Willie Myrick was kidnapped from his driveway in Atlanta, Georgia, when he was 9 years old. For hours, he traveled in a car with his kidnapper, not knowing what would happen to him. During that time, Willie decided to sing a gospel song called “Every Praise.” Willie sang the song for three hours non-stop while the man drove him around. As he sang the words, his evil captor screamed profanity at him and told him to shut up. Finally, the man stopped the car and let Willie out—he was shaken but un-harmed. He then ran to a nearby home and called his godmother. Drawing near to God like this innocent child did in this frightening situation teaches us to concentrate on God’s character while forsaking what we fear, what is wrong in our lives, and the self-sufficiency in our hearts. This is James message today to us.

We left off last time actually at the latter part of verse four. I did not think I did it justice because of the lack of time.

I The Ruin from our Problem (4:4-6)

1. James describes the result of lust in the lives of believers by saying ye adulterers and adulteresses (v. 4:4a). Adultery is often used as a metaphor in the Bible to describe spiritual adultery or unfaithfulness to God. James is not suggesting that friendship with people in the world makes one the enemy of God, but friendship with the world. The Greek word translated world (KOSMOS) refers to the evil world system. — I John 2:15-16

2. Being friends with the world is adopting the world -view and living by it. Friendship with the world is incompatible with a relationship with God; more than that, it makes one the enemy of God because God is the archenemy of all that is selfish, and harmful or hurtful to human beings.  In verse #4 what we’re talking about here is affection for the world, an emotional attachment to the world. In fact, we might even imply that it’s a strong affection for the world. It’s not casual but it implies a deep and an intimate longing to be involved with the world. It is a falling in love with the world system, with all the drives and impulses that we would associate with it. The cost of worldliness is conflict with others and your soul. -gospel

3. As Christians we must make a choice to live by the world view or by the “Word view.” Not to choose the “Word view” is to automatically make ourselves the enemies of God. The ungodly world-system stands as an enemy of our souls. David Wells defines worldliness for us as “what any particular culture does to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange.”

II. The Resolution of our Pride (4:4-6)

1. As Christians, we live in the world, but we must be on guard against its influence. We make our living in the world of business. We gain our learning in the world of education. We are involved in the worlds’ environment. Like the air we breathe, the world is everywhere. So, yes the world is all about us but let’s keep the world out of God’s house. Jesus high priestly prayer was a desire that we be not corrupted by the world. – John 17:14

All too often we bring the worlds’ ways into God scared place and want to employ them with some measure of callous as if they should be regarded as sacred and above the Divine mandate of our Father. We must never allow sinful flesh to corrupt our lives and the unity of our church. It has been said that “church fights are the worst fights,” perhaps because they break out among people who profess to believe in unity and love. Is that “true faith” in action?

Many Christians have been so hurt by a fellow believer that they walk away from the church and never return. That too is not God’s way. Some are angry at the church because they did not get their desires met or their felt need or the decision they wanted. So out comes the world. I’ll just get up and leave. I’ll fix them, I’ll get even, they’ll be sorry!! What is this – the world?

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. – Romans 12:2 / I Corinthians 3:1-9

2. James continues the seriousness of the problem by saying in 4:5, Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. This is a pivotal verse and hinges on verse 4 and swings back to verse five. It appears it could be referring both to the Holy Spirit that indwell believers but also the (small s) the spirit within us, that old nature. Though this is a very difficult verse to interpret, James seems to be saying, “Don’t you know that the Scripture teaches that God’s Spirit is jealous for our total allegiance?” Failing to give God our total devotion and loyalty is a resolution of our pride. We concede to that first sin of pride, to have it my way, me first. Folks, God wants the preeminence in your life.

3. We are the bride of Christ, and the Holy Spirit does not want us finding our pleasure and fulfillment elsewhere… Here’s something that you need to know. Our God is a jealous God. God is a jealous god for his bride. He is passionate about our relationship to him. He also knows that if we give our hearts over to anything else it will destroy us. I appreciate the fact that God is jealous over our relationship. He loves us.

III. The Solution to Absolution (4: 7-10) — (The resolve to freedom)

1. We need the Lord to help us recognize evil desires and remove them from our hearts. We don’t want it to become standard equipment in our lives. We need to resolve to be set free…

Submit: To resolve the problem of lusts James says in verse 7a, Submit (to submit to one’s control) yourselves therefore to God. The world’s view teaches us assertiveness, dominance, demanding one’s rights, etc. The world never teaches classes on submission or self-sacrifice.

