Keep sharing good news without ads.
No description available
It's hard to believe that the text today has so much to say about love. But it's, every text, every verse reeks with the love of God. Even though there's hard sayings, there's warnings, but everything that God tells us is from a heart of love.
It's strong medicine to us, because we need that kind of medicine because of our sin, our depravity. And that's the way we need to look at it. We need to look at that, and Tozer said this correctly. He said we should always, when we go to the Word of God, we should receive its instructions and its corrections, as well as the encouragements and exhortations and the comforts.
And there's a proper balance the Word of God gives us, isn't it? There are the promises of God, and there's the warnings of God. And J .C. Ryle felt very strongly about this. He felt like if we studied the warnings as much as we do the promises of God, it would have done the church a great deal more good.
And if we heed to what James is saying, James is speaking here strong, almost like a prophet. And what he says here is, is that way. There are warnings. And off the set here, and I'd also like to say everything that we've been discussing, and if you notice, has everything to do with humility.
Humility is the key, what we need to catch here, what we need to take hold of by faith. Humility, J .C. Ryle, speaking of J .C. Ryle, said, is the greatest, it is the greatest virtue in the Christian life.
It is the crowning virtue. And we need to remember this. So as we continue our study in the book of James here, I'd like to, this is part 2, James chapter 4, go with me to James chapter 4, just two verses of Scripture.
Two verses of Scripture, very direct, very powerful, very potent. James by the Holy Spirit is speaking, and he's speaking about the sin of slander and defaming a brother. Last week we covered a great deal on this, I'd like to take it up a little bit different.
Today.
We're going to look at more content, and I believe God would have us to do that right from His Word and what He would like to apply in our life as a Christian believer. Hear the word of the living God.
Do not speak against one another brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges.
The law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There's only one lawgiver and judge, and the one who's able to save and to destroy. But who are you who judge your neighbor?
Let's pray. Father, we do pray that this word will be given not only within our ears, but to our hearts as well. Give us ears to hear, yes, what Your Spirit is saying to the church. But Father, give us, by Your Holy Spirit, a heart to perceive it, a heart to love it.
We pray, Father, only that Your Holy Spirit, who is the true teacher, by the way, of all the truth in Scripture. We cannot understand a thing before our eyes, before our mind, before our hearts, as we read it, as we hear it, unless Your Holy Spirit gives us the ears to hear, gives us the eyes to see, gives us the mind to perceive it, and a heart to obey it this morning.
Father, would You do this? Would You come in Your mighty way, and we would be careful to give You all the glory, for You alone are worthy. Lord, speak to Your servants this morning, for our prayer is Your servant hears.
And we ask this in the name that's above every name, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Well, a few weeks back, in our previous study, as we saw that the Epistle of James comes to a climax, we saw a precious promise that's before us. And that promise was found in James chapter 4, verse 10.
James says, humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. We have so much reason, beloved, this morning to be humble, that it really should be an easy command to heed. But we have a problem.
Our problem is our pride. It's a constant battle, isn't it? Suppose a proud man goes skiing, but he has been very many years since his last run in skiing, and even at his peak of his skills, we're only modest.
Yet friends of his easily talk him into starting on a different slope right away. But pride keeps him from admitting his limitations. That's pride, isn't it? And we all have many reasons to be humble this morning, and could probably profit by listing them.
Yet if we read James chapter 4 carelessly, it seems that if James drops the topic of.
Humility.
It seems that, as we read it. But in the next paragraph, mainly verses 11 through 17, you take it all the way to verse 17, in which we're traveling, he condemns the sin of slander, number one. Two, he condemns the sin of false judgment, of misjudging people, the brethren, mainly.
Then, thirdly, he condemns overconfident business plans, that we're not to be overconfident in making those plans unless we say the Lord's will, unless God plans it overall. And then, fourth, indifference to God's will, and then fifth, oppression of the poor.
Have you noticed something within those sins? That each and every sin that he's listing here is a sin of pride and arrogance? Yet at first glance, James seems to take up a string of social sins, and in no particular order, really.
Yet, if we read the word of God very carefully and closely, and we should, as always, connections to humility here emerge time and time again. And that's what I see as we have been studying James. He is directing by the Holy Spirit and pointing us to be humble before God.
It is the crowning virtue, humility. He gets this, of course, from the master himself, who not only taught on humility and demonstrated humility, but he lived it. He lived it perfectly, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see that James follows his summons to humility, and he does it with a warning against several sins of arrogance now, and also against the attitudes that contradict the gospel of humility. Because really, if you look at it, the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of humility.
It humbles us. And at the foot of the cross is where this journey begins. We are humbled. The pride is knocked out of us. And if we look closer and closely at our text before us, the first sins, slander, and judgment of others, beloved, are clearly acts of pride.
It is.
