 |
| JAMES LESSON #65 In James 4:1-3 the word �friendship� means �philieo� � which means, �to love, to have an affection for.� Is he saying �don�t want?� Is he saying, �don�t be effected by?� Is he saying don�t �desire things from this world?� Like � how is that supposed to happen? Is he saying that I should put up a fence � shut out the rest of the world � live in �isolation� and �separate� myself from society? No no and more no. Let� start by looking at some of the �affections of this world� � defining- If I am a �friend of this world,� I will: (this list is not all conclusive � there are many more) 1) Be caught up with the �Fashions of this world� - What�s that mean? Look at I Corinthians 7:31. The word �fashion� here is �schema� � it means, �the manner of life, the action, the lifestyle.� Ok � so does that mean I have to wear my hair a certain way? Not wear makeup? Not wear jewelry? And the �created list� goes on�No no and more no. Some of you do aerobics- Some of you work out in a weight room. I have � Ever notice what a lot of the women wear? Some of them show up in the gym for more than just a �workout.� �Middle� in that picture would be found in a t-shirt and shorts � not a spandex suit that shows every fat roll between your neck and behind in neon lights that scream, �I�m available� and am working hard at being this gym�s next poster girl. You�re chuckling (I hope) � but it�s true. Some of the things women show up in for their �so called� workouts are amazing. That, is a picture of the �fashions of this world.� Move out of the gym to the �shoe department.� Middle in a high heel � maybe a two inch heel. Middle is not a 5-6� heel that wreaks havoc on your lower back and trashes your ankles, should you have a klutz moment and fall off of your shoes! Hopefully you�re getting my point. 2) I will love �Darkness.� Oh good- I don�t..right? Read John 3:19, and John 8:12. What exactly are some forms of �darkness.� Some of you ladies/teens will drop over on this one: Taking in the �soaps� on a daily basis. OH COME ON! (do I know you or what?) � Don�t even tell me that the �soaps� are not a good thing. Ok � you tell me. After you�ve watched them for awhile � seen �Hope� show up for an afternoon coffee in a million dollar outfit, well suited with a costly diamond ring, to find a truck load of roses displayed in the front foyer with a special �I love you note� from someone other than her husband�what�s it do internally to you? Two things: First, it makes you �desire� in an area you shouldn�t be �desiring in� � the �Curiosity cage� of a relationship outside of your marriage � and Second, it causes you to look at your husband and think � �some romantic you are �� I�m lucky if I see �one rose� this side of heaven..and if I do, it�s because my kids picked it out, put it in your hand and said, �Give it to her.� Soaps put �wrong thinking� into position, making you vulnerable to �playing those thoughts out-� and birth and breed discontentment. Another area of �darkness� is pornography. It�s addicting. It�s highly destructive for the same reasons the soaps are. It gives a �distorted� picture of reality � positioning �wrong thinking� into place to be �played out� at a later time. On-line availability has made this area of temptation even more deadly. Much if not �most� secular music falls into the same category. (Just heard you rise up and scream again!) You don�t think so? In the middle of a not so emotional moment � play a secular love song and watch how your emotions respond. Both myself and my kids are highly sensitive to music � and greatly effected by it. We can move from �middle and balanced� emotionally, to greatly depressed, and in some cases, literally tears � within minutes of listening to certain kinds of music. The key? LEARN TO DISCERN. Guard your heart � No � music isn�t bad: But how it effects you can be: Where does it take your heart? Does it lead you into a deeper walk with Jesus? Does it cause you to �worship Him- praise Him?� Does it strengthen you? Build you up? Encourage you? 3) John 15:19 I will love the acceptance of men more than God. Not me! Really? Map out a �time investment chart� of the last 24 hours. Compare your �social involvement� to �time out with God.� What do you see? Take a look at your checkbook register over the last week. Where are your priorities in spending? What exactly are you �investing yourself� in? �Becoming? Or �Being� � totally dependent. 4) I will love God�s enemies if I have a love for this world. What? No, this isn�t referring to their souls � to them as �people.� This is referring to their �lifestyle.� READ II Chronicles 19:2 Obviously, when we move down through the �affections of this world� department there�s a problem. We move in our journey, getting pulled by desire, flipping into conflicts, ending up in quarrels, spinning out of control, with attempts to regain some middle ground..Does God ditch us � throw up His hands and say, �THAT�S IT! YOU�RE NEVER GOING TO GET IT! I�M DONE!� Wrong- God doesn�t leave you there � He loves you. Remember � He�s FOR you, not AGAINST you. He earnestly desires His Spirit�s control over you..why? To make you His puppet? To so control and dominate you that life no longer consists of anything �fun?� Wrong- When you look at James 4:5 there are four different views on how it should be interpreted. The first two views are not very probable � the latter two are pretty acceptable. I�d mark these in your margin. 