I Know You Want To, But Will You? Part 5

Part 5: Telling It Like It Is  • Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

James 4:1–10
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
        ⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
        “God opposes the proud
                but shows favor to the humble.”
⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

James is confronting:

Me-centered

Verses: 1–2: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

Me-centered

Verse 3: When you ask you do not receive because you ask with the wrong motives…

Me-centered

Verse 4: You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

So, what do we do?

to God (verse 7a)

the devil (verse 7b)

(verse 8a)

Wash your (verse 8b)

Purify your (verse 8c)

and (verse 9)

yourself (verse 10)

When you live your life = Christo-centric

Small Group Questions

1. What’s your favorite season? Why?
2. Do you enjoy or hate being the center of attention? Why?
3. Which of the 3 “Me-centered” aspects of life do you struggle with the most? How have you learned to change that dynamic? If you haven’t learned to change it, don’t be afraid to says so, but then listen to the wisdom in other people’s answers.
4. Read James 4:1–10 out loud. What is God saying to you right now about connecting with him? What needs to happen right now for you to draw near?
5. In what ways is your life “Christo-centric”? In what ways is it not? Take a few moments and pray for those areas where it is not in alignment with God and draw near to him.
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?