And we're going to see this from the text. For when we judge and condemn others, we are actually appointing ourselves in a position over them. We are lifting up ourselves and demeaning the other person's reputation and the other person's character.
And think of this. But what gives us the right, the question would be before us. What gives us the right to promote ourselves to that rank? And you know the answer to that question. We really don't have the rights to do so.
Indeed, to take the position of judge is to usurp a role that belongs to God himself and God himself alone. Now last week we covered a lot of tracks on this, misconceptions of judgment, and that was very important.
But today we're going to look at what the text and the content of what it's saying. So James is asked, his first question is, he's asking, who are you to judge your neighbor? Think of that. We should always put that question before us.
Who are we to judge our neighbor? To help believers control their tongues and avoid slander, James is actually, he's helping us by the Holy Spirit. A lot of people say, well hold on, that's so convicting.
Yes, it is convicting, but it's good medicine. And we need strong medicine to give us the remedy against our pride and arrogance and.
Our sin.
And the gospel is that remedy. To help believers control their tongues and avoid the slander, he exhorts us to examine in four areas of our thinking. Now this is not original.
I wished it was.
I borrowed this outline from Pastor John MacArthur, and you can't be improved on this because he does such a wonderful job. So I give him the credits, right off the cuff here, of this outline. So I'm going to preach the outline, but I'm thankful for him to pull together this outline.
This is what it says. First of all, in these four areas, what we think of others, second, what we think of the law, third, what we think of God, and fourth, what we think of ourselves. What we think of others, think of the law, think of God, and think of ourselves is all packed in right here in these two verses.
And that's what we're going to look at. So I had to pass that on. Thank God for gifts to the church like Pastor MacArthur. I praise God for him. Well first of all, let's look at it. What we think of others.
What we think of others. James says, do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother. Let me stop right there. Notice the three-fold repetition. Three times within that verse of scripture, he says, brethren, brother, brothers.
This reminds us as believers of the family relationship, that we are part of the family.
Of God.
As brothers in Christ and how important it is to the household of faith that we remember this, that we, thank you Ben, that we share with each other within the body of Christ as fellow Christians. Scripture has a lot to say about this.
Christians are to expect, now let me say this, from the outside world, we are to expect slander. We are to expect slander from the outside of the church. This is to be expected. Well Pastor, is there a chapter and verse to that?
Absolutely. I've got it right here. Go with me to 1 Peter chapter 2. First Peter, and by the way, Lord willing, as I was studying this, I thought this would be a great book to carry on after we finish James.
If everybody's okay with it, we'll go there, amen? First Peter, and then Lord willing, we may take it after, if Jesus tarries, we may go to 2 Peter, because it deals with, it carries on, actually it deals with more about false teachers and that in times, and we're there, aren't we?
But I thought 1 Peter is a companion to James, and it is a sister epistle, and after all, Peter and James was right there on the Sermon on the Mount listening to the Master. So they were actually bringing commentary by the Holy Spirit to the persecuted Christians.
So listen to 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 11 and 12, and I love these verses. The Apostle Peter says this, we're talking about slander from the world, but listen to how he says it, Beloved, now when he says Beloved, he's speaking to God's people.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers, we're aliens and strangers, that's, you know, you won't get a conversation with people, you know, the Bible talks about aliens, we are aliens, we're strangers, we're just passing through this world, this world's not our home.
But he says, as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lust. So what he's saying, in other words, hold yourself away from fleshly desires, fleshly lust, which wage war against the soul, that's what it does.
Verse 12, keep your behavior, and he talks about behavior here, how do we behave? Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Now that's a wonderful verse of scripture. By the way, I was looking at the word visitation, and that actually means of Christ is coming again in judgment. When Jesus comes again to judge the world, so in light of that, so we as Christians must be disciplined in an inward and private way of avoiding the desires of our fallen nature.
That takes a strong inward power, an inward grace, an inward, the Holy Spirit, by the way, that helps us to do this, and this is a grace, and this includes much more, by the way, than just sexual temptations here.
What does it talk about, Pastor? Well, actually what it's talking about, it does refer that we're to avoid sexual temptations,.
Absolutely.
But it also speaks of which these things, these fleshly lusts, which wage war against.
What?
The soul. War, and by the way, the word war here is to carry on a military campaign, and fleshly lusts are personified as if they were an army of guerrillas and rebels who search out and destroy a Christian's joy, a Christian's peace, and usefulness in the Lord.
Now isn't that the way Satan is? And also false teachers are that way too. Jesus said it in John 10 .10, the thief comes not but to steal, to kill, and destroy. But I have come that you might have life and have it more abundant.
You see, the enemy of our soul is a thief. He wants to come and rob us of our joy and our peace, and if he can do that, he robs us of our usefulness in God. That's what he wants to stop, beloved, and he wants us to stop right there and throw.
In the towel and quit.