1) God yearns for the human spirit that dwells in us 2) God desires the Holy Spirit 3) The human spirit that God puts in us longs enviously for earthly pleasures, BUT � God gives a greater grace (Look at how it matches up to the next verse- Although your desires and lusts are enviously longing to be met � God gives a �greater grace� � you don�t HAVE to live �under� those desires � He�s provided a way out. 4) The Holy Spirit in us yearns for us to cling to God � God gives a greater grace so that we can walk that way Look at James 4:6 The word �proud� comes from two words � �over and show� � Does that mean that God wants us to walk around ashen faced, homely, and broken? No � not at all. It�s not the �outward� that God looks on � it�s the �inward.� Get that. The �proud� in this verse is about the �inward� picture of the heart. God is opposed to the heart that puts itself above others � seeks it�s own pleasure over someone else�s � elevates itself above others � and walks independent of God in that position. The Holy Spirit �in you� earnestly desires that you walk with God � not only is that God�s �desire� � but He makes it possible through �grace� � unearned favor- and offers the �joint effort opportunity.� Regardless of what category you trip up in on a regular basis in the �desire department,� God continuously gives you the grace you need to harness those desires and walk in obedience � obedience that leads to maturity. Ok � time for the big question. How do I walk? In James 4:6 He gives you ten commands. These aren�t �suggestions,� they are commands. I�d mark them. 1) Submit to God. When you trot off and do your own thing you�re walking in �independence� of God. This gets back to the �power vs. authority� issue that we all have a tendency to wrestle with. Remember, �authority� is issued in love � it�s primary interest is �your� best interest. �Submit� in the Greek is �hupotaso� � which means �to come under� � Why? So that He makes my life miserable with rules and regs that I can�t meet? No � Come under � for direction, guidance, instruction, help, assistance..for a better life � a �mature one.� 2) Resist the devil. This sounds like a no brainer � but you know something, we often fail quickly in this department. What�s this mean? It means run � flee- ditch it- outa here baby! You have an alcohol weakness? Don�t go near it � You have a problem with pornography and an add hits your computer screen in the form of an e-mail � delete it/ or set your junk mail settings to delete all incoming junk mail. You have a spending problem? Get rid of the catalogues and stay out of the store unless you�re with your spouse. (some of you just fell dead..but you know what I�m saying is true!) You have a curiosity problem with someone outside of your marriage? Station a third party between the two of you � don�t ever allow yourself to be alone with that person -�and if at all possible � completely disassociate. When it says �resist� � it means just that. Don�t go there..AT ALL. Flee � push it away - �Curiosity� is the biggest killer in that picture. Mixed with desire � forms a deadly drink. 3) Draw Near To God: Are you off the track? Filling your head with the wrong thing? Spending time in the wrong place? Investing money in the wrong things? Out of control? Because you �want?� �TURN AROUND. Some of you are going � �I�ve tried..I can�t.� Wrong. It�s more � I�ve tried on my own..blown it � will never get it right � am discouraged � so what�s the use? The element that�s missing? �Joint effort opportunity.� God didn�t set it up so that you�d have to walk out there and �do it on your own �� although that�s what society teaches. It says, �He gives more grace..� More and more and more and more unearned �FAVOR� - help, assistance, presence, �with� � �together� �So many times we FORGET : GOD IS OUR FRIEND � HE IS FOR US: It�s not � ok, line up for your daily sin check out � turn over for your beating: WRONG � Its �I know you�re struggling � the point of the struggle is that you turn to Me and know My strength in your weakness � �together� � I�m FOR you. Get that. 4) Cleanse your hands- 5) Purify your hearts � These two things go together. The word �cleanse� in the Greek is �katharizo� � it means to make clean from filth � that begins with confession of sin � admitting, �ok � I�m in the wrong. Notice that you are to cleanse your �hands� � the instruments you use to �do� � and you �purify� � in the Greek, is �hagnizo� which means to �consecrate� � dedicate, set apart �what? Your HEART � why? Because it�s the �heart� that controls the mouth and the hands right? What you �think� is what you �DO.� READ Psalm 24:4-5 It�s a call to �turn around� � �joint effort opportunity� has to kick in here- 6) Back to James 4:9 Be miserable 7) Mourn 8) Weep 9) Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom 10) Humble yourself�what�s with these last five? I�m supposed to act and live like my best friend just died? No � This is the �how to journey� � the response � to �drawing near to God, cleansing your hands, and purifying your heart.� This is about �Godly sorrow� � a display of genuine understanding and sorrow over the choices that have been made with a �heart intent� to turn around. As a word of caution flip over to II Corinthians 7:8-10. There�s a worldly sorrow that leads to death. What kind of sorrow is that? This is referring to you getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar � being sorry you got caught � and as soon as mom turns her back, you�re right back in that cookie jar again. It�s a sorrow that brings no change in behavior. There�s a �Godly sorrow� that leads to repentance and life. Feeling separated from God? We�re back to �How�s your heart?� You ok? Or are you in trouble? Turn around. William Barclay wrote: There are no hopeless situations in life.. Only men who have grown hopeless about them. Regardless of where you are- unearned favor is freely available: Faith is remembering you are God�s priceless treasure�that He is FOR YOU � not AGAINST YOU and being willing to �act� under that �authority.� More tomorrow- Loving you, Robin �copyright 2001 Jim and Robin Hibschman |
|