James 4:1-10 | When Conflict enters the Church.

This is City Post Church. We're about three things.

Build equipped and send all under the Lordship.

Of Jesus Christ, a small church plant in Fort Worth, TX.

Who decided to do things a little differently?

Adoramos ayesu cristo. I love City Post because of the

people. It's where I belong.

We truly preach the word. I love City Post because of the

community we've been able to build.

To do ministry like Jesus. For light to push back darkness.

This is City Post podcast and we're going to be in the book of

James today for the book of James.

And before we dive into the text and before I start talking about

rappers, let's pray. Father, we thank you for this

time. Thank you for this wonderful

time of worship for thank you for this worship team or such a

blessing to this church. So Lord, I pray that you help us

to pay attention to your word. God, there's so many great

things happening and receive. So just help us to focus in and

dial into these short few moments that we have together.

Help to see Christ and Lord, I pray for myself, Father, that

you help me to to to teach your work or you know the same things

that you want me to say the name of the crowd states to be man

Amen man. So I grew up, you know, I'm a,

I'm a big hip hop fan. I love.

Rap music more in the 90s than anything and maybe the 2000s and

they just started started fading away a little bit.

This fight rap, you know, it's not too much for me.

I'm not the lyricist. I love listening to stories and,

and, and one thing that I find fascinating when it comes to rap

and hip hop is the way to deal with beef.

All right, because they're not familiar.

That's when two people don't get along.

There's conflicts. In the room.

So they, they, they kind of write things out and they go

after each other. And if you look back to like

maybe the late 70s in the 80s, you know, I'm just going to kind

of, I have a few examples if that's what makes.

How people dealt with these? Right.

Is that cool? You're gonna still come back

next Sunday, I promise. They had to PG verse, right?

So, like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, you know, go push

me because I'm close to the I'm trying not to lose my head.

All right, So when it came to be, that's kind of how they

approached it. Then you got Public Enemy that

said fighting the power, fight the power that be.

But then you Fast forward and Tupac was a little picture the

hell sucky all like let's do it right.

I mean Tupac comes in the picture and then Tupac says, you

know, don't let West side ride tonight.

Bad boy murdered on the wax and killed.

Mess with me. Get your cat feel that means

it's about to split your own. I mean, it's going to hurt.

Me all right, so then you you Fast forward one to the 90s and

then you have sight to steal and sight to steal has a famous line

and goes like here's something you can't understand how I can

just there you go. We got one that's enough.

But I can says chill a man right like that.

That's something that's like the soap pushes how we deal with

conflict. You already know.

Then toward the late 90s, then you have this guy named Eminem

that comes on the scene. And Eminem, he has one.

Take a deep breath. Nowadays, everybody want to talk

like they got something to say. When none comes out, I'm going

to leave your lips just a bit. Your crib.

Where y'all like 'cause they forgot about dragon?

I saw like yes I can guess where it is.

So I had to take it. Backwards out and then then

after Eminem came out and then you have 50 right 50s album came

out in the early 2000s. Then 50 came out with this song

that said you say that you're a gangster but you're never caught

lovely. You say that you're a wankster.

So you didn't stop fronting. Then goes and you ain't a friend

of mine. You ain't going to kind of mine.

What makes you think that one run up with my nine, You know

SO50 the way he approaches it is is a little bit more impressive

when it comes to conflict. Ice cube level ice cube, ice

cube we go if you're scared, go to church.

That's right, right. If you're scared, good person,

go to church and if you're facing person, go preserve.

So that's his his rendition thing that for us right back got

my back. All right, So that's how he

deals with his confident. But now we can get to the

littles like all these artists started coming out with like

little. So yeah, Little John that says

don't start those stuff. There you go.

I was starting to painter, right?

That's how he deals with conflict.

Then you have a little scrappy that comes out after a little

John and little scrappy says you don't want to be dead in the

streets with a mouth full of blood is so full of heat, right?

That's the swelling that comes out.

