Conflict in the Church

Good evening everyone. Thank you Fiona. My name is Aaron and I'm a member here at Brunsfield Evangelical Church

and it's my privilege tonight to continue our series looking into the book of James.

In Germany in the early 20th century there were two brothers who owned and ran a successful athletic shoemaking company

called the Dazzler Brothers Shoe Factory.

The two brothers, Rudolf and Adolf, or Adi and Rudi as they were known,

they began however to have differing opinions about how they should run this company.

And going unaddressed it was beginning to develop into a soured relationship.

There are accounts of multiple incidents but apparently the final straw was during the Second World War

when during an air raid and Rudi's family were hiding in an air raid shelter and Adi's family came in.

Adi was hired to comment something that can be translated something loosely to

here come the pig dogs again.

He later claimed to be referring to the enemy above but the damage was done.

The company soon dissolved and they both went on to start their own companies in the same town.

Adi Dazzler would call his Adidas and Rudi Dazzler his Ruda, later changing it to Puma.

And for the next 60 years these companies were bitter rivals,

splitting this town in an almost sectarian way as they both grew into sporting goods giants.

Today these companies, which I'm sure you might have heard of,

are no longer run by descendants of the Dazzlers.

And so while they are still competitors, it's no longer personal.

They are both still headquartered in that same town,

where apparently the evidence of the long rivalry is unavoidable.

Now, that might seem like a trivial example depending on your point of view,

but what we're going to see tonight in this passage

is that when this happens in a church context,

the consequences are very real and can have a huge impact on our church family.

I don't know if anyone's ever been in a situation where you've maybe had a disagreement with something

or something that's been building up for a while,

which has then caused you to say something you wish you hadn't.

I certainly have.

Now, most of these situations can be resolved quickly

if you're prepared to accept some fault and apologize,

but sometimes they aren't.

And a little bit too much pride and hurt can let the situation develop,

resulting in significant consequences.

I hope everyone's been enjoying this series and James so far.

It's amazing how much practical teaching is packed into such a short book.

If you haven't managed to come along or tune in,

the recordings are all available, so I would recommend catching up.

But if you haven't, or just as a quick reminder for some context of where we are,

this book is written by James, not to James.

James was the brother of the Lord Jesus.

He's writing here to the early church, the very early church,

who were mostly Jews, who had now heard and accepted the gospel that Jesus brought

and were likely here about 20 years after the death of the Lord Jesus.

So still very early days for the church.

And so obviously they didn't have any of this rich New Testament teaching that we do.

This letter was them getting it firsthand.

And the teaching of the good news of the gospel,

which is that salvation can come by faith alone,

was only being passed by word of mouth mostly,

which was starting to create some gaps in understanding.

And serious problems were starting to form,

which is what James is looking to address here.

A couple of weeks ago, Jonathan was taking us through, in chapter 3,

the general problems that come from an untamed tongue.

And today what we're going to see is what happens when that behavior encroaches into our churches

and the conflicts it can create and the subsequent consequences of them.

And what we see here in chapter 4,

although it's a theme really throughout the book in this early church,

is that they're not displaying or living in the light of the grace that they have received.

They're failing to display the humility that a believer living by faith should.

But it becomes a helpful encouragement for us also,

as we can all fall short in this area.

And James helps us see that.

So while it does start with some stark warnings here

about the threat and the consequences of these conflicts for his people,

the church, as James admonishes them for it,

is clearly a prevalent issue in this church.

Please stick with me as he also gives some real encouragement and hope for the cure

and how to avoid it and how to keep our focus centered on the Lord Jesus.

We'll first see the cause of these conflicts in the church.

That's kind of verses 1 to 3.

And then we see the consequences of these conflicts in verses 4 to 5.

And then it's the cure for these conflicts in verses 6 to 10.

And then finally in verses 11 and 12,

James gives a helpful but challenging example of the kind of conflict that he's talking about,

just to give it some illustration.

So firstly, the cause of these conflicts.

In verse 1, we're introduced right away to what is causing these conflicts in the church.

He doesn't wait around.

These quarrels and fights, as it says here,

although there is no suggestion that they're actually physical.

