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James Chapter Four

 
Chapter Four General Review
 
OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THE CHAPTER
 
1) To gain insight into the source of wars and fighting, even among
 brethren
 
2) To see the importance and means of befriending God, of not speaking
 evil of brethren, and planning for the future with the Lord's will
 in mind
 
SUMMARY
 
James asks his readers to consider the source of wars and fights among
themselves. He identifies the problem as their own desires for
pleasure which war within themselves. Perhaps exaggerating for the
sake of emphasis, he describes their lust and coveting (even murder!)
for things they do not have and cannot obtain. It renders their 
prayers fruitless, for they have selfish motives in mind. Sounding 
like an Old Testament prophet, James charges them with adultery for 
trying to befriend the world. Becoming a friend of the world leads to
enmity with God, who jealously desires us. But if they are willing to
humble themselves, God is willing to show more grace (1-6).
 
James therefore counsels them to draw near to God in humble submission,
with clean hands, purity of heart, and true contrition. He warns
against speaking evil of brethren and judging one another, lest they
become judges and not doers of the law. The chapter ends with a call
to make plans with the Lord's will in mind, for we have no idea what
the morrow holds and life is short. Otherwise we boast in our arrogance
and sin when we fail to do what we know is good (7-17).
 
OUTLINE
 
I. TRUE RELIGION DOES NOT BEFRIEND THE WORLD (1-6)
 
 A. THE SOURCE OF WARS AND FIGHTS (1-3)
 1. From within, from desires that war in one's members
 2. Such as lust (envy), murder (hate?), coveting, which do not
 give what one seeks
 3. Leading to unanswered prayers, due to selfishness
 
 B. FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD (4-6)
 1. Whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of
 God
 2. Even as the Scripture warns, and not in vain
 3. While God resists the proud, He is willing to give grace to
 the humble
 
II. TRUE RELIGION DRAWS NEAR TO GOD (7-17)
 
 A. BY SUBMITTING TO GOD'S AUTHORITY (7-12)
 1. Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee
 2. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
 a. Cleanse your hands, sinners
 b. Purify your hearts, double-minded
 c. Mourn and weep for your sins
 d. Humble yourself before God, and He will lift you up
 3. Let God be the Lawgiver and Judge
 a. Do not speak evil of one another and judge one another
 1) Otherwise you speak evil of the law and judge the law
 2) Otherwise you are not a doer of the law, but a judge
 b. When there is really only one Lawgiver who is able to save
 and destroy
 
 B. BY SUBMITTING TO GOD'S WILL (13-17)
 1. We should be careful in making plans for the future
 a. We do not know what will happen tomorrow
 b. Life is but a vapor that appears for a little while and
 then vanishes
 2. Therefore we should acknowledge "If the Lord wills" in our 
 plans
 a. Otherwise we boast in arrogance, which is evil
 b. For one to know to do good and not do it, that is sin
 
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER
 
1) What are the main points of this chapter?
 - True religion does not befriend the world (1-6)
 - True religion draws near to God (7-17)
 
2) Where do wars and fights find their origin? (1-2)
 - Our desires for pleasure that war in our members
 - Lusting and coveting for things we do not have and cannot obtain
 
3) Why do some not receive what they ask for? (3)
 - They ask for the wrong reason, e.g., for personal pleasures
 
4) What does James call those who would be a friend of the world? (4)
 - Adulterers and adulteresses
 - An enemy of God
 
5) What possible translations for the Scripture quoted in verse 5?
 - "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously" (NKJV)
 - "The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy" (KJV)
 - "the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely" (NIV)
 - "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"
 (NASB)
 
6) Whom does God resist? To whom does He give more grace? (6)
 - The proud
 - The humble
 
7) What counsel does James give to those tempted by the world? (7-10)
 - Submit 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
 - Purify your hearts
 - Lament, mourn, and weep
 - Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom
 - Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up
 
8) Why should one not speak evil of a brother? (11)
 - They then speak evil of the law and judge the law
 - They become a judge, rather than a doer of the law
 
9) What other reasons does James give for not judging one another? (12)
 - There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and destroy
 - Who are we to judge another?
 
