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Teaching podcast from the Eagle Community Church of Christ in Mont Belvieu, TX.
We've been going through our our study of of the book of James. We've called Real Faith for Real Challenges. This is week five of six, if you're curious. So if you love this, you only have one more week. If you hated it, you have one more week.
John Gunter:Okay? So I have really enjoyed it. I think James is a book of wisdom that just speaks right into your life. You can take what we talk about today and apply it, maybe in your conversations immediately after the amen. Right?
John Gunter:Because of the way that James speaks really to the heart and soul of who we are as people. And so, we have been talking about, again, being prepared, and so real faith doesn't wait for the pressure or the storm to prepare. Right? We are talking about this in a way that we want to prepare before the battle, before the storm, before the pressure, and so we believe if we do that, like we prepare for everything else, we will be in a position spiritually to better fight those battles. Right?
John Gunter:As we depend on God, but we're also preparing ourselves, we're preparing our hearts and our minds. So just as a recap, we've talked about seeking wisdom, we've talked about learning to live what we hear, treating others right, and even last week, disciplining our words and our attitude. And so today, as we just sang about, James teaches that true preparedness begins in the heart. It begins with a humble heart where pride is replaced by humility. How many times have you gotten into an argument where later on you could pretty much say, that was just pride.
John Gunter:I just wanted to win an argument. I just wanted to win that fight. And so, we want to talk about being humble today and submitting to the will of God. I don't know that submission is a great word for us, especially we're tough people, we especially men talking to you, we we feel like we ought to control everything, we ought to have everything figured out. I'm a fixer, I try to fix it.
John Gunter:Josh, a few years ago, had our most popular sermon because it had a little clip from a fantastic video, it's not about the nail. Do you all remember that? Where a woman is talking to a man, there's a nail sticking out three inches from her head, and he wants to fix it, and she said, you're not listening to me. Because we we want to fix it, want to control, and sometimes we just need to submit, we need to listen, we need to do other things. And so it may go against our nature to look at a situation and to submit and go, God's got this.
John Gunter:Because we feel like I want to control, I want to fix, I want to handle, and we feel like we'd be good at it. Right? And so this morning, it may be a little challenge to you, and so every conflict, whether at work, whether we're at church, or anywhere, reveals, I think, a deeper battle for control. That we want to control. We we have that desire, and so the struggle outside, the struggle in our actions often begins within us, with our motivations.
John Gunter:Why is it that I am acting out this thing that I am acting out? And so James calls us as believers to prepare our hearts for obedience and submission. And so we begin this morning with James chapter four verse one. James says, what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this that your passions are at war within you?
John Gunter: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. Now, if you are in the midst of a quarrel right now with someone, and you know, I don't even want to see their ugly face.
John Gunter:Right? We we just say, we're in a fight with somebody, nothing they do is good. Right? They're ugly, they're wrong motivations, all these things. And James asked this question, what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?
John Gunter:And if you're in a quarrel with someone, you're gonna say, they cause quarrels and fights. Right? Their stupid face, right, their terrible response, they cause quarrels and fights. Right? And we're gonna list off all the reasons.
John Gunter:Yet, what James says, is it not this that your passions are at war within you? So it's the things we have stored inside. It's my desires, and all of a sudden I'm not getting those desires that really causes the quarrels in the fight. It's not necessarily your stupid face. Right?
John Gunter:Even though we'd like it to be. But he goes on and says, you desire and do not have, so you murder. My goodness. Was that written in 2025? It feels like it, doesn't it?
John Gunter:Because that's what we experience on on grand levels at times. Right? We've had in just the past year or so, somebody tried to assassinate the president, somebody did assassinate Charlie Kirk. Because we don't agree. Okay?
John Gunter:I don't care if you don't agree with either one of them. Why would you then go, what I have to do is shoot them? But that's what he's saying. It's these desires, these things that are boiling up within you, that's what's causing these issues. Not that person and that thought.
John Gunter:It is, okay, I have things inside me that are not being met, it's not working out the way I want it to. What does that start sounding like? Selfish. I am self centered. I am only happy if you meet all of my expectations.
John Gunter:How many of you are just living on the high life right now? All of your expectations are met about everything. Right? You can raise your hand. Well, no, you're not.
John Gunter:Right? That's the way we live. Right? You have to be able to live that way. When I do, I love doing premarital counseling.
John Gunter:Love it. And what I spend more time on than anything is expectations, Because I nailed it when I married Katie. I got them all right. Thank you for not saying anything, honey. Because we expect certain things that we might not ever voice because it's just the way I think, and what I want, what I desire, and then we have to live with someone else.
