James invites us into some badly needed reflection. In James 4:1 he asks the question, “What is the source of wars and fights among you?” Isn’t this the first question we ask, whether the conflict is on the scale of a World-Wide War… or perhaps something more personal? Who started it? What started it? And isn’t our tendency to shift the blame—the woman made me do it, or the devil. And isn’t it our tendency to justify ourselves, deflect responsibility, and excuse ourselves?
Our preferred pronouns: “He, she, they, them, you all, you…” Our less used pronouns: “I, Me.” As in, “I’m the source. I was the rudder that steered that ship. I was the bit that led that horse to its death. I was the spark that ignited that firestorm. It has my tongue, my pride, my arrogance, my sin.” James 4:1-2, “What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?” When is that last time some war broke out, some huge fight, and you heard someone say, “I think it might be me. My heart, mind, soul might not be right.”
Whenever all hell breaks loose, our impulse is to look at it through a window, or TV Screen, or our device. But God doesn’t give us a window—he gives us a mirror. And by his Word God says, “I know what you want to see, and think you see… but let me show you what I see. . .” It’s the Mirror of God’s Word and Spirit. God says, “Stop blaming, accusing, justifying. Be quick to listen. Slow to speak. Slow to become angry. And what I’m showing you; don’t be quick to walk away and forget.”
Who this morning, has the faith or courage to dare look in the mirror? Let’s start with James 4:1-4, “What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?” You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. “You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.”
The single source of every war, every fight, all conflict, all human cruelty…in a word, it’s your desires. But there are five types of desires James alludes to:
• First, there CONFLICTING desires. It’s our “War Room”. These are things that compete and wage war within. It’s Jesus warning that we cannot serve two masters, we will either love one or the other, but we cannot maintain both. It’s Paul’s inner conflict—he desires good, but sin is aroused. It’s the Rich Young Ruler—he desired to follow Jesus, but also serve wealth. Matthew 19:21-22, “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.”
• Second, there are UNFULFILLED desires. It’s our “Waiting Room.” There are things we do not yet have. Unanswered prayers, hopes, dreams, goals, ambitions, aspirations, even things we feel entitled to be ours. But then we get impatient, or envious, and we take. It’s Sarai in Genesis 16:2, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”
• Third, there are FRUSTRATED desires. It’s our “Hard Ceiling”. There are things we just cannot obtain. Maybe we don’t have the time or energy, the talent or ability, the intelligence or opportunity, the money or network, the connections or personality needed. It’s King Ahab, Remember how his soul ached to acquire Naboth’s vineyard? 1 Kings 21:4, “Ahab went into his house resentful and sullen because of the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had given him. He had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” So, Ahab lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and didn’t eat any food.”
• Fourth, there are IMPURE Desires. It’s our “Closet of Secrets.” There are things we don’t dare mention out loud, much less, pray about. These are desires we’re ashamed of, that we’d be mortified if discovered. Hidden things, secret things, unspeakable things. Dark, Evil, Immoral, Impure. These are things God would never, and will never give us. It’s David and Bathsheba, in 2 Samuel 11:27, “When the time of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the Lord considered what David had done to be evil.". It’s James 1:21, “Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."
• Fifth, we have ADULTEROUS Desires. It’s our “Greener Grass Syndrome.” There are things that threaten to steal our heart from God. Things we look to for ultimate meaning, purpose, significance, joy, and happiness. It’s Solomon. His life was so hollow, he sought to fill his void with everything imaginable under the sun. Work. Pleasure. Wealth. Women. 1 Kings 11:4 says, “When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been."
Intertwined in these verses, is prayer. You do not have because you do not ask or trust God. You do not have, because your passions and desires are selfish, impure, profane, evil. And then there is this. You do not have because God is jealous for you!
There isn’t just a battle “within” our soul; there is a battle “for” our soul. James 4:5-6, “You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God. Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely? But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
If you are a believer, God is your Husband, you are the cherished bride of Christ, you are the temple, house, home of his Holy Spirit. Even if you aren’t a believer, God is jealous for you. The single thing God covets more than anything in all the universe—that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul.” And this is really the ugly root of our passions and desires. God’s set his affection on us, but we’ve set our affections elsewhere.
In my years, I’ve seen many divorces occur. At a purely human level, is there any deeper pain than love rejected, love betrayed, than trust breached? We often think of jealousy as an evil, selfish desire because it so often escalates in crimes of passion. Which means, the deeper the love betrayed, the more atrocious a crime is likely to be! But just like anger can be holy, so also jealousy can be holy.
