James 4
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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Overview James covers a range of topics that further test the validity of our faith: Our relationship to the world; ten commands of salvation; responding to
God’s will
Danger of being a friend with the World (4:1-6)
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
Q: What is the connection between 3:16 and 4:1?
Test A test of saving faith
— A friend of the world introduced in 1:27
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Key verse (4:4) Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Living Faithful Christian living looks like this:
— Separation from the world
Unbelief Evidence of unbelief looks like this:
— Lusts, human wisdom
— Love of the world
Results Ungodly friendship with the world results in:
— Conflict with others (4:1a)
— Personal conflict (4:1b-3)
— Conflict with God (4:4-6)
Conflict with Others (4:1a)
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
πόλεμος (polemos). n. masc. war, battle, conflict. We get “polemics” - aggressive, prolonged attack,
refutation of someone’s opinion, principles
— Often translated as “war” (Matt 24:6; Heb 11:34, Rev 11:7, 16:14)
μάχη (machē), quarrel; dispute; fight, violent relationship, results in the extreme in (4:2) murder
Q: Who is the “among you” ?
Among You Among church members
— Obviously some not saved
— Inevitable conflicts, because enemies of God are also enemies of each other
Unity God wants unity in the church (John 13:34-35)
— Praying for unity (John 17:21)
— Paul prayed for Unity (Phil 1:27)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
Q: Who are the members?
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
NIV (4:1) Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
Members Your body, not the church
ἡδονή (hēdonē). n. fem. pleasure, desire, hedonist
— Always used in the NT negatively
— Uncontrolled personal desire to fulfill every passion
— Sensual satisfaction and enjoyment
Q: Where does it come from?
Opposition Selfish opposition to God
— Ungodly hedonists are lovers of selves (2 Tim 3:2-4)
— According to ungodly lusts (Jude 16-18)
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
Characteristics What characterizes them
— Unregenerate people are slaves to desires, tyrannized by passions (1 Thess 4:3-5)
— God’s will for us is that we live pure lives free of sexual immorality
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Q: What is the root cause of fights and quarrels ?
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
(4:2) You lust and do not have
Your desires From your desires for pleasure what are fighting within you
ἐπιθυμέω (epithymeō) to lust, misdirected sinful desire
Unsatisfied Unsatisfied lust results
— Wrong type of pleasures are frustrated, unfulfilled, they sometimes result in murder
(4:2b) You murder and covet and cannot obtain
φονεύω (phoneuō), murder; kill, hate, destructive behaviour, murderous hatred (Matt 5:21-22)
— Erasmus changed two letters - envy
Results The results are catastrophic to self and others
— A lusting person cannot achieve prestige, money, power, success, possessions, love of another person
Sex Not always about sex
— Absalom wanted to kill his father David and rule Israel (2 Sam 17:1-4)
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
(4:2) do not ask
— ungodly, worldly people have everything able to take care of themselves
— Don’t even think to ask God; don’t believe James 1:17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Motives (4:2) Do not ask
— They ask with the wrong motives to spend on their own pleasures
— Don’t ask to magnify God’s goodness, holiness, glory, honor
δαπανάω (dapanaō), spend, completely use up (Luke 15:13)
— Same pleasures as in (4:1)
— Pleasures that cause warfare, not honor God
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Adultery — Having sexual intimacy with someone other than your wife/husband
— Translated unfaithful
OT Spiritual infidelity or unfaithful people
— Jewish audience would understand this (Jer 3:8); Isreal played the harlot (cf. Isaiah 57:7-8)
8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.
NT Also a picture of spiritual infidelity in the NT (Matt 12:39) adulterous generation; (Mark 8:38) applies to Israel
— Scripture only uses adulterous describing Israel (not the Gentiles)
— They alone had a covenant relationship with God
— They were the unfaithful wife
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Q: Is straddling the white line while driving dangerous? Yes!
The world (4:4) Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
— Those who do not belong to Christ belong to the world
— Not talking about believer’s occasional sin
— A believer is never an enemy of God
Choice Those who are a friend of the world have made a choice
— They have made themselves enemies of God
— No neutral relationship with God
— Mutually exclusive
— We are to be dead, separated from the world (Gal 6:14)
14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Q: Does God have enemies? Who?
