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Chapter 4 - A Biblical Faith Is A Growing Faith - James 4:1-17
IV. A Biblical Faith Is A Growing Faith.
Introduction
This chapter of James gives us some practical advice on obstacles to our spiritual growth and how to overcome those impediments. We as children of God must never be content in our spiritual growth. Psalm 92 speaks of growth.
Psalm 92:12-15 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
We are admonished in the New Testament to "grow."
1 Peter 2:1-3 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
In 2 Thessalonians Paul commends the Thessalonian church because their "faith groweth."
2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
There is an old saying that goes something like this, "I'm not what I ought to be, and I'm not what I'm going to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be either." I hope that is your testimony for the Lord. In this chapter we see several impediments to our Christian growth and also some helps for our growth in the Lord
- Impediments To Growth—James 4:1-5 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
- As we begin this chapter we see one of our enemies pop up again – "the flesh." The "flesh" is one enemy of the Christian and is a major impediment to us growing in the faith. Look at the words that God uses here – "wars, fightings, lusts, kill, desire to have, asking amiss, adulterers, and adulteresses." All of these terms describe the desires of the "flesh" or another Bible term, "the old man." Any child of God that is living "in the flesh" will not grow. Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Over the years I have heard and seen some of the most fleshly responses to spiritual problems. You would not believe what church squabbles and church fights have occurred in the family of God. Not only fights, squabbles, but disgusting problems that I would not want to describe in words. People leave the church because the pastor chose the wrong color of paint or wallboarding or …. ??? You name the problem, it probably has happened in a church somewhere. I heard of a church whose pastor was running illicit drugs out of the church parsonage. This is the kind of fleshly behavior that James is describing here.
- Another impediment that is found in theses verses is that we don't ask for the right things, or we don't pray. A lack of prayer indicates that we don't really believe that God is real. Or…we are so spiritually ignorant that we don't pray for the things that we know God is interested in. We pray "amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts." In other words, we are more interested in what we can get than what God desires for us to have. That indicates a spiritual immaturity that is in need of growth. Which brings us to our next point.
- Earnest Prevailing Prayer Will Enable Us To Grow In Our Faith.
In these verses and in many others we are admonished to pray.1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Since God knows all our needs without us praying, why should we pray? It demonstrates our belief that God is real by proving our dependence upon Him. Too often we believe that we can do it on our own, and don't need Him. Oh, we may not say so outwardly, but our actions betray us. Sharon and I often read C. H. Spurgeon's morning devotion during our breakfast time at the kitchen table. This morning's reading was very appropriate concerning the matter of prayer. I thought that I would incorporate it in our study.
Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotional
Exodus 16:21 07/16/AM "They gathered manna every morning." - Exodus 16:21"Labour to maintain a sense of thine entire dependence upon the Lord's good will and pleasure for the continuance of thy richest enjoyments. Never try to live on the old manna, nor seek to find help in Egypt. All must come from Jesus, or thou art undone for ever. Old anointings will not suffice to impart unction to thy spirit; thine head must have fresh oil poured upon it from the golden horn of the sanctuary, or it will cease from its glory. To-day thou mayest be upon the summit of the mount of God, but He who has put thee there must keep thee there, or thou wilt sink far more speedily than thou dreamest. Thy mountain only stands firm when He settles it in its place; if He hide His face, thou wilt soon be troubled. If the Saviour should see fit, there is not a window through which thou seest the light of heaven which He could not darken in an instant. Joshua bade the sun stand still, but Jesus can shroud it in total darkness. He can withdraw the joy of thine heart, the light of thine eyes, and the strength of thy life; in His hand thy comforts lie, and at His will they can depart from thee. This hourly dependence our Lord is determined that we shall feel and recognize, for He only permits us to pray for "daily bread," and only promises that "as our days our strength shall be." Is it not best for us that it should be so, that we may often repair to His throne, and constantly be reminded of His love? Oh! how rich the grace which supplies us so continually, and doth not refrain itself because of our ingratitude! The golden shower never ceases, the cloud of blessing tarries evermore above our habitation. O Lord Jesus, we would bow at Thy feet, conscious of our utter inability to do anything without Thee, and in every favour which we are privileged to receive, we would adore Thy blessed name and acknowledge Thine unexhausted love."
The theme found here is our dependence upon God. That is one of the more necessary reasons for prayer.
- "…yet ye have not, because ye ask not." When we allow the works of the flesh to get in the way of God's blessings upon our lives, we are not able to have the abundant life that God desires for us. James lists some real symptoms of living in the flesh in these verses. You will notice that these are just symptoms. This brings us back to our real reason for prayer - our dependence upon God. Living in the flesh has been defined this way, "living our lives independent of God and His resources."
- Then when we do ask, "we ask amiss." It is sad that so many Christians are living defeated lives by allowing the "flesh" to dominate their lives. So we see in these verses the first enemy in our lives - letting the old nature have control.
- Then in verse 4 we are confronted with our second enemy — "the world." The words of this verse are very powerful. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses…" James uses some very strong language here. Certainly those to whom he was writing were in need of some strong correction. However, James is not the only writer in the N.T. that uses strong language concerning this enemy of the Christian.
Surely that kind of language does not apply to us does it? Surely we don't need any admonitions like that or like these??
1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
- There are four kinds of worlds spoken of in the Bible:
- The "world" that is the creation of God - Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
- There is that "world" which encompasses all mankind: the entire human family John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
- There is that "world" which James, John, and Paul warned us about. It is that system of lies, hate and death that is diametrically opposed to the truth, life and love of Jesus Christ. You can see it all around us especially in the behaviour and reaction of lost mankind to things of the One True God. Politicians, Hollywood's whores and whoremongers, media moguls, etc., etc., are denizens of this wicked worldly system. Just recently a Godly politician got up on the floor of Congress and began reading the Bible. That is all he was doing, reading select passages from God's word. Democrats and Republicans chose to leave the chambers cursing the man reading the Bible. This "world" hates the One True God, His Book, and anyone or anything associated with Him. This "world" is under control of the 3rd enemy of the Christian.
Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
- Then there is that "world to come" which speaks of our eventual eternal home in heaven if we have been born again.
Mark 10:30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Hebrews 2:5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
Hebrews 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Humility And Submission Are Key Steps To Growing Our Faith —James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
The First Step to Growing Your Faith is Humility - Pride is a poison that will destroy a Christian's life and testimony for the Lord. Humbleness will enable you and me to take the steps to victory in our Christian life.
Psalm 18:27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
After Humility comes the next step to Growth and Victory – Submission.
The key to victory is to submit ourselves to the will of God. That will enable us to know the will of God and to draw "nigh' to Him. God then draws "nigh" to us, and therein we get the blessed privilege of having Him put His arm around us and cause us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Humility and submission are like a coin. There are two sides to this aspect of our growth. Humility on one side, and submission on the other. When you have both, like we are designed to have, then comes Victory.
Romans 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Notice again the submission and the humility found in these verses. Submission to the will of God requires that we have total dependence upon God.
James 4:11-16 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? 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: 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. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. In these verses James reminds us that our life is short, and we must not destroy it with our Godless speech or activities. Submission to the will of God in our life will enable us to gain the victory over sin, self and Satan, our three enemies. Don't boast about what you can achieve or have achieved. Everything in life that we desire to have or accomplish must be conformed to God's will.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Therefore in view of all that James has said so far, he reminds us that we must not just be hearers of the word, but doers of the word. Are you a hearer and a doer? If you are not a doer, then James says that you are living in sin.
