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welcome to everyone for our call to worship you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 24 Psalm 24 Psalm 24 beginning in verse 1 a psalm of David the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness the world and those who dwell therein for he has founded it upon the Seas and established it upon the waters who may ascend into the hill of the Lord or who may stand in his holy place he who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully he shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the god of his salvation this is Jacob the generation of those who seek Him who seek your face say law lift up your heads o you gates and be lifted up you everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in who is this King of glory the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battle lift up your heads o you gates lift up you everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in who is this King of glory the Lord of Hosts he is the king of glory say law well please turn with me in your Trinity hymnal to him number to him number two will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] well let us pray God in heaven we come again on this Sabbath day to worship and to praise and to glorify you we acknowledge that you are the everlasting God from everlasting to everlasting the God who is infinite eternal and unchangeable a God who is worthy to be praised and feared and glorified the God who made this world and who governs this world and has redeemed his elect out of this world help us tonight by the power of your Holy Spirit to come to the Father through the son and may it be the case that God would be all in all in this place rend the heavens and come down and be found among your people in this church encourage and strengthen your saints God be pleased to save those who are dead in their trespasses and sins we know that it's impossible with men to save a soul but with you all things are possible so we would pray tonight from the Ministry and the aid of the Holy Spirit both here and other churches in Chilliwack we would pray God in heaven that today would be the day of salvation that sinners would hear of a holy God and of their own sinfulness and waywardness and of a Christ who came sinners to save we would pray our Father that you would just help us tonight to worship you to glorify and to honor you and do forgive us for our sins and transgressions whenever we are confronted with your holiness in your majesty we see our own sinfulness before a holy God and we thank you that we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous and we say with the psalmist that if you Lord should mark iniquities O Lord who could stand there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared and may that be the case tonight may we know what it is to have that cleansing in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and may we respond with that that fear and faith and worship given unto our great God we ask that you would look with favor upon this congregation help us all to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace grant us the grace to glorify and honor you and grant us the grace to no the Scriptures to know the truth and to be faithful in prayer we pray for those who are unable to be with us tonight we know there are those struggling physically and we commit them to you and to the word of your grace we pray that you'd look with favor upon your struggling Saints we would ask our Father that you administer unto them in the inner man and that you would cause them to to know their God and to know the nearness of God as their good we pray father for your blessing to be upon other churches throughout the earth we thank you that we're not alone we thank you that Christ has promised to build his church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and it encourages us to hear of the cause of God and truth going forth in other lands we thank you Father for those nations that are steeped in false religion and nevertheless we hear of gospel witness and gospel testimony and we pray that that word would run swiftly and be glorified we thank you for that short promise of the prophet Isaiah that you said that if your when you send out your word it does not return unto you void it always accomplishes the purpose for which you sent it in this we rejoice Lord God and we pray that through your Grace and power and the Ministry of the Spirit you would continue to save sinners from every tribe and tongue and people and nation be with those who do suffer for your cause be with those who are imprisoned or those threatened by death by civil government we would just ask God in heaven that you would undertake on their behalf and grant them the grace to persevere in the midst of such trials and difficulties we do pray for the governing authorities as the Apostle tells us we know father that men reign because of God Most High and we would pray that men would reign in accordance with your word we pray that they would be wise that they would be instructed that they would kiss the son lest he be angry and they perish in his way when his wrath is kindled but a little we would ask our Father for those in high places that they would govern according to righteousness and justice we would pray that you would save those who are dead in their trespasses and sins if they will not be saved we pray the you would restrain them and keep them from engaging in further acts of corruption and wickedness and evil we look at our society God we see abortion on demand we see euthanasia we see sodomy openly promoted all these things are an affront to God Most High the Lord Christ taught us to pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and this is our earnest plea God and we pray she would send forth your spirit blessed gospel preaching and turn sinners from their their useless idols to the true and the Living God send revival upon the churches and awakening upon those who are dead in their trespasses and sins and do this to magnify and to bring glory to your great and holy name and we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you can turn with me again in your Trinity hymnal to him number 416 416 we'll use a familiar tune to sing 416 so please stand with me as we sing together [Music] [Music] well you can turn in your Bibles to the Prophet Amos as we continue to read through the Old Testament in our evening worship we find ourselves in the Minor Prophets they're not called minor because they're not important they're called minor because they wrote shorter books than the major prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel again not major because their words are more important just because they wrote longer books so we'll read beginning in Amos 1 at verse 1 all the way to chapter 2 verse 3 beginning in chapter 1 verse 1 the words of Amos who was among the sheep breeders of Toccoa which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of joash king of Israel two years before the earthquake and he said the Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem the pastures of the Shepherd's mourn in the top of Carmel withers thus says the Lord for three transgressions of Damascus and four for I will not turn away it's punishment because they have threat they have thrashed Gilead with implements of iron but I will send a fire into the house of hawza ale which shall devour the palaces of ben-hadad I will also break the gate bar of Damascus