How to Walk by the Spirit
James 4:1-10
October 13, 2013
As you know we have been studying the Holy Spirit.
Who He is – What He does – What He expects
And most recently we have been talking about the command to
“walk by the Spirit”
We looked at Romans 8 and saw that
It is every believer’s obligation to “walk by the Spirit”
And then last week we studied Galatians 5 and saw that
Every believer is dependent to “walk by the Spirit”
Since in their flesh they have no ability to do what God requires.
And as we have studied this, it has been my desire to give you
A sort of practical, “How To” in regard to walking by the Spirit.
When we talked about being “filled with the Spirit” the practical “How To” was easy. Colossians said, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you”
But a practical “How To” passage in regard to walking by the Spirit
Is a little more difficult to come by.
And so I am going to tell you from the outset this morning that the passage we are studying in James is not a direct passage
Which explains practically how to walk by the Spirit.
In fact there is some disagreement among scholars as to
Whether or not James is even writing to believers here at all,
Or if in fact he is writing to imposters who are really lost and need to be saved.
SO WHY CHOOSE THIS PASSAGE?
Because walking by the Spirit is a matter of submission.
You are either obeying and trusting the flesh
Or you are obeying and trusting the Spirit.
And the path for a sinner to be saved and the path for a saint to be revived
Are in many ways the exact same path.
So whether James is here writing to believers, or if James is writing to those who only think they are believers, it really doesn’t matter to me.
What we find here is some of the most practical and clear instruction on how to quit living according to the flesh
And how to start living according to the Spirit.
Now just a little intro to the book of James
So we all know where he is coming from.
This James is not the brother of John, who was a disciple of Jesus.
That James was the first disciple to be killed.
His death is recorded in Acts 12:2
This James is the half-brother of Jesus.
(called a half-brother since Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father)
James was not a believer while Jesus lived.
John 7:5 “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”
However, after Jesus rose from the dead
He appeared to James and James became a believer.
This reality then gave James a very unique perspective.
• James didn’t listen to Jesus teach for 3 years.
• James watched Jesus live for 33 years.
• James didn’t get a lesson in theology from Jesus.
• James got a front row seat to righteous living from Jesus.
James was there as kids when Joseph and Mary said to stop talking and go to sleep.
James was there as teenagers when all the other kids wanted to go behind the barn and smoke.
James saw how Jesus related to the kids who were picked on.
James saw how Jesus responded to every day dilemmas
James saw righteousness displayed daily.
And because of this James has absolutely no use for skin-deep religion.
He is not interested in your theological writings…
He could care less about you religious resume…
James is only concerned about practically living the life God intended.
And that makes his book a perfect place to turn when we are looking for
A practical lesson in how to walk by the Spirit and not the flesh.
And to do that this morning we are going to look at James 4.
3 main points
#1 THE FLESH’S DESIRE
James 4:1-3
And just by reading those four verses you understand why many commentators
Come to the conclusion that James is writing here to the unsaved.
They are filled with “quarrels and conflicts”,
They are full of “lust”.
They are “envious”,
They are murderers.
And even in verse 4 James calls them “adulteresses”
Who are enemies of God.
That certainly sounds like a lost man.
If you couple that with the fact that in verse 8 he calls them “sinners”
We seem to have them pegged.
We could certainly call them lost people.
However, if they are lost, they don’t know it.
Because these people are in the church.
They consider themselves to be believers.
They consider themselves to be the redeemed.
And so at the very least they are those
Who have made a profession to follow Christ.
Are they lost?
Are they saved?
I don’t know…
What I do know is that regardless of their spiritual standing
Before God it is obvious what direction they are walking.
These people are filled with the flesh.
All of those characteristics that James reveals about them, does that not sound just like those “deeds of the flesh” we read about last week?
Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
And so we can make one confident assessment in regard to these people.
Saved or lost, they are obviously not walking by the Spirit.
There are three real giveaways here in this verse.
1) Who they Follow
2) How they Fight
3) What the Feed
1) WHO THEY FOLLOW (1)
“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?”
So obviously these people are living lives of conflict.
There is not peace, or patience, or brotherly love.
They are exactly what Paul warned the Galatians about
In the text we read last week.
Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”
That is who they are.
And James wants them to know why
“Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?”
In other words, “Isn’t the source of your fighting your flesh?”
And that makes sense to us,
Go work the nursery some time.
It’s not hard to figure out why the toddlers fight.
If Quincy and Tyler go after it in the nursery it won’t be over a theological issue.
It will be over one of them having what the other one wants.
The flesh isn’t hard to figure out.
And James says that is why you are fighting.
You are following the flesh.