And then after those scrap you have a wing and little Wing

that's a famous wangler. Oh my gun in my mood 1st and I

don't flap back. So that's all.

So what the Wayne's saying is like, you're not even going to

come with me with conflicts. I'm going to get you first and

then the last guy I'm going to get all vertable Lil Jay AKA

Jesus little bro bro and. What he says is what causes

fights and quarrels among you. Look in the mirror and you'll

see the truth. And that's what we're about to

read right now. So James chapter 4.

James 4 · chapter mention

What's interesting about James chapter 4 is that James is

James 4 · chapter mention

Jesus's brother. He's going to address a problem

inside of the church. What happens when Fight Club

leads into brothers and sisters in the church.

He got no, I don't clap back. So he's going to address how

like what happens when conflict, when fighting, when strife comes

into the church for brothers and sisters who are are supposedly

following Christ. This is a crazy text.

Like when you read this and you're like, man, he's talking

to the church. Like this is some wild stuff.

So James is going to address this and we're just going to

jump into it. Point number one, what we're

going to see right off the bat, the hardest problem is the

problem with the heart period. And listen, when it comes to the

church and I'm talking about believers, I'm talking about

brothers and sisters in Christ. When conflict fighting strike

with the Fight Club comes in to the body of Christ.

What we need to realize is that the problem is not other people.

The problem is you. The problem is our hearts.

And what we're going to see in James chapter 4, the 1st 5

James 4 · chapter mention

verses, James is going to show us the conflict.

James is going to teach us like this is the conflict, what's

wrong? But then six through 10, he's

going to give us a cure. Hey, this is how we're going to

fit. This is how this is how you're

going to fit. Like this is what God does for

us, right? So the problem is not the

problem's a heart problem. And then we've always seen that.

So before we got into one more thing, chapter 3 in James and

even in verse 18 of peace, the word peace is found twice at the

end of chapter 3. And what's interesting is that

chapter 4, what opens with is war, war and strive like that's

found twice. But at the end of chapter 3

talks about having wisdom of the world.

When you have wisdom of the world, that's always going to

create stride for the war in conflict.

But when you have wisdom that comes from above, that's always

going to bring peace. And James is just going to jump

in and he's going to start to text and and verse one with a

question and then he's going to answer it with the question,

which that's what great like great teachers do.

So verse one, what causes fights and quarrels among you?

He's talking to believers in the church.

What causes fights and quarrels among you?

Don't they come from your desires, that battle inside of

you or within you? What's he saying?

Like we got to look at the words here.

So he's using terms, say what causes fights and quarrels.

I think a bank transition is conflicts and wars.

It was saying that when brothers and sisters in Christ, when they

fight, it could be healthy. Yeah, it could be rough, man.

It could be. It could be hurtful.

It can almost be like a war. Now when you look at the word he

says don't they come from your desires?

Now in remember that your testament is written in Greek.

The word desire is where you get the root word for hidden.

So what James is saying is like listen the problem is not it's

your desires, it's your hedonism.

It's this hidden this hidden philosophy that you have.

So y'all like Ricky, what's hedonism?

Well, I'm going to put the definition of because this is

really important for us to understand as we continue to

read the book of James. So what hedonism is, is the

pleasure is that pleasure is the cheap goal and good of life,

right? So you have this desire that

that your goal in life is to be good and to seek pleasure with

everything. What does that look like?

Think about like my goals, my needs, my wants, myself,

satisfaction. Everything is about me.

And I will do everything in this world to avoid the cost and to

make sure that I find pleasure in everything.

So everything has to be about me.

Everything has to be about my wants.

Everything has to be about my needs.

And as long as I'm good, as long as I get what I want, then the

world is good. But here's the problem.

That's how when Jesus, Jesus says you must serve one another,

the last shall be first. So what's happening is, why is

there conflict in the church? Why are people fighting?

It begins with the heart and the heart against what it wants.

He's saying, like man, you want pleasure.

And when you don't get what you want, then conflict arises and

it begins to stir. In your life.

