Fatihful To God Alone

“Faithful to God alone”

James 4:1-10

If you go into the lobby of a big building:

• You’ll sometimes find the walls filled with mirrors.

• They often do that because they’ve discovered that

• people complain less about waiting for slow elevators

• when they’re occupied looking at themselves.

We like to talk about ourselves.

One of the surest ways of:

• starting a conversation with someone

• is to ask them about themselves.

I told all my kids this truth:

- almost everyone has a favorite topic

- and the topic most people like the most

- is the topic of themselves...

In fact one of the main things this world encourages us to do - is to center attention on ourselves

• Socrates said, "Know yourself."

• The psychiatrist says: "Express yourself"

• Many Counselors will say: "Love yourself.”

• The hedonist says: "Enjoy Yourself."

• The waiter will tell you: "Indulge yourself."

• The Personnel manager advises you: "Assert yourself."

• The health aid companies will advertise: "Take care of yourself."

• Leisure time industries will tell you: "Pamper yourselves."

Only Jesus says: "Deny yourself"… deny yourself … deny yourself.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

Usually, I quote that scripture to say:

- our Christian journey will have hardships

- and we need to be willing to suffer for Christ

- that we should not expect this life to be one of ease and comfort

It is all that, but also this:

- that there will be desires we have that we must reject

- there will be good things we want that must be neglected

- because everything in this life comes in a distant second

Only God, His Church and His purpose get the number one position.

We need to focus:

• not so much upon ourselves and what we want…

• as upon God and what He wants.

• And realize that when we make God second, we Cheat on God

1. When the world is my mistress it damages my relationships.

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

- James 4:1-4 (ESV)

Pride is a root of selfishness:

- people fight to get their own way

- people fight over the biggest piece of the pie

- it may be pie, wealth, possessions, or positions

Prideful people will:

- fight anyone for anything for any or no reason

- they want things how they want them

- and nothing else matters.

Pride has no place:

- in the Christian or in the Church

- but often pride shows up and

- and soon division, chaos and trouble arrive as well

Pride and selfishness have got to go!

- because first they bring chaos to the Church

- revealing that they are not friends of God

- but in fact they are enemies of God disguised as wolves in sheep’s clothing

2. When we love the world, we make God our enemy

“Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

- James 4:5-6 (ESV)

We want our spouse for ourselves:

- we do not intend to share them with others

- they belong to us, and we belong to them

- the two become 1 flesh (wedding vows)

God wants us for Himself:

- He doesn’t want to share us

- with anyone or anything

- and unlike human jealousy that is evil

God jealous is based:

- not only on His desire for a relationship with us

- but also God’s jealous is concerned for our well-being

- because God knows that the world is perishing and everything in it

God knows that there is NO hope in the world:

- No real peace, no future, no love

- no real joy, no relationship

- and no salvation from sin,

God saved us:

• out of the world,

• God did not save us from the world of sin

• so, we could climb back into bed with the world