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James Series | Being brotherly | James 4: 13- 17

 Verses from ESV

Intro: 

We have been looking at James, the brother of Jesus writing to believers who are from a Jewish background, living as Church away from the places. 

As we have been reading we are clear what James is intending us to have:

REAL ACTIVE FATIH

  • We have seen how
    • faith is build in trials
    • faith is used to separate
    • faith is based on Word of God
    • faith is based and build by doing the word
    • faith is based by building control - tongue
    • faith is based by openness
    • faith is shown by our works
    • faith is shown in humility and teachability
    • last week we saw how to we need to pray and why there are fights and "war" amongst Christians.
This week we are going to look at the solution. This is the part that has to do with faith.

James 4

  1. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
    • Before we go into this portion, let us see why James is talking about this sentence. James:  -- Why are there wars amongst you brothers?  
    • James warns us like a wonderful brother that there has to be unity but not just unity for the sake of unity but unity based on Love and fellowship with Christ. This is why James brings in the relationship with the world into the picture. We saw James telling, in fact shouting at us saying that we are adulterers, abandoning our love for God (James4:4). Why? because we want to be like the world. Be measured by the standards of the world. We fail to see the implications James points here if we still look at these things empirically. James wants us to realise that we are one and of one body. This is why the Church is said as one. This my brothers separates us from a group of like minded people wanting something good. We are not here based on trying to be NGO or sort but rather we are called by one Father, paid by Jesus and daily washed by the Holy Spirit so that we may be one as Jesus says we are one in him. James wants us to realise that we are a family. A family has no hidden agendas. This is a life that you and I choose to live by. 
    • James therefor instructs us to mourn and repent - repent of what? too much pride. Humble yourselves he says. Why? because God desires our Spirit/Soul with jealous love.
    • James offers us what Jesus offered him. Grace! and life giving abundant grace.
    • Brothers, if in our self righteous attempts we fail to give grace we cause war. So be humble.
    • Now we come to the task at hand:
      • James starts with this topic -- Do not speak evil of your brother or judge your brother
      • We understand speaking evil. We understand that we are not to bear false witness (Ex 20.16) That is how we speak evil. We are telling someone something that someone else (that is witnessing) done but we twist the incident or the language so that it is either ambiguous and confusing or we tell a lie (both being bearing false witness)
        • Let's dig into this for a few minutes.
        • Should we correct our brother who has fallen away? Is James saying that we are not to correct? Look at the following verses
        • Titus 3:10
        • Matthew 18:15-17
        • Romans 16:17
        • What should we do? The Bible says that we have to pursue and bring the brother to correction. If he has wronged you, ask two more people then even ask the Church so that the brother or sister may be brought to repentance.
        • Brothers this is extremely important and I wish we all will obey the next part very well with deep convictions.
        • 1 Peter 4:8
        • Galatians 6:1
        • Do you know what this means? This means that you are not to talk evil because you are a recipient of grace. You have received grace and that is important. Brothers, we are in some manner the ones who should be most graceful and if you are not then examine your heart and ask how on earth you are saved.
      • Judging? Really?? This verse is often misquoted. We have people saying I am no one to judge. Is that what James is saying here.
        • No James is saying do not do it falsely. There are heavenly beings who look at Gods face who know that you do this. (we will come to that section a bit later)
        • Matthew 7:1 and see Matthew 7:5, Jesus is not passing a unified law saying that no one should judge, no Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they are not to pass divine judgement like you will go to hell and so on. Jesus is said a number of times as the righteous judge.
        • James is telling us to control our tongue ... why? because we are a family. We have to be with each other in eternity. This eternity is started here. 
        • Brothers in this church we have shared the vision a number of times, we are rewriting contemporary understanding here. We are a family, we are to remain in love with one another. We saw that last year when we learned on sanctification being a corporate thing. We are our brothers keepers. This means we are meant to protect their souls as well as ours. This means we are to be patient in times of trouble. Brothers, do you know what it means to have you guys here? For a lot of you, you are new to this land. I have lived in this land and UK for over 10 years now. We are a body not because we are a church plant, we are a church plant because we are a body. This is the same thing that James is saying here.
        • John MacAthor emphasis this section here with  Matthew 18:7 - saying that when we who teach, we who share, we who gossip about our brothers, especially those who are mature in faith saying bad about the younger brothers, the angel who are in charge of them - who look at the face of God see the concern God has for them. This is why we are to love our brothers
        • John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16: Brothers decide today will you lay your life for your brother.
      • This is why James warns us here that when we judge we are not following the law but the judge of the law. See the next verse. Who is the Judge?
  2. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbour?
    • James is saying that when we make up lies and accuse falsely then we are becoming like God. We want god out of his throne and we want to sit on it. Brothers, we do this daily sometimes. Why? Because we are proud and will not want to learn. To learn something is to acknowledge lack of knowledge. If we are arrogant, we will not want to learn. Brothers, this is why - God says to love. Deuteronomy 6:4,5 --- why do we obey the word - because there is only one God. Why do we love? Because there is only one God. Then as long as you seen grace, give grace. Why? that is the only way a sinner would see God. Brothers we are strong on apologetics. And let me take this moment to encourage you to share about Christ and the videos that Nevil shared. Let me warn you that do not do this to prove someone wrong. Do this only because there is a tiny amount of love for them. Remember Cain and Abel. How did Cain sin? He wanted his way, and he went ahead. Is that not what James said in 4:2. You do not have so you murder? There is a better way my brothers. See Psalm 51. David wanted Bethsibha, he violated what Love was meant to be. He failed the ten commandments. 
      • There is one God -- no not in David's heart
      • Thou shalt not murder
      • Thou shalt not commit adultery
      • Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour
      • Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife
    • Yet when Nathan came to him, David said "I have sinned against God". There is a lawgiver, and breaking the law means going against the law giver.
    • This is why David says in Psalm 51 "Have mercy on me"
    • Brothers there is mercy. Let us search our hearts and see if there are anything we said, a small gossip, a backbiting, a curse and come to God for forgiveness. There is mercy as long as it is Today. Come, and drink freely - why are you waiting.


