How Do We Avoid Conflict?
Sermon Series: The Book of James
Sunday, June 27, 2021
Pastor Phil Chorlian
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:1-10
I. What causes
A. The desire to
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. —James 1:2
B. The desire to
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. —James 4:3
God made everything for your enjoyment. —I Timothy 6:17
C. The desire to
Pride leads to arguments. —Proverbs 10:13
You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. —James 4:2b-3
My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:19
God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. —James 4:6
II. How do we stop
A. Give in to
Submit yourselves to God. —James 4:7
Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. When we have the peace of Christ in our hearts we can have peace with other people. If we don’t have this in our life, I think we’re going to be tempted to manipulate and control others to try to get them to do what you want them to do. —Colossians 3:15
B. Don’t forget we’re in a
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. —James 4:7b
In order that Satan might now outwit us, we are not unaware of his schemes. —2 Corinthians 2:11
C. Be willing to ask
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve mourn and wail. —James 4:8
Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up. —James 4:10
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. —Philippians 2:2-3
Come near to God and He will come near to you. —James 4:8