“GRACE TO THE HUMBLE”
James 4:6 

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

One would think, in hearing those words of St. James that he was addressing worldly unbelievers, given the kinds of conflict that he talks about. Not so. This epistle of St. James was written to Christian churches. And, because God's Word is eternal, the truth of these words apply as much to today's church as it did to the situation two thousand years ago.

Fighting, quarrelling, and coveting—sadly, this is not uncommon behavior in the church. In fact, James goes as far as to add the sin of murder to the list; and we are reminded that the Bible says, “ whoever hates his brother is a murderer.” To put it another way, failing to love one another as we should causes us to be put into that category as well—as being murderers in the sight of God.

Where does such behavior come from? Jesus said , “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander,” (Matthew 15:19). They come from our own sinful nature. As St. James put it in our Epistle, “Is it not… your passions [that] are at war within you?”

The cause of all those conflicts can be traced back to the sin that is in each one of us, which rebels against being the humble, kind, and loving people that God would have us to be.

But, in truth, those passions that war within us, are too often stirred from their dormant condition to leap into action by way of the temptations of those around us. Jesus once told His disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!” (Luke 17:1). And it is an even greater woe when the source of those temptations arises from the very members of the church itself.

There are some people in the church who move from one controversy to another. They are the kinds of individuals who simply like to stir things up. They are not satisfied if they are not in the middle of some disagreement or, at least, inciting someone else to make new issues out of something. And if no problem exists, then they'll be sure to make a mountain out of a mole hill so that there is something to complain about.

But just as guilty are those who willingly lend their ears to these grievances. They become sounding boards who simply perpetuate the problem. They justify their interest in the name of Christian concern. And they privately share their concerns with enough people in order to make sure that the matter doesn't remain private.

Hear, then, what the Word of God has to say in these situations. From the book of Proverbs: “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases,” (Proverbs 26:20); from the apostle Peter : “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins,” (1 Peter 4:8); from the lips of Christ Himself: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God,” (Matthew 5:9); and from St. Paul's letter to the Romans, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all,” (Romans 12:18).

Regrettably, however, there will be times when it is not possible to live peaceably with all. Even though you may have done your part in showing patience, love, wisdom, and humility—you may still be the unwilling victim of those who want you to join them in their dissatisfaction. And, in those cases, we find that God Himself has no tolerance for those who upset the peace and unity of the church. Listen carefully:

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them,” (Romans 16:17). And again, “Avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned,” (Titus 3:9-11).

Now, the prideful part of each one of us can easily conjure up in our minds the image of someone else whom we think fits all those descriptions. And yet, I have never known a church wherein every member of the congregation, including its pastor, has not been guilty of adding to the disunity in one way or another.

How can such an indictment be made? Easily. It's because we are all sinners. And the number one fault of each and every sinner who has ever lived, is the fact that we have tried to take the place of God. From the very beginning, when the devil tempted Adam and Eve with the enticement that they could be like God, until now, when each and everyone of us is tempted to put the blame on someone else's shoulders, we have neglected to be the kinds of humble, self-sacrificing, peacemakers that we should have been.

St. Paul writes, “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know,” (1 Cor. 8:2). To put it another way, don't go looking for the speck in someone else's eye in the church. Concentrate on the log in your own eye. And, understand, that since we are so helplessly handicapped by that obstruction, so that we cannot remove it, we had better focus in on our own accountability. How have each one of us added to the dissension at one time or another?

No, don't think about the others who may have been involved, and start shifting the blame or justifying your behavior based upon theirs. Right now, in God's house, it's between each one of us, individually, and Him. Don't look for a scapegoat. Don't point at accusing finger. Just know, for a fact, as our text says, that God opposes the proud. And none of us here wants to have God as our opponent.

Yes, we are all guilty. But, the good news is that today we can all gather around the Lord's Table together where we receive Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins and then rise to depart in peace. For, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread,” (1 Cor. 10:16 -17).

In all of those potential matters of conflict which arise, in all of those situation where we are tempted by those who wish to stir up dissension by their leading questions, insinuations, or accusations, perhaps the wisest course of action is to ask one, simple question: “What, if anything, does this have to do with the fact that Jesus Christ died for our sins?”

For if these issues have no basis in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then, very simply, they don't belong in the conversation of the Church. They are not matters that promote Christian love, they do not edify the faith of one another, they are not based upon faithfulness to God's Word (which is the one concern that does call for our earnest contention) nor, do any of those issues form a basis on which to decide whether or not we care to continue to associate ourselves with this Christian assembly.

People, we are here because of Jesus Christ. We are here because, as the Old Testament reading stated, even when Christ was persecuted, He committed His cause to the Lord who tests the heart and mind. We are here because Christ has died for all of our sins, because we have been the persecutors. We are here to receive His healing in the gifts of Word and Sacrament. We are here as Christians who yearn to be more and more like Christ in all that we do or say. For, only clothed in His humility are we able to know wisdom of what it means to be saved by grace alone.

“And the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

May God enrich the harvest among you, the peacemakers, for Jesus sake.

Jeremiah 11:18-20

The L ord made it known to me and I knew; then you showed me their deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more." But, O L ord of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.

James 3:16-4:6

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Mark 9:30-37

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