My Way or the Highway Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, May 4, 2014 Studies in James, Part 9

James 4: Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

James 4: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

James 4: Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Last week: draw near... Old understanding... Prayer New understanding: choose the economy of generosity over the economy of exploitation Two ways... This may affect today’s passage, but first... Referred to Pastor as funeral director (How People Grow, pp. 66, 68, 72); this also connects

Characteristics of the bad way Judging others Arrogance (in terms of the pretense of being in charge of one’s own destiny)

Judging v Main point easy; explanation obscure Maybe it’s because James is seeing the real value of the Law in the same way that Paul does in Gal To show what sin is, to help people from getting too imprisoned by it, to help prepare for a better way (a relationship built on faith rather than morality)

I’m in charge... James says it plainly... “No, you’re not!” We don’t know what will happen next (for good or for ill) We should live in humility In light of last week’s passage, this seems to mean: we should choose God’s economy over the economy of exploitation

Summary statement “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Here’s a new definition of sin... Not immoral acts (though they should be avoided), but living as though you were in charge, living for what you can get, ignoring God and community, judging others and striving in competition for the goals of “number one” Leads to lonely and broken at some point

Better: Start there! Admit being lonely and broken Recognize that the economy of exploitation leads to death Hitch a ride on God’s highway Start to learn about His ways Jump into the harmony of building community