Finding God in a Godless World
(Directions: Part 3) James 4:7-10
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Review: In our previous study we explored the normal human tendency to be independent and self-reliant. Independence and self-reliance are good qualities until they come between us and our God. Our human nature tells us to believe that God helps those who help themselves. The Bible teaches us to believe that God helps those who ask for his help. The Bible teaches us that what God wants from us is humility, trust, and dependence. He wants us to come to him in prayer as a first impulse, not a last resort.
Look back at chapter 4 for a minute. James’ theme throughout is friendship with the world. The marks of such a lifestyle are: 1) a wrong understanding of ourselves, living as if our wants were the center of the universe; 2) the wrong attitude toward things, covetousness; 3) broken fellowship with other people whom we see as getting in the way of our wants; 4) and a broken relationship with God. He becomes a means to our ends, not the goal of our life and faith.
James literally calls his readers "adulteresses" (a fact obscured by the NIV translation). This does not mean that he is addressing only women, but that he wants us to see that he is borrowing language from the Old Testament. The Old Testament pictures Israel as God’s bride, who at the same time wanted to enjoy other "lovers," finding security in other gods and imperial powers (see Isa. 1:21; Jer 3; Hos 1-3). Given the New Testament bride-of-Christ language (2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:22-24; Rev 19; 21), borrowing this language for the New Testament is quite appropriate. The "other lover" in this case is "the world"; that is, the values and goals of the non-Christian culture.
James 4 is about ridding our selves of the world’s pollution, from stinking thinking. The world thinks this way; we shouldn’t. The prevailing non-Christian culture acts this way; we must not. For example, most people think we should take care of ourselves and only ask for God’s help as a last resort. People who know the Living God think and act differently. And when we don’t, when we allow our lives to be polluted with the world’s way of thinking, is when we get into big trouble. Individually and as a church, we regularly face the struggle about whether we will be a worldly church or a praying church. Both styles pray; one prays as a last resort, the other as a first impulse.
I call this choice—living by Plan A or Plan B. Plan A is the normal human pattern of independence and self-reliance. It is the normal, natural way of thinking and living. Plan B is a personal walk with a God who is intimately involved with the affairs of our lives and wants to be in our decisions from the beginning. In our individual lives and as a church together, we either stop and ask for directions sooner or later. The difference is telling.
We ended the previous study with the marvelous note of hope in verse 6, “But he gives us more grace.” Who doesn’t need to hear that? Grace—the unmerited favor of God poured out for us in Christ. Grace is the distinguishing mark of the Christian experience. We know from beginning to end that we are not saved by our merit, our efforts, not even our good intentions, but by the grace of God. How easily we forget! Too quickly we begin to think we are children of God because of something we have done or something we have brought to the table of God. We conclude that our obedience, our knowledge, our service have made our eternal destiny possible. No, it is God’s grace!
Remember these Scriptures: (Eph 2:8-10) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- {9} not by works, so that no one can boast. {10} For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Rom 5:5-11) "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. {6} You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. {7} Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. {8} But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. {9} Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! {10} For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! {11} Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
Loosing sight of this first principle of our relationship with God—grace, first, last, and always—has a negative impact on our attitude toward and practice of prayer. As long as we harbor the notion that we have some how created our own path to God we will arrogantly ignore our need for God until it is too late. He will be our last resort. On the other hand, we will often hesitate to come to God out of fear when we realize that we are not as perfect as we sometimes pretend. Only a recognition of grace can sustain a vital prayer life!
Finally, James provides a solution. His prescription for Plan B Living involves a series of instructions in verses 7-10. The key ingredient in his prescription is verse 8: come near to God and he will come near to you. All of the rest explains how one comes near to God. I would term it—how one finds God in a godless world. God isn’t missing. He isn’t hiding. He there all the time ready and waiting for us to come. But we must come on his terms, not ours.
This is made clear when we note how verses 6 and 10 form bookends around the rest of the section. {6} But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.". . . {10} Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
If there is any conclusion that is certain about the theme of pride, it is this: God is against it. Do remember Solomon’s list of seven things God hates. Most are discussed in James and pride is at the heart of it. (Prov 6:16-19 NIV) There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:” The very first item on the list is haughty eyes.
