Aug 3, 2014
The church at Jerusalem where James pastored was a church that was made up of real people. And because it was made up of real people, there was conflict.
James asks his readers where their continual desire to fight amongst themselves comes from. And his answer is surprising. Rather than point his finger at an outward cause of their strife, he tells them it is because of each of their individual selfishness. Selfishness that is rooted in their pride. He doesn’t address it as a problem with the church body as a whole. It's not a problem with the group. It's not a problem with other people. He tells them it’s a problem with each of them. And that problem with each of them is causing problems for the body as a whole. Today I want each of us to identify and recognize the areas in our lives where we harbor selfish pride. And when the Holy Spirit shows us those areas, I want us to turn from them and turn to the better way of selflessness that Christ offers. In order to do that, we're going to ask and answer three questions concerning selfish pride. Those questions and their answers are found in James 4:1-12.