James chapter four, verse one, this is the word of the Lord. And we'll read down to verse six. From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust and have not, ye kill and desire to have, and cannot obtain. Ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Do you think that the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, but he giveth more grace? Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Amen. May the Lord bless to us this reading from his word.

Jeremiah taught us, the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And then the prophet said, who can know it? I think Jeremiah is telling us it is impossible to plumb the depths of human depravity or understand the lengths of human deception. Our fallen sinful nature is immeasurably treacherous. So much so, we cannot personally know it. We don't know how bad we could be.

When a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, is converted by the grace of God, when the Holy Spirit imparts new spiritual life, and that person trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, A great sense of forgiveness follows and a wonderful clearing of the conscience. It's a wonderful time of new hope and new loves and new experiences and new beginnings.

But it doesn't last. Soon we realize that the old passions have not entirely gone. Something of the old man remains. Oh, it is true that a change has been made, undoubtedly. We are no longer slaves to Satan. We are no longer ruled and controlled by the passions of the old man as we once were. But we discover that in the wisdom of God, our old nature has not entirely disappeared.

He has retreated and retrenched. He has fallen back and dug in. And we discover that the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Ephesians 4.24, we discover that the new man has got a fight in his hands.

We realize that the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, Colossians 3.10, we realise that the new man is not going to have things all his own way. But ever will thereafter be contending with a subtle opportunistic foe. Trials, temptations and passions of the natural man are easily stirred up. and we discover, much to our sadness, just how deceitful and devious the old heart can be. Yet we are not holy at the mercy of this old man. We have been renewed in knowledge. We have been created in righteousness and true holiness. These are changes. These are alterations. This is the newness of life that we have been given.

The old man is deposed. Christ sits on the throne of our heart. And tough as we find the battle, tough as we find this warfare to be, The old man finds it tougher. He has to enlist help. He calls the world to his defence. He calls the flesh to his support. He calls the devil to his assistance. And he finds ready encouragement. This is the real axis of evil.

Who can the believer call upon for help? We call upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We call upon the person of Christ, that one who took our flesh, that one who knows us, who represents us, who died for us. who feels our griefs and our sorrows, who empathises with us, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. And we lean upon Christ and we draw upon his grace.

Here in these verses, James is comforting the church and he is encouraging the Lord's people with the promise that as fierce as is the battle, Christ will supply grace commensurate with our need. Whatever the odds stacked against us, whatever the foe's strength, He giveth more grace. He giveth more grace. Free grace, sufficient grace, grace for today and grace for tomorrow. I am grateful. I am grateful personally and I am grateful as your pastor for practical passages such as this in the Word of God, in our Scriptures, in our New Testament.

I am grateful for practical passages like the Epistle of James because here the apostle is ministering to the Lord's people on a matter of great pastoral importance. He's explaining the source of our trials and he is educating us to the source of our help. and he is encouraging humility amongst us as we engage with our enemy and are called to resist our own fleshy nature. So let us be clear once again, James is writing to men and women saved by grace. And yet notice this, that he ascribes to these people a catalogue of sins so serious as might appear at first reading to be utterly contrary to a Christian believer and contrary to a holy life. He speaks of warring. He speaks of fighting. He speaks of killing. He speaks of envy and lust and adultery. He speaks of pride and even enmity with God. And he says that these are amongst God's people.

Now we, may we should, interpret these sins actually and spiritually. We should interpret them physically, mentally, and religiously. Don't ever think that a believer is beyond actually committing certain crimes. That would be a mistake. The testimony of Scripture, listen, the testimony of David ought to banish that fallacy. But neither should we imagine that resisting some particular sin in the flesh is the same as resisting that sin in the heart.

A man may resist committing adultery. for the sake of his marriage vows, for the sake of his wife, for the sake of his family. A man may resist committing adultery, but lust and envy and pride are crimes of the inner man. Idolatry is nothing less than adultery and enmity against God. Lord Jesus Christ, in his Sermon on the Mount, taught us that when we look upon a woman to lust after her, it is as though we have committed adultery in our hearts.

Such is the extent, such is the width, the dimensions to which these tentacles of sin stretch in the life of a believer. How does such excessive wickedness relate to the child of God? You see, James is digging deep here into the soul troubles of believers.

He's speaking to men and women who have genuinely experienced the blessings of this divine grace, but still wrestle daily with sin in their flesh. I'm going to be a bit presumptuous here and say that if you're anything like me, I'm talking to you today. Converted souls who yet as fallen creatures struggle with the harsh realities of daily life in this corrupt world. With the trials and temptations that afflict the renewed man. We never felt these things before we were converted. We never knew the depths of our own depravity until the Lord told us that our sins were forgiven.

