Conflict in the Church

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter 4.

James 4 · chapter mention

I want to ask a question, a very personal question.

Have you ever had conflict with anyone?

Deacon said, Amen.

I'm going to repeat that.

Have you ever had conflict with anyone?

Oh me?

Well, let me ask it.

I'll just get right down personal.

Have you ever had conflict with your wife?

I sure have.

As Rose Paul, as Rosemary would say, hmm, hmm.

My wife would say, I am the conflict.

And guess what?

A lot of times I am.

Very seldom is she.

But conflict is a reality in life.

Would you not agree?

You cannot live life without conflict.

What about in the church?

Well, now think a minute.

If you are, if you have conflict, okay, and you do, then you come into the church, guess what?

People bring conflict into the church.

Let me share with you something that'll help you.

There are no perfect churches.

And you can run and try to find them if you want to, but the moment you join, it won't be perfect anymore.

Hello.

So today I want you to see unbelievable, fantastic truth on how to deal with conflict.

If you understand this message today, it will save you.

It may save you a heart attack.

It could save you high blood pressure.

Because what happens when you have conflict is you get stressed out.

You get frustrated.

And I'm telling you, it will kill you.

Conflict.

Satan's come to kill, steal, and destroy.

And the way he stops God's work, you just heard what Rick said, be praying for these teenagers.

You better be praying for them and the leaders and everyone else.

And that's why I hope you pray for me so vehemently every week.

Because Satan attacks the ones that are going and telling the good news.

He attacks those that are trying to be a vivacious witness for God.

He tries to take them out.

Because he knows if he can take the leaders out or the strong Christians out, then the world looks at that situation or circumstances and says, I told you God's not real.

So it's a strike against the testimony of an awesome Almighty God.

So today we're going to look at what causes conflict in the church.

Or you could say, what causes conflict in your home?

What causes conflict in your workplace?

What causes conflict with each other?

In James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

I mean James chapter 4, verse 1.

James 4:1

Notice what he said.

From whence comes wars and fightings among you.

Now notice he said among you.

He's not talking about the lost folks.

He's talking to the church.

That's important that you understand that.

He is talking here to the church.

Among you, among Christians.

Come they not hence even of your lust.

Where do they come from?

From your lust that war in your members.

Ye lust and have not.

Ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain.

Ye fight and war.

Yeah, ye have not, because ye ask not.

Ye ask and receive not.

Because ye ask amiss.

That ye may consume it upon your lust.

Wow.

Next is pretty strong language.

Ye adulters and adulteresses.

Wow.

He's talking to the church.

Now for us, we go, whoa, wait a minute.

Now back in the day that this was written, it was pretty normal because they understood the Old Testament language that God in the Old Testament constantly gave a metaphor of his relationship with the nation Judah, his chosen people, as a marriage relationship.

And by the way, we go to the New Testament, guess what?

Jesus' relationship with us is identical.

He talks about our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ being the groom, and we happen to be the bride.

So this language has carried over from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

And so what he's saying is when you and I go away from God as Christians, it's as if we have committed a spiritual adultery to God.

That's strong.

That's powerful.

Unbelievable.

You adulteress and adulteresses, know you not.

That the friendship of this world is enmity with God.

Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

It doesn't get any stronger than that.

It can't get any stronger.

I mean, it's almost like James is saying to we Christians, we're standing in front of him, and he's looking at us, and he's almost like an attention, but yet he's saying, almost give you.

When I was in football, playing football a lot, every once in a while, you know, you'd mess up.

You'd just really blow it because you went the wrong way.

He went in the wrong hole.

Some guy scores a touchdown.

I'm playing linebacker.

I miss it.

And he'd come up and he'd grab me, the coach would grab me by my face mask, and he'd and he'd just shake it.

Love it.

Do you know what you're doing?

No.

I wasn't about to say that.

But I was thinking it, no one.

And I used to think, well, if I if I knew what I'm doing, I wouldn't have gone the wrong way.

But but I mean, it's like he's grabbing us as Christians and saying, listen, wake up.

You cannot allow this type of behavior in the church because it will destroy the church.

Man, it's a great alarm.

So, we see, with that said, today, we want to look at the conflicts.

The cause of the conflict in the church is the first thing I want us to look at.

And by the way, let me tell you what he said about conflict in the church right then.

In 2 Corinthians, did I put 2 Corinthians 12 up there, Jason?

I may, I don't remember.

I've studied, I get to go and I love the book.

I love the book.

