Subject: “A Clear and Present Danger”
Text: James 4: 1-10*
What do you think of when you hear the words, “A Clear and Present Danger?” These words have been used to describe any condition that threatens the safety and security of society, from the drug cartels, terrorist regimes, some diseases and even global warming. They are the kind of words that demand attention. James opens Chapter 4 with those words, “From whence come wars and fightings among you?” What makes you get so upset? Why are you so angry? James confronts this despicable behavior within the church head-on. Some theologians say that James could possibly address conditions within the church, but was talking about society as a whole. Others believe that James was addressing the maligned state of the church among the dispersed believers. They state that these conditions were arising most likely from their unfavorable surroundings in various places because Christians met resistance in every place and because they could not, in their scattered condition, have the benefit of proper Christian training and church discipline.
If James Chapters 1-3 were written to the dispersed Jewish Christians, then Chapter 4 is also written to them. James addresses an area that many Christians refuse to admit or even talk about for that matter. For the Apostle, the “clear and present danger” was not an outside force. It was a resident evil. There is one thing that Christians could not leave behind, the flesh. James identifies the clear and present danger as the lust abiding in our flesh. He declares that all animosities and contentions, wars and fightings, proceed from our own lustful desires. War stirs first within, before it breaks forth without. If there were no fight within ourselves, there would be no fighting with others. Pride and covetousness, envy and ambition within cause men to injure one another. Worldly and sensual lusts first war in us disturbing our peace, before they disturb the common peace around us. The Apostle Paul agrees in the epistles to the Romans 7: 18, 21, and 23 and to the Galatians in 5:17.
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not….
“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me…
“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
“For 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.” (Galatians 5:17)
James does not share these things to depress us or to discourage us, but to alert us to the battle that we must constantly face. We can never give up or give in. We must fight and win the war that rages within us. Our flesh wars against the spirit. If the believer is to win this fight, he must turn from selfish pride to godly humility, from judgment to justice, and from boasting to belief. In other words, each of us wars within ourselves, we war with each other and we are at war with God. How does the warfare look? The principle at work in our flesh is lust, which is a desire to get what we want at the expense of others. The principle at work in our spirit is love, which is a desire to meet the needs of others at the expense of ourselves. If we are going to live victorious Christian lives, we must understand three things about conflict, the cause, the consequence, and the cure.
1. Examine the Cause of Conflict. James asks some rhetorical questions, and then quickly identifies the cause as our own selfish desires.
"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
“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 4:1-2)
He refers to this as more than simple desire. It is a lustful desire. Remember, lust desires to obtain at the expense of others. There is desire in us to have our own way. Whenever we feel that any one or any thing blocks our goal, conflict is created. War is the fruit of lust, or illicit wants. Lust brings about murder. Covetousness results in frustration when we cannot get what we are pursuing. James reveals that the clear source of conflict is rooted in the covetous human heart, the flesh! Conflict begins any place that we feel blocked from our goal. Conflict can happen in any human relationship from drivers on the road to standing in line in a department store; from puppy love to seasoned marriages; from two babies fighting over a rattle to nuclear war! No matter the parties involved, the cause of conflict is the same – lusts, those illicit desires, which war in our members! Do you struggle with trying to get your own way, as this writer must confess? Sometimes his struggle reveals itself places as diverse as in traffic, at Wal-Mart, or at meetings.
2. Analyze the Consequence of Conflict. James identifies the consequence of conflict as frustration. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 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.” (James 4:3-4)
We struggle within ourselves to have our way, and when things do not happen as expected, we become frustrated. We are frustrated and a little envious because someone else has what we desire. We may become frustrated and irritated because we prayed about that thing, but still we have not received. We are then tempted to blame others for our not having or receiving, and even sometimes we blame God. You can hear in our talk. Hear Buck Owens and Roy Clark sing their doleful song, “Gloom, despair, and agony on me, Deep, dark depression, excessive misery, If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all, Gloom, despair, and agony on me!”
In addition to frustration and ending up empty-handed, we, subsequently, become rebellious Christians who choose to become a friend to the world at the expense of becoming an enemy of God. James reminds us that friendship with the world is hatred towards God. Before becoming frustrated with ourselves, others or God, we should check our motives. God never promised to satisfy our lustful pleasures. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3) The Greek word for amiss is “kakos” which mean wrong motives. The Greek word for “consume” mean to squander. As you can see, we must keep our motives pure. Notice also that James is so disturbed by their actions that in these verses, he does not even call them, my beloved brethren. He calls the adulterers and adulteresses, those who take what belongs to another at any cost. For they have become Christians involved in illegitimate relationships.
3. Consider the Cure for Conflict. This phase of our study brings us to James 4:5-10.
“Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
“Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
James summarizes for us the cure for conflict concisely. It is this, have a humble spirit that shuns pride and submits to God. Then resist the devil. Let us elaborate on these points.
To submit to God is a military term that means “get in proper rank.” When we desire our own pleasures more than the will of God, God is no longer first place in our lives. To draw near to God is to confess our sins and asking for His cleansing. The nearer we are to God the more we become like Him. When we draw closer to God, we draw closer to one another. With God’s help, we guide the actions of our hands, control the emotions of our hearts and regulate the thinking of our minds.
To humble oneself before God requires submission. Submission is an attitude of love that desires to obey. It is possible to be obedient without submission, but it is impossible to submit without being obedient. The idea is to continually to bow to all God’s decisions and hold to His word. The songwriter says, “I’ll say yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way.”
Finally, to resist the devil involves knowing that the devil cannot be conquered unless we continue to resist him. Strong as that enemy is, God never permits him to conquer the man who continues to resist him; he cannot force the human will. Any believer in Christ, who stands his ground in the awesome name of JESUS, will have complete victory over the devil himself. The devil and all his demons must flee from that name and from His conquering blood of the Lamb.
During these past few weeks, I have had to examine myself. You see, Real Faith ought to be able to stand under pressure. The spirit that tempts me to think about giving up or quitting is not from God, and I can resist it by faith. Real Faith ought to be demonstrated by good works because faith without works is dead. Real faith ought to speak with care. No longer can I say what I please, because I am not my own. I have been brought with a price. I do not represent myself, I am His ambassador. I go where He sends, and speak what He says. Even today, I must recognize the clear and present danger presented by my flesh. I must constantly fight the temptation to have it my way, bearing in mind that conflict has a cause. It is my flesh. Conflict has consequences. They are frustration of life, emptiness of hand, and alienation from God and man. In conclusion, conflict has a cure, thanks be to God. Victory comes through submission to God, drawing near to God through repentance, humbling oneself before God in obedience and faithful resistance to the devil. If we do these things, “He shall lift you up,” as expounded in I Peter 5:6-11.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
“To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
*All scripture references are from the King James Version of the Bible.
