Stay out of Trouble
Steve Wagers
James 4:1-10
INTRO:
It is no surprise, or secret to anyone to know that we are living in troubled days. With an unstable economy, a rising unemployment rate, and wicked leadership, our nation, as well as the world, for that matter, is in serious trouble. One can go back and find that trouble, in the sense of struggles, and wars, have plagued history. In his book, The Study of War, professor Quincy examined a period of time from 1481 to 1981, and documented that during this time, nations were engaged in the following number of wars:
Great Britain: 78
France: 71
Spain: 64
Russia: 61
Austria: 52
Germany: 23
United States: 13
China: 11
Japan: 9
Today, we have even developed a new phrase, "the Cold War," to describe the continuous state of international tension.
How does that apply to us as Christians? Sad to say, while there are wars and fighting's going on around us, in the house of God, there are also fighting's going on among us. The church has become a battlefield of immature believers, who seem to just want something to fight about.
Therefore, in the first ten verses of James 4, James very practically, focuses upon this problem from the Christian perspective. Some writers feel that there is no connection between the conclusion of chapter 3, and the introduction of chapter 4. However, there is, in fact, a direct link between these two chapters.
You will remember, as we concluded chapter 3, that James' focus was on peacemakers who "make peace." Now, he opens chapter 4, with a contrast, as well as, with a connection. For, his attention, here, immediately, is upon "wars and fighting's." Thus, in a troubled day around us, as well as, among us, he gives us practical advice on how, we as God's people, can "Stay Out of Trouble!" He does that by showing us:
I. TROUBLE SYMPTOMS (V. 1-3)
In these first three verse, James quickly points out some obvious symptoms when trouble is around. Again, remember, he's ...
Steve Wagers
James 4:1-10
INTRO:
It is no surprise, or secret to anyone to know that we are living in troubled days. With an unstable economy, a rising unemployment rate, and wicked leadership, our nation, as well as the world, for that matter, is in serious trouble. One can go back and find that trouble, in the sense of struggles, and wars, have plagued history. In his book, The Study of War, professor Quincy examined a period of time from 1481 to 1981, and documented that during this time, nations were engaged in the following number of wars:
Great Britain: 78
France: 71
Spain: 64
Russia: 61
Austria: 52
Germany: 23
United States: 13
China: 11
Japan: 9
Today, we have even developed a new phrase, "the Cold War," to describe the continuous state of international tension.
How does that apply to us as Christians? Sad to say, while there are wars and fighting's going on around us, in the house of God, there are also fighting's going on among us. The church has become a battlefield of immature believers, who seem to just want something to fight about.
Therefore, in the first ten verses of James 4, James very practically, focuses upon this problem from the Christian perspective. Some writers feel that there is no connection between the conclusion of chapter 3, and the introduction of chapter 4. However, there is, in fact, a direct link between these two chapters.
You will remember, as we concluded chapter 3, that James' focus was on peacemakers who "make peace." Now, he opens chapter 4, with a contrast, as well as, with a connection. For, his attention, here, immediately, is upon "wars and fighting's." Thus, in a troubled day around us, as well as, among us, he gives us practical advice on how, we as God's people, can "Stay Out of Trouble!" He does that by showing us:
I. TROUBLE SYMPTOMS (V. 1-3)
In these first three verse, James quickly points out some obvious symptoms when trouble is around. Again, remember, he's ...
There are 14472 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
