11/8/2015 A Summary Of James Part 2 – Book of James - Steve Mixsell

On page 127 of your registry Bible, and our New Testament passage will be in 1

Corinthians 1 .27, and going to chapter 3, verse 13, and that is found on page 790 of your registry

Bible. So when you arrive at Deuteronomy 4, or 6, 4 through 19, please stand with me and read from the

Gospel. He who is killed, the

Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, and these words which

I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

You shall bind them in a sign on their head, and they shall be of trustness before your eyes.

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates. It shall be when the

Lord your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers. When you have eaten and are full, then beware, lest you forget the

Lord your God. Lest you forget the

Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. You shall fear the

Lord your God and serve him, and shall take oath in his name. You shall not go out after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you.

For the Lord your God is a jealous God among you. Lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you, and destroy you from the face of the earth.

You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted him in Massa. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the

Lord your God, his testimonies, and his statutes which he has commanded you.

And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which the

Lord has sworn to your fathers. To cast out all your enemies from before you, as the

Lord has spoken. And now let's go to Philippians chapter 1, verse 1 -7.

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So that whether I come and see you or am absent,

I may hear of your affairs, if you can act in one spirit, with one mind.

Striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake.

Having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now fear the same. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the

Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like -minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done with your selfish ambition or conceit, but in loneliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. For being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the point of a bond -sergeant, and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance of the man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those on earth.

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the

Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Amen. Thank you, Lord. Dear Lord, I just come before you and I especially commend my brother to you.

Lord, that you would put your words in his mouth. That he would correctly and accurately expose it.

That his words would have power and meaning.

And that, Lord, beyond human reasoning, I pray that you would open our hearts.

And that, Lord, I pray that you would first forgive us for not keeping your words so diligently as you have commanded us.

That they are not what we think about in our house and what we talk about on our end, what we meditate on,

Lord, always. I pray that you would give us the Spirit that is true, as David so frequently prayed in the

Psalms, Lord, that you would teach him your statutes of truth, that you would meditate on their commandments.

I pray that you would give us that same heart, that we would hear the truth of your Scripture, and we would meditate on it,

Lord, and that we would be living examples to those outside this church, and also and especially to those inside this church.

Amen. Amen. Excuse me.

Good morning. Again, not because of any inadequacy of Joseph's prayer, but just because I think it's a wise habit,

I feel compelled to go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, in Jesus' name, I just humbly ask that you will do your good for your people through the word which

I attempt to proclaim well and with the due glory and honor that you properly deserve,

Father. I'm acutely aware of my weakness, my many failings, not just of my abilities, but my efforts, which never arise to the level that you deserved.

But I'm thankful that your word promises mercy, that your word promises to give us what we ask for when we ask in Jesus' name for his purposes.

So I humbly ask that in Jesus' name for his purposes that his kingdom may be strengthened, that you'll let this word go forth clearly and powerfully,

Father, that it might strengthen your people unto service for your kingdom and unto their eternal reward.

And I humbly ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this really is the last of James, and it's kind of a mixed emotion that I stand before you today, and Lord willing, bring you the second and final part of our retrospective on the book of James, and bid farewell to this epistle of gold.

For the benefit of those of you who were not here last week, and by way of review for those who were,

I spent part one of this retrospective, this look back, with some takeaways.

Nothing new here, just things that I really would like for you to take away, if there could only be a few things that you take away from James.

I began it by attempting to show the greatness of our God, by showing the richness, the greatness of God to his people, the richness and fullness of a life serving him.

By pointing out the unswerving loyalty and faithfulness of our great immutable

God and Father towards his very changeable and mutable servants. To show that on the day of our greatest trials, as the day of our greatest triumphs, and as in our worst day, and most disobedient day, and most rebellious day, he is as for us as he is on our best and most faithful day.

