God s Grace to the Humble Part 1

Transcription

1 Sunday February 26, 2012 Phone: Pastor David Miklas Message: Book of James - #18 Text: James 4:6-12 God s Grace to the Humble Part 1 Introduction: : By now we should realize Satan desires nothing more than to create TENSION and DISHARMONY in every relationship we have, within our family, within our friends, and within our church. In James 4 we are warned about some major causes of this disharmony: SELFISHNESS, ENVY, JEALOUSY, WORLDLINESS, and SLANDER. When it comes right down to it, Satan might create the desire, but honestly, our basic problem is found in one word - PRIDE. Notice James 4:6, "God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble." PRIDE leads to WRONG ACTIONS, James 4:2, Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. PRIDE leads to WRONG PRAYING, James 4:3, Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. PRIDE leads to WRONG ASSOCIATIONS, James 4:4, Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Pride is sin, God resists the PROUD. But to the HUMBLE, God keeps on giving more grace. The good news in James 4:6 is that God "gives more grace." The consistent message of the New Testament is God's grace is available for our deepest needs. In II Corinthians 12:9 God said to Paul after he had begged God to remove the thorn in his flesh - what we believe was Paul's near blindness, "My GRACE is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Then Paul said, "Therefore most gladly will I boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." In Hebrews 4:16 we read in view of our great High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of GRACE, that we may obtain mercy and find GRACE to help in time of need." In Romans 5:20 we read, "But where sin abounds, GRACE abounded much more." Whatever God put upon us in life "He gives us accompanying grace to handle it." When the pressure is on, God's grace is there to help us handle it. When the problems seem overwhelming, God's grace is sufficient. When the resources are low, God's grace of provision is at hand. When our health wavers, God's grace in comfort is present. When family dreams are shattered, God gives the grace to face them. When the spiritual flame is but a flicker, God s grace encourages us. God "gives more grace." The verb "giveth" means providing freely and continuously. It is saying our awesome God gives and gives and gives more and more grace. Listen to the words of a wonderful hymn that expresses this. He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater; He sendeth more grace when the labors increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done; Page 1

2 When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father's full giving is only begun. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power has no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. Please understand the key is recognition of the fact that "we don't live by OUR RESOURCES; we live by His." The key to victory in the Christian life is not living on our resources, but on His. "He gives all that we need." Someone once wrote, "I used to think God's gifts were on shelves one above another and the taller we grow, the easier to reach. Now I find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath another and the lower we stoop, the more we get. Humility verses pride is a strong theme in the book of James as we read in verse 6, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." We read the same thing in Proverbs 3:34, "Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers, but he giveth grace unto the lowly. We read of this in I Peter 5:5, "...Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." The word "proud" means "show yourself above other people." or "to lift yourself up against God." It speaks of an arrogant spirit that shakes its fist in the face of God and refuses to admit it needs Him. This kind of a spirit God resists. Understand the basic sin of man is PRIDE. It was PRIDE that made the Angel Lucifer into a devil and one third of the angels followed him to become demons. You will notice in the middle of the word PRIDE is the letter "I." And need I remind you that the middle letter in the word SIN is also "I?" There is SIN IN PRIDE and there is PRIDE IN SIN. If covetousness is the root of evil, then PRIDE is the soul of evil. Proverbs 16:5 says, "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord." Other sins are against God's laws but PRIDE is a sin against God s person and sovereignty. God does not cater to the pride-full. To be in opposition to God is indeed a perilous position! If I am in opposition to the creator of the universe, I'm on a collision course, in a no-win situation. Pride is Satan's great sin, and chief in His warfare against the saint. God wants us to depend on His grace, while the devil wants us to depend on ourselves. Satan is the author of "do-it-ourselves" spiritual enterprises. He enjoys inflating the ego, encouraging the believer to do it his own way. As a result, we end up fighting God, others and ourselves. We end up fighting the very people who we ought to love, and who ought to love us in return. Now in contrast to a proud spirit, the humble spirit becomes the recipient of God's grace. "Humility speaks of a person who recognizes his absolute dependence upon God, his need for the touch of God in his life. It is that person who becomes the recipient of the grace of God." Now, on the basis of this great promise of grace, James outlines a program that will enable you and I to receive that grace of God. In verses 7-12 James uses a series of Greek imperatives to communicate TEN principles of God's grace to the believer. We could call these James TEN COMMANDMENTS. Follow me as I read verses 7-12, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (11) Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. (12) There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Page 2

3 Now in this message we will focus on the first five of James Ten Commandments. Commandment One: Relinquish Control of your life. "Therefore submit to God." The word "submit" means to "take rank under." The proud person will find this to be the ultimate challenge. He will struggle with the carefully rehearsed lifestyle of controlling everything himself. He will say, "I am the master of my life, what right does God have to tell me what to do, where to go, how to do it and with whom?" This brings us to the major problem in our lives; we simply refuse to submit to the LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST. Oh, we know what is right and we know what we ought to do, but how often do we refuse to submit to His authority and sovereignty? Submission to God means 3 things: First: It means accepting God's directions, God's purposes and God's desires for our lives, instead of imposing our wills, our wants and our ways. We are to simply recognize His sovereignty over our lives. Second: It means accepting God's sovereignty as best for our lives. Complaining against God's provision is confessing that God does not know what is best for us. Someone said, "If the mouth is given to complaining and the tongue to grumbling, the heart is lacking in submission to God." Third: It means acknowledging our dependence upon God. It is saying, "Dear Lord, you be the needle and I'll be the thread. You go first and I will follow wherever you may lead." The thread cannot sew without the needle, nor can we really live without absolute dependence upon God. Let me ask you a rather sobering question and be careful how you answer. "Can you truly say you are totally submissive to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Commandment Two: Resist the Devil, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Now the word "resist" is a word for defense. It means "to stand against." When we trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we not only received a NEW Saviour, but we also received a NEW enemy who begins to slander us and viciously temp us. We are now in a war of spiritual survival against the enemy of our soul. Remember several lines from songs we sing, "I am on the battle field for my Lord and Onward Christian soldiers going forth to war. We are in a battle against the Devil and God tells us "TO RESIST." The Apostle Peter makes a similar statement in I Peter 5:5-10, Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (6) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (7) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (9) Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (10) But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Notice again verses 8-9, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (9) Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. We are not only to resist him but we are also "TO STAND UP AGAINST HIM." The Apostle Paul emphasized this in Ephesians 6:10-17 in describing the armor of God we are to daily put on in order to do battle with Satan. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; ((15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the Page 3

