Journey Through James Pt. 5: Wrestling with the World

James 4:1-10 ESV

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1. The Origin

• What are our passions that we are conflicted with?

• Pride of life, lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh.

2. Adulterous People

Adultery is a form of extramarital sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not a party to the marriage.

Matthew 6:22-24 CSB

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! 24 "No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

1 John 2:16 CSB

16 For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's possessions — is not from the Father but is from the world.

3. He is a Jealous God.

Matthew 6:33-34 CSB

33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 "Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.