• Every single little impulse that your flesh desires, you act on it.
• When everyone does that it’s only a matter of time until the fight breaks out.
They followed the flesh.
Who they follow
2) HOW THEY FIGHT (2)
“You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.”
They are filled with all these lusts for things they don’t have.
And in order to get them, what do they do? They “commit murder”
There are things they want but can’t get, so what do they do? The “fight and quarrel”
And notice the whole time WHAT THEY DON’T DO.
“You do not have because you do not ask.”
It is the most basic and primitive response of the human flesh.
I mean it sounds like cave men.
You have rock – I want rock– I hit you in head with club – Now I have rock
That is about as basic and beastly as it gets
• Forget asking nicely
• Forget sharing
• Forget saying please
And in a spiritual sense, forget petitioning God in prayer for the situation.
THEY ARE FIGHTING TOTALLY IN THE FLESH
But Paul explained spiritual warfare.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”
But that isn’t these people.
These people are following the flesh and they are fighting with the flesh.
There is no hint of spiritual discipline in their life at all.
It’s all about what the flesh wants and they use only the flesh to get it.
WE’VE ALL SEEN THIS (even in church)
It’s not hard to recognize that this is not a person walking by the Spirit.
Who they follow How they fight
3) WHAT THEY FEED (3)
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
We saw that one coming didn’t we?
They don’t want things to be a better servant.
They want things to gain a better advantage.
We learned recently that we are to stop feeding the flesh.
Paul said, “Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts”
But that is exactly what these people are doing.
They follow the flesh
The fight with the flesh
And they feed the flesh
And I think we can all confidently say that
This is not a person who is walking by the Spirit.
Agreed?
Now, you and I both know that this is not what God desires for us.
So let’s look at the next point
The Flesh’s Desire
#2 GOD’S DESIRE
James 4:4-6
And James wastes no time relaying the massive problem
With the type of selfish living explained in the first three verses.
(4) “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.”
James couldn’t possibly be clearer.
Can’t you see that this type of lifestyle is exactly contrary
To the life God has for you?
• You are seeking the world…
• You are craving the world…
• And that is contrary to the life God desires…
1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
Living your life to gratify your flesh
Is not at all what God wants from you or for you.
And trying to accomplish all your desires
By the strength of your flesh is also contrary to God’s will.
SO WHAT IS GOD’S DESIRE?
(5) “Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
God puts in His children all that He hopes to receive from them.
• God doesn’t want you walking by the flesh…
• God doesn’t want you warring in the flesh…
• God doesn’t want you feeding the flesh…
HOW DO I KNOW THAT?
Because He gave us a different Spirit when He saved us.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
That was Paul’s whole point to the Galatians.
Don’t walk in the flesh.
Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
James just outlined the pathetic way that people in the flesh live
And clearly indicates God has no desire for you to live that way.
God wants you to exhibit “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”
And I know that because that is “the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”
• God didn’t put a selfish Spirit in you…
• God didn’t put a greedy Spirit in you…
• God didn’t put a carnal Spirit in you…
God put the Holy Spirit in you…
And incidentally the Spirit God put in you is greater than the flesh.
That is what James means in verse 6, “But He gives a greater grace.”
God can overcome your wicked flesh with His wonderful Spirit.
It is possible through His tremendous grace.
“Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
God opposes those who insist on walking in their own strength
And according to their own flesh.
But those who humble themselves and ask for His help, God is more than happy to extend to them the grace by which they can have victory.
And so the point thus far is simple.
There is a flesh – but don’t follow it.
God has given us His Spirit – walk according to His desire and strength.
So we could easily say at this point,
“Don’t walk by the flesh, walk by the Spirit”
But we have already said that a few hundred times
Over the last few weeks.
What we want to know is HOW to do that.
#3 YOUR DECISION
James 4:7-10
6 simple and basic commands.
And as I told you at the beginning I’m not concerned if we are talking to a phony believer who really needs to be saved or if we are talking to a fleshly believer who needs to repent.
The path is the same for each man.
Both need to kiss the flesh good-bye and choose the Spirit.
1) SUBMIT (7a)
“Submit therefore to God.”
The idea here is that you finally let go of control
And allow God to have full control of your life.
When I was a kid I used to watch professional wrestling. And there was one wrestler I just hated, his name was “The Nature Boy Rick Flair”.
(And if you know who that is, then shame on you, I was only a kid at the time and didn’t know any better)
But Rick Flair had a signature move called “The Figure Four”
It was some sort of way he twisted his legs up in yours and when he took you to the grown the pain appeared to be tremendous to such an extent that the other wrestler would submit.
He would give in.
He would quit fighting.
Rick Flair wins
Whatever he wants
And that is what James tells you to do with God.
There is a reason you are walking by the flesh and not by the Spirit,
And that is because you have thus far refused to submit to God.
2) RESIST (7b)
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
“the devil” is a master deceiver and his main tool is temptation.
He constantly offers you the things the flesh desires.
Your command is to “resist” his bait.
Say no to his candy
Quit taking what he is offering.
And if you do “he will flee from you”
You are going to have to determine to say no to the temptation.
BUT THAT IS HARD…
3) DRAW NEAR TO GOD (8a)
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
When you are a teenager, people offer you all sorts of things.
Drugs, pornography, alcohol, etc.
And I had my fair share offered to me as a teenager as well.
But you know I don’t recall a single person ever offering me that
When my momma was with me.
One is because they didn’t want to mess with my momma.
Two is because they knew I didn’t want to mess with my momma and I was much more prone to resist if my momma was near.
And there you have it.
Are you having difficulty resisting temptation,
Then “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
I promise it’s not nearly as hard to say no to temptation
If you are walking hand in hand with Jesus.
This would be that being filled with the Spirit that we have talked about.
Submit Resist Draw near
4) CLEANSE (8b)
“Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
It’s called repentance.
It’s called confession.
It’s called turning and walking away.
And when he says to “purify your hearts, you double-minded”
He is referring to you setting it straight in your mind
Exactly how you are going to live.
That is the second time James used that word.
James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
That was a man who didn’t know what he wanted.
That was a man who didn’t know what he believed.
And that is no way to repent.
Look, you have to decide either sin is ok or it isn’t.
Either you are ok being a sinner or you aren’t.
You can’t leave drunkenness, but keep adultery.
You can’t leave adultery, but keep gossip.
It’s time to make a conscious decision in your heart.
Are you ready to leave sin or not?
Yes?
Then “cleanse your hands” and don’t vacillate as you do it.
Joshua said:
Joshua 24:14-15 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Elijah said:
1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”
And that is what James is saying.
For crying out loud either leave sin or don’t, but don’t play around.
If you are serious about living according to the Spirit God has placed in you, then make a full blown 100% decision
To leave sin in your life.
“Cleanse your hands”
5) MOURN (9)
“Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.”
Obviously this is not a command forbidding the Christian virtue of joy.
What this is, is a command telling a person in sin
To quit rejoicing in their iniquity.
It’s time to see your sin for what it really is and start hating it.
It’s time to see that your life is not where it should be and grieve over that fact.
Perhaps the main reason people continue to walk in the flesh
And fail to walk by the Spirit is because
Instead of hating their sin, they love it.
It goes back to that reality we mentioned a few weeks ago.
People try to resist the flesh without killing it.
You can’t.
You have to make a foundational choice.
Is your sin you friend or your foe?
Do you hate it or not?
James says that if you are going to walk by God’s Spirit you must.
6) HUMBLE YOURSELF (10)
“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
Of course submission is included here, but it is more than that.
It is to quit relying on your own strength and start relying on His.
It is to come to Him for help
And not to try to arrogantly do it on your own.
We’ve talked about it quite a bit lately,
But in your flesh you have no ability,
And to fight the battle in the flesh is certain failure.
• It’s time to approach God
• It’s time to bow to Him
• It’s time to submit to His plan
• It’s time to quit listening to the enemy who tells you your flesh is enough
• It’s time to quit holding on to the sin that is killing you
If you want to sum it all up – Die to self!
Beyond that, do you recognize how closely this list resembles the list Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 5:3-8 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Those are the same attitudes James mentions.
DO YOU KNOW WHY?
Because those were the attitudes that he saw in Jesus
Every day of Jesus life.
He knows that is the path to walk.
So let’s get practical for a moment.
You understand the command to be filled with the Spirit.
And you understand how to do that:
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.
(In short, fill up with what you want to be full of)
You also understand the command to walk by the Spirit.
And now you understand how to do that:
Quit trusting in your own strength and trying to be your own boss:
• Submit to God
• Resist the devil
• Draw near to God
• Cleanse your hands
• Mourn over your sin
• Humble yourself before God
That is how you do it.
And frankly, as we said before, I don’t care if you are a false believer
Who needs for the first time to get real with God,
Or if you are a genuine believer who has fallen out of fellowship –
The path to renewal is the same.
SO:
We know we are obligated to walk by the Spirit
We know that we are dependent on the Spirit to walk righteous at all
And now we know how
Humble yourself, hate your sin, and submit to God
And here is the promise:
“and He will exalt you.”
He will lift you up
He will cause you to live according to His will
It’s really not hard to understand, it’s your decision.
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
