourself in God’s presence. God is with us, not because we are doing everything right. But because we are turning towards him.
You don’t have to turn 180 degrees to find him. Just turn 1 degree and he will match your investment. In this season of Teshuva, we are pondering sin and lawlessness. We are thinking about sin and repentance. Some are thinking, “Maybe I ought to get right with God.” Good for you. The best way to do this begins with knowing God is right there, with you. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to jump so many hurdles to approach him. It’s not about your own performance. He said, “Lo, I’m with you!”
Knowing God is with me, and then I can humble myself before him, and then before my brothers and my sisters.
We won’t be demanding, nor judging, when we know in whose presence we are.
Verse 13 shows us the final section today, about God’s will and making plans. The merchants (the rich) would make plans and yet, there is no guarantee. Look how many people in these days have started businesses and then COVID hit and they went belly up. Ya’akov is reminding them that ‘tomorrow’ may never come. They didn’t have insurance companies and insurance policies in those days. If your supply of rice or timber is on a boat that shipwrecks, the product is gone, and your hope for profit is gone.
Don’t boast about tomorrow (Prov 27.1). That’s pride. As if you are in control of life and the calendar. My cousin in the US is going in tomorrow for an MRI because his doctor saw something on his kidney that wasn’t favourable the other morning. He’s not sure what it is. Once you start counting down your days, you don’t boast about tomorrow. You live in today. Not live for today, but live in today.
Today, serve other people and keep yourself unstained by the world.
Verse 17. The idea of Law, transmitted by the teacher (chapter 3 verse 1) to us, is that we might learn, so that we might practice. And if you know the right thing to do, be humble, draw near to God, submit to God, and then you don’t do that—that is defined as sin.
Sin is either knowing the right thing to do and not doing it (breaking a positive commandment [the sin of omission]) or knowing the wrong thing not to do, and doing that (breaking a negative commandment [the sin of commission]). Sin is either of those.
Avoid that, humble yourself before God, and he will give you everything you need.
Next week we will talk more about the how to live in a blessed way in this world with one another. I’ll hope to see you then.
INVITATION
Dear friends, if you’d like to have true religion, if you want to have that peace and right standing with God, and if you want to know Messiah personally like we do, then why not pray with us right now? If you’ve never given your life to Yeshua, he longs to be with you just now. Come and be cleansed from your sin.
Pray and ask God to show you how to have true religion. Ask him to forgive you your sins and to make you born again.
Then let us know you have done this, won’t you? Write to us (admin@jewsforjesus.org.au) and tell us you have prayed for the first time. We want to send you some literature and welcome you to the family.
And if you have any questions, use that same address, ok?
And join us next week as Bob continues the study of Yaakov, with True Religion: the blessed life.
Until then, Shabbat shalom.
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Our series’ outline (Today’s lesson in red)
1. True Religion endures hardships and trials (Chapter 1:2-18)
a. With joy and patience (Chapter 1:2-4)
b. With godly wisdom (Chapter 1:5-8)
c. From a proper perspective (Chapter 1:9-11)
d. Given an understanding of temptation (Chapter 1:12-15)
e. Knowing the father and his goodness (Chapter 1:16-18)
2. True Religion consists of doing, not only hearing (Chapter 1:19-2:26)
a. First you must hear (Chapter 1:19-20)
b. After hearing, doing is required (Chapter 1:21-27)
c. In doing, show no favouritism (Chapter 2:1-13)
d. Doing demonstrates our faith (Chapter 2:14-26)
3. True Religion displays wisdom, not only information (Chapter 3:1-18)
a. The problem of the tongue (Chapter 3:1-12)
b. Contrast between heavenly and earthly wisdom (Chapter 3:13-18)
4. True Religion begins with humility (Chapter 4:1-17)
a. Friend or foe? (Chapter 4:1-6)
i. Three wars (With others, with ourselves, with God)
b. Drawing close to God (Chapter 4:7-17)
i. Three enemies (world, flesh, devil)
ii. Three admonitions (Submit to God, draw near, humble yourself)
5. True Religion is blessed (Chapter 5:1-20)
a. Not blessed, the rich oppression (Chapter 5:1-6)
i. Be prayerful in economic troubles
b. The blessing of patience (Chapter 5:7-12)
i. Be prayerful in physical troubles
c. The blessing of prayer (Chapter 5:13-18)
i. Be prayerful in national troubles
d. Blessing those who fail (Chapter 5:19-20)
Be prayerful in church troubles
Bibliography
Dickson, John (and Simon Smart), Vital Signs, Aquila Press, Sydney, 2006.
Martin, Ralph P., James, Word Biblical Commentary Series, Nelson Publishing, Nashville, 2006.
Ryken, L., Wilhoit J., Longman T., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1998.
Wiersbe, Warren, Be Mature, SP Publications, Wheaton, IL, 1978.
Actual text
James 4:1 1What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? 2Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and ado not receive, because you ask 1with wrong motives, so that you may spend it 2on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “1He 2jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives a greater grace. Therefore, it says, “god IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 7 submit therefore to God. resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 draw near to God and He will draw near to you. cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against 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. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbour?
James 4:13 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.” 14 1Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 1Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your 1arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the 1right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
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