Conflict: Who's On The Throne?

Good morning Summit search my name is Chris I am your campus faster. I'll be in the book of James today two of you have your Bible attorney James chapter 4 today on the canoe here. We have been in a series call from the beginning.

We will return and finish the series up next week, but this is, like that hidden bonus track with your final album out of the book of James, so noted on a get that little hidden bonus right right here it is deftly dealing with relationships. Amen this message as well. I love the book of James, a people call James the Proverbs of the New Testament, but even more intrigued about James himself because James actually was Jesus's little brother that you think about it for me. I'm student James and his siblings who Jesus had many brothers and sisters. They probably struggle with the fact that their big brother was God.

They probably rest with his more than anybody else because of their just close proximity to Jesus, but nevertheless they just like many of us had to get to know Jesus as Savior and worship their big brother as Lord.

So just as a quick little warning right here before we go any further into the message know some of us are just like James and his siblings.

You grew up with godly parents. You experience God's grace.

You attended the church events you say the prayer over the meals you even sang the songs. What is my prayer today that you go away worshiping Jesus as Savior that you get to know him you not just think this because you are around Jesus that you knew Jesus even if you study God's word operated to not just be a person. The studies God's word but you get to know that God of his word.

Amen we put the thing about appointment, what would it take to convince you that your sibling is the Savior thing about a four minute summary.

All I felt the greatest warning say to convince you that my sibling was not the devil I do not know.

So we all hear so we are sitting here right now.

He also knows big Brothers big sisters right here and I know someday. But you. Your younger siblings. If your big brother big sister the raising of women asiago right now. I was the youngest. I never knew what it was like Nadal was treated I think about my big brother. One of things he did was centered around Kool-Aid.

Okay, now do some deli vanilla two ladies, I thought about Kool-Aid. Oh yeah, that although does Micah know that I drink it was an interview African-American that was some as always is Rodriguez for this is a southern thing. The Kool-Aid was a big deal to my house. My mama made the best Kool-Aid in the world are it was so sweet. Oh my God it was so sweet it if you sniffed it got diabetes I made. It is a limitation of it was seated not put sugar in a Kool-Aid you put Kool-Aid in her sugar reading a dessert with his right Kool-Aid. For dessert and it was supersweet and as a kid we we love that we love in my big brother was always trying to halt the Kool-Aid so he would do the slick stuff to try to make me not want to drink Kool-Aid. He won't answer later went who is a little this book is in the Kool-Aid UK. Having a Kool-Aid man here wondering that now looking at liberty obvious the float around in their excitement died whenever else in the Kool-Aid and I'm thinking only in those obligate, modify, Chris no is not you can drink the Kool-Aid, even if it is they are still a paranoid relic in my drink nasty stuff. So thank you big Brothers big sisters that the candidate was causing us now, Melissa, for the most part, me and my brothers.

I got along pretty well in my family but this is the room in our families. We've never seen a family that is absent of conflict. Why because we live in a fallen world conflict is unavoidable, but the question is, so how do we deal with conflict in our lives.

Like any good counselor you know is one thing to deal with conflict, but in order to deal with the conflict.

You must find out what is at the root of the conflict right so I got some good news bad news for here's the bad news. Conflict always arises when the wrong person is on the throne you say what what what is the progress what a troll represents what was your life represents who is at the center of your life as long as the wrong person is on the throne is going to be conflict. But the good news is that the right person is on the throne will always cure any conflict that you face lift companies ASAP before and is look at how James James Pastor James how he addresses the problem of conflict. He later gives a solution swapping there's two questions that just arrived from the sex one is actually in the text in the first one is this what causes conflicts in our lives what causes conflicts in our lives and later on with talk about how do we deal with it.

But right now what causes conflicts in our lives. Verse one. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you, is it not this, that your passions are at war within you immediately. James answers our first question the fights among us are result of what's within us that Greek word for passions right here.

