Welcome to the Mariners Church Life Group Leader podcast. This weekly conversation is designed to equip and resource youth to build a healthy life group community that studies God's word, practices spiritual rhythms, and changes the world together. Welcome leaders. This is week six of our study looking through the book of James.
Excited to be on this episode with you. We know we probably have some brand new life group leaders that are jumping in after the session of Rooted Just Ended. We're coming off the back end of our Root celebration with a beautiful celebration across all of our congregations, same with God did through Rooted. I had a front review of that here at Mariners Irvine and my good friend had a front review at Mariners North Irvine.
This is John Yarns, that's an obviously pastor there. Hi. Hi. How are you doing?
This is John Yarns. This is John Yarns, this is John Yarns from Mariners North Irvine. What's happening dude? It was great.
Carber testimonies. I don't know if it's the flipping of the cardboard or if it's the actual person, but every time there's a flipping of the hard and holding back tears you know something happened. Totally powerful. It's absolutely incredible.
It's actually incredible what we see God do time and time again in just that short amount of time. Stories that are changed, new communities that come out of Rooted, the expression of the gospel into these groups is a beautiful thing. You're doing a great job leading it out at Mariners North Irvine. This is how many sessions do you do for you now?
I'm being on staff. It's been a little over a year. So this is the fourth round of rooted. Yeah, I'm looking forward to actually facilitating Yeah, I'm gonna be like one in January looking forward to you January or the spring.
Yeah, great I typically want in January and kind of this the rhythm so look for that as well. All right, man We're all I'm showing jump into this week's questions. Let's do it. Hey, disclaimer John.
Yeah, it's just getting over a little bit of a cold So you make off there it is and I just had a try to trick you particularly sandwich I mean, we'll see what you see over here So the passage for this week is James 4 1 through 12 I can't believe we're already in week six James chapter 4 We've only got a couple of weeks left of this incredible service here. He's been yeah, we're gonna jump into it here So before we jump into the passage of the questions, we've got a good lean in here It says what ingredients make for a strong friendship. Can you think of an example from your own life? Oh, man Yeah, there's a lot, you know the usual trust loyalty and passion But one word that I I like to describe is no calculations and what I mean by that is an example would be a good friend Doesn't go.
Oh, hey, you bought I bought for you last time So you bought me two times. I'm gonna you know, there's like a calculating aspect of a relationship But a good friend there's no calculation And so after years of not seeing them when you see them it's as if no time It's just you know, there's no calculating the numbers times amount you just you just have a connection with them. Yeah, that's awesome Yeah, I think the word I came to mind is you're talking about that was a no pre-tense Like there's no needs it sort of hide or fake it like you can be comfortably yourself around around the person And that only comes through you know long standard relationship of trust and some of my closest friends are those that I've been in the closest Hips of despair within to they've seen them at their lowest They've sent me at the lowest and they're still a sense of man I'm in it with you. I'm for you gonna support you.
I'm gonna challenge you and I call you out call you out on things But that sense of like being you know authentically yourself as somebody vulnerable with you with somebody else is really a strong ingredient I've got friendship for sure and I've definitely got people in my life like that and I know you do I know you do as well Yeah, all right, so why are we talking about that though? What does that lean into the discussion today? I mean today we're talking about friendship with the world and with God It's a great passage that is really picking at How we sort of bifurcate our worship between our affection towards the world and our affection towards God and James has a lot to say about that In these up power-punk passages, and of course throughout the whole about it Why don't we read John might ask you to read it It's John James 4 1 through 12 and here's a few guiding questions as we look at this passage It says first what does it mean to be humble before God? What does it look like for God to resist the proud and give grace to the humble?
And then how does living with humility rather than pride affect the way that we treat brothers and sisters in Christ? All right, so you can ask other questions about you know, what does humility look like in this passage? Yeah, what you learn about our love of God or love of the world for the passage a few different questions You can also ask us through that so what I mean you read it and we'll interact with it together. It sounds good I'm starting from James chapter 4 verse 1 It says what is the source of wars and fights among you?
Don't they come from your passions that wage war within you you desire and you didn't end it on half You murder and covet and cannot obtain you fight and wage war you do not have because you do not ask You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your pleasures You'll know those first people don't you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God So whoever wants to be a friend of the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God Or do you think it's without reason that the scripture says the spirit he made to dwell in us envious intensely? But he gives greater grace therefore he says God resists the proud it gives grace to the humble therefore submit to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you drawn near to God and he will draw near to you Cleanse your hands sinners and purify your hearts you double minded be miserable and mourn and weep let your laughter Return to mourning and your joy to gloom humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you Don't criticize one another brothers and sisters anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law If you judge the law you are not a doer of the law But a judge there is one law giver and judge who is able to save and destroy but who are you to judge your name? Okay a lot going on right on in this passage and so many things to talk through but just reminding ourselves If we look at what was the point we were driving through there the message and this is straight from your series magazine Yeah, giving us a summary really of the message this week and it says we can be friends with the world or friends with God But we can't be both if we choose to be friends with the world We set ourselves up as enemies of God and commit spiritual adultery against him if we are friends with God We also care for his people to live as his friend We humble ourselves and draw near to him and he is always ready to receive us So knowing that that's what we're talking about this weekend. Yeah, what stands out to you in the passage of where do we see that?