I'm not going to cite the scripture verses. I believe all of the messages are available, and for the sake of brevity,

I will leave that. Well, no, no, I guess I think I'd better, for those of you who aren't here. In James chapter one, when it says, every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the

Father of lights, and whom is no variation or shadow of turning, I've shown, I think well, over the course of the past messages, that this is not just saying the same thing about God, that he's, there's no variation or shadow of turning.

Not saying he's unchangeable, and he's really unchangeable, but it's saying, not only is he unchangeable, immutable, but he doesn't change his disposition to we who are.

And what a great truth that is. There is no variation or shadow of turning away from you.

On the day of your greatest trial, or on your worst day. Now, a caveat, which

I hope to by the end to have shown you, is that that does not make our obedience unimportant at all.

But it should be a great comfort, and I hope a great incentive for you to be honest before God.

To be willing to lay yourself bare before his word, and let it show you today for what you truly are.

Because your sin need never, the sin that it will reveal in you, need never be your ruin. And it will never make

God against you. So that first point, God is for you, on your best day.

On your worst day, as on your best day. The second was to show the greatness of God, and the fullness and richness of life in his kingdom.

By emphasizing that not only is our God for us, but that he loves the least of his servants with a passionate, fierce, jealous, and interventional love.

A love that commands all of his servants to treat the least of his servants as they would treat the

Lord himself. In one sense, giving the honor, the same honor, which belongs alone to our

Lord, to the least, our least favorite of his servants. And a love that promises swift action should we ever despise or dishonor the least of his servants.

Their angels always see the face of your Father in heaven. With the idea that at a twitch, at a raised eyebrow, or a gesture, that the angels of those little ones you may despise might wing their way towards you.

The third was to show the greatness of our God, and of life in his kingdom, by the immeasurable resources which our

Lord has put at our disposal, if we will but truly serve him. By asking for things in faith, and by asking for things in his name.

Rightly understood to mean asking for things for his purposes, and not our own.

And finally, I close with a brief preview of where I believe the chief enemy lies, or the chief defect lies, which prevents,

I fear, most of his children from realizing more than a pale shadow of the richness of life in his kingdom, which he desires for us to have.

The defect lies in our divided hearts and our double -mindedness, which will not wholeheartedly seek his kingdom, but instead insists on seeking our own self -interest.

Our own divided hearts and double minds, which are not governed wholly by heavenly wisdom, but instead are heavenly influenced by worldly wisdom, and desires to be a friend of the world.

And I promised in the second look back at the book of James to try and give you some key takeaways concerning how to go about defeating our divided hearts and our double minds, so that we may partake of the fullness and richness of life in his kingdom, which he has made available for us if we will but believe and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to him, and pursuing his glory, his purposes, with a whole united heart.

The whole united heart that our great and glorious Lord deserves and warrants. The first point

I would like to make is that our enemy is within each of us. I've already stated it, but let me state it again.

It lies in our own hearts and minds, in our own desires and our own will, which, if left unchecked, ever asserts itself against the will and purposes of our

Father, and prevents us from truly endeavoring things and asking for things in prayer for his purposes, because we are, with a divided heart and double minds, also seeking our own purposes.

This truth can be seen in chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. The truth that there is an enemy within us, which seeks to rob us of this richness, of fullness of life in him, which wholeheartedly asks for things in his name.

And remember that came from chapter 5, where he in essence tells us that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, and then uses the example of Elijah, a miraculous intervention of prayer, and then makes the point that Elijah is a man with a nature like ours, to make sure we understand that a righteous man should be understood not as someone who's achieved some level of freedom from flaw, but one who truly does pray effectually.

It's descriptive of one who prays effectually, with praying effectually to be understood as asking for things according to his revealed will, with a faith that comes from knowing that you're asking things according to his revealed will, for his word will never pass away, heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of the

Lord endures forever. He's not a man that he can lie, and so when we ask for things according to his revealed will, we can be confident that we have them, but also who asks for things in his name, or for his purposes.

