James 4

James 4:1 
Christians are fighting fiercely among themselves. This isn't the first time we see this (nor will it be the last):
- Lot and Abraham (Genesis 13): Lot chose the worldly way, and Abraham eventually had to rescue him
- David (2 Samuel 13-18)
- The Disciples quarrel about who's going to be the greatest (Luke 9)
- The Corinthians sued each other in court (1 Corinthians 6)
- The Galatians "devoured" one and another (Galatians 5) 

Ephesians 4
Paul encourages unity within the body of Christ.

"Lust": Its Greek work gives us the word "Heathenism," where pleasure is the chief purpose of life.

Hebrews 4:2
Isaiah 53:6
James explains the root problem of internal quarrels: selfishness.

Selfish people even pray wrong: their prayers covet selfishness!

The idea here is, when we are consumed by ourselves, when we care more about the world than God, everything we do directly reflects the condition of our heart. We may think we're praying, but God knows the difference!

ARE WE BECOMING TOO FRIENDLY WITH GOD'S ENEMIES (James 4:1-12)

Key points:
1. Check out heart--Does it belong to God? Our heart condition is directly reflected in our prayer life.
2. Submit to God completely.
3. With God, we can withstand the attacks of Satan.

Enemy 1: The World System
The world system, the satanic system, is an enemy of God. Abraham was friend of God. Lot was friend of the world. Friendship to the world leads to loving the world and conforming to the world and being condemned with the world. Friendship to the world is termed idolatry by the Word of God.

As the church, we are married to Christ. To love the world is to be unfaithful to Christ (Romans 7:4; Jeremiah 3:1-5; Ezekiel 23; Hosea). We need to be faithful to Christ! We cannot be friendly to the world system! 

James 4:5
Envy is the product of false wisdom.

Enemy 2: The Flesh
Flesh = not the body but the old nature.

Sins of the flesh grieves the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:6-7).

James 4:6
The root manifestation of selfishness is pride. The antidote to pride is humility through God's grace.

Enemy 3: The Devil
Satan introduced pride. He introduced a world contrary to the world of God through his own pride. He made sure Adam and Eve fell through his deceit (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28).

Isaiah 14 was addressed to King of Babylon, but the message clearly goes beyond Babylon.

Isaiah 14:12-17
This passage is directly spoken to Satan.

Missler: "Sin always starts from the heart. The rest is just mechanics."

Observe all the "I" statements of Satan. Observe his pride. 

Note that Satan never said he wants to be God. He wants to be like God. When Adam was created, could Satan have seen him as a rival to be like God? Is he trying to conquer us so that he's the only one who can be the most like God? (These are just speculative ideas, and only God knows what's really going on. The point here is to illustrate the pride of Satan, and how that caused him to fall from Heaven.)

Isaiah 14:5
Satan's destiny is already written out, including the havoc he's created or will create. Satan introduced pride and used deceit as his main weapon.

1 Timothy 3:6
Ephesians 4:27
Do not give Satan any opportunity to grasp a hold on us.

How do we refrain from giving Satan a chance?

1. Submit to God (James 4:7).
The Greek word "submit" here is a military term. It means to get into the right rank, to mind our place. Be where we belong.

2. Draw close to God (James 4:8).

3. Humble ourselves (James 4:10). 

James 4:9
Sin is no laughing matter. There is no trivial sin in God's eyes. God hates sin. Period.

DO NOT SLANDER EACH OTHER (James 4:11)
Why do we nitpick at each other? Why do we not band together and fight our real enemy together?

THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD IS WHEREVER GOD WANTS US TO BE--WHEREVER THAT IS! (James 4:13-17)

A lot of us are afraid of acting on God's will. Why? Is it because we DOUBT? We doubt that His interest is not in our best interest. We fail to realize that God's will is the best for us, while we desperately hold on to selfish wants and needs.

Psalm 33:11
God's counsel stands forever. God's will comes from His heart! What is God's heart towards us? We should really think about that.

Jeremiah 29:11
This is God's heart for us.

And so, how should we march forward? How do we plan? We plan by following God's will, not our own will.

James 4:13-17
Abide by God's will.

Job 7:6
Job 8:9
Job 9:25
Life is but a quick snapshot. Life is short. We often don't think that; we often think life is so important because it's right in front of us. However, take a step back and compare life against eternity, then we begin to realize just how minute this current life is.

And although life is short, what we do with this short life determines our eternity.

We can make plans, but we should make it with the mindset of God's will.

James 4:15
How do we determine the will of God? Based on our own LIVING relationship with God!

Colossians 1:9
Because we have a relationship with God, we have a GROWING experience with God!

Ephesians 5:17
How do we determine the will of God? Understand His will.

Romans 12:2
This passage speaks of the proof of God's will.

Be not transformed by this world but be renewed in mind by PROOF of what is acceptable by God's will.

"Proof" in the Greek in this passage means to prove by experience. We prove God's will by experiencing it. Again, it's a growing experience. We work at it.

The point that James is making here is that when we plan, we plan with God's will in mind. If we don't, well, God will definitely let us know.

James 4:17
If we know what God's will is, but we don't act accordingly, that is a sin.

Some of God's will are clearly stated (for example, Exodus 20). No Christian will deny those. However, there are also PERSONAL will of God in each of us as well, and this type of will would be revealed to us individually as we GROW in God. Key word is GROW. If we do not grow, then we do not progress forward to receive this will.

As Christians, we all know we need to obey the will of God, and yet, we often slip. If we slip accidentally, then we quickly pick ourselves up and right our ways again. However, there are those who actively and deliberately disobey God.

Why?

Perhaps the poem, Invictus (by William Henley), could shed some light. "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul," the poem ends.

This is the wrong attitude. It is the attitude that leads people away from God. It is the attitude that leads to disasters!

We should, instead, plan with God in our heart. Here is Dorothea Day's modification to Henley's perspective:

Out of the light that dazzles me,
Bright as the sun from pale to pale,
I thank the God I know to be
For Christ the conqueror of my soul.
Since His the sway of circumstance
I would not wince nor cry aloud.
Under the rule which men call chance
My head with joy is humbly bowed.
Beyond this place of sin and tears --
That life with Him! and His the aid,
Keeps, and shall keep, me unafraid.
I shall not fear, though straight the gate;
He cleared from punishments the scroll.
Christ is the Master of my fate;
Christ is the captain of my soul.

Christ is the captain of our souls!

As we plan our lives, we need to always be right with God in our heart. With the right heart, we can then listen and act on the will of God. And with the will of God behind us, we can move forward with full confidence.

Success, in God's eyes, is not measured in materialistic things like money or power. Success, in God's eyes, is loving people with the heart of God. Success, in God's eyes, is loving God back with the heart of God. When we have such a heart, our future, our eternity, will no longer be limited by our flesh. We will then truly be the kings and priests that God has in vision for us (Revelation 5:10)!

Be not short-sighted and be engulfed by the world system, Satan's system! Right our heart and SEE the eternal future God has in mind for us!