And in this section of this eminently practical book, the Apostle James is bestowing hands-on, real-life wisdom to the Church. He is warning us about the pitfalls and dangers that beset the redeemed of the Lord. He is calling for honesty. He is calling for humility in order that grace may abound.

Now I mentioned yesterday in the little note that I sent out that I think the key to this passage is to be found in verse five where James asks the question, he's asking it rhetorically, do ye think that the scripture saith in vain the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

James talks about the scriptures speaking here. I don't think that he is referring to a particular quote from the Old Testament, but rather he is summarizing the teaching, he's summarizing the tenor of scriptures concerning the corruption of the natural man from the time of the fall. So let me paraphrase what James's question is here. James said, do you think that the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? I paraphrase it like this. Do you think the scriptures are wrong when they constantly expose the evil nature of man and the enmity that exists between the flesh and the spirit? James doesn't think that the scriptures are wrong.

That's the point when he says in verse one, these are the lusts that war in your members. These are the passions that simmer in your very being. James is addressing the struggle felt personally by the Lord's own apostles and which every believer encounters in their personal Christian life.

James had previously confessed, I'm sure you'll remember in chapter 3 verse 2, for in many things we offend all. John as well says in 1 John 1 verse 8, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Paul knew it. He says in Romans 7, what I would, that do I not, but what I hate, that I do.

It is a common theme from the Lord's apostles. James is in full agreement with Paul in Galatians 5 verse 17 where the Apostle tells the church Again when When James is speaking here in verse one, and he says, for whence come wars and fightings among you?

He's not speaking there about going to war as a nation against the nation. He's not speaking there about taking up arms and armed conflict. He's referring to the war in our members. In fact, it may well be that even when he says, ye adulterers and adulteresses, that he's not even speaking here about open adultery, but the continuing war in the affections of God's people.

He is teaching us that for our own safety, for our own spiritual health, we need to acknowledge our weaknesses and our limitations. The weaknesses and limitations that exist in the new man. From the moment of regeneration to the day of our natural death, The old man of the flesh and the new spiritual nature created in Christ Jesus are engaged in a fight for supremacy and survival. James is addressing the reality of the contradiction every believer feels in their own heart, pointing out the source and the reason and directing us how to obtain help and strength to overcome this list of evils that he has set before us.

It should come as no surprise that fighting the powers of darkness require divine assistance. We need help from God and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Paul is speaking of when he refers to the whole armour of God in Ephesians chapter 6. Put on therefore the whole armour of God. breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the scriptures. These things are our helps. These are our supports. This is the grace of God towards us. We need divine assistance. The surprises, no surprise we need divine assistance.

The surprises, at least to James, that we misuse these gracious resources. And the apostle rebukes us first for failing to ask at all for God's help. And then he rebukes us for asking amiss when we finally do make our requests known to him. He is pointing out that often we ask for God's help for the wrong reasons. Often we apply His goodness when it is granted to the wrong ends. The Lord's bountiful supplies to His people are for His glory. They are to be expended towards His service and they are for our eternal good. They are not for our earthly peace and pleasure. They are not to secure peace with this world. They are not to please the flesh. They are not to provide occasion and opportunity for the devil.

Do you remember, we spent time on this I think a couple of times in the past actually because it came up in the sermons on Hezekiah and then it came up again during our study in the book of Isaiah. But do you recall how Hezekiah prayed to the Lord not to die?

And he was granted 15 more years. And on his recovery, ambassadors came from the neighbouring countries in order to say how pleased they were that he had recovered from his illness. And in his pride, Hezekiah showed them all the treasures of his house, all the treasures of Israel. What shall we say of the man who obtains his heart's desire 15 more years and then uses it to serve and promote his own pride? James would have us informed. James would have us be reflective that we might be wise in seeking God's help and employing his mercies properly.

Sometimes we pray fervently that the Lord will grant us some favour, help us with some problem, some trouble, some incident, some experience. And we then wonder when it doesn't turn out as we'd hoped. Maybe even we get cross and disappointed because we feel like, well, we know best. What is best for us? Well, we ought to be more humble and we ought to acknowledge that the Lord may know better than we do. As sure as not, the Lord has delivered us from our own foolishness and preserved us from even greater distresses.

All of us, as parents, know that we have caused our children many tears by resisting their inappropriate requests. They, in their ignorance, asked amiss. And we would have been poor parents to have granted their wishes. And sometimes we just had to say, no, that's not going to happen. That's not going to be.

