Bible Text: James 4:1-10 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: Living Godly Lives
Big Question
Are we living life in submission to the Lord or are we living life to gratify our own desires for the pleasures of this world?
James 4:1-3 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?
War: Extended periods of peace have been rare and in the 3,400 years out of recorded human history. There are less than 268 years of known peace or .08% peaceful times.
Lusts: Internet porn is a $3 billion a year industry. The number one YouTube word search is “porn” that yields over 330,000 results.
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF OUR DESIRES
Without submission to God, our desires lead us down a well-worn path that will harm us and those around us
Unchecked desires leads to not asking God for help leads to coveting, evil desires, wrong motives leads to fights and quarrels leads to life marked by slander, judging others, name calling, boasting, backbiting, gossip and relational death, war, conflict and more…
James 4:4-6 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?
…God opposes the proud but favors the humble.
There are huge CONSEQUENCES to having an un-submitted, non-humble heart.
We have conflicted damaged wounded relationships
We become real enemies with God
We deeply grieve, sadden the Holy Spirit
James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts…
Wash our hands: means we need to stop the obviously wrong external behaviors.
Purify your hearts: means we need to look to God and REPENT or turn and go in the opposite direction.
We need to take on a NEW STRATEGY
If we are going to be a genuine people of God, we need to REALIZE what is in us and RECOGNIZE the consequences and we need to REPENT before God because HE is OUR ANSWER and HELP!
The 3 R’s …Realize …Recognize …Repent
GRACE
God’s unmerited favor and this is not something we can earn because it is based on Christ’s infinite love, not my own. Nor can we do anything to gain God’s approval or cause him to love us more.
God has reached down to my envious, loveless, rebellious heart and replaced it with Christ’s own so that I am enabled to live for Him.
Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
He will lift you up
Humility before God, will be followed by, His lifting us up.
James 4:1 it’s our fights and quarrels and our desires
VERSUS
James 4:10 Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up.