This is where we get the word hedonism know what is hedonism if the philosophy that views our pleasures as the chief goal in life you have heard a phrase Yolo before Yolo means you only live once. That kind of thinking is birthed out of this philosophy, hedonism that she's going to. My life is for me to please myself. I live my life to please myself was that I would do me a view to use what some people say that is what this is an Savior saying the fights and the things that are going on your life. The conflict is behind your selfish ambitions because you're trying to place oneself on the throne and listen.

We always gonna be the wrong person on throne.

I as a pastor will be the absolute worst person to place on the throne in my life you thing about this woman. How selfish would it be for you to be on any team anywhere if you want the people you say hey I need to know some odds what you noted, I would never ever put your needs before my own. Imagine being in a marriage look at your wife is a large leisure know something I know we just got married by I got to be 1, you would never put put your knees above mine. You can do that which a family. You better not. It was her coworkers, your roommate, your classmates, honey, what if you looked at your church family and you look to the person next to you right now ministers you say Liz how did you know something some churches. The recruiters are like, but I'll never put your knees above mile Melissa. Most of us would never say that to anybody. But sometimes our lives preaching is a way we treat those around us. To the best relationships I've seen the best marriages that are seen on marriages where the husband says, how can I will serve you, dear, and the wind looks at us as if how can I will serve you the best family law seen a family where people are trying out serve one another.

The best churches that we haven't been on churches where people look at one another. They say how can I out serve. So James continues to break down and is something behind the sin in our life is something behind the selfish ambitions for let's keep reading verse two you desire and you do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask talk about prayer here you asking you do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Melissa James about those always considered father of the New Testament.

He's one of the most insanely practical people is going to gonna read in an assessment so he's actually in these just in these two little versus he's explaining to us how selfishness it passes three little everyday areas in our life.

It impacts our anger and impacts the community of people around us and it impacts up realized it was your idea.

How does impact on anger is amazing how annual review. We don't get our way that this child is right is missing sounds. But if you want to see was 1 you once he was on the throne as a modern life. Look at what easily angers them prior. I mean, you know, some of us don't put summit bumper stickers on the back of our car as we know some of us really good Christmas we get out of the highway and noted no signs of deployment which are hands-on not sign language, some reality, deliverance by role raise Wellesley, the apostles, one way that were easily angered Melissa anger actually is not a problem. Anger actually is a natural emotion that God allows. But it becomes an issue when it leads us to sin is why the Bible says be angry with sin not knelt while most of us here probably haven't murdered anyone. You surely have murdered people with your lips in a further manifest itself in how you treat people so point-blank what we see here you desired and I have for you murder… No doubt selfish desires cause us to have murderers hearts.

Jesus spent a lot of time in Matthew chapter 5 breaking this down to us, so it impacts our anger would also impacts our community goes around us see what we covet and we crave and wield Yahweh's our hearts become filled with jealousy of discontentment and strife and pride destroys our community knee issues always become we issues there is no such thing as a meeting issues displaying the me issue. It always becomes a we issue listen listen was in you will come out of you and what comes out of you impacts everyone around you.

Now if you don't believe it and have Zaza my family.

I listen to six people in my family are so where in my truck.

Beautiful day. This is his North Carolina on the hot additional colonic is very humid in North Carolina. So in the car. We got the windows all rolled up, got AC own blast and I got the key is all she is eating ice cream I got my lemonade with us to some good music. I'm sipping on it, to know that my wife of my garden fountain is looking back at me was like, why stop you know so is on ourselves, everything is going good it did it happen by what what is it was on my best.

That smells from not having high a grantor's body knows it is spelled by sallow socks and old rotten eggs and everybody started rolling the windows down real frantically and in humility comes in with the fall it intimates even worse. Everybody is man. Everybody asked this question who farming who farmed and hello my path today is what causes calls and fights among us some out if audit is what caused the pain for you not, it went well you do a lot because what goes in you comes out of you, and impacts everybody around you, knee issues always issued high that the reason why this church we keep pounding the gospel as well. You can always hit a golf being a priest because we want the gospel to get in you. So it will come out of you and what impact everyone around you, and everybody said a man all right also impacts another area in our life. Anger at community but a pastoral prayer life. It amazes me how selfishness is to be a self-centered, impacts our prayer prayer might be one of the most underutilized tools that we have an armor is crystal and even that is being polluted by selfish desires you think about a four minute prayer is the one thing that we have as believers we can communicate with the God of the universe the person that created this heavens and the earth that is forever more. We can communicate with him. But what is also business to its terms is inward a process on the throne and he says we have not because we as not only ask, we as with the Ron desires. If you want to know how selfish your prayers. Let me ask you a question.