You know, if you come to church, I'm just going to be real with

you guys. If you come to church thinking

that church is about networking and that you're going to get

what you want, you're going to find a husband or a wife and

that your kids are going to be great.

And if you come to church with a consumeristic attitude, listen,

you're humanistic. And what's going to happen is

that when you don't get what you want, when your desires don't

get mad, they're going to burst something.

And we see this. We also got to understand that

unity does not mean uniformity. The church is full of a group of

a bunch of people who have different ways of thinking.

They're different politically, They're different culinary ones.

They have different likes of foods.

Some people like pumpkin spice and some dumb.

It doesn't mean we battle, doesn't mean we hate you.

The beautiful thing about a church is that all these

different cultures and races and even the way people see things,

everybody comes together and the one unifying factors.

Is the worship of Jesus the gospel?

That's why we come together. That's and listen, if the gospel

is not where you're about, then your desires are going to take

over. And when you don't get what you

want, you're not a battle conflict is going to come out.

You're going to start making the visions at the church.

You'll be. You're going to become better.

And you're going to start spreading disunity in the body

of Christ because your desires are not immense.

And James is pointing this out a better way to say this is like

this internal. War that you're going through is

spilling out. It's impacting other people,

right? So when you go to SeaWorld and

Shamoon comes out of the water, it splashes and about 5 rows get

soaked and all the kids are like yay.

A lot of the creatures are like Rose.

I got to be like this all day. I'm going to get rashes.

This is not fun. But my socks are wet.

Now what happened? Yeah, Shampoo did their trick,

man, but you got impacted by it. And listen, for many of us, when

we have conflict inside of us that it's going to war, yes,

you're dealing with it, but others are getting splashed with

your drama and you're getting hit with it.

Yes, you're getting others with it.

And you don't really see it. So something else I want to say

about this, Understand this too, because a lot of people are

like, well, it's in conflict in the bodies normally.

No, it's not. That's not God's way of the sun.

God did not design the church to to have discord.

We see that in Jesus talks about this in John 1334.

He talks about like if you read John 1334 and 35, a new command

I give you love one another as I have loved you, so you must love

one another. By this, everyone will know that

you are my disciples if you love one another, regardless of what

you think, regardless of a people act like we look like we

are to love each other's. This unity is not normal.

That's not normal and it needs to be addressed.

Now what we're going to see next in verse 2 is the outcomes of

that. So what happens when our

desires, our even Mystic ways stir up and then we don't get

what we want when we start getting upset?

Look what happens in verse 2. You desire and you do not have.

So what's the result? So you what?

Kill, you kill, you cut there, but you could not get what you

want. So you can quarrel and fight,

and you do not have, because you do not ask God.

So the resolve of your desire, he stirred up the result of not

getting what you want. Like you don't meet your

expectation of pleasure. Like man, like I'm mad about

this and that. What is it?

You the result of all that. Is kill.

Now James uses this word. It's kind of sharp.

He uses this to kind of stir the bottle a little bit.

But this is the same teaching that Jesus gave in Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5, where he's like, yeah, you might not have killed

anybody, but if if you kill your brother.

In your mind, attempted murder, you kill some.

So James is like men, and that's what happens.

So your desires are not met, so you don't get what you want.

What do you do? You start killing.

You you start killing your character, you start killing

your name, you start killing like when they want to do in

life, you start going after them and.

Then you do it with the intent of not getting what you want.

Has nothing to do with the Kingdom, Has nothing to do with

the gospel. Has everything to do with you.

And James is calling it out right here and what happens is

that look what happens next to you kill, right?

You covet, but you cannot give what you want.

So you world and fight almost like junker.

Yeah, I found this thing of. Remember.

Reading something like this when when Elena was a toddler.

It's called toddler property laws.

Just listen. Toddler if you have a little

child. I mean this might ring a bell

too. Toddler probably must divide

lightning. It's mine if it's in my hand,

it's mine. If I could take it from you,

it's mine. If I had a little while ago,

it's mine. If it's mine, you must appear to

be yours in anyway. Can't do that.

