Transformed By Grace - James 4:1-10

INTRO

Knew someone who feared going to doctor. Avoided it.

Finally went - scheduled exploratory surgery

Quadruple bypass was ordered.

Sometimes that’s how we can be when it comes to diagnosing our spiritual life.

We ignore the problem until it’s finally revealed that we need major course correction.

We are continuing in the book of James and today we will take a hard look at what is the state of our spiritual life.

My friend is doing well now. The surgery was successful.

Talking to them recently they shared how much better they feel, how much more energy they have.

It can be challenging to be exposed by the word of God, but it is healing.

As we look at our passage we will see that James get’s to the core of why we have so much conflict in our lives.

He also calls us back to gospel hope.

Here is our Big Idea today:

Big Idea: The steadfast life embraces the transformative power of grace.

Let’s walk through this passage and start with

1. Our Struggle (v.1-5)

Now James begin his examination.

We’re gonna explore this tendency we have to drift and really this is almost a list of symptoms as it were to drifting in our spiritual life.

We see the first thing James points us to to see that we are drifting in our spiritual life is that we have strife in our relationships

Strife In Relationships

Do you have frequent arguments?

Are you quarrelsome?

My family knows something that’s admittedly embarrassing about me - I get hangry - Eat a snack.

Many of us don’t have prospective to see when we’re in the midst of an argument.

When we think about those times when things have heated up with someone else, our first instinct is often to say, "It's all their fault!"

Right?

If only they weren't so unreasonable or demanding, or if they just showed a little more thoughtfulness and consideration, everything would be fine!

It seems pretty obvious: other people are to blame for our conflicts.

But here's the thing: James won't let us off the hook that easily. He's got a different perspective.

The problem isn't really with everyone else; it's with us.

The real issue isn't out there; it's in here(POINT TO CHEST)—in our own hearts and attitudes.

Conflict comes because our own selfish desires are not being met.

This is a really revealing truth.

If we are to look back on our conflict how many times has it been fueled by selfishness?

The next thing we see is disordered desires

Disordered Desires

James 4:2 (ESV)

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

Our desires are often disordered.

The last part of verse 2 says you do not have.

You have not.

How many of us feel as though something is wrong in our lives?

I don’t have peace.

I don’t have joy.

Those desires are actually right.

Where the disorder comes in is when we look to things outside of the Lord to fulfil those desires.

Remember Coram Deo, we are called to abundant life.

Are the fruits of the Spirit evident in your life?

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Do these fruits mark your life?

Do you desire them?

If you find your self longing for abundant life and wondering why you don’t have it, well James is happy to tell us by pointing next at the reality that we

We Don’t Ask

Strife in our relationships, disordered desires, and we don’t ask

Look at verse 2 again

James 4:2 (ESV)

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

Friend, do you pray?

Are you seeking the Lord?

Last year we had an issue with our Jeep. Come to find out Justin really knows Jeeps considering he repairs them for a living. He told me next time I had an issue to let him know and he’d be more than happy to help.

We started seeing our oil pressure gauge go down and at first I told Hannah I didn’t wanna bother Justin but she said, I really should after all I’d be a fool not to get advice, seek his wisdom, and his help.

Think about this. The creator God has given us open access to himself. We can talk to him at any time about anything and enjoy his perfect wisdom, recieve his help. Yet how often we fail to pray.

How often is the last thing we think of doing. Only when we are desperate or in moments of guilt or need.

Many of our lives are marked by prayerlessness

Prayerlessness is a sign that someone is trying to run things in their own strength, for their own sake, and under their own authority.

Prayerlessness arises from a sense of independence from God—so that instead of praying about our desires, we indulge them.

Rather than trusting in the Father, who delights in giving good gifts to his children (Matthew 7:11), we ourselves decide what is good and seek to gain it through our own efforts

Friend, let me encourage you…the Lord wants to hear from you.

If you examine your life and you see you’re not praying, would this be a wake up call for you to see that you are drifting.

But maybe you are praying but you feel like God’s not answering the way you’d like.

