Gtcotr/ws021319
War
may be a little dramatic for tonight’s purposes nonetheless that’s the word
used in the scriptures we will be reading later this evening from the Book of
James. Before we begin with the reading of our key scripture, allow me to
briefly expound on a truth I heard in my spirit this morning.
“Everything
is connected …”
That’s
what I heard early this morning as I opened my heart and my ears to the Spirit
of God. I am not certain about its full meaning, but I am certain it’s
connected to everything somehow. Lol … We are connected to everything and
everything is connected to us. You are connected to me and we are connected to
the past and to the future and to all God has done and all He will yet do. The
good, the bad and the ugly, the up’s, the down’s, the good things and the difficult
days … everything is connected. Nothing is independent of itself and, try as
you may, your life affects others and what others do affects you. Even the wind
and the waves, the good and the evil, from the homeless man under the bridge to
the day trader on wall street, everything and everyone is connected. We have
one life, one God, one purpose, one chance and one eternity … even heaven and
earth are connected. From dust you came and to dust you shall return …
Are
you ready for the Word tonight?
James 5:16 Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
The
element of confession is an important doctrine of the Church and is a powerful
tool available to each Believer to make them right with God and right with
their fellow man. This particular verse in James is not aimed directly at the
sin a person commits against God. I John 1:9 and other scriptures are for that
purpose. However, James 5:16 deals more specifically with the trespasses we
commit against each other. God’s word helps us to cover all the bases … after
all, everything is connected!
James
5 discusses the bigger picture of healing and this verse, “Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed”,
must be understood in light of the context into which it is set. Whether
through God’s intervention or by the course of natural biological processes,
which deal with stress, anxiety and guilt relief, confession of this sort is
good for the soul and evidently also good for the body.
Sicknesses
are often prolonged or made worse by the mental, spiritual and/or emotional
health of a person. Stress, guilt, anger, worry, fear or regret can make a
person sick and can certainly prove to worsen or lengthen the sickness. James
offers help to that person struggling with sickness to insure they aren’t
harboring undealt-with trespasses against anyone else, and if so that they
confess those trespasses and receive prayer as well as offering prayer for the
one whom they did wrong. This can provide the healing platform needed to move
the hand of God or to remove other obstacles which hinder healing. It’s not
much different than Jesus saying, “Forgive and you shall be forgiven …”.
Confess and pray that you may be healed; restored; made right; made whole; or
cured.
The
Greek word translated sin, found throughout the New Testament, is not the same
Greek word translated “Trespasses” in James 5:16.
This Greek word is found only 23 times in the New Testament and indicates
fault, offence, or trespass. These
are those infractions which people commit
against other people. Things said or done in secret or in public, from
slander to theft, from lying to hatred are trespasses. Although sickness is not
the result of personal sin, trespasses committed against others can withhold
healing from and right standing with God. Confessing these trespasses to
someone else and receiving prayer will remove this obstacle and the guilt,
stress, and shame associated with the offence. Confession may not change the
other person, but it will change you.
It
is not made completely clear as to whom a person must confess. In other verses
indications lean towards a person confessing their trespasses to the individual
against whom they trespassed. This is not always possible since death separates
us from some opportunities to make sincere apologetic amends. However, this
verse does not give authority to a member of the clergy to mandate confession
or to absolve of sins committed against God. Honestly and humbly owning up to a
trespass and confessing that trespass to someone who will pray for you is a right
step.
We
certainly all agree that things on earth would be much better if people just
got along and said, “I’m sorry!”, or just stopped causing trouble altogether. The
third chapter of James tells us that there are two basic pools of wisdom
people, even born-again believers, draw from on earth. One pool of wisdom, the
wisdom of this world, is earthly, sensual and demonic while the other pool of
wisdom, the heavenly wisdom, is:
James 3:17 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.
Let’s
continue with this thought as we look at the connected scriptures in the next
chapter:
James 4:1 Where do wars and
fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires
for pleasure that war in your members?
Where
do wars come from? – Hence the title of this message.
Wars
and fights come from people … even among Born-Again Believers. Fights occur
because one person wants something another person has or could give, and the
other person won’t give it … so we go to war!
Remember,
Pastor James is talking about people who draw from the earthly pool of wisdom.
These people imagine that whatever pleases them and whatever they want is best.
They don’t consider the other person as important as they consider themselves.
These carnal Christians, as the Apostle Paul called them in Corinthians, are
subject to their carnal fleshly desires and the greatest struggle they face is
going on inside of them.
The
Carnal Christian’s insatiable thirst to be pleased is a continual war ongoing
in their minds. The only measure they have for what is best is what is best for
them as they see it. Pastor James continues:
2 You lust and do not have.
You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have
because you do not ask.
They
lust, murder, covet and still they’re not satisfied … so they fight and make
war … but there’s still no satisfaction. Whatever ever happened to prayer? (Lust
seems like such an ugly word. Lust and love are polar
opposites. Lust takes while love gives. Lust says I am the important
one, love says you are … Lust is a consumer, love fulfills and replenishes.) Whatever
happened to simply asking? But asking won’t always work …
3 You ask and do not receive,
because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
When
a carnally/fleshly motivated Christian asks God or even their family for
something, the request can be seen for what it is … a selfishly motivated
request so that they can soothe their current carnal appetite. God called them
adulterers and adulteresses, not because they are having extramarital sex but
because they are experiencing divided loyalties.
Born-again
Believers should not be drawing out of the pool of this world’s wisdom in an
attempt to use or abuse others just to satisfy themselves. If you ask for money
and your parent or boss says no … Do you trespass against them, steal the
money, slander the person or start a fight?
4 Adulterers and
adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with
God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy
of God.
Well
– for this evening: The Origin of War is simple … it comes from someone’s
attempt create happiness by robbing from others to satisfy self. What is the
remedy? God has given you access to His grace … you’re better than this … Come
on now … it’s not all about you …
6 But He gives more grace.
Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
7 Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He
will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and
purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep!
Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the
sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Remember,
everything is connected. The wars we have and even the fights may affect more
than we realize. Perhaps we should check to see which pool we are drawing our
wisdom from and consider if what we are fighting for is selfish or is it to
benefit others and bless God. Is it love or lust?
Confess
your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.
Submit yourself to God and resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw
near to God and He will draw near to you.