And our Heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to His children. And I think the emphasis there is on good. The Lord says in Matthew 7 verse 11, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things, not all things, not whatever you ask, but good things to them that ask him. James has previously told us, has he not, in chapter one, that every good gift, every perfect gift, is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights. What characterises the gifts from God is that they are good and that they are profitable and that they are helpful, not that they are what we ask for.

It's gracious of the Lord sometimes to withhold the things that we ask for when we ask amiss. And we must thank the Lord even when we don't get what we want if we are sensible and wise and realise that the Lord has done us good in failing to grant us what we desire. What does this mean? What does this mean then? It means we ought to have a good dose of humility when we bring our petitions and requests to the Lord. Yes, it is true that we are to come to the throne of grace and come boldly. The writer to the Hebrews says as much.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. But our boldness is confidence in the faithfulness of God. We come boldly to find His mercy, not to get what we want. We come boldly to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. It is our knowledge and trust in His willingness to do us good that is the foundation of our boldness. Not bold in our certainty that we know what we need and we better get it. Knowing something of our own heart, as James is teaching us here, ought to dispel such proud notions.

To be sure, there is no limit to the goodness and grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 8 verse 32 tells us, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? All things for our good. All things that work together for our good.

Let's go back to what we were talking about a little earlier with the children. Like the widow's oil, There is no end to the grace and goodness of God except what we can contain. That's the only limitation here. The number of pots that that woman had is what stayed the oil. The apostle, reassures the Lord's people, there will always be sufficient grace for our needs.

And then some. Whatever it is, brother and sister, whatever it is, is your challenge today. Whatever it is, is your cause for concern. Whatever it is, casts that shadow across your mind, which troubles your heart. There will always be sufficient grace for our needs. And you hold on to that because whatever the day brings, and whatever tomorrow brings, the Lord will give you strength, the Lord will give you sufficient grace, and then some.

Always more grace in the Lord's pot of oil to be poured out for our good. Our loving God will always better what this world can offer. Always improve upon that which our old nature desires. Always surprise with more grace than we can ask or think. But he does so knowing what we don't because he knows what's best for us. By all means, let us ask much of the Lord. Of empty pots, let us gather not a few. Let us think big, but let us remember that the Lord knows best. We cannot trust our own heart, but we can trust the Lord.

And it is certain that for a little time yet, Our lusts will war in our members. That's what James tells us in this opening verse. For a little time yet, our lusts, the lusts of the old man will war with the new man in our members. But only for a little time. Only until the daybreak and the shadows flee away. Then our warfare will be over. Then our pilgrimage will be complete. Then we will have arrived in that holy city and we will be with the Lord. We shall enter then into our rest.

I'm going to make an odd connection here. I wondered whether to do this, but I'm going to do it. And perhaps it will fall flat, but I enjoyed thinking about it. So I'm going to offer it to you for your consideration. I don't know what kind of oil was in the widow's pot. Perhaps it was simply olive oil. And if it was, then I'm sure that it was the finest olive oil that ever man tasted. And I'm sure that she got top price for it. But perhaps it was a richer oil. Something more exotic. Perhaps it was oil of frankincense or oil of myrrh.

And if so, then let me repeat again Solomon's verse that I used a few moments ago, his picture of heavenly glory and the blessings that are stored up beyond the grave. He wrote in Song of Solomon chapter four, verse six, until the day break and the shadows flee away. And then he went on to say this, until the day break and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of Myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.

I'm linking these with the widow's pots. The widow had pots of the finest oil. The widow had pots of the finest oil. Solomon had mountains of Myrrh and hills of frankincense. and the Lord's people have God's rich and bountiful supplies of grace, more than they could ever require, and he giveth more grace.

Finally, and now I'm finished, James tells us this, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Well, is humility a grace? I think so. Then let it be the first grace that we ask for. because it will be a key to all others. And what am I saying when I say, let us be humble?

I am saying this, let us be aware of our own limitations. Let us be aware of our own sinfulness. Let us be aware of that heart that is deceitful and desperately wicked. Let us be aware that we have a battle to fight with the old man. And let us be humble when we come to the Lord, knowing that he knows best for us. This is a lesson that many of us struggle to learn.

James is telling us God passes by the self-reliant. He passes by the self-sufficient who are too proud to seek his help. James says, ye have not because ye ask not. God withholds grace from those who imagine that they can adequately do for themselves without his help, while the humble poor are blessed.

May the Lord grant us humility and implant in our heart right desires for what truly is good for us in our Christian experience. And may he give to us our greatest good, even when we ask amiss, until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, until he takes us home to glory. Amen.