SCRIPTURE: JAMES 4
BIBLE VERSES:
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:3)
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8)
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10_
“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12)
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:14-15)
“ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:17)
SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO GOD (vs. 1-12)
WHAT CAUSE FIGHTS AND QUARRELS?
- Covetousness (v. 2) – You want something but you do not get it.
- Worldliness (v. 4) – You are friend with the world and an enemy of God
- Pride (vs. 6, 10) – You lift yourself up
- Criticism (v. 11) – You slander one another and judge brothers
- Boasting (v. 13) – You boast about your business accomplishments and wealth
BOASTING ABOUT TOMORROW (vs. 13-16)
Our life is short. It is like a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes. Our future is unknown. So, when we plan to do something, we should say: “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that (v. 15). Boasting and bragging are evil. Instead, we ought to do good.
THOUGHTS:
A) ENEMIES WE HAVE TO FACE:
- The Flesh (vs. 1-3) – the desire prompted men to kill in order to obtain it,.
- The World (vs. 4-5) – A compromising believer is in conformity to the world and friend with the world.
- The Devil (vs. 6-7) – Devil takes advantage of pride to brag and boast with arrogant self-confidence. We need to use His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to resist Satan and humble down ourselves.
B) Due to covetousness, we want more money, possessions, higher status and more recognition. When we don’t get what we want, we fight in order to have it. James taught us to submit ourselves, ask God to get rid of our selfish desires and trust him without doubt in order to receive what we really need.
C) The cure to evil desire is humility. To be humble means to submit ourselves to God’s power and guidance. It is yielding to His authority by committing our lives under His control.
D) When you want to plan ahead, always seek God’s will because your future is in His hands. Live for God and fulfill God’s plan for you.
E) James pointed out 2 kinds of sin: “Sins of commission” and “Sins of omission”. He said that “anyone who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it sins.” (v. 17). That is why the Bible says ” No one is without sin”. It is a sin to lie, it is also a sin for not telling the whole truth. It is a sin to gossip, it is also a sin not to help a person in need.
F) According to Harold Lindsell, “It is right for the church to be in the world; it is wrong for the world to be in the church. A boat in water is good; that is what boats are for. However, water inside the boat causes it to sink”
G)-According to A.W. Tozer, “A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to “accept” Christ without forsaking the world”