Where do we see James talking about how we buy for Kate or affection be the role in God? Yeah, I think one one thing is very clear is the reason why he's so intense about it It seems it's because the struggle is real. It's not some Small detail. It's it's a hey.
I know you'll struggle with this I know it's intense in your life and this is why I'm coming to you in this intense way and he makes it very clear It's not just an option You know, Jesus is in just option a and be or see but it's if you are friends with the world then you are enemies to God So there's a moment where you have to choose either you are friends with God or friends with the world But you can't have both he makes it very clear right? Yeah, yeah I love that there's an acknowledgement of there is this war this fight that comes up from within us Yeah, and he talks about how that war is intensified when we have these different passions And we have this war and we desire and we don't have and so there's a sense of we're going after these things and it doesn't yield anything Yeah, we keep pursuing it But it still creates a deficit alonging along within us. Yeah, but why do we keep going? Why are we still divided?
Why are we going after that? It's it's a desire problem because there's an affection there's an affection problem Yeah, that we have split our allegiance between yeah Yeah, I had a towards God and affection towards the world and he's message to he talks about what do we mean about the world? We're talking about you know The systems of the world. Yeah, and I was the role of control power.
Yeah, I love his example of him Wanting McDonald's an experience not wanting McDonald's in that moment. It's like you said It's just a matter of desire like how does your desire change and that determines your actions and everything else comes out of that and At the end of it. It's I think this is what I remember learning in seminary Someone talking about how Martin Luther addressed his students and he was saying as Christian you can do whatever you want And the students obviously say wait what I can do whatever I want as Christian and then his follow-up was what is it that you want to do? Basically he was pointing out what is your desire?
What kind of desires have God has God put in you if you have God's desires that you won't have the desires of the world and having Taste that it's seen that God is good. It's good. It's a moment to check. Hold on.
Where is my desire? Where's my heart yet? Yeah, that's really good. That's awesome.
I remember someone asking your question in a seminary class to do similar to that of hey in heaven Is there gonna be sin is there gonna be sin in heaven and you know trying to pick and cause a little bit of argument? You know because it's like well There's free will right like if we can freely choose to worship God because he chooses to pursue us And we respond to his grace and we can choose to respond or not wouldn't that be the same in heaven to like is there? We're gonna have a free will can we choose? Can we choose a rebellion Scott in heaven?
I'm expecting a way that I answered is it Well, you're gonna be so overwhelmed with seeing him face to face and God's full presence There's no veil like your your in his presence. You're seeing him You're beholding him that it's impossible is once you're fully seen once you're fully fully there You can have a much more in depth the other conversation around that but it is in a sense It's that right it's a taste and see and experience the goodness of the Lord and realize that that's the only place that our deepest desires are met Through through him. Yeah, I think that ties in perfectly with this this idea and a practical implication of humility whereas it often is this kind of cloudy a just be humble And you know there's that joke of on the most humble person. Yeah, you are But it usually stays kind of up in the clouds of okay.
There's this humility There's a blob of I should be on but if you consider it on a very rubber meets the road Desire level then that humility it's a matter of like a black or white Yeah, you're either you are either humfully humble before God or you're not it's not a scale or degree It's either have it or you don't and James makes it very clear You almost calls out people you evil doers. Yeah, I'm so These questions I think when you ask this in the group and have this discussion I think there's that element of people addressing it in a more heady, you know up in the class Oh, yeah, I think humility means and it will come down to what they think yeah But then I think the question a little more point of question would be how is it that you act right before God? And that might open up some more discussions. Yeah, that's good I love that time.
That's really good. Yeah humility cultivates hunger humility cultivates dependence or reliance upon something someone else Outside of yourself or pride says no, I'm good. I've got it all I'm kind of all figured out I'm gonna go come like a way which is really the definition of sin we go we're gonna go around way really good John all right So we look out section what does it look like to befriend the world in our culture today? How does befriending the world make it difficult to be friend to God or we're talking kind of naturally through this?
What does it look like to befriend the befriend be friend of the world today? Oh, yeah, it's right It's our alliance upon the world for our own power for our own control Yeah, all of those things which are very alluring and in some senses could be immediately measurable Mm-hmm and are often esteemed by others. There's an attraction attraction towards cancer sense and of course it makes it difficult because God's value is the opposite right off the world and Yeah, I think it's just a matter of checking Okay, where is it that you say God? I don't need to depend on you on in this area I got to figure it out versus God I need you and you can't have both you can't have you know Be independent and depend on God at the same time And so it makes it difficult and I think those are the areas where we ask our group and ask ourselves Where is it that there's no peace perhaps?