and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter from Bath Eden the people of Syria shall go captive to cure says the Lord thus says the Lord for three transgressions of Gaza and four for I will not turn away its punishment because they took captive the whole captivity to deliver them up to Edom but I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza which shall devour its palaces I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon I will turn my hand against Ekron and the remnant of the Philistine Shall Perish says the Lord God thus says the Lord for three transgressions of Tyre and for four I will not turn away it's punished man because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom and did not remember the Covenant to Brotherhood but I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre which shall devour its palaces thus says the Lord for three transgressions for three transgressions of Edom and for four I will not turn away its punishment because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity his anger toward perpetually and he kept his wrath forever but I will send a fire upon teman which shall devour the palaces of Basra thus says the Lord for three transgressions of the people of Ammon and for four I will not turn away its punishment because they ripped open the women with child and Gilead that they might enlarge their territory but I will Kindle a fire in the wall of rabba and it shall devour its palaces amid shouting in the day of battle and a tempest in the day of the whirlwind their King shall go into captivity he and his princes together says the Lord thus says the Lord for three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not turn away its punishment because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to Lyme but I will send a fire upon Moab and it shall devour the palaces of carry off Moab shall die with tumult was shouting and trumpet sound and I will cut off the judge from its midst and slay all its princes with him says the Lord will continue to verse 5 thus says the Lord for three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not turn away its punishment because they have despised the law of the Lord and have not kept his Commandments there lies lead them astray lies which their fathers followed but I will send a fire upon Judah and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem amen I stopped there because then the Prophet will target the Northern Kingdom of Israel now Amos wrote about the year he lived or this the prophecy is dated to about the time of 760 BC and his primary target was the Northern Kingdom he lived at ministered at the same time as the prophet Isaiah and the prophet Micah as well so he will direct his attention for the remainder of the book to Israel the northern kingdom for their specific sins against God but in this introductory part it is intriguing to note that God is absolutely sovereign over all nations everywhere he's not just sovereign over Israel including the northern and the southern kingdoms but rather the prophet of God speaks judgment against the nation's that have rebelled against the living and true God so the Lord God Most High has certainly connected intimately to his covenant people but the Lord God Most High possesses all authority in heaven and on earth and he brings judgment to bear upon those who continue to resist him who continue to reject him and who continue in patterns of lawlessness and that is precisely what the prophet amos highlights here the judgment of God of God against the nations of the earth will let us pray our Father give us wisdom give us grace give us understanding to this portrayal of a God who does bring judgment upon those who reject him we would ask our Father that you would find every heart in here tonight tour turned toward you and may you indeed facilitate that by the outpouring of your great grace and the power of your Holy Spirit we thank you that there is mercy to be had in God we thank you that there is forgiveness to be had we pray father that you would help us tonight to respond righteously to your word to your instruction to your prophet here and to James who functions as a as a New Testament prophet when he calls upon the people of God to repent give us ears to hear and hearts to receive these things and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well for our final him before the preaching of the word will sing number 631 the 6-3 one will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter 4 James for our passage tonight is verses 7 to 12 James's call to repentance remember that last week we saw his condemnation of the people of God for their conflict with one another and their enmity with God well tonight we will notice how he encouraged exhort skom and the people of God to repent from their ways to seek the Lord to seek to repair the breach between them and God and between them and one another I'll begin reading in chapter 3 at verse 13 and read through 4:12 it's beginning in chapter 3 at verse 13 who is wise and understanding among you let him show by 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 we're 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 sown in peace by those who make peace 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 do not have you murder and covet and cannot obtain you fight and war that 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 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 or do you think that the scripture says in vain the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously but he gives more grace therefore he says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble therefore submit to God resist the devil he will flee from you draw near to God and He will draw near to you cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded lament and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up do not speak evil of one another brethren he who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law but if you judge the law you are not a doer of the law but a judge there is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy who are you to judge another Amen will let us pray father we thank you for this your written word we pray again for the ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit we pray that you would help us to take these things to heart we pray God that you would help us to repent and help us to forsake sin help us to see peace with our God through the Lord Jesus Christ help us as well to conduct ourselves toward brethren in a godly in christ exalting way enable us to bridle the tongue enable us to operate according to that wisdom that comes from above and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well remember that in James 3 at verses 1 to 12 he highlights how bad the tongue of man is the tongue is an unruly evil no man is able to tame it and then in James 3 beginning at verse 13 and 2:18 he speaks about the two types of wisdom there is a type of wisdom that comes from above there is a type of wisdom that produces godliness and righteousness and peace and unity and all those sorts of things but there is a wisdom that James calls demonic and if you look specifically there at James 3:15 this wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly sensual demonic for we're envy and a self seeking exists confusion and every evil thing are there and then as we move into chapter 4 there is still a strong connection to what has preceded James in 4 verses 1 to 6 condemns the rotten fruits of demonic wisdom the