Living Out Our Faith Submissively - James 4:3
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
So far we have considered verses 1 and 2 of James 4. You may recall that this chapter has three paragraphs. This evening we will be halfway through the first which consists of verses 1-6.
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 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. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 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. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Look again at verse 3 with me.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Let’s dive right in as we consider its grammatical construction.
GRAMMAR STUDY
GRAMMAR STUDY
Just like verse 2, this verse contains several verbs. One of theses is used twice in this verse. It is the verb “ye ask.” Both are translated from the same Greek word “aiteo.” It is also the same word as in verse 2 which we spent some time considering last Sunday evening. This word emphasizes a petition made from one who is lesser in position than the one to whom the petition is made. In this case, it is men asking something from God. The second verb is the word “receive.” It simply means to receive or to take into one’s possession. The thing received may or may not necessarily be favorable. In our verse, nothing is received even though it was requested. The last verb is “consume.” In the Greek, it is the word “dapanao.” It means to expend or spend with the idea of squandering it away.
We have only one noun. It is the word “lusts.” Remember there are two Greek words for “lusts.” One simply means “pleasure.” The other suggests an intense passion for something whether good or bad. Our word here is the one for “pleasures” suggesting a gratification of sinful or fleshly desires.
There are two adverbs. They are the words “not” and “amiss.” The latter word is one of particular importance to this verse. There are two main Greek words that the English translators translated “amiss.” The first is the word “atopos.” It has the meaning of something out of place denoting that which is unbecoming or not befitting. It is used only three times in the New Testament [once as amiss, once as harm, and once as unreasonable].
Luke 23:41 (KJV 1900)
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
Acts 28:6 (KJV 1900)
6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
2 Thessalonians 3:2 (KJV 1900)
2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.
However, that is not the word used in our text. The word in our text is actually a more common Greek word that is often used for the word “evil.” It is the word “kakos.” The English translators translated in a myriad of ways depending on context. They translated it using words like “evil, diseased; sick” and, in our case, “amiss.” Here are few examples of its use in other verses.
John 18:23 (KJV 1900)
23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?
Matthew 14:35 (KJV 1900)
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
Matthew 9:12 (KJV 1900)
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Essentially, the word “kakos” stands for whatever is evil in character or base. The idea of being evil in character or base is the essence then of the word “amiss” in our text. Something we will spend more time considering in just a few moments.
There are no adjectives in this verse. However, we do find three different conjunctions. They are word “and,” “because,” and “that.”
Let’s get into the spiritual application of this verse.
SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
He is continuing His teaching concerning our lusts and its implications.
What is the Holy Spirit saying about our lust?
What is the Holy Spirit saying about our lust?
Remember that in verse 1 the Holy Spirit identified our lusts as the core issue of all wars and fightings both within and without. Verse 2 elaborated upon that by showing how our lusts can escalate into all kinds of sinful actions when not held in check. Now, we move to verse 3 which continues the thought that ended verse 2.
2 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.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Verse 2 concluded that we have not because we simply do not ask. In other words, there are some things that God desires to grant us if we would just ask. For instance, God desires to meet our basic needs. He promised He would if we simply put Him first and then go to Him each day asking for His blessing. Unfortunately, we do not even ask Him for the most basic things in life. We simply take them for grant it. Additionally, we take what is a basic need and turn it into sinful lusts. Last week, I used the illustration of food. Food is a basic need. Without it, we would grow weak, become sick, and die. However, for many of us, we allowed our basic need for food turn into a sinful action, gluttony. Any lusts can then become an avenue for additional sins. We desire so much that we will do anything to get it. However, for a believer, that is not what God expects of us. Instead, we are submit ourselves to Him by making Him first in our lives. When we do, then His Spirit is able to help us curb our lusts aka our desire for pleasure. Additionally, we are to rely on Him to provide our basic needs. Asking for Him to provide our “daily bread” is important part of Him doing so. Again, our problem is stems back to our unwillingness to simply trust God. Instead, we tend to rely upon ourselves which leads to falling for temptations of fleshly lusts.
THE IMPROPER WAY TO ASK OF GOD - WE ASK FOR OWN GLORY!
THE IMPROPER WAY TO ASK OF GOD - WE ASK FOR OWN GLORY!
Now, in verse 3, God gives us the flip side of that coin. On one side is our unwillingness to simply ask and other is our willingness to ask. However, in asking, we ask “amiss.” Remember the word “amiss” carries the connotation of being evil in character or base. Thus the idea is that when we do pray our asking for certain things stems from evil intent. The Holy Spirit follows by accurately identifying our problem. We often ask so that we may “consume it upon our lusts.”