If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are

mine. If it looks just like mine, it's

mine. I think it's mine.

It's mine, hang out with a 2-3 year old.

You'll find that true and listen, we do the same thing as

with as no universe in Christ. We think that we own things like

it. That belongs to me.

It doesn't. That belongs to.

Christ, you are a steward of what He is allowing you to use

and receive. It's not yours, but our

spiritual immaturity. We're like the toddlers, we want

to hang on this stuff. And when God says no for the OR

for the people of God say no, What are we doing?

We throw tantrums and we're like, no, that's mine.

I deserve it. And when you don't get it, you

follow the pattern and it goes to you start to kill, you start

talking. And then when you covet and you

can't get what you want, you start to quarrel and you start

fighting with people. Listen, anger and animosity lead

to hatred and conflict. These emotions start stirring up

in our hearts. Listen.

The ultimate resolve, resolve all these, these desires and

everything that's happened in our, in our, in our minds, in

our hearts, the hatred, the anger, the bitterness, listen.

The ultimate result is to fulfill them.

His word. And we go after.

People, and this is what? Causes it.

But then look what he does. Look what James says.

Also, you know the problem is not as a hedonistic heart.

The problem is that you don't. Ask in verse 2.

Again, of it you do not have, because you do not ask God

what's He say. You don't pray and listen.

A lack of prayer. Is a lack of.

Relationship when you don't have a good prayer life.

With your heavenly. Father, when you don't pray on

your own, when you don't have constant communication, your

relationship is is going to struggle with God.

Prayer is really important. True joy keeps happiness,

meaning hope. And fulfillment of life only

comes from God and the truth is not believers don't ask for

this, but people of God should be asking for this daily over

and over again because not only refuse to submit to God and

acknowledge here to fit. This man again.

So what this does is when he talks about prayer and points

the to the fertility of life. So if you live life for its

pleasure, your life is not only full of conflict, your life is

fundamentally unsatisfactory. So you're not just walking

around mad and pissed off at the world about everything, starting

troubles and fights and like just bumping into people.

No, you just have an unsatisfied life.

You're never going to be. You're not going to have a heart

of joy. You're going to have moments of

happiness, happiness, times and goals.

But joy lasts forever, man. I am happy when I have a 16

ounce thingy in my face, but once that thing is done what's

sanity? I'm like, man, what if I go?

Get this again. When is life going to hook it?

Up it's like, oh, but. Joy only comes with a

relationship in Christ. So we got to see joy.

So what is James saying? He's like he's reminding us

about the power of prayer. He's like, man, all these things

are happening, but you don't ask Jesus for anything.

You don't ask God. Now, now the.

Plea doesn't verse three. He thumbs down because he's

like, now check this out. You don't only not ask all

right, but when you do ask, you do not receive because you ask

with the wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your

pleasures. The problem is a prayer is

twofold. 1. You don't even ask.

You don't even pray. Number 2 is when you do pray,

you don't ask the right. You are praying for your own

self. They're praying for your own

pleasures. And listen, that is not the

purpose of prayer. I will be done as it is in

heaven because he's a point #2. I'm glad you tried him.

Listen, point #2 is about prayer.

Listen, purpose of prayer is that we align ourselves with the

purposes of God. So when you pray, you don't, you

don't pray. I see God like and I don't mean

doing. This like Lord if I had a

ranging Mustang? No, I don't understand.

If I had a BMW Lord, I could serve you, but like if I got.

Your car. It's my dreams.

I'll be thinking of people. I'll bring them to church.

I'll be going to car shows. Bringing the word man like I, I,

I will use it for your. Glory.

And God looks at that and he's like, man, those motives are way

off. Because if I didn't.

Get that to you. You wouldn't tip.

So fast, it's not going to work. Listen, we do.

That's just an example we do. This and Mike will we pray,

seeking what we want. But the way Jesus teaches his

disciples to pray as you pray, asking God that in days will be

done. So when you pray, you ask God

for things. But then it's always like, Lord,

help what I need, help what I want, what is bothering me, Help

it to align with your will. And when you pray in that light,

say, Lord, whatever you want from me, I'm going to say yes.

