Am I in conflict with God?

Yesterday

We finished LOOKING at conflicts in one’s bodily members.

Today

We will begin to unfold the conflict with God in verses 4-5.

Open GODcha to the Book of James.

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Let’s Pray

O Lordas we come to Your Word today, we need Your help. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear what You are saying in these verses. Please give us the understanding we need to live in the light of what You show us. Thank you!

LOOK at What God Says

You know how this works…

Let GODcha help you.

How do we get underway?

READ God’s Word

Read James 4:1-5 asking the 5W and H questions.

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Yes, refresh your memory.

There is no substitute for repeated readings of the text.  And even better –  read it aloud.

You will find yourself automatically memorizing it.

 

Remember the context is the world’.

 

Now, zoom in on James 1:4.

What does James call those he is writing to?

Why?

 

KEEP LOOKING

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4  “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? “

Unlock the Meaning 

Let’s unlock adulteresses that is key

And then peel back a layer at a time by looking at other Scripture References.

Remember we are NOT in a hurry, engage with God and hear Him speak!

 

Understand God’s Words

Check Out the Meaning

Dictionary Tutorial>

AdulteressesmoichalísIn the OT spoken mainly of those who forsook God for idols. In the NT, the word is generally used of those who neglect God and their duty toward Him and yield themselves to their own lusts and passions (Matt. 12:39; 16:4; Mark 8:38; James 4:4 where the word moichalís stands as a characteristic of infidelity, adulterous or faithless, idolatrous).

 

THINK: Physical adultery is to be unfaithful to one’s married partner.

Let’s see what spiritual adultery means.

Let Truth Explain Truth About

Adultresses

Cross References Tutorial>

Remember Hear God Speak!

1. What do you learn about Israel and how they committed adultery?

a. Israel is God’s wife. (Isa 54:5)

  

b.The Lord who delivered Israel out of bondage is their God and commanded them not to have any other gods before Him, for He is a jealous God. (Exo 20:2-5)

 

c. Israel was unfaithful. They did evil in the sight of the Lord, they forgot God, and went after idols. (Jdg 3:7)

 

d. All Israel committed adultery by going after other gods. (Jer 9:2)

We See: For Israel to abandon God and go after other gods was to commit spiritual adultery against Him which is a major theme throughout the Old Testament.

 

2. Who are believer’s, those with genuine faith, bound to?

What do they do?

a. Believer’s are betrothed to Christ to be presented as a pure virgin. (2Co 11:2-3)

 

b. This is the clearest illustration of marriage representing the relationship between Christ and His church, His bride. (Eph 5:23-32)

 

c. Believer’s are referred to as the bride of Christ. (Rev 19:7)

 

d. Believer’s are saints who are faithful in Jesus Christ. (Eph 1:1)

THINK: What would unfaithfulness be?

LISTEN…

 

Am I faithful?

Or, am I an adulteress? 

Respond to God…LIVE it out!

 

Let’s see who the Bride of Christ is a ‘friend’ to?

Check Out the Meaning 

Friend

Friendshipphilía; to befriend, love, kiss. Love, friendship, fondness. Used only in Jas 4:4.

Friend, philía; Noun from philéō, fondness:—friendship. In James 4:4, philía involves the adopting of the interests of the world to be one’s own.

LISTEN…

 

What, or who, do I love?

Have I adopted the interests of the world to be my own?

 

LOOK at Other Truths About

Friendship/Friends

Who was/is a friend of God and Christ? Why?

a. James tells us Abraham believed and was declared righteous, thus he was a friend of God. (Jam 2:23 )

 

b. God tells us very clearly that a believer is a friend of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are friends if we do whatever He commands us. (John 15:14-15)

We see: believers are friends of Christ.

LISTEN…

 

Who am I a friend to? God the Father, and Christ, or the world? 

If to the Lord, what proves I am a friend of His?

Am I willing to do whatever the Lord commands?

Respond to God…LIVE it out!

 

What Did We LEARN

Sum Up It Up!

We LEARN:

Adultery 

To abandon God and go after other gods (the world and it’s pleasures), is to commit spiritual adultery against Him.

Believer’s are:

The bride of Christ

Faithful

Friends of the Lord Jesus Christ because they obey

That’s It For Today!

We’ll finish up verse 4 tomorrow. But for now. . .

Reflect and meditate on what God taught us about committing adultery and being friends of Him and Christ, not the world.

How has your heart been stirred today?

 

Talk to God, He loves you!

Journal Your Discovery

You can’t remember everything, so highlight key points and details that might otherwise slip your mind. Then you can go back and review any time. Besides, you never know when God will have you share these vital Truths to others!  Get them under your belt!

Video Tutorial>  Notes Tutorial >

Turn What You LEARNED into a Prayer

Perhaps. . .

OH LOVING, FAITHFUL FATHER GOD, we thank you for your Word that is so acutely sharp and intense! Thank you that it is there to renew our minds and transform us from glory to glory. May what we have just learned penetrate our hearts and minds. May we grasp what it means to be adulteresses and that we cannot serve 2 masters! Thank you that we who were once Your enemies because we were of this world, are now bound to Christ and no longer of this world! Thus, please forgive us for straying into the world! Forgive us for being enticed by the lusts and pleasures of this world. Oh please cleanse us, purify us! And from this day forward may we truly begin to set our mind more and more on You, loving You, pleasing You, and setting our minds on the things above as Colossians told us and not on the things of this earth! Help us to deny worldly desires and make the right choices to live sensibly, righteously, and godly. For Your glory and honor, we ask this in Jesus’ most holy, matchless name! Amen!

 

Don’t you love being with the Lord? You are doing great, don’t stop!

Next: we will fininsh LOOKING at the conflict with God.

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