He asks it as a rhetorical question in a sense,

but he answers it right away.

He's saying they don't have to look far.

The answer is right here in themselves.

It's their own selfish desires, their pleasures, their passions,

all things related to their own self-centeredness.

In other words, it's the sin that they hadn't let go of.

What's clear is that it was a problem for them

and it was destroying them from the inside.

So while everyone is susceptible to this,

I don't necessarily think he's saying it's everyone all the time,

or even a majority.

But that's why it's still an issue,

is it only takes one or two for it to start.

Even in my relatively short experience,

I have sadly seen this in churches for myself,

sometimes it only takes a disagreement between two individuals

and they can't get past it.

Others are then forced to choose sides,

families are involved, friends, fallouts,

and a division can become inevitable.

A small lapse in focus from God

and a little bit of disguised sin creeps in

and it spoils the lot.

Needless division caused by a lack of awareness

in preparation for these causes

and the cure which we're going to come to shortly.

We as a church have to be mindful of this

as it can affect our reputation and our testimony

and become a distraction from the message

that we're here to share

if we're marked by these other things

and these fallouts,

rather than being known for the good news of the gospel

and the hope it can bring

and the lives that it can change.

The other thing about this intro

is that he doesn't really go into specifics

about the quarrels

or what it's about on a surface level

because regardless,

it all comes down to giving in to our desire

for self-gratification and for pride

and for the need to be right

and an unwillingness to accept correction and blame.

This is important for us who are Christians

because we're all at war constantly,

still living in our human fleshly bodies,

but we have the Holy Spirit living in us.

So there's this constant push and pull

where we have to consciously choose

whether to obey the spirit in us

or the flesh that we live in.

For me, this sometimes looks

or usually looks like a flash anger moment.

If something has been said

that has really angered me or upset me

and it's just not sitting well,

and then like a flash,

the old life comes back

and I'm just looking to say

whatever I need to to get my way

and make sure that I don't look bad.

You know, I'm looking out for number one

kind of regardless of who's affected by what I say.

Maybe that's relatable to you too.

And the issue is we forget the grace of the gospel,

how to put our unity in Christ first

and the call to love our brothers and sisters in Christ.

How would the Lord deal with a situation like that?

Would he be trying to think of the best comeback

just to make someone else feel bad

and prove them wrong?

Or would he approach it with love

and a willingness to forgive?

When we move away from God's will,

it's always to gratify our own,

to try and satisfy our own desires

based on what feels good or seems appealing.

But it comes at the cost of not honoring the Lord

by putting our own sinful and selfish wants above his,

affecting our spiritual well-being

as well as the well-being of others,

resulting in hurt, divisions, strife and fallouts.

And so then in verse two,

James is speaking to those who are at fault for this.

And what he's saying here is

they never actually get the fulfillment

they want from these desires.

And so they chase it in vain

and it leaves them unfulfilled and not satisfied,

which is what causes them to start quarreling

and fighting with each other.

And even to kill, it says here, or murder.

Now, I don't think he's accusing them of outright murder,

but quarrels can lead to an equivalent hatred in the heart,

which is how the Lord Jesus described

the inward condition of the heart shown outwardly by anger

when he spoke on it in the Sermon of the Mount.

And then at the end of verse two,

he's referring to them not having what they want

because they didn't ask.

They didn't pray.

In taking their focus away from God

and only on their own wants,

they're feeling self-sufficient, self-reliant.

Maybe they thought, well, I'm saved now.

Why do I need God now? I'm saved.

They were taking their grace for granted.

And I think we should ask ourselves,

can we be guilty of that?

Life can get busy.

I'm sure we can all relate to that.

And maybe in a time of blessing

where lots of things seem to be going well

and it's all happening for us,

it's tempting to give ourselves the credit a little bit

and on our hard work

and not give thanks,

the thanks deserved to the provider.

So then, bam,

as soon as there's a blocker

and we're not getting it all our own way

and things aren't going how we would like

and we're a bit confused how that can be,

then we think about praying.

And so then in verse three,

it's no surprise then when they didn't receive

because they were asking with the wrong motives.

