Warning Against Worldliness
James 4:1-12
Warning Against Worldliness
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 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. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 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. 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"? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Vs. 7-8 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Vs. 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."
What things do we do in our lives that make us enemies of God and friends of the World?
We must remember though that we are works in progress, we will always have a battle with the flesh! But James tells us that if we resist the devil (that is with the help of Christ), he will flee from us!
This is great, Peter describes the devil as a prowling lion looking to devour us! But, James says if with Christs help we resist the devil, he WILL flee from us!
Also if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us also! We must focus on Christ!
Peter was the only one of Jesus' 12 Disciples to get out of the boat and walk on water, but Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on a large wave and began to sink. Jesus brought Peters attention back to Himself and Peter was again on top of the water.
We must keep our focus on Christ and not the things of this world! The devil will then flee and Christ will also draw closer to us!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion --
For more than conquerors we are!
His Word shall not fail you -- He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
Let us live our daily lives with an ever increasing focus upon Jesus Christ, the founder and perfecter of our faith!
In Christ Jesus
Dave
Warning Against Worldliness
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 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. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 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. 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"? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Vs. 7-8 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Vs. 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."
What things do we do in our lives that make us enemies of God and friends of the World?
We must remember though that we are works in progress, we will always have a battle with the flesh! But James tells us that if we resist the devil (that is with the help of Christ), he will flee from us!
This is great, Peter describes the devil as a prowling lion looking to devour us! But, James says if with Christs help we resist the devil, he WILL flee from us!
Also if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us also! We must focus on Christ!
Peter was the only one of Jesus' 12 Disciples to get out of the boat and walk on water, but Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on a large wave and began to sink. Jesus brought Peters attention back to Himself and Peter was again on top of the water.
We must keep our focus on Christ and not the things of this world! The devil will then flee and Christ will also draw closer to us!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion --
For more than conquerors we are!
His Word shall not fail you -- He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
Let us live our daily lives with an ever increasing focus upon Jesus Christ, the founder and perfecter of our faith!
In Christ Jesus
Dave
posted by Mark 1:17 at 11:44 AM
2 Comments:
Really, not to nitpick, but it was Peter who said Satan is a roaring lion. Not Paul.
1 Peter 5:8.
Great post otherwise.
God bless.
Did I say Paul? I meant Peter!
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