The entire theme of our text is one of coming before God with humility, knowing that when we do he will lift us up, not threaten us or push away us away. We can never forget that if there is any reluctance associated with prayer it is on our part not God’s. He is always more eager to meet us than we are to meet him, more eager to grant our requests than we are to offer them to him. Let’s examine the steps in this prescription for finding God—for coming near to God:
First, we must know we need him. {7} Submit yourselves, then, to God. Note the “then” which points back to the call for humility. Submission is a matter of putting ourselves under another, recognizing that we are the debtor and the other the giver. This is the heart of pride and prayerlessness. We convince ourselves that we have everything under control. After all, God is busy with more urgent matters. We’re just fine! Few of us would actually say it that way, but I fear such attitudes lurk just beneath the surface.
The classic example of pride and self sufficiency in the Bible is Nebuchadnezzer. The great king stood on his balcony admiring his kingdom. He said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty” (Dan. 4:30). At that very moment the judgment of God came upon him because of his arrogance. A voice from heaven said, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. {32} You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals . . . until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
Verse 34 records his restoration “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.”
Submission to God is step one. The next, resist the devil and he will flee from you. James has already made it clear that we cannot do business with the devil and expect to do business with God. We must decide. Ultimately the devil is a coward. He will lie, sneak, and steal, but once you stand up to him, he must walk away. We must never take him for granted or under estimate him. That would be to our downfall. But we must never let him deceive us into believing that we must do business with him. Jesus’ temptation provides the classic model for resisting the devil. He did so with a steadfast resolve to stand on the truth of God’s Word. At every point, when tempted to turn stones in bread, jump from the temple pinnacle, or bow before Satan, he replied with Scripture. There is an indivisible link between power over Satan and knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. When we resist Satan with the Truth of God’s Word, he flees!
Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist anything—except temptation.” Oscar Wilde apparently knew little of God’s Word. Paul, on the other hand, promised, (1 Cor 10:13 NIV) “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” I think we are better off heeding listening to Paul.
The third step in coming near to God is spiritual purity. The three commands of verse 8 stand together. 8} Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. I think there is likely an intentional mirroring of Psalm 24 in these words. Listen to David’s song about coming before the Holy God. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; {2} for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. {3} Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? {4} He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. {5} He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. {6} Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
We must never think that we can come before God and bring our sin with us. We must leave it at the cross; let Jesus wash it away. Sin and the holy God cannot remain in the same room. This is why Isaiah says the prayers of Israel were so ineffective. (Isa 59:1-2 NIV) “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. {2} But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
James calls for an outward and an inward cleansing, symbolized by our hands and our hearts. Remember Paul’s call to prayer in (1 Tim 2:8 NIV) I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” Actions and attitudes are always linked. Jesus’ beatitude echoes the same theme: blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
The fourth step is heartfelt repentance (vs 9): “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.” Repentance means changing our mind about our sins. Confession means acknowledging it for what it is in God’s eyes. Whenever we truly see what our sin and unbelief has done to our relationship with God, we must be led to sorrow. Repentance is always more than just sadness and regret. We all know that we can be sad that we didn’t get our way, that we were caught in our sins, or that we missed something. James says that coming before God calls for something much more profound. As (2 Cor 7:10 NIV) says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
James’ terms are graphic. He almost sounds like he is describing a funeral. Indeed he is. As Paul puts it, “(Rom 8:13 NIV) but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,” (Gal 2:20 NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Rom 6:1-4 NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? {2} By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Conclusion: Verse 10 returns to the over all theme: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." Remember where we started in this study of James 4. Asking for directions is something that many of us do reluctantly. We convince ourselves that we will find our way eventually. The same is true of praying. Too often we come to God as a last resort. He wants it to be our first impulse. It is not true that God helps those who help themselves. That’s the world’s teaching. The Bible says, God helps those who ask for his help.
Can we begin here and now to commit ourselves as a church that we will be a praying church? That we will begin the process of learning how to make praying our first impulse, not just are last resort when we can’t think of anything else to do?
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