10) Why should we be careful about the plans we make? (13-14)
 - We do not know what will happen tomorrow
 - Our life is only a vapor that appears for a short while
 
11) With what qualification can one make plans for the future? (15)
 - If the Lord wills
 
12) Of what is one guilty when plans are made without considering the
 Lord's will? (16)
 - Boasting in one's arrogance
 
13) Of what is one guilty if they know what is good, but fail to do it?
 (17)
 - Sin
 
How To End Wars (4:1-12)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. Have you ever heard of:
 a. "The War of the Whiskers?"
 b. "The War of the Oaken Bucket?"
 c. "The War of Jenkin's Ear?"
 -- These were actual wars fought between nations, and you can read
 about them in many history books
 
2. War is too often a fact of life in spite of treaties, world peace
 organizations, and even the threat of nuclear weapons
 a. Not only wars between nations
 b. But there are wars of one kind or another on almost every level of
 life - even "gas wars" between gas stations!
 
3. In our text, we find James discussing this important theme of "War"
 a. He describes three types of wars going on in the world
 b. He also tells how these wars can be stopped
 
[For example, there is...]
 
I. WAR WITH EACH OTHER (1, 11-12)
 
 A. EVEN AMONG CHRISTIANS! (1)
 1. Surely "brethren" ought to live together in love and harmony
 - cf. Ps 133:1
 2. Yet often they do not
 a. Lot quarreled with Abraham
 b. Absalom created a war with his father David
 c. The disciples of Jesus argued over who would be greatest
 d. Paul and Barnabas had great contention over John Mark
 3. Even churches in the New Testament often had problems...
 a. At CORINTH
 1) Brethren were suing each other
 2) They were competing in the public assemblies
 b. In GALATIA - brethren were "biting and devouring" one 
 another
 c. Even at PHILIPPI - two women were having trouble getting
 along with each other
 
 B. IN HIS EPISTLE, JAMES IMPLIES SEVERAL DIFFERENT KINDS OF POTENTIAL
 CONFLICTS AMONG BRETHREN:
 1. Class wars - 2:1-9
 2. Employment wars - 5:1-6
 3. Church fights - 1:19-20; 3:13-18
 4. Personal wars
 a. Notice 4:11-12
 b. Where we are admonished not to speak evil of one another,
 nor to judge (condemn) one another
 
[And so, we can easily be at war with one another. WHY? James begins
to answer this question by explaining a second war that is going on...]
 
II. WAR WITHIN OURSELVES (1-3)
 
 A. THIS IS THE REASON WE WAR WITH ONE ANOTHER! (1)
 1. It is the "war in the heart" that causes the wars in the church
 and elsewhere!
 2. Our desire for things to satisfy our pleasures (like power,
 possessions, etc.) is what makes us fight with others
 3. Putting it simply, the key problem is "SELFISHNESS"
 
 B. SUCH SELFISH DESIRES LEAD TO...
 1. Wrong Actions (2)
 a. "you murder...you fight and war"
 b. Perhaps not literally, but certainly so in God's sight - cf.
 1 Jn 3:15
 2. Wrong Praying (3)
 a. The kind of praying that goes unanswered
 b. Because the prayers are for selfish motives
 
[This is why people are often at war with one another. Every war or
angry disagreement has people who are first at war within themselves!
 
Why is this so? Why are people at war within themselves? Once again,
James gives us the answer when he describes another war that is going
on...]
 
III. WAR WITH GOD (4-10)
 
 A. HERE IS THE "ROOT CAUSE" OF EVERY WAR, INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL
 1. Rebellion against God!
 2. In some way...
  a. ...those at war with others...
 b. ...are also at war within themselves...
 c. ...because they are first at war with God!
 
