Introductory Comments
1. The Christian life is a deep struggle as we face a big dilemna. Even though we are believers we still struggle with sin. We have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kigdom. We try to live a holy life but we succumb to sin time and time again. How can we become the mature Christian that James challenges us to be in His letter? James has already told is in chapter 4 that we fight together, we fight or struggle within ourselves, we try to live in both worlds, we try to satisfy our old pleasures.
2. God says that we have to choose. And while that may be a one-time decision to follow Him it is also a daily choice as to how we will live. For James says that if we are friends with the world, the way of evil, then we are enemies of God.
3. I don’t want to act like an enemy of God. I want to live for Him. I want to experience His love and holiness. I believe that anyone who takes his or her faith seriously struggles with this very thing. Between living for God or living for self. The problem is real and its tough.
Teaching
1. There is only one way that we can gain victory in this struggle. As hard as the struggle is, as much as we fail, as high and unattainable God’s standards are, God gives us more grace. His grace is even greater than the rigorous demands which He places upon us. And so, in order to gain victory, we need but receive His grace.
2. God’s grace is needed for our salvation but also for our sanctification or victory over sin. This grace is there for the giving.
3. But God will not force His grace, this grace, upon us. We could say that He sets conditions upon us receiving this grace. Or we could say that unless we do not fulfill these conditions, we will not even be open to receiving this grace or wanting it.
4. And so James tells us this evening how we are able to receive this bounteous, victorious grace. He issues a series of 10 commands - submit, resist, come near, wash, purify, grieve, mourn, wail, change and humble. These commands are in a Greek tense that is imperative, commands which call for immediate response. It is so easy to let things be, as we slowly drift to the way of the world and drift away from God. And we will continue in the same direction unless we take immediate and decisive action.
5. There are different ways of grouping or organizing these 10 commands, but they all point to one thing and that is that we are to be humble. James is not telling us how to overcome our dilemma and the sin that remains in us, for that we cannot do. Only God can - through His grace. And so what James teaches us is how to receive that grace. How we are able to do to open the door for God to do His work. And to receive the grace we must be humble. Get rid of all pride and be humble before God.
6. This is hard for us to do, and so could say that James gives us three steps we can take to become humble.
7. The first is to resist the devil. He is the source of all pride. He prevents us from being humble. It was pride that led him to rebel against God and which led to His downfall. It was pride he used to tempt Eve when he said "you will be like God." It is a pride that says you do not need God, you can do it yourself. He used pride when he tempted Jesus in the desert.
Mat 4:3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Mat 4:6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
Mat 4:8-9 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you,"
Each of these three temptations had to do with pride - if you are God and the giving the kingdoms.
8. The devil says we do not need any help. Have you ever tried to help anyone who did not want your help? It's almost impossible. Sometimes as parents its very hard. We see children get into relationships that will do them harm. We try to tell them and help them but they reject our help. Perhaps because of their pride, they will not admit they are wrong. They are blinded to the dangers ahead. Often when damage has been done already, will their eyes be open and will they seek your help.
9. That is how it is with God. His help and advise our right there but we have to admit that we need it. When I left God for a few years, I was young and able to look after myself. I could do all things. Why should I ask God for help? My pride kept me away from Him. Whenever anyone had tried to point out what was wrong in my life, even while I had still been in church, I got upset - they should mind their own business. And yet, now I see how I was allowing my pride to live more and more in the world and farther and farther away from God.
10. This is a great danger, especially for young people as they go off to school or move away from home. Just like the prodigal son.
11. How do we resist the devil? Two ways - " wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." Make your conduct and your thoughts and motives pure. The quest for pleasure, as we saw last time, led to impure deed and motives. When we are tempted, resist the devil. Don’t even dabble in sin, for that road leads to destruction.
12. And what will happen is that Satan will see his efforts are wasted and he will flee from you. When we start resisting some sin, after a while the temptation will not be as great and our desires will be on those things which are of God. As some of you know, I have to watch my cholestrol - get it down by Sept. or go on medication. I have had to change eating habits - I love to eat, thought it would be nearly impossible to change. Yet I’m surprised how easy it is. Breakfast in Chicago - omelettes custom made as you like them yet it was easy to just eat fruit and cereal. Start by resisting the devil and his temptations and after a while, it will get easier.
13. The second step is to submit to God or as we find it in vs. 8 "Come near to God." To submit does not mean to obey, but rather to submit our will to God’s will. This is will lead to obedience which obeys becuase it wants to.
14. Even though we are Christians, God will not force Himself on us. He wants us to come to Him because we want to, not because we are forced to. Otherwise our relationship would be based on need rather than desire. God wants us to desire Him as a deer pants for water. And so like the prodigal’s father He lets us go our own way. But when we return, He is waiting for us.
Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
As he drew near to his father, his father ran out to welcome him back. Jesus does not break down the door to our hearts
Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
We must open the door and let Him in.
15. To do this we must deny ourselves.
Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
To say "Jesus I need you, I cannot live on my own. I am lost without you."
16. Jesus promised
John 15:4-5 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
When we are near to God, He will purify us and make us clean.
17. The third things is to actually humble ourselves.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
How do we humble ourselves?
James 4:9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
18. This verse needs to be used in its context. Some use this and other verses to suggest that the Christian life should be a life of mourning and gloom. As if it is a sin to be joyful. God wants us to rejoice, but it is wrong to only have a shallow, temporary joy. Joy based on our pleasures or on ourselves.
19. What James is really talking about is repentance. We are to repent of our sin. Our sin is to cause us to mourn, grieve and wail. We are to be truly sorry for our sin.
20. I have felt times of deep grief over my sin. But as I do, I come humbly before God and I experience His grace. And I would say that now I feel much joy as a believer. Not joy or pride on what I have done or how good I am, but a joy of knowing that God loves me, of how He extends His grace to me, of How he takes a broken vessel like me and allows me to serve Him. Many times I deserve to fail at what I do, but He still uses me.
21. What greater joy can there be than to exalt in the Lord? He never fails and He is so good. And I believe that God knows that if we rejoice in our own strength, ot be proud, we would never come to Him. Only when we see how awful our sin is, how awful we are, do we come to Him. And then and only then does He exalt us. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. Then we will rejoice.
22. Jesus said Mat 23:12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. We see this in the example of Jesus.
Phil 2:5-11 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
23. Friends, are you experiencing the grace of God? Is His grace giving you victory over sin? Remember, resist the devil, submit to God, and humble yourself by mourning over your sin.