John Gunter:That goes outside of our marriages as well. I I'm friends with you. I have expectations, and you're not meeting them. Oh, why do you have those expectations in the first place? And so, that's what James is saying.
John Gunter:It's these things within you that are boiling up. You desire and you do not have, so you act out. Right? You're not meeting my expectations, so I'm going to act this way. Why?
John Gunter:Well, that's on you. Logan is learning a very valuable lesson right now. He is in a stage where when he gets in trouble, he always wants to blame someone else. I said, alright, what did you do? Oh, no, he he did What did you do?
John Gunter:What are you responsible for? And he is just now getting to the point where I can say, Alright, whose fault was it that you were in trouble? Well, y'all whose fault was it? Well, my fault. Well, what did you do?
John Gunter:I'm not sure. I just know that's the right answer. We're there. Right? It's everyone else's fault.
John Gunter:No? We are in control of how we react. You're not in control of how the other person reacts. Right? So we have to be people who alright, we are in control of those things.
John Gunter:We have asked God to help us because we have submitted to him. Okay? You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You are trying to do it all yourself.
John Gunter:You have not even stopped to ask, and I've confessed that to you, I don't know how many times. I do that. I'm trying to fix, trying to work on, and think, I'm a preacher, why have not prayed about this? And then he he goes on to say, you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passion. Even when you think to pray, often what it is, God, would you do this for me, and it's not a good motive, it's just because this is what I want.
John Gunter:And guess what? We all are looking out for number one. Right? That's easy. Because I know what I want, I know how I feel inside, I know or I feel like I know what's gonna make me feel better.
John Gunter:Right? Often it's not correct, but that's what we do. What's hard is that whole loving your neighbor thing. Loving your neighbor as yourself. What do you mean I have to I have to kind of step back from that?
John Gunter:That's a different idea. I've got to love God, I've got to love my neighbor as myself. And that becomes very difficult in the moment. And so conflict, I believe, and I believe this is what James is saying, is a spiritual symptom. Conflict is showing you what is inside.
John Gunter:Right? Just like we've been talking about our speech. You can come in here and you can say, I'm a Christian, I follow Jesus, and you can walk out there, and you can get into a yelling match, and it's gonna come out what you really think and how you really are inside, isn't it? And so it's the work you do, it's the mission you do to God to allow God to kind of purify what's inside, so when that conflict arises, you're able to respond in a way that says, I am a child of God. Now, what I'm not saying this morning is that every interaction is going to be perfect.
John Gunter:You're going to say things say amen. You're going to say things that you wish you had back. Yes? Yeah. What we're wanting to do is prepare as best we can for submission to God in all things, including our speech, including in times of conflict that we want to say, alright, I'm submitting to God.
John Gunter:God, you are in control. I want to give this to you. And so, when when personal pleasure becomes our goal, that selfishness, when that becomes our goal, peace really becomes impossible. Because you are never nobody raised their hand, you are never gonna have all of your expectations and desires met. That sounds terrible this morning.
John Gunter:We're all gonna walk out of here after the amen with our head hanging low. We just The singing was alright, but my goodness, that message was so negative. Never gonna get there. Maybe maybe you're chasing something that you think will meet all of your expectations, and it won't. But our prayers are often unanswered because they are self centered, not God centered.
John Gunter:How many times do we pray asking for things for ourselves versus how many times do we pray asking for things for someone else? And not the, I hope they heard that sermon this morning. I hope they did, but again, we pray for God's grace to be on that person I'm in conflict with. Is that difficult? Jesus says to love even your enemies.
John Gunter:So we should be people who, even in times of conflict, are praying for that person to be impacted by by God. Galatians five sixteen and seventeen, but but I say, walk by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh. For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Well, that's a tough one, isn't it?
John Gunter:Walk by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Where is your desire? Is it things of the flesh, those desires? Is it things of the spirit that I want not only the best for me, but my brothers and sisters, my neighbor, loving my neighbor as myself? And it says, and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other.
John Gunter:That's, again, a battle that we can find ourselves in. And we our desires are not really matching up with what the the spirit would have, the fruits of the spirit. Right? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Is that how you would describe your interactions with the person you're in conflict with?
John Gunter:Or is it something else? Romans eight verses five and six, for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh. For those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is Which one do you want? Well, is not a hard question, is it?
John Gunter:If we were to make it that black and white that you have a choice this morning. Would you like death or would you like life and peace? How many of you go, death it is for me. Right? That is not a hard decision when you put it that way, but when you're saying what life and peace means is you need to submit yourself, you need to not be so self centered and focused on what I want, then it becomes a little harder.
John Gunter:Now, I'm still not choosing death. I'm still not saying, I want death. But it becomes a harder thing when we put those things into action. Right? Now we have to live it.
