Illustration story: Child in S.S. drawing a picture of God. The child said when I get through then everybody can see what God looks Like.
Moses EX. 33 – JN. 1:1 says no ONE has ever seen God But we also know that the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus said himself If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.
What have You made God look like to you and others?
What was Lucifer’s goal in life? Because he thought so much of himself and his greatness and beauty he sinned. He said “I will ascend into heaven and be like the most high”
Has anyone here ever been accused by a brother, sister, or mate you are married to of playing God?
The Life Question I have for FBC Marshallville and you today - why be humble?
+ Finding Humility is Most Important
James 4:1-stand for last verse 10 agree? AMEN PRAY
Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it — his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toy, his uncle’s watch. Deny him these once, and he seethes with a temper tantrum. Child at Havertys Let’s walk through God’s letter here that He had James write to Christians and the new churches everywhere.
+ 1. We see a sin that is prevalent (1-4)
KJV says from whence do these desires and lust come? + What is inside of us comes out as LUST.
Today we love to say the cause of our sins are external.
This world or the others around me caused them. It is always someone else or something else’s fault. If nothing else “The devil made me do it” When Eve sinned in the garden what was the real sin? She listened to the devil or the world instead of God.
Been there? Done That? We all have some of those trophies, don’t we?
Another way to interpret LUST: is the pleasures you desire.
What pleasure do you find yourself dreaming of and if not saying out loud What do you want?
• Money?
• Coffee time on the porch?
• Rest without pain?
• To be strong and healthy again?
• To know there will be a day when?? I won’t HAVE to do…anymore.
• That I will be comfortable at some point…
• I will have time to be with who I want to…or
• A day I can go where I want.
I have to admit many of these wants - come through my filters. WHAT ARE YOURS?
Vs 2 you spend your day committing lust (wanting)
“YOU want what you don’t have” So you are at war with all because you can’t get what YOU want.
This wipes out your prayer life. Instead of seeking what God wants for US…WE tell Him what WE want. Then God won’t and cannot help us because we seek what we want and not what HE knows we need.
Because you don’t want to tell Him what you really want…because it is the list I read before.
I don’t want to ask God for travel, time on the porch, my pains to go away, to get to do what I want. WHY because they are selfish desires, and I am too embarrassed to ask for them. Pray about ALL.
So, we don’t even pray like we should because we don’t want to discuss with God what we really want. Read 3.
This sin that is so prevalent in our lives; HAS it led us to the pleasure we are seeking after.
Read (4) When God speaks about His children being adulteresses in the Old Testament what is He really saying? Time and time again God’s people (That would include us sitting and standing here) have sought out what we thought we wanted, and it really hasn’t worked out that great for us. Has it?
Why does he call us adulteresses? BECAUSE WE are not willing to accept His way. We have a sin that is prevalent and lust for what we want.
God has
+ 2. A Solution that is Relevant (5-6)
ASK: What is the solution He has given us?
+ 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Think about it this way? When you ask God to save you and asked Him to apply His solution to your sins, your shortcomings and lack of success in all of life, WHAT DID HE DO?
You asked Jesus to come into your heat? Did you ask Him to come in and stick around?
• To ALWAYS be with you?
• To ALWAYS be suggesting what YOU should be doing and what you should be doing next?
When YOU get saved were you really excited about Jesus becoming so much of your life. NOW HE is with you always? Back In Leviticus when God was telling HIS people of that generation HE was going to always be with them from NOW ON, whether they wanted Him to be or even recognized His presence HE said, + "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." NOW HE SAYS it this way… + 2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. + As God has said: I will dwell IN THEM. + Life question to ponder…
Is there room for the Holy Spirit and our false idols to live in the same house?
Whence does the desire come from. The other guy (The world) that we are letting hang around the Living Room of our life.
God, through James His chosen spokesman and preacher, says…Don’t just ask me to pay the price for your sin, forgive you of your sins.
BUT, let me take over your life so you can be my testimony to the world of what I LOOK LIKE. That’s pretty heavy.
I am not sure that when I got saved, I understood that I was going to have to become HIS picture of what HE looked like to the rest of the world.
I did not sign up for that and I am sure I Can’t do that. Yet He has promised…
+ 3. A submission that will keep you forever (7-10) THEREFORE: I now know I have a sinful, lustful nature I cannot control. YET, I have the Holy Spirit LIVING in my heart. And He wants to control: My thoughts (lust) my actions (murders and whatever).
He will someday walk with me into the gates of Heaven.
We have to submit to Him daily. We will wake up tomorrow in this world and the devil will be sitting at wherever we are waiting on US. Your lust will say GOOD MORNING Have your morning coffee it’s about time to GET WITH IT.
He will remind you what the pleasures out there are that you seek.
• Money?
• Coffee time on the porch?
• Rest without pain?
• To be strong and healthy again?
• To know there will be a day when?? I won’t HAVE to do…anymore.
• That I will be comfortable at some point…
• I will Have time to be with whom I want.
• A day I can go where I want.
BUT GOD who has come to LIVE IN YOU is also there. By His grace we can: Turn away from Self desires and turn to being what God wants us to be. I can’t do this Father? I can’t win this war. + Have you ever told your Father you can’t do something?
Read 7-8 again – pray again
You’re right - you can’t and that is where true humility comes in. Admitting I can’t.
When you told your dad you could not do something what were you really hoping would happen? Story of riding in the car all night on trip to the Everglades 8 miles a gallon. Almost no interstates. You wake up disoriented. You Look and your dad, your FATHER, is driving and go back to sleep.
This week I asked myself the question. Am I a friend of this world or a friend of God?
How can I be more Like Him?
+ STEP ONE: Draw near to God and…
Vs 7 Resist the devil and translate it as “he SHALL flee.”
Does this sound like a PROMISE? Who is making that promises? If the devil has not run or hit the road today what has not happened?
Who is God? Who is not God? Not you Carlton Berry!
I cannot be double minded and serve God.
+ STEP TWO:
I must purify my heart and I do that by Verse 9
• Be afflicted, be miserable,
• Grieve over your sin and your sinful nature.
• Grieve over your inability to win to find joy.
• Grieve that you cannot find the PLEASURES YOU ARE LOOKING FOR EACH MORNING this way. Realize and grieve I can’t get what I want the way I have been doing things right now and I will never be happy this way.
ALL great revivals start with conviction of sinfulness. Personal ones will start that way too.
REPENT. Turn away from your way and your plan and find HUMILITY.
Clean up OUR dirty hands and impure hearts
THEN, + when I go low God goes High and he exalts or LIFTS me UP. (10) He is the only one that can LIFT me up and HE is ready the minute I repent and give in to HIM.
I have to REMEMBER WHEN I got saved, He came to LIVE IN ME everyday, not just somedays.
How did this lesson change me this week?
• Writing out prayers in my journal each day.
• Working on 2 verses to memorize.
+ Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
+ Psalm 119:10-12 (ESV) With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!
+ Philippians 2:13 (ESV) for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
+ 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (ESV) He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
When I go Low HE goes High and THEN He Lifts me UP. Hallelujah He will LIFT Me up in the end.