We see next

We don’t receive

James 4:3 (ESV)

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

There are actually several things that can hinder our prayers

Hindrances To Prayer:

Sin - Ps 66:16-20

Unforgiveness - Mk 11:24-26

Lack of Faith - James 1:5-8

Giving Up - Lk 11:5-13

Wrong Motives - James 4:3

Marital Strife - 1 Peter 3:7

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he pointed them to pray for God’s concerns (his name, his kingdom, his will) before our own (of provision, pardon and protection).

The purpose of prayer is not to try to get God to do what we want; it is actually a means by which we align ourselves to his priorities.

Part of the point of prayer is to remind ourselves of what God wants.

But for many of James’ readers and for many of us, prayer seems to have been a means of coaxing God into their plans—of using him to further their own purposes.

God is the piñata in the sky and prayer is the stick.

James after showing us our selfish disordered desires, our prayerlessness and hindered prayers brings us to the final troubling symptom of a drifting heart.

- Worldliness

James 4:4 (ESV)

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

This is really strong language.

James reminds us that we are the bride of Christ and that we run after other Gods.

This ought not be.

But he goes a step further by saying we can’t be friends with the world.

This makes sense right.

If we found out our spouse was cheating, then we reconciled after they repented and sought to make amends.

How would you react if they then invited the person they cheated on you with over for game night.

They just want to be friends with them now, no more.

When we talk about being "friends" nowadays, we often mean it more as a casual acquaintance, right?

But back in James’ day, and even today, true friends were something else.

They shared the same mindset and outlook on life.

They had common interests, values, and goals.

They saw life from a similar perspective.

They even shared their stuff when needed.

They genuinely cared for each other and worked together easily because they agreed on how things should be done.

Now, as Christians, we are friends with God in this uniques and exclusive way.

Remember when James said we are "unstained by the world"?

That means we can be friendly to anyone, showing kindness and concern.

We should be good neighbors and co-workers, no doubt about it.

But when it comes to the deepest meaning of "friendship," we can't be friends with the world because we reject its values.

James gives us a simple equation: friendship with the world = enmity with God

It's as simple as that.

If we want to know where we stand with God, we just need to take a look at our heart's desires.

Are we craving worldly things or godly things?

Are we chasing after the same stuff the world is after, or do we have a deep longing for things that honor God—like his reputation, the well-being of his people, and serving others?

What dominates your minds, you’re concerns?

I so appreciate the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases this section because it helps to give it clarity.

Listen to this:

Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way. You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. _Eugene Peterson

All of this leads us to see ways that we are prone to drift with hearts that are prone to wander.

Where do we turn in moments like this.

We look to Jesus and we see second, God’s Grace

2. God’s Grace

James 4:6 (ESV)

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

James has made it crystal clear: our sin carries weight, and it has struck at the core of our hearts, leaving us convicted and aware of our weakness.

But here's the beautiful part: James doesn't leave us stranded in that state of despair.

No, he lifts our eyes to the solution that shatters our weakness—the boundless, overwhelming grace of our God.

Our sin may be great, but let me tell you, His grace is infinitely greater.

The Scriptures not only show us how we should live, but they also reveal the empowering truth of how we can actually live it out.

On our own, we're utterly powerless to reach the standard of God's holiness.

But here's the game-changer: through the power of God's Word and the indwelling of His Spirit, we undergo a radical transformation into the very image of Christ.

Here's a vital lesson: God opposes the proud, but He lavishes His grace upon the humble.

As we grasp the profound message of the gospel, undeserved grace, humility takes root in our hearts.

And as we fix our gaze upon Jesus, we are gradually molded into His perfect example.

God's grace pours abundantly into the hearts that recognize their desperate need for mercy and favor.

We may know deep down that salvation cannot be earned, yet our natural inclination is to keep striving, attempting to win God's favor through our own efforts.

But listen closely: grace cannot be earned; it defies the concept of merit.

Grace, by its very nature, is undeserved favor—a gift bestowed solely out of the sheer love of God.

Let this truth sink in: God's grace is not something we can achieve through our own strength.

There were two dogs, a German shepherd and a poodle.

They were arguing about who was the greatest.

