A War of Worlds - James 4 ______

LESSON 6 …Week of May 24, 2020

A WAR OF WORLDS - JAMES 4 ______

In the second half of Chapter 3, James lists distinct characteristics of worldly wisdom and calls this wisdom earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. The outcome of worldly wisdom is disorder and evil; in contrast, Godly wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. Godly wisdom leads to peaceful fellowship, and James 3 ends on a note of peace, “a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (James 3:18).” Chapter 4 continues the discussion of the battle between the worldview and God’s view. James addresses a church community in conflict as he asks, “what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you (James 4:1)?” James 4 has two subtitles, “warning against worldliness” (4:1-12) and “boasting about tomorrow” (4:13-17).

James 4:1-6 diagnoses problems in a divided church community, and Verses 7-12 offer a solution. A church community divided is characterized by quarrels, fights, and internal passions. The Greek word for passions, hedone, is used throughout the New Testament in a negative sense as in 1 Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” When the spirit of the world gets into the church, evil passions create jealousy, leading to murder, and coveting, leading to quarrels. Not knowing the exact situation in the community James is addressing, “murder” may possibly be interpreted metaphorically as opposed to literally. The cure for worldliness is prayer and faith in God; James writes in Verse 3, “You have not because you have asked not.” We are reminded of Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Luke 11:9-10, where there seems to be an unconditional promise that all prayers will be answered: “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened to you.”

Our English language doesn’t properly capture the power of the imperatives ask, seek and knock as they are used in Luke 11. Translated from the Greek, these verbs are better translated keep on keep on asking, keep on keep on seeking, and keep on keep on knocking, encouraging persistence in prayer. As we keep asking it is with the hope that something will be given to us. Here, Luke foreshadows the coming of the Holy Spirit and its work in the church as the passage in Luke concludes with Jesus saying, “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” And as we keep seeking, we are seeking God’s wisdom. This complements James’ teaching: a church community is to pray for wisdom against the world and not for its own selfish desires, and wisdom, Jesus says in John 16:13, comes through the Holy Spirit.

James 4:4-6 begins with harsh words but ends with a lifeline. James refers to friends of the world as “adulterous people,” who are enemies of God. That designation is always used in scripture of people who assume they are in a covenant relationship with God, and it is possible that here James uses it for those who are part of a Christian community yet do not have a true relationship with God. In Verse 5, James quotes a scripture, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us.” Although there is no identical scripture found in the Bible, James may be paraphrasing Exodus 34:14, “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” The lifeline is simply one word: “grace,” given to those who are humble. Verses 7-12 might be called James’ “ten commandments”, a recipe for humility before God as the church is called to repentance. One commentator has summarized these imperatives with a nine “R’s”: relinquish control of your life, resist the devil, restore worship to a priority, renounce sinful actions, reject sinful attitudes, react to sin with “sorry,” refrain from a frivolous attitude toward evil, respond humbly to success, and refuse to slander your brother.

In Chapter 4:13-17, James reminds readers they cannot predict the future and must learn to face it honestly. In this section, titled “boasting about tomorrow,” James writes that it is a mistake both to assume to know and plan the future without God. James acknowledges the brevity of life and compares it to a mist that quickly vanishes. In Verse 15, instead of trying to predict the future, James encourages his readers to rely on the will of God. An interesting fact: 100 years ago, Christians signed their letters with D.V. for Deo Volente, Latin for “if the Lord wills” or “God willing.” Those Christians were willing to visibly proclaim their trust in God, recognizing that He is in control of all life, unpredictable as it can be.

James closes this section with a warning not to procrastinate, because it is a sin to know the right thing to do yet fail to do it. We are reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 7:15-20: For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

James writes to a Christian community “under construction,” where attitudes and actions are not yet fully in friendship with God. James realizes that once a person is converted to faith there is still a need to grow through trials and the influence of the world.

As you begin the week’s study, consider these questions and share with your group as you are comfortable doing so.  What gives you pleasure as being a part of a church family? What things are you missing in this season of worshiping at home?  What do you procrastinate about?

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QUESTIONS FOR WEEK 6 – A WAR OF WORLDS - JAMES 4 ______

1. Read James 4:1-2, which describes a church community divided as one characterized by quarrels, fights, and internal passions. From the Greek word for passions, hedone, we get the term “hedonism”, a school of thought that argues seeking pleasure and avoiding suffering are the only components of well-being. How does what we have read so far in James speak against this school of thought? Select some verses and list them below.

2. In the following scriptures, what do we learn from Jesus, Paul and Moses us about hedone? Luke 8:14 Titus 3:3 Hebrews 11:24-25

3. James writes, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions (4:3).” What do the following scriptures tell us about prayer? John 16:23-24 James 1:6 Psalm 66:18-19 1 John 5:13-14

Are any of the above teachings especially easy or hard for you? Why or why not?

4. Read James 4:4-5. James calls friendship with the world enmity (hostility) towards God. How would you define your “friendship” with God, what characteristics do you look for in a true friend? If possible, share applicable scriptures to describe God as a true friend. How might a church community show God’s friendship to the world?

5. Read James 4:6-12, a call to humility and repentance. Cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts means to change both actions and hearts. James commands us to humble ourselves, with ten imperatives that are characteristic of a truly humble spirit. List the imperatives and identify which require a change of action and which require a change of heart (or both).

6. James closes this chapter with a warning not to be boastful, ending with a reference to a sin of omission – knowing the right thing to do but not doing it. Read James 4:13-17 and Jesus’ lesson from Luke 12:13-21, The Parable of the Rich Fool. How does the parable illustrate James’ teaching in this section?

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JAMES 4 FOR FAMILIES

1. James 4:1-2 talks about a church in conflict, characterized by quarrels and fighting. Imagine what that church might look like. Draw a picture of what a church divided might look like.

2. James talks about the danger of worldly passions or pleasures. As you talk about the difference between worldly and Godly pleasures, encourage children to share what they are missing by not being in church. If it’s a Sunday school teacher, write them a note or draw them a picture. If it’s a friend, get in touch with that friend. If it’s hearing Bible stories, tune in to MLEPC’s YouTube channel and listen to Mrs. Gardner telling favorite Bible stories from her home. For older youth, the MLEPC youth Facebook page has many devotions from youth director Brant Toulouse and others, including from some of their peers.

3. In the second half of Verse 2, James writes, “you do not have, because you do not ask.” Reflect on the importance of prayer to help families through this unique time of sheltering at home. Make a list of unique things to pray for related to this season we are in.

4. James 4:4 talks about friendship with the world as opposed to friendship with God. What does friendship with God look like? No one knows what God actually looks like, but how would you imagine a friendly God (fun activity for all ages!)?

5. In James 4:7-11, James provides a list of ten imperatives, vitally important things that we must do as we humble ourselves before God, who gives us grace. Grace is God’s unmerited love given to us, even though we don’t deserve it. We can’t keep all of James’ “commandments” perfectly as we are still growing, under construction. Read Matthew 7:24- 27, a teaching about the importance of building our lives on the right foundation. Do an activity to reinforce this Bible story: make a sand picture, decorate a rock, build something with a stack of rocks, or use small rocks and glue them on a piece of cardboard or a wooden board to make a mosaic.

6. This week’s passage ends as James writes, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James wants us to do the right thing and not put it off or “procrastinate.” As you talk about this large word with children, ask what kinds of things they put off doing and talk about how that can be harmful. Do an activity together that has been “put off.”