Friends of the World Enemy of God Ray Rivenbark James 4 ver 1-6 June 28 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Friendship with the World: A Septic Tank or the Savior?

The human heart cannot hold two ultimate loves. When believers develop deep affection for the world’s self-centered systems—its morals, values, and temporary pleasures—they trade the living water of Christ for sewage. This isn’t accidental sin but a deliberate courtship with what opposes God. Like the rich young ruler, many claim devotion to God while clinging to idols that cannot satisfy. True allegiance to Christ requires rejecting the world’s decaying substitutes. [09:06]

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
(1 John 2:15–17, ESV)

Reflection: What specific “septic tank” of worldly desire have you been tempted to prefer over Christ this week? How does this reveal where your heart’s true allegiance lies?

Day 2: The Septic Tank of Worldly Desires

Worldly cravings promise fulfillment but leave souls empty. Like drinking from a broken cistern, chasing temporary pleasures—wealth, status, or comfort—only deepens thirst. These pursuits are not merely neutral; they actively compete with worship. The rich young ruler’s sorrowful departure exposes the cost of clinging to what perishes. Lasting joy comes only through surrendering lesser loves to the One who satisfies eternally. [09:36]

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.' When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"
(Matthew 19:23–26, ESV)

Reflection: What temporary “needle’s eye” are you trying to squeeze your identity through? What would it look like to release it to God’s impossible redemption today?

Day 3: Spiritual Adultery: Forsaking the Fountain for Broken Cisterns

To prefer the world over Christ is not just disloyalty—it’s marital betrayal. God’s people are called His bride, yet many flirt with rival affections. Like Israel digging cracked cisterns, believers often trade living water for stagnant puddles of approval, control, or comfort. This adultery grieves the One who paid eternity’s price to claim His people. True repentance means returning to the Fountain that never runs dry. [39:21]

"Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."
(Jeremiah 2:12–13, ESV)

Reflection: What “broken cistern” have you been laboring to maintain? How might you actively return to the Fountain this week?

Day 4: The War Within: Flesh Against Spirit, Spirit Against Flesh

Internal chaos reveals divided loves. When believers entertain worldly desires, they become battlefields—the Spirit’s convictions clashing with the flesh’s cravings. This isn’t passive struggle but active warfare requiring spiritual armor. Victory comes not through willpower but through daily surrender to the Spirit who empowers obedience. The cross reminds us: what we feed will rule us. [32:03]

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."
(Galatians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: Which battlefield in your heart most urgently needs the Spirit’s intervention? What practical step will you take to starve the flesh today?

Day 5: Repentance: Turning from the Septic Tank to the Savior

True transformation begins with holy dissatisfaction. Like the prodigal son wallowing with pigs, believers must recognize the stench of worldly compromise. Repentance isn’t mere guilt but a violent turning—away from death’s sewage toward the Father’s embrace. This daily choice rejects the enemy’s lies and declares: Christ alone is worthy of all affection. [45:07]

"Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
(Acts 3:19–20a, ESV)

Reflection: What specific stench of the “pig pen” still clings to your life? How will you actively run toward the Father’s cleansing presence today?

Sermon Summary

James takes the church straight to the heart of the matter: friendship with the world is not a small issue, not an accidental stumble, not some passing temptation that surprises a believer. The phrase “friendship of the world” means a settled affection, an intimate attachment, a love relationship with the man-centered, Satan-directed world system that is hostile to God, Christ, the Spirit, and the church. The world system says life is all about self glory, self fulfillment, self control, self indulgence, and self satisfaction. James says that kind of affection is utterly incompatible with loyalty to God.

First John says it cut and dry: if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The world offers cheap substitutes, and sin becomes so offensive because the human heart looks at the holy, perfect Son of God and says, “No thank you, I’d rather have the septic tank.” The rich young ruler showed that tragedy clearly. Christ stood before him as the pearl of great price, yet his money ruled him, and he went away sorrowful because he had great riches.

