THE ART OF WAR AND PEACE by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction:  Today is a very special day in our nation’s history. We are celebrating the 250^thanniversary of America’s founding. Think back to the year 1776. Our nation was in a battle with Great Britain. One of my favorite authors, David McCullough, in his book 1776, documents the struggle that George Washington was facing. He was commissioned to lead the Continental Army made up of some soldiers but mostly common people. Many were not disciplined. Others were not committed. Some were sick. Yet others were greatly concerned about their loved ones back home, as they had not been paid. Things were so bad that some were actually walking off the battlefield. Washington knew that to lose this war would have grave consequences for them and for the generations following. He and the other founding fathers knew that without God’s hand upon them they wouldn’t survive. Prayer was often made for guidance, protection, and victory. Quite interestingly, today’s message from the Book of James is about “wars and fights!” It is titled “THE ART OF WAR AND PEACE.” We’re going to learn why wars happen. This is in the context of the home, church, community, and nations. At the root of it is one word – envy.

James 4 (page #1852) 1 “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 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. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Overall Background: When scholars come to this portion of James, they take one of two approaches. Some (Martin Dibelius) see this section (James 3:13-4:10) as “nothing more than loosely arranged independent units.” First James is talking about wisdom, then about wars and fights, then about friendship with the world, then about submission to God and humility. It’s all over the place. Others (Luke Timothy Johnson) find “multiple links” between these passages, starting in James 3:1. I don’t have time to go over the links here. There is a connection between our words, our wisdom, and our wars. James has been asking us some very convicting questions – First, “What is the source of our words?” Then, “Do we truly have Godly wisdom in our lives?” Now, he asks another question in James 4:1 “Where do wars and fights come from among you?” “Wars and fights” do not mean just “guns” and “torpedoes.” The word for “wars” is “polemos” = battles and fights. The word for “fights” is “makhe” means “battles” or “strife” of any kind. Again, remember the word “pleonasm. These are two words that are not exactly the same, but they are referring to the same idea from different angles. In other words, James is about to address the issue of conflicts whether in a family relationship or in a church fellowship or on a battlefield. 

The one common element in all of this is “envy.” The Greek word is “zelos.” 

• James 3:14 “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts…”
• James 3:16 “For where envy and self-seeking exist…”
• James 4:2 “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain….”

But let’s back. If you noticed, James did not ask: “Do you have conflicts?” He simply assumes that conflicts are inevitable in our lives. Mary Esther Harding (Jungian psychoanalyst) said: “Conflict is the beginning of consciousness.” I’m not quite sure what she meant. But to me it says: CONFLICTS ARE A SIGN THAT YOU ARE ALIVE. The only people without conflict are DEAD PEOPLE.

Application: All of us have faced conflicts in the past, or we are facing one right now, or there is a conflict waiting for us around the bend. We face conflicts in our home, marriage, friends, neighborhood, work, at church, etc. CONFLICTS ARE OUR CONSTANT COMPANIONS. Some conflicts are easily resolved and become a learning experience. They even bring people closer than before. Other conflicts are far from being resolved. They hurt deeply and forever separate people from one another.

James will first talk about the causes of conflicts and in the second part with the cures for conflicts. WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF CONFLICTS?

1. It all begins with SELFISH PLEASURES.

James 4:1 “…Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?”

MEANING:  THE REAL CULPRIT BEHIND CONFLICT IS NOT PERSONALITY DIFFERENCE OR ANY SUCH THING BUT SELFISHNESS. THE ORIGIN OF CONFLICT IS RIGHT INSIDE – SELF.

Take, for example, marriage, when two people are supposed to serve one another begin to serve themselves, there is conflict. My money, my sleep, my house, my family, my children, my lifestyle, my hobbies, my comfort, my pleasures, my show:

Dr. James Dobson: “There are two kinds of people in the world, the givers and the takers. A marriage between two givers can be a beautiful thing. Friction is the order of the day, however, for a giver and a taker. But two takers can claw each other to pieces within a period of six weeks. In short, selfishness will devastate a marriage every time”

Dennis and Barbara Rainey: “Selfishness is possibly the most dangerous threat to oneness in marriage. It affects how we talk to each other, how we divide responsibilities in the home, how we resolve conflicts, and even how we spend our time. Men stubbornly ignore the needs of their wives. They prefer fishing or hunting or playing golf, or even spending an extra hour or two at the office. I once met a pastor who frequented Christian bookstores and libraries for the sole purpose of avoiding his wife. And I have counseled women who spend countless hours shopping, not for their families but to avoid responsibilities at home and to gratify themselves.”

2. If left unchecked, it leads to LUSTING, COVETING, AND EVEN MURDER.

James 4:2 “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.”

Immediate Background: That is a difficult sentence. A better translation would be like this:

• You lust after something but you do not have it. So you commit murder.
• You covet after something but you cannot obtain it. So you fight and war.

Let me clarify: There is nothing wrong with desiring a better way of life. There is nothing wrong with desiring a better standard of living. In fact, wherever Christianity has gone, it has always improved the standard of living. 