Enemies of God
OT OT has a lot to say (Ps 68:21; Ps 72:9)
21 But God will wound the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.
9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, And His enemies will lick the dust.
NT NT also has a lot to say
— Elymas was a sorcerer and tried to undermine the faith of Sergius; Paul rebuked him (Acts 13:10 )
— We were God’s enemies but were reconciled when still enemies (Rom 5:10); enemies and didn’t know it
— Unbelievers were “alienated from the life of God” (Eph 4:18)
— “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God” (Rom 8:7)
10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
The responsibility for enmity lies solely with man (Biblical doctrine, p 459)
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
ὑπερήφανος (hyperēphanos), proud. Arrogantly supposing to be better than others. Contempt for others
— Cherish your own independence
— Beholden to no man, not even God
— Cannot receive help, doesn’t know that he needs it
(4:6) God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble
But God But God gives grace to the humble (Matt 5:3)
— Despite being wordly, God offers grace
— He does not give grace to the proud or his ungodly enemies; but gives grace to natural, wordly, unbelieving man
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Turning Point James 4:7-10 is a turning point
— Invitation to Christ
— This passage is directed at non-Christians
— Starting at 3:13 warns of the love of the world
— Here 4:7 is an invitation to salvation
— His calling, seek Him while he can be found
— God calls us but we are commanded to seek Him (Isa 55:6-7); Jesus promised (Matt 11:28-29)
— There is forgiveness in His name (Luke 24:47)
— Paul to the jailor (Acts 16:31) and if we confess our sins we will be saved (Rom 10:9-10)
Q: Can we find the gospel in these verses ? What is the gospel?
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
James offers 10 commands to salvation in 4:7-10: Submission, Resistance, Fellowship, Cleansing, Purification, Misery, Sorrow, Tears, Seriousness, Humility
Submission (4:7)
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
(4:7) submit to God
ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō), subject; subordinate Military term, rank order. Fall in line; passive voluntary submission
Submission Salvation requires submission
— No one can be saved without submitting to God
— Submit as both Lord and Saviour
Submission > Resistance (4:7b)
(4:7) Resist the devil and he will flee from you
ἀνθίστημι (anthistēmi), oppose; resist. To stand against, oppose
— The unbeliever’s master was Satan, now you are the Lord’s
— Once a slave to sin, now a slave to righteousness
— Stand against everything sinful
— Friendship with the world (Satan’s domain) is enmity (Hostility) with God (4:4)
— Our master was Satan (John 8:44) but he will flee (Matt 4:11)
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship (4:8)
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
(4:8) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
— Salvation involves wanting intimacy with God (Ps 42:1, Ps 73:28, Ps 145:18, P 27:8; 63:1-2; 84:2; 143:6)
— (cf. Matt 22:37; Phil 3:10)
— This verse was on the first bible given to me as a gift by Mark Boerner and Mike Busboom (NIV, 1978 ed)
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship > Cleansing (4:8b)
Q: What does it mean clean your hands?
(4:8) Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
Ceremonial Ceremonial cleansing that the priests performed
— The priests were to come to God clean (Ex 30:18-21)
— Repeats “lest they die” in case they missed it the first time
— Isaiah uses the same imagery (Isa 1:15-16)
— Paul says the same thing (1 Tim 2:8 )
18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos). adj. sinful. It denotes sinful behavior
James speaking of unbelievers and a call to salvation
— Sinners is only used to describe unbelievers in the NT (Luke 5:32; Matt 9:13; Mark 2:17)
— Before Mary of Bethany was saved Luke called her a sinner (Luke 7:37)
— “While we were yet sinners” (Rom 5:8)
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship > Cleansing > Purification (4:8c)
Summary We have ten (10) commands involving salvation
— Submission; Resistance; Fellowship; Cleansing
— Now, purification
(4:8) and purify your hearts, you double-minded
Parallelism Hebraic Parallelism here
— Cleanse your hands = purify your hearts
— You sinners = you double minded
— We must turn form outward sin and also the inward sin of the heart
— David clean hands and hearts (Ps 24:3-5); Jesus out of the heart... (Matt 15:19)
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
δίψυχος (dipsychos), double-minded; doubting
— Trusting and not trusting
— Believing and not believing (1:8)
— Reminds me of Mr.-facing-both-ways
— An unbeliever, double souled; lacks integrity. Claiming one thing but living another (hypocrite)
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship > Cleansing > Purification > Misery (4:9)
9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
(4:9) Lament
— Be miserable, lament
ταλαιπωρέω (talaipōreō) Be wretched, miserable, lament, broken hearted because of circumstances
— Because, you realize that you are sinful, lost, separated from God
— Exact feeling of the tax collector (Luke 18:13)
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship > Cleansing > Purification > Misery (4:9) > Sorrow (4:9b)
(4:9b) and mourn
— Mourn over sin, remorse, despair
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship > Cleansing > Purification > Misery > Sorrow >Tears (4:9c)
(4:9c) and weep!
