The Epistle of
James
Lesson 6
“Faith and the Faithful Teacher (Cont’d)”
“Faith and the Man Within”
James 3:13 – 4:10
Page 13
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Overview of Chapter 3
 This chapter deals with overly-ambitious
and self-serving teachers
 A threat not only to their own spirituality but
also to that of the entire church among whom
they taught
 Their apparent insincerity and inconsistent
lives were a severe reflection on the image of
the church among people of the world
 Faithful teachers are important to the
success of the gospel in converting the lost
(See Philippians 2:15,16)
2
Question
8. “Wise” teachers demonstrate their
wisdom (and reliability) by what means?
(vs. 13)
13 Who
is wise and understanding among
you? Let him show by good conduct that
his works are done in the meekness of
wisdom.
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Who Is Wise Among You?
 Only those teachers who use their tongues
to impart sound doctrine are “wise” and
“understanding” of the truth
 “But as for you, speak the things which are
proper for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1)
 Conformity of their teaching and their
personal behavior with the truth (13)
 Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears
these sayings of Mine, and does them, I
will liken him to a wise man” (Matt. 7:24)
4
Question
9. What behaviors of teachers (and others)
lie against the truth they teach? (vs. 14)
14 But
if you have bitter envy and selfseeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie
against the truth.
5
Teachings Come From Two Origins
 All teachers claim to possess wisdom in
their teaching
 Be aware, however, that teaching may
have its origin in wisdom that is from
“below,” rather than in wisdom from
“above” (15)
 The source of any professed “wisdom”
may be identified by the influences it
exerts on its recipients
 We must examine each teachers “wisdom”
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Question
10. List the characteristics of two kinds of wisdom
described by James. (vs. 15-18)
Heavenly Wisdom
a. Meekness
b. Pure
c. Peaceable
d. Gentle
e. Willing to yield
f. Mercy
g. Good fruits
h. Without partiality
i. Without hypocrisy
Earthly Wisdom
a. Earthly
b. Sensual
c. Demonic
d. Bitter envy
e. Self-seeking
f. Confusion
g. Every evil thing
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Let’s Read James 3:15-18 (NKJ)
14 But
if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your
hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is
earthly, sensual, demonic.
16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion
and every evil thing are there.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by
those who make peace.
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The Epistle of
James
Lesson 6
“Faith and the Man Within”
James 4:1 – 4:10
Page 16
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Chapter 4
 In this chapter, he rebukes them harshly
for the lifestyle into which some had fallen
 They were oblivious to the qualities of the
Christian character toward which the
gospel had pointed them
 They were embroiled in relationships
among themselves and with people in the
world characterized by strife and
bitterness, worldliness, unwarranted
criticism, greed, and pride
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Chapter 4
 A failure to change these relationships
would be disastrous to their hope of
eternal life
 Faith could not do its work in their lives
until a significant impact had been made
on “the man within!”
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Question
1. What is the basic reason behind man’s
“warring and fighting”? (vs. 1)
1 Where
do wars and fights come from
among you? Do they not come from your
desires for pleasure that war in your
members?
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“Desires For Pleasures…”
 Causes ungodly behavior
 The gospel is a gospel of peace
 God desires that His people live at peace
with Him, with one another, and with all
their associates
 Righteous living by Christians can by
nurtured only within an environment of
peace (3:18)
13
“Desires For Pleasures…”
 The natural man is determined to “gratify
their natural desires”
 The natural man will lead us into a lust for:
(1) power, (2) prominence, (3) wealth, (4)
independence, (5) the sheer enjoyment of
strife, and many other hurtful behaviors
 Their aspirations centered on what they
wanted for themselves and not on what
they wanted for the kingdom of God
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“Desires For Pleasures…”
 Paul said,
 1Cor. 3:1-3: “And I, brethren, could not speak
to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal,
as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and
not with solid food; for until now you were not
able to receive it, and even now you are still
not able; for you are still carnal. For where
there are envy, strife, and divisions among
you, are you not carnal and behaving like
mere men?’
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Question
2. List six useless and hurtful things men do
to achieve their desires. (vs. 2,3)
2 You
lust and do not have. You murder and
covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.
Yet you do not have because you do not
ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because
you ask amiss, that you may spend it on
your pleasures.
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Question
3. What was wrong with the prayers (asking)
of those who did not receive? (vs.3)
3 You
ask and do not receive, because you
ask amiss, that you may spend it on your
pleasures.
(See James 1:5-8 for properly asking of God)
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Question
4. The fundamental choice about lifestyle is
God
whether to be a friend of_________
or a
the ___________.
world
friend of ______
(vs. 4)
4 Adulterers
and adulteresses! Do you not
know that friendship with the world is enmity
with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a
friend of the world makes himself an enemy
of God.
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“Adulterers and Adulteresses…” (4:4)
 The physical sin of adultery erodes the
precious bond between husband and wife
 Spiritual adultery with the devil destroys
the relationship between the disciple and
his God.
 Jesus said,
 “No one can serve two masters;… You cannot
serve God and mammon [riches regarded as
an object of worship].” (Matt. 6:24)
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“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns
jealously” (4:5)
 James asked if they think that this concern
of the Spirit is in vain or to no purpose
 If we permit worldly pleasures to dwell in
us, the Spirit will not dwell in us
 Those who are friends of the world make
themselves an enemy of God
 James says “the Scriptures says”
 This is not a direct quotation from the O.T.
 It is a general truth that the Scriptures teach
that God is jealous of those who stray away
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“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns
jealously”
 Paul expressed a similar use of this
principle when referring to the misuse of
the Lord’s supper:
1 Cor. 10:21,22 –
“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the
cup of demons; you cannot partake of the
Lord's table and of the table of demons.
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are
we stronger than He?”
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Question
5. In what different ways does God treat the
proud and the humble? (vs. 6)
What should the proud do to gain God’s
favor? (vs. 7)
6 But
He gives more grace. Therefore He
says: “God resists the proud, but gives
grace to the humble.”
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil
and he will flee from you.
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“Submit to God… Resist the Devil …”
 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil
and he will flee from you.” (4:7)
 These are exact opposites
 We must “resist the devil” for him to flee
 “Resist” is to “stand off”, “withstand”, to
“oppose”
 We are promised a victory over the devil if we
actively oppose him
 Resisting requires several things…
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Question
6. What steps must a sinner take to “draw
near” to God? (vs. 8-10)
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 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your
laughter be turned to mourning and your joy
to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight
of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
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“Submit to God… Resist the Devil …”
1. Draw near to God
 God is never far from each one of us (Acts
17:27), but we allow our sins to separate
ourselves from Him (Isaiah 59:2).
 Still, He is ever ready to receive us into His
fellowship despite our going astray (2Peter
3:9)
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“Submit to God… Resist the Devil …”
2. Cleanse the hands
 The sinner must change his behavior for the
better before he can be acceptable to God
 The “old man” must be put off, the “new man”
must be put on (Eph. 4:22-32; Col. 3:5-14)
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“Submit to God… Resist the Devil …”
3. Purify the heart
 Proper behavior must come from a heart that
is “wise” and willing to “see things as God
sees them”
 From such a heart springs a trust in the Lord
that will not allow our human lusts to dictate
how our needs are to be supplied
 A “double-minded” man receives nothing from
the Lord (chapter 1:6,7)
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“Submit to God… Resist the Devil …”
4. Humble self before the Lord
 Repentance born of a godly sorrow brings
grief and shame over the sins of the past
(2Corinthians 7:10) and,
 A resolve not to repeat those sins in the
future.
• This was the need of the Laodiceans (Revelation
3:17).
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“Submit to God… Resist the Devil …”
5. God will lift up the humble soul
 Action is required by both the sinner and
the Father before the problem of sin can be
resolved
 WE submit, HE lifts.
• Our must action must occur before His!
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James 4:1-3 (NKJ)
For Pride Promotes Strife
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you?
Do they not come from your desires for pleasure
that war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet
and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do
not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask
amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
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James 4:4-6 (NKJ)
For Pride Promotes Strife
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know
that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain,
“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the
humble.”
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James 4:7-10 (NKJ)
Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit 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 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter
be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and
He will lift you up.
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