James 3:1-4:10

1-2
player to coach
saved to ss teacher
*if you can control your tongue you can control yourself

3-6
Illustrations

7-8f
It’s very difficult to tame the tongue
-dirty mouthed Christians
-public speaking don’t
-you’ve had lots of practice so you’ll need lots of time

9-12
Tongues can be extremely good or extremely bad
-just like people

13-18
How to gain the whole world
1. Be envious
2. Have selfish ambition
-survival of the fittest mentality, but everyone thinks they are most fit to survive
Source: worldly wisdom, unspiritual, devil
It’s great advice on how to get to the top of the world, but not where it matters

The best kind of wisdom thinks BIGGER
-longer lasting
-unlimited growth (looking up to God)

Shown by good life BE
Shown by good works DO

Characteristics V. 17


JAMES 4
WHY WE WAR

1-2 desires, selfishness, want, greed, envy, whining, complaining, begging…my way or the highway.

2 If you really have a desire ask
3 If you really ask that way I won’t say yes
#1 reason for ‘unanswered prayer’ (it’s not really unanswered)

4 Being friends with the world is being selfish like the world
-they even have their own trinity (me, myself, I)

It’s hatred towards God b/c it’s rejecting God’s purpose
5 It’s the natural state of fallen man = me
6 But God has grace to offer salvation from the ME disease

7-10 How do we find this grace?
-first of all…grace is that thing that brings us to the point where we realize we need more grace
-then to find more grace we….
1. Submit to God
2. Resist the devil
3. Come near to God
4. Wash your hands
5. Purify your hearts
6. Grieve, mourn, wail
7. Turn laughter into mourning
8. Humble yourself

He WILL lift you up to something better than selfishness can bring