Dealing with Difficulty as a Believer
James 4:1-10
* Ever since Genesis 3, mankind has been in the throes of fights, wars, struggles, suffering, which are generically called, difficulties. It is a never ending battle. No matter what you call them, we face these every day. You have heard me say that each one of us is either in the middle of a storm, coming out of a storm, or about to enter a storm. These struggles are a part of life for this fallen and depraved race known as ‘mankind.’ So it is no surprise that we find this addressed in God’s word.
* We have been working our way through the epistle of James. (Turn to text) If you recall, the last time we studied this book, we saw James address the issue of wisdom and should remember that we saw 3 types of wisdom; demonstrated, deceptive, and divine. To read the end of chapter 3 is to gain a clear understanding that when we give our lives to Jesus is to have a life changing and mind-altering experience which, if followed, leads us to a develop a wisdom that is from above. However, because God gave us the capacity to choose, we can choose something else and every time we choose to follow our own path, our own way, and our own mind, we choose the lesser and give the enemy an opening into our life
* Let’s read our text.
* Without a doubt, in 6 short verses James hits us between the eyes with a very practical approach to our difficulties. Let’s do the same.
1. The Source of the difficulties – James asks a very direct and powerful question, and as it turns out, it may be a different question than we perceive him to have asked. He doesn’t “What are you fighting over?” Rather, he asked about the “source”, the “basis”, or the “root” of your wars, quarrels, and fights. He goes for the jugular vein. The reason is simple; “not until you deal with the root of the problem will you affect the result of the problem.” For instance, when we bought our house we had a problem with the steps which lead into our pool house. Planted on either side of these rickety steps were some small but determined bushes. These bushes were causing damage which dislodged the steps. I trimmed the bushes; I cut the bushes, and even saw the bushes down to ground level. Nothing I did fixed the problem until I did the hard work of digging out the root. It was the ROOT which had and has to be removed. So James asks us about the source or the root. Too often we choose to deal with what is above ground and try to ignore the work of digging out the root.
* The other issue in this text involves the understanding of what these questions actually mean. (Read the first two questions)
* Notice ‘among’ in the first question and ‘within’ in the second. It gives you the idea that James is addressing a church fight with the first & a personal struggle with the second. Yet, in the Greek the exact same word is used both places. Why is this significant? It is because this little preposition carries with it the idea of being “inside of the person.” So James is saying it this way, “What is the real source of difficulties, struggles, and even fights among you?” When a difficulty impacts the body of Christ, rarely is the stated cause the root cause. Remember, that James is writing to believers and believers are those who Jesus has changed. Jesus has saved us & sent His Holy Spirit among us to guide us into Holy and Righteous living which is birthed out of Spiritual unity & harmony that the world cannot explain. So when difficulties come, what is the source? I suggest 2.
a. The most general source is Sin. Our text speaks of desires and cravings. Basically this is picture as that ongoing war between the Old man and the new man. Truthfully, sin grieves God as much today as it did 50 or 500 years ago. Sin, in the life of an authentic believer, creates a person in conflict. The Holy Spirit of God will not allow sin to come into the life of a redeemed person without being confronted. A believer who chooses to embrace their sin is a person who had a fight & war going on inside. One thing about a war, it is difficult to contain; it has a way of breaking out and wounding others even if it is friendly fire. A conflicted person is a dangerous person because they have lost their sensitivity. (illus PTL) Sin will still take you farther, keep you longer, and make you pay.
b. The more specific sin mentioned here is Selfishness. – Read verses 1-3 and count the number of personal pronouns he uses. James is pointing out in his day what we know to be the truth in OUR day; “SELFISHNESS” is THE #1 cause of wars, strife, struggles, and difficulties among God people. Read it: You crave, you desire, you do whatever it takes, and you have wrong motivation for it all. And then you wonder why you have the problem. The real source of the difficulties you have to endure is an “I problem.” Most of the sin we commit is based on selfishness; we lie – to protect ourselves (or so we think), we steal-because we want something, we covet because they have what we want, we gossip so we can feel better about ourselves, we commit adultery because of how it will make us feel, & we refuse to give up sin because God understands about me. Don’t miss this one truth in our text. For those who ignore the rebuke of James and continue to live in sin and selfishness being controlled by desires & cravings, James calls us ‘adulterers’ because of misplaced love. When we love anything (self included) more than God, we are guilty.