— Outward manifestation of an inward reality
— Peter wept after sinning (Mark 14:72)
72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship > Cleansing > Purification > Misery > Sorrow >Tears > Seriousness (4:9)
9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
(4:9) Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom
Laughter Not condemning laughter
Flippant Being flippant is not okay
— Condemning trivial, self-centered, worldly sensual kind of laughter by unbelievers
— We grieve over the world’s priorities (1 John 2:16)
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
Submission> Resistance > Fellowship > Cleansing > Purification > Misery > Sorrow >Tears > Seriousness > Humility (4:10)
Summary We have ten (10) commands involving salvation in 4:7-10
— Submission (4:7a)
— Resistance (4:7b)
— Fellowship (4:8)
— Cleansing (4:8b)
— Purification (4:8c)
— Misery (4:9)
— Sorrow (4:9b)
— Tears (4:9c)
— Seriousness (4:9d)
— and now, Humility (4:10)
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
(4:10) Humble yourselves
Starting Point Humility is the starting point of salvation
ταπεινόω (tapeinoō) Make low, humble
— Blessed are the poor (humble) in spirit (Matt 5:3)
— God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble (4:6)
— The prodigal son is a perfect example of humility (Luke 15:18-19)
— Not just a nice story but example of what our attitude should be like
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
The blasphemous sin of defaming others (4:11-12)
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
(4:11) Do not speak evil of one another, brethren
καταλαλέω (katalaleō) speak evil, slander. Mindless, thoughtless, careless, critical, derogatory, untrue speech
OT The OT says a lot about slander
—tale bearer among your people (Lev 19:16)
— backbite with his tongue ( Ps 15:3)
— speak against your brother…slander your own mother’s son Ps 50:19-20)
NT The NT also has a lot to say about slander
— out of the heart… false witness, blasphemies (Matt 15:19)
— backbiting, whisperings, conceits ( 2 Cor 12:20)
— Paul condemns it (Eph 4:31, Col 3:8)
16 You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
19 You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit. 20 You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;
Control Control your tongue
Avoid slander in 4 areas
1. What we think of others
2. What we think of the law of God
3. What we think of God
4. What we think of ourselves
What we think of others (4:11a)
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
(4:11) Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother
Inside/outside Slander from outside the church is expected
— But slander inside the church brother against brother is not
What we think of others > The Law (4:11b)
(4:11b) speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law,
Violates the Law Slander violates the law
— You disregard the ultimate standard
— God gave us the 10 commandments to regulate how we love Him
— Slander condemns God’s law of Love
Q: How do the 10 commandments demonstrate God’s love?
Ex 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me (1)
— Love is single-minded devotion
Ex 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth
Ex 20:5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me (2)
— Love is loyal in practice not just in attitude
Ex 20:7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain (3)
— Love shows respect
Ex 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (4)
— Love is devoted
Ex 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you (5)
— Love is submissive
Ex 20:13 You shall not murder (6)
— Love values others
Ex 20:14 You shall not commit adultery (7)
— Love is pure, not selfish, would not hard another person
Ex 20:15 “You shall not steal (8)
— Loves gives and does not take
Ex 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (9)
— Love is truthful
Ex 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant,
nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” (10)
— Love is content
(4:11c) you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it
— You claim to be superior!