John Gunter:I can say, life and peace all day. But now when I interact with you, and we're in conflict, there's something between us that becomes a little more, I don't know. I need to win this argument, or I don't know. Are you still choosing life and peace? Are you living in a way that brings you towards death?
John Gunter:I hope it is life and peace. And so, most arguments do not start because of what someone said or even did. Most arguments, I believe, start because of what we wanted in the first place, and that is not being met, and so we have to fight. And so you cannot win those battles until you face the battle within you, because as scripture says over and over, what's in you is going to come out. Are you going to be happy with what comes out, or are you going to be ashamed of that?
John Gunter:In verse four of James four, 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 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.
John Gunter:Now, this is some strong language, isn't it? You ever has anybody told you lately, you adulterous person? Me? Hold on. But what he's saying is, okay, you have chosen the ways of the world over the ways of God.
John Gunter:You have chosen the world over God. That's how you are cheating on God. That's how you are an adulterous person. And he said, do you not know that friendship with the world is basically choosing to be an enemy with God? So, therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
John Gunter:And so you have a choice to make. And it goes on to say that that God is a jealous God, not in this crazy psycho x type of way, but God loves you in a way that even when you do things that are wrong, even when you do things that you know that are wrong and go against him, God still loves you and wants you to be his. And some of us are walking around like, I've done too much, I'd never be able to God is a jealous God. He loves you and desires you to be with him, and over and over and over we choose someone else in the form of the world, or our desires, or what we want to to follow. And so, God is jealously protective of us in a way that He loves us and cares for us.
John Gunter:In Matthew six verse 24, No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. And money is just one example of the ways that or the things we can choose over God. That I'm going to put money first, pursuit of money, and how I'm going to go after it, I'm going to step on everybody I can step on to obtain what I want to obtain, so that it leads to the life that I want, so that my expectations are met. Now how does that compare with even what we're just talking about in the blessings of this church, how the generosity of people have come has come together to put us in a situation where we could go, oh my goodness.
John Gunter:Thank you, Lord. What's the difference? Well, our hearts were open. We were we were in a generous spirit to give to God that we want to grow this thing. We're not just talking about it, you see it come out in the actions that we have.
John Gunter:In first John two verse 15, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the father, but is from the world. Now, could spend a whole couple of weeks in these couple of verses right here. If there are things out there that look great, that even look so good that I feel like if I just had that, I would be happy.
John Gunter:Now, you might not have said that, but how many of you have desired something so strongly you thought, oh, that would make my day right there. I always use the example of a vehicle. Right? Because that first day, you love it, it smells good, it smells I don't know what they do to those things, what that smell is. I think they put some dissolvable thing under the under the seat, because after a while that goes away, and you look at it out in driveway and you go, man, I need something new.
John Gunter:That thing you loved, right, and had to have, and spent a lot of money for it, even took that picture for Facebook for the salesman. He just made a lot of money, you just lost a bunch of money. Right? He's happy as all get out. Okay?
John Gunter:But things fade. Right? Our desires, the things we feel like are going to lead to life and peace, don't lead to life and peace. They they they're good for a little bit, then they fade. But the things of the spirit are there, the love of God continues.
John Gunter:God is jealous for you, he loves you no matter what. That will not end. But we keep chasing over things that scripture says that moth will tear up and rust will corrode, yet we're chasing after those things. And so if you wait until temptation appears to decide your loyalty, you've waited too long. Right?
John Gunter:If you are choosing something else or you're choosing not to decide or prepare, you are waiting too long because preparation means we're going to choose our side before the battle begins. Yes? Because when you've chosen your side, you know how you're going to answer and who you're going to line up behind. In verse seven, back in James chapter four, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
John Gunter:Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you're double minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you or lift you up, as we just sang. And so, what we see here is submission is not defeat, it's a discipline.
John Gunter:I'm going to humble myself so that God can do the lifting, not myself. And so, I believe we are the strongest when we are surrendering ourselves to God. Because I think it fools us to think we are in control, and I am in control of the situation. But to step back and say, God is in control, is another level of strength that we need to depend on. And so, I believe resistance resistance works only when we stand under the authority of God.
John Gunter:I'm going to give it to you, God. I wanna draw near to you. And what you saw in these verses is, be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. That is the picture of repenting.
John Gunter:I'm gonna confess myself, and I'm gonna say, I have done wrong, God, and I'm gonna turn around, and I'm coming back to you. That's what this is a picture of. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. You need to understand what you have done towards God, and come back to him. In first Peter five, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you.
John Gunter:Casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you, be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Be prepared, is what Peter said. You need to be ready.