It was from a selfish place that they started to pray

and it wasn't in line with God's will.

Now this is touching on a bigger subject

and I don't want you to take away that

just because you feel there hasn't been an answer

to your prayer

or you haven't received what you've been asking for,

that that's God telling you your motives were wrong.

That's not the case.

Asking with the wrong motives never results in good.

Asking with the right ones doesn't always either.

It is worth checking ourselves

so when it comes to our partitions in prayer,

that's the things that we ask the Lord for.

And while we may not always be sure

what God's will is for us,

what I will say is what we pray for

should reflect the blessing that he's given us,

be God-honoring and be a blessing for others.

Then it will be truly self-fulfilling.

So then moving into verse four,

verses four and five,

we have the consequences of these conflicts.

And it starts with very strong language.

He's accusing them of being adulterers, adulteress.

It's provocative language that was typical of Jewish scripture

and it was used deliberately to get their attention.

But we should take note here as well

as this accusation is directly applicable to us too.

Obviously the word has a few meanings

and in the context here,

he isn't talking about their physical relationship behavior,

but he's rather using it to describe

their spiritual relationship with Christ.

What he's saying here is that the Christian

is in a special relationship with God.

The language often used throughout the Bible

is that he is the bridegroom

and his people, the church, are the bride.

And so these people that he's writing to

and where I think this is very relatable to us as well,

they were choosing themselves

and friendship with the world over him, over God.

It's a spiritual unfaithfulness.

And when you are desiring things other than God

first in your life,

choosing the gods of pleasure over the God of heaven,

then it makes us adulteresses in that sense.

It's okay to want things and have dreams.

That's not what I'm saying.

It's about checking our priorities

and the root of our desire for them.

This gets easier, the better the relationship

that we have with Christ.

It starts there and then we can look to him

to get the steer and the direction

when faced with big decisions

and to always look for the opportunity

also to give back and to serve.

And then so in verse 6,

we have the cure of the conflict.

From verse 6, from 6 to 10,

we have the cure of the conflict.

Verse 6 is a key verse in this section

and really the whole book as well.

These threats and temptations

of choosing the flesh

that we've been speaking about

are real and constant for the believer

and can overwhelm even the strongest of us.

We have all fallen at some point

to some degree to some of this,

but here is the reminder we need.

He gives us more grace.

Grace upon grace, more and more.

As long as we recognize that we need it.

That's what's key here.

Which is why we also need the reminder

that God opposes the proud,

but shows favor or gives more grace

to the humble, as the ESV puts it nicely.

We need to humble ourselves

to actually receive it and be blessed by it.

And then, when we are Christ-centered

or the closer to Christ we get,

the more you realize you need.

The better the understanding we have

of what we have been given,

the more in awe we are of what he did

and how much we need him.

And then, so, from verse 7 through 9,

we have a clear list of actions

we must follow in order for this repentance

to be genuine.

He says,

And then in verse 10,

he gives the command,

the call to action,

an appointed statement

on the result of repentance.

He says,

And just as an encouragement here,

aside from the emphasis on repentance

and submitting to God,

we know these listed actions

can be difficult to do all of these things

and we can feel the opposition

sometimes strong against us,

but the encouragement here

is that the devil will flee from us

if we resist him.

Not forever, after one instance,

this is a continual thing,

but what is clear here

is the protection we get from God

as we draw near to him.

And then he to us.

It's when we're straying

out of the way

of being in his presence,

picking up our old bad habits again,

and we're walking unprotected

that we're most susceptible

to the attacks.

So please,

be weary and vigilant, friends.

True faith requires true humility.

True faith requires true humility.

It's not until we have true faith

and we realize our constant need

and we humble ourselves

that he will exalt us.

It was recognizing this need

that caused those of us here

who have made that commitment of faith

to take it.

And if you find yourself today

realizing that you have never taken

that deliberate step

to put your trust and faith

in Jesus Christ,

this is what it looks like.

You need to simply accept

that based on our own sinful nature,

that is your human condition,

that is the opposite of God

and causes us to do wrong,

we will never be able

to meet God's standards.