You know, there's a constant need for growth whether it's financial whether it's You know temptations of the world whatever it might be there's an emptiness that yeah, right? Totally we experience that right and it's I don't think it's very often a an AB switch. It's not really the linear journey. There's the process of sanctification is an ongoing one But certainly there's a sense of like our desires Being being being changed like once you do really taste and experience the goodness of the Lord It's like that illustration you're talking about their message like oh, why would I why would I want to go back?
When you taste the real thing there is no going back, but that's the reality of the war that weighs within us the flesh and the spirit Jesus overcome already so we got the spirit within us and overcomes all things But we still we still experience that right and that's what we look in is getting to that point of vulnerability of Confession so that we can share and encourage one another, you know where you tempted to love the world more than God How about you practically deepen your friendship with God? Yeah, I think for for this specific desire and for Sentation usually the approach is hey, what are your temptations and then hey, let's pray that you're not tempted and that's great It's logical if you're struggling with it. Let's deal with it But I I've heard it put this way and I thought it was really where often when you think about and talk about the negative Even if it's a good thing then you will always struggle with it For example for all listeners. I just want you to do a little quick exercise to not think about a pink elephant right now Don't think about the pink fluffy ears the pink fluffy I said you did there and the pink trunk and you know don't think about it But as you constantly try not to think about it your mind is just think about it.
It's just kind of a human nature Hey, let's not sit and let's not be tempted But in the gospel the moment you walk out of the sermon after a devote time after just spending time with God and you go Yes, I'm determined now to not be friends with the world. I'm determined now to not be tempted It's almost like you set yourself up for a raise a moment. You don't meet the new year's resolution or that You know you already depend on yourself Yeah, but on the other hand to say you know what God I humbled myself I will still struggle with this but whether I succeed this week or fail this week is all in your hands I'm gonna grow if I fail if I succeeded it's called for it to you And there's this level of freedom that it doesn't all depend on your willpower. You know you really can't mention And so in this in this case I think what we could encourage our people is to deepen our friendship with God It's not just to talk you know down on the negatives like hey How can we just you know fight this but what if we did hey?
What's really good about God what's great about focus on the good and taste and see how good God is and then those other desires Hopefully by God's grace will be anticipated way. It's really good Johnson really wise really wise It's often do we see that where it does become self-righteous moralistic living It's a willpower thing It's my ability to power through the situation and we get crushed for the own way of our failing Which we know we're going to we know that we're going to and thanks be the God that is grace is sufficient beyond all those things His grace wasn't just efficient for the moment that we became a Christian from the moment that we said yes to his compelling Our lives is grace is sufficient for when we get it wrong as we walk in humility and step with the spirit keeping in step with the spirit So that's really good man I love that that principle of man focus on the goodness focus on who he is and as you do You can't help but be transformed by him and even then we're gonna mess it up We're gonna mess it up and so we talked in the message about repentance and we're gonna be brought in we're gonna be brought into that Like confession is a good and right and necessary thing Especially when we realize that confession is not a heavy way that we put on ourselves to go and do better Confession is an acknowledgement of something that we've received that we often fall short of that we want to be brought more in the awareness of what Christ has already done and what do you need for repentance? Well, you need a place for that to go that can actually bear the weight of that failing and we have that the cross of Jesus We're ready and we have that and we also need a way to to grow through it And we also have that we have the Holy Spirit within us to live through those things Yeah, if we didn't then repentance would just be you know man I messed up I'm never gonna get it right and I have to bear the weight of it Yeah, we don't have to bear the weight of it. Yeah, and the word of God clearly tells us to bear the fruit of repentance Yes, yes, one time deal But yeah, it's cultivating that fruit not just out one time when when we came to Jesus Like you said, it's an ongoing bearing of the food food cultivating that and having that as part of our lives Yeah, really good It's awesome, man And we can go so long without an acknowledgement without confessing that to ourselves into others It's one of the things I do love about maybe some more formal like the surgical expressions where that's that's built in to every week And it's a convenient there's a corporate and an individual time of of confession because we do need that We need that acknowledgement to come to face grips of that so that we once again come to face grips with the overwhelming grace of Jesus It's a beautiful thing awesome.
Well, that's good John. You want to confess them? I guess that's not that's not I Was not microphone. Yeah, I want to give a shout out to if you are following with James magazine Yeah, I'm not there by life group leaders Stephanie Yoshi she built a poem that comes to me just right after awesome Yeah, check out the poem.
That's so great to you. Oh, that's beautiful man I love that you're highlighting that and these are really a great great resources like over 43 volunteers that put these together Yeah, we hope that you guys are still showing up on the weekend taking notes and looking all the great articles and resources that are in here But a great what a great tool for us awesome. All right, don't think so much dude Thanks for your time. Love your insights man every time you join us It's encouraging to me love your pastoral sensitivity and your insights and you're doing great things at North River by members so glad you're part of the team Thank you.
I hope you all better soon. Thanks so much. Alright, we'll see you on the weekend