I. Our Own Desires (v. 1-3)

1. Desires battle within you (James 4:1).

• They war against your soul (1 Peter 2:11).

1. They are deceitful. (Eph. 4:22)
2. False teachers use them to deceive (2 Peter 2:18; 2 Tim. 4:3)
3. They hinder prayer (James 4:3).

0. 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1. We receive because we do what pleases him (1 John 3:22)

1. They are a stumbling block and can be used by the devil (Mark 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.)
2. Good news: We have the power to overcome them (Gal. 5:16-18)!

1. 2 Peter 1:3-4—escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires
2. If we claim to have the Spirit of God we must overcome them

1. (Rom. 8: 9—But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.)
2. Eph. 4:22-23 – taught to put off our old selves including our desires

1. Therefore, having all he needs to overcome his own desires, the godly man desires God’s will.

0. Psalm 1 – delight in the law of the Lord
1. Psalms 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
2. Psalms 112:1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
3. Psalms 119:47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.
4. Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
5. 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
6. Phil. 3:7-9 Everything is a loss compared to the greatness of knowing Jesus

1. Bottom line: We are to deny our desires and delight in the Lord. (Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

• "gain the whole world, but lose your soul"—spiritual adultery
• Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

II. Spiritual Adultery (v. 4-6)

1. Friendship with the world
1. What is the "world"

1. The "world" includes those things that are "not of the Father". (1 John 2:16-- For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.)

• Was it established by God and for God? Is what I enjoy established by God and for God?

1. The whole "world" is in control of the wicked one (1 John 5:19)

• Need to recognize this! There is a distinction between what God approves and what the devil has dominion of

• Do you think of things as being controlled by the devil?

1. 1 John 2:15-16 -- Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1. recognize that these desires that battle within us (James 4:1) are not from God, but from the world
2. by choosing to follow our desires we choose the world instead of choosing God

1. The love of the Father is not in us.

• This is for "any man" (1 Jn 2:15)—any person that chooses the world over God.
• You demonstrate hatred toward God (James 4:4)

1. You become an enemy of God (James 4:4).
2. The word gets choked, becoming unfruitful. (Mark 4:19—And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.)

• Jesus’ disciples are made known because they bear fruit (John 15:8).

• John 15:18-19 If you don’t love the world it will hate you.

1. Adultery against God

1. Jeremiah 3:6-13

1. adultery = idolatry (v. 9)
2. turning to God in pretense (v. 10)
3. need to "return" in order to receive mercy

• 2 Chron. 7:14 – conditions for returning and forgiveness

1. Hosea 5:4-7

1. deeds will prevent you from turning to God if you are in sin (v. 4)
2. seeking God and not finding him because of your sin (v. 6)

1. seem eager but they do as they please (v. 3)—like in James 4:2 when your own desires cause quarreling and fighting
2. seem eager and seek God out daily (v. 2) but they are still not right

1. God is a jealous God

1. Ex. 20:4

1. don’t worship idols
2. God punishes sin and loves those who obey

1. Ex. 34:14 – God’s name is Jealous
1. 2 Cor. 11:2-4

1. Paul was jealous for God’s sake
2. Paul was afraid that they would be lead astray and not be a pure virgin

1. God opposes the proud

1. Proverbs 6:16-17 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
2. Isaiah 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. (12) For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

1. Grace to the humble

1. Heb. 4:16 – find grace to help us in our time of need
2. Rom. 6:14 – sin shall not be our master because we are under grace à we can resist the devil.

III. Resist the Devil (v. 7-10)

1. 2 Chron. 7: 14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
2. Resist the devil

1. 1 Peter 5:8-9 "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
2. Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
3. Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

1. Turn to the Lord: a condition for the Lord turning to us in mercy is that we turn to him in righteousness.

1. Zechariah 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
2. Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

1. Purify your hearts

1. Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
2. Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (27) And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
3. 2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
4. 1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
5. 1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

1. Change laughter to mourning

1. Hosea 9:1 "Do not rejoice, O Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor."
2. Ezekiel 9:4 God put a mark of protection on the heads of those who grieved and lamented over the wickedness.

1. Bottom line: 1 Jn 5:4 overcome the world by faith and those with true faith overcome the world

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