people to whom he is writing is all or operating according to that wisdom that's not from above but that wisdom which is from below that produces confusion that produces chaos that results in envy and self seeking we see where James addresses the twofold problem of the people of God and verses 1 to far I 1 to 6 in the first place they have conflict with one another there is Wars there's fights there is a battles going on among the people of God again not literally but metaphorically in the way that they treated one another the way that they spoke to one another it was indicative of a battlefield and not a good church service or church services he then addresses their enmity with God in verses to be to two sects and essentially what was happening is that the people the people of God were not having their prayers answered so James condemns them or tells them the reason why he then highlights specifically their enmity with God visa vie their spiritual adultery they had played the harlot against God they had engaged in spiritual whoredom they had indeed engaged in turning away from the Lord and that is precisely what James says in verse 4 adulterous says 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 and then verse six functions transitionally as James cites proverbs 3 I believe that this statement in the first part of the verse God resists the proud further condemns the people of God that are conducting themselves in the manner described in verses 1 to 5 but the fact is that God gives grace to the humble so the transition is seen that now this provides the basis for the call to repentance you'll notice that repentance isn't just do these things but rather it is first and foremost seek the God who gives more grace in other words we need that provision in order to enable us to repent there's a series of 10 commands 10 impera that James gives from verses 7 to tack the only way to comply with those is by the grace of God these are not things given to man that he can do in and of himself certainly it does highlight our responsibility and certainly we do need to engage but we need to do so in dependence upon the grace of Almighty God so we'll look at this call to repentance under two considerations first repentance toward God in verses 7 to 10 and then secondly repentance toward brethren or one another in verses 11 to 12 but notice verse 6 and this provision of grace verse 6 a but he gives more grace in the context where he is addressing the sinfulness of his audience or of his hearers he never leaves them without hope he doesn't leave them broken battered and bruised but he points them to the reality that God gives more grace that is our God that is the mercy that we have in him through our Lord Jesus Christ there is divine provision to remedy our sinful conduct and God has that grace available for his people it says that at the end of verse 6 with God gives grace to the humble now that doesn't mean we need to go out and master humility and then we'll be fit to earn God's grace that's not what he means there it's not the case that you go out and you walk old people across the street carry dogs or you help little you know kitties out of the tree and you really really humble yourself and then you'll be fit and deserving of God's grace that's not sort of the connection God gives grace to enable compliance with the series of commands that are going to follow but it is imperative upon the people of God to resist pride themselves and to seek by the grace of God to cultivate humility one of the overarching sins that James is dealing with is the sin of Pride and God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble moti R says that James having pointed to God's sufficiency with reference to he gives more grace points on to our roots sponsibility so the foundation is the provision of God's grace according to verse 6 and now the responsibility of God's people is outlined for us in great detail in verses 7 to 12 in our repentance toward God and in our repentance toward one another but note this repentance toward God verses 7 to 10 it's very similar to what we find in 1st Peter chapter 5 where the Apostle Peter cites the same proverb in a very similar context in which Peter is telling the people of God to cultivate humility in 1st Peter 5:5 likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders yes all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility that's imperative for the people of God to be clothed with humility I think the background at least I have read it suggested that the background was Peters remembrance of the upper room remember when the Lord Jesus Christ took off his outer garment wrapped himself with a towel so that he could get down on his knees and wash the feet of the disciples perhaps that images is riveted in the mind of the Apostle Peter and he uses this verb choice be clothed with humility the way the master is clothed with humility for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time casting all your care upon him for he cares for you so what James writes Peter writes essentially to the people of God to call us to a faithful life of humility before our great God now let's look at these particular imperatives in the first place there is a necessity for submission to God now this shouldn't surprise any of us none of the particular imperatives that are in this section they shouldn't come as a shock or as a surprise remember that these people had gone away from God they had gone a whoring from God in their friendship with the world they had embarked on a pathway of spiritual adultery they had engaged in a Parcher from him and so the divine response or remedy by God's grace is to submit to God the way to fix your situation brethren is not to continue to run from him the way to fix your problem is not to continue to hide from him the way to fix your problem is not to AB set yourself from corporate worship the way to deal with your problem is not to skip the lord's table the way to deal with your problem is not to ignore your Bible or to ignore prayer this seems to be a fundamental default setting for God's people they engage in some particular sin or perhaps it's a pattern a particular sin they find themselves at a distance from God and the very thing that they most desperately need they will not apply themselves to they will not submit themselves to God perhaps it's just more of an evidence of pride I'm not gonna go to God I'm okay on my own Peter or James rather says submit to God bow before the King of Kings Manton I think describes this submission in a very excellent way he says there must be subjection to God's will the whole man to the whole law of God I love that the Puritan emphasis on a universal obedience to God you see it doesn't do for us to obey God on Sunday but live any old way we choose Monday through Saturday it doesn't do for us to sing our hymns of praise on a Sunday night and then go live like the devil on a Monday morning it is the whole man to the whole law of God we are not those who pick and choose James will indict or condemn rather that approach to God's law in verses 11 and 12 so Manton says there must be subjection to God's will the whole man to the whole law of God to submit to God is to give up ourselves to be governed by his will and pleasure our thoughts our counsels our affections our actions to be guided according to the strict rules of word and we might interpret the following imperatives as an illustration of or a fleshing out what it looks like to submit oneself unto God the second thing that