In fact, what is our saying around here?

We what?

We love it, we learn it, we live it.

Let's say it again.

We love it, we learn it, we live it.

Now watch.

Well, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 20 and 21, he's writing to the Church of Corinth, which was one of the most, if not the most, carnal church of all the churches in Asia Minor.

2 Corinthians 12:20

I mean, it they didn't do anything right.

So when you start using the book of Corinthians for a foundation for what you're believing in, you might want to double check that.

Because they didn't do much right.

So we see what he said about them.

He says, in the church, in the church you'll find this contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbiting, whispering, conceits, arguments, and he also speaks of those who have not repented of the uncleanness in verse 21.

Fornication, lewdness, which they have practiced, even though our tendency toward sin brings pain and conflict in the church.

God is faithful in continuing to establish his church and help us work through the problems.

Can I get an amen?

But they have to be dealt with.

They have to be dealt with.

Most people won't do it.

Most preachers won't preach what I'm about to preach.

They don't, they wouldn't preach about the prejudice that we've preached this the last few weeks.

They won't preach about loose lips, sink ships.

So, the truth, but when we know the truth, what does it do for us?

It sets us free.

It sets us free.

So, this is gonna be a tremendous enlightenment for us.

So, we remember in chapter three, James documented the results of God's wisdom and work versus the world's wisdom.

So here's the bottom line, and we're gonna get started.

When you and I take the world's wisdom into the church and start trying to live or run a church by worldly wisdom instead of God's word and God's wisdom, we're headed for major problems.

Actually, you're headed for liberalism.

So, number one, let's get started.

The cause of the conflict in the church.

Look at verses one through three that I just read.

First, he said, where do wars and fights come from?

Notice what he said.

Do they not come from the desires and pleasures from within us?

What is he saying there?

He's saying that the cause of the conflict in the church comes from burning desires.

In fact, let me give you the word.

The word there, uh, and boy, what a word it is for the lust.

Uh another word for its desires, but the the Greek word is hedane, hedane, and it literally means lust, it means desires, evil desires, sensual desires, passionate sensual desires, pleasurable sensual desires.

In fact, Titus chapter three, verse three says this we ourselves were foolish.

We were disobedient, deceived, serving our divers lust, that uncontrollable lust, that continual lust, pleasures, living in malice, envy, hatefulness, and hating one another.

Wow! He says, when you allow your personal, lustful gratifications to control you, you are headed for major conflict.

Major.

Now you understand where we are.

Why are we in the mess we're in in America?

And I'm telling you, because it's self-gratification, it's self-sensual pleasures, it's trying to gratify and fulfill the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and you as a Christian cannot do that.

I don't care how hard you try, because God will not stand for it.

And so guess what?

Conflict comes.

Conflict comes.

And we see that.

In fact, when he said this, the psychologists who have been attempting to blame everything that we go through.

You hear it on the news every night.

Well, and and and don't get mad at me about this, but I'm gonna just say it because it's a great illustration.

Every time somebody gets shot, or a bunch of people get shot, that the first thing they want to say is, hey, take the guns away.

Guns don't kill people.

People with guns kill people.

You understand that?

I've owned a gun all my life, and I've never killed anyone.

I'm not even good at killing deer.

I can't hit them.

So, I mean, and I can't shoot Bambi anyway.

But what I'm trying to say is we try to blame it on our environment, our culture, our education, our government.

We try to blame it on everything except what the blame should be placed and where it should be placed, and that's on you and me for our sinful personal gratification desires that we have.

From position, from power, from uh money, from say, all of it, all of that is gratification, personal self-gratification to fulfill your lust of your flesh and my flesh.

Instead of trying to please God.

And when we do that, and we all do it, there is conflict.

There is conflict, major conflict.

Now, with that said, let's look at the second thing.

What he is saying is man is a slave of passions and pleasures.

James identified these personal pleasures, listen to this, and bodily desires as the cost of neighbor's interest as the cause of conflict.

Wow.

People who live only to please themselves create their own problems.

Did you know that?

Now wait a minute, you're gonna blame it on me.

Man, that preacher, all he does is just, you know, he just comes in there and condemns me.

He never exhorts me.

That's not true.

I preach the whole counsel.

Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine, 2 Timothy 4, 2.

I don't like the reproving because let me say something, I'm just as guilty as you are.

And if it doesn't, if I'm not stepping on my toes, you know what my papa used to tell me, he said, Danny Boy, when you're preaching, if you don't step on your toes first, you're not doing your job.

I didn't understand that until long into the ministry.

And then what I realized, if this was not such a convicting word to me to help change my life, how could it be convicting to you?

Amen.

So we see that.

And the passion for pleasure and gratification that rages within the body and our members, the lust for food, more food, drink, more drink, drugs, more drugs, sex, more sex, possessions, more possession, money, more money, land, more man, all that comes from right here.

From within.

So how do we deal with it?

Number two, look at the characteristics of the conflicts in the church.

Verses two and three.

We read them.

Look at what he says again.

He says, You lust and you have not, you kill, you desire to have and cannot obtain, you fight and war, you have not because you ask not, you ask and receive not because you ask him is, that you may consume it upon your lust.

Now, if we follow the organization of this passage, those two verses right there, we'll see right here what he's saying.

There are four, four, four characteristics of conflict among God's people.

This is good.

Boy, this is good.

This is oh me.

This is o me time.

Number one, unsatisfied pleasure.

Look at verse two.

You lust.

That means you you set your heart upon.

And by the way, Galatians 5.17 says, For the flesh lust against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.

And these are contrary one to another, so that ye cannot do the things that you would.

In other words, Satan wants to bring conflict into our life so that we cannot be a living testimony to God.

How can we be a testimony when we're fighting?

Can't do it.

He's smart, he's wise, he's manipulative, and he's unbelievable powerful.

In other words, contrary means to oppose, it means our adversaries, it means our enemies.

To set your heart, lust means to set your heart upon something, to covet it, to long for it, to desire it.

Three times, right here in verse 2, look at it.

Three times we're told that those who sought for pleasure were frustrated in the process.

Why?

Pleasure never gives us full satisfaction.

Can I get an amen?

Three times they said, I want this, don't get it, won't this, don't get it, won't this, still don't get it.

Now, it wasn't that they may not get what they were wanting, but what they were getting was not pleasing to them.

It was not fulfilling to them ultimately.

Oh, sin.

Let me go ahead and say now.

Wait a minute, preacher.

Sin's pretty fun.

Yes, it is.

For a short season.

Then you pay the consequences.

You cannot eliminate the consequences.

Been there.

I know.

You can be sure your sins will find you out.

Numbers 32, 23.

You're gonna pay.

But why do we do?

Why do we sin?

Because we're trying to satisfy that gratification within.

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes.

Pleasure never gives us full satisfaction.

Let me give you a verse.

I don't think it's on there.

Psalms 107, verse 9 says, He satisfies the longing soul.

Psalms 107:9

He fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Amen.

Jesus.

Number two, uncontrolled passion.

Look at verse 2, second phrase.

You murder and covet and cannot obtain.

Murder seems so strong for this passage.

Could James really be talking about someone being killed because of a church fight?

We have, there's been records of that, absolutely.

In the church where people got so mad that they ended up shooting each other.

It's stupid.

Stupid.

It's stupid.

It's just, but why?

It's that passion, that gratification, that lust of pride.

I want it my way.

By the way, let me help you.

Here's another verse.

Write it down.

Proverbs 13, 10.

Only pride breeds contention.

Only pride.

In other words, what you want when you want it and how you want it.

That's that uncontrolled passion.

David, David murdered Uriah because of the lust he had for Bathsheba.

Think about that.

Ahab murdered Naboth because of his desire for a vineyard.

Murder is the extreme to which frustrated desires may lead.

Covetousness always results in destructive behavior.

Always.

Always.

And that's so true.

Notice the third thing.

Untapped potential.

Mmm, this is.

Oh.

Look at verse 2, third phrase.

You fight and war, yet you do not have because you do not ask.

Now remember, James is writing to believers, not lost folks here.

He's not writing to people outside the church.

Yet the spiritual condition of those to whom James is writing is summarized in this statement.

They did not have because they did not ask.

Instead of turning to God as the giver of every perfect gift that cometh from above, James 1.17, they turned to their own schemes in the process of their own self-efforts.

And they further eroded their practice of prayer.

Instead of going to God and asking God for wisdom and his direction, his peace, they decided they'd do it their way.

Their way.

Can I tell you, when you do it your way, remember Jonah?

God says you're going to Nineveh.

He said, No, I'm not.

He went down to the dock, got on the ship.

Next thing you know, hey, he's going down in the sea.

And next thing you know, he's down in the bottom of the belly of the big fish.

He went three ways.

Down down, down.

Hello.

Why?

There was conflict.

He and God.

God said, go here.

He said, nope, I'm going there.

Oh, you are?

Okay.

Can I say something?

Let me help you.

This, if you don't get anything else, this could save your life, literally.

You can't win against God.

You can't do it.

Submit.

Give in.

What you heard from some of these precious kids up here today.

You know what happened to camp?

They surrendered.

That's what I know.

Been there.

They surrendered.

Not my will, but thy will be done.

Not I, but Christ.

Galatians 2.20.

Not I, but Christ.

Not me, but Christ.

Untapped potential, which leads to the fourth thing, unanswered prayer.

Look at verse 3.

You ask and you do not receive because you ask him is.

That you may spend it on your own pleasures.

Verse 2, look, there's no receiving because there's no asking.

Look at verse 3.

There's no receiving because the asking is done with the wrong motive.

Now they decide to ask.

They hadn't been asking now, okay.

Well, I guess I better pray.

You ever been there?

The last thing, you know, after you've tried everything else not working, you say, well, maybe I ought to pray.

Duh.

You think?

But then they're still so selfish, so caught up in their own passion, that now they pray, and you know what?

They'll pray.

Well, God, I need you to help me do this.

Bam, bam, and then you give God your list.

And maybe if God's lucky, on the end you'll say, Oh, by the way, I hope that's your will.

Because it's definitely mine, and that's what I'm doing.

It's called, hey, amiss means you ask with the wrong motives.

So then the question should be: what is the wrong motive?

A wrong motive is this when you ask what you want and want God to confirm what you want to do.

That's wrong asking.

That's asking amiss.

But now what's this?

What is the motive for prayer then?

What is the right motive for asking?

Glad you asked.

Look at 1 John 5, verse 14 and 15.

1 John 5:14

Boy, this is powerful.

And what does he say?

If we ask anything according to God's will, now watch.

His will, that means the scriptures, what he says, if we hear anything, I mean, if we ask anything according to his will, what?

What does he say?

We know that he hears us.

And so then he goes on in the next verse verse 15.

Whatsoever we ask, then, he grants, because we ask in the will of God.

So how do we know the will of God?

Very simple.

We know the will of God through the word of God.

That's why it's so important to be in church, be in quiet time, have a good Bible study.

That's why we're so excited about this Thursday night.

You don't want to miss this Thursday night.

Ladies, put it down.

Be here.

What time?

6:30.

It's for the ladies.

We're wanting God to just birth in our ladies of this church a heart for God.

You know why we want that?

Because I've learned something.

When the woman gets on fire for God, starts praying for two God, things happen.

I've seen so many husbands change because of prayers of their wives.

So we want to get the women in this church excited about the word and praying.

We give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word of God, Acts 6.4.

That's where it is.

My wife, uh, she's fixing to get more involved with Marquita and the ladies and really just getting a hold of God.

And we men, we're doing the best we can, but I know you women can do it.

Amen.

Amen.

And you start bringing those, you got wayward kids.

You start bringing those prayer requests and things.

And on that nights and days when y'all meet once a week and in the in the uh ladies' group on Sunday mornings, we start in September.

Susan will be leading that one.

Oh, it's gonna be, hey, she's she's one of the best Bible teachers.

Marquita's a great Bible teacher.

You'll have two of the greatest Bible teachers, but but not just the word, we want to learn to pray.

I'm telling you, prayer is where it is.

That's the hardest thing for me to do, is to pray.

I can study all day, memorize all day, but to pray.

But I'm getting better because I'm just praying the words I'm memorizing.

Hello, pray the word.

That helps.

Amen.

Pray the book, read the book, pray it.

So I don't know how to pray.

Yeah, you do read songs, pray that, then read it, then go back and pray it.

Next thing you know, you'll just be boom, boom, boom, boom.

Amen.

So unanswered prayer, not praying according to God's word.

Listen to what he says.

He says, Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great mighty things which you know not.

Jeremiah 33, 3.

Now, when we're not praying according to the will of God, and by the way, John 7 17, write this verse down.

If any man will do his will, if any man will do his will, now watch.

He shall know of the doctrine, the teachings.

The way you know the will of God is through the word of God.

And when you know the word of God and you pray that God will allow that word to be real in your life, and you do the word, you are praying and working in the will of God.

Man, that's good.

Preacher, that's good.

Are you with me?

So that's how we know.

Oh, another verse God gave me early this morning.

Romans 15, 6.

Woo, that ye made with one mind and one mouth.

Isn't it amazing how he combined the mouth with the mind?

