1. Most of you are probably aware that the chapter and verse divisions found in our Bible were not in the original manuscripts but were added centuries later.
2. It must have been very hard locating verses back in those days!
3. I mention this because if you look at the end of chapter 3, and then the beginning of chapter 4, you will see that James is following the same train of thought.
4. Chapter 3 ends with "peace" and chapter 4 begins with "war." This has been the history of mankind.
5. I am going to speak today on the subject of worldliness. Usually, when preachers deal with this subject they hit hard on TV, movies, immodest dress, drinking, smoking, dancing, rock music, and so on.
6. But these are the symptoms – James gets to the heart of the problem; James deals with the disease.
7. If a person is running a fever, the doctor is not just concerned with getting the person’s temperature down – he wants to find out why he has a fever. Likewise, when we see Christians acting worldly, or dressing worldly, or listening to worldly music, or associating with worldly people – we need to ask: Why? James does that in this chapter.
8. Worldliness hinders our faith; it keeps us from getting close to God; it keeps us from growing spiritually.

1. FAITH IS HINDERED BY STRIFE

1. James starts out by asking: "From whence come wars and fightings among you…" (4:1). So he is talking to Christians. Their faith was hindered by strife (cf. I Cor.3:3; II Cor.12:20).
2. From studying this chapter, and comparing it with many other Scriptures, such as the two I just read, it is clear that Christians are oftentimes controlled by their old nature.
3. They are at war with each other, with themselves, and even with God. At war with each other: God desires peace and unity among His children but this isn’t often the case. Psalm 133:1 says, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" But all too often Christians fuss and fight and tear up churches (cf. Gal.5:15).
4. At war with ourselves: Why is it that some people can sit week after week in church and hear the Word of God preached and yet go nowhere spiritually? It is because they are lusting after worldly things and there is no room in their heart for God.
5. Parents wonder why their children do not like to go to church or do not seem interested in spiritual things – it is because their hearts are filled with the world and this causes conflicts.
6. Whenever lusts and worldly pleasures rule the heart, there will be conflicts and strife (cf. James 3:16).
7. A dissatisfied heart is never at peace with God or man. If there is war on the inside, there will eventually be war on the outside. It will spill out (4:2).
8. People who are at war with themselves are not very happy. They are not content; they are frustrated; they cannot enjoy life. "In our day an insatiable thirst for pleasure is destroying our thirst for the things of God, and these sinful, selfish gratifications are responsible for the strife among Christians, all the while warring against the soul (I Peter 2:11)" – Lehman Strauss.
9. "Yet ye have not, because ye ask not" (4:2b) – our desires should be taken to the Lord in prayer. Prayer is the cure for worldliness.
10. But even much prayer is worldly (4:3)! The purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth (cf. Matt.6:10).
11. "Prayer is not to persuade God to do something that He didn’t intend to do; prayer is to get you and me in line with the program of God" (J. Vernon McGee).

2. FAITH IS HINDERED BY THE LOVE OF THE WORLD (4:4)

1. All throughout the Old Testament, God rebuked the Israelites for their spiritual adultery (cf. Hosea 1:2; 4:12).
2. This same concept of spiritual adultery is carried into the New Testament (cf. James 4:4; Rev.17).
3. Friendship with the world (4:4) will make a person "spotted by the world" (1:27). Before you know it, he loves the world (I John 2:15-17), and is conformed to the world (Rom.12:2).
4. James calls this "enmity with God" (4:4). The worldly Christian is at war with others, at war with himself, and even at war with God!
5. As I prepared to preach this message, I grabbed a bunch of commentaries on this epistle and started reading them. I noticed that a few of them quoted from Isaac Watts’ great hymn, Am I a Soldier of the Cross?

Am I a soldier of the cross, A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause, Or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God?