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, not mine.

That is what God is looking for and we have to ask the question,

does does your prayer life the way that eating pray, does that

reveal an hedonistic heart? When you pray you see self

pleasure over the will of God and what God is wanting is for

us to to link up with what he's already doing here on this

earth. Lord, what is your will for my

life? What is what?

What job is it that you want me to have?

What relationship is it? What is it?

Lord, I will seek your will and listen when you say in Jesus

name, what you're saying is this for his name saying and for his

will. So why would wrap up my?

Prayers like Lord, whatever, Jesus, whatever you want,

because you are King and I'm not.

And Lord, whatever matches up with your plates, that's exactly

where I'm going to go. Well, many of us pray in our US,

we want certain things. So we have to be careful how we

seek the Lord and if we're honest and non believers, people

that don't really know Jesus, man, they see things for their

own pleasure. That's honor the glory of God.

So we need to protect ourselves from that.

It's not about the self indulgent self centeredness.

That we have. Oh, and last thing you look on

verse 3, it says that you may spend what you get.

That word spend is really important because that's the

same word that we see in the story of the prodigal son in

Luke 15. That word spend actually means

like you're wastefulness. You're not spending to get

something. You're you're spending because

you're just being waste. You're just throwing it away.

So what? James said.

That you might not just throw stuff away and to get your own

pleasures. You are.

You're throwing away your prayers based on what you wanted

and that. Was.

Then James go for any human war. Then he goes.

And here's another issue. This is why there's conflict in

your life. You adulterous people.

Don't you know that friendship with the world means everything

against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to

be friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

You see, what we've done is we don't just pray, we don't just

not pray and then we pray the wrong way.

But many of our issues is because we've chosen become

friends with the. World and not with God.

So because you are friends of the world, then there is a

divide in your life. The world here, The word world

here in the Greek means tozmos. And whatever we see this word

cosmos, cosmos. Means an evil world system apart

from God. Jesus talks about this and so we

see all that. We also see this in first John

1 John 2:16

chapter 2 verse 16. He says for everything in the

world comes not from the Father but from the world.

So what is he referring to? We see Jesus talk about this

too. What is what comes from the

world? He says the lust of the flesh,

the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

These are the world systems. This is what we see, we want.

We want people that are going to be controlled by the passions,

the people living through their possessions, and then also

people who are proud and frightened.

This is what the world system is selling.

And what James is saying is, like, man, when you buy into all

of that, what you're doing is that you are grabbing a hold of

this and you're letting go of what God has for you.

And you can't do that because now you're becoming a enemy of

God. And many of us might be playing

with God's holiness. And listen, don't get it

twisted. Like God is slowly and

righteous. He's a jealous guy.

So there's going to be some consequences for when you do

back all of his things and grab onto the things of the world.

And we have got to come back. And then we got to realize that

we were wrong. So to love the world needs to

become an enemy of God. When and if you become an enemy

of God, you must love the world. Don't be surprised if God

resists you. There's going to be some things

that's not aligned because the Spirit is not actively in your

life, but instead the street of the world is sweeping.

So God will resist some things because His Spirit is not in

line. And in verse 5, James concludes

when we talk about the conflict. What's wrong with us?

Or do you think Scripture said without reason or in vain, that

he jealousy longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in US?

Its main function is to point you and everything else in life

the. Jesus Christ.

And what you have, the Holy Spirit in your life and

worldliness starts to creep in. That spirit should have, there

should be something in your soul that that is, that doesn't feel

right. Like when you live in sin,

there's something inside and that's like, this ain't good.

Like this is not right. And listen, if you continually

sin and not feel bad about it, then you don't have the Holy

Spirit and you have the spirit of the world.

That's not the first John. There's got to be something in

us, that same man, like there's something wrong here and God is

generous for us. May God wants a relationship

with us and God wants to rule and reign without any idols.