And the only one who did

was his son,

the Lord Jesus,

who took our place

when he gave his life

on the cross.

And so,

in humility,

if you put your faith

and trust

in the work completed

not only on the cross,

but also in the belief

in his subsequent resurrection

from the dead

and have genuine repentance,

then you too

can call him

your savior.

And so then,

moving on into

the final section,

verses 11 to 12,

where we have an example

of a conflict.

Verses 11 to 12,

it almost starts

a new train of thought,

but what he's bringing up here

is a very specific

but very typical example

of what he's been speaking

about this whole time,

especially at the start

of the passage

as a cause of quarrel

or conflict.

It is still an example

of what happens

when we become

less Christ-centered

and too self-centered,

too concerned

with the judgment

and the judging of others,

and it breeds

coveting and jealousy,

which starts in the heart,

but it gets brought out

by speaking

ill

and slandering

each other

by talking down

to them,

backstabbing,

maybe spreading rumors,

frankly just lying

in this kind of slander.

And so he continues

this thought here

by saying that

those who criticize

the law

are in a sense

making themselves

judges of the law.

This is God's law,

to be clear,

and to make yourself

a judge

is putting yourself

at the same level

or even above God.

And so then

in verse 12,

he is very clear

there is only

one lawgiver

and one judge,

the one who has

true power

over life

and death,

he who is able

to save

and destroy.

And then so he finally,

he closes

with another rhetorical question.

Who are we

to put ourselves

in this position

to judge our neighbor

or our fellow brothers

and sisters in Christ?

I think it's telling

that this closing example

of conflict

that he gives

of malicious talk

in the church

is still so poignant today.

I'm sure we don't have

to think too hard

to recognize

examples

that we've seen

in our church.

Alistair touched on it

briefly this morning even.

Differences of opinion

are natural

and can even be healthy

and helpful

for learning

when we have

a genuine love

and respect

for each other.

But we need to watch

where it becomes

a genuine disagreement.

This might be over

or might look like

a disagreement

over a simple

practical issue

in the church

just because you've

always done it

one way

or someone's

family habits

and how they do things

in their household

are just not

how you were brought up.

Or your interpretation

of a verse

is very different

to theirs

but it's over

something that

is very much

of secondary importance

to the gospel truth

and you let it

compromise

your fellowship.

And as the

disagreement

goes unsettled

it damages

the relationship

and it leads

to unkind things

being said

either to others

about them

or even directly

to themselves

without necessarily

thinking about it.

And that can cause

real hurt

and then real damage

to the church family.

Whether it's just

to try and make

one seem better

than others

or just to tear

another down

deliberately

casting seeds

of doubt

and suspicion

can cause cracks

that are difficult

to repair

and sadly

often aren't.

So the call

is to be aware

of the causes

and the dangers

these conflicts

can bring

however insignificant

they might seem

initially

and their potential

consequences

and the division

and hurt

that can come

as a result.

And we do this

by always assessing

our focus

staying close

to the Lord

and striving

to always be

Christ-centered

in our actions

which will not only

be a cure

for these pitfalls

but will allow us

to get closer

to Him still

humbling ourselves

each time

so that we can

truly live a life

by faith

that is also

pleasing

to Him

for Him

but also

with Him.

Let me just

close for us

now

in prayer.

Our God

and Father

we thank you

for this challenging

reminder

again in this

book of James

of what true faith

really looks like

and then the dangers

that can come

if we don't have

such true faith

and humility.

We realize

how much of a challenge

this can be

when we're still

living here

in this world

in our human

fleshly bodies

Father

but that's why

we give thanks

that we do not

have to do this

alone.

We pray that

as a church

we would always

be weary

of these dangers

and strive

to get closer

in our walk

with you

to be more

Christ-centered

in all aspects

that will lead us

to a strengthening

of our fellowship

and we're so

thankful that

all we have to do

is to humble

ourselves

so that we can

accept this grace

that is given to us

and that we might

honor you

with our actions

and our service

and so we just

pray that you

will bless

have blessed

this time

that we've

spent together

in your word

as we ask

this all now

in your son's

precious and

holy name

Amen

Amen

Amen

on the future

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