The word submit (hypotassō) is a military term which means “to yield” or “arrange oneself under,” like a good soldier who places himself under one with a higher rank. When we submit to God we voluntarily place ourselves under the authority and providence of God.

Because of conditioning of the world, we sometimes rebel at the things God allows to happen in our lives. When our unsaved friends surpass us materially, when our children do not excel in school, when we have a career crisis, a marriage crisis or when our health fails, we have a tendency to rise up against God. Instead we are to submit to God.

2. Resist: Secondly James says, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (v. 7b). The word resist (is another military defensive term which means “to stand against,” as in combat. Never in the Bible are we told to attack the devil. He will do the attacking, we must do the resisting. If we do resist, the promise of Scripture is he will flee from you.

When attacked by the devil how do we put up a resistance? Jesus is our example. When the devil tempted Jesus (Luke 4:1-13), he offered a shortcut to “satisfaction.” He tried to tempt Jesus to take matters into His own hands rather than trust His Father. When Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness, how did Jesus resist according to Luke 4:4, 8, & 12). It is written!

Illustration: A 62-year-old woman was charged with stealing more than $73,000 from her church in the state of Washington. When the detectives interrogated her, she told them: “Satan had a big part in the theft.” It sounds like she was saying that the devil made her do it. Satan may have played a role in her choices, but she has some faulty thinking about temptation and sin. James points us to the only way we can resist and overcome Satan.

Counter Satan’s lies with truth when they first enter your mind. Meet them immediately with a word from God and banish him, as you would shoo away a pushy salesman, before he gets a foot in the door. Call to mind a verse or portion of Scripture that speaks to the particular lie Satan is selling you and submit yourself to that truth. If we fill ourselves with God’s Word, pray, and submit to the Holy Spirit, we will not “give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:27).

The word place in that verse is significant. The devil cannot gain a foothold in an area of our life that the Holy Spirit controls. When we are saved we receive the Holy Spirit, yet it is possible for a true believer to “give place” to Satan. The only remedy is to be “filled with the Spirit” (5:18), which means to be completely surrendered to the will of God.

3. Affix: Thirdly James says in verse 8a, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. This promise stresses the basic nature of God. When we take one step toward Him, He has already taken a step toward us. God is unchanging. His character stays absolutely holy. His faithfulness remains constant; it is we who change. We allow sin into our lives. We spend less and less time with Him in Bible study and prayer. Then one day we realize that we have gradually grown distant from God. The solution, according to James, is straightforward. We are to draw near to God. Drawing near to God requires you to take two actions.

First, you must cleanse your hands (Isa. 1:15). You must cleanse your way of living. If you have been actively engaged in sin, you must renounce it. If you have done anything to offend or hurt someone, you must make it right. Second, you are to purify your heart (Ps. 51:10).

You must make certain your attitudes, thoughts, and motives are right in God’s eyes and are in harmony with God’s Word. Jesus^, warned that you cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). It is impossible to love anything else as much as you love God and still please Him. If God seems distant, do what is necessary to cleanse your hands, purify your heart, and draw near to Him.

4. The promise in verse 8a is unconditional. It contains a command with two aspects: external and internal. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. The word “hands” represents one’s outward life. It is a command to clean up one’s lifestyle. Outward cleansing is not enough, so James says purify your hearts, ye double minded. The word double minded literally means “two-souled.” It refers to one who has a mind for the things of God and the world at the same time. This is spiritual adultery.

5. In verse 9a James says, Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep…. This means to repent with a deep grief that cannot be concealed. There are some Christians who sin, get caught, and are sorry but the only reason for their sorrow is that they got caught… Let sin convict us! Because of all God has done for us in Christ, the happiest people in the world should be Christians. The mourning and weeping James refers to is the result of sin, not the Christian life.

6. James closes this section with a special promise in verse 10, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. The word humble here basically means to acknowledge God’s right to command our lives. Let us die to our pride. Let go and let God; give him the wheel. When we humble ourselves before God the promise is he shall lift you up.

Conclusion: Spiritual warfare needs spiritual weapons. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) We must fight spiritual forces with spiritual weapons. The weapon of triumph is the Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God; The Bible teaches us that we can defeat Satan and sin in our lives, God’s Word provides the necessary resource to live victorious in Christ.