Idols do not stand before a holy and righteous God.

So having a Holy Spirit pushes that away.

And when you don't have a Holy Spirit you got, the world starts

pulling you. Listen, I actually believe like

having my mommy spirit is, mom is.

More than just being loud. It's easy to be loud in a market

like this. But what about out there?

What about with sin looks at you in the face?

What what about when the enemy starts to come at your heart and

at your family? How loud you're going to be now?

How are you going to like respond when sin attacks your

life? And what the Spirit does, the

Spirit points us to Christ, and we cry out like Lord, like, help

me, because this is not what you want.

So we've gotten here to live in the Spirit, push back to

darkness, cry out. That is what God is requiring

for us here because He's a jealous son.

And the Spirit that lives in US cries out to him, Man, this is

the cure, right? We're about to see the cure now

for worldliness and hedonism. So what James just did in the

1st 5 verses, he showed us the 'cause he showed us like, what's

wrong? And he talked about all those

things. He almost kind of went back to

the Old Testament concepts of like, like the people of God and

their idolatry. If you look at Jeremiah 3, Hosea

3, Ezekiel 13, I mean, go on and on.

There's a spiritual and adversary idolatry speaking the

lives, and James is addressing it.

So when conflict comes into church, you got to look at all

the Marks and all lives first. Because also the truth of the

matter is when you have two people that are living in the

Spirit and they're coming together, conflict is not there.

Love, peace, understanding, conversation, all those things

arrive because Christ is at the center of it.

But when one is off and the desires start to take over and

the conflict happens and you start to kill you start to go

away that people. So how do we fix this man?

The cure is so is mind blown like the way that Jane describes

this. How do we fix this Look at her

since this is the cure. This is beautiful.

What's the cure? Our getting this in ways and and

our lack of prayer and the way people ask what's pure the

curiousness, but he gives us what more if I say what what

grace the cure is not just race. It's more grace, man, that's

beautiful because that's what the Scripture says.

And then James, he go, he goes ahead and he quotes Proverbs 3

verse four. He says God opposes the prowler

but shows favor to the hungry. What's James getting at here?

He's like, listen, grace, we are found by God's grace where it is

by grace that you are saved through faith, not of your works

because it is a gift to God. Not that any name divorce.

Grace is the foundation is by grace alone, Christ alone and

faith alone that we get salvation not by anything else

and he so we got grace. Remember talking to believers,

we have grace because they are going to save you faith.

But what he's saying is like, no, it's not just not like

that's just grace. No, no, no, it is more grace.

It is enough to find the grace that we get and listen.

How about y'all? But you need.

Grace. I need grace.

We need grace every single day. Listen, when I find out that

somebody passes away, when there is a pain that enters into my

life, when there is sickness, when there is broken

heartedness, when depression meets, when anxiety is knocking

on my door, when betrayal is true, I need grace.

And you've got to be able to say that to yourself.

Like Lord, I need grace, I need your grace.

It is your grace that is sufficient.

And James is pointing to this. He's like man, I need grace man.

John chapter one verse 16 out of the fullness we have all

received grace in place of grace already given.

Y'all better write that verse down.

That verse is awesome. So we don't just get grace

because of our salvation, but we get grace on top of Gurdis.

Which leads me to point #3 you cannot out sing.

That's a grace song, imposs. There's nothing that you can do

that is so bad that God says, man, I don't have enough grace

to you. It's too much.

You jacked it up the plane. Too bad in this phone.

No, no, no, but God, that's why he quotes what God says like no,

no, no, I got more grace. But you need to humble yourself.

Why does JA's talk about humbling yourself?

Because in order for you to come into repentance, you got to be

prayed at the and you submit. To God's bill and that's God

doesn't look at you and be like that's awful.

How can you do it? You owe me prayers and you owe

me church and money. What God does is he take he just

dumps his grace all over you and when you think they've had

enough. No, no, no.

I'm an an average landing. Supply of grace for you, my son,

My God, my lovely Romans 5, those three, this for our sake.