And we can see that in John chapter, I believe it was chapter 9, Jesus constantly promising to do things, whatever we ask in his name, he will do.

So what stops us from seeing this fullness in our lives? Double -mindedness, we don't ask for things truly in his name, we ask in our own name for our own purposes.

James chapter 1, verse 13 through 14, shows this, Let no one say when he is tempted,

I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

So what makes our trials difficult is the fact that our own desires are still there and at work, and are drawing us away and enticing us.

We can see this truth also in the fact that worldly wisdom is characterized chiefly by self -seeking.

By the promotion of our own self -interest, as chapter 3, verse 13 through 16 tells us, Who is wise and understanding among you?

Let him show by his good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

But if you have bitter envy and self -seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self -seeking exist, confusion and everything is there.

So worldly wisdom, if you could distill it into one descriptive phrase, is a self -seeking wisdom, rather than a wisdom that seeks after, or a will that seeks after, his purposes.

It seeks after one's own benefit and one's own purposes. And make no mistake, our old man, who is not yet fully dead in one sense, he has the power to trouble us and must still be put to death, done violence to, is a self -interested party.

And the world around us and its wisdom will ever be influencing us towards self -interest, towards looking out for number one, seeking our own.

This is a powerful opponent to truly seeking

God's will for doing things, praying, endeavoring things, and praying for things for his purposes.

And seeing, therefore, God's mighty moving. We can also see this enemy in chapter four, alluded to in chapter four, verse one through three, where we see that, where do wars and fights come from among you?

Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and you do not have.

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

You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures. This letter to brothers, to brethren, informs us that our own pleasures, our own desires for pleasures, cause wars and fights among us.

Even wars within ourselves. Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

I believe referring to almost within our very being. So we've got this war going on where we have a very resourceful and resilient will that desires to do, to seek our own rather than his will, seek our own purposes rather than his purposes.

And of course, we've got a world of setting an example of seeking its own, which is a very powerful influence on us.

So how do we combat this enemy within our own hearts and minds, which makes us, as chapter 1, verse 6 through 8 says, a double -minded man, unstable in all his ways, who should not suppose that he will receive anything from the

Lord. A stark contrast to the promise of one who, if one will pray effectually, will receive what he asks for.

How do we, as chapter 4, verse 7 through 8 tells us, submit to God and resist the devil so that he will flee from us and draw near to God by cleansing our sinful hands and purifying our double -minded hearts?

As I go through all of these practical tips on how to overcome our native double -mindedness, our own fleshly mind, our own native self, we'll keep this overarching theme in mind.

The Christian life, if properly lived, the true Christian life, truly serving his glory, his purposes, and his kingdom, and therefore a life rich in sweet fellowship with our

Lord and in power to achieve things for his kingdom, meaningful things which will never pass away, including rewards which one cannot lose, this

Christian life is a life of submission, a life of being willing and eager to yield.

If we are to begin experiencing the richness of life in his kingdom, we must learn to say no to ourselves, to our own desires, we must cultivate and develop a spirit and a habit of submission, for only in submitting do we truly become free.

This submission begins first by submitting to his word with a spirit of meekness, as chapter 1, verse 21 tells us, therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, which characterizes our own will,

I might add, and receive with meekness the implanted word that is able to save your souls.

Receive with mildness of disposition a gentle spirit and meekness, that word which seeks to implant itself in you and engraft itself in you.

We're commanded to receive this word with meekness, in part because meekness is required to receive his word by his spirit, as this word will convict, and a soul which lacks meekness will not allow itself to be convicted.

The first way we submit to his word is by letting it say what it says. Even though what it says convicts us as guilty before God and worthy of wrath,

I really want you to note, brethren, that just because you have been delivered from wrath and condemnation by the precious blood of Christ, if you have truly believed and know this truth, just because you know this truth, that does not mean that you no longer dislike, have a native dislike, of being found guilty by his word.