But you know this as well as I do, with the power of the Holy Spirit, there's no quitting in this. And God keeps us, and God perseveres us, and we persevere, and we remain faithful regardless of the battles and how hard it is before us in this world, God has a way in keeping his people and encouraging his people.
It's amazing.
God's timing is always perfect. And many times when we think, as Brother Keith was mentioning earlier, in our weakest times, that's when you're strongest. When you're down, you're up. When you're up, you're down.
There's a paradox. And many times when we think we're not being used of God, God's using you. God is there working in our midst, and he's working on you, and he's working in refining.
You.
And that's what he wants to do. He wants to refine us where we're stronger in him and not having confidence in the flesh, but our confidence is in God, not the flesh. But so here, this is everyday warfare, right, against the Christian, against the powers of darkness outside of the church.
But we are to expect slander from the unbelievers, right, from the Gentiles.
That should not take us by surprise.
If you jump over to 1 Peter 3 .16, notice what it says in 1 Peter 3 .16. This is another reference. It says this, Peter says, and keep a good conscience. Now, that's important. Oh my, is it important, but keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
They will be put to shame. In other words, having a blameless conscience will cause your false accusers to feel shameful for their evil deeds. That's why the scripture says you overcome evil by what?
Good.
Don't be overcome by the evil, but the good, and what is the good? The truth, the gospel, God. It's not us, because we know when we look within ourselves, there's no good within us. But the good is in God.
Only God is good. Now, that we have a blameless conscience, and then our accusers who wrongly accuse us will feel shame in their conscience. Well, slander is to be expected from outside the church. Well, let me change gears here.
But what about within the church? Are we to expect slander? Well, unfortunately, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, it happens, doesn't it? And that's why He deals with it. It should not be within the church.
It ought not to be. But, within the church, unfortunately, slander happens. And it is unacceptable to God. It is unacceptable. Chapter and verse? Absolutely. Galatians 5 .15 is a good place to start. And I've got some comments about Galatians 5 .15 if you want to turn there.
But you may know this verse. By heart, it's a good one. Paul says this, and he warns the Galatian Christians there. But, if you bite, notice this. If you bite and devour one another. There's another one another.
Take care that you are not consumed by one another. They consume each other because of biting and devouring through the tongue. Like a snake. Like an adder. Like a serpent. This is the imagery, by the way.
What do you think about biting and devouring? Automatically. Savage beast. Savage animals. That's what he's talking about. This is the imagery of wild, savage animals attacking and killing each other.
And it's sad. It happens within the church. But he says, this ought not to be. You will consume one another. And this is a graphic picture of what happens in the spiritual realm when believers do not love and serve each other.
It's sad, but it happens. And let me insert something right here. And I heard Pastor MacArthur talk about this earlier within the week. Somebody posted just an excerpt from a sermon. And it really struck me very strong.
And I thought, you know, that's very timely. In the social media age. And Facebook. And all this stuff on the iPhone. An example of this is definitely within the social media arena. On Facebook. And there's been a lot of people going after him.
Because he's just stood up for the truth. About certain things. About Beth Moore. And about Paula White. And all this women preaching. And he just quotes scripture, folks. All MacArthur is doing is quoting scripture.
It's not the word of John MacArthur. He's just being a voice for God. He says, thus says the Lord. This is what the scripture says about it. And he's addressing the evangelical church. Well, after that, he speaks about Beth Moore going home.
And being a homemaker at home. Rather than trying to get on a platform and preach to others. He said, let me tell you what the word of God says. Then all over Facebook, they're slamming him. All because of the word of God.
Well, I heard him speak about this. And he quoted this one verse here. He basically said, if you say you're a Christian, act like a Christian. Behave like a Christian. If there's disagreements, at least be gracious.
At least set up biting and devouring one another. And he talked about this. Biting and devouring one another. You see this all over the internet, don't you?
On Facebook.
Christians are to behave in a godly way. Especially if it comes to social media. Because you put it out there for everybody to hear it. Or to see it. Or read it. And the one thing I would think of, first and foremost, is beware of slandering.
It is not only verbal, but it can be written down on a text. Slandering a brother or a sister in Christ should not be. This should not be. And let me give a serious warning here. And I'll tell you what.
I mentioned John MacArthur, and he mentions the Apostle Paul. But let me mention the Lord Jesus Christ in this. He gives even a stronger, sober warning about slander. And Matthew 18 .16 says this. Which reflects the seriousness of slander to other believers.
Listen to this. The powerful words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He warns the church. The church. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to stumble, it would be better. Listen to this.
It would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Now pause for a moment.
Isn't that sobering?
Better to suffer a horrifying death? Better to be drowned in the depth of the sea with a millstone hung around his neck? To die a death like that would be better for him? That's a sobering warning. From our Lord Himself that Christians should take drastic action to give such an offense to other believers.