Romans 5 you're swaying. He talks about this The law was

wrought, and so that the trespass might increase, but

where? Where sin increased, grace

increased all the more. So that just as sin reign in

death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring

eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yeah, we need. Lots of grace and I was thinking

like what does this look like? And I've done about flash face

man like a while back, like the summer and I've said this a few

times, once a summer we do like a skipping.

So I'll take. Ling you know Lena with.

Me, I'll call this sick for work once I'm here.

Whatever, right I. Called it sick for work.

I just told my boss now I'm going to be right back.

What about and then? So I call this sickle before.

You say what and we'll go. Last Days is 1 of their favorite

water park or wherever is this? I think there's an emotional

task. By the day that.

We went to Splash Days. He had a foam party and I was

like this is awesome and a foam for this is like this is free.

You know the girls have never done a foam party before and I

don't know if you guys know. What a foam party is.

But then it's two massive machines and when the bell rings

it is like. Phone and bubbles.

Like like 5 feet, like just, and the kids just running

everywhere, like adults are taking selfies.

It's weird. All right, so it's nuts.

So we're in there and like, it's like the phone party and the

like the music glassling and and then then like lady's in there

having a great time. Lady's having a great time.

And then I'm making sure lady doesn't get like stomped on.

She's little. So I remember like just holding

her hand. I'm like, this is awesome.

And then she's like laughing and yelling and the guy that's doing

the foam sees her. And I think in his mind, he

thought like, oh, she wants like, she's so cute.

She wants more. So he takes the foam and just

like, like, I mean, it was like just just like 6 feet.

Foam, I don't know. We're living with, I'm saying.

And she and it doesn't help that she's the same color as the.

Bug. You know what I'm saying?

So like, right But the whole time lady is like grabbing my

shirt. You know, like she's holding on

to me. And then, you know, she's

freaked out. She's like daddy.

So like, I'm holding. I'm like, isn't this awesome to

like, I couldn't see. I couldn't see anything.

I couldn't see. And I had to take her off.

I'm going to sit down. For a little bit, so she thought

she was died, so I'm holding her.

But when I think of God's grace, it's like whenever we feel

overwhelmed in life, you do know that guy's got you.

So it's like I feel overwhelmed, like, man, like life looks at

you and it's like, oh, you want support, right?

You're like, I can't handle it Like this is too much.

I'm stressed out. Like people are fucking happy.

Like this is wrong. Like man, life is not fun right

now. Dad, what are you doing?

And the. Whole time guys like I got you,

I got you. Listen, I'm not going anywhere.

I'm hoping to you I'm I'm able to pull you out and listen.

That is what God's grace looks like on our lives.

No matter how much it's us, God's grace abundantly comes

from even more. To the.

Point where He doesn't just hold your hand, He's able to pick you

up and carry you out of those situations.

The great thing about Jesus is not that He takes you out of

heart, Spruce. The great thing about Jesus is

that He's been there with you during.

Those hard times. So that way he can come.

Close to him. And then he uses those hard

times to mold you and shake you, to grow you up spiritually, to

toughen you out of them anymore. And.

You get marked, you're like, what's happening?

He's got you. That is the beauty.

Of God's grace. And many of us think God didn't

let it happen. No, he's in there with you and

he's letting it happen because of this race and his glory and

he's doing something right, man, 2nd grade this trial.

What does Paul say my where where he's praying he's like

that. Take this this thorn out of my.

Side he says it 3. Times.

And what did God tell him? My race is suggestion for you.

So that's exactly what James is telling us.

Now the last couple of birds have to wrap this thing up.

So we haven't God's grace, not just any grace upon any grace,

we have more grace. So as much as we jagged it up,

God's grace like boom, boom, boom, I got you.

But there's some stipulations, right?

And God gives us 2 promises in these last couple of verses.

Look at verse 7. Submit yourselves then to God

resisted. That one and he will flee from

you resisted them, so we have to submit.

Ourselves to the more. He's giving us grace.

So we come to him not in our own strength.

