Transcript

Some time ago I came across a story of a pilot who was in desperate trouble. He was flying his single-engine airplane toward a small country airport, but he was behind schedule, and it was growing dark. 

By the time he reached that small airfield where he planned to land, the sun had dropped below a mountain at the close of the day. It was as if someone turned the lights out. He could not make out the runway from the fields below. He had poor lighting on his plane, and there was no one on duty at this little country airfield. 

He circled the runway for another attempt to land, but the darkness made it even more dangerous to attempt. For two hours, he flew his plane over that country airfield, hoping that lights would turn on below. It never happened. As the darkness of the night grew deeper, his situation became more desperate.

As his fuel began to run out and panic overwhelmed him, something wonderful happened. A man who lived near the airfield had heard the sound of that airplane engine circling again and again, and he realized what was happening. 

He ran to his car and raced over to the runway. Then, with his lights on high beam, he drove his car back and forth on the little runway to show the pilot the location and length of the airstrip.  He then parked his car at the far end of the runway and let his lights cast their illuminating beam down the runway. 

The pilot landed the plane safely, and his life was spared.

I could not help but think of our own desperate need today to have someone light up the runway of life, so to speak, and show us the path that leads to spiritual safety instead of spiritual catastrophe.

Well, James, does just that. He lights up the runway with the high beams of heavenly wisdom. Of course, James is not just going to show us where to land; he is going to show us how to live.

James recognizes the danger every church and every Christian faces in every generation and every culture—namely, the danger of the darkness of sin clouding our vision, tempting us and confusing us and leading us off the path.

Here in James 4, the author refers to the dark, unbelieving world by the Greek term kosmos, which is simply translated “world.” He writes in verse 4, “Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” This word kosmos refers to the ungodly, self-centered world system that is hostile toward God. People of this world do not like God, they do not want God, and they do not want to be reminded of the Word of God—even if it is just the Ten Commandments hanging somewhere in a courtroom or classroom.

That is why being a friend of the world makes one an enemy of God. Worldliness is at war with the wisdom of God.

And that, beloved, is what James chapter 4 is all about.

James begins with the problem of worldliness that creeps into the church. He notes in verse 1 the presence of “quarrels” and “fights” among the believers. And he says the source of this is their “passions.” The Greek word is hēdonē. We get from it our word hedonism, the teaching that pleasure is the chief good in life. James says that when Christians act like the world, wanting whatever pleases them, they are going to have a church filled with conflict.

James goes deeper in verse 2: “You desire and do not have, so you murder.” Now wait—can a believer commit murder? King David did—in order to cover up his adultery.

I got a letter some time ago from a man in prison, a former church leader. Wanting to avoid a public divorce, he had planned his wife’s murder. He even got away with it, until sometime later, when he told his new wife. She secretly recorded his confession and turned him in. He was a believer, but he had crashed in the darkness.

Having exposed the worldliness that can creep into the church, James offers some words for the worldly Christian. Here is how to get back to where you should be. He begins with this word of hope here in verse 6: “But he gives more grace.” Despite our sin, God is ever ready to forgive us and restore us and then help us overcome the world and its attractions.[1]

With that, James begins to fire off one command after another. These commands act as beams of light along a dark runway through life. The first is in verse 7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God.” “Submit” is a military term, calling “for voluntary submission to God and His will.”[2]

Next, also in verse 7, is the command, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The word translated “resist” is also a military command, meaning “to take a stand.”[3]

There is no middle ground in this warfare. We stand for God, and we stand against the devil.

Verse 8 adds to the commands: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Someone might say, “If God wants me closer, why doesn’t He draw near to me? Then I will draw near to Him.”

James is emphasizing the humble submission of the believer here. God is not going to pull you out of bed for devotions in the morning. He is not going to get you dressed and out the door on Sunday morning to go to church.

Those are your decisions. Do you really want to draw near to Him or not? If you do, James assures you here that God is always ready to respond.

You will never get out of bed to pray and wonder if it is too early for Him. You will never have to wonder if He is listening or if He cares. He is always there.

Here are some more commands to counter worldliness:

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. (verses 8 and 9)

In other words, take sin seriously. Confess it, and clean it out of your life.

We read in verse 10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” The picture here is of someone falling down before an Eastern monarch, begging for mercy. The king reaches down and lifts that person from the dust, granting his request.[4] Likewise, when we humble ourselves before the Lord, He has a way of putting us back on our feet.

James then illustrates the arrogance of worldliness in verse 13. He describes a person who says, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit.” There is nothing wrong with making business plans—in fact, we should. But we need to make our plans in pencil and give God the eraser. James writes, “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” (verse 14).

Worldliness rejects the will of God and replaces it with our own will. We think we are in charge. We will go somewhere and start a business, and we will succeed because we believe in ourselves.

James counsels the believer in verse 15, “Instead . . . say [this], ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” We must understand and acknowledge that God is ultimately in control.

I recommend you use this phrase often: “Lord willing . . . Lord willing.” “We are going to start that business next month, Lord willing.” “I am heading off to college next year, Lord willing.” “I am going to get that job, Lord willing.”

Worldliness ignores God in every facet of life; wise believers invite God into every facet of life.