Is God answered all your prayers today who would be impacted other than yourself, would anybody be safe with anybody be healed. If you really forgave that person, whoever he may be. Let me hear you pray God's will, over their life. God specializes in the impossibly arbitrary and the impossible.

All we believe in the God of the universe, or as ourselves desires messing up operator does what we believe in praying the Scriptures you want to meet ourselves first when a prayer when you hit them, pray to how much friction you hear when Avery because, listen. The goal of prayer is that God's will be done not I will be done.

I hope this prayer is a staff as a church you they were known as a people of prayer. Some of the church. So we have to take the focus off of us and pray for what God can do for those around us in our world to listen to how James explains that there is actually a greater issue to talk about conflict always think about people and the people around us, but there actually something is a little bit deeper than just the people around us were diverse for his very personal pathogenesis of the very intense you adulterous people do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. While while James goes for the shock factor right here. He compares his church. The church folks thought he calls them adulterous. He's basically compares them to a cheating spouse on those very same cheaters Mark Povich Jerry Springer any of those shows.

Although, so the basically centered around unfaithfulness how we are faithful to one another on the debt that that's what date they harp on. I mean the worst thing that could happen is you get home will you check your voicemail little bit you get a a a message from any of those shows because it uses get a message from Ennio so you already know that is about to go down is is not to be good for you for Pastor James he sees on the other line right now anything listen there something is going on in your life that is absolutely horrible Greatest issue is adulterous people is cheaters own God is not and we have conflicts with others that that's a smokescreen please you been easily angered.

About that thing that's a smokescreen that intercommunity is fighting and quarreling all those around you. Not that smokescreen is that it when you pray, is really all about you that's a smokescreen is a bigger issue is a deeper issue because the conflict is not just with others is with the living God.

See he makes very clear right here.com lottery with the world.

That's the world. The system, not the world of people, but the system this way of thinking that is controlled by Satan to put you in direct rights with our creator that have to be honest I armor when I wasn't a believer and I thought I was a believer aquamarine his first house. I'll believe that I'm real good person behave like God enemy.

Are you serious or not God's invisible strong, I would certainly say the songs I was around God body. No one in the reason why is God again reviewed it in my heart because I never trust him with my all because when I started here to God.

One of my results I put the what data do you my flat stop looking at her in that way. I gotta stop looking at this in and in lusting in this manner you know what you want me to devote a portion of my day to you and Rita stops I'll have time to do that you want my money well share share my faith.

What beat that's what is what when where you don't listen what part of your life is God not have brothers busy after throne the guys busy.

Have sisters to see the Lord of your lips. Graduates have you put picture education which one of throne, or you honoring God with your education. If you surrender to the Savior and let him rule is lower in every area of your life know people I say you need to keep in 100, you will be real with him, keeping 100, not 90% keep a 100was say either. He is Lord of all, leading the Lord and all peers while here's why. Look at verse five responses will you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says he yearns jealously over the spirit that he is made to dwell in us church God has a jealous desire to protect us from destroying ourselves and those around us see this type of jealousy is very healthy. It reminds me of the jealousy that I have for for for my children, not as autos and I have four children. I got three daughters and I got one, begotten son okay when I think about my daughters as a father I yearns jealously to protect my daughter to see Mike, I'm jealous for my daughters.

I'm not jealous of my daughters. I'm jealous for their why because I want to protect them from any external hole in the 19 is a human father and also were protected from any internal harm they can bring the public among themselves, but let me tell you this if I love my daughter that way.