2 Timothy 2:13 says of God’s holy character, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself." Exodus 34:14 ("for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God") James 4:6 says, Yes, “the Spirit of God envies us intensely, but he gives greater grace.” Whereas we murder, covet, wage war and fight and take… God pours out his grace. He’s jealous for our affection. And what joy and celebration there is in heaven when we turn our affections back to God!
But James says something important. James 4:6, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” God is not going to be party to our spiritual adultery. He’s doesn’t just lay down, a door mat, as we walk out the door. No, God resists our adultery at every turn, opposing us in our pride. His kindness is to bring us to godly sorrow, and godly sorrow repentance, and repentance reconciliation!
2 Corinthians 7:10, "For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow produces death." Godly Sorrow is having the humility to realize God has set his eternal affection on you. God is willing to forgive 100% of your sin, infidelity, spiritual idolatry… he’s willing will to forgive you of your sin and purify you of all unrighteousness.. even your regrets… if you’d humble yourself and turn to him. Worldly “saddening” sorrow is consumed with selfish ambitions… its own conflicted, unfulfilled, frustrated, impure, adulterous desires. I’m stuck. I’m caught. But Godly sorrow realizes, “I’ve broken God’s heart.”
I see a lot of sad people. I see a lot of sad, angry young people. You are sad because God resists you in your rebellion. God resists your desires to whatever degree what you most want is destructive to love of yourself, love of others, and your love of God. God is not going to partner in your sadness, he offers you salvation and joy.
There is a battle within our soul. There is a battle for our Soul—May God prevail. But what is our Battle Plan? James 4:7-10, “7 Therefore, submit 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, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable 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.”
In a word, your Battle Plan is Humble Yourself before God. But James really breaks this down. This passage is the mirror we talked about. The only way we experience healing is if we look intently into what God’s showing us and not forget. Here we go: James’ Rapid Fire Imperatives…
Submit to God. The Christ life begins with an invitation to die to self. When an enemy realizes they are defeated they stop fighting and raise a white flag. They make a change of allegiance, a pledge of good conscience. This is baptism. In baptism you die, you’re buried, you pledge your life to God, it’s SURRENDER!
Resist the Devil, with the promise, “he will flee from you.” Draw Near to God, with the promise, “he will draw near to you.” It’s not our feeble efforts that cause the Devil Flee, it’s when he senses God’s presence towering over you, because you’ve thrown yourself at God’s feet.
Cleanse your Hands. Rinse your hands of temptation and sin! Purify your Hearts. Stop trying to maintain or please two masters. Choose God. Set your affections on Him, on carrying out what is God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will or desire.
Be Miserable and Mourn and Weep. Have you ever considered that maybe your sadness, depression, and misery has a redemptive upside? If what you most desire is stirring misery. If what you most desire stirs self-hate, self-destructive impulses. If it causes you to hate others, covet, kill and envy. If what you most desire is taking you away from God… then perhaps you ought to look at your sadness, depression, and misery as red flashing warning lights. Overwhelming sadness is worldly sorrow—unfilled selfish ambitions. Not godly sorrow—humility.
Here is God’s promise, dear sad ones. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Humility is the mirror not on the wall, but of God’s Word. Get in front of these verses and invite God to turn your mourning into godly laughter, your worldly sorrow into godly sorrow then godly joy!
And friends, it’s when we get our soul in order that the wars and fights being to subside! James 4:11-12, “Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”
It’s the silver lining of this whole text. The great reversal of James 4:1 cruelty, conflicts, wars, and fights! That once we humble ourselves before God’s grace… a miracle occurs. The law of freedom prevails over our own soul… and the law of love prevails in our relationships. We extend that same grace we now enjoy, to others. We release others of their guilt and shame, just as God released us of ours. We stop playing the lawgiver, judge, blamer, accuser … and together take our seat of humility as law-obeyers. And instead of looking out the window at others, we look longer, harder into the mirror God’s provided.
And in that mirror our pronouns shift. Not just from “he, she, you, they, them…” blameshifting. And not just to the internal audit, “I, and me.” But now also to becoming a community of grace “we, us.” How can “we” do this Christian life together. Let’s “us” learn to walk in freedom and love, mercy and grace, Christ has afforded us.