— You hypocrite! You actually judge the law when you slander
What we think of others > The Law > What we think of God (4:12a)
12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
(4:12a) There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy
Usurp God You slander and you try to usurp God just like Satan did (cf. Isaiah 14:13-14)
— Satan and his “5 I wills”
Is 14:13-14 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
(4:12) save and to destroy
Q: What did the angel say to Joseph?
He will save His people from their sins (Matt 1:21)
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) destroy, perish
— Not annihilation but eternal destruction in hell (Matt 10:28; 25:46; 2 Thess 1:9)
Summary
When we avoid slander we avoid slander in 4 areas: 1. What we think of others, 2. What we think of the law of God, 3. What we think of God
and What we think of ourselves
What we think of others > The Law > What we think of God > What we think of ourselves (4:12b)
(4:12b) Who are you to judge another?
Judge others Who are you to judge others?
Paul said the same thing (Ro 12:3)
— not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly (Ro 12:3)
Responding to God’s will (4:13-17)
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Responding
There are many marks of a true Christian
— Love of God
— Repentance from Sin
— Separation from the world
— A believer wants to do the will of God, respond to His will (Ps 40:8, Matt 7:21)
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Greatest Example The greatest example was Jesus
— He did the will of God (John 4:34, 6:38; Matthew 26:39)
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
(4:13) Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit
Q:Is God opposed to business success or making a profit?
Mundane No, James is using a mundane example to speak about God’s will
— Everyday mundane example, buying and selling
— Illustrates three (3) negatives and a positive: 1. The foolishness of ignoring God’s will, 2. The arrogance of denying God’s will,
3. The sin of disobeying God’s will and 4. The blessing of acknowledging God’s will
The Foolishness of ignoring God’s will
Plan Business people plan business; nothing wrong with that
— But largely ignore God; not part of their plans
Presumptions Five (5) presumptions
(4:13) Their own time; Today or tomorrow
(4:13) Their own location; We will go to such and such a city
(4:13) Their own duration; spend a year there
(4:13) Their own enterprise ; buy and sell
(4:13) Their own goal; make a profit
No God — They leave God out of their planning
Parable Jesus told a parable of a man who left God out of his planning (Luke 12:16-21)
— A rich man built a barn for his crops. But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
(4:14) you do not know what will happen tomorrow
Foolish to think that we are in charge of our lives
— We have no control what will happen tomorrow or today
(4:14b) For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away
Brief Life is brief (1 Pet 1:24)
— 70-80 years maybe (Isa 40:6-8)
— Our days are like a flower or grass in the field (Ps 103:15-16)
The Foolishness of ignoring God’s will > The arrogance of denying God’s will (4:16)
16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
(4:16) you boast
— Those who know God but resist his will
καυχάομαι (kauchaomai) Boast, loud mouthed. Either rejoicing or touting one’s accomplishments
(4:16) in your arrogance
ἀλαζονεία (alazoneia), vauntings, arrogance; boastfulness. To wander about, sometimes describes
charlatans selling fake merchandise; taken together — bragging about something you don’t
have and can’t have
(4:16) All such boasting is evil
πονηρός (ponēros) Scripture uses ponēros as the title for Satan
— The original boastful sinner
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
The Foolishness of ignoring God’s will > The arrogance of denying God’s will > The sin of disobeying God’s will (4:17)
(4:17) to him who knows to do good
Disobey Those who know God; know his sovereignty; know God’s will is good
— They still disobey
— Also disobey their conscience (Ro 14:14, 23)
(4:17) and does not do it, to him it is sin
To know and not do is sin (Luke 12:47)
— Jonah was told to preach to Nineveh but instead fled to Tarshish
— Sins of omission and co-mission
— Omission: visit the sick, neglect the hungry, take are of the poor
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Q: Can you know God’s Will?
Yes Scripture tells us that
— He wants all men to be saved (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9)
— His will is that we are spirit filled (Eph 5:17-18)
— His will is that we are sanctified (1 Thess 4:3-8)
— His will is that we are submissive (1 Pet 2:13-15)
— His will is that if we suffer, we suffer for good and not evil (1 Pet 3:17)
Desire — And if we do these five (5) things he will give you the desires of your heart (Ps 37:4)
Additional Resources
MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue. Biblical Doctrine: a Systematic Summary of Bible Truth. Crossway, 2017.