  1. Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 
    • James continues his letter to the ones who repented -- saying that faith is bigger than us. He does this in a strange manner. In Chapter 1 James said that faith involves taking risks. Being ready even when things do not seem like and then in the last few verses James flips the table and says not to plan. Is James really telling that planning is wrong? Is James telling us that we should be ambitionless and just take each day as it is?
  2. yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 
    • No, James is not. James wants us to see the reality without missing the importance. James is a brother. He draws us closely and reminds us like how the wise man in Ecclesiastes said. James wants us to see the whole picture. We saw what faith was and how faith works. And this makes us all excited. We also were crushed and our Spirit lifted up. But James warns us to not say "Meaningless" (Ecclesiastes 12:8) but rather that there is a purpose though it all. See the last verse of Ecclesiastes.  
    • James is still working the pride here. The proud heart plans and wants things to work according to his plans. James shows that in verse 16,17 --- James says that God is in charge here and we live in the knowledge that God in in control
  3. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 
    • How do we bring this section to a close? We realise that out life is fragile, our accomplishments, our views, likes our carrier, family, friends etc are just a gift of God. This should humble us. This should let us see life with deeper meaning. We saw the fact the faith in working is a brotherly faith. We saw that in the verses 11 and 12. This means, there is therefore nothing to boast. But all to gain. See brothers do not make the mistake of saying there is nothing here but rather see that God has a plan to unite and grow us. 
  4. As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 
    • James warns against arrogance where men lift their heads against God and James exhorts us.
  5. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
    • James says, when you know something is right to do, do it, else for you it is a sin.
    • What is right to do?
      • Love God, Love Others.
      • Remember we are here to do His Will and not ours
      • This is why we give grace
      • This is why we fight our pride
      • This is why we do not judge
      • This is why we offer forgiveness
      • This is why we are a family
      • This is why James says the word Brother a number of times.
      • James wants us to know that relationship matters



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