James 4:1-10

If we are friends with Jesus, we are friends to everyone

Prayer: Jesus, you are the great teacher, who gave understanding to the educated, uneducated, young, poor, Jew and Greek. Prepare me in wisdom to teach every age and every kind of person about you as our Lord and Savior. Equip parents to lead their families and to set and example of Christ before their children. Let the children love you, fear you and understand you so that they might honor their parents and live a long blessed life in Christ.

Ideas:

Look for moments for kids to hold up house, show people house, ask them questions, check for understanding

English Standard Version Chapter 4

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 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. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 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. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Problem:

Because our passions are at war within us, we are at war with God and others

Little understanding of friendship

We are not at peace with other people because our sin is selfish.

We cannot be friends with God and sin, with good and evil

We cannot all live in the same house if we cannot be friends

Solution:

If you are friends with God, you are friends with others

Jesus is the best friend, who loves us by sharing and forgiving us

Being Jesus’ friend teaches us to be a friend to others

Intro:

Say hello to the friends around you

Think of your best friends in school, at home, in LS Kids

What is a friend?

Can you be friends with your brothers and sisters?

Can a husband and a wife be friends?

Can you be friends with people at school?

Can you be friends with people who live next to you?

Can you be friends with people at church?

A friend is…

Living in the same house, we need to all be friends

Jesus is a friend, and calls us to be friends to everyone

How can we be friends with everyone?

How can we be friends like Jesus?

How can we all live together in the same house in peace?

If we are friends with Jesus, we are friends to everyone

P1: Why do you fight?

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

You fight:

Arguing, fighting, bickering, resentment

Fights among siblings

Fights among friends

Fights in marriages

Why?

You are fighting in your heart

Passions- things you really really want.

Inside, you have all these wants

You want to be a good friend, but you also want to be first in line

You want to be a good sister, but you also don’t want to share your toy

you want to be a good father or husband, but you also want to be lazy and watch the game

You want to be a good mother or wife, but you also want to be the head of the house and tell others what to do

There is a war, a battle and a fight in us

And that is why we fight with others

You fight with people, because there is a greater fight inside you

Right and wrong

Following God, or following your sin

4 examples:

1. (v2) You desire and do not have, so you murder.

Kids- You want a toy, you don’t have it, so you take it by force

You want to be first in line, so you cut

Adults- you want to look good at work, so you put others down

You…

2. (v2) You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

You want something, your friend doesn't give it to you, so you yell and scream, or become mean to them

Kids

Adults

3. (v2) You do not have, because you do not ask.

Not just your parents, God

Kids

Adults

4. (v3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Kids

Adults

There is a fight in us, and that is why we fight with others

Why am I a bad friend?

If we are friends with Jesus, we are friends to everyone

P2:

4 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.

If we are friends with Jesus, we are friends to everyone

P3: God loves us and is our friend

5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

God is jealous for us

God really really badly wants to be your friend

If we are friends with Jesus, we are friends to everyone

P4: If you are friends with God, you are friends with others

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Contrition over sin is an indicator for faith

If we draw near to God, he is near to us

If we are friends with God, we are changed to be friends with others

If we are friends with Jesus, we are friends to everyone