The German shepherd argued that he was bigger and stronger; the poodle argued that he was cuter.

The German shepherd, game for a contest, asked the poodle if he wanted to test his greatness by seeing which dog could get inside the house of the owner first.

Poodle agreed to the challenge.

The German shepherd went first. With its strength, it went up on its hind legs, opened its mouth, and put it on the doorknob.

He couldn’t turn the knob with his mouth so he took his paws and begin twisting and tweaking.

After about three minutes, he had twisted and turned and tweaked it and he got the door opened.

He was worn out from his effort to get inside.

It was the poodle’s turn. He went over to the other door, got up on his hind legs, and scratched.

The owner came and opened the door.

Religion required hard work and lots of effort. Relationship required a lot less because the poodle knew how to get the attention of the master.

Grace is not something we can obtain or merit.

It is a gift—a precious, unearned gift that He lavishes upon us because of His boundless love.

When people see their sin and their inability to reform themselves, when they stand before the holy God, they see that they are guilty and they often feel hopeless and ashamed.

When our sin humbles us, when we plead for mercy, God grants the grace of forgiveness first and then restoration.

This is redemption that Jesus paid the price of our sin on the cross of calvary. Grace upon grace.

James doesn't hold back.

In nearly every paragraph, he reminds us of our constant failure to follow God's word and pass the tests of true faith.

Yet, despite our shortcomings, we somehow think we can earn God's love by doing enough or doing something special.

Even pastors, who should know better, can fall into the trap of believing that their hard work in ministry will earn them extra love points from God.

But guess what? God doesn't play favorites.

He doesn't favor pastors over salesmen, farmers, or engineers.

It happens to anyone who pours their heart and soul into a worthy cause—they start thinking the Lord owes them big time.

But here's the thing: God's grace is for the humble, not the self-assured.

The call is to repent and seek God’s grace.

And here's the amazing part—If we humble ourselves in genuine repentance, God promises to forgive us and exalt us with Christ.

It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

All of this leads us to see how this grace transforms us and leads us to three the path to steadfastness

3. Path To Steadfastness

This is where James get’s very practical in what it looks like to experience the transformative power of Grace as you follow along the path to steadfastness.

Look at verse 7

James 4:7 (ESV)

Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Submit yourself to God

When we hear the word "submit" in Scripture, it's not about just sitting around and waiting for God to boss us around.

Sure, submission does involve obeying God's commands, but it's more than that.

It's about aligning our lives with God's overall direction. It's putting our lives in order under His guidance and leadership.

Submitting to God is yielding to him, recognising his just and rightful rule over our lives.

And submission is not an optional extra to the Christian life, as though the main business of being in relationship with him is somehow unrelated to submission, or as though submission only occasionally needs to come into play.

Submitting to God is part of what it means to relate rightly to him.

When Jesus addressed those who wanted to be his disciples, he told them they must: “Deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

When James calls us to examine our life and to submit, He is calling us back to what the Christian life should always be marked by.

Resist The Devil

Second part of verse 7

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Fight sin.

James links submission to God with resistance of the devil.

To submit to God’s authority is to resist the devil’s authority.

To submit to God is to order our lives under his authority.

To resist the devil means we oppose, we fight back, we take a stand against the devil’s authority.

To oppose Satan in this setting means to resist temptations especially to fight.

I am grateful for my phone saying scam likely. As a pastor when I get a call I try to answer. It can be hard to give a firm no to a telemarketer. You don’t want to be a jerk, they’re just doing their job. It is often that way in temptationThough we say we are not interested in buying Satan’s product—sin—we stay on the phone and continue to discuss the tempting offers. We leave open the possibility for the devil to make a sale. To resist temptation we must say a firm “No” and hang the phone up.

How many of us keep the door open. Yeah I know Jesus said gouge out my eye and cut off my hand but I don’t want to delete instagram.

How are you fighting sin?

Honestly, are you making war against the things that would pull you away from Christ’s lordship or are you given to cold indifference?

To resist the devil is to turn towards God. And James could give us no greater encouragement to do so than this: when we draw near to God, he draws near to us.