6. Some quoted from another of his great hymns, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross?

When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

7. God’s remedy for worldliness is found right here (4:5-10).
8. Mourning and heaviness always accompany a deep sense of sin (4:9). The worldly lusts that rejoice the old nature ought to grieve the new nature and cause us to repentant sorrow.
9. Worldly people are laughing themselves silly when they ought to be on their knees asking God for forgiveness.
10. During WWI a man wrote an immensely popular song that went, "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile." Later on, during WWII, he committed suicide.
11. The Bible does not say to pack up our troubles and smile, smile, smile – it says to "be afflicted, and mourn, and weep…" (4:9).
12. Next, James deals with the sin of backbiting (4:11,12; cf. Pro.25:23). James says that this is akin to speaking "evil of the law." Which law? (mentioned four times in 4:11) – the perfect law of liberty" (1:25; 2:12), or "the royal law" (2:8); i.e. , the law of Christ (cf. Mark 12:28-31).
13. When one fails to obey this law, he is in fact repudiating the law. When one willfully violates the law, he is actually judging the law, and condemning the law.
14. It is better to leave this business of judging to God. He knows all things. He knows the hearts of men. He will judge all believers at the judgment seat (Rom.14:10,12).
15. Those who have never been born again will be judged at the great white throne (Rev.20).
16. Before moving on, let me say that this prohibition against judging does not mean that preachers should not preach against sin (cf. Isa.58:1; II Tim.4:1-4).
17. This prohibition against judging does not mean that churches are not to exercise church discipline, or use Biblical discernment (cf. Matt.7:1-6,15-20).
18. What it means is that we cannot judge peoples’ hearts or their motives, etc. Only God knows that.
19. Also, if we see something that we think is not right, we should go directly to the person and speak to them, not about them (like J. Flores).

3. FAITH IS HINDERED BY GETTING OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD (4:13-17)

1. When I started this series on James I said it is similar in many ways to the book of Proverbs (cf. Pro.27:1).
2. When I started this series, I also quoted from Scofield’s "Introduction": "His style is that of the Wisdom books of the OT."
3. Job, along with Proverbs, is another one of the "Wisdom books" (cf. Job 7:6,7; 8:9; 9:25,26; 14:1,2).
4. Life is very short – especially from God’s perspective – none of us knows what will take place tomorrow (4:13-15). Our Lord warned of the rich man who left God out of his plans (Luke 12:16-21).
5. The most important thing in your life and in my life is knowing the will of God, and doing the will of God (cf. I John 2:17). This Scripture is on D.L Moody’s tombstone.
6. Someone once said to Moody, "I would give the world to have your power with God!" He replied, "That’s exactly what it would cost you."
7. Another great evangelist, Bob Jones, said, "Knowing God’s will is life’s greatest knowledge, and doing God’s will is life’s greatest privilege."
8. I had a preacher friend who used to put "D.V." in his letters – for the Latin phrase Deo Volente, "Lord willing" (cf. Acts 18:21; I Cor.4:19).
9. It is bad enough when a man turns his back on God. It is far worse when he boasts about it. A number of years ago, a man named William Henley wrote a poem called "Invictus."

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

10. A Christian lady named Dorothea Day has answered this horrible poem. She entitled hers "My Captain."

Out of the light that dazzles me,
Bright as the sun from pole to pole,
I thank the God I know to be
For Christ the conqueror of my soul.

Since His the sway of circumstance,
I would not wince nor cry aloud;
Under that rule which men call chance,
My head with joy is humbly bowed.

Beyond this place of sin and tears –
That life with him! And His the aid,
That, `spite the menace of the years,
Keeps, and shall keep, me unafraid.

I have no fear though strait the gate,
He cleared from punishment the scroll;
Christ is the Master of my fate,
Christ is the Captain of my soul.

11. This brings us to one more warning from James (4:17). I could preach a whole message on this verse:

• If you know you should be going to Sunday School, but don’t bother getting up on time, it is sin!
• If you know you should be coming back on Sunday night, but put it off, it is sin!
• If you know you should be supporting the prayer meeting but don’t, it is sin!
• If you know you should be giving more in the tithes and offerings, faith promise, etc. it is sin!
• If you know you should go out visiting and soulwinning but do not, it is sin!

12. When they leave this world and meet the Lord, many Christians will say: "I wish I had done more in my service for God!" No one will say, "I did too much."