WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday January 13, 2019
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SUBMIT TO GOD
(Drawing close to GOD)
(James 4:1-10)
In the biblical Greek,
the word used for “sin nature” is “epithumia” (ep-i-thoo-me-a), however it
really describes that battle that wages on inside of each of us, between “the
reason to do right” (GOD’s Nature), and “the passion to want to do wrong” (sin
nature). We were all born with “GOD’s Nature” in us, and not with sin nature. We
acquire sin nature the first we disobey GOD at an age of accountability.
GOD’s Nature consists of those “communicable
attributes” of “Life”, “Personality”, “Love”, “Truth”, “Justice”, “Wisdom”, and
“Holiness”, that GOD placess inside of each of us from the moment HE decides to
allow us to be born into this world. HE places these attributes into our “soul”
(human spirit), and they allow us to be able worship HIM, and have a personal
relationship of friendship with HIM.
Unfortunately, however, we invite “satan’s sin nature” into our soul (human
spirit) the moment that we first decide to disobey GOD at the age of
accountability. And from that point forward, the battle inside of us, between
“right” and “wrong”, to win our soul, begins in earnest, and continues on
throughout the remainder of our lives.
However, when and if, we “come to the end of ourselves” and “realize
that we need GOD more than we need anything else, we can repent, claim CHRIST
JESUS as our LORD and SAVIOR, receive the help of the HOLY SPIRIT, and begin to
win that battle inside of us for righteousness sake, and reclaim control of our
soul back from satan. The, “reason to do right” will then become victorious
over “our passion to want to do wrong” and thereby, our desires for GOD becomes
superior to our love of the world and all that comes with.
It is not until a person “falls in love with goodness”, that wrong
things will no longer fascinate and have power over them. When we fall in love
with goodness, our relationship with GOD becomes our greatest asset. By
contrast, the person who loses his or her heart to the things of world is,
without doubt, the person who is most vulnerable to satan.
Sin nature is the personification of “selfishness”, and thereby
selfishness is the very essence of sin. By contrast, the HOLY SPIRIT is the
personification of “unselfishness”, and thereby unselfishness becomes to very
essence of “holiness” and “righteousness”.
Perhaps
Warren W. Wiersbe put it best when he wrote, “People who are at war with themselves because of selfish desires, are
always unhappy people. They never enjoy life. Instead of being thankful for the
blessings they do have, they complain about the things that they don’t have.
They can’t even get along with other people because they are always envying
others for what they have and do. They are always looking for that “magic
something” that will change their lives, when the real problem is within their
own hearts”.
Here in James chapter 4, James begins to focus his message on “the three
kinds of wars” that exist in the “human drama”, that is, this life. He also
shows us how these wars serve to complicate the lives of all mankind. Here James
attempts to help us deal with those wars as he both, identifies them, and, shows
us how they can be stopped. In verses 7-10 he tells us how to deal with our;
·
“War
within ourselves”
·
“War
against each other”
·
“War
against GOD”
It is our “war within ourselves” that causes us to “war with each other”,
and thereby, to be at “war against GOD”, WHO commands us to “love one another”
because we are all “made in the spiritual image of GOD”. As far as GOD is
concerned, we need no other reason to “love one another”, than for the fact
that we are all made in HIS image. It is GOD’s wish that we love one another
unconditionally.
The issues of fighting, quarreling, lust, hate, envy, and pride dominates
this section of James’ letter. This is quite in contrast to the “words of being
a peacemaker”, which ended chapter 3. Here James confronts these particular
behavior problems, and gives clear advice on how to handle these storms, or
giants, that can be devastating to our spiritual growth and maturity, if don’t
get out in front of them and take control and responsibility for our actions
(Vs.1-3).
In this passage we see James’ strong indignation for even the appearance
of conflict among those who profess to be Christians, or, “followers of
CHRIST”. The tone of his delivery now changes, as, instead of using the term
“My dear brothers”, in verse 4, he refers to his audience by using the term
“You adulterous people”. Here he warns those who are letting themselves become
friends of the world, that, by doing so, they are making themselves “an enemy
of GOD”.
If our aim in life is to please the world, and enjoy all it has to
offer, we automatically and sometimes, quite unwittingly, put ourselves in
danger of falling in love with the world, and thereby, despising GOD, WHO
created the world, in the process.
GOD
gave us the use of the things of this world for our day to day survival. We are
to, use those things, and not, allow those things to use us. We must take care
not to fall in love with the things that we acquire, and we are not to worship
those things, consuming our lives with chasing after them, and seeking after
them with all of our heart.
As the solution to our problem of controlling our desires (exercising
self-control), GOD gives us the use of HIS HOLY SPIRIT, WHO, will abide in us,
and help protect those who are “being saved”, from getting entrenched in our
desires to be like the world. HE will give us the added strength and humility
that we need, in order to stand against the gravitational pull of this world
(Vs.5-6).
GOD
sets HIMSELF against “the proud” and shows favor to “the humble”. When we “draw
close to GOD”, GOD, draws close to us. And when we pray with “the right
motive”, which is, in other words, “that HIS Will be done here on earth”, we show
that we are willing to change for HIM.
However,
if we pray selfishly with the wrong motive, for things that are out of GOD’s
Will, we are, in effect, asking that “our
Will be done in Heaven”. We are asking that “GOD changes for us”, and certainly
our prayers will not be answered positively, but rather, we will get no
response from GOD, except maybe a “NO” response.
Praying with the right motive calls for us to be able to control our
selfish desires that can, even in our petitions, seek to feed our own fleshly pleasures,
and can, quite easily make us slaves to “hedonism”, a selfish philosophy that
makes “fleshly pleasure” our main objective.
And so, we must learn to pray in the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, with a
mind that is cultivated in the Word of GOD. Remember, even, and especially, the
rich among us must be able to admit that, despite all that they own, they still
need GOD. Before anyone can repent, they must first, humble themselves, and
confess that they need GOD. Then, like anyone else who submits with contrition,
GOD, will lift them up in honor, right now, in this life, here on earth
(Vs.7-10).
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official
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