Conflict and the Gospel
James 4:1-12
I. The Problem of Desire (1-5, 11-12)
a. Craving and Conflict (1-2b, 11-12)
Hēdonē - pleasure, often sinful, sinful indulgent pleasure.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9
b. Selfishness in Prayer (2c-3)
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:9-13
His Name, His Kingdom, His Will. Before, Provision. Pardon. Protection.
“We turn God into a divine waiter. He is there to deliver our day dream to us. We touch base with him on a Sunday; we put our order in via prayer; we might even leave a decent tip in the collection plate. But God is essentially there to give us what we feel we need … and we get furious with him if he doesn’t deliver.” - Rico Tice
c. Spiritual Adultery (4-5)
“5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” Isaiah 54:5
“20 Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 3:20
II. The Solution For the Heart (4:6-10)
a. The Humble Receive More Grace
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” Psalm 138:6
“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5
b. The Humble Repent
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Sticking your head in the sand in the presence of a Lion may dull the sound of his roaring, but does little to lessen your chances of being devoured. - Sam Allberry
“God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. - C.S. Lewis
