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INTRODUCTION
Tonight we conclude our study of James 4:1-6 which is the first paragraph of this great chapter.
As before, we will take just a few minutes summarizing each verse.
Then, we will conclude with using 2 Timothy 3:16-17 as our guide.
So, let’s get right into it by reading the paragraph.
Here is what we learned from each of these verses.
PARAGRAPH RECAP
In this verse, the Holy Spirit exposes the underlying problem to all wars and fightings.
It is our “lusts that war’ in our members.
We learned two very important things.
Our Lust Are the Source of All Human Conflict
This is obvious by the verse itself.
There is no denying its truth.
We know that we are sinners born with an wicked tendency to do all that is contrary to God and His Word.
There are many, many verses we turn to in support of this truth.
However, for the sake of time and since we covered this extensively already, suffice it to say that we have a big spiritual issue.
Our Lust Are Secretly Preparing to War Against Us
This point was made more obvious by our word study.
Our text says that speaks to the fact these lust “war” in our members.
The word “war” here literally means “to make war.”
The imagery associated with it is that of a great army encamped outside the walls of a great city preparing for its assault.
Thus, our lust are lurking somewhat secretly inside us seeking to get their way.
They are always there ready at a moment’s notice to divert our attention away from God and to ourselves.
It is something that we must be aware of so we can effectively combat their advances.
Verse 2 continues to expose the brutal reality of our lusts.
Essentially, our lusts tend escalate sinful actions when they are unmet according to our pleasure.
Here is what we learned.
Our Lusts Can be GOOD or BAD Depending On Its Motivation
The word “lusts” used in verse 2 is different than the word used in verse 1.
In verse 2, the Greek word simply means to have a yearning desire or passion for something or someone.
Thu, it is the object of our passion which determines the quality of desire.
For example, we learned in verse 5 -
Here we see an indication that God’s Spirit does indeed “lust.”
However, His lust is not a sinful or evil things.
Instead, God’s Spirit “yearns” after us.
The word “lust” in verse 5 means a “great yearning or desire.”
Therefore, He is passionate about our spiritual well being which is a good thing - a holy thing.
Unfortunately for us, too many times our “lust” or our “passions” are directed towards pleasing self and not God.
Anytime we focus on self is always leads to sinful deeds.
That is the essence then of verse 2 and lead us to the next truth we learned.
Our Lusts Lead Us to an Escalation of Sinful Actions When Focused on Self
Note once again the progression.
James 4:2 (KJV 1900)
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.
James 4:2 (KJV 1900)
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.
James 4:2 (KJV 1900)
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.
Three levels of escalation are given.
Level 1 - Starts with a simple desire to have something or someone that another person has and enjoys which we want for ourselves.
Level 2 - Escalates when we don’t get what we want and so we resort to lying, cheating, stealing, and even killing to get what we feel we deserve.
Level 3 - This is the ultimate level of our lusts.
This is the pinnacle where a person is willing to wage an all-out and open campaign to get what they want and they do not care who is destroyed in the process.
The end result of us seeking to achieve what we want is this.
It is nothing.
We have not.
In each instance, there is sense of never getting what we truly desired.
The reason for such an outcome is quite simple.
A Person’s True Desires Can NEVER BE SATISFIED APART From God
Now, here is where we come back to the context of the entire chapter.
The Holy Spirit is speaking to us as believers.
It is for this reason that verse 2 concludes with “yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
As a believer, our duty is always seek God’s will for our lives.
Part of seeking His will includes the promise that by putting Him first He will take care of all our needs.
Therefore, any time we seek things outside of His will we are seeking those things which please our sinful lusts.
And, as we already have learned, when we seek things that please our own lust it leads to sinful deeds that have a tendency to escalate.
Unbelievers are a great example of this.
An example, by the way, that we all understand because we were once without Christ.
There is no doubt that everyone is seeking something to fill the great void in their life.
What is this?
Men were CREATED as SPIRITUAL BEINGS.
Thus, they sense something spiritual is missing.
It is reason why we have so many different religions in our world today.
Men CANNOT be SATISFIED by MATERIAL THINGS.
There is nothing this world has to offer that can fill the spiritual void.
Men have tried time and time again.
Each time they come up short.
No amount of possession, power, or popularity can fill the void that only Christ can.
Men are UNABLE to CONTROL their SINFUL DESIRE to please themselves.
Only God’s Spirit and power can do bring under control the powerful passions of sinful self.
It is the reason why each person needs to Christ as their personal Savior.
Now let’s consider verse 3.
Verse 3 moves from a universal principle involving all people to some principles for believers only.
At the heart of this verse and following verses, is this one great principle concerning believers.
God desires what is best for you.
Additionally, He knows what is best for you.
For that reason, He sincerely yearns for us to come to Him with our requests.
Our requests though must meet His standard.
Therefore, there is an improper way and a proper way to submit requests to God.
The IMPROPER WAY to ASK of God is When We Ask for Selfish Reasons
We ask and do not receive because we ask amiss.
Remember the word “amiss” carries the connotation of wicked in character or foundation.
In other words, we ask amiss because our intent comes from a sinful heart.
The intent is “consume it upon your lusts.”
The word “consume” means to squander away.
This verse stand as the antithesis of Matthew 6:33 and 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Any we do or ask must be for His glory and not our own.
Anything outside of that parameter is asking amiss.
This next point is not contained in verse 3, but is found throughout other Scripture passages.
We must ask the proper way.
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