James says is to resist the devil and he will flee from you it's an interesting place to put that I think there's probably a couple of reasons why he does so when is the devil likely to launch a counter-attack when you are a whoring from God when you are bowing to bail when you have neglected the Father of lights and whom there is no shadow of turning no variation whatsoever is the devil seeking to keep you or is the devil molesting you as earnestly when you're already far from God I submit brethren that when you submit to God you will sense resistance you will sense assault you will sense the opposition trying to keep you from God Almighty and so James says therefore submit to God resist the devil and he will flee from you the devil is the antithesis to God and therefore must be resistant he must be opposed the devil will launch these counter-attacks when you hear a sermon and you say hey I'm gonna actually take James seriously and I'm gonna seek to submit to God and get my life in order now it doesn't usually happen that you'll hear the Hallelujah Chorus and the heavens open and the birds bluebirds attending your way there is opposition there is resistance when you seek to do that which is good Paul dealing in a bit of a different context nevertheless illustrates the same point go back to Romans 7 for just a moment Romans 7 14 to 25 we don't have time to look at all of it but our focus is on verse 21 romans 7 is paul's treatment concerning remaining corruption in the life of the believer in other words paul is a godly man paul is a christian man paul has been conquered by sovereign grace paul is a believer he is one who is in you know rightfully connected to God through our Lord Jesus Christ he's been justified by faith he's living the life of sanctification but as Paul has found as we all have found the life of sanctification is no easy thing or it's trying to live a godly life trying to be faithful to the Lord is not always easy or simple in fact look at Paul's words in 719 for the good that I will to do I do not do but the evil I will not to do that I practice now if I do what I will not to do it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells in me you see there's this sort of opposition within Paul himself there is this this principle this spirit this desire to do what God calls him to do there's also this remaining corruption that opposes every step of the way he brings us on Galatians 5:17 the flesh with a lot of spirit lusts against the flesh the flesh lusts against the spirit these two are contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that you want there is this battle raging in the hearts of God's people now note verse 21 when we really evidently see this situation notice in verse 21 I find then a law that evil is present with me the one who wills to do good when do you find this law that evil is present with you Paul when I will to do good you have to appreciate what he's saying there you have to understand what the issue is I find this law not when I'm reading the morning paper I find this law not when I'm building tents I find this law not while I'm wandering down the street the marketplace buying apples and you know whatever it is that Paul ate on a given day I don't find that while then I find the law when I will to do good I find the law when I go to my Bible I find the law when I go to pray I find the law when I go to church I find this opposition in present in my own heart when I seek to do that which is pleasing to God perhaps you've had that experience in your own life you know you are to pray you know you ought to get on your face before the hiking of heaven and lay out your petitions before him but I should check Facebook first I should see who tweeted lately I should update my profile I should go have another cup of coffee I should check on the baby not that's not always a bad thing I should do anything and everything but pray you see when you go about to read the paper or update your facebook profile is there opposition is there resistance is there this inner struggle or turmoil probably not it's when you will to do good I find then a law that evil is present with me the one who wills to do good I think James again making a similar observation in a bit of a different context is highlighting the reality that when you go from the place of conflict with brethren and enmity with God where Satan is very satisfied for you to be and you therefore then submit yourself to God to try and fix the mess by his grace that you have created expect some opposition expect some resistance so the exhortation is to resist him but note the blessed promise and he will flee from you I love the sublimity of this statement I love the simplicity of this statement there are those out there in the name of Jesus that have made a lot of Bank on teaching people how to deal with the devil on teaching people through CD of used-to-be CDs kids today what's a CD we're at the point where that's all gone the guys used to sell cassette tapes on how to deal with the devil they would have conferences in fact I went to one at the back west of a friend I went to one of these conferences it was all day in a very nice hotel conference room and the purpose of it was that the goo was going to teach us how to cast out demons and it intrigued me that persons that were demon-possessed new to buy tickets and new to go to this hotel room and new to go to this particular conference so they could have their demons cast out just really perplex me but there's a lot of money to be made in teaching people this whole idea of spiritual warfare Jameses is cheap james's is free resist him and guess what he will flee from you for greater is he that is in us that he that is in the world you see you cannot ever fall into that that particular pit of saying the devil made me do it the devil may have enticed the devil may have set up some temptations the devil may have assaulted the devil may have resisted the devil may have opposed but the devil cannot make you sin in fact if you resist the devil James tells us in this beautiful sublime statement he will flee from you imagine that conference get a bunch of people at a nice conference room at a place at ho and Vancouver have them pay their fee have them show up and say resist the devil he will flee from you it dropped the mic and leave they'd feel gypped they'd feel shorted there's always got to be something more that we can do just obey God when all else fails brethren just obey God now thirdly note the necessity to draw near to God goes along with submission but it has more of a religious connotation it has more of a intimate connotation more of a of a union connotation the command to draw near to God it is absolutely appropriate and fitting in the context because in James 4:4 he has said that you have become friends with the world so your departure from God now new tests assess it eighths by way of repentance drawing near to God fact Manton points that out beautifully we withdraw our hearts from God and therefore no wonder if we do not feel the effects of his grace so God or rather Jay says draw near to God and He will draw near to you now structurally it's the same pattern as we find in verse 7 we have this command and then we have a promise resist the devil that's the exhortation and then the promises he will flee from you verse 8 draw near to God that's the exhortation and he will draw near to you again the sublimity in the simplicity of this statement what do I have to do in order to get God to draw near to me draw near to him how