August 29, 2014
HUMILITY: WHEN AN ENEMY UNDERSTANDS GRACE
James 4:1–10
Tiffany Marshall
Central Truth
Our desire to attain temporary pleasure makes us enemies of God. "But He gives more grace."
Key Verse | James 4:6
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)
James 4:1–10
Warning Against Worldliness
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions 1 4:1 Greek pleasures; also verse 3 are at war within you? 2 4:1 Greek in your members 2 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. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! 3 4:4 Or You adulteresses! 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. 5 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”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Dive Deeper | James 4:1–10
"If it feels good, do it!" This is perhaps one of the greatest lies/marketing strategies/weapons the enemy uses to draw us away from the abundant life Jesus died to provide for us. We prefer temporary ecstasy to eternal sanctity. We are like children who refuse to get out of the mud and bathe because we're having too much fun. All the while our parents desire to give us a greater good; we could be going to Disney World!
That analogy is a bit of a stretch, but it reveals something about the nature of our hearts. We kick and scream to get our own way, right NOW! Our pleasure is our highest priority, our enjoyment the greatest pursuit, and here and now is the only time that matters. James points out the results of living life for ourselves in the first four verses of this passage: quarrels, conflicts, murder, fights, disappointment, and hostility toward God. I don't know about you, but that's not my idea of happily ever after.
Every time we choose temporary pleasure over eternal joy, we place ourselves in opposition to God. We become His enemies. "But He gives more grace."
Verse 6 is such a pivotal verse. It is where the despair of the passage takes a turn toward hope. Grace is the only thing that makes verse 8 possible. A holy God is under no obligation to draw near to His enemy. That He reciprocates and draws near to us is not a sign of His surrender, but of His grace. Until we understand the depths of that grace, we will continue to try to approach God in arrogance, arguing that we deserve to be happy and to get our own way. When we understand grace, we draw near to God humbly, mourn our disobedience, regret our temper tantrums, acknowledge His holiness, and bow in repentance.
Discussion Questions
1. What temporary pleasures are you currently pursuing?
2. How has that pursuit led to conflict or quarrels in your life?
3. How will you draw near to God in humility and repentance? What specific actions can you take today?
4. Spend some time thanking God that His grace is greater.