That pales in comparison to God's love for all of us to parents. Often we spend so much time trying to protect our kids from the external harm in wanting to be in the best schools one, keep them away from this and keep them away from then then that I understand that's fine.

But don't you for sake. Equipping your child with the gospel, to protect them from something is much worse. Their selfish desires and their pride because that will weld up in it will make them be an enemy of God that there protected from everything on the outside to God is jealous over the spirit of the Davis he would never tolerate any competition for his affection. But when the city why should he have to compete pool compares we come every week and we lift on his because nobody compares to him as a man. I'm not embarrassed to raise money is afforded God because I know what he's done. I know he's the only one there is no other man is nobody else in this world they can do what my Savior is done for me. Who else can reconcile me.

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but through me.

The reason why is because there is no other way. There was some other way for somebody else would it did, but who else died for our sins. Who else took place on Calvary is likely cheated on a perfect mate with the filthy, shameless, worthless mistress cannot name is the world shall leave you high and dry on your throne and let you die your pride to Jewish law. Conflict is then Jesus be on the throne.

So we learned our selfish desires.

That's what causes conflict in our lives it it it it it it corrupts us personally, spiritually, destroys our communities, but most importantly, the biggest issue that we need understand is that our conflict actually isn't just with others is with God.

So now that we know why we have so many conflicts. Pastor James nails and a breakdance was how do we deal with now. Now that we know that Jesus is the cure. How do we deal with the second question, how should we deal with our conflicts.

Let's read verse six but he gives more grace thank you Jesus therefore says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. TJ is one of his readers back to the foundation of their faith. What is the foundation of our faith is grace. You know what somebody would have acronym for grace the call grace God's riches at Christ's expense to call it unmerited favor if you will be to break down layman's terms. I'll tell you that it grace is you getting something that you don't deserve what is that that Jesus took our place. So instead of caressing his enemies. He let God crush him because he loved his enemies he embraced the conflict. We were the conflict we were enemies, we were objects of his wrath because he loved us more than himself promises God so loved the world. Now this is the world the people, not the world. The system they gave. He graciously gave his only son. Whoever believes in him will not peers have ever lasting life. She was saved by grace all faith. TJ is not using anything new right here he's just reminding you this the same price to save you is the same price that will help you encounter any conflicts that you face in your life that Christ saves us, sanctifies us is going to get to them a little bit but also sustains when Jesus is on the throne, and Jesus is on the throne. The me remind you that we don't serve a Savior that is dated, he resurrected from the grave and he is now seated in high places and he is interceding and pray for us right now as we see here and here is word he gives more grace. He continues to believe for us if we humble ourselves. So what is humility gives grace to the home was we know humility is a layman's term definition of humility. Hope you think about it differently.

Humility is not you think and lowly of yourself as you think it accurately about yourself as we humility us what what was or what was accurate was accurate thinking to myself off first us sooner then I'm seeing the gifts see when you have humility you always are able to look introspectively first before you go go go to the outer to multiply conflicts.

Yet, when every thought is not about company always are telling you what the other person dated, but actually humility allows you to recognize your first the center and your syndicates. Not only that humility produces some awesome things in our lives. I want to remind out. It was humility. As we heard in Philippians 2 earlier.

That's what true Jesus to us while we were yet sinners, and empowered him to face any conflict in his life. Let's finish reading the passages we get are few commands Pastor James the diverse seven says submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God. He was wrong. You cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. The rest in morning and we let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom to what is saying is doing same as commanding to his church to submit to God to resist the devil to worship him with your entire life and everything in processing by the Holland human sum it up in a nutshell for you.

