Do not become weary in well doing
Notes
Transcript
James 4 (KJV 1900)
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Introduction:
James pictured his readers in dark terms at the initial address, and many have wondered whether he was describing a Christian audience or a group of worldly individuals.
What should we notice first about James chapter 4?
a. James warned of people who wanted something and failed to get it. As a result they fought, coveted, quarreled, and killed over their desires. James warned these struggling Christians, You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures (Jas. 4:2b–3).
James’s readers claim to be Christians but they had the spirit of their unconverted neighbors in them. Everything about them was focused on ME, and self-will and this pursues power, and prominence instead of the will of God.
James had to rebuke these sinful traits, and urge the readers to turn back to God with a heart of repentance.
Main Idea: God wants us to live with a conscious commitment to follow His divine will.
There are many ways to live this way, but throughout James 4, we are given multiple ways of how not to live.
1. First, Self-centered living stifles prayer (Vs. 1-3)
James 4:1–3 “1 From whence come wars and fightings from among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
James asks two rhetorical questions here in this passage.
where do wars and fights come from?
don’t they come from within you?
The fights and quarrels mentioned, involved conflict among Christians. And we can see these described in a plural form which implies that James sees and must address many problems.
James takes time to explain the different things that the people of the church are doing that are contrary to what God’s word says.
In James 4:2 it says, “2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
This begs the question:
What type of “killing” did James have in mind? James was probably not thinking of physical murder. The Roman government would have executed murderers as criminals. Jesus linked an attitude of hatred and contempt with murder (Matt. 5:21–22). Hatred and jealousy produced by greed and worldliness are potential acts of murder because they can lead to actual murder. The inner attitude is wrong just as is the outward act of murder. Thus, James was not likely accusing his Christian readers of actual murder, but was showing them that their fights and disagreements were as offensive to God as killing.
at the end of verse 2 James does point the reader to what they are lacking, and they lack it because they do not ask God for it.
2. Second Self-Centered Living Displeases God (Vs. 4-6)
Support: God demands complete loyalty from his people, and He provides the grace to achieve it.
In verse 4 James calls his readers “You adulterous People”. The Bible describes the act of turning away from God as spiritual adultery.
Why did James call them this? The people of the church had started to become friends with the world. But what does James say? James 4:4 “4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
James is very clear in reminding them of what, positionally being a friend of the world does to them. It causes them to be enemies of God!
Friendship with the world describes a deliberate choice to follow the world. It is an act of defiance and rebellion against God. For a Christian, this type of response resembles entering the camp of the enemy and joining his army.
When we place something on the throne of our hearts that is not God, we displease God.
James addresses this in verse 5, James 4:5 “5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”
> James was probably asserting that God had placed his Holy Spirit within believers. The Holy Spirit is intensely concerned about any rival in the Christian’s heart.
> Envy intensely translates a strong word describing an intense longing or desire. It underscores the idea that God is a jealous God and allows no rivals. God refuses to share our commitment with any other so-called god. He wants our total loyalty and devotion. It is vitally important for us to remember that God makes great demands of his people. To serve no other gods before me.
3. Third, Self-Centered Living Demands Repentance (vs.7-10)
Supporting Idea: Believers should submit to God and follow His leading in their life.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James expresses 7 appeals to return to God
Submit to God = We can submit ourselves to the Lord only when we recognize that He is greater and worthy all honor.
Resist the Devil = Christians are called to stand our ground in the midst of Satan’s attacks. We can boldly stand because of who we have fighting our battles with and for us.
Draw nigh to God = Believers can draw nigh to God in worship and commitment to Him. As our knowledge of the Lord deepens, we learn more fully his strength, power, and guidance for godly living.
Cleanse your hands = Withdraw from all evil actions and compromising circumstances.
Purify your hearts = We are called to have clean hearts inside and out.
Repentance (including being afflicted, mourn and weep) = This verse calls for open repentance. When we sin against God we must recognize what we have done. Grieving calls for shame, mourning and weeping describe outward evidences of the sense of our sinfulness, and changing our laughter to mourning and gloom demands that we recognize the gravity of our actions.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord = recognize the position between sinner and Savior. Get rid of all fantasies of control over your own life. When we do this, God will lift us up.
One commentator put it this way:
Hebrews & James C. Self-Centered Living Demands Repentance (vv. 7–10)
If we look at ourselves from our own perspective, we will invariably either be flattering or hopelessly pessimistic about ourselves. When we respond with insight provided by the Holy Spirit, we see our unworthiness; but we also sense God’s ability to forgive us and receive us. Those who truly humble themselves before the Lord will experience his exaltation and elevation. This “lifting up” involves moral and spiritual power to live this life. It may also provide hopeful encouragement about our glorious future in heaven
James addresses these believers who were starting to give up at the tasks set before them. As a whole, they were becoming lazy Christians. but James reminds them by some exhortation and encouragement to persevere amid their trial.
Doing God’s will is not always easy. It demands humility, repentance, discipline, and unflinching commitment. Not everyone wants to give this type of response to God. Doing God’s will always brings good. The good may take time to appear. It may not always be good in the sense that the individual who does good receives honor and recognition. It will be good in that God will receive honor. It will be good in that you will see peace, righteousness, and purity appear. When we submit ourselves to do God’s will, he will always produce a good result