BIG IDEA:
DRAW NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU
I. (:1-2) RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO WORLDLINESS = A LUST FOR:
– WORLDLY PLEASURES
– WORLDLY POSSESSIONS
– WORLDLY POWER / PRESTIGE
A. The Surface Problem = Fighting with One Another
“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?”
Zimmerman: “Although James specifically had in mind the conflict that leads to battered congregations and split churches, his words apply equally well to abusive families and broken homes. The same passions that lead to church disputes are at the root of all conflicts. Affairs of the heart, whether against God or a spouse, are remarkably similar. Following the steps James prescribes for dealing with these issues in the church will also extend their benefits into our homes and society.”
B. The Root Problem = Lust for Worldly Pleasures
“Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?”
Zodhiates: “The passions of the flesh are described as constantly fighting to have their way, to be victorious over the spirit, over the new nature which Jesus Christ has given us. The flesh knows nothing of the grace of forgiveness and of esteeming others superior to ourselves. Pride and arrogance are instruments of the flesh for fighting its battles. The flesh loves war, war against others and war against what is lofty and ideal in life. The flesh is quick to declare others enemies.”
C. The Root Problem = Lust for Worldly Possessions
“You lust and do not have; so you commit murder”
Mitton: “The fierceness of their desire and the violence of their resentment against interference with it actually culminates in murder. This is not other than our Lord warned us to be prepared for. He said: ‘For within, out of the heart of man, comes … murder’ (Mark 7:21). The Old Testament bears witness to the same grim truth. Bitter jealousy led Cain to kill Abel. Thwarted covetousness led to Naboth’s death at the hands of Ahab and Jezebel. Uriah the Hittite was sent to his death to make way for David’s lust.”
D. The Root Problem = Lust for Worldly Power / Prestige
“And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel”
Roper: “All of us have certain desires, many of them legitimate. But often we are frustrated in the expression of these desires. When we are frustrated, we have two options. We can either assert ourselves and get what we want by ourselves, and thus cause conflict and destruction – or we can ask God. And if we ask God he delights to give.”
Zodhiates: “History tells us of a statue that was erected to a celebrated victor in the public games of Greece named Theogenes. The erection of this statue so excited the envious hatred of one of his rivals that he went every night and strove to throw the statue over by repeated blows. Ultimately he succeeded, but alas, the statue fell upon him, and he was crushed to death beneath it. Such generally is the end of the man who allows himself to be carried away by the spirit of envy.”
E. The Fundamental Problem = Lack of Dependence upon God
“You do not have because you do not ask”
Only God can satisfy the needs of the human heart
Ross: “These desires for the wrong kind of pleasure which are at work in our members, he says, wage ceaseless warfare against everything that stands in the way of their gratification, and they express themselves in covetous longings after the wealth and the possessions of others, and thus strife and bloodshed arise, and even murders may result.”
II. (:3-6) FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD = HOSTILITY TOWARDS GOD
(THE TUG OF WAR BETWEEN FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD AND FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD)
A. (:3) Worldly Motives Abandon You to a Life of Frustration
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
B. (:4) Worldly Alliances Alienate You as an Enemy of God
“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.”
C. (:5) Worldly Loyalty Arouses the Jealousy of the Indwelling Holy Spirit
“Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: ‘He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us’?”
Wessel: “God is a jealous God (cf. Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 32:16; Zech 8:2; I Cor. 10:22)”
D. (:6) Supernatural Grace is Available to the Humble
“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'”
III. (:7-10) INTIMACY WITH GOD = THE CURE FOR WORLDLINESS
6 STEPS TOWARDS RENEWED INTIMACY WITH GOD
(THE PATHWAY TO TRUE INTIMACY WITH GOD)
no “self-help” program here; this is a “God-help me” program
A. “Submit therefore to God.”
B. “Resist the devil”
Result: “and he will flee from you”
C. “Draw near to God”
Result: “and He will draw near to you.”
D. Cleanse Yourselves
1. Outward Purity
“Cleanse your hands, you sinners;”
2. Inward Purity
“and purify your hearts, you doubleminded.”
the doubleminded are those with divided loyalty between God and the world
E. Grieve over Your Sin
“Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom.”
F. “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord”
Result: “and He will exalt you”
Vaughan: “It calls for an awareness of God’s greatness and glory and our own insignificance and unworthiness. It suggests an acknowledgment of God’s right to rule our lives and our readiness to do His will.”