James then asks why quarrels and fights happen among the people of God. The answer is not finally out there somewhere. The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. Passions are at war within, and that inner war spills out into homes, churches, communities, and nations. Sin always brings conflict because coveting hearts want what they cannot have, and the world system will fight, quarrel, and even kill to get it.

The text also names the deeper conflict as conflict with God. James calls worldly people adulterers because spiritual adultery happens whenever anything takes first place over the Lord. God does not settle for second place, and he does not want a part-time relationship. Christ calls for supreme love, above father, mother, children, money, pleasure, power, reputation, and every other thing that tries to sit on the throne.

The Spirit gives the only real victory over this war. Human strength fails, pride falls, and self-help cannot cure a dead soul. Christ gives life, and the Spirit teaches the believer to walk daily in the armor of God, to put to death the deeds of the body, and to live for eternity instead of right here, right now. The good news is that enemies of God do not have to stay enemies. Christ commands sinners to repent, believe, take up the cross, and follow him.

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Key Takeaways

1. Worldly friendship betrays spiritual allegiance. [05:46] James does not treat love for the world as a harmless weakness. A settled affection for the world reveals a heart that has made peace with what hates God. The issue is not whether a believer ever stumbles, but whether the soul has become at home in the world’s values, appetites, and self-centered glory. [05:46]
2. Sin prefers the septic tank. [09:06] Sin is grievous because it trades the glory of Christ for something filthy, temporary, and unable to satisfy. The human heart does not merely break a rule, it looks at the Son of God and chooses lesser pleasures. That makes repentance more than behavior change; it is the heart turning from cheap garbage back to the One who is altogether lovely. [09:06]
3. Conflict exposes disordered desires. [16:32] James locates quarrels and fights inside the passions that war within the soul. The outside conflict often reveals the inside disorder. When desire becomes ruler, people, homes, and churches become battlegrounds instead of places where Christ is honored. [16:32]
4. Christ will not take second place. [42:30] God does not ask to be added to an already crowded throne. The call of Christ reaches beneath good gifts like family, money, work, and pleasure, and asks whether any of them has become supreme. Love for those things becomes idolatry when they push Christ and his glory to the side. [42:30]
5. The Spirit wins daily battles. [34:52] Victory over the world does not come from stronger willpower or better religious talk. The power of Christ in the believer, through the Spirit, puts to death the deeds of the body day by day. The Christian life is not a cruise ship but a battleship, and the armor of God is not decoration, it is daily necessity.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:36] - Friendship With The World Defined
[05:46] - Love For The World Exposes The Heart
[08:20] - Sin Chooses Cheap Substitutes
[10:10] - The Rich Young Ruler’s Divided Heart
[12:45] - Why Fights Happen In The Church
[16:32] - The Heart Of The Problem
[20:30] - Conflict With Others
[24:47] - Desire, Coveting, And Murder
[28:20] - Worldly Lust Crowds Out Heaven
[30:04] - The Power Of Christ Over Self
[33:09] - Putting On The Armor Of God
[38:03] - Spiritual Adultery Against God
[43:22] - Where Do The Affections Go?
[45:07] - Repent And Believe In Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

James 4:1-10
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 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"? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse 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. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” [02:14] [05:46] [12:45] [16:32] [38:03]

1 John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” [05:55] [40:55]

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” [41:27]

Matthew 10:37-39
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” [42:30]

Observation questions

In James 4:1-3, what inner causes of quarrels and fights are named, and what actions grow out of those desires? [16:32]
In James 4:4, what strong words are used for people who become friends with the world, and what does that show about their relationship to God? [38:03]
According to 1 John 2:15-17, what kinds of desires belong to the world, and what does John say will happen to the world and its desires? [05:55]
In Matthew 10:37-39, what relationships and loyalties does Jesus mention, and what does he require from those who follow him? [42:30]