do I fix the breach between me and heaven go to church how do i repair the ruins that are my life pick up your Bible and read brethren draw near to God and the promise of fix is that he will draw near to you again Manton points out this isn't supposed to be a one-shot thing he says drawing not nigh to God is not the duty of an hour or in season only at first conversion but the work of our whole lives if you have not accepted the reality yet as a believer in Christ these are your marching orders this is the way you're supposed to conduct yourself now James prescribes it here to a particular situation where brethren were rotten toward other brethren and where they by their spiritual whoredom had drawn away from God but this is essentially the way we need to live each and every day every single day we need to submit to God every single day we need to resist the devil every single day we need to draw near to God every single day for every single week for every single month for every single year that we continue on the face of this earth Christianity is not a flash in the pan Christianity is not a hundred-yard dash Christianity is a long-haul race it is a marathon and you need to get running and you need to follow this path and this needs to be your marching orders it is that simple draw near and He will draw near resist the devil he will flee from you draw near to God and what does God say he will draw near to you that beautiful God draws near to uh yes most certainly he draws near to us in His grace and mercy and kindness because as James says in verse 6 he gives more grace notice then fourthly the necessity of moral purity in verse eight B he says cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded son take on you know not odds with James but find it odd that James calls Christian sinners I think MacArthur says there's no way he's dealing with Christians I think he's absolutely dealing with Christians the context hasn't changed we're not dealing with a different class of people now he's not said okay conflicts with brethren enmity with God I'm gonna tell the believers how to get right with God I'm gonna you know bash the sinners over the head and then I'm gonna come back and deal with the Christian know these are Christians brethren who of you doesn't remember or doesn't know very keenly that you're a sinner I mean if somebody were to say you sinner what would you get offended how dare you call me that of course I'm a sinner that's what I need Jesus for course I'm a sinner this is the reason for the gospel I wasn't a sinner I wouldn't need Jesus of course I'm a sinner or sinner hood isn't good it's not something we ought to be proud of but it is that sinner hood that connects us to God through our Lord Jesus Christ because Jesus came to save sinners not the righteous so James takes aim at the People of God and he uses extremely pointed language I mean this is if there's one thing we can say or should say about James he really doesn't care if you're offended he doesn't want you to be a you know a delicate snowflake he doesn't want you to run from his church crying because you dared call him a sinner James wants to get the job done James wants to shock his readers his hearers his audience he wants to shock us slap us in the face like we deserve metaphorically speaking to show us our need but there is this necessity of moral purity cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded james deals with double mindedness in James 180 is a double-minded man unstable in all his ways it's the same word that he uses here while he doesn't use the word in James 3 with reference to the tongue or with reference to the two types of wisdom double mindedness I think comes to the forefront there's this double use of the tongue there is this two kinds of wisdom James wants the people of God who profess the true religion faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to be of one mind to be consistent to be faithful to be what you say you are to pony up don't live like the devil don't live like the world if you sin go to God he gives more grace but don't be duplicitous don't be divided in your allegiance to God most high the cleansing of the hands indicates our actions or our deeds the purification of the heart indicates disposition in other words it's a whole cleansing that's in view it's not just the heart it's the actions as well it's not just the actions or the externals but it's also the heart it's the whole man coming to the whole God seeking to obey or comply with his whole law cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded I think temple imageries in the background when they went to the tabernacle or they went to the temple that should have preset purification rites before they went and worshiped at the altar we read at the outset of worship Psalm 23 3 and 4 who may ascend into the hill of the Lord or who may stand in his holy place he who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully you see there is a moral purification that is in view here in other words if you are genuinely repenting that involves cleansing that involves ultimately its Christ who cleanses not suggesting that somehow we can cleanse ourselves the way those old covenant priests put their hands into the labor we seek cleansing we ask for cleansing we pray for forgiveness we fetch mercy from God Most High but it is intriguing in this particular context the order I suggest that many of us would say cleanse your hands you sinners purify your hearts you double-minded and Dan draw near to God wouldn't we well tough question haven't given you any time to think about it what's our default sort of response to God I have to fix things before I draw nearer I have to stop this sin before I go back to church I have to get things in order before I pick the Bible back up I have to cut off this particular Association or get rid of this particular wicked thing before I seek the Lord no James's order is conspicuous draw near to God and He will draw near to you it's in that context it's in that intimacy it's in that Union and communion with God that you are now fit to cleanse your hands you sinners and to purify your hearts you double-minded in other words the presence of God is absolutely crucial for moral purity aleck mote ear makes the observation I think he's right on he says logic might suggest that we must clean up our lives and then draw near to God James's logic is otherwise for it is when we know the reality of his presence and come under its holy influence that we are at last in a position to face the demands of holiness and find ourselves motivated by the desire to be like our God you see here's the devil's logic whispering in your ear on a Saturday night don't bother knowing the church tomorrow because it's the Lord's table and you have not lived like you art in this past week you have been quite the wretch you have engaged in this particular activity this particular activity so you ought to sit tomorrow out you wouldn't want to be a hypocrite now would you James's logic is contrary draw near to God and He will draw near to you when that unity or that communion or that intimacy has had then you by grace will be able to deal with your sins I still can't get it I'm not gonna go to church because I'm so you know I've sinned this week well first of all church isn't you know a reward for having not sinned during the week you hear this with people outside the church well the church is full of hypocrites absolutely praise God hypocrites have somewhere to go praise God Almighty I