Hello.

One mind, one mouth.

Glorify God.

Man, that's good.

Whether you eat or drink, whatsoever you do, what?

You know what?

We do all to the 1 Corinthians 10 31.

So we know the cause of the conflict, the problem is from within.

It's us.

The problem is us.

And notice what James says about that.

Number three, the condemnation of the conflict in the church.

Look at verse 4.

Here's a strong, very strong indictment from Jane.

James to the churches.

Adulters and adulteresses.

When James talks about being an adulterer or adulteress, he's not talking about sexual sin.

He's talking about spiritual adultery.

What he's talking about, and we just preached about it.

He's talking about when we turn to the wisdom of the world instead of the wisdom of God.

We saw that last week.

That's what he's talking about.

He says, You are walking away from my wisdom to turn to the world's wisdom.

It's like a husband leaving his wife, or actually not leaving her, well, kind of, but cheating on her.

That's what it's like.

That's what he's saying.

You're leaving your foundation.

And notice what he says.

Two things I want you to see what James offers.

Two consequences here to chasing after the wisdom of the world.

Notice what he says.

Two things.

Boy, this is good.

Friendship.

Friendship with the world, look, destroys our fellowship with God.

It destroys our fellowship with Christ.

Do you not know?

The friendship, hey, with the world is enity.

That's the King James Version.

Your version probably says, or if you got a different one, hostility.

Somebody, what what version you got, honey?

What does it say?

The word enity.

Does hostility?

Yeah, James 4.

You adulterers and adulteresses.

Hatred.

Somebody got a different one?

Hatred.

Enmity.

In other words, hostility.

That's a strong synonym for the word.

That's what it means.

Hostility toward God.

Now I know what you're thinking.

I don't, I'm not hostile toward God.

I just don't obey God.

You do it in an easy way.

You just, I'm not going today.

I'm not doing that.

And you smile about it.

Our oldest daughter was a master at that.

My little youngest one's like her dad.

Bless God, you didn't have to worry about what she's thinking, she's blabbing it.

In your face, she'd put it right in your face.

That's why I very seldom oh she and I were at turmoil for years until she got saved.

Now she's my best friend.

She's telling me, Hey Dad, the word says this.

Now she's like me and I'm saying, Go, go, go, go.

She and I haven't had a disagreement.

I don't even know if we've had one thing she's got to say.

Turn three.

Mary smiled at you saying, yeah.

You're right, man.

She wasn't no more gonna do that than a man in the middle.

Am I right, honey?

Yeah.

But she just hung my name.

She's gonna walk right out that door and do exactly what you want to do.

And I thought, wow, what an example for a lot of us.

We sit here, we hear Pastor Danny preach, I preach, and we go out, next thing you know, we're just doing what we want to.

Oh, yeah, I I I heard that, but you know what?

Or here's a here's where I'm guilty.

You're right, Lord.

I I've I'll do that later.

I know I need to do that.

I I'll get around to it.

I'm gonna get some of those buttons.

Around to it?

Hmm?

And what we don't see and what we don't want to hear is what I just preached.

When we do that, we are adulterating our relationship with God.

That is woe.

I just got goosebumps.

Because of my guilt for that.

The Holy Spirit said, now that's right.

But we don't want to, and we don't want somebody to tell us that either.

What we want to hear is we all have problems.

Let's just pray through it.

We're doing the best we can.

Well, you don't, that's the problem.

The problem is we're doing the best we can.

We're not letting God do it through us.

Can I get an amen?

Woo! Hey, that's good.

That's our problem.

I mean, that's what we see.

No second thing.

No second thing.

Friendship with the world denies our faith in God's word.

Ooh, look at verse 5.

Secondly, friendship with the world denies our faith in God's word, he says, or do you think that the scripture says in vain?

The spirit who dwells in you yearns jealously?

In other words, he says, Do you not think that the word of God is true and that the Holy Spirit is jealous of you?

He loves you, God's jealous of you, Christ is jealous of you, he loves you so much, he's placed his own third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit in you, and he wants you to listen to him and be obedient to him, not the world.

This is an intimate, dynamic, covenant relationship with a real God.

You're married to God.

Don't cheat on him.

Don't cheat on him.

Don't cheat on him.

What know ye not that your body's a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you and you're not your own?

For you bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God's.

Being confident in this very thing that he which begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

He's got a plan for you.

Don't cheat on him.

Don't settle for second best.

Let him work through you and give you his best for you.

Yes, Rick, we start doing that.