He saying be like Jesus because Jesus did this, Jesus submit himself to God. He resisted that we worship him with entire life and he repented this. We do this you give us more grace is like Jesus did, that we could do this than others and if I was a motivational speaker after the fear I was then appearing give you a bunch of points about how you can just overcome no conflict with getting rid of all the conflict in your life but is not to go on the preacher as a preacher. My goal is to get you not just go away doing something is the hook to help you worship God, and what Savior say in right here is listen you going to have conflict but God is going to give you more grace, so that no matter what kind of conflict you face. You will be able to overcome it so that is looking for ways that humility cures conflicts for wave humility was conflicts first. It cures conflicts because it allows you to submit to God by submitting the God conflicts will be cured in your life. Listen to them as a pastor is a pastoral staff as we sit down we talked to many people and we counseling. We try to pray, truly, we and we want to see God's will in our people's lives, we distributed 99.9% of the issues that people deal with will be resolved if they were to simply submit to the Lordship of Jesus. If Jesus can just have the final say. Can he be the one. It can can can have the final say of everything your life can he really be Lord Kenny room. That way when people come up to me and it is a no pastor is no really love one another. We really want to read want to live together not notice my boyfriend to give Mary know why can't we live together my is Jesus on the throne that you have to forgive him. It is something that was really harsh and I don't know will ooze on the throne. Do I have to apologize left to serve them black flat to love them on a semi-faith with them. Please is the right person on the throne. I am so glad that Jesus submit to God. Christians, we should never forget that the night before Jesus was crucified. He had all of us in mind.

He was on the ground crying blood was filling his tears he faced a serious trauma second on blame for something that he didn't do any ask God if it's possible could you lift this trial for me and in that moment he home with himself, God gave him more grace and we hear these words. Nevertheless, not my will, Lord, for your will be done. Jesus had the power to persevere through that conflict that I am's I would not we would not be here today if it wasn't for him, submitting the guys will we even see Paul went with Paul who wrote most of our New Testament. He had a tormentor from saintliness as he pleaded with Gotti for God. God, please take this away please take this woman away from me three times against what God's answer to him was he said sir, my grace is sufficient not sufficient.

As in just enough mold than enough for what you need to. God gives more grace to those that humbled himself, even in almost unbearable moments he would never getting more than you can bear gives us grace through humility second area that we see impacted is a dog is is the power to resist Satan now semi-all my Satan that seems like a no-brainer.

Resist the devil and he will flee, but you know the real issue is what are you resisting the devil with some of us think we resist the devil and the devil is still sitting there chilling when his all own shoulder and I look man, I'm good if you could I going nowhere did I me I am largely in agreement God is going where I'm good to go and he's I right there beside us when all you resisting Satan with all so glad it seems resist the same in Matthew chapter 4 we see. I was tempted several times by Satan what he do he used the gospel use God's word and I don't think she's in that moment had a chance to put out his backpack scrolls is okay to miss it was verse one need you to resist Satan is enough know his word was hidden in his heart. It was in so it came out of him and impacted his environment is Satan had to flee the third thing that we see how humility cures are conflicts we can Inc. cures us through worship now, several things come to mind when you were worship the average person will hear words we think about singing a worship song singing in admin, but the Bible has to say is this is you being able to draw near to God you know will be seeing some sound that allows running job is deftly not only way to draw near to God is rotted. God, he is wrong. If you when you home your sales allows you to go deeper into God's presence. Do you will be able to feel his joy to listen seizes his entire life was worship to God is in the 30s and there's nothing more joyous than being able to have friends access to the presence of God in the midst of your conflicts. This is why Jesus has was joy because he knew there was nothing that he would ever face because he always knew he couldn't conquer because you know he always had the presence of God.

Worship is not a segment of our life is our entire life is our entire life to someone you if you let it soak in just a little bit you do inventory right here on your life is in that moment he got to say something you were Creek 82 worship we were all made in God's image in his likeness. You were created to worship you say no I'm a blank slate all over the worst of anything. Yes you do, your worship is something there is something that is deftly taken up a lot of your time.

There is definitely something that you spend a lot of your money only to invest a lot of time into their something that if you lost that thing you will be completely wrapped and devastated.

Limitation is why Jesus is the only person that you can worship this permanent everything in this fallen world is going to school is going to pass away top fleet with you worship him now a Savior we can have to honor him later as judge. The fourth thing that we see conflict is cured through our repentance. Humility allows you to repent.