never hear but anybody clean you know standing outside hospitals saying don't go in there it's filled with sick people well thankfully there's a place for sick people to go thankfully there's a place for hypocrites to go thankfully there's a place for double-minded to go thankfully there's a place to seek fetch cleansing and purification it's in the corporate means of grace oftentimes through the supper that God does these things so never let your sin keep you from the Lord always go back now again you got a deal you've got to cut off hands you got a gouge out eyes you got a deal radically with your sin but the answer to your sin problem is not a distance with God the answer to your sin problem is closeness with God fifth the necessity to mourn over sinfulness notice the three terms he uses in verse nine lament and mourn and weep but what a killjoy lament and mourn and weep nantan comments on why the three verbs why so many words - one purpose the whole verse and the next is of the same train it is a hard duty in need of much enforcement lamenting and mourning and weeping over sin I mean that's not probably on our top 10 things to do in a day is it okay I need to lament mourn weep over my sin this morning we just don't typically think this way but drastic times call for drastic measures and James says look you need to get things right you need to quit looking at sin it's something joyful enjoyable pleasant and happy and you need to lament over it you need to mourn over it you need to weep over it James in many respects is very much akin to the Prophet Amos and also the Prophet Joel in Joel 2 12 we read now therefore it says Yahweh turn to me with all your heart with fasting with weeping and with mourning so rend your heart not your garments return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and he relents from doing harm who knows if he will turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him a grain offering and a drip and a drink offering for the Lord your God you see that same emphasis there in terms of our repentance toward God our approach to God our ascent to God into the holy hill of Zion rend your heart I'm sorry turn to me with all your heart with fasting with weeping and with mourning the Apostle Paul highlights the types of sorrows or the sorrow that is fitting for Christian believers in 2nd Corinthians 5 he can turn there second corinthians chapter I'm sorry 2nd corinthians 7 7:10 he says for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted but the sorrow of the world produces death there is a godly sorrow over our sin Jesus pronounces a blessing upon those who mourn that doesn't just mean you're super sensitive and when you see puppies on the side of the road being a bandit you cry over them no the blessed are those who mourn are those who see their sin rightly in the sight of a holy God those who lament and mourn and weep those who are affected by their sin in such a way that it provokes from them a response of sadness that's what James says isn't that good remedy for people that are living like the world you need you'll get by yourself and you just cry over your sin so we just don't think that way I got to deal with my sin I need to buy a book on how to deal with sin why don't you go cry in the corner about your sin that might be you know balm to the soul see your sin for what it is in the sight of a holy God take out you know Deuteronomy chapter 5 Exodus chapter 20 and read through those Commandments and see yourself as a transgressor of that law and a wander of conformity undo that law you see that let it produce a new lamentation mourning weeping and then he goes on to say let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to glue yeah and I don't think James is suggesting that if your grandchild does something funny you can't laugh it's a laughter it's a frivolity it's a shallowness with reference to sin Jesus says the same thing in the Beatitudes in Luke chapter 6 those who laugh now will weep later those who weep now will laugh later you see far too often sinners treats in the way Solomon describes in Proverbs 10 23 to do evil is like sport to a fool so James's admonition lament mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom in the context of the pen tents have a change of mind and heart about this conflict with brethren and about this spiritual whoredom and lament over it mourn over it weep over it stop laughing about it stop writing it off stop belittling it stop pretending like it's not an issue you need to quit your laughter you need to quit your frivolity you need to repair the situation with God via this set of instructions according to His grace and then finally the necessity of humbling ourselves before God in verse 10 humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up it's not the same word as submit but conceptually very similar you've kind of got the ends of a loaf of bread here you've got in chapter 4 at verse 7 submit to God chapter 4 verse 10 you have humble yourselves before God you see what's the point God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble therefore James ends this series of imperatives with reference to our approach to God with this particular statement humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord again hiyah fixes or he attaches a promise to it humble yourselves in the sight of the lord and he will lift you up it's an intriguing thing every time God gives us a command he gives us a blessed reason why we should obey that command Oh Christianity is harsh there's all these commands yeah rejoice of the Lord always again I will say rejoice that's rough resist the devil and he will flee from you wow that's terrible submit yourselves to God or draw near to God he will draw near to you I mean these are the kinds of commands that we find in this particular side shed and they're all affixed are attached with a promise humble yourself in the sight of God on the side of the Lord and He will lift you up Manton again says we are all by nature proud and would be exalted the way to rise is to fall that's great the way to rise is to fall I remember Ryle on blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven he says if you want to build high you must begin low it is pride that God opposes it is humility that God delights in so that's repentance toward God let's look finally at the repentant response to brethren in verses 11 to 12 I would suggest the background here is Leviticus 19 15 to 18 James quotes Leviticus 19:18 calls it the Royal law in James 2:8 we don't have the time to sort of flesh all that out but most likely that's what's behind the scenes in James's treatment here but notice the prohibition do not speak evil of one another brethren that's the prohibition don't do that chapter 3 verses 1 to 12 he's dealt with the tongue the unruly Ness of the talk chapter 3 13 to 18 s dealt with this demonic wisdom where there is Envy in self seeking and this bitterness and this confusion and the strife and all those sorts of things so the prohibition by way of how we repent with reference to our brothers and sisters is to not speak evil of one another now it's a broad statement he doesn't say do not do not slander do not back by do not generate false charges but he does because this idea of speaking evil is comprehensive no evil no gossip no slander no backbiting no tale-bearing everything you find in scripture that is condemned with reference to the tongue is included by James in this statement do not speak evil Manton says the word implies any speaking