1. Outline: 1. The Real Cause Of Their Problems: James 4:1-3 2. Friendship With The World: James 4:4-5 3. Genuine Repentance: James 4:6-10 4. Sobering Thoughts: James 4:11-12 5. Trust verses Arrogance: James 4:13-17 1. Introductory Comments: In this chapter we find the disastrous consequences... [ Continue Reading ]
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?"What is the source" -"from what source, brought about or given by whom, born of whom" (Arndt p. 680). What. great question! "James is not content to concentrate on the strife; he... [ Continue Reading ]
"You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask."You lust and do not have" -present tense, "to lust after, covet" (Thayer p. 238). Notice the words, "and do not have": "When men live merely to sa... [ Continue Reading ]
"You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."You ask and do not receive" -"Some of us might say, 'Now wait. minute.. asked God for something and didn't get it.. did everything he told me to and. didn't feel anything. It didn't work…..th... [ Continue Reading ]
"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be. friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."You adulteresses" -"Unfaithful people!" (TCNT). Unfaithfulness to God is viewed as spiritual adultery, spiritual fornication ... [ Continue Reading ]
"Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealousy desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us'?"the Scripture speaks to no purpose" -"do you consider this an idle word of Scripture?" (Mof). The word Scripture can at times mean more than one Scripture (1 Timothy 5:18), or... [ Continue Reading ]
"But He gives. greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble'"."But he gives. greater grace" -"Whatever God demands of us, he provides the means by which we can produce it. Whatever demands of purity and holiness and whatever pressures the world may pl... [ Continue Reading ]
"Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you"."Submit therefore" -In view of the grace available to the humble child of God, submission to God makes all the sense in the world. "Submit"-another military term which means to rank oneself under, to obey, to subject oneself. The... [ Continue Reading ]
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."Draw near to God" -"come near, approach" (Thayer p. 164). Be impressed that one can be. professed Christian and yet be far from God. James isn't admonishing non-Christians, but... [ Continue Reading ]
"Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom."Be miserable" -Notice the word 'be'. This must be. voluntary mourning. True repentance, in the end can't be forced. "Miserable"-"be wretched" (Arndt p. 803); "mental wretchedness brought about by the... [ Continue Reading ]
"Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."Humble yourselves" -Once again, we must cooperate with the will of God. We make the final decision whether or not we will be humbled. "The use of the aorist tense shows that he means. definite act,. decisive and full self-surrend... [ Continue Reading ]
The next two sections (James 4:11-12) and (James 4:13-17) are related to what has been previously said. What is commonly known as worldliness or being. friend of the world includes much more than what we typically place in that category. Kent notes, "In the next section (James 4:11-17), James contin... [ Continue Reading ]
"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge" -Far more is at stake than just respect for. law. Disrespect for the law, is disrespect towards God. "James goes on to remind us…that, sin... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRESUMPTUOUS USE OF TIME When we think of what some have called the sin of worldliness, we often think in terms of immodest apparel, filthy language, watching the wrong kind of television programs, movies and so on. But. worldly attitude also includes being hypercritical of our brethren (James 4... [ Continue Reading ]
"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just. vapor that appears for. little while and then vanishes away."Yet you do not know". Proverbs 27:1 "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what. day may bring forth." Like the rich man in Luke 12:19. we can easily assum... [ Continue Reading ]
"Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that'". "Instead" -Note what James didn't say. James didn't say, "Since life is so short and unpredictable---live in fear!" Barclay notes, "But James goes on. This uncertainty of life is not. cause either for fear or f... [ Continue Reading ]
"But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil"."But as it is" -"But here you are, boasting in your proud pretensions!" (Mof). "boast in your arrogance" -The word "arrogance" means "empty, braggart talk" (Thayer p. 25). "The word signifies the self deceived and groundless conf... [ Continue Reading ]
"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin". "Therefore" -Indicating that this verse is connected with the preceding verses. James has outlined the right thing to do, not only in this chapter but in the previous three Chapter s. Therefore, the person who... [ Continue Reading ]