Jas 4:4 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.
Read that verse several times if you need to and let it sink in.
Friendship of the world.
Friend of the world.
Jesus said--
Joh 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me OUT OF THE WORLD: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
Joh 17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Joh 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I PRAY NOT FOR THE WORLD, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Joh 17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Joh 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, BUT THESE ARE IN THE WORLD, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Joh 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh 17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Joh 17:14 I HAVE GIVEN THEM THY WORD; AND THE WORLD HATH HATETH THEM, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, EVEN AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD.
Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16 THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, EVEN AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I ALSO SENT THEM INTO THE WORLD.
The world.
We generally know that our world is filled with corruption, don't we? That society as a whole seems to be filled with liars and thieves, filled with those who do not love their neighbors as they would be loved. We want to shake our heads and say it isn't so that surely the majority of people are good, but the truth of the matter is the majority of people are self-serving. There can be an amazing number of sweet, kind people but that doesn't make them God's people, people not of the world. What's it mean to not be of this world? How was Jesus not of this world?
Jesus did not conform to the worldly ways surrounding Him. Jesus did follow the laws ceremonial and otherwise as He was raised, but He followed them as God intended and not as man had corrupted them. Jesus loved His Father first and foremost and then Jesus loved others as He desired to be loved. Jesus lived that love.
Jesus saw corruption all around Him- men of the world living for the world and for things of the world and not living for God and the things of God.
Jesus did not live for the approval of the world.
Jesus did not live for the material aspects of the world.
Jesus taught laying up our treasures in heaven, not in this world.
Jesus was humble.
Jesus was self-less.
Jesus was filled with love towards God.
Jesus understood that the heavenly was His goal.
He lived here on earth for 33 years and 3 of those years He spent in His ministry teaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. The gospel of the kingdom- salvation from this sinfilled existence- salvation to live with Him in heaven when He returns for us. The gospel of the kingdom was our Savior's message the message He preached far and wide, the message He sent His disciples to preach. The gospel of the kingdom- salvation from this world- so that we are not OF this world as HE is NOT OF THIS WORLD. The message of the kingdom- salvation THROUGH HIM- salvation from a sin-filled existence- salvation from the world drenched in sin and sinful ways.
Jas 4:4 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.
Some will take objection to being called adulterers and adulteresses, but the truth is all of us have gone astray from Christ, all of us have let sin separate us from God while we've let the sin turn our heads, our hearts from God while we go after sinful lusts that are contrary to God's will, God's ways. Only through forgiveness, undeserved forgiveness are we able to be reconciled to God. Only by the grace of God are we able to be forgiven of our adulterous lives.
We all have to realize that we are NOT to seek to be friends with the world. We are NOT to seek to conform to the world. Jesus did NOT seek to conform to the world, Jesus did not seek a friendship with the world. Why do we think we need the acceptance of the world? Why do we believe we need people around us to accept us? Why do we want to fit in? Why do we want to conform? Why do we WANT friendship with the world? WHY?! We have to be NOT OF THIS WORLD. We must live in this world, but we must not be OF this world. Our world is with Jesus! Our world has to be Jesus' world! Jesus was NOT of this world - His words! He said He was not of this world. Jesus knew that to be friends with this world would mean being an enemy of God's and there was no way He was going to be an enemy of God's, no way! Jesus did not seek to be friends with this world. Jesus sought to save us from this world- not to teach us to be friends with the sinfilled world.
We have to read this verse in James and know that we must be estranged from this world because it is contrary to God and His will.
Please Lord, help us to understand this and what it means, help us Lord, help us not to seek friendship with this world but to seek You and Your kingdom, all through Your LOVE!
Amen.
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