Knowing that the Father Himself is concerned about His own children and how they're treated. You know God? God's going to take care of His own. And He knows how to remove those who bully and offend His little ones.
We've got a great Father in Heaven.
He's a protector.
He's a loving... And you know He does that because He loves His own. Think of that. Because He loves His own. He's in covenant with His own. Through the blood covenant. Through the new covenant of Jesus Christ.
One with Him.
Nothing could touch you.
But if somebody comes and slanders on you, hey God's going to take care of them. We don't have to worry about taking vengeance on them. Now this doesn't mean that we're not to expose evil doers, right?
Because we talked about this. Even the Apostle Paul called false teachers out by name. He did. He called them out by name. But you see right here, closely associated with the sin of slander is also that of being judgmental.
Now we talked about wrong judgment. Let's talk about right judgment. After cautioning his readers not to speak evil against one another, James commandingly warns the one who's judging his brother.
To stop it.
That's what he's saying.
And here in this context, the word judges does not refer to evaluation, by the way. It means condemnation. In this context. So in his warning, it reflects our Lord Jesus when He taught on the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 7, verses 1 -5.
And let me read that real quickly because that is so important to what James is actually saying. And I really believe that's what's in the mind of James since he's writing this. James, I'm sorry, Matthew chapter 7.
Greatest sermon ever preached from our Lord Himself. Chapter 7. Notice what Jesus said right in the middle of His sermon. Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged.
And by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. But why do you look at the speck that is in the brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Isn't that a great question?
How can you say to your, who? Your brother. Let me take that speck out of your eye. And behold. There's that great word.
Look. Look.
The log is in your own eye. That's powerful. Jesus knew how to get His words across.
It was radical.
It was, you got it. And then He says in verse 5, He answers it.
You hypocrite.
Is there any stronger preacher that would preach that? How many preachers get up and tell their congregation,.
You play actor.
That's what He's saying.
You're acting it out.
You're playing acting.
First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly.
To take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Boy, doesn't Jesus know how to get right down to it? And to bring it to the context, He says in verse 6, Do not give what is holy to the dogs. And do not throw your pearls before a swine, or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.
So to judge rightfully, but we better be careful in our judgment.
MacArthur says here,.
As the context reveals, this does not prohibit all types of judging. Verse 16, There is a righteous kind of judgment we are supposed to exercise with careful discernment. So we need to keep that in mind.
He goes on to say this, If fellow believers are viewed as those,.
This is good,.
As those chosen by God before the foundation of the world for whom Christ died, who are loved and honored by God, and with whom we will spend eternity in heaven with, we will seek to honor and love and protect them.
So the first step in avoiding the sin of slander is not keeping one's lips sealed, but keeping one's thoughts about others right. Then the lips will fall in place. That's good, isn't it? Now, let's go to the second point.
What we think of the law, what we think of the law, notice verse 11b. The word of God says this, He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law, but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.
What's he saying?
Well, in the next step in James' flow of thought here, since loving others is the fulfillment of the law, the slander, then slander is failing to love others. That's the connection. We're not loving others.
Our slander, therefore, is a violation of the law of God. Now, that's in context. Since James is speaking about the law of God, namely the Ten Commandments, well, let's look at the Ten Commandments. Go with me to Exodus chapter 20.
Chapter 20. Now, fasten your seat belts, because when I read this, whether you read it or I read it, whoever reads it, conviction automatically happens.
Why?
Because we are depraved people. Let me tell you something R .C. Sproul said. R .C. Sproul said this about the law of God, and I love this. This is a quote you might want to remember. Our blemishes are revealed to us by having mirrors, but they do not make mirrors for the soul.
Such a mirror is found in the law of God. And when I look in that mirror,.
It never lies.
Don't you love Sproul? He tells it right like it is, and then he goes on to say, it drives me to my knees, because the law of God reveals my pollution. That's the truth. Every single one of us, it doesn't matter.
When we go to the perfect law of liberty, that's what James calls it. It's a mirror. We look into our soul. When we open up this word, and when God says, in verse 1, chapter 20, then God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven or above, or on earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them,.
Or serve them,.
For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations, of those who hate me, but show in loving kindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.
Now, let me stop right there. Every word here is a word of love. A lot of times, and I used to think of this before I came to Christ, I used to think about the Ten Commandments was like such condemnation because I know I've broken it.
But I never looked at it like everything that God is saying here, and automatically I'm convicted because of my depravity. But now when I look at it, yes, I'm convicted, but I'm convicted in a different way.
As a child of God, I'm saying, Lord, this drives me to sanctification because I want to deal with the sins that are remaining in my heart. But I also see it differently. I saw it at first that God is my judge,.
Which I should. At that time, He was my judge.