which is to the prejudice of another be it true or false you see you may relate something about somebody that's actually true but it's not your business to relate it just because somebody tells you something doesn't mean you have carte blanche to post it on Facebook so it could be something true but it may serve to prejudice or be prejudice toward that particular person when somebody says can I ask for your confidence in something now if they confess to murder you can't keep confidence you got to report that but man brethren you don't have to tell everybody everything that everybody always says it's just not the way I goes he says the scripture requires or requiring that our words should suit with love as well as truth now I've said that this speak evil is a broad and sort of generic way to condemn everything that has to do with the sins of the time Calvin applies it very narrowly and very specifically to the sin of judgmentalism and I think in some sense I think the connection is strong because Paul deals with a similar situation in Romans 14 and 4 verse 4 he says who are you to judge the servant of another lords there is this tendency in the people of God to Lord their opinions over everybody else and make them submit not to God but to them in terms of their own preferences as well it seems to jive with what Jesus teaches in Matthew 7 verses 1 to 5 do not judge lest you be judged Jesus is not condemning all judgment neither is James in this particular context but the idea of judgmental is um this censorious spirit this nitpicking way that we have with one another Calvin says we see how much labor James takes in correcting the lust for slandering for hypocrisy is always presumptuous and we are by nature hypocrites fondly exalting ourselves by calumny ating that simply means to speak evil of others it's an old word that means that calumny aiding others he says there is also another disease innate in human nature that everyone would have all others to live according to his own will or fancy this presumption James suitably condemns in this passage that is because we dare to impose on our brethren our rule of life yeah I think it's broader than that but I think Calvin's point needs to be taken into consideration along with Romans 14 and Matthew 7 1 2 5 this idea this this attitude that everybody has to do what we say when James goes on to speak of us serving as judges instead of doers of the law I think that adds a bit of of more sort of credence to that interpretation the people of God are simply not God I know that's a tough one for us but that's what he says in 11 B and 12 you're not God brethren you cannot function as God that is not your calling not your task not your job so the general prohibition is do not speak evil of one another brethren note the reason he who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law I think this goes two ways when he does this he speaks evil of the law and judges the law because he doesn't do what the law says the law says he used to love his neighbor as himself and he is not loving his neighbor as himself he is saying suggesting or task implying that he doesn't care one whit about the law he is judge over the law beaking or evil of the law by not obeying the law and as well if it is this idea of judgmentalism or the sensoria spirit he is setting himself up as over the law you see we need to allow God the holy spirit to allow or to guide his people according to the law of God that doesn't mean we can't encourage it doesn't mean we can't remind it doesn't mean we can't help but brethren when we jump over the law of God and start cramming our preferences down other's throats we are now saying that the law of God is not sufficient we're now saying that the law of God isn't gonna work we're now saying that in order for you to be really holy you've got to obey me it has become Pharisee is on we don't want to break the Sabbath command so we'll set up all these stipulations and rules that you can only walk so far now there's an appearance of wisdom there's an appearance of sanctity but its bondage its legalism it's to suggest that God Most High doesn't know how to protect the Sabbath command it is to suggest that God Most High doesn't know how to deal with his unruly people we do we're better at sanctifying our brethren then God is our rules are more effective than the Decalogue do we really want to stand in that particular position no says James this is absolutely positively not how you want to stand no the result if we assume this posture verse 2 or I'm sorry verse 11 II who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law now here's the result if this is your pattern if this is your way if this is your manner if you are the lord of the Brethren and the church around you the Lord of the Brethren and the in the in the circles in which you run if you judge the law you are not a doer of the law but a judge the one who's speaking evil of his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law demonstrates he is not a doer of the law but a judge he has set himself up as a rival law giver he has set himself up as a rival Sanctifier he is actually contented with the holy spirit in terms of how best to serve the people of God in being holy and James says don't do that absolutely positively 100% don't do that you need to know the difference between the law of God and a preference that you hold to you need to know the difference between what is commanded clearly and explicitly by God and an application that you make of that law and how you plan to put it into practice in your home when you take that application that you plan to put into practice in your home and you put that on par with the law and set say that everybody who seeks to apply this law must do it in the way that I do it you are a rival lawmaker against God most high that's not where you want to be again we can help we can encourage we can be kind we can be gentle we can say you know I have found this to work for me but typically brethren it doesn't come out that way typically it's my way or the highway you don't do it the way I do it I'm gonna treat you differently because I think you're in sin on preferences I've often said I think I said it probably when I first started off here what's gonna kill the church is probably not pastor Porter or me standing in this pulpit and preaching that Jesus is a creature I don't think that's gonna happen God willing the Lord keeping us in His grace and His mercy what kills churches are the sorts of sins that James is dealing with in the trenches this preferential attitude this cliquish way this four churches in one sort of a thing the homeschoolers here the public schoolers here the Christian schoolers here that everybody else here brethren we have to guard our hearts when it comes to matters of preference you may be locked stocked convinced that your way is the right way but if it is not explicitly revealed thus in krypter you are not a rival law giver and notice how James goes on he makes this declaration in verse 12 there is one law Giver the ESV and other other New Testaments have there is one lawgiver and judge and I think that's probably appropriate here there is one law giver and judge who is able to save and to destroy do you really want to assert yourself as a rival law giver to this one who is God do you really want to assume the role of judge of the Brethren in light of the law Giver judge who is able to destroy probably in James's mind as Matthew 10 fear Him who has the power to kill both body and soul in hell that