4 sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Three times in Ephesians 6 Paul tells us to stand against Satan. James says resist, Paul tells us to stand against. Listen, Satan is not our problem. We are our problem. Most of us flirt with temptation and court evil. Then we wonder why we have problems. I know you have seen those signs which read, "Beware of Dog, or Beware of Mad Dog." You are asking for trouble, rather serious trouble, if you should decide to enter into Mad Dog territory. So it is with a Christian, There are certain places a Christian should not go. There are certain associations a Christian should avoid. There are certain things in which we ought not to participate. By doing so we are flirting with temptation and courting evil. We entered Satan s territory with our guard down. We are not resisting, and under the circumstances, he has won and we have lost. James again tells us to RESIST Satan and Paul tells us to STAND AGAINST by wearing the armor of God. Listen! We need not turn and run from Satan s evil influences, nor from Satan s darts of depression, nor from Satan s encouragement to complain. We can face him with courage and strength in the power of Jesus Christ, by standing our ground and knowing that we can win. The victory is ours in that Satan is a coward and defeated foe. Commandment Three: Restore Worship to God, "draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Notice that resisting the devil and drawing near to God follow one another. The nearer we come to God, the closer He comes to us. He always responds when we seek to do His will. Unfortunately, some Christians have a false view of what it means to "come near to God." They call on Him ONLY when they are in trouble. They live their lives the way they want to live until they get into trouble. Then they come to God for help. It may surprise you that God does not respond to that kind of manipulation. James is not talking about a fickle, superficial, game playing relationship with God. A Christian who comes close to God has done so in a deliberate act of transforming His mind and life toward God. Then God responds. I believe the heart of God is saying to us, "I wish you would spend time with me. I wish you would get close to me." Look, The only way to get selfishness out of our lives is to draw near to God. The only way to cast out a pride-full spirit is spending time with God. The only way to conquer worldliness is to get into the Word of God which allows us to get close to Him. The only way to defeat the devil is to resist and then draw near to God. Do you realize that God is our Heavenly Father? According to Romans 8 we can "cry Abba Father." He is our Heavenly daddy. He is "Our Father which art in Heaven..." who wants to be near us and give us the desires of our heart, and meet the needs of our lives. James says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Commandment Four: Renounce Sinful Actions, "Cleanse your hands, you sinners." The Psalmist wrote in Psalms 24:3-4, "Who may ascend unto the hill of the Lord? Or, who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." On the outside our lives ought to be pure and holy in action, in talk, and in walk. Our lives ought to be involved in those things that bring credit to the name of Jesus. On the inside our lives ought to maintain a clean heart through the confession of sin. Remember Page 4

5 I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness." As I draw near unto God in all His Righteousness, in all His purity, and in all His Holiness: The filthier my sin will become; The uglier my self-centeredness and pride will appear, and The more repugnant my lust and worldliness will be to me. Therefore, I must: Learn to HATE sin with a holy passion, Learn to FEAR sin's consequences, Learn to FIGHT sin with God's power, Learn to face my sin DAILY, and confess it HONESTLY, so my heart on the inside will be clean before God and my life on the outside will be a testimony to the Grace of God. That is the fourth imperative command. Now, let s look at the fifth. Commandment Five: Reject Sinful Attitudes, "Purify your hearts, you double-minded." He who would have a clean life must have a "Pure Heart." The word purify here means "to be set apart." It is a word that can be translated by another word Holy. A pure heart is a holy heart. Notice James again uses the word "double-minded" meaning "two souls." Don't be a believer who on Sunday morning comes into the house of God very piously trying to impress the Lord with your presence and singing and spiritual attitude on the outside, when all along, on the inside your heart is in the world. God's calls us to be Holy, inside and out. Again, James exclaims, if you are saved and know it, you are assured of Heaven because of your personal faith in Jesus Christ. He then insists that we: Relinquish Control of our life - Get under God's authority. Resist the Devil - Stand our ground against Satan. Restore Worship to God - Draw close in dependence upon God. Renounce sinful actions - Cleanse our hands in confession of sin. Reject sinful attitudes - Purify our hearts in the Holiness of God. This all begins by submitting to God's grace. It all begins by getting ourselves out of the way and letting God have control. Listen again to the words of the hymn I quoted earlier: He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater; He sendeth more grace when the labors increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done; When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father's full giving is only begun. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power has no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. ******************************************************************** If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon Friend of the World, Enemy of God then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Page 5

6 Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send an to, pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA Privacy policy: your address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at Page 6