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Message Notes
The Big Question: What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” —James 4:1
Passions = Hedonism
The Wrong Fight
- Our motives lead to frustration with life
“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.” —James 4:2-3
- Our lifestyles lead to hostility with God
“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.” —James 4:4
“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’?” —James 4:5
The Right Fight
- The real battle is with our selfish desires and sinful pride
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” —James 4:6b
“But He gives more grace.” —James 4:6a
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” —James 4:10
- The real need is humility
How do we fight the real fight?
- We must submit to God’s will
“Submit therefore to God.” —James 4:7
“Let the Peace of God rule in your heart.” —Colossians 3:15
- We must reject God’s enemy
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” —James 4:8
“So that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.” —II Cor. 2:11
- We must pursue God’s presence
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” —James 4:8
- We must receive God’s forgiveness
“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.” —James 4:9-10
- We must stop playing God
“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?” —James 4:11-12