Now, God is my Savior. And I look at it, and when I see the Ten Commandments, I read the Ten Commandments, I said every word here is a word of protection against sin, against my heart. You see what I'm talking about?
It is a love of God, the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. You see, what did Paul say in Romans 7, 7? I would not have known sin.
Except through the law. That's how it is revived.
That's how we know it.
Here we have the standard.
Of the highest standard of true holiness. Now, I read verse 1 and 2, but notice verse 3. You shall have no other gods before me. That's the first commandment. What does that tell us? That shows that God's love is not fickle.
That kind of love is single-minded.
It is focused.
That's to have no other gods before God. God is first and foremost.
Period.
There's no discussion about it.
God's right.
Devotion. The second commandment is found in verse 4. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness what is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water under the earth. That basically further describes God's love as faithful.
It's faithfulness. Love is not only loyal in attitude, but it's faithful in practice. If you go on to the third commandment, verse 7. Let me read on. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
For the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain. He takes that very serious, doesn't he? His name is to be hallowed.
That's what Jesus said.
Hallowed be thy name. But what does that say? That reveals that love is to be respectful toward its object. Notice the next one, the fourth commandment, verse 8. Remember the Sabbath day.
To keep it holy.
You know what that tells us? Describes love as intimate with the devotion toward its object. You go on to the fifth commandment. Let me jump to verse 12. Honor your father and your mother. Now we're talking about...
Now you notice, honor your father and your mother. You notice the first four is vertical. The second set of six is horizontal. The vertical's got to be first. That's what it's teaching. Our relationship to God.
Then our horizontal relationships with each other.
What does it say?
Love the Lord your God first and foremost. Then we see that correctly. Then we know how to love our brothers secondly. How did John put it? How can you love God whom you have not seen? You cannot love your brother whom you have seen.
You see, that's the way it works.
Vertical, horizontal. What do you got?
A cross.
Come on somebody.
That's the cross life.
That's the life of the cross.
So that's the way...
God knows exactly the plan and the format. I mean, it's perfect. Isn't that wonderful, Brother Michael?
It shows love here.
Now notice in this second set,.
Verse four...
Let's see, where am I? Yes, verse 12. Thank you. It reveals love to be...
Submissive toward authority. You notice today that it's right reverse. You say disobedient to parents.
Why are they disobedient to parents? Because ultimately they're disobedient against God. That's the real disobedience. It's just played out toward their parents whom they see. But it says basically here we are to be submissive to God.
But Ephesians 5 .21 Paul says, Be subject to one another in the fear of God. Go to the sixth commandment. Notice next, the sixth commandment. You shall not murder. This expresses the value of love placed on other people.
Others that are created in the image of God. You know, abortion. That's a heinous sin, isn't it? And it's stamping out God's image, what it is, technically. Jesus revealed, and not only physically, Jesus revealed that the true intent of this commandment was not merely to prohibit actual murder.
He takes it a step deeper.
What did he say?
But also being angry toward another person. That leads to murder. That's what leads people to murder, doesn't it? It's anger. It's the sin of anger. And Jesus talked about that in Matthew 5 .21 and 22.
Everything Jesus covers here on the Sermon on the Mount. And he takes it a step deeper because he talks about the motive. He talks about your heart. And that's where Jesus is striking at. Go to verse 14.
Notice the seventh commandment. Basically it says, you shall not commit adultery.
What is it saying?
It shows to be loving both to be pure. To desire purity toward its object.
See?
So Jesus takes that a step deeper too, another level.
He says, hey, it doesn't have to be physical.
You can commit adultery in your mind and in your heart right where you are. Looking on the Internet. Just the lust and think of another desire, another person. You've already committed adultery. I told that to one person one day.
He said, man, I think everybody's committed that sin. And I said, yeah. And his eyes got big too. And I said, yeah. But see, that's the purpose of God's Word. I said, yeah, just about everybody has committed that sin.
Because we have lustful hearts toward other things rather than God. But I said, oh, when God regenerates you. I say He gives you a new heart. Now you still battle sin.
But you're aware of it.
I'm a slave to righteousness, not a slave to sin. No more. I've changed masters. Now let's go on. You shall not steal, verse 15. I basically manifest the unselfish nature of love. And what does he say?
I want to make this simple. Love seeks to give, not to take.
You see that?
God's a giving God. And that's why God loves a cheerful giver. Just not financial. And giving what you have. Give your time. Give of your energy. God loves that. Especially when you do it in His name and for His sake.
And for His honor and for His glory. The ninth commandment, verse 16. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. What's that talking about? Notice the love here. That demonstrates love's truthfulness.
We love the truth.
Right?
Love would never lie about its object. But rather it seeks that truth to be known. And we'll die for the truth. Rather than lie. That's another thing. Because we know who the father of liars are. The slanderer himself, Diolobos.
