The Cure For Arrogance Series

The Cure for Arrogance

James 4:11-17

Introduction

James presents a problem everyone has, arrogance, also called pride. It is a real problem when it is found in the church. Evidently it was a problem in the church at Jerusalem and at times is a problem in every church.

When I played the trumpet I noticed that each section had very different hand shakes. The trombones slide their arm forward and backward in a slide movement when the shook hands. Tuba players hugged and said hello since their instrument went around them or sat down to say hello during concert season. Flute and oboe simply annoyed others with their shrill voices. Clarinetists would move their fingers rapidly on the back of your hand. But trumpet players would grab you hand forcefully and say, "Hi, I’m better than you."

During the days when Mohammed Ali was a great boxer, he would go around in his arrogance and say that, "He was the greatest." Humility was never his strong suit. One day, back in his prime, he was on an airplane and the plane was ready to take off and the flight attendant had repeatedly told him to put on his seat belt. He finally told her, "I’m superman and superman don’t need no seatbelt." The flight attendant didn’t hesitate a minute but shot back with, "Superman don’t need no airplane either, now buckle up."

James presents a problem everyone has, arrogance, also called pride. It is a real problem when it is found in the church. Evidently it was a problem in the church at Jerusalem and at times is a problem in every church. He identifies two ways in which arrogance surfaces in our lives. Thankfully we also have the scriptures to tell us the truth.

I’m Better Than You

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

In his little book Illustrations of Bible Truth, H.A. Ironside pointed out the folly of judging others. He related an incident in the life of a man called Bishop Potter. "He was sailing for Europe on one of the great transatlantic ocean liners. When he went on board, he found that another passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to see the accommodations, he came up to the purser’s desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe. He explained that ordinarily he never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the other berth. Judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The purser accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, ’It’s all right, bishop, I’ll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has been up here and left his for the same reason!’"

All of us have a problem with making snap judgments about people. We stereotype according to clothing, race, sex, nationality, etc. Honestly, can any of us say we really believe the stereotypes about people? And yet we find ourselves agreeing with others about what people are.

A schoolteacher decided to travel across America and see the sights she had taught about. Traveling alone in a truck with camper in tow, she launched out. One afternoon a water pump blew on her truck. She was tired, exasperated, scared, and alone. No one seemed interested in helping. Leaning up against the trailer, she prayed, “Please God, send me an angel, preferably one with mechanical experience.”

Within four minutes, a huge Harley drove up, ridden by an enormous man sporting long, black hair, a beard and tattooed arms. He jumped off and went to work on the truck. Within another few minutes, he flagged down a larger truck, attached a tow chain to the frame of the disabled Chevy, and whisked the whole 56-foot rig off the freeway onto a side street, where he calmly continued to work on the water pump. The intimidated schoolteacher was too dumfounded to talk. As he finished the task, she finally got up the courage to say, “Thanks so much.” Noticing her surprise, he looked her straight in the eye and mumbled, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” With that, he smiled, closed the hood of the truck, and straddled his Harley. With a wave, he was gone as fast as

We have an issue in our state about immigration, illegal immigration. Now it has gotten to the point with some that any hispanic has to be illegal. The joke in seminary was that all orientals were bad drivers. Unfortunately my encounters on the road almost had me believing that stereotype.