Even though wrath is not forthcoming, we still like to think of ourselves as not deserving of wrath today.

Brothers and sisters, everyone in this room is deserving of wrath this day, based on the deeds of this day, the thoughts of this day.

And if we truly receive with meekness the living and implanted word of God, it will tell us anew each and every day that this is true, that we fall short and remain deserving of wrath today and utterly dependent on grace bought through the precious blood of the great

I Am, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, including my own sins of today and tomorrow. I urge you to combat this native desire to justify ourselves, to reach the verdict that we are undeserving of wrath today but are instead worthy of blessing by agreeing with what the word says about your heart, that it is deceitful and desperately wicked so that you cannot know it,

Jeremiah 17 .9, and that there is no one truly good save God, Matthew 19 .17.

Pray that he will show you, that he will allow you to taste the blessedness of no longer blanching and cringing at having your sin exposed by his word.

Because you have truly begun to experience the wonder at his grace towards you with each sin that his word exposes.

It is not for nothing that the word of God tells us in Psalm 51, verse 17, that the sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit, which he will not despise.

And also tells us in Isaiah 66, verses 1 through 3, that the one upon whom the

Lord will look with favor, let me let Isaiah tell you, let God through the prophet Isaiah, thus says the

Lord, heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will build for me? And where is the place of my rest?

For all these things my hand has made and all those things exist, says the Lord. But on this one will

I look, understanding that this is the one I will look with favor, on him who is of poor and contrite spirit and who trembles at my word.

So learn, ask God to give you the blessedness. It does not come easily or automatically.

The blessedness of being excited at having your sin pointed out to you by his word.

And don't be satisfied with anything less than having the right landing place for your emotions.

And that is awe at his grace and mercy. With every new sin that is exposed, his grace is magnified more.

You become more and more a lover of grace and a lover of mercy. You become one who more and more the goodness of God leads to repentance.

This is true repentance. It's a shame. It's not having been caught or having something not work.

It's a shame at the deep profound cosmic wrongness of you falling short of the

Lord who is so good in every way. Who's working all things for your good. When you sense his good, when you taste his good in a new way, and you realize that sin has no power to condemn you, that Christ bled,

Christ bore the weight of all sin to free you from that condemnation, you taste in a new way the great love your

Lord has for you and the great goodness of your Lord. And please note, my brethren, that truly submitting to God's word also means submitting to agree with it in your deepest heart and mind, allowing yourself, your deepest being, to be transformed by the renewing of your mind in accordance with his word.

Submitting your desires, your beliefs, your thoughts, your logic, your likes, your dislikes, your will, your preferences, all submitting them to his word.

As the Holy Spirit tells us in Romans 12, 1 and 2, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

It's reasonable in light of the greatness of your Lord to present your whole being as a sacrifice, to submit as it were your whole being to him.

And do not be conformed to this world with its wisdom pressing you, pressing you, showing you the example, coercing you to be conformed to it in its thoughts and wisdom.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God.

We are not merely studying his word to learn a bunch of rules, or even to learn cold theological truth.

We are attempting to learn the mind of God so that we may have that mind.

Our mind is renewed. One of the great things about God's law, why is God's law the delight of the psalmist?

It's because God's law reveals his likes and dislikes. It reveals his heart.

It reveals his glory. That is why the psalmist in Psalm 19 and Psalm 119 can delight in the law of the

Lord and meditate it day and night. And if you recall, as I referred to this, to truly be able to do the will of your

Father and to be able to endeavor confidently for things, you must know his heart and mind, not just the rules, as he said, to do and not do.

You must seek to learn the mind of the Lord. Doing those things is important, but it's so easy to succumb to mere outward observance.