If we change masters, we're not going to be under his reign no more. And lying and living a lie. Just not telling a lie, but living a lie. We've come to the truth. Who's the truth? Jesus Christ Himself.
We understand this. Because we've been regenerated. The tenth commandment really is just as strong as every other. There's a link. There's a chain link here. But the tenth commandment talks about thou shalt not covet.
Notice this. 17. This is so convicting. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Are you convicted? Well, you know, think of it. That expresses love's unselfish contentment. And think of this. Contentment is the essence of godliness.
Is to be content.
To be discontent is opposite. To be discontent means I'm not trusting in God. I'm trusting in the flesh. I'm wanting to have my way rather than God's way. Now, love is content with what it has and wishes only the very best for others.
That's contentment. And since the law of God is in essence His great principles of the love, Jesus, when asked to name the greatest commandment in the law, He replied, Is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And love your neighbor as yourself. Now, don't you think that no one has done that perfectly. Jesus has.
Jesus has, but we haven't.
Now, God gave His law to regulate His people, didn't He? And to love them, and to love Him. To love our fellow human beings. Vertically, horizontal, we talked about the symbol of the cross. And James does not necessarily condemn slander only as a violation of personal affection or the basis of human kindness, but of God's holy law.
And that's what he's talking about. So slander, therefore, is a violation of the law of love. And slander speaks against the law. And condemns the law. And, by the way, it is the very height of pride and arrogance to do this.
And if we place ourselves above God's law, then James is basically warning, you're not a doer of the law.
You're a judge of it.
And experiencing victory over slander requires us to take a proper place under God's authority. Let me read to you real quickly something Oswald Chambers said. I read this in a devotion not long ago. The law and the gospel.
He says this on the text. Whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he's guilty of all. That's what James says. The moral law does not consider our weakness, Chambers says, our weaknesses as human beings.
In fact, it does not take into account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that we be absolutely moral. And the moral law never changes. Either for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world.
It is enduring and it is eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our shortcomings. Boy, isn't that the truth. It remains absolute for all time and eternity.
If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
Romans 7, 9. The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of our sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope, the cross of Christ remains observed to him. Conviction of sin always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law.
It makes a person hopeless, sold under sin. Romans 7, 14. I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get right with God.
It's impossible.
There is only one way by which, and I love how he brings the remedy here. There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience.
Now, obedience follows now, but listen to what he says. Who of us could ever obey God absolutely perfect, to perfection?
Jesus did.
And that's the gospel. Jesus perfectly obeyed God, and that's the sacrifice, his living life. See, this is the thing about people, don't forget, Jesus not only died for us, he lived for us. That's the gospel.
Every perfect deed that he did was perfectly done and pleased the Father. The Father was always smiling upon him. And I don't know about you. Before I came to God, and even now, even so, I see God's frown many times.
Now is when he frowns at me. He takes me to the woodshed and lets me have it. But that's because he loves us. He goes on to say this, we only begin to realize the power of the moral law once we see that it comes with a condition and a promise.
But God never coerces us. Sometimes we wish he would make us to be obedient, and other times we wish he would leave us alone. Whenever God's will is in complete control, he removes all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey him, he will reach to the remotest star, to the ends of the earth to assist us with all his almighty power.
That is so good. Well, that's what he's talking about. We've sinned against the law. Let me carry on because my time is running out very quickly. What we think of God, what we think of God, let's go back to James chapter 4.
Look at this. This is wonderful. The next point is what we think of God. Verse 12, There is only one lawgiver and judge, and the one who is able to save and destroy. Now, by placing himself above the law, the slanderer, now the slanderer, that's who we're talking about, attempts to place himself above the only true lawgiver.
This is how terrible it is. And don't you love how the Holy Spirit brings that through the words of James? And it shows you it's just not James' words. It's the Holy Spirit. It's God's word. And the judge, who is God himself, you see, talking about the height of pride, talking about folly, Proverbs is loaded with this.
You see, it places a sinner on a par with Satan, beloved, who sought unsuccessfully to usurp God's throne. If you look quickly to Isaiah chapter 14, there's some prophetic words about Lucifer. Very quickly.
Isaiah is so good, isn't it? The gospel of Isaiah.
This is beautiful.
But notice the prophetic sayings, and I want you to notice this right here. Notice right here in verse 12. This is talking about Lucifer when he was in heaven, and when he was cast out, by the way. How you have fallen.
Chapter 14, verse 12. How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, sun of the dawn. You have been cut down to earth.
That's where he was.
He was in the garden, right? Threw him down to earth. Cut down to the earth. You who have weakened the nations. Isn't that the truth? He's weakened nations. What did he say in his heart? Verse 13. But you said in your heart.
I want you to get this. How many times does he say, I will? I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. And I will sit on the mount of the assembly, in the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high. Then God said, nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol. To the recesses of the pit. God thrust him down. How many times did he say, I will?
