The Source of Conflicts

THE SOURCE OF CONFLICTS

James 4:1-10

I have a picture that I want you to see.

For those who can’t see this, it is a picture of two brides brawling; fighting.
Disgusting isn’t it?

Well, here in James 4, this is what is going on.

The Lord’s bride, the church, is fighting…
They are bickering and backbiting…and verbally going after one another.
And there is nothing uglier than a church fight.
Family feud is no game when you are talking about the Lord’s church.

And I want you to notice what they are fighting about. James gives us some indications.

Back in James 2:1-9 they were apparently fighting over “class”.
Some thought they were better than others.
“He is poor and I am rich…so I deserve more attention than he does.”

And if you go over to chapter 5:1-6 you’ll see that some of the conflict was apparently a result of unfair or perceived unfair employment practices…and the wages that were paid.

And if you look in chapter 3 you find that some wanted the “honor and recognition of being a teacher”…and there was jealousy and bitterness as a result.

Some of these Christians had come out of the Jewish religion….and they still wanted to draw on their Jewish background to make distinction between them and those who were out of the Gentile background.

And because they had formerly been Jews that thought they should be shown special treatment.

So, here in James 4 the bride of Christ is fighting…and James deals with it. Look what he says beginning in verse 1.

Vs. 1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

Get ready now, James is going to give us the answer to this question.
And I want you to know, the answer to this question goes well beyond the boundaries of church conflict.

What James says here applies to all kinds of conflicts and quarrels.

What James says here applies to two nations when they go to war.
It applies to a man and his wife when they are in constant conflict.
It applies to parents who do daily battle with one of their children.
This applies to two people who are quarrelling.
What is the source of the quarrels and conflicts in churches…and in our lives?

Well, look what James says; vs. 1:

Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; {so} you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; {so} you fight and quarrel.

These Christians that James is writing to had different ones who were trying to satisfy their own agenda….they were seeking to gratify their own desires and lusts…

Notice he says that their “pleasures were waging war in their own members.”
That is talking about their “desires and lusts” fighting inside of each one of them saying, “I want this…I want that.
And so they were fighting for what they wanted.

And other members were doing the same thing.

And it was causing all these conflicts.
James says they were “committing murder”…I don’t know if they were literally murdering one another…they probably wanted too.
But if they literally were or not I am sure they were intent on doing damage to one another as much as they could.

And James says they were “fighting and quarreling.”

Putting it simply, they were being selfish.

And that selfishness was causing them to hate one another…and destroy one another.

I really believe this is the source of the conflicts we see in marriages…and families…and through out the world.

Someone, somewhere, if they were honest about it, is thinking only of self and what they want.

And notice here, James says that they are so selfish that they are even carrying it over into their prayers.

In verse 2 he says, “You do not have because you do not ask.”
They know that some of the selfish things they desire are not a proper subject of prayer.

But then some of them ask anyway…and look what James says in verse 3.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend {it} on your pleasures.

You know, so many times you hear people say that “prayer” doesn’t work…that it doesn’t do any good to pray.

Learn these principles here.

First of all…have the right motive behind what you ask for.

If your only reason for asking for something is to satisfy your selfish desires…you can forget it.
Some of these people wanted more power…authority.
They wanted the place of honor…the wealth.
They wanted the very things that they were using to cause the conflicts in this church.
And James says, “You are not going to get it.”

And the second reason it seems that prayer never works is because some never pray.

And when we do, we don’t want what God has to give.
We want what we want.
“Lord, don’t give me humility…don’t let me be a foot washer…I want to be the one in authority.”

A petition unmade…or a petition made selfishly so you can satisfy your desires…well, you are right…in those instances prayer does not work.

Look at verse 4. James is going to mention another reason why these people are fighting.

You adulteresses…”

That is a pretty strong word isn’t it?
But the point is, “They are the bride of Christ”
When they were baptized they were “married to Him.” (Check out 2 Corinthians 11:2…they were betrothed to Christ.)
And look what they are doing.

He says, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship…and that word “friendship could be translated “fondness”.

When he speaks of friendship here he is not talking about just being friendly…or being acquainted with. “
He is talking about being “fond of”…seeking after the things of the world.
The things that the world says is “good and right.”
What the world says is popular…and successful.

He says, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

In verse 1 these people are fighting with one another.
The reason is, they have this war going on in side of them.
And the whole reason for all of this is because they have made “friends with the world”…therefore, they are at war with God.

Three conflicts…or three wars mentioned in this passage…and these people are losing all three of them. (war with self; with others; with God)

And if they keep on they will be three time losers.
They will not have what they want in the Lord’s church.
They will never satisfy their fleshly desires.
And they will be destroyed by God.

So, what is the answer? What is the answer for these brethren and their conflicts?

What is the answer for the conflicts that people have in their marriages?
What is the answer for the conflicts that people have in their families?
What is the answer between two nations?
What is the answer?

Well, verse 7: Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

I think it is interesting here that James says, “Resist the devil” in this context.

But, that is who is behind it.
There is nothing more that Satan wants than to start a big fight in the Lord’s church.
Nothing more that Satan wants than to start a big fight in someone’s marriage.
Nothing more that Satan wants than to start a big fight between two nations.

We get in these conflicts and we think our battle is against our brother or sister in Christ…or against our husbands or wives…

And in reality, our battle is against Satan.
He is right in the big middle of all of it, stirring things up.
“You are right to demand your rights.”
“You get what you want.”

When we get in these conflicts we are doing just exactly what Satan wants.

And James says here, “Submit to God…
And that word “submit” literally means…”get into your proper rank.”
When a private starts acting like a general there is going to be trouble.
And the same is true when a man starts acting like God.
And that is what some of these people were doing.

And James says, “You get back in your proper rank”.

You submit to God and say, “Not my will but Thy will be done”.

“And you resist the devil…and he will flee from you.”

When the devil sees who your general is…he knows he can’t win.

Now, verse 8-10, James gives us the disposition that makes for peace; peace with God; peace in the church; peach in a marriage; peace between nations. Look what he says; vs. 8.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

He mentions your hands here.

Hands were clasped together in prayer…or they were hands that were extended to heaven.
These people were extending their hands to heaven…and clasping them in prayer…but they were filthy with sin.
And what they needed to do is cease all outward acts of wrong doing.

He says, “purify your hearts.” That is to cleanse the inner being. Don’t just cleanse the inside of the dish, but cleanse the inside as well.

Vs. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep;

Be truly penitent; have a sincere deep sorrow for sin and wrongs committed.

Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom.

Don’t be careless or indifferent about those things that should induce grief and remorse.
The sinful actions that the laughed at; that they joyfully were involved in; the flippant attitude should be turned into mourning and gloom which expresses a sincere regret and sorrow.

Vs. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Realize that we have nothing in and of ourselves to boast of.
All of our deeds will come under the judgment of His righteous eye and they will be judged for what they are.
And that realization should cause us to be humbly obedient to His will.
And when we humble ourselves in His presence, He will exalt us.

And what will be the result of drawing near to God; and cleansing our hands; and purifying our hearts; and mourning over our sin; and humbling ourselves in His presence? The result will be peace: with God, in the church; in our marriages; and in our families; peace in the heart.