EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE: Removing Hindrances to the Spirit's Filling

Memorial Drive 3/10/19 EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE: Removing Hindrances to the Spirit’s Filling James 4:1-10 … THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM (Vs. 1, 3) James often introduces one or more questions that are TOUGH and UNSETTLING! “What is THE SOURCE of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not THE SOURCE your pleasures that wage war in your members?” The source was their desire to “please self’ and “satisfy personal desires”! They were experiencing an inner, ongoing war that sometimes spilled out and this came from the fact that they were “divided within”! … THE MANIFESTATION OF THE PROBLEM (Vs. 2-3) “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 fight and quarrel and “commit murder”! You either don’t ask or you ask with wrong motives! What do I really want? To walk with God? Or to satisfy self and live for me? … THE UNSETTLING “RIGHT IN YOUR FACE” REALITY (Vs. 4) “You ADULTERESSES … do you not KNOW that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?” I’m a believer, engaged to Jesus Christ! Yet I can be committing spiritual adultery by living no differently than the unsaved person of the world would live, making myself a “friend of the world” rather than wanting to hear God’s wake-up call that “friendship with the world is nothing less than hostility toward God!” “Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an ENEMY of God.” (Jam. 4:4) … THE REASON FOR THIS UNSETTLING REALITY (Vs. 5) “Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose? He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us’?” (Jam. 4:5) Is this “He” that “jealously desires” God Himself? Or the Spirit? And is this Godly “desire” toward “the Spirit” that He has made to live within the believer, or “the spirit” that He has made to live in every man? Two things are true either way: 1) Living like “the world” from a “divided mind” builds a wall between us and God! 2) The solution is the same regardless of the translation! … THE GRACIOUS SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM … A Greater Grace Is Available! (Vs. 6a) “BUT He gives a greater grace …”. The word “but” in Scripture is oftentimes a beautiful word! Regardless of the possibility of great sin, God has a greater grace! … There’s A Way To Receive This Greater Grace! (Vs. 6) “But He gives a GREATER GRACE! THEREFORE it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the HUMBLE.” God begins with the STATEMENT that He gives grace to the humble and ends with the COMMAND that we humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord! In between the STATEMENT and the COMMAND God reveals the “Road of Humility” that positions us to receive His “greater grace”! … How to Walk the Road That Leads to God’s Greater Grace! • Submit: “Submit therefore to God.” (Vs. 7a) There’s really no acceptable fence-sitting in Christianity! God has a name for it: Being double-minded! What is God saying to me? Do it! • Resist: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (Vs. 7b) Enjoying a friendship with this world – attempting to have one foot in the world, the other in the kingdom of God – places oneself in the camp of the enemy who is the embodiment of resisting God! • Draw Near: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (Vs. 8a) Two indispensable means of drawing near to God … Getting serious about “closet” or “inner room” time with God! (Mtt. 6:6) Our ability to draw near to God and God to us is strongly impacted by how willing we are to quit running and get quiet with Him! Getting serious about being disciplined in the Word of God! (Eph. 5:26, Jn. 17:17) • Cleanse and Purify: “Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts, you double- minded.” (Vs. 8b) Walking the “Road of Humility” means dealing with the sin in our lives! • Embracing a Godly Sorrow For Sin: “Be miserable and mourn and week; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.” (Vs. 9) See Psalm 139:23, Psalm 51:2-3, 6, 10, 11 My normal response to “adulteresses” would be to say, “Not me!” Yet God moved James to write these strong words … to me! I suspect God would not have us too easily or quickly dismiss the charge of sometimes carrying on an affair with the world! As James writes: “We ALL stumble IN MANY WAYS!” (James 3:2) Am I willing to walk “The Road of Humility” in order to receive God’s “greater grace?” If so, I am positioning myself to be “filled” with God’s Spirit!