(Section 5) The Perfect Man And Separation - Wars Series

HE PERFECT MAN AND SEPARATION

I. WARS

A. Result from lusts within

1. A man can become a slave to lusts and pleasures, and, when he does, malice and envy and hatred enter into life.

2. The basic desires are for the same things-- money, power, prestige, worldly possessions, and gratification's of bodily lusts (sensual desires).

1 John 2:16

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of

the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

B. Have historically been a fact of life

C. Are Destructive and Sometimes Productive

1. Life 2. Liberty 3. Property

II. THREE WARS DISCUSSED BY JAMES

A. At War with Each Other (4:1. 11-12) v. 1 -- "among you"

Amplified Version

V. 1 What leads to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and

fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires

that are ever warring in your bodily members?

V. 2 You are jealous and covet --what others have-- and your desires go

unfulfilled; --so-- you become murderers. --To hate is to murder as far

as your hearts are concerned.-- You burn with envy and anger and are

not able to obtain --the gratification, the contentment and the happiness

that you seek--, so you fight and war.

1. Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to

dwell together in unity!

Surely brethren should live together in love and harmony, yet

often they do not.

Biblical Examples:

a. Lot and Abraham Gen 13 -- Contention over space -- Land

b. Absalom and David 2Sam 13-18 -- Over power

c. Disciples of Christ Luke 9:46-48 -- Over position

2. Disagreements among Saints

a. Class Wars (2:1-9) -- Rich vs. Poor

b. Employment Wars (5:1-6)-- Rich employer vs. Poor Employee

c. Church Wars (1:19-20; 3:13-18)-- Teachers and Leaders

d. Personal Wars (4:11-12) -- Speaking Evil of Others

B. At War with Ourselves (4:1b-3)

1. "war in your members"

The war in the heart is helping to cause the war in the church.

(W. W. pg 120)

2. The essence of sin is selfishness.

3. Selfish desires are dangerous things.

4. Hiding the true selfish desires:

a. In Religious Activities

b. Putting God's approval on your Disobedience.

"But I prayed about it."

C. At War with God (4:4-10)

1. The root cause of every war, internal and external is rebellion against God.

Obedience to the will of God draws men together, for it is the will of

God that men should love and serve one another; obedience to the craving for pleasure drives men apart, for pleasure drives men to rivalry and competition and warfare for the same things. To obey the will of God is to be essentially selfless; to serve the will of pleasure is to be essentially selfish.

(W. B. pg. 117)

2. Relationships that declare war against God.

Amplified Version

V. 4 You --are like-- unfaithful wives --having illicit love affairs with the world--

and breaking your marriage vow to God! Do you not know that being

the world's friend is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be

a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.

a. The World (4:4) -- The system of men in society that is anti-Christ. In

the sense of the world apart from God, the godlessness of the world, the world's disregard of God, the world's resentment of the a standards of God.

Friendship with the world can produce a love for the world and

then lead to a conformity to the world. The end result will be

judgment with the world.

b. The Flesh (4:1,5) -- The old nature prone to sin. Referred to as

being carnal (fleshly).

(1) In Paul Romans 7:18 -25 Read from Bible

(2) "in us" James 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture

saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Gal 5:16 -17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye

shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:

and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

c. The Devil

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and

the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness

is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Pride is of the Devil and shuts itself off from God.

(1) Pride does not know its own need-- Self-sufficient

(2) Pride cherishes its own independence--Does not need man or God.

(3) Pride does not recognize its own sin-- thinks of its own goodness

A pride like that cannot receive help, because it does not know