lawgiver is able to destroy you don't want to contend with him you want to back it down you want to stop speaking evil of the Brethren and he aims our ends with this rhetorical note who are you to judge another if I could just tease that out for him for a moment who are we to judge another who do we think we are sinners that we are riches that we are now functional human beings that we are I mean we put on a good front we all clean up well we come into this place on Sunday and everything looks beautiful well maybe not beautiful weeks decent that were mass who here has mastered sanctification who here has mastered obedience to the Decalogue who here never covets who here never lost s-- who here never has a bitter heart or resentment toward others who here has never engaged in ideology we say I'm not bowing to bail the moment you put yourself before God you are an idolaters who here hasn't blaspheme who here has perfect Sabbath observance lords who are you to judge another thank the Lord God that he gives more grace stand in line hold out your hand and praise Him from whom all blessings whoa you simply are not the kind of person you think you are to be able to judge others you're a mess embrace your mess and take it to God and watch him do kind things with you so thus the exposition the instruction here is not meant to do away with the civil magistrate if the idea is judging in verse 11 this does not mitigate against the role a civil magistrate no more judgment whatsoever of course the civil magistrate must judge it doesn't do away with ecclesiastical judgment Matthew chapter 18 if your brother sins and he doesn't repent tell you don't take two or three witnesses if he doesn't listen to them tell it to the church if he refuses the church then treat him as a tax collector and as a heathen that's not a an imposition of our preferences upon a brother that is the execution of godly discipline in the context of the church that Jesus sanctions and Jesus is for this passage does not call us to be non-discriminating remember in Matthew seven says a passage interesting where people think Jesus is teaching us not to judge and then in Matthew 7:6 Jesus says don't throw your pearls before swine or take holy things and gas than before dogs isn't that a judgment isn't that discrimination doesn't that indicate that we're able at least at some level to determine who's a dog and who's a pig and not to throw holy things before them Jesus is not dealing with what people commonly think he's dealing with in Matthew 7 1 to 6 but this does not mitigate against that if there's a dog or a pig you don't throw holy things before it James is talking about the context of God's people where in there were fights that were Wars there were battles James says knock it off quit speaking evil of one another and quit acting as judge and jury over your brethren because there's one lawgiver and judge who is able to destroy if you want to set yourself up against him you aren't going to lose well brethren we see in this section the gracious basis of the call to repentance God who delights and mercy gives more grace the one who bids us submit to him to resist the devil to draw near to him to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts and to lament and mourn and weep and that our laughter be turned into sadness or gloom that God that God gives us the grace and enables us to comply with these particular imperatives secondly we ought to observe the conspicuous connection in the call to repentance now for those of you who are interested at least the way I have treated the subject matter it's what's called a chiasm you have an a section a B section a B section and then an a section we go from conflict with brethren to enmity with God fix the problem with God and then deal with the problem with men a b b:a that's for those who are so inclined in the chiastic structure at least as I've treated the material but you need to appreciate the specific order you've messed it up with the Brethren you've messed it up with God fix it with God then fix it with brethren what's the point there is a priority in the Ten Commandments there is a priority in the way that James treats these matters in other words we are not going to fix our horizontal relationships until by the grace of God we fix the vertical relationship we are no good to our brethren unless we have draw near to God we are no good to one another unless we are communing with our God now brethren you see that through the partner all manner of barbarity is going on in the Commonwealth of Israel well there's a theological reason when you abandon the first four Commandments why would you care about the last six if you disregard and reject God why in the world would you be kind to your fellows there is a conspicuous order here and it is specifically that God facilitates us fixing relationships with one another and then finally we ought to appreciate in the larger context the continual need for bridled tongues and wisdom from above the specific command and verse 11 and the necessary implication of a failure to comply in verse 12 reiterates James's emphasis upon the tongue James 3 1 2 12 it also reiterates James's emphasis upon the two types of wisdom we want to shun demonic wisdom and we want to pursue eagerly this wisdom from above these are things essential for the proper maintenance of the people of God in the context of the Church of God also in the family in the home we ought to make that application as well you want things to go well in your Christian life you want things to hum smoothly along brethren mortify the tongue cultivate the wisdom that is from above by the grace of God and seek to comply with his word when there's no other way to figure out how to do what we're supposed to do we ought always come back to the owners manual seek his instruction and by His grace put it into practice well thus the exposition thus our encouragement it is an encouraging message to I know I didn't smile a lot but it's a call to repentance fortified by a provision of grace and that grace is available to God's erring people that grace is available to those who have engaged in conflict with brethren who have gone a whoring from God he gives more grace that grace is available for unbelievers to the way of approach to God isn't fundamentally different for the unbeliever submit to God draw near to God of course by faith looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith looking to him who has by his life by his death by his resurrection provided with for sinners so the same instructions at least to a degree are for non-believers come unto the Lord draw near to him and He will draw near to you well let us pray father we thank you for your word we thank you for the clarity and the pointedness of James and I pray that you'd help us to take these things to heart help us in the context of our local church to put these things into practice help us to not speak evil of one another help us not to set ourselves up as rival lawmakers and as judges help us to fear you and to love one another and to proceed in a way that is pleasing in your sight thank you that you not only call us to repentance but you surround it with grace you tell us that you give more grace that you give grace to the humble that you call us to humble ourselves in your sight and you will lift us up all of these encouragement God may they indeed cause us to to move forward to move on to heaven above and we pray these things through Christ Jesus our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed you