Transcript

Distinguished Producer

Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle.

Podcast Introduction

Today is  Epistles Sunday James 4-5. I’m calling today’s episode “Golden Nuggets.” 

Comments on James 4

Some have said that James is a bit like the book of Proverbs because of the way nuggets of truth are presented. Let’s look at a few of them.

James 4:2b – You do not have, because you do not ask.

Prayer is a necessary part of the Christian’s life. If we want God to bless us, we must ask. Listen to Charles Spurgeon: “Remember this text: Jehovah says to his own Son, ‘Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.’ If the royal and divine Son of God cannot be exempted from the rule of asking that he may have, you and I cannot expect the rule to be relaxed in our favor. Why should it be?” Also from Spurgeon: “If you may have everything by asking, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is, and I beseech you to abound in it… Do you know, brothers, what great things are to be had for the asking? Have you ever thought of it? Does it not stimulate you to pray fervently? All heaven lies before the grasp of the asking man; all the promises of God are rich and inexhaustible, and their fulfillment is to be had by prayer.”

James 4:3 – You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 

Contrast this with 1 John 5:14 – And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

James 4:4b – Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 

Beloved, we cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, ““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

James 4:6b-7a – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.”

Pride is at the center of sin. Pride caused the fall of Lucifer. Pride caused the fall of Adam and Eve, and thus our sinful nature. Is it any wonder that God opposes the proud? But when we humble ourselves before God, when we confess our sin, God pours out His grace. It isn’t as though our humility *earns* God’s grace, but when we are humble, we are acknowledging that we are in need of the grace that He so freely gives. Spurgeon: “Do you suffer from spiritual poverty? It is your own fault, for he giveth more grace. If you have not got it, it is not because it is not to be had, but because you have not gone for it.” 

James 4:7b – Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Notice the text does not say, “…and he may flee from you.” or “…sometimes he will flee from you.” When we actively resist the enemy’s lies and temptations, we are *promised* that he will flee, though he will return to test our resolve. We can and we must resist him, in the name of Jesus,  as the already defeated foe he is. The Greek word translated as “resist” is a combination of two words: stand against. We are never conquered as long as we do not consent. 

James 4:8 – Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

This is both an invitation and a promise. And it comes directly after the “resist and he will flee” promise. When we resist the devil, we can and we *should* draw near to God. It is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted in the desert, but He did not sin. When we have had an encounter with temptation, the best thing we can do is draw near to God for shelter and for strength. How do we draw near to God? In prayer, in worship and in praise. We learn to walk with God in our daily lives. We respond to His invitation to have an ongoing, daily, hour by our and minute by minute relationship with Him. We ask Him to guide our decisions and help us with our struggles. We thank Him for His blessings. In short, we live our lives with the awareness that He is always with us, and He delights in us. And we delight in Him.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 4-5 ESV

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
We can’t have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom.

INTRO S12E305 – 0:11
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. I’m so glad you’re here today. Thanks for joining me. Today is Epistle Sunday. We’re going to read James 4 and 5. I’m calling today’s episode, “Golden Nuggets”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e305. I’d love it if you go by and leave a comment. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

JAMES 4 (ESV) – 0:45
James, chapter 4. (1) What causes quarrels and fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? (2) You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. (3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (4) You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (5) Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (6) But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (9) Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. (10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

(11) Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (12) There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

(13) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— (14) yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (15) Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (16) As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (17) So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

JAMES 5 (ESV) – 2:52
James, chapter 5. (1) Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. (2) Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. (3) Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. (4) Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. (5) You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. (6) You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

(7) Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. (8) You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (9) Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. (10) As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (11) Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

(12) But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

(13) Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (14) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (15) And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (16) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (17) Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. (18) Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

(19) My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, (20) let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

COMMENTS – 5:31
Let’s talk a bit about James 4. Some have said that James is a bit like the book of Proverbs because of the way nuggets of truth are presented. Let’s take a look at just a few of them.

In verse 2b it says, “You do not have because you do not ask.”

Beloved, prayer is a necessary part of the Christian life. If we want God to bless us, we have to ask. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said, “Remember this text: Jehovah says to his own Son, ‘Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.’” Spurgeon continues, “If the royal and divine Son of God cannot be exempted from the rule of asking that he may have, you and I cannot expect the rule to be relaxed in our favor. Why should it be?” Good question. He also said, “If you may have everything by asking, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is, and I beseech you to abound in it… Do you know, brothers, what great things are to be had for the asking? Have you ever thought of it? Does it not stimulate you to pray fervently? All heaven lies before the grasp of the asking man; all the promises of God are rich and inexhaustible, and their fulfillment is to be had by prayer.”

Is prayer important? I’d say it is. And then in verse 3, we read, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly.” To spend it on your passions.

Well, let’s contrast this with 1 John 5:14, which says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” So if we ask for the wrong motivation, our prayers are not answered. But if we ask according to his will, he does hear us.

And verse 4b, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Beloved, we can’t have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Beloved, we have to ask ourselves, Where is my focus? Is my focus on the things of God or on the things of the world? And verses 6b and 7a, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.” God opposes the proud.

Pride is the center of sin. Pride caused the fall of Lucifer. Pride caused the fall of Adam and Eve, and thus our sinful nature. Is it any wonder that God opposes the proud? But when we humble ourselves before God, when we confess our sin, God pours out His grace. It isn’t as though our humility earns God’s grace. But when we are humble, we’re acknowledging that we’re in need of the grace that he so freely gives. Charles Spurgeon said this, “Do you suffer from spiritual poverty? It is your own fault, for he giveth more grace, if you have not got it, it is not because it is not to be had but because you have not gone for it.”

Verse 7b, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Beloved, notice that the text does not say “and he may flee from you” or “sometimes he will flee from you.” When we actively resist the enemy’s lies and temptations we are promised that he will flee, though he will return to test our resolve. We can and we must resist him in the name of Jesus as the already defeated foe that he is. The Greek word translated as “resist” is a combination of two words, “stand against”. Beloved, we are never conquered, as long as we do not consent.

Then verse 8 says, “Draw nearer to God and he will draw near to you.”

This is both an invitation and a promise, “Draw near to God” is the invitation and “He will draw near to you” is the promise. And this promise comes directly after the “resist and he will flee” promise. When we resist the devil we can and we should draw near to God. We have to understand it is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted after all in the desert, but he did not sin. When we have had an encounter with temptation, the best thing that we can do is draw near to God for shelter and for strength. Well, how do we draw near to God? We do it in prayer, in worship, and in praise. We learn to walk with God in our daily lives, we respond to His invitation to have an ongoing daily, hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute relationship with him. We ask him to guide our decisions and help us with our struggles. We thank him for his blessings. In short, we live our lives with the awareness that he is always with us, and he delights in us, and we should delight in him.

What do you think? Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e305 and let me know. Tomorrow’s Monday, so we’ll read from the Law. We’ll read Deuteronomy 7 through 9.

Boost.

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 11:05
I want to thank Lifespring Family Berean Brother Paul of Seattle who came in with his weekly $22.22 donation. He’s our Distinguished Producer today. And thank you, Brother Paul of Seattle for helping to produce episode s12e305.

Beloved, if you believe in what the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is all about, if the show has helped you in any way, whether in helping you to read the Bible on a more consistent basis, or helping you to understand Scripture a little better or in challenging you to walk closer to God, then please consider supporting the show with your time, talent or treasure. Go to lifespringmedia.com/support and see if what you find there makes sense to you, lifespringmedia.com/support. And whether you support the show with time, talent or treasure, I thank you and I think God will bless you.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 12:01
On this date in church history, July 3, 1756, John Wesley, the founder of English Methodism, wrote in a letter, “One who lives and dies in error or is in dissent from our church may yet be saved, but one who lives and dies in their sin must perish.”

And on this date in church history, July 3, 1878, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod missionaries J. Friedrich Doescher and Frederick Berg established the Negro Lutheran Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, the first formal outreach to African-Americans made by Lutherans in the United States.

CLOSING PRAYER – 12:44
Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, you have given us everything we need. You have given us our life, you have given us your word, and you have given us the way to spend eternity with you. Thank you for those and countless other blessings. Your love for us is just immeasurable, and we praise you. We ask the Lord that you work closely with us today and we ask for your blessing. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Do you have a prayer request? Do you have a praise? Would you like to share it with the Lifespring family? Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com?

OUTRO S12E305 – 13:27
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e305. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise for everything you guys do for us. Thanks to Lifespring Family Berean Brother Paul of Seattle for his support of this show today. Thanks to those of you who faithfully stream sats and send boosts every single day. And thank you, Beloved, for inviting me into your day today support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise