James 4:1-10

“You desire and do not have, so you murder...”
i.e. Neglect the needs of the people around you, hate people, and actually kill... physically, or spiritually...
You don't get your way, so you make some one suffer...
All in hopes to get what you want... this can apply to so many things... are you willing to sacrifice your preference in music style for the younger generations? Are you willing to invest financially in your kids, youth and young families, the single mom's and the widows... Seniors homes is widely neglected by churches, yet in there you will find the widows and the poor... people who are so alone.
If you don't have hands in the seniors homes often, then shame on you.

“You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

You covet, you desire... selfishly, and because you don't get what you want, you fight and quarrel...

Ridiculous splits in churches have taken place over the colors of floors and curtains... one person wanted green, the other person wanted beige....
The people put special reverence on the place, as if God is confined to the room you stand in. This building is not the Temple! The temple was destroyed, the veil was torn – don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?
The difference that needs be communicated to people is not sacred space, but rather sacred time. A time of dedicated worship and teaching is sacred time. It has nothing to do with the place. If you met inside a set of ruins, it is no holier than a church. However, it is the time that is sacred, that is set apart for God.

The whole over arching theme here is that the people are not chasing after God, His desires and purposes, but rather after their own selfish desires and their purposes.

This is called idolatry. You are serving yourself, and you are not serving God. One of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall have no other God's before me.”
We sometimes view ourselves as God, not God as God.

“Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

God made Hosea marry a prostitute, in order to help him to see what God felt like towards Israel...

Israel chased after Baal, Ashera, Molech... and gave themselves to these other gods, and claimed to be God's people...
The whole concept of 'You cannot serve two master, you can't serve both God and money...” Comes to mind. Make sense?

Continue, “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”?

That is not actually found anywhere in scripture, however, it's a concept that is found through out the bible, and some scholars believe that the book that this was contained in was lost. However, the idea is good and lines up with the rest of scripture, therefore we know it's not heretical, so we can trust it.
In Exodus God tells Israel not to make idols, because he is a jealous God.
When God says he's jealous, it's not in the sense that he wants something that's not his, or you have something that he doesn't...
What it means is that he longs after your love... He wants you to love Him, like He loves you. He desires your relationship with Him.

But continuing, James says, “Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore Submit yourselves to God.”

If you truly want to follow God, you need to recognize you cannot be the leader!
Christ said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” If there is an inversion, and God is to follow you, then it becomes idolatry. Who are you worshiping? Who are you following? The whole crux of this entire piece of scripture is get over yourselves and follow God.

What does submission to God look like? Jesus... in the Garden at Gethsemane, Jesus didn't want to die. Three times he begged God, “Take this cup away from me, let this hour pass.” However, Jesus said some of the most important things - “Not my will, but yours be done.” Just like when he taught the Lord's Prayer... “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
WHO'S WILL?
Not mine, God's.

Keep following what James says, “Resit the devil and he will flee.”
Satan cared about himself, only himself. He was so prideful, and he challenged Adam and Eve and said, “You yourselves can be God!”
The devil's who fight is that you think about everything and anything other than God. If your too busy concerned about your wants and desires, you cannot be concerned about the things of God.

James then invites you to the opposite - “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you!” Draw near!
Forget yourself, humbly come before God and receive what he wants. Encircle yourself with him, not your own desires. THEREFORE REPENT! “Cleans your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded! Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.”
What he is saying is recognize your pathetic state and recognize where you stand before God! See that you are NOT God! Get right with God – recognize that you have shame, just like Adam and Eve did when they sinned and partook of the fruit. Recognize your shame and your guilt. Weep... and weep well.

He then finishes this whole thought process with “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

When you recognize where you stand before God, God will honor that, and he will lift you up. He will... be there for you. If God's not the center, then you are an adulterous, idolatrous person... Therefore repent and God will honor you, God will exalt you. But if you exalt yourself, you're not going to be any greater than Satan.

Pray.