I will. I will.
What did Jesus do?
Thy will. Thy will. Thy will.
Thy will. Folks, keep that before you. Every time we want our will and not God's will, we're not on track with God. We've got to have thy will be done.
Thy will.
Well, there you have the summary. Then this is basically the desire to usurp the place of God. And this has been the very essence of every sin that's ever been committed. Every sin. Think of that for a second.
Every sin. My will. To have my way. I'm going to do it rather than let God do the work. To take rule in His place. Sin strikes a tremendous, murderous blow at the very person of God Himself.
That's the way we should see this.
David said it in Psalm 51 -4 when he was repenting before God. He says, against you and you only I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. Not one time did he mention Bathsheba. Not one time. He said, it's my sin.
James points out the blasphemy and folly of sinners seeking to usurp God's place.
Notice here.
There's only one lawgiver and one judge. In the Greek, now you're going to find this interesting. In the Greek text, it literally means one is the lawgiver and the judge. Only one. Stressing that God Himself alone is the sovereign ruler of His universe.
And He is the only lawgiver. Appears only here in the New Testament. That word right there. And it refers here as one who puts the law in its proper place. And God does that. It refers to one who applies the law.
And God is the one that applies the law. It also speaks that God is the lawgiver and He's the law-applier. And God gave the law and God would judge every person. He would judge every person's reigns.
That means the motives of their hearts. That makes me tremble when I say that. He knows my heart. He knows my motives. But it can be a comforting thing too because I know my motives here. And I say, God, You know my motives.
But a lot of times my motives are corrupt. That's why I pray, Lord, sanctify my motives. Well James then says that God is able to both save and to destroy. This is interesting. Notice this. To destroy.
Now a lot of people want to hear about the saving part but they don't want to hear about the destroying part. But it's okay on the saving part because if we repent and people repent and believe the gospel, they're safe.
And I'm talking about truly repent. What about the destruction?
Oh wow.
Well, let's first look at just briefly about God being Savior. The angel of the Lord told Joseph that Jesus would save His people from their sins. Matthew 1 .21. While Jesus Himself described His mission on earth was what?
To seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19 .10. Paul wrote that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1 .16. And the writer of Hebrews declares that the Lord Jesus Himself, He's able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.
That's a powerful verse. But those who refuse to repent, to do their own thing, to refuse to turn from their wicked ways, they're in trouble, beloved. You know, God said that. I didn't. Because God would judge them.
God would destroy them, by the way. Just not only judge but destroy them. The Greek word here is apollium. Apollium. You know what that means? It does not mean annihilation.
I looked it up.
It literally means to eternal destruction in hell. Now there's a lot of theologians, liberal theologians that turns this word upside down. And they try to say, oh, there's no punishment in hell. You're just going to be annihilated if you die lost.
Negative.
You know something? Amen. That's a negative because if that's the case, then why have the gospel? Why is there good news? And why did Jesus pay such a horrific price on the cross then? If He did not die to save me from such hell and wrath.
You see, that's the purpose of the gospel. Because He saves to the uttermost. There's a greatness in God's power saving us from the depths of hell. And from hell itself. But let me tell you another verse.
Jesus said it Himself. Matthew 10, 28. Jesus says, do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And that word hell means Gehenna.
In the pit itself. And we know that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He made hell for the devil and the angels. Aren't you glad there's a way? He didn't have to make a way, but He did.
So back to James. The sin of slander. He warns us. No trouble will matter. Fourth, let's go to the next, because my time is about out. What we think of ourselves, verse 12. But who are you who judge your neighbor?
Who are you?
Those who slander others portray an exaggerated view of their own importance. This is a strong, loving rebuke from James. And this question, who are you who judge your neighbor? Gets to the point, doesn't it?
Doesn't it remind you of Paul? I don't have time to read him. Romans 9. But Paul talks about, oh man of God, who are you? To say to the clay.
To say to the potter.
The one who formed you.
Who made you.
To tell him that you made him. Made you this way. And actually what he talks about is election and not election. That's what he's talking about. And then he goes on to say, God I have mercy on whom He wants to have mercy.
And basically He can cast away whoever He casts away. He can harden who He wants to harden. He has every right to. You know, at first that's a hard blow, isn't it? Because we're thinking, hold on God.
Do you really have that right? Look in Scripture. He has every right. R .C. Sproul said it didn't he brothers and sisters? When he was asked the question about why was God so harsh or hard against sin.
And he said, what's wrong with you people?
He let man live another day.
You see, we see this in Scripture all over the place. That God has every holy right to take us all to hell. Because we deserve it. But we don't deserve heaven, do we? We don't deserve grace? As a matter of fact, grace wouldn't be grace.
If we say we deserve it, it's grace because God chose us. Well, let me conclude with this. Go with me to Romans 12. If you look at Romans 12, this is a great chapter. My time is about gone.
