The S Word

Debbie Cato

Psalm 1 and James 4:1-10

Peace Presbyterian Church

September 7, 2014

The “S” Word

When it comes to conversations with God, there are several words that I've learned it's better not to say – certainly better not to pray for! For instance; the “p” word. I'm not good at patience and I wanted (actually still do) to be more patient. I thought I should be more patient - you know, be better at waiting. I used to pray that God would give me patience. Then I realized that instead of giving me patience, God was giving me opportunities to learn patience. I didn’t like that – it was way too hard. It was painful! Never mind, God! I said. I’ll never learn! You can stop trying to teach me!” So, I’ve stopped praying for the “p” word. Sometimes I think he’s still trying to teach me, but I never talk to God about – “you know what” anymore!

Today, as James continues to teach us about holy living, he uses the “s” word. In American culture, the “s” word has become a dirty word. “We are our own person,” we say with pride. We do our own thing. We are independent. We don’t report to anyone. Nobody tells us what to do. We do our thing; I’ll do my thing. You do your thing. It’s the American way.

But, as we should expect, it’s not the Christian way. It’s not the way of holy living. This week, in week 4 of our series, James teaches us that we are to “Submit to God.” All the problems he has presented us with so far; all the obstacles to holy living come from living by the wisdom of the world – submitting to things that are not of God. Submitting to our own pride – the “I will do it my way.” All the “I know best” things in our life. All the “no one is going to tell me what to do” times in our life. All the times we submit to the pressures of culture; our surroundings; popular opinions; the popular person. Whether we want to admit it or not – we are in fact submitting to something or somone! The question is – what exactly has authority over you?

Think about it – the conflicts we have are because we want to be right. We don't want to let go; give in; forgive; forget. We can't hold our tongues. Listen. We don't put our faith into action because we think about our selves first. Pride stands in the way. Selfishness.

But James says that we must admit that we don’t have ultimate power or authority over

ourselves. We really don't! God does. And so if we are to live holy lives; if we are to have true wisdom, which we’ve already learned is wisdom from above – wisdom from God himself - we must submit ourselves to God. We must yield power and authority of our lives over to God. Power and authority that God already has. We must be willing to pray, “Your will be done” and mean it. We pray it every Sunday: “Your will be done.” Your will be done, God. Yours. Not mine. We must pray it and mean it.

While this may initially cause us much fear and trepidation; we should actually feel the opposite. We should find peace and comfort in submitting ourselves to God! God is tirelessly on our side. He never falters in respect to our needs; he always has more grace at hand for us. He is never less than sufficient; he always has more and more to give. His resources have no limits; his patience is never exhausted; his initiative never stops; his generosity knows no limit; and his love never ends. Submitting to God results in blessings and God’s goodness pours over us! This is a good thing, friends. The “S” word really isn’t a bad word! Submitting to God who has only good things planned for us can only be good!

Submitting to God leads to holy living, because it draws us nearer to God. Nearer to the God who created us in His image. Nearer to the God who loves us unconditionally. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? We need to draw near to God because we can’t submit to God unless we are in constant communion with Him. We must be earnestly and constantly praying and listening and discerning where God is calling us; who God is calling us to be. How God is calling us to be.

Perhaps the reason we are fearful of submitting ourselves to God is because submission is calling us to a life of obedience. To live near to God requires us to do things that bring us close to God. It requires a life of regularity and discipline. Time spent in His Word – reading and meditating on Scripture. Time listening and talking with God through prayer. Public and private worship. Devoting ourselves to Christian fellowship. Feasting at the Lord’ Table as we will do later in this morning’s service. Cultivating every opportunity we have to draw near to our Lord and Savior.

Psalm 1 is alluding to the same thing – submitting to God's authority. You have a copy of the NRSV of Psalm 1 that Jeanne read this morning. Take it out and look at it while I read a couple 0f other versions. They are fun to compare and help us to really understand the passage. The first I’m going to read is a translation by John Goldingay. John is an Old Testament theologian and professor at Fuller Seminary. He was one of my professors. He has written a commentary on Psalms and this is his translation directly from the Hebrew to English:

¹The blessings of people

who have not walked by the strategy of the faithless,

or stood in the path of offenders,

or lived in the company of disdainers!

²Rather, their delight is in Yahweh’s teaching,
and they talk about his teaching day and night.

³They are like a tree planted by channels of water,
which gives its fruit in its season,
and its foliage does not fade;
all that they do succeeds.

⁴The faithless are not like that,
but rather are like the chaff that the wind blows away.
⁵Therefore the faithless do not stand at the judgment,
nor offenders in the assembly of the faithful.

⁶Because Yahweh acknowledges the way of the faithful,
but the way of the faithless perishes.

And now I want to read Eugene Peterson’s translation from The Message. Eugene’s translations are raw and use everyday language:

How well God must like you -
you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,

you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,

you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.

Instead you thrill to Yahweh’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.

You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,

Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.

You’re not at all like the wicked,

who are mere windblown dust –

Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.

Yahweh charts the road you take.

The road they take is Skid Row.

Psalm 1 believes in the importance of choice. It believes that the key choice we have to make is enormously important – but it also believes that it is straightforward. There are two ways that open up before us as individuals; they way of God; and the way of evil (the way that isn’t God). Delighting in God’s teachings (chewing on Scripture) and bearing fruit – or as James puts it faith in action. Submitting to God.

Jesus takes up the idea in Matthew 7 when he speaks of the broad path and the narrow path. We are like people on a journey who face a fork in the road and have to decide which path to take. One of the paths involves “walking by Yahweh’s Torah – or God’s Law.

The narrow way is both easy and difficult. The Law says things like we must “bow down only to God; keep the Sabbath; don’t commit adultery; tell the truth; don’t fancy other people’s stuff.” It’s really not that complicated. Yet, it is the narrow path. It goes against human instinct. We like to worship other things; we like to control the whole week; we don’t like to submit to anything. We must be living a life of faithfulness if we expect to worship or pray – we can’t separate living and worship.

Fellowship with God—and its consequent blessing of his fellowship with us—does not ‘just happen’; we cannot drift into it any more than we drift into holiness. It is a discipline we have to develop through obedience and practice.

James says that this is a “deliberately cultivated fellowship” (8a). The command is draw near to God, and we find ourselves encouraged to obey it by the promise which goes along with it, and he will draw near to us.

We have a tendency in ourselves to want to reverse this order. How easy it would be to keep a daily time with God if only we had a more vivid sense of his presence—in other words, we want the promise to come before the command! But James reminds us that God enriches with the grace of his presence those who obey his command to seek his presence.

Unless our inner focus shifts from the earthly to the spiritual we’ll wreak greater havoc on ourselves and others. We brag, we covet, we murder, we’re hypocrites, we quarrel, and we create conflicts. With the gift of holy wisdom we can, even in our weaknesses, learn to live lives of mercy, purity, peacefulness and gentleness, which is exactly what James tell us God wants for us and from us.

And it’s not just for one of us. It’s a gift to all of us. All of us are expected to be channels of spiritual wisdom for our own greater good and for the good of those around us. All we have to do is ask. We must submit to God. May His Kingdom comes on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.