For e.g. Someone you know just bought a new house: Anything wrong with you wanting a new house? No. Anything wrong with you wanting a new house because your friend bought one? No. What is wrong is you wanting a new house because you cannot bear to see your friend being one up over you. Your friend can afford the new house, but you can’t. So now you resort to cutting him/her down. Now there is war and strife. Sometimes, it seems all is fine on the surface but inside you cannot wait for them to do something bad. There is tension between you and your friend. Someone says: “We need to stop trying to keep up with the Jones’.” Every time you try – they refinance.

LUSTING AND COVETING MAKES SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE YOUR REFERENCE POINT.

IN LUSTING AND COVETING YOU MEASURE YOURSELF BY THAT PERSON.

BY THE WAY – IT MIGHT BE SOMEONE YOU KNOW PERSONALLY. 

OR IT MIGHT BE SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW PERSONALLY.

How about someone you do not know personally? It is a movie star, a sports hero, a singer. You envy their lifestyle. Oh…to live like that. Oh…to have what they have. Sometime back – I went to a conference. There I saw this particular person giving messages and endorsing his books. As I heard those applauses in the messages and saw the line of people waiting to buy his books, a thought came into my mind – “Why him and not me?” In my mind and heart, I began to hate this person. He does not even know me, but I had murdered him in my heart. 

Let me go a step further – What happens if it is someone who cannot feel your hatred for them? You take it out on those who are close to you – the innocent by-standers (your loved ones). If only you were like him/her. Now conflict has entered your house.

IT BEGAN HERE. AGAINST SOMEONE THERE. BUT NOW IT IS HURTING THOSE ALL AROUND YOU.

Nations go to war because of Envy. This is one of the main sources of conflicts between the East and the West. They don’t realize that the West is blessed, especially America, because of our Judeo-Christian foundation. Now, millions suffer because of someone’s envy. This can happen on a family level as well – Some of you have been victims of someone else’s lusting and coveting. Ever said: “What did I do to you?” No one will ever admit to lusting and coveting. It is too shameful.

Now James turns the discussion to the cure for conflicts. He lists 5 cures for conflicts. Imagine a pyramid where each one is a base for the next.

I. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON PRAYER.

James 4:2 “…Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

Immediate Background: James says: Instead of coveting and lusting, you should be asking your Heavenly Father.

YOU AND I ARE CHILDREN OF THE KING, WE DO NOT HAVE TO WALK AROUND WITH DROOPING SHOULDERS AND HEAD HUNG LOW.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Application: Husband/wife/children you need something: “Ask God.” God is waiting to give you things if you would only ask Him.

But James warns us – 3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

John 14      13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, (Don’t stop there Keep reading.)that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

PUT YOUR SELFISH DESIRES THROUGH THE SIFTER OF PRAYER.

II. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORLD.

James 4      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. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

Meaning: When we are talking about the world, we are not referring to the world that God made in 7 days. The universe, the earth, water, birds, the animals, sea creatures, and human beings. We are referring to the world system that is an enemy of God. 

• The world system that says – “you are your own being.” 
• The world system that shakes its fist at God and refuses to acknowledge Him. 
• The world system that says, “Enjoy life while you can. There is no tomorrow.”
• The world system that believes in “Loving things and using people.”

IT’S ALRIGHT TO ENJOY THIS CREATED WORLD AND THE FINE THINGS OF LIFE. BUT DON’T GET SUCKED INTO THIS WORLD’S SYSTEM THAT IS AN ENEMY OF GOD. THAT WORLD SYSTEM CRUCIFIED JESUS CHRIST.

For e.g. So many homes are being destroyed as someone in that home is trying to play with the world. By the way – stop having high expectations from the world. It will disappoint you. It will create strife between you and people and between you and your loved ones.

III. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF SELF.

James 4 (page #1852) 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. 7 Therefore submit to God.”

Meaning:  It is alright to stand for what you believe. Don’t be a jelly fish all the time. But have the right estimate of yourself. Stop thinking too highly of yourself. Begin by seeing yourself for who you are. Humble yourself before God.

For e.g. English evangelical preacher and martyr, John Bradford (circa 1510–1555), when seeing criminals being led to the scaffold, is said to have uttered the variant of the expression – “There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.”

Jeremiah 9       23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

Your greatest need is for GRACE. God is willing to give it to you. Bow yourself humbly before Him.

IV. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF THE DEVIL.

James 4:7b “…Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

The Greek word is “anthistemi” = stand against. This is not just some passive act. It is quite active. It has a “military nuance” (Luke Timothy Johnson). How does all this fit into this context? Recognize that behind every conflict the Devil is present. He is the mastermind who wants to steal, kill and destroy. The word Devil means “the slanderer.” He uses worldliness, envy, and pride as the points of attack against us. 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

• Ephesians 4      26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
• 1 Peter 5       8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Application: Stand up to the enemy. Say no to his devices. Stop believing his lies. Stop filling your mind with his talk.

V. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF GOD.

James 4 (page #1852) 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.”

Background: That sounds strange as if God is waiting for us to come to Him first. It is like the Prodigal Son’s Father who was waiting for his son to come to him.

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

How do we apply this message? Look to Christ. 

Philippians 2 (page #1803) 1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• He set the right example for us.
• He gives us the power to overcome envy.
• He takes us through the path of humility with him.

Sometimes, God will crucify the one being envied. Just remember that you are more like Christ in those moments than ever.

Are you saved?