Again, if we refer back to our grammar study, we noted the word “consume” means expend by squandering it away. The reality is that we often ask for things so that we might be selfishly gratify our own desires. That is the complete opposite of Matthew 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
It goes against everything that God has instructed in His Word. The only thing that should be first in our lives is Him and His desires, not ours. Anytime we make a request of God we must be sure that it is a request that seeks His glory and not for our own pleasure. Anything short of that is to ask “amiss.” Therefore, we must be extremely careful about the reasons and motives behind our requests. Too many times we ask for the wrong reasons or motives. Here are few practical examples.
“Lord, please continue to provide good health.” - What is the reason or motive? Often it is so that I might live a comfortable life free of pain.
“Lord, please heal me of this awful disease.” What is the reason or motive? Often is motivated by a desire to continue living a comfortable life and not face death.
“Lord, please help me get the upcoming promotion with increased pay.” What is the reason or motive? I want more money so I can buy nicer things and enjoy a life of comfort.
“Lord, please help me be successful in my career.” What is the reason or motive? I want more recognition by others which pleases me.
“Lord, please let me become manager of my division.” What is the reason or motive? I want the authority another has so that I too can enjoy telling others what to do.
“Lord, please let me and my family have unity and harmony.” What is the reason or motive? I want to enjoy my family without any division or chaos so I can have peace.
Now, in each of those instances, what is the ultimate reason or motivation of each one? Is it not to “consume it upon” their own lusts? Each example demonstrates a believer seeking to gratify his or her own desires.
Hebrews-James (King James Version) A. The Causes of Temptation and Wrongdoing, 4:1–6
We seek God’s blessings so that we can have more comfort, enjoyment, better food and clothes, and be accepted and recognized more.
THE PROPER WAY TO ASK OF GOD - WE ASK FOR HIM TO BE GLORIFIED!
THE PROPER WAY TO ASK OF GOD - WE ASK FOR HIM TO BE GLORIFIED!
Now, this is not in our verse, however, I believe it is worth mentioning in light of the context. There is a right motive or reason for prayer. God gives us the Biblical principle by which we should make requests of Him. That principle is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Everything in a believer’s life is to be centered on glorifying God. It is the essence of 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Matthew 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
He is to be the center of our universe. We are to commune and fellowship with Him. In doing so, He draws us closer and closer to Him. A principle that we will see later in James 4. Thus, we must continually make learning more about Him our goal each day. Our purpose in life is to worship and serve Him. Nothing else matters. For this reason, anything we desire must be centered on pleasing and glorifying God. You can see how this fits with the examples I gave earlier.
“Lord, please continue to provide me with good health so that I might be a faithful witness of You to others in my life.”
“Lord, help to me accept this awful disease as an opportunity to grow in my faith in Your promises and allow me to be an example to others of your grace, mercy, and strength in times of weakness and trials.”
“Lord, bless me with the upcoming promotion so that I may have more finances to serve You and help others who are spreading the gospel message around the world.”
“Lord, help me to be successful in my career allowing me greater opportunities to witness for You to others around me.”
Lord, if it be your will, allow me to move up to management so that I may influence those under me for You.”
“Lord, bring harmony to our family using me as a peacemaker and instrument to lead my family members to a saving knowledge of You and let me see the dysfunction as opportunities by which I can be an example of Your control in my life.”
All of these fit right in line with the many teachings of Scripture.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Being a light before us means reflecting the true light of Christ to others. God is glorified by such an action. Bearing the fruit of the Spirit glorifies the Lord and identifies you as His disciple. Again, the point is clear. Everything in our life should about glorifying the Lord and not ourselves.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Our biggest problem is our flesh. We are, as I said last week, walking civil wars. The battle between fleshly and spiritual desires is real. Part of winning that battle is understanding the enemy. Our flesh is one of our greatest enemies. It is the “lusts that war” in our members. Such lusts causes us to distrust God and trust ourselves. Thereby, we tend NOT to ask for even our basic needs. The end result is we “have not, because we [ye] ask not.” On the other side of the coin is this. We “ask and receive not, because we [ye] ask amiss.” In both instances, our flesh is control. We have given into our own pleasures. Next week is verse 4. In that verse, we will learn how each time we give into the flesh we place ourselves at odds with God. I hope you will come back next week as we learn this important principle. For now, I would encourage you to begin examining your true intent for any requests that you make to God. Be sure to make requests that seek to glorify Him and not your fleshly desires.