THE CAUSE OF STRIFE

JAMES 4

James 3 closed with a statement concerning the fruit of righteousness (v.18). With that in mind, it is easy to see that the question he asks in the opening verses of chapter 4 is a natural one. He continues the thought began in chapter 3. If all Christians possessed the wisdom that God gives to his children who ask for it, there would be no such conditions as those that are described in this chapter.

James purpose is to show the real source of the conflicts among them. He therefore goes right o the point. Within the congregations there are quarrels and contentions; church fusses. He goes on to show the importance of doing the will of God, of submitting to His will.

I) The Source of conflict (vss.1-6)

A) Church conflict is not new

1) I Cor. 1:10-16; 6:1-18

2) Gal. 5:15

3) Eph. 4:3

B) Wars and fightings (family fusses and fights)

1) James is not talking about wars and fightings between nations. This is a holy war, wars among people who should be living holy lives.

2) He is addressing a spiritual problem within the circle of believers. This was an internal conflict.

3) They were fighting about words and questions.

(a) Probably in the form of resentment and outburst of anger.

(b) James 3:14—within the heart

4) It seems the root of the problem was arrogance (4:16).

5) James says, “Isn’t it a result of your lust, your pleasure (your hedone, hedonistic—living solely for pleasure) that war in your members.” Evil desire for gratification of the flesh.

6) The idea is “having his own way.”

7) When one becomes a slave to his lusts (i.e. evil desires; Lk. 8:14), envy and hatred enter his life and conflict with others is inevitable (Titus 3:3; I Pet. 2:11).

C) We lust and have not…

1) Lust as used here means, “strong passion for urgent desire to have something.”

2) The killing and fighting were not literal, but their unholy attitudes and actions which had the effect of murder (I Jo. 3:15).

3) Desire and cannot obtain—even this desire did not attain what they wanted (Eccl. 5:10f)

4) Ye fight and war—a constant state of conflict prevailed from their efforts to satisfy desire, yet this failed to accomplish their aim.

5) It was a vicious circle that they were caught up in. They passionately desire things they ought not: to satisfy the desire; they maintain a constant state of strife and warfare, but this does not obtain for them their wants.

D) How does prayer fit into this problem?

1) You ask and receive not because you ask out of the wrong motives.

2) Some did not ask…others asked amiss.

(a) To ask amiss is to have the wrong motive, i.e. they want to spend what their received on their own pleasure.

(b) We must ask for the right things, in the right way, from right motives!

3) When the heart is full of sinful desire, it interferes with a person’s prayer life.

(a) Keep one from praying

(b) Causes others to pray selfish prayers.

4) It is vitally important that we be impressed with the realization that God will not hear and answer a prayer that has, as it’s chief motive, the gratification of fleshly desire. The MOTIVE seems to be the determining factor.

E) How could they be accused of committing adultery?

1) When we develop a friendship with the world, we break our marriage vow to God.

2) Eph. 5—the church is the bride of Christ.

3) Worldliness is too much of the world in us.

4) Friendship with the world.

(a) The friendship is philia, love of friendship, love of liking.

(b) This friendship with the world is forbidden if we are to please God.

5) The world is to be put behind me when I become a Christian

(a) Romans 12:1,2

(b) Col. 3:1-4

6) Satan does not mind divided loyalties, but God does (Matt. 6:24).

F) God has a remedy (v.6)

1) He giveth greater grace.

2) God opposes the proud (Prov. 3:34). Those who feel that they can live without him.

3) God giveth grace to the humble, i.e. forgiveness for the past and delivering power for future

II) Submit to God (vss.7-10)

A) We must be subject to God.

1) Submit to God’s righteousness (Rom. 10:1-3)

2) Must maintain spirit of submission.

3) Put one’s self under.

B) We must resist the devil.

1) To resist is “to set one’s self against, to withstand, resist, oppose.

2) It is a war of survival.

3) The devil will flee. He is not as brave as he appears to be.

4) You resist the devil by always refusing to yield to his allurements, and by resisting and opposing his temptations.

C) Draw nigh to God (v.8)

1) Get close to God.

2) Do so by studying his word, prayer, worshipping him properly, and serving him faithfully.

3) Under Old Law, only the priests came near to God . . . under the New Law, a man may draw nigh unto God (Heb. 4:16; 7:19).

D) Cleanse and purify.

1) Soiled hands are sign of guilt. To cleanse our hands is to cleanse our actions of wicked and unworthy deeds. Cease all outward acts of wrongdoing, (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

2) To purify the heart has particular reference to the set and source of sin in the person. Moral cleansing. Inward cleansing.

3) To say the heart does not matter, is to be guilty of double mindedness.

E) Be sensitive to sin in your life.

1) To be truly penitent and sober as one comes before God.

2) Expresses godly sorrow. Sorrowful for our sins.

3) No concern for their condition (Prov. 14:9).

4) “The laughter rebuked is the flippant laughter of careless unconcern in the presence of facts which more properly should induce grief and remorse.”

F) Humility will help us resist Satan (v.10).

1) Matt. 23:12

2) Makes us have a frame of mind conducive to obedience.

III) Brevity of life (4:11-17)

A) Judging one’s brother.

1) Evil speaking has caused problems.

2) Stop speak evil “of” or “against.” Do not slander, do not defame another’s character.

3) Apparently it was the kind of judging done from bad motives and wrong attitudes(I Pet.2:1)

4) This passage does not¨ forbid all kinds of judging.

(a) False teacher—I John 4:1

(b) Congregation judging sin in it’s midst and taking actions (I Cor. 5:3, 12)

5) The Christian must judge right and wrong on the basis of the Word of God.

6) But he must not judge his fellows out of hatred, pride, some false motive, or incomplete information.

B) What is your life?

1) We are introduced to presumptuous confidence respecting the future.

(a) Failed to take into consideration the uncertainty of life and our absolute dependence upon God (Divine providence).

(b) They left God out of their plans (Prov. 27:1; Lk. 12:16-21)

2) We have no promise of tomorrow.

3) Tomorrow is one of the most dangerous words a lost soul can utter.

4) Life is brief at its longest.

C) You need to recognize God in your affairs.

1) “If the Lord wills…”

2) Never make plans w/o taking God into consideration.

3) The rebuke of this passage is not directed toward wise planning or the nature of the business they were engaged in.

4) The rebuke was aimed at the fact that God had been ignored in their planning.

5) Life is so brief, so uncertain. How foolish we are to plan the future w/o regard to Him who holds the future in His hands.

D) The sinfulness of Self-sufficiency (vss.16-17)

1) Those who refuse to renounce their arrogance and to submit humbly to God’s will are refusing to do good. They commit sin by having such an arrogant spirit.

2) They were actually taking things into their own hands.

3) All such rejoicing . . . this type of rejoicing is wrong.

4) James says, “to know what is right, and then not to do it, aggravates one’s sin and enhances one’s guilt.”

5) This is sin of omission.

(a) People sometimes assume they are good, simply because they are not bad.

(b) It is always sin for one to fail to do that which he knows to be the will of God.

Con: Lots of material in this chapter. It seems to boil down to the fact that people were leaving God out of their plans as a result of their arrogant attitude. We need God in our daily lives. If we will humble ourselves, submit to God, we can have the true happiness that belongs to the Christian. What about you? Are you trying to make it on your own, or are you going to do it God’s way? Your way will not lead you to heaven. . . God’s way will!