Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
“THE WORLDLY SPIRIT: ITS TRUE CONTEXT” – James 4:1-12
C. 4:1-12 THE WORLDLY SPIRIT SET IN ITS TRUE CONTEXT
1. 4:1-10 FULL REPENTANCE BREAKS YOKE OF WORLDLINESS
a. 4:1 FLESHLY PLEASURES PRODUCE CONTENTIONS
POthen POle-moi [4171] kai POthen MAchai [3163] en huMIN? Ouk enTEUthen,
Whence wars and whence fightings among you? come they not hence,
ek ton he-doNON [2237] huMON ton stra-teu-oMEnon [4754] en tois MEle-sin huMON?
of your :pleasures that war in your :members?
b. 4:2 FLESHLY LUSTS ARE NEVER SATISFIED
e-pi-thuMEIte [1937], kai ouk Eche-te:
You lust, and have not:
phoNEUe-te, kai zeLOUte [2206] kai ou DUnas-the e-pi-tuCHEIN [2013]:
you kill, and are jealous and cannot obtain:
MAches-the [3164] kai po-leMEIte [4170];
you fight and war;
ouk Eche-te, diA to me aiTEIS-thai huMAS.
you have not, because you ask not.
c. 4:3 GOD DOES NOT FUFIL FLESHLY DESIRES
aiTEIte, kai ou lamBAne-te, di’ HOti kaKOS aiTEISthe,
You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss,
HIna en tais hedoNAIS [2237] huMON da-paNEse-te [1159].
that you may spend it in your :pleasures.
d. 4:4a GOD COUNTS WORLDLY-MINDEDNESS AS ADULTERY AGAINST HIMSELF
moi-chaLIdes [3428], ouk OIda-te
Adulteresses, know you not
HOti he phiLIa [5373] tou KOSmou ECHthra [2189] tou TheOU es-tin?
that the friendship of the world is enmity with :God?
e. 4:4b THE FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS THE ENEMY OF GOD!
hos eAN oun bou-leTHE [1014] PHIlos EInai tou KOSmou
Whoso therefore intends to be the world’s friend
echTHROS tou TheOU kaTHISta-tai.
makes himself God’s enemy.
f. 4:5 OUR UNREGENERAE SPIRIT HAS UNLAWFUL ENVYING
e doKEIte HOti keNOS [2761] he graPHE LEgei,
Or think you that the scripture says in vain,
Pros PHTHOnon [5355] e-pi-poTHEI [1971] to PNEUma ho kaTOki-sen [2730] en heMIN?
Does the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?
g. 4:6a GOD’S GRACE: PROVIDES A WAY TO ESCAPE THIS BONDAGE
MEIzo-na de DIdo-sin CHArin.
But he gives greater grace.
h. 4:6b GOD’S ATTITUDE TO PRIDE AND HUMILITY
di’ ho LEgei, Ho TheOS hu-pe-rePHAnois [5244] an-tiTASse-tai [498],
Wherefore it says, :God resists the proud,
ta-peiNOIS [5011] de DIdo-sin CHArin.
but gives grace to the humble.
i. 4:7 BONDAGE TO GOD GIVES AUTHORITY OVER SATAN
hu-poTAge-te [5293] oun to TheO;
Be subject therefore to :God;
anTISte-te [436] de to di-aBOlo, kai PHEUxe-tai [5343] aph’ huMON.
but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
j. 4:8a GOD RESPONDS TO THOSE WHO SEEK HIM
egGIsa-te [1448] to TheO, kai egGIsei huMIN.
Draw nigh to :God, and he will draw nigh to you.
k. 4:8b THE UNGODLY MUST TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS
ka-thaRIsa-te [2511] CHEIras, ha-mar-toLOI,
Cleanse your hands, sinners,
kai hagNIsa-te [48] karDIas, DIpsu-choi [1374].
and purify your hearts, you doubleminded.
l. 4:9 THERE IS A TIME FOR HEAVY SORROW FOR SIN
ta-lai-poREsa-te [5003], kai penTHEsa-te [3996], kai KLAUsa-te [2799]:
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
Ho GElos [1071] huMON eis PENthos [3997] me-ta-straPHEto [3344],
let your :laughter be turned to mourning,
kai he chaRA eis kaTEphei-an [2726].
and the joy to heaviness.
m. 4:10 THERE IS AN EXALTATION AFTER TRUE HUMILITY
ta-peiNOthe-te [5013] eNOpi-on KuRIou, kai huPSOsei [5312] huMAS.
Humble yourselves in the Lord’s sight, and he shall exalt you.
2. 4:11-12 THE BACKBITER ELEVATES SELF ABOVE GOD
a. 4:11a BELIEVERS: BACKBITE NOT AGAINST YOUR BROTHER!
Me ka-ta-laLEIte [2635] alLElon, a-delPHOI.
Speak not one against another, brothers.
b. 4:11b THE BACKBITER ELEVATES HIMSELF ABOVE GOD’S LAW!
ho ka-ta-laLON a-delPHOU, e KRInon ton a-delPHON auTOU,
Who speaks against a brother, or judges his :brother,
ka-ta-la-LEI NOmou, kai KRInei NOmon [3551]:
speaks against the law, and judges the law:
ei de NOmon KRIneis,
but if you judge the law,
ouk ei poi-eTES NOmou, alLA kriTES.
you are not doer of the law, but judge.
c. 4:12 WILL A JUDGING MAN ELEVATE HIMSELF ABOVE THE LAWGIVER?
heis es-tin no-moTHEtes [3550] kai kriTES,
One is lawgiver and judge,
Ho duNAme-nos SOsai kai a-poLEsai [622]:
he who can save and destroy:
su de tis ei ho KRInon ton pleSIon [2087]?
but who are YOU that judges your :neighbor?
NOTE: Oswald Chambers is among many who clearly state that few believers indeed truly know the depths of perversity and potential of evil that lies in the human heart of each one of us. Jeremiah says – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked – who can know it?”
Few believe that this could apply to him or her!
But here James, the brother of Jesus, the apostolic pastor of the church of Jerusalem, is saying the very same thing. God cannot show an individual the truth of this passage until he has reached the end of himself. In his hopelessness he cries out to God as did David in Psalm 51 – THEN God reveals the truth about his total bankruptcy – and THEN the glad tidings and good news of the Gospel comes: In Christ we are MORE than conquerors.
The third biography on Oswald Chambers by David McCasland brings out this truth by telling in detail how Chambers reached this point – and THEN came through into such a Galatians 2:20 experience, that by the time he reached the age of 43 and then went home to glory, he had over 50 books in MS form under his belt. His widow Biddy, after but 7 years of marriage, transcribed from her short-hand notes, and had over 47 published posthumously. Only 3 were published before his home going.
We ALL need a deep and yet deeper baptism into God’s divine love. Smith Wigglesworth desperately cried out for this, as his only hope. Then, it is really Jesus loving through us with the unconquerable love of God (Romans 5:5). Then people see in US more of our Lord than ourselves. We are there – but we have died to the self life in THIS life down here – and JESUS is now able to manifest HIMSELF through us – His cleansed and yielded channels.
Is this the way you see the Book of James? They called James – “Old Camel Knees” – they were so calloused through his much-kneeling in prayer. See Acts 15 to understand the Wisdom of God that came through James because of his faithful prayer life.