In verses eight and nine, we see the worst clean exigency purified to see the rest in moment and we let your laughter turn up or what is that all 22 reports you to repentance. Picture a point you to turning away from your sins that James actually causes charts right here is golf, adulterers, and one part that is, the sinners, grid about all of the same.

Yes, you are a saint, but he say listen your site Woodruff current activity right now is seen in his only repentance is going to cure your conflict. Why is that because, listen I see is that's what separates us from God's presence to one of the greatest things you can have is the Holy Spirit begin the work in you, and begin to point out that sin in your life as you hold yourself in that way.

As you repent and turn away from your sins and feel the presence of God and allows you to be in right standing and just like the other three areas that we just talked about. We see Jesus even repent on our behalf. He did it to fulfill all righteousness.

He repented for people that couldn't really repent, because they didn't have anything that they could use towards God, even if it even equate thought this is what season is perfectness repented for us to fulfill all righteousness for us and he died and was resurrected on our behalf, using a Christian is a lot of stuff man. Yes, it is not natural. Okay honestly it is not natural for you to submit to God is not natural for you to resist the devil know it is not natural for you worship God with your entire life is not natural for you to repent is not something that we see people just want to do is repent. That's why God would give you more grace through a person's name is the Holy Spirit. He's not natural. He's supernatural if you hold yourself you accurately think of who you are first considered a sin against me and he will empower you with your new identity in Christ Bible since any man. It is in Christ, he is a new creation that were new means, as it word in the Greek means China that it would if it were new, is not an innovation. Most of the stuff that we have now all interfaces is something that we may know something else that were there means original is never been seen before any man is in Christ is a new creation the old is gone and the new has come. Thank you Jesus for making this new the final verse in this passage reads like this without bringing home here. Burstein says this things is back to what we've been here.

Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt, he will exalt to listen. Exaltation is, with this entire message is gone to bed about about being lifted up is about recognition. My conflict with my spouse lame must also recognize who I am. I conflict my coworkers. Not even the recognized who I am home lifted up I be my teammates to recognize that I need my professors to recognize I need to be recognized who I am. I need to lift myself up. I want to be owned on the throne is always a problem when you do this by your own volition, allow the Lord to exhaustion, we humble ourselves is Jesus the God will exalt you in due time. As we close on one or take you back to my Pastor James wrote his letter to discharge these right into the church in Jerusalem, a very influential church in a very influential city. I think were very influential church in the very influential cities where this church was being persecuted because of their faith. There were some external conflict that was going on as well. When you read in James chapter 1C start the book off by saying, count it all joy, my brothers and my sisters. When these trials and this persecution comes a point, but he quickly moves from the external persecution to the most important for the next three or four chapters in the book talking about something that was much more the impression that came from with in the church listen church is a family and the family has an enemy just Satan is our enemy, but don't you ever forget the enemy that destroyed Satan is the same enemy that were fighting prod God opposes the proud always gives grace to the humble. If we forget that will always choose to partner with the world and walking away. This worldly, not godly. Trust me, no one is one that battle against God. Not only did Pastor James begin the worship Jesus as Savior, we noted he believed this because he was murdered because he wouldn't stop worshiping Jesus as Savior. Probably he was alive today he would ask the same rhetorical question that we see throughout his entire book. If Jesus is worth believing in. Is he worth living for. Does my life reflect how much I love God how much we love each other how much we love our if we believe the good news not worse experience our good deeds and in the presence of good deeds is to point people to the presence of an even greater change in your mind now your hands right now. Sometimes we just need to hear God's word.

What you just as with her head bowed and is close to just listen right here in this moment. Listen to what God says in his word. Let this be our prayer right here. He says this he says do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you not only look to his own interests, but also to the interests of others, Jesus have this mind among yourselves that which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be granted, but he did himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form, he Homo himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross, Jesus therefore God has highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name that is above every name charted the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and on and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father Lord right now.

We humbly submit ourselves all to you. You are indeed. Lord, you are indeed worthy to be on the throne in our lives that I entire lightly worship torsion a man