Interpretation questions

James does not describe friendship with the world as a passing stumble but as a settled affection. What is the difference between a believer struggling against sin and a person becoming at home in the world’s values? [03:26]
James connects outward conflict to inward passions. How does that help explain why arguments in homes, friendships, or churches can become so intense? [27:30]
James calls worldly people “adulterous.” Why is spiritual adultery such a fitting picture for putting something else in first place over God? [38:32]
Jesus says no one can serve two masters. How can good gifts like family, money, work, or pleasure become rival masters when they begin to crowd Christ out? [42:30]

Application questions

Friendship with the world shows up in settled affection, not just occasional weakness. Where do personal affections naturally run when the heart is unguarded—toward Christ and his glory, or toward comfort, approval, possessions, and self? [43:22]
Quarrels often reveal desires that have become ruling desires. Think about a recent conflict: what was being wanted so strongly that peace was hard to keep? Control, being right, comfort, attention, ease, something else? [16:32]
The world offers cheap substitutes that cannot satisfy. What “septic tank” temptations seem most appealing right now, and why do they still look attractive even though they never deliver what they promise? [09:06]
Christ will not take second place. Has any good thing—family, money, recreation, career, reputation, even ministry—slowly become too important? What signs would reveal that it is starting to sit on the throne? [42:30]
The Christian life is a battleship, not a cruise ship. What does daily battle actually need to look like in this season—more time in Scripture, more serious prayer, stronger repentance, more honesty about temptation, or something else? [35:14]
Victory over the flesh does not come from willpower alone but by the Spirit. Where has self-effort been failing, and what would it look like to consciously depend on Christ there each day? [34:52]
Enemies of God do not have to stay enemies. If there is known sin, divided loyalty, or love for the world that needs to be turned from, what would real repentance look like this week in concrete terms? [45:07]

Sermon Clips

61s

“What does he mean by adulterers and adulteresses? Well, we know what adultery is, but what is he talking about? He's talking about spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery against God, that we are the bride of Christ. We are in a covenant relationship with him. And we would many times look down on someone who commits adultery against their spouse and has an affair with someone that they're not married to and embrace up a home. We would look down on that, but many times in the church, we've become kind of self righteous. And it's like, wait. You know, I'm I'm not like them. But anytime we put anything before the Lord, he says to us, just like he did to the Israelites of old, you are adulterers and adulteresses. You love something or someone more than you love me.”

53s

“Again, mutual exclusivity. If you love God, you cannot love the world system. You may from time to time fall into worldly things, but will it will go against the grain of your true affection. Why? Because if any man or woman be in Christ, he's, what, a new creation, all things are passing away. All things are becoming what? Brand new. And so I love the things I used to hate. I hate the things I used to love. I have a new nature in me. The holy spirit of God is living in me and empowering me and changing me and transforming me into the image of Christ. So now I no longer have my mindset on the things of the world, the values of the world, the lust of the world, the things that this world system offers.”

62s

“So there's this conflict going on. Right? There then he he gives us a cure. How can we have victory? Well, the victory isn't dependent on my strength or my wisdom. It's dependent on the power of Christ in us, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us from day to day. And that's the day of the battle. That's not one time event. Every day we get up. What has happened, though, in many churches where we think more of the church is a cruise ship than a battleship? We're we're not on a cruise ship. We're on a battleship. We are at war against the enemy. And the enemy isn't in here, although sometimes he can sneak in, disguise himself as an angel of light. The enemy is out there, the world, the flesh, and the devil. And the enemy, this flesh that wars against my spirit, my flesh wants what it wants when it wants it, and it wants it right now.”

55s

“And Paul talks about that. Right? He he writes about that. He's like, man, the thing I wanna do, what I I really know I should do, I don't always do that. And the things I know I shouldn't be doing, man, sometimes I do those things. And he's like, oh, wretched man that I am. But Christ saves us from that. Where sin abounds, grace is much more bad. God's got more grace than I've got sin. Why? Because before the foundation of the world, he paid for my salvation in full, and I'm kept by his power. So when we walk in the power of the spirit, he gives us victory over the things of the world and the world system. He creates in us a love and affection for the things of God, for the glory of God.”

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