2. The Scope of the difficulties – We have already stated that when a real war breaks out, it is rarely contained. While the internal conflict rages, it;
a. Affects our Peace –In the upper room Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you, no like the world give.” Jesus gives a peace that is far more than the absence of conflict. He gives a peace that is confident in the midst of a world that is spinning out of control. When we embrace & even hide sin in our hearts, this peace is gone. When we give the enemy a little ground in our life, he will not turn it loose without a fight. At the same time, the Holy Spirit is present prompting the believer to repent & return. So the internal battle rages and I believe, turns a live, vibrant, holy, happy, & Spirit filled person into a conflicted person. ( Verse 4-5) Verse 5 is one of the most controversial verses in this letter (by theologians). Let me offer my take; God has cause His Holy Spirit to live within us. The Holy Spirit is our friend, our comforter, our counselor, and our guide. The Holy Spirit is jealous for our Spiritual Growth and Health. He wants us to never give sway to the enemy, thus, He points us to Jesus in everything He does for us. This is the reason God through Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit. And like the scripture says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace.” When we embrace sin, we dismiss the Holy Spirit and our peace is affected.
b. Affects our People – This is not like you own people, rather, this speaks to your relationships. That is, your family, your friends, your acquaintances, and even your future relationship. Review verse 2-4 and discover the many ways in which ungodliness impacts your relationships. Have you ever stopped wanting to be around a person because of that person’s attitude, words, or demeanor? Have you ever noticed that people stopped hanging around you? Could there be a personal reason? When we embrace sin, it affects our internal peace, so it affects the people we ‘hang’ with. One thing to consider, what if you only meet a person one time, and instead of being a witness – you attitude is wicked?
c. Affects our Prayers – This text tells us that we do not have because we do not ask and then goes on to say that sometimes we ask and don’t get it because our motives are wrong. Let that possibility sink in. Adrian Rogers preached a message on this text entitled, “When God says no.” His outline was 4 possible answers to prayer; direct, different, delayed, & denied. The very reason for these answers (scripture says) is our motives & motivation for our prayer. We cannot hide our sin & selfishness from Him. He knows. He knows it all.
3. The Solution for the difficulties –The first words of verse 6 are striking. Grace is needed for the sin of selfishness & pride which are partners.
* The FBI has a list of the MOST WANTED in America. This list is not the most desirable list, rather, it is the list of the most desired to be rid of. Pride & selfishness head God’s list of most wanted. He wants them gone. Suggest to you three steps which will help us deal with difficulty in our lives which will help in dealing with difficulty in our families.
a. Admit – The first step is to admit that the struggle comes from ‘inside of me.’ I have my desires, I have my cravings, and I have my wants; most of the time I see everything through the lens of ME. This makes ME act, talk, and respond wrong. Let’s be honest, we have a hard time admitting we have a problem; because to do so is to admit some kind of weakness & demand the humbling of self before the Lord. Look at verse 7 which begins, “Submit to God, Resist the Devil, and Draw near to God.” If you do these things, two wonderful result follow; the devil runs and God draws nearer to you. I suggest that the reason the altar isn’t filled at every altar call is because of our pride not because of the lack of our need to be humble before God. The end of verse 6 is a secret. But look at verse 10 and hear James say, “If you will admit your need & humble yourself before God, HE will lift you up. Nothing begins until you admit. Can you see how God is throwing out the welcome mat for us?
b. Accept – Accept the fact that Jesus is still the answer. He is still the giver of grace, the healer of hearts, and the master of the sea. When the sea of life is rocking and rolling, when the wars & fights are raging within you, and when you think your ship is about to sink; accept the fact that HE, not you, is in control and in charge. Accept His help, His words, and His grace, as the final words. “Wherever He leads, GO.” You may need to begin by accepting Jesus as your Savior. This is everyone’s starting point. Perhaps you are already there, then maybe for you, you need to accept that you are not in control. Consider this truth: 1 John 4:4 says, “Greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world.” This is a two-edged sword (explain)
c. Adjust – Ephesians 4 is one of the many place which calls us to adjustment or change. Paul calls us to walk worthy, to not walk like lost people do, but to lay aside sin, pride, & selfishness and take on Christ daily. Let’s read some of Chapter 4. To deal with the difficulties, those wars & fights, is to PUT ON CHRIST daily. Walk In His love and HIS light, by HIS SPIRIT.