 B. HOW DOES A BELIEVER DECLARE WAR AGAINST GOD?
 1. By being friendly with God's enemies!
 2. James mentions three enemies we must not fraternize with if we
 want to be at peace with God:
 a. The World (4)
 1) That is, human society that is contrary to God
 a) Any conduct, belief, thought...
 b) ...which is anti-God, anti-Christ
 2) To be a friend of such...
 a) Makes one an enemy of God!
 b) Makes one a spiritual adulterer or adulteress!
 b. The Flesh (1,5)
 1) The unlawful desires that would lead us away from God
 2) These desires wage war within us, but we must not give
 in to them - cf. 1 Pe 2:11
 3) Such desires are in direct conflict to what the Spirit of
 God would have us to be and do - cf. 4:5; Ga 5:16-26
 4) To submit to these unlawful desires (works) of the flesh
 sets one contrary to God and His Spirit!
 c. The Devil (6-7)
 1) Pride is Satan's greatest temptation
 2) When we give into pride, we become friends of the devil
 and enemies of God - 4:6
 
 C. HOW TO ENJOY PEACE WITH GOD
 1. Submit To God (7)
 a. Literally, "get into your proper rank"
 b. When a buck private acts like the general, there is going
 to be trouble!
 c. Unconditional surrender to God is the only way to victory!
 d. Submission is saying: "Not my will, but Thine be done"
 2. Resist The Devil (7)
 a. He is behind every war that we have
  b. But if we just resist, then he will flee!
 3. Draw Near To God (8)
 a. And He will draw near to us!
 b. How do we do this?
 1) "Cleanse your hands" - Get your sins forgiven!
 2) "Purify your hearts" - Be single-minded in your devotion
 to God! (not double-minded, like a spiritual adulterer)
 4. Humble Yourselves In The Sight Of God (9-10)
 a. It's possible to submit outwardly and not be humble inwardly
 b. True mourning for our sins (cf. 4:9) is how we can humble
 ourselves before God
 c. The end result of such humility? God will lift you up!
 - 4:10
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. If we obey these four instructions, then God will draw near to us,
 cleanse us, and forgive us!
 
2. ONLY THEN WILL THE "WARS" CEASE!
 a. For we will not be at war with God
 b. So we will not be at war within ourselves
 c. And we will not be at war with others!
 
3. As Solomon wrote in the Book of Proverbs:
 
 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be
 at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7)
 
Are we diligent in making sure our ways are pleasing to the Lord?
 
Note: Much of the material for this outline was adapted heavily
from The Bible Exposition Commentary, Volume 2, by Warren W. Wiersbe,
pages 366-370.

Making Our Plans (4:13-17)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. In the text for this study, James discusses the subject of making
 plans:
 
 13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such
 a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
 14 Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is]
 your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time,
 and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord
 will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in
 your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him
 that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.
 (James 4)
 
2. This subject is very relevant for us today, for we all make plans of
 one sort or another...
 a. Plans for college, jobs
 b. Plans for marriage, family
 c. Plans for vacation, retirement
 
3. Making plans, in of itself, is not wrong...
 a. Paul often made plans in regard to his travels - Ac 15:36; 18:
 20-21; 1 Co 16:5-9
 b. In fact, making plans (or setting goals) is a key to success in
 any venture we may undertake in life
 
4. But there is a "right" way to plan, and a "wrong" way; and James
 discusses both!
 
[First, let's consider the "right" way to "Making Our Plans"...]
 
I. WE CAN SUBMIT TO GOD'S WILL
 
 A. I.E., SUBMIT OUR PLANS TO THE WILL OF GOD...
 1. We can make our plans, but we should make them contingent to
 God's approval - "if the Lord wills" (15)
 2. This is what Paul did
 a. "God willing" - Ac 18:21
 b. "if the Lord permits" - 1 Co 16:7
 3. Saying "if the Lord wills" assumes our faith in two things:
 a. That God does have a will for us (even in mundane matters)
 b. That God can intervene (via providence) to carry out His
 will
 4. The wisdom of making our plans contingent upon the will of God
 will become evident later, when we consider the "wrong" way to
 plan
 
