Who Has Quarrels?
James 4:1a What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?
Is this a rhetorical question? Kind of, because we see it answered in verse 2 and 3, but let’s bring it down to where we are.
Who’s quarreling with somebody right now? A discussion, a fight, a disagreement? How are your Sunday mornings, trying to get to church on time? There we go, there are some quarrels and fights.
Who gets stressed out with the holiday season approaching? There are all the gifts that you “have” to buy for everyone, but you also still have to pay the mortgage, put gas in the car, buy groceries, and everything else, plus now you have to buy stuff for all these other people.
Who’s struggling at work or at school with someone because you think you can do someone else's job better than they’re doing their job. What’s it doing? It’s causing fights.
What is causing fights among you?
Who’s quarreling with somebody right now? A discussion, a fight, a disagreement? How are your Sunday mornings, trying to get to church on time? There we go, there are some quarrels and fights.
Who gets stressed out with the holiday season approaching? There are all the gifts that you “have” to buy for everyone, but you also still have to pay the mortgage, put gas in the car, buy groceries, and everything else, plus now you have to buy stuff for all these other people.
Who’s struggling at work or at school with someone because you think you can do someone else's job better than they’re doing their job. What’s it doing? It’s causing fights.
What is causing fights among you?
James 4:1b Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
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James is using extreme, very coarse language here. We use good words for good things and bad words for bad things, and quarrels and fights are bad things so James is using bad words.
There is dissension in the church, division in the church, fighting among brothers and sisters who are of in the faith! You’re fighting amongst each other because of what YOU want, you want what YOU want and you’re willing to fight and argue instead of stepping back and saying, “You know what? What’s best for everyone? What’s best for the whole?” |
"All the evils which come upon man - revolutions and wars, stratagems and slaughters - spring from desire. All these things have as their fountain-head the desire for more." |
It’s your passions that you want to satisfy, your hedonism, your wants for a better __________, a better life, a better relationship, spouse, friendship, co-worker, car, house, nicer clothes, bigger TV, bigger closet, better furniture, bank account, retirement, better, better, better… It’s what YOU want! We’ve all seen the commercials: It’s my money and I want it…? NOW.
Your passions, your desires, your wants, and you will fight with each other over those things instead of stepping back and looking for what’s best for the whole body
Your passions, your desires, your wants, and you will fight with each other over those things instead of stepping back and looking for what’s best for the whole body
James 4:2 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.
You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.
You do not have, because you do not ask.
James makes three big statements in verse 2:
1-you desire and don’t have, so you murder.
This could have been an actual, physical killing at the time of this writing. That happens, some of us have experienced that at close hand, and it’s devastating. Mostly likely though, he's talking about the devastating effects of your willingness to go unrestrained in your hostility to someone else.
1-you desire and don’t have, so you murder.
This could have been an actual, physical killing at the time of this writing. That happens, some of us have experienced that at close hand, and it’s devastating. Mostly likely though, he's talking about the devastating effects of your willingness to go unrestrained in your hostility to someone else.
1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
NO murderer has eternal life! You’re fighting, and allowing this bitterness and hate to grow, and you fight and quarrel, and John is quoting Jesus' own words.
Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old,
'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council;
and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.
'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council;
and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.
"It is insatiable desires which overturn not only individual men, but whole families, and which even bring down the state. From desires there spring hatred, schisms, discords, seditions, and wars." |
2-you covet, you want, you desire, and you have to have this, and so you fight and quarrel.
Jealousy is destroying the church, people. Jealousy is destroying the church within its walls and without its walls. Not only are we jealous, we look at other churches and become jealous of them, so we destroy not only the local body but the larger body of Christ. It starts in our hearts. Somebody has something you don’t have. They used somebody else’s idea, and not yours. And your words and actions are leading to fighting, to hate, and they’re destroying HIS BODY. The church is the bride of Christ, of which Christ himself is the head. We are destroying ourselves. |
3-you do not have because you do not ask.
Your prayerlessness, your refusal to pray, your lack of prayer in your life is wreaking havoc on your walk with Jesus, and on Jesus’ bride the church. Instead of going to God for understanding, you’re fighting with each other. Even if it’s just in your heart, you’re harboring frustration and irritation with each other, and instead of going to God for understanding through prayer, you fight with each other – even if you only keep it within your heart, which is destroying yourself.
Your prayerlessness, your refusal to pray, your lack of prayer in your life is wreaking havoc on your walk with Jesus, and on Jesus’ bride the church. Instead of going to God for understanding, you’re fighting with each other. Even if it’s just in your heart, you’re harboring frustration and irritation with each other, and instead of going to God for understanding through prayer, you fight with each other – even if you only keep it within your heart, which is destroying yourself.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Maybe you ARE asking, but you’re asking for the wrong things, the wrong outcomes. You’re asking for YOUR glory, to spend it on YOUR passions, YOUR hedonism, YOUR pleasure. You’re not asking for HIS glory.