James Teaches Worldliness and Hedonism James 4:1-5.

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James Teaches Worldliness and HedonismJames 4:1-5

REFLECTION 17: Worldly hedonism infects the church

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of

mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of

righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions

are at war within you?

REFLECTION 18: Worldly hedonism is adultery against God

James 4:4a You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with

the world is enmity with God?

Exodus 34:12 Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.

13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut

down their Asherim 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the

LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a

covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to

their gods and you are invited, you

eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons

whore after their gods.

James 4:2a You desire and do not have… You covet and cannot

obtain…

Ecclesiastes 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this

is the whole duty of man.

James 4:5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says,

“He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in

us”?

REFLECTION 19: Christian hedonism is God’s design

James 1:17a Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…

“The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever!”

Westminster Shorter Catechism

“My shortest summary of it is: God is most glorified in us when we are

most satisfied in him. Does Christian Hedonism make a god out of pleasure? No. It says that

we all make a god out of what we take most pleasure in. My life is devoted to helping people make God their God, by wakening in them the greatest pleasures in

him.”John Piper

James 4:2b You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do

not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your

passions.

Luke 6:35a But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting

nothing in return, and your reward will be great.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for

whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be full.

“God is glorified not only by His glory being seen, but by its being

rejoiced in.” Jonathan Edwards

“Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its

healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the

enemy’s ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure.

All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures:

all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans

to take the pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He

has forbidden.

Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any

pleasure to that in which it is least natural. An ever-increasing

craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure is the formula.”

C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters

James Teaches Worldliness and Hedonism James 4:1-5.

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