And further note that truly submitting to God's word means doing it. Not just hearing it, not just knowing it, not just knowing it well enough to teach it, but knowing it in order to do it, as chapter 1, verse 22 and 25 tells us, but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror, for he observes himself, then goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

We can see that we're promised that not only is God glorified when we're doers of the word, but we are benefited because this tool, because the word of God makes it clear that doing it glorifies

God and benefits the doer. And it also makes clear, and I want you to see this, in a sense anything short of a knowledge of God's word which leads to performing it is merely self -deception.

It's a false knowledge that in essence doesn't really know. The second point, so I think we're all very well aware, most of us here, that God's word is central.

But I just wanted to emphasize the spirit of meekness before that word. It's so easy to not be correctable before his word, to go into it with the idea of having better resources to correct others, to impress others with your knowledge, but never be satisfied with spending time before God's word if it's not convicting you.

The second point, the second tip, in striving to overcome our natural self -seeking hearts and minds and to become submissive to God's will and his word, we should seek to gain control of our heart and mind using that great tool of our tongue.

This can be seen in chapter 3, verses 1 through 12, which tells us that not only is the tongue a great barometer of what lies in the heart, we know that from other scriptures, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, but it is also a rudder with the power to steer and govern our entire being, our heart and mind.

We see this in verses 2 through 4, which liken the tongue to the tiny rudders that steer giant ships and to the tiny bits that steer giant horses and informs us that if a man is able to control his tongue so that he does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man able to govern his whole body, his whole being.

And if you recall, I think it's worth it. This is such a key point. I think, Lord willing, even though I think

I made the point well in the previous message, it's worth briefly recounting. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers.

This is chapter 3, beginning at verse 1. Knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many things.

If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.

Look also at ships. Although they be so large and driven by such fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

Even so, the tongue is a little member which has the power to govern a mighty and large thing. See how great a forest a little fire kindles.

And I tried to point out that I think even so is a very weak translation of the word.

The word that links verse 4 and 5 could probably be that similarly the tongue is a little member.

Or in like manner, in like manner to the bit and to the rudder, the tongue is a little member which has the power to govern a mighty and large thing.

And then it would also be that we better understood the sense in which

James is speaking to be, instead of even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things,

I think the sense of it would be better translated in like manner, the tongue has the same boast, the same boast that the bit and the rudder has.

So, not only is a tongue a reflection of what's in our hearts, but it has an incredible power, an incredible tool for us to use in controlling our hearts.

If we will control our hearts, we will control our tongues, we will control our whole being.

As it tells us that a man who does not stumble in word is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body.

And know this, God is after our hearts and minds. That's why this is so important. The tongue is such an indispensable tool.

He would like us to have the mind of Christ and think his thoughts after him. He would have us as the

Holy Spirit tells us in Ephesians 4 15, to come to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the

Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, but speaking the truth in love, to grow up, to become mature, to grow up into all things into him who is the head,

Christ. He's after our heart.

True submission and obedience is not achieved in external obedience to his commands. Even if you should be able to obey them all outwardly, true obedience is achieved by agreeing with God's thoughts, his testimonies, and his will.

This is why we see Jesus warning the Pharisees who had an unbelievable knack for obeying commands externally, even additional commands made by men.

He says in Matthew 23, beginning at verse 23, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrite!

You pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith.

These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone, blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self -indulgence.

Blind Pharisee, you must first clean the inside of the cup and dish that the outside may be clean also.

So brothers, if you want to make the inside of the cup clean, if you want to deal with your heart and mind, which is the enemy, that double -minded heart, gain control of your tongue so that you might gain control of your heart.

A good place to start, and some of you know, I'm sure, where I'm going, a good place to start, this little innocuous text, verse 16.

Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell and make a profit, whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. But now you boast in your arrogance.

All such boasting is evil. So I urge you that it doesn't have to be this text, but since I personally have experienced such an incredible blessing by trying to, in faith, begin to obey this text as a young Christian, even though I didn't understand it,

I had no idea why God would want me to talk this way, this way that will make me looked at strangely by everyone around me, including people in the church.