Boy, that clock goes by so quick.
Romans 12. And you're very familiar with these verses. Therefore, verse 1. I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and a holy sacrifice. Acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
Your spiritual act of worship, actually.
And do not be conformed to this world. I love this, don't you? But be you transformed by the renewing of your mind. That's about God's meditating on God's word. We've got to renew our mind. The way we think.
We've got to think the way Christ would think. To have the mind of Christ.
And then he says this.
So that you may prove what is the will of God. That which is good and acceptable and perfect. But you know something? We're not going to get that verse until we get verse 3. Through the grace given to me.
Through the grace given to me. This is the Apostle Paul. I say to everyone among you. Not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. But to think so as to have sound judgment. As God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Don't you love that verse? In other words, what he's saying. The divine undeserved favor that called Paul to being an apostle. To give him spiritual, the authority as apostle.
Called out one.
He was chosen to suffer for God and the gospel's sake. To give sound judgment. To exercise sound judgment. Which will lead believers to recognize that in themselves we are nothing. Let's keep that before us.
And he is everything. And those who think that and believe that and practice that will yield the fruit of humility.
Guaranteed.
I can't say it more stronger than that. But let me tie up 1 Peter 5. I tell you 1 Peter says a lot here.
He says this.
You younger men likewise be subject to your elders. And all of you.
All of you.
Clothe yourselves with humility. Toward one another. This is the answer. This is the opposite. This is how we avoid slander beloved. We clothe ourselves with humility. What do we do when we clothe ourselves?
We put it on. Then he says but give grace to the humble. For God is opposed to the proud but he gives grace to the humble. Notice the phrase. Clothe yourselves with humility. This word clothe yourselves in the Greek.
Literally means to tie something on oneself. To tie it on with a knot. Tie it on and put a knot in it. Isn't that great? The term is often used as a slave. Putting an open apron over his clothes in order to keep his clothes clean.
That was the text. That was the underlying background of that. Humility is literally meaning to be lowly minded. To be low in mind. Not to think of ourselves. That was so important. That was so great.
And that we deserve a platform.
But to be down in the dirt.
And to serve. And this is an attitude that one is to have. And not to be too good to serve. Jesus practiced that didn't he? In John chapter 13 he talked about. He demonstrated it. Washing the disciples feet.
And humility was considered a virtue. I'm sorry was not considered a virtue by the ancient world. More than it is today. The world today looks at humility like a weakness. Don't have it. You got to be strong.
You got to believe in yourself. What are you talking about? No we need to trust in the living God. And have no confidence in the flesh. 1 Peter 5, 6 and 7. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
That He may exalt you in proper time. Casting. Brother Keith you mention this a lot. Casting. Almost like throwing it out there. All your anxiety. All your care on Him. On God. Because He cares for you.
Don't you love that verse?
Notice.
Humble yourselves. Under. Did you get that? Under. Who's on top?
God.
We're under His authority. We're under His rule. We're under His hand.
We're down.
And the more we keep ourselves down. The more He will pull us up in proper time. But He's exalted.
See.
We're below God.
Under Him. Under His power. Under His authority. Under His sovereignty. Under His control. Always accomplishing His sovereign purpose.
With or without us.
I don't know about you. I want to be part of it. I want to be part of it. So let's do this. It's one of the evidences. Of humbling ourselves. Before His almighty hand. We are to be casting. Throwing ourselves.
Upon God. Upon His finished work at Calvary. Casting all our discontent. Our discouragement. Our despair. Our suffering. On Him. Trusting Him. Trusting only in Him.
Trusting only in Him. So let's pray. Father we thank You for this time. Lord there's so much more that can be said here. But Lord I believe what's said is enough. Even if I read one verse. It would have been very sufficient.
And put an amen to it. Because it is Your holy word. But Lord we thank You for this hour we've had. Father thank You for meeting with us. Encouraging us. Strong medicine here. Strong medicine. Lord but this good medicine.
It helps our soul. Helps us see ourselves.
As we really are.
Before the mirror of Your word. So Father help us to judge ourselves. That we not be judged. Father help us always to do this. In the right context of Your word. And Lord we know that Your Holy Spirit is always there.
To do its work. To sanctify us. And to cleanse us. And as Your word does the work itself. The agency of it. We thank You for Your blessed Holy Spirit. That brings us to the foot of the cross. And points to Jesus.
Because the remedy is in the blood. The wonderful precious blood of the Lamb. Thank You for that. Thank You for the cross. Thank You for the one who is the true law giver. That took upon Himself. To save us from ourselves.
To save us from sin. To save us from hell. From Your wrath. Thank You Father. We want to be on the side of mercy. Not of wrath. And only in Jesus can we do so. And we thank You for this. For it's in Your name we pray.
Amen and Amen.