#17
James 4:1-10
¶ What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?
Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
You lust and do not have; so you commit murder.
You are envious 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 with wrong motives,
so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose:
“He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?
But He gives a greater grace.
Therefore it says,
“GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Submit therefore to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
{{{ James lays it out very clearly;
In 4:1-8 in His questions He stats the problem and the answer.
1. It is you seeking your own pleasure that causes quarreling and conflict that lead to war (conflict) among the body of Church. (same thing that causes conflict among the worldly)
Because of your lust; you speak or think bad of those who have what you want, what you lust after in Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus is very clear about committing murder and what He thinks about it:
¶ “You have heard that the ancients were told,
‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’
and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
you been angry with any one?
Do you hold grudges?
Speak badly or others?
Think about it.
2. You do not have because you don’t ask?
You do not ask because you would rather grumble gripe and compline about what someone ells has, but you don’t?
And when you do ask are you asking with wrong motives, for things for your pleasures?
3. having friendship (desiring, embracing, striving to have and take part in) with the world: makes you an enemy of GOD.
Not that it might, but that it does.
You desire the things of this world your desires will take you away from the Lord and you will do what it takes to fit in to the world and its ways, giving them more power over your life then you are willing to allow the Lord GOD to have.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
The same is true you can not serve God and the world!
To call yourself an Christian and to go on serving the world and the things of this world you are committing adultery
(for as a Christian you are the bride of Christ, not the bride of the world.)
who will you serenader to?
Ephesians 5:22-23
¶ Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
(As the bride of Christ that would make you the wife of Christ, and Christ your husband.
by calling your self a Christian are you not saying
“I am the wife of Christ”?
If you are bold enough to call your self a Christian then also be bold enough to walk away from the world and its ways and cling to your own husband the Lord Christ Jesus.
Stop your adulteress’s relationship with the world.)
((do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes themselves enemy of God.))
“He (our Lord Christ Jesus) jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”
But do to His great grace, He says,
“GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Submit therefore to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
James 4:9 is very insightful.
“Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
(( James 4:9
“Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” ))
We are better off not having the things of this world than to have all we desire of this world.
Just because it is available does not mean it is from GOD, satin is the father of many things the world has to offer and says is good, the things the children of this world desire after, go to war for and live in lust after,
this is nothing but disobedience of Father GOD.
ask yourself these questions:
Am I a friend of this world and an enemy of GOD?
Or am I a friend of GOD and an enemy to this world?
Be sure you answer honestly.
You can not serve two masters!
you can not have it both ways.