We start doing that.

Darren starts, that gem's not gonna be big enough.

But I can't wait.

We're gonna pack that gym out.

First Sunday we open it, it'll be full.

Because people, let me tell you, it's gonna get tougher.

Now, you know what I've learned through the study of the scripture?

When it gets tough, godly people, even people don't know God, they want to hear the truth, and they go to where the truth is really, hey, lived and taught.

Yes, phew, they'll be there.

They'll come from everywhere.

That's right.

The truth, the unadulterated truth.

Don't cheat on God.

Say this with me, church.

Don't cheat on God.

Don't cheat on God.

Don't cheat on God.

He's got something so beautiful and precious and awesome.

He doesn't think evil of you.

He thinks good.

He thinks, hey, what's best for you?

And he's got it laid out for you in this precious book.

Don't don't cheat on God.

You're the one that loses.

We know that.

You can look at all the heartbreak in a divorce and and things that we see, the heartbreak, the turmoil, the it's it's horrible.

And Satan's laughing the whole time.

Because he's destroyed another family.

Or when a Christian goes wayward, he's laughing.

He's derailed another Christian.

Don't let Satan teach you.

You don't double-time God would say you stay with God.

Can I get an Amen?

You stay with Him, which brings me to the last.

The cure for the conflict in the church.

Here it is.

Man, this is good.

Verse 6.

But he gives more grace.

Can I get an Amen for grace?

He gives more grace.

Therefore it says, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

When James quotes these words, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

He is citing a passage in Proverbs 334 and also in 1 Peter 5, verses 5 and 6.

1 Peter 5:5

And let me tell you something.

Let me give you, you know what God's grace is?

I love acrostics.

Grace is what?

Spell it.

G-R-A-C-E.

God's riches at Christ's expense.

Is that not good?

God's riches at Christ's expense.

It's kind of like grace, the acrostic grace and the word faith, F-A-I-T-H, forsaking all I take him.

Well, grace is God's riches at Christ's expense.

Everything that God is.

God's grace is unearned, it's undeserved, and it's unmerited.

Amen.

We are unworthy, we are unqualified, and we are unentitled to receive it, but we receive it because of God's grace and God's love and mercy for each of us.

Thank God for grace.

Spurgeon said, he may have too much honor, but he can never have too much grace.

It is, hey, he said, it was God's grace that gave healing to those who looked upon the brazen serpent in Numbers 21.

It was God's grace that provided water from the rock, Exodus 17, of Israel as they traveled through the scorching and hot desert.

It was God's grace that brought healing to Naaman after he obeyed God and dunked himself seven times in the Jordan River.

It was God's grace that provided man.

And for 40 years, while they wandered in the wilderness, the grace of God is essential and adequate for every problem and tragedy or everything we go through.

His grace is sufficient, his strength is made perfect, and our weakness, most gladly I will glory in my infirmities because when I am weak, he is strong.

Amen.

God's grace is the core of our creed.

Listen to what Spurgeon said.

The core of our creed, our convictions, our character.

Grace is the, oh, I like this.

I don't know if what did he say?

Wait a minute.

No, wait.

No, it's it's a hard word, but it's a great word.

Now I'm gonna tell you.

Oh, well, here's a dead translation.

Okay.

I'm getting too excited.

I can't even think anymore.

All right.

Hey, God's grace is the center of all our expectations.

It's the root of our righteousness, it's the foundation of our faith.

It's the pinnacle.

It's the pinnacle of our power, our purity, it's the bloom of the believer's Christian character, faith, and foundation.

God's grace.

Is that not awesome?

Is that not awesome?

New Testament tells us.

Let us come bowling to the throne of grace that we might attain mercy and grace to find need in time of hell.

Hebrews 4 16.

Alright, quickly now I'm through.

How to appropriate this grace.

It's right here.

I'm gonna just take it verse by verse.

1.

7 through 12.

Relinquish control of your life.

Look at verse 7.

Submit to God.

The word submit there, like Greg being a colonel.

It's a rank in the military.

The word submit means to take rank under.

The proud person will find this to be the ultimate challenge for him.

He will want to do things his way.

Matthew 6, 33, seek ye first.

It's really Romans 12, 1 and 2, presenting your body a living sacrifice.

Number two, verse 7, resist the devil.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5, 8, 9 says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, listen, it's like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour.

Walking around.

But verse 9 says, resist him by being steadfast in the faith, the word.

You know what the word resist?

I did a word study, and there's so many great words there.