We come to him humbly. And if you come to him, then

you're going to be able to resist the devil.

And there's an action here, for every action is a reaction.

What did you say? If you resist the devil, he will

flee. Now, I know we like saying stuff

like I'm gonna let go and like that.

And there is a true to that, but there is an action that is

needed here. It ain't like, oh, I'm just

going to let go. Oh my God, I don't man.

I'm going to break back. No, resist them.

God is like, I gave you my spirit, you're my power.

All you got to think was hit that stiff.

Arm. You know, the first person I

picked in my fantasy draft was their family.

Running back from the Baltimore Ravens.

Man's a beast. His first game in another 175

verse 6 episodes. And what Mark Henry is known

for, it's a stiff. Arm that means any man but.

Anybody tries to tackle him, he puts that like treating Rachel.

You're not coming near this dude.

Brothers like 65, they're going to try to tackle him.

Oh, I'm stiff. I'm going to the house and guys

listen with God by telling me he's like, if you go home, you

come to me, you're going to be able to stiff arm the devil and

keep moving. If you're not a if you're not

fleeing, you're not going to be able to resist the devil.

And if you don't resist the devil, he's not going to flee

from you. You can't just sit there.

You say I resist you in Jesus name.

You have no power over my mind. Resist the devil and he flees.

And be honest with you, ma'am. Oh, last week, man, I just.

Felt this attack on my life. Woke me up in the middle of the

night, just terrible thoughts about people, terrible thoughts

about things. And I remember just waking up

and like sitting up and like going to my living room and it'd

be like, Lord, that's this is not from you.

Like these thoughts are not from you.

These thoughts about my brothers and sisters are not from you.

So Lord and Jesus name, take them out.

Like like clear my mind, like Lord help me.

And it's amazing what that did. And I got right back up and went

back to bed. Anyone's come, we resist to

them, and he flees from us. That's a promise that God knows

us. And then what does God say?

Must say, if you come near to God, he will come near to you.

How awesome is that? This is a cause and effect.

These are promises. You resist the devils.

No, Fleefinger, that's a promise.

And if he's running to God, he's going to come near to you and

I'm going to match you step for step.

You start drawing near to God. God comes right right to wait

his grace. It's just pair of volume son.

You know how scandalous it is. But Jesus tell the story about

like a wealthy father who takes off springs into his son man

like you don't you don't run from nobody.

That's what God does when they start drawing near him.

He doesn't match your step for step.

You start drawing unit and he's there.

He's ready to meet with you. He's ready to not just give you

grace for salvation, but he's ready to dump His grace over you

over and over again. You move forward, He runs to

you. So what?

What we got to do, Ricky? It sounds awesome.

What? What's the catch?

What do I got to do? I got to like do good things.

Like do I got to go to church more?

But it sounds right. What do I do?

James tells us right here, wash your hands you sinners, and

purify your hearts, you double minded grief, mourn and wail.

Change your laughter to mourning and your your joy to gloom.

Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up.

Which leads me to my last fight and goes with this.

Repentance is the key to enjoy the whole of light.

The more that you repent your life, the veteran.

That's why you say man, humble yourself.

Wait, this right here where it talks about like born and wailed

and breathe and listen. Those are all signs of

repentance. When I know I didn't rob, I

don't come to the Lord excited that I have sinned.

I come to him with the heart of repentance like God.

I'm like, I'm so sorry. I'm going to ask you like, when

was the last time you cried because you're sinning and

stuff? When was the last time that you

just sat there and just said Lord?

Why are you sorrow? I messed it up and God say men

humble yourselves before the Lord and here's another promise

in verse 10. Humble yourselves for the Lord

and. What will he do?

He's going to bed tomorrow, so listen.

The problem with our conflicts is our desires.

Untamed desire, even this sick heart, we want only one.

And we don't get it. We fight, We kill people, pull

out their people. We don't pray.

We do pray. It's all jacked up.

It's all about ourselves. We cut.

And he wants to give it to you to create yourself father thing.