John Gunter:But what I love is the end of this in verse nine here, where he reminds us that you're not alone. That everybody is going through different things throughout the world. What I love to do is go to a conference with a bunch of Christians. Right? I love being at church because we've got a big group, and the house is full.
John Gunter:When you go to something that's got like two or 3,000 people, go, oh, I'm not alone at all. Right? I'm encouraged. We're all trying to to seek this path. And so I I desire that.
John Gunter:Remember this. Resist. Prepare. And again, the scripture uses this, if a thief was going to break into your house tonight, and you knew that, you would prepare, would you not? But we all know that these things are going to happen in our lives, and often we just go, oh, that sounds good, and we don't really prepare.
John Gunter:We don't think about our conversations, we don't think about our desires turning into conflict, we just kind of wait and we are reactionary in this way. And remember, this is a scripture we've used off and on throughout this series. Micah six eight, He has told you, o man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? That's what God asked of us, to walk humbly with him, allowing us to be led by him. One of my favorite passages of scripture now is is Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd.
John Gunter:I have read it so much that I can quote it to you. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me.
John Gunter:Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen. You can only call the Lord your shepherd if you're humble enough to let him lead.
John Gunter:So don't claim Christ if you're not gonna let him lead your life. We need to be people that walk humbly with our God. What does the Lord require of you to do this? And if we're prepared, you don't have to choose in the moment of battle which side again. You have already chosen, so now you know, alright, I'm going to respond in this way.
John Gunter:In verse 11 of chapter four of James, this is where we'll end today. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law, judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy, but who are you to judge your neighbor?
John Gunter:That's a great question, but often we're eager to do it, aren't we? Now, are there times where our discernment leads us to rebuke or reject? Absolutely. But often that's not the case of of what's happening, is it? Again, it's a response of desire or what has come up within us.
John Gunter:We're angry, we're not getting our way, I need to react in this way. It's not something that we should say, Oh, here we go. I said in class this morning, sometimes we act like because someone says something a little different, we're thinking they're saying something like, Oh, know, that Satan guy is pretty good. And we react that way. But often, it's just minor things where we have differences of opinions or whatever.
John Gunter:And and you've known, we joke about, you know, churches have split up over the color of the chairs, or the carpet, or the paint on the wall. Yes? What is that about? Spiritual things. Just the desires of the flesh.
John Gunter:What I want, and why aren't you meeting what I want. We ought to be people who say, okay, I'm not going to be quick to judge. I desire God's judgment. Do you desire my judgment or God's on your life? I know some of you pretty well.
John Gunter:Would you like me to stand in judgment as if I knew you like God knew you? I hope not. I hope you don't have that kind of trust in me, because I will fail you. I will absolutely fail you. And so when you look at someone else, don't judge them as if you are God.
John Gunter:What is happening here in verses eleven and twelve, it's kind of like, here's how it plays out. You want to say, I am of God, but I'm going to usurp God in his judgment role. Right? Again, we we we look at ourselves like we have the best motives and the best intentions. Yes, I fail, but I have the best of intentions.
John Gunter:But when you fail, it's because you're evil. You did that against me. Well, no. Let's step back and let's allow God to do what God does. Just a few verses here.
John Gunter:Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld for the Lord is able to make him stand. In Matthew seven, judge not that you be not judged, for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged. That's scary for some of us, isn't it? How quickly and harshly we're able to judge someone else.
John Gunter:And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And finally, Proverbs ten nineteen, When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Well, Proverbs needs to just step back and quit getting all over my toes. Right? Because when we keep talking, we're not listening, we're not able to step back and speak less, and to take a breath.
John Gunter:In those moments we are stepping all over ourselves, our neighbor. We are not loving the way we should love. And so, I lied to you. I've got one more verse. Romans 12.
John Gunter:Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Like we said last week, sometimes what that means is I don't need to respond right now. I need to take a breath, I need to step back and study or pray or, you know, find encouragement somewhere else and then come back to it. So that I can respond in a way that brings about grace, brings about love, and represents the one that I'm saying I'm representing. Yes?
John Gunter:And so I just wanna encourage you this morning that, if we prepare, you will be ready. If we prepare, you don't have to make a decision. You know that things are coming in this life. You may not know what they are, but you know you're going to be in situations of conflict, you're gonna be in situations where you would like to respond in a certain way, but you are representing Jesus. And so be prepared this morning.
John Gunter:Be ready to face the world and all that it has to throw at you, but be ready to do so in the way that Jesus would respond, showing his love his mercy to those around us. So, I just wanna encourage you if you like the prayers of this church, we've got a song of invitation if you would, come as we stand and sing.