But here's what it really means: that when Satan comes, you stand up, like Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in power of his mind, Ephesians 16.

You stand up and you raise your armor, you raise your skill of faith, and you raise your sword of the Spirit and say, Satan, I'm not moving.

With those breastplate of truth and the belt of, I mean the yeah, and the righteousness and the belt of truth and the and the sandals with the with those those those prongs that are dug in, those little nails that so you can't waver.

And the helt, the helmet, to protect your thoughts.

And you fight.

You fight.

Know what it says when you do that?

He flees.

He flees.

He tried three times to take Jesus down after his 40 day fast.

And all times Jesus stood up.

He resisted and said, Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written thou shalt worship.

The Lord thy God and him only shall thou serve.

Take that.

His errors cannot penetrate the shield of faith, and he cannot stand against the sword of the spirit.

You stand.

You stand.

And when you've done all you can do, if he says stand.

Number three, restore worship as a priority.

Look at verse 8.

Draw nigh to God, he'll draw nigh to you.

Draw nigh.

Come close.

Worship him in spirit and in truth.

Because he lives, I can what?

I can face tomorrow.

Worship.

God in spirit and truth, for he seeketh such to worship him.

John 4, 23 and 24.

Verse 8 again, renounce sinful actions.

Listen to what he says.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners.

You know what that means?

Let me tell you what that means.

Quit doing what you're doing.

When you're sinning against God, whatever sin that is, quit doing it.

Can I get an amen?

That's what it means to cleanse your hands.

Quit doing it.

You say, I can't.

No, you can't.

You're right.

You can't.

But with God, you can't.

Nothing's impossible with my God.

Luke 1.37.

Philippians 4.13.

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

You think sometimes, hey, let me tell you.

And mine's I'm a sweet of hauling.

I'm a licking donut.

Any donut.

I'm walking out of the Y.

Susan was working out with me Friday.

I'm feeling good, had a great workout.

Keeping my weight down.

And guess what they've got right by the coffee pot?

I always get me a little, they always have the pastor a little cup of coffee.

A dozen donuts.

Now I've got one or two things.

And yeah, I just I just worked off the calories, and all I got in two bites, I'll put them all back on walking out the door.

So I had a choice.

Stand or die.

Or fall.

Fall to the flesh.

No, I didn't.

Little bit.

Because they had cut the doughnuts.

One little bite.

So I I justified saying one bite will be okay.

Because I figured one bite's only about 15 calories and I'd burn 500 calories, so I thought I was okay.

But anyway, my wife said that's not true.

That's more calories than that.

But but that's what I'm talking about.

When that temptation comes, and I used it for doughnuts, but I know you're laughing, but it's the same thing when you pass that beer bottle, that beer bottle, or that drugs, or whatever, that pornography on there, whatever it is, sex, whatever it is, when you are tempted, you've got to immediately stand.

And let me tell you how I've learned.

Don't put yourselves in the place.

In other words, if you got a problem with being an alcoholic, let me tell you where you don't want to go.

You don't want to go to a bar.

Hello?

Hello?

If you have a problem with pornography, you don't want to watch an R-rated movie.

Or today, even a PG 13.

And sometimes my PG.

Amen?

You don't do that.

Restore that worship, renounce that sinful actions, cleanse your hands.

Now look, verse 8 again, reject sinful attitudes.

Purify your hearts, you're double-minded.

The word double-minded is a term of fickleness and vacillation.

It fits persons who love God and the world.

They try to live in both one foot in the world, one foot in the church.

Can't happen.

No man can serve two masters.

Either he will hate the one, love the other, hold the one, despise the other.

Matthew 6, 24.

Can't do it.

I've tried.

I tried every way you could.

I couldn't do it.

You can't do it.

You know why?

God's a jealous God.

He wants all of you.

He doesn't want to share you with anyone.

We're not polygamous around here.

Amen.

Hello.

Now look at verse 9.

React to sin with sorrow.

Lament and mourn and weep.

David said, I acknowledge my transgressions.

My sin is ever before me.

Oh, folks, this is so powerful.

Can I tell you when I know true repentance?

Can I tell you when I know there's true repentance in me?

I'm down.

Now very seldom you see that kind of down in me.

But inside, I'm hurting.

And you know why I'm hurting?

Because I've hurt my Lord.

I've disappointed him.

I'm disappointed him.

I've cheated on him.

There would be nothing worse in my life than for me to cheat on my wife.

It would break my heart.

But I'm capable.

