Title: Disorder Comes from Selfishness Meta: How do I know if my life is full of jealously and selfish-ambition? Because your life will be characterized by disorder and every vile practice. James 3:16 - For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. Tags: ryan fullerton,disorder,sin,Christian,jealously,selfish,person 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,202 We need spiritual eyes to see false wisdom. 2 00:00:03,203 --> 00:00:06,590 One of the ways we can see false wisdom is we can see where it goes, 3 00:00:06,591 --> 00:00:09,752 we can see what its results are. Notice James 3:16, 4 00:00:09,753 --> 00:00:17,185 "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." 5 00:00:17,186 --> 00:00:21,528 How do I know if my life is full of jealousy and selfish ambition? 6 00:00:21,529 --> 00:00:26,896 Because your life will be characterized by disorder and by every vile practice. (P) 7 00:00:26,897 --> 00:00:31,108 Let me give you an example of how the Lord convicted me of this 8 00:00:31,143 --> 00:00:34,378 as I was studying this passage. 9 00:00:34,379 --> 00:00:39,275 We have been trying in the last number of weeks to grow in our discipline 10 00:00:39,276 --> 00:00:42,403 in being in the word of God as a family. 11 00:00:42,404 --> 00:00:46,157 So I have been trying to make sure that all of my 4 kids 12 00:00:46,158 --> 00:00:48,834 have personal time in the word of God every morning. 13 00:00:48,834 --> 00:00:55,091 For 2 of them that means reading lots of the Bible. For 1 of them, that means reading 6 words of the Bible really slow. 14 00:00:55,091 --> 00:01:02,020 For 1 of them, that means listening to the Jesus Storybook Bible on the iPod on repeat over and over again, 15 00:01:02,020 --> 00:01:05,706 and never seeming to get bored with the exact same stories. (P) 16 00:01:05,706 --> 00:01:09,582 And so, we have been trying to cultivate this time in the Word 17 00:01:09,582 --> 00:01:13,180 and then make sure there is time for my wife to be in the Word 18 00:01:13,180 --> 00:01:16,577 because I am not washing her in the Word if I am not making sure 19 00:01:16,578 --> 00:01:19,659 that her busy schedule has time for the Word of God in it. 20 00:01:19,660 --> 00:01:23,390 And then getting myself in Word of God so I can be faithful to fill my own soul 21 00:01:23,391 --> 00:01:26,944 with the Bible and then to pray for you every morning. 22 00:01:26,945 --> 00:01:31,590 We have been trying to discipline ourselves for these things. (P) 23 00:01:31,591 --> 00:01:35,678 And the Holy Spirit and my wife 24 00:01:35,679 --> 00:01:39,947 have been making it very clear why I have trouble doing this. 25 00:01:39,982 --> 00:01:44,443 I always say to my wife, "I have trouble getting up early!" 26 00:01:44,444 --> 00:01:46,255 She says, "No you don't. 27 00:01:46,256 --> 00:01:49,383 You have trouble going to bed early." 28 00:01:49,384 --> 00:01:53,080 You go to bed early, guess what becomes easy to do? 29 00:01:53,081 --> 00:01:57,405 I know there are different schedules, you can't all go to bed early. The point is self-control, 30 00:01:57,406 --> 00:02:00,045 not what time you go to bed. 31 00:02:00,046 --> 00:02:05,365 But what I find is that I just want to look at the news. 32 00:02:05,366 --> 00:02:09,199 I just want to eat a bowl of ice cream late at night. 33 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:14,255 I just want to look at Facebook. I just want to play a game. I just want to read a book- 34 00:02:14,290 --> 00:02:17,992 even a good book- but I just want to read it forever. 35 00:02:17,993 --> 00:02:21,550 But I want to do what I want to do. I want some "me" time 36 00:02:21,551 --> 00:02:25,397 now that everyone's away. And because I want a lot of "me" time 37 00:02:25,398 --> 00:02:29,173 I don't have the time to serve my family and so 38 00:02:29,174 --> 00:02:33,442 the kids get out of bed and instead of order, there is disorder 39 00:02:33,443 --> 00:02:38,241 and chaos. And it's not just because they are kids, 40 00:02:38,276 --> 00:02:42,634 it is because they have a selfish dad. (P) 41 00:02:42,635 --> 00:02:46,106 Carol Mahaney gives the same example for moms. 42 00:02:46,106 --> 00:02:50,802 She talks about moms not being able to care for their kids because they are too busy 43 00:02:50,803 --> 00:02:52,309 carving out "me" time. 44 00:02:52,310 --> 00:02:56,688 And friends not being able to care for widows and orphans or their friends 45 00:02:56,688 --> 00:03:01,254 because they are too busy carving out "me" time. That selfish ambition 46 00:03:01,254 --> 00:03:03,832 will always result in disorder. 47 00:03:03,832 --> 00:03:06,731 It also results in every vile practice. (P) 48 00:03:06,732 --> 00:03:10,223 For years we would counsel men who were 49 00:03:10,224 --> 00:03:14,073 involved in pornography and they thought they had this problem 50 00:03:14,074 --> 00:03:18,152 15 minutes out of every day; and the other 23 hours and 45 minutes were great, 51 00:03:18,152 --> 00:03:20,204 then 15 minutes a day they were selfish. 52 00:03:20,205 --> 00:03:25,285 And then you start asking them questions about their life, every minute of their life was selfish. 53 00:03:25,286 --> 00:03:29,150 If they were married, the way they spoke to their spouse was selfish. If they were single, 54 00:03:29,151 --> 00:03:32,490 the things they filled their life with were all for their own entertainment. 55 00:03:32,491 --> 00:03:36,538 So they were selfish all day, and 15 minutes a day it convicted them, 56 00:03:36,539 --> 00:03:41,585 because it was so heinous, those 15 minutes. (P) 57 00:03:41,586 --> 00:03:46,362 Selfish ambition always leads to every vile practice. 58 00:03:46,363 --> 00:03:49,794 Just the fact that our culture loves itself so much 59 00:03:49,795 --> 00:03:53,629 and wants to feel so good about itself and wants to serve itself so much, 60 00:03:53,630 --> 00:04:00,109 that's why we have the rampant acceptance of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and polygamy. 61 00:04:00,110 --> 00:04:06,940 It's not just because the laws changed, it's because a unbridled heart of selfishness 62 00:04:06,975 --> 00:04:11,643 has not been changed by the gospel. 63 00:04:11,644 --> 00:04:14,745 And you need to recognize, 64 00:04:14,746 --> 00:04:17,872 when someone comes along with a disordered life, 65 00:04:17,872 --> 00:04:20,705 when someone comes along with a vile life, 66 00:04:20,706 --> 00:04:25,676 and they can have the most spiritual platitudes--"we are just trying to love each other". 67 00:04:25,676 --> 00:04:31,926 They can have the most spiritual platitudes--"I am just trying to advance my ministry". 68 00:04:31,927 --> 00:04:35,966 But it has nothing to do with wisdom. 69 00:04:35,967 --> 00:04:38,194 It's earthly, 70 00:04:38,195 --> 00:04:40,744 it's unspiritual, 71 00:04:40,745 --> 00:04:45,444 and it's demonic, and the people of God ought to see through it 72 00:04:45,445 --> 00:04:49,227 and never follow it.