 B. IF WE REALLY WANT OUR PLANS TO SUCCEED, THEN WE WILL SEEK FIRST
 TO DISCERN GOD'S WILL, AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY...
 1. To a great degree, this is possible, for God wants us to:
 a. Understand His Will - Ep 5:17
 b. Be filled with His Will - Co 1:9
 c. Prove His Will - Ro 12:2
 2. Of course, this relates especially to His "revealed" will
 a. Which pertains to matters right and wrong
 b. Which is found in the pages of the Bible
 c. When we know God's "revealed" will (from our study of the
 Bible), then we can act or plan accordingly
 d. Until then, the right way to plan is to show our submission
 to God by leaving our plans subject to His will
 3. There is also God's "permissive" will
 a. Which pertains to matters not right or wrong, but good and
 better
 b. Even so, we should still show our trust and dependence upon
 God in such matters by committing our plans to His Will
 
[Now let's look at the "wrong" way in "Making Our Plans"...]
 
II. WE CAN IGNORE GOD'S WILL
 
 A. TO PLAN THIS WAY IS FOLLY (13-15)
 1. Because life is COMPLEX (13)
 a. There are the complexities of TIME (today, tomorrow, when?)
 b. There are the complexities of ACTIVITIES (buy, sell?)
 c. So many decisions to make, so many mistakes might be made
 d. If it's possible to know God's will on any matter, that
 would increase the likelihood that our decisions and plans
 will be correct
 2. Because life is UNCERTAIN (14a)
 a. No one has a guarantee of tomorrow
 1) Whether there will even be one
 2) Or what will happen
  b. Only God can bring about what He wills for the future without
 fail
 c. Since this is true, we should certainly desire to make plans
 that are in keeping with "His" plans!
 3. Because life is FRAIL (14b)
 a. It is like a "vapor" - cf. Ps 39:5-6,11
 b. How substantial is a "vapor" or "shadow"?
 c. How quickly we can succumb to sickness or an accident
 illustrates how frail we really are
 d. It is foolish, then, to think "we" have the strength within
 ourselves to "make" our plans happen - remember Ja 1:10-11
 4. Because life is BRIEF (14c)
 a. "appears for a little time"
 b. This is something Job observed - Job 9:25-26; 14:1
 c. Since life is so short, it is important that we do God's
 will and not our own - cf. 1 Jn 2:17
 
 B. TO PLAN THIS WAY IS BOASTFUL ARROGANCE (16a)
 1. To plan without taking into consideration God's will is to set
 ourselves up above God Himself!
 2. How could one be more arrogant than that?
 
 C. TO PLAN THIS WAY IS SIN (16-17)
 1. It is sin because it involves arrogance and boasting which is
 evil - 16
 2. It is sin because we who are Christians know better - 17
  a. We know what is good: to plan with God's Will in mind
 b. To do otherwise is to sin!
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. How do we make our plans?
 a. If we plan without considering the will of God, then we are
 foolish, arrogant, and sinful!
 b. If we make our plans subject to the approval of God, then we are
 wise, submissive, and righteous in God's sight!
 c. If we endeavor to plan as much as we can within the framework of
 God's "revealed" will, then we increase the likelihood of success!
 
2. What about your "plans" for eternity?
 a. There is no doubt what the Lord's will is on this subject - cf.
 Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15-16; Ac 2:38; Ro 10:9-10; 2 Pe 1:5-11;
 Re 2:10
 b. We can be certain of "success" if we submit to God's will in the
 matters of faith, repentance, confession, baptism, and living a
 faithful Christian life
 c. But to ignore it is folly in view of life's UNCERTAINTY, FRAILTY,
 and BREVITY!
 
Have you done "as" the Lord wills? (i.e., as "He" would have you do it?)
 
Note: Parts of the material for this outline was adapted heavily
from The Bible Exposition Commentary, Volume 2, by Warren W. Wiersbe,
pages 366-370.

－－《Executable Outlines》

Knowledge and action

Do not have when you do not ask

Do not receive when you ask

I. Three enemies of believers

1. The battle of desires

2. Friendship with the world

3. Resist the devil

II. Slander one another

1. From the viewpoint of brothers

2. From the viewpoint of the law

3. From the viewpoint of authority

III. Knowing yet not doing is sin

1. Take liberties

2. Plan about tomorrow

3. Boast and brag

－－ Chih-Hsin Chang《An Outline of The New Testament》