If I don't stay true to God and his word, if it can happen to David, it can happen to anybody.

And you everybody gives David a bad rap, and they need to at the beginning, but let me tell you something.

As great a sinner as he was, he was as great a repenter.

The sorrow killed him and brought sorrow and lament to him.

And by the way, let me say this about David.

When God wrote the words, a man after my own heart, it was after the great tragedy of the sin with Bathsheba.

Thank God for his grace.

See, the grace is the answer.

Grace is the answer.

I don't care what you've been through.

Listen, I don't care.

I don't care.

And I'm going to be honest with you.

I've done about as anything anybody could do except murder.

I've been there, done that before I got saved.

So let me just tell you, God's grace is sufficient.

Can I get an amen?

Amen?

Don't cheat on God.

Don't cheat on God.

Refrain from frivolous attitudes.

You know what that means?

Verse 9, let your laughter be turned to morning.

Don't laugh about your sin.

Can I get an amen?

Don't laugh and try to joke it off.

For the wages of sin is death.

When lust has conceived, it brings forth sin.

And when sin is finished, it brings forth death.

James 119.

I'm at 115.

And then respond humbly, verse 10 to success.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

You know what I figured, what I saw on this?

Come on.

Fifty times in the word it reference for us personally to humble ourselves before God.

That's why when we have invitations, and for pastors that don't have invitations, I don't understand that.

It's a time for us to humble.

It's not just a time for people to come and get saved or join the church.

Oh, that's true.

But a lot of times it's coming to humble yourself before the Lord and just pray.

Just pray.

You got a need.

Come pray.

Bring it to Him.

Humble yourself, saying, Lord, I'm your unworthy servant.

But see, the world says, oh no, you're great.

No, we're not great.

All our righteousness is filthy rags.

We humble ourselves.

That's why we come to the altar.

We humble ourselves and say, God, you exalt us.

The people who humbles himself, God will exalt.

And let me tell you, you want to be exalted by God, not man.

Man exalts you, you won't last.

God, hey, exalt you, it'll last.

And then lastly, and I'm through, refuse to slander your brother.

Look at verse 11 and 12.

Speak evil, speak no evil one over another, brethren.

That's the chief work of the devil, is to slander God's people.

While most of us would never set out to do the work of the devil, that is exactly what we do when we speak evil of our brothers.

Yeah, it really is.

Loose lips sink ships.

I'm not going to go there.

You've already heard the message.

If you hadn't, you need to hear that message.

One of the most powerful messages to me personally about my lips, my loose lips.

So what do conflicts come?

Where do the conflicts come from, the church?

They come from our own self-centeredness.

And that's why every day when we pray, we ought to ask the Lord God to put a guard before our lips so that we don't say the things that are hurtful about others.

And we ought to ask the Almighty God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to help us be spirit controlled and live as people of grace.

Amen.

And here's a verse that I want you to take this week and memorize.

The one he gave me earliest this morning.

That we may with one mind and one mouth glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

That we may with one mind and one mouth glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every head bowed, every eye closed.

You may be here this morning and you've never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

You know.

You know whether or not you're saved.

Here's what I want you to do this morning.

I want you to pray the sinner's prayer with me if you're not sure.

I want you to get saved this morning.

I want your lives to be changed.

Like four or five of our teenagers' lives were changed.

It was phenomenal.

I'm looking for a great summer.

I'm telling you, you get your young people, if those young people stay on fire like their testimonies exhibiting right now, this thing will go.

This church, that's nothing like having a church with young people on fire for God.

Nothing like it.

But you know what?

I'd like to see some adults get on fire for God.

Can I get an amen, adults?

Let's not set back on the sideline.

Let's get involved with our young people.

Let's get excited with our young people.

Amen.

Let's not cheat God.

Don't cheat God.

If you're here and you're not saved, you're not saved.

Would you pray this prayer with me?

Pray it silently as I pray it out loud.

Would you say, dear Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and I can't save myself.

But right now, dear Jesus, I'm asking you to come into my heart and my life and save me and change me.

Lord, I want to be married to you.

Lord, I want to live for you.

Lord, I'm I'm gonna become your bride.

You're my groom.

And I want to live, hey, happily ever after with you.

Help me, Lord, to be faithful to you.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

If you would like to find out more about us, visit us on our webpage at thechurch at cw dot com.

You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at TheChurch at CW.

Need prayer or more information?

Send us an email at office at the church at CW dot com.

We hope you have a wonderful day, and again, God bless you.