Draw Near to the Lord

James 4:8 (ESV)

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

When we approach God, it's not a one-way street.

We come near to Him for worship, for service, to encounter Him, to seek His help, and to find reassurance. But here's the remarkable part:

James presents us with a promise that sets our God apart from all other gods.

When we draw near to God, you know what happens?

He draws near to us.

It's like a divine dance of closeness and connection.

Just think about it—Moses himself posed the question:

Deuteronomy 4:7 (ESV)

For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?

Coram Deo, let this truth sink deep into your hearts.

When we take that step towards God, when we open our hearts to Him in worship, service, seeking, repentance, or any other act of drawing near, He reciprocates.

He leans in.

He embraces us with His presence.

It's an intimate and profound encounter that goes beyond what any other gods offer.

Our God is a God who desires closeness, who longs to be near to His people.

So, let us boldly approach Him, knowing that as we draw near to Him, He draws near to us

As we draw near we see the call to repentance

Repent

James 4:8–9 (ESV)

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

The longing for a pure heart naturally stirs within us a deep sorrow for our sins.

When our wrongdoing becomes evident, the righteous cannot help but grieve.

James presents us with a choice.

We can choose to laugh now, finding amusement in sin, and mourn later, when the weight of judgment falls upon us.

Or we can choose to mourn now, deeply grieving over our sins, and laugh later, rejoicing in the abundant grace of God.

Sadly, the world often finds joy in all the wrong things.

They chase after fleeting happiness through indulgence in sin, experiencing only temporary satisfaction.

On the other hand, those who break away from sin may face temporary sorrow.

But let me tell you, it's far better to mourn for a season now and experience everlasting joy in the future.

Paul understood this dynamic well when he said, 2 Corinthians 7:10

2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

So, let's not mistake delayed remorse for genuine contrition.

The truly penitent man grieves and mourns his sin whether he is caught or not.

That is the sorrow that paves the way to healing.

That is the mourning which Jesus Himself pronounced blessed when He said, "Blessed are those who mourn."

The final charge James gives towards steadfastness is to walk in humility

Walk in humility

When we keep in mind that everything we do is in the presence of the Lord, and that His holiness sets the standard, it becomes easier for us to humble ourselves.

But here's the thing: when we start comparing ourselves to others, humility often takes a backseat. We've all seen it happen before.

A parent scolds a child for a messy room, and the child quickly deflects, saying, "You think my room is bad? You should see..." and then proceeds to name the messiest kid they know.

Adults do the same thing when their flaws are exposed.

We think, "Sure, I have a problem, but I'm not nearly as bad as so-and-so."

Whenever we compare ourselves to others, there's always someone worse off, making it easier to avoid true humility.

However, if we shift our focus and compare ourselves to the Lord—the absolute standard of holiness—those excuses vanish, and we become more inclined to humble ourselves.

Even the prophet Isaiah, a righteous man who served as God's mouthpiece, experienced this when he stood before the Lord.

He exclaimed, "Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5 NASB).

In a way, he was comparing himself to his fellow countrymen, but not in a manner that excused his own sin.

When God is our benchmark, humility comes naturally.

When we grieve over our sins and turn to him in faith, he will extend his redeeming grace.

When we come to God in repentance and humility, he will forgive us and lift us up.

WHEN weightlifters want to strengthen their legs, there is no exercise that competes with the squat.

You put the weights on your shoulders and you go down, up and down, up and down, in order to build strength in your legs.

In order to build your hamstrings, in order to build your legs, you’ve got to squat. Most of us don’t get low enough.

We’re not growing stronger because we’re not willing to bend.

Coram Deo, assess your life.

Are you submitting yourself to God, resisting the devil, drawing near the Lord in repentance and humility?

Would we be a people who embrace the transformative power of grace.

Application Questions:

1. If I were to asses myself where am I struggling: Strife in relationships, disordered desires, praylessness/hindered prayers, or worldliness?

2. How does understanding God's grace impact the way I approach humility and my relationship with others?

3. How can I fight sin and cultivate a deeper intimacy with God in my daily life?

4. What are some practical ways I can demonstrate humility in my interactions with others and in my relationship with God?