James 4 (vs 1-12)
Sermon preached at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
on 03 April 2005
James 4 (3/4/05)
1. Cause of fights (v.1): The source of our squabbles and fights is our “lusts.” As this epistle is written to Christians, this is also the reason why Christians fight each other (eg. spouses, church members). The word lusts refer to our desire for pleasure. We have been indoctrinated to believe that we will be happy if we have more possessions and pleasures. Therefore, in our pursuit of happiness we “war and fight” for more possessions and pleasures. The fact that “The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy” (v.5) makes us war and fight even harder so that we are not left behind! The word members refers to the different parts of our body, eg. mind (thoughts), heart (desires), eyes, flesh, bellies. The endless struggles for more and more cause our members to be at war as we compete against others, as we struggle with our own conscience and as one lust competes against another lust. A person who is not at peace with himself and whose aim is to grab as much as possible is bound to fight with others.
2. Cause of dissatisfaction (v.2): In verse 2, we are told that those who fight for more “have not” and “cannot obtain.” Obviously, this cannot refer to possessions or pleasures because those who fight for these often get them. However, they “have not” and “cannot obtain” the satisfaction, peace and contentment that they were hoping to get. Therefore, the natural thing for them to do is to believe that the reason is that they did not get enough to produce satisfaction, so they fight even harder for more. They fail to understand that possessions and pleasures do not automatically produce true happiness. They do not know that “every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17) and that they can “ask” from Him! A poor Christian missionary is usually happier than a worldly Christian millionaire.
3. Cause of unanswered prayers (v.3): Some will object to the statement in v.2: “ye have not, because ye ask not,” because they prayed much but were still miserable. The reason why most of our prayers are unanswered is that we ask for more possessions and pleasures so that we can “consume it upon our lusts.” Without realizing it, most Christians pray according to the world’s formula for success: “Give me more and I’ll be happier!” God’s formula for success is simple: “Know my will for your life and fulfill it, and you will be fully satisfied!” (Colossians 1:9-11). Instead of praying “God, give me the best job in the world;” try praying “God, give me the right job for me.”
4. Spiritual adultery (v.4): The “world” here cannot mean the same as the “world” in John 3:16. The world in John 3:16 refers to the people in it, but the world in this verse refers to the system (beliefs and philosophies) of this world. The word “friendship” does not merely mean being in the world (Matthew 5:16) but means agreeing and allying with it. Just as “birds of a feather flock together,” our true friends are those who share common beliefs and interests with us. Therefore, a friend of the world is one who believes that true happiness comes from getting more possessions and pleasures, and is busy getting more and more. When an unbeliever is a friend of the world, he is called a normal person, but when a Christian is a friend of the world, he is called an adulterer. The reason is because the Christian claims to belong to God, to believe Him (ie, His teachings on happiness) and to trust Him for providing his needs (including that of security and satisfaction). Like an adulterer, such a person claims to find his satisfaction in one but turns to another for it. Such a person is an enemy of God (just as a friend of Osama Ben Laden is the enemy of George Bush). Are you an adulterer in God’s eyes?
5. Overcoming peer pressure (v.5-7): In verse 5 we are told that: “the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy.” Add to this the peer pressure of the world’s philosophy and the usual response is: “We have no choice! How can we fight against the world?” In verse 6, the Bible promises us that “he giveth more grace.” The word more is a translation of the Greek word “mega”! This “mega grace” is unavailable to the proud but freely available to the humble. The proud will not “submit themselves to God” but believe that they are wiser than God. The humble realize that God knows best and they need His grace. Every command of God is backed with God’s grace to obey it, but that grace must be asked for.
6. Overcoming Satan (v.7): Satan is proud and hates to be rejected. The way to overcome Satan is to resist him by not entertaining his thoughts as thoughts that are not worth even considering. Show him that we would definitely trust God rather than him by quoting a verse (“Don’t you know that it is written…!”). Though we should be aware of his determination to hinder God’s plans and purposes, and that our battle is spiritual not carnal (Ephesians 6:12), we should not spend too much time thinking or talking about Satan. We should treat him like a nuisance to be dealt with when necessary but not worth spending a second more on him.
7. Enjoying God (v.8-10): Religion is dry and boring. It forbids many pleasures and replaces with none. Thank God, He did not give us a religion but Himself. We are told to “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” which speaks of a personal relationship. We are told that it is not God who is far from us but we who are far from Him – separated by our sins, including the sin of an adulterous “double-minded” heart. If we humble ourselves and acknowledge the awfulness of our sins (“mourn” for them), then we can enjoy the wonderful presence of God and change our dry empty religion into an exciting joyous relationship.
8. Speaking kindly (v.11,12): We must be careful to speak kindly of others, especially of our brethren. There is a great temptation to speak evil of others by putting the “worst construction” on their actions, by jumping to conclusions before getting all the facts, by being overly harsh with others, by broadcasting others’ faults unnecessarily, etc. This is against God’s law, which is the law of love. By doing so we are despising God’s law of love (ie, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law). As Christians, we should be doers of the law, rather than judges (see James 3:1), so let us focus on obeying it rather than using it to judge others. And when we have to judge, let us “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).