1 Peter chapter 5 verses 8 and 9, “8 Be [a]sober, be [b]vigilant; [c]because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world”. There are things to be fearful about and particularly to draw from this verse. In this lesson I will bring out points considering the background of the book, the historical times, and make application for us in these times.
What would you do? We are living through a pandemic called COVID-19 has caused, in our time, an unprecedented cost. No only to life but also to our way of life. What would you do to stop it. What would you pay for the cure? And let’s not focus only on COVID-19, what about cancer? How many people do you know that have died from cancer? What would you do, what would you be willing to do or pay to end cancer? What would you do to obtain the cure for cancer, for heart disease, for liver failure, kidney failure or dementia. All these are a result of sin, not my sin or your sin, but the sin that entered the world and caused death (Gen. 2:16-17), the expulsion from the garden (Gen 3:22-24) .
We cannot eliminate diseases, but here James will offer us 4 spiritual ways that Christians can take to eliminate spiritual adultery and eliminate spiritual death. “Therefore submit to God. . . “
In this second lesson from James 4 James continued in verse two to further explain why these members are at odds with one another. He said, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and [b]war. . .” (James 4:2a). You lust, you murder? Is James saying that the early saints are murdering one another literally? Not at all. Just as he used strong language in verse one, he does so here. There are terrible consequences to the souls of others and our own when we lust and cannot have, when we war and fight with selfishness in our hearts. The truth is that when our focus is on self, others are often victims. Precious souls can be made to stumble when all we care about is self. Jesus warned against this kind of faith. . .
If we have Wars and Fights among us it is because we are Not Living According to the Spirit of Truth, because we don’t put others above ourselves—considering their needs—their situations—we just think about our needs. James says, that is not the way of truth, not the way of Godliness.
I want to emphasize the force behind the terms James chose. They should generate terror in your minds at the thought of discourse – at the thought of brethren fighting. Because James wants us to connect the dots…see the destructive power, the devastation that wars produce and connect that to ourselves and the devastation to us and the church that results from refusing to humble ourselves.
Our spiritual lives like our physical lives occasionally need examination. You see your doctor an he checks your temperature, your blood levels, your color, and weight amid a dozen other things to ascertain the condition of your overall well-being. Afterward the doctor may recommend medication, life-style changes or send you on your way with his stamp of approval. Spiritually, we also need regular examinations. The doctor is our Lord Jesus Christ and the examination is simply a comparison of your life, and the word of God. Areas where we are weak in the faith are shored-up by applying the teachings of God via the New Testament. One test of our spiritual well-being is our prayer life, or lack of. Not a complex lesson, but an important one for certain.
James has already spoken of wisdom in chapter 1 saying, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…” (v.1:5). The kind of wisdom that comes from God is from above and is “…first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (v.3:17) . But there is another kind of wisdom which “…is earthly, sensual, demonic” (v.3:15). Wisdom from God above—will result in righteousness and peace and wisdom from this world below—will result in confusion and every evil thing. Sometimes we get caught up applying the wisdom from this world because of vanity, selfishness, and too much concern over the opinions of others. James wants to teach us the differences and the consequences of both so that we may choose wisely to walk in the wisdom from above.
This lesson is a character study of the Apostle Peter. There is something that maybe in our traditions we may not always do a terrific job at. That is pointing out and reminding ourselves and helping ourselves to remember that the people we read about in the Bible, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament were, real people. They were very much like ourselves, and not very much different than ourselves. In this lesson I want us to think about Peter, I want us to really put ourselves in the shoes of Peter. Remember he was a very real person!
In this lesson brother Williamson expounds on the issues facing Christians and social media. Is it good, is it bad? What image are you portraying, is it the light of Christ or the the image of worldliness? There are many things to think about before you hit “Like”, and before you hit “post”.
Do you fear death? Is your day filled with uncertainty, worry, or anxiety? Are you living day to day on a shaky foundation? Can you relate to the many souls on the RMS Titanic. Do you feel like “the ship is sinking” and there are no life boats left? Are you living without hope, does despair fill your whole being, do you feel that you don’t have control of the day? This is what it must have been like for the over 1,500 souls who lost their lives that day on April 15th, 1912. What is tragic about this is that people who live life day to day without hope, fear death, do not need to fear at at all.
Because is Christ all fear is gone, in Christ there is real hope! Jesus is the solid rock which all who obey will stand upon the firm and sure foundation. Living in Christ is the other side of anxiety, of worry and fear for the people of God have hope in the risen Christ and they are washed by His blood, members of His body, the church. These know that this life is just a vapor here today and gone tomorrow. These know that there is an eternal life after this life, and anxiously await it, saying to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21).
It is amazing how powerful the tongue really is. It can change the course of human events for good or for evil. It can make or destroy relationships. The tongue used properly can plant good seed to the saving of a soul, or it can prove out hypocrisy and cause a soul to shun the Lord we profess.
By it a good man can be ill spoken of and his reputation is destroyed. So small a member yet so powerful. “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things” (James 3:5). James describes the “tongue is a fire, a world of [a]iniquity”, and says that “it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of [b]nature; and it is set on fire by [c]hell” (James 3:6). So much power must be kept under control by the Spirit that God gives us so that we use it for the good and the glory of His kingdom.