Begin learning to control and submit your heart and mind to God and his will by submitting your tongue, by acknowledging, as this verse tells us, by acknowledging his sovereignty over your next breath in all of your daily conversation so that this truth may sink deep into your heart and mind and begin to shape your thinking concerning how you do even the most mundane tasks.

If you'll do this, you'll take a giant step towards obeying Proverbs 3, 5 -6, trusting the

Lord with all your heart leaning not into your own understanding because in all your ways you acknowledge him so that he may direct your paths.

Begin by receiving with meekness this portion of God's word which clearly tells us, it's mystifying to me, the expositors will not exposit this, there might be one or two out there who've touched on it, but this text

I just read clearly tells us that failing to acknowledge his sovereignty over your next breath and if you will do this, you'll become like David.

If you remember that little picture that I tried to share with you, I think it's a tremendous insight, the mighty man of God, the man after God's own heart who was willing to face an unbeatable foe and make no mistake,

I can't remember how tall, I did the research and laid it out to you, how big

Goliath was and not a cumbersome bigness but if any of you had ever seen

Andre the Giant when he was 17 years old, this is who lifted cars and this is smaller than Goliath.

My point is he had the agility of you or I and the size of, double our size, the text goes in and shows the size of his shield and most importantly, the way we know he was in essence an unbeatable foe is the mighty men of Israel who'd slain thousands and tens of thousands and he led them day after day after day.

Well there was one young man who would face him even though he was a shepherd and in speaking to others and to Goliath, he gives an insight into why he would face him.

He in essence tells him when I was a shepherd guarding my father's sheep and a lion or a wolf or a bear would come among the sheep,

I took that animal and I killed it. I struck it and I killed it. I delivered it into my hand as I went about obeying my duty as a shepherd and just the way the

Lord delivered the lion into my hand, the bear into my hand, the wolf into my hand, he will deliver you into my hand.

The size is not the issue. The fact of the matter is he had a deep understanding of God's sovereignty over that encounter with the wolf or the bear.

Most of us would think we would be the shepherd if we struck the bear down.

David did not think that. He said the Lord delivered the bear into my hand. The Lord will deliver and he reasoned therefore because his understanding of God's sovereignty over the smallest events of his lives was so great that he did not blanch at the size and the skill and the agility of this warrior because he knew

I don't go overboard. If he had defeated the weasel, the tiny little weasel which might defeat a sheep, he would have understood the

Lord delivered the weasel into my hands. There is nothing, no small thing, when you understand that unless the

Lord wills you will not live and do this or that. I will not live and walk down this pulpit that you will not sink deep into your mind that you will not have a successful conversation with your brother if there is something you need to confront him over, that you will not have a successful conversation with your co -worker unless the

Lord grants you the things he must grant you in order for you to make your point. You begin to be very prayerful.

They don't have to be text. They don't have to be text to even understand God's rationale. Isn't it wonderful? This is the perfect mind who created all things and sustains all things.

All things continue to exist by the force of his will. We don't need to understand exactly why he wants us to do something in order to have confidence that it will be a blessing and it will be a benefit to us

We see the supreme importance God places on words in other places. You see it in chapter 4, verses 11 where we're told not to speak evil of one another because if we do, we make ourselves our brother's judge and we speak evil of the law and judge the law.

We see the supreme importance God places on our words in chapter 5, verse 12 all.

Do not swear either by heaven or earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no, lest you fall into judgment.

I won't go back to exegeting that. I think the swearing, I think the swearing that's involved there is, is almost like a heightened form of saying it's, it's a more egregious offense than saying

I'm, we're going to go to this and this city, such and such a city and buy and sell and make a profit. It's the, it's the swearing which, which vows that something is going to happen.

Uh, when in reality we have no power to make anything happen. It's, it's, it's just a, that's the reason why we see the above all and we see the warning lest you fall into judgment.

It's speaking of that kind of swearing, which says, by God, I'm going to do this. And you're a fool when you speak thusly.

The submissiveness that characterizes heavenly wisdom, or I'm sorry, this submissiveness characterizes heavenly wisdom.

Submissiveness is his word first. Whereas an unwillingness to submit a self -seeking spirit characterizes earthly demonic wisdom, which is no wisdom at all.

So just note this in case you need reinforcing that submissiveness is the issue is the, is the battlefield where this war will be fought.

The earthly demonic wisdom which surrounds us and which our own heart is an enthusiastic participant is characterized by self -seeking.

Chapter three, verse 13 through 18, who is wise and understanding among you.

Let him show by his good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self -seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly sensual demonic for where envy and self -seeking exists, confusion and every evil thing are there.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Now the fruit of righteousness is shown in peace by those who make peace. First note that the worldly wisdom which we must eschew and flee from is characterized by self -seeking which produces envy and it's described further as earthly sensual and demonic.

Heavenly wisdom is characterized by yieldedness, by being peaceable, gentle, willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits without partiality, without hypocrisy.

This wisdom also referred to as the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who makes peace, which

I hope you can see goes back to our earlier theme of submission. Earthly and demonic wisdom is self -seeking and will therefore not submit to the word of God, the will of God or the needs of others.

Heavenly wisdom produces a purity of life which is characterized by being peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits.

It's something of an irony that those who are the wisest with the wisdom that is from above are characterized by a great lack of stridency, roughness, harshness, frustration, and brittleness.

Instead, the wisdom which cannot be resisted and which will eventually prevail and it will eventually prevail is the most gentle, peaceable, full of mercy and willing to yield.

It is willing to submit to yield the floor to those who disagree even though they are wrong. The wisdom that is from above can afford to be gentle and to yield because its victory is not in doubt.

The spirit of truth will make sure heavenly wisdom is vindicated. It will carry, he will carry the day in the end.

And the third point, the willingness to yield which heavenly wisdom is characterized by is willing to yield and submit to others, not only to the word of God.

This can be seen that those possessing the wisdom that is from above are willing to subordinate their interest for the interests of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

As the Holy Spirit tells us in Philippians chapter two, verse three, that we should do nothing through selfish ambition or conceit.

And I hope you see the parallel to earthly demonic wisdom there, self selfish ambition and conceit.

But in rather, according to heavenly wisdom in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.

These are those who the Holy Spirit tells us in Ephesians five, beginning at verse 17, are not unwise, but understand what the will of the

Lord is, who speak to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs who sing and make melody in their heart to the

Lord, who give thanks always for all things to God, the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who submit to one another in the fear of God.

Those with heavenly wisdom would rather as the Holy Spirit tells us in first Corinthians chapter six, beginning at verse six, would rather accept wrong and let themselves be cheated before dishonoring

Christ by going to law against a brother. Those with heavenly wisdom will also refrain from parading or expounding their doctrinal knowledge and wisdom rather than to cause a weaker brother to stumble.

Those with heavenly wisdom will not exercise their freedom in Christ in a way that will cause a weaker brother to stumble, but will instead submit their liberty to the weakness of their brother.

As Romans, as the Holy Spirit tells us in Romans chapter 14, beginning at verse 14, and we're going to skip down.

I'm not going to read the entire passage of 14 to 21. I know and I'm convinced by the

Lord Jesus Christ that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with food the one for whom

Christ died. And now skipping to verse 21, it is good neither to eat meat nor strong drink nor wine or do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

Heavenly wisdom will submit to the weaknesses of our brothers and will submit to the weaknesses both in understanding and the weaknesses of their flesh.

Heavenly wisdom will go so far as to allow one's property be taken away even if it were done wrongfully, if that will benefit the kingdom of God.

As we see the Apostle Paul commending this type of heavenly wisdom to Philemon, urging him to grant that his runaway servant be given his freedom even without compensation so that his unprofitable runaway servant might be profitable as a servant of the kingdom of God.

And finally heavenly wisdom is seen in its ultimate form in the person of work of Jesus Christ in whom the whole purpose of God is to have us grow up into the full measure of the stature of Christ.

As the Holy Spirit tells us in the passage that we read earlier in Philippians chapter two beginning at verse six of Jesus Christ being in the form of God did not consider it robbery or did not consider it something to be held onto to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation taking the form of a bond servant and coming in the likeness of men and being found in an appearance as a man.

He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross all so that the will of the father might be accomplished so that the father might be glorified so that the kingdom of heaven might be established on earth and so that you and I would not have to pay the price for our sins.

The perfect sinless son of God, the alpha and the omega he who is and who was and who is to come the rightful holder of all authority on earth allowed himself to be reproached and tortured by sinful man all for the glory of God and the victory of his kingdom being willing to yield to submit even to the point of not opening his mouth amidst this violence and injustice all to save we who as sheep had gone astray as Isaiah tells us in chapter 53 beginning at verse six, all we like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned everyone to his own way. Again, earthly wisdom, everyone to his own way and the

Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment and who will declare his generation for he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of my people.

He was stricken and they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed.

He shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge.

My righteous servant shall just shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great.

He shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors.

He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

Yet just as the wisdom that is from above is willing to yield, yet always victorious, so our

Lord of wisdom, wisdom itself was willing to yield even to death without opening his mouth and he is divided a portion with the great and will see the pleasure of his father, the pleasure of the

Lord prosper in his hands. So I urge you to cultivate submissiveness by going meekly to his word, always with your chief aim of receiving correction.

Submit yourself to that correct correction. Learn to use your tongue as a handle on your heart by submitting your tongue utterly to his purposes and his kingdom.

As we are commanded in Ephesians four 29 to let no useless,

I better translate, I'm convinced the word corrupt to let no useless word proceed out of our mouth, but instead what is good for necessary edification that it might impart grace to the hearers according to the needs of the moment and seek to become mighty in the work of submitting to others that you might obey the command of the

Lord in Mark 10 43 through 45 who tells us that whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant and whoever desires to be first shall be a slave of all for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

This is the way of submission. Submit your thoughts, your viewpoints, your opinions, your likes, your dislikes, your self image, all the to the correction of the word of God.

Submit your will to his will as revealed in his word and in losing your life you will find it.

Be a doer of his word by submitting your partialities to his command to love without partiality in the church and to give greater honor to those less presentable brethren.

Submit your freedom to the weakness of your brothers and sisters. Submit your self interest and pursue the interests of others in the body of Christ.

Submit your need to be heard right now and be willing to yield. Submit your need to have your rights vindicated for the unity and peace and profit of the body.

Submit your personal property to become his kingdom property for the glory and needs of his kingdom. Submit your pursuit of wealth and happiness in order to pursue his glory and his kingdom and lay up treasure for yourself in heaven.

Do these things that you may be like your Lord who did not consider it something to be held onto to though he was perfect and though he had all authority did not consider itself something to be held onto to become equal with God but instead he made himself the king of kings and Lord of lords made himself of no reputation taking the form of a bond servant even unto death.

Being obedient and submissive even unto death. Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord with your tongue and with your heart to the glory of God the

Father by becoming submissive in all things. Just as he was. Brothers I want to leave you with a final exhortation to if you if you want to compete if you want to strive strive to be the most submissive person in the body strive to give honor to others.

Strive to yield in all things for in doing so you will be like the king of kings and Lord of lords and you will proclaim his glory to those around you.

Let us pray to your heavenly father in Jesus name I just thank you and praise you for your incredible mercy and kindness father and I confess that I fall short as I'm sure by your grace everyone here knows they fall short.

We thank you that you've taken away the wrath due to our sins so that these truths of our of our shortcomings need not destroy us father but can are simply something to cause us greater love for you.