5/25/2008

QUARRELS AND CONFLICTS!

James 4:1

**In our text today James begins by asking the readers of this epistle a question. Notice what the question is: What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

**My message today is titled QUARRELS and CONFLICTS and there are three things that I want to call to your attention. First of all:

I.                  CONFLICTS MUST BE FACED

A.     OUTWARD conflicts with the SAINTS must be faced!

4:1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

*        QUARRELS: Wars

*        CONFLICTS: Fights

**Bubba was talking to his friend one afternoon and told him that he had a confession that he needed to make to his friend. He said I have never told another living soul what I about to tell you but I feel that I need to tell someone.

**Bubba told him that he and his wife argued and fought every day of their marriage for 30 years. He said not a single day has gone by that we do not get into a knock down drag out fight with each other.

**Bubba’s friend said “you mean to tell me that you and your wife argue and fight every day of the week”? Bubba said yes, every day of the week. His friend said even today? Bubba said yes even today. He said today is Sunday and you had a fight today.

“Bubba told him yes we had a really bad fight this morning. His friend said how did it end? Bubba said it ended with her crawling on her hands and feet to me.

**His friend said well what did she say when she came crawling on her hands and knees to you this morning. Bubba said, “she said come out from under that bed and fight like a man you coward you”!

**Have you noticed that some people like to fight all the time? The sad thing is that Christian people are not exempt or immune from fighting with one another. As a Pastor I have moderated my share of fights and feuds and I have even found myself in the middle of a pretty good sized Church fight not too long ago (smile)!

**Acts 6:1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a COMPLAINT arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews . . .

**1 Cor 1:11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are QUARRELS among you!

**2 Cor 12:20 For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish AND may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be STRIFE, JEALOUSY, ANGRY, TEMPERS, DISPUTES, SLANDERS, GOSSIP, ARROGANCE and DISTURBANCES!

*        Children were in the backyard yelling and screaming at each other.  Father intervened, children said, “We were just playing church!” 

Psalm 133:1 Behold how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity . . . For THERE the Lord commanded the blessing---life forever more!

**It is imperative that Outward conflicts with the Saints must be faced but also:

B.     INWARD conflicts with SELF must be faced!

4:1 Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and you do not have . . . You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel . . .

**James says: Don’t quarrels and conflicts come from your own personal desire for pleasure?

**In other words the Old Nature (with it’s self-seeking focus), on personal pleasure, battles against the New Nature!

**This in turn results in or even stems from:

C.     UPWARD conflicts with the SAVIOR must be faced!

4:4-6 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God!

**The reality is that the root cause of every quarrel or conflict (internal or external), is actually REBELLION against GOD!

**Over the course of time a Believer can develop unresolved conflicts between him or her and the Lord! These unresolved conflicts do not “simply go away”.

**They get buried but they are buried alive. There comes a time when the Lord desires to “resurrect” these unresolved conflicts for the purpose of setting us free from our past!

II.               CAUSES MUST BE FOUND

A.     SELFISHNESS:

4:3 . . . you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures!

*        PLEASURE: hēdon-ōn: Sensual, natural or fleshly, gratification.  Uncontrolled personal desire to fulfill every passion that promises sensual enjoyment.  The desire to fulfill these pleasures comes from selfishness.

*        LUST: Epi-thumeō: Having a desire or longing of any kind.  The context establishes the good from the bad desires.

*        MURDER: Phoneuō: Hatred, destructive behavior and even suicide.  When the selfish person cannot get what they want, blinded by lust, even murder is possible.

*        COVET: Zeloo: A synonym of Epi-thumeō and means an even stronger, more compelling feeling of desire (zealous, zealot).

B.     PRAYERLESSNESS:

4:2 You do not have because you do not ask!

*        Not asking = pleading, begging, crying out

*        Asking with wrong motives = spend = completely use up

C.     UNFAITHFULNESS: *describes disloyalty and unfaithfulness

4:4  You adulteresses . . .

**How does a Believer declare war with God? By being FRIENDS with God’s ENEMIES!

**How does a person who has been born again commit spiritual adultery? The answer is GRADUALLY!

**Friends (4:4), Spotted (1:27), then we begin LOVING the world (1 Jn 2), and then we begin to be CONFORMED to the world (Rom 12) and then when we are loving the world and conformed to the world then we actually end up committing ADULTERY with the world.

**How does this happen? We are “Married” to Christ and we must be loyal to Him in every area of our mind, heart and will!

D.    HAUGHTINESS:

4:6 God is opposed to the proud . . .

*        Huper = Above

*        Ephanos = To appear, to manifest

*        The idea is of someone disdainfully and arrogantly “showing himself above other people.”

*        Even the Greeks hated this pride.

*        It’s a pride that cannot receive help because it does not recognize or admit it has a need.

III.           CURES MUST BE FOLLOWED

* Five commands indicate our cure!

A.  SUBMIT to GOD

4:7 Submit therefore to God . . .

hupo-tasso: To rank under, to voluntarily line up under

to get into proper rank and UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER is the only way for this to happen!

*        Lk 2:51 Jesus submitted to Joseph and Mary

*        Rom 13:1 Believers must submit to authorities, wives to husbands, believers to believers.

*        You cannot get saved until you “submit to God!”

B.     RESIST the DEVIL

4:7 Resist the devil and he will flee from you

*        Anthi-setmi = To stand against, to oppose, there is no middle ground, no neutrality.

*        Resisting with Submitting results in defeat!

C.     FELLOWSHIP with GOD

4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

*        Ps 145:18 The Lord is near to all who will call upon Him

*        Nearness is Likeness!

D.     PURIFY your LIVES

4:8-9 Cleanse your hands . . . and Purify your hearts . . .

E.      HUMBLE your- SELF

4:10 Humble yourselves in the presence of God