James 4:7-10 Submit, Resist, Draw Near, Cleanse, Lament, and Humble Yourselves Michael Silva / October 14, 2018 Opening: UFC Connor MacGregor and Khabib fight ended in submission. v In our passage today James exhorts us to be like MacGregor and tap-out and submit, not to the world, but submit to God. Introduction: The Epistle of James The Proverbs of the New Testament. 1. Key Theme: Living out your faith, being doers of the Word and not just hearers of the Word. 2. James reminds us that doers of the word a) Doers of the word count it all joy when they fall into various trials (James 1:2-4). b) Doers of the word ask for wisdom in faith, without doubting (Vs 5-8). c) Doers of the word are not full of wrath, instead they are quick to hear, slow to speak, and receives the Word in their hearts (Vs 19-21). d) Doers of the word Pay Attention to All People, they don t show partiality (James 2:1-10). e) Doers of the word demonstrate true saving faith through their actions/works (James 2:14-26). f) Doers of the word know that controlling the tongue is part of faith in action (James 3:1-12). g) Doers of the word seek God s wisdom which in turn powers their good works (James 3:13-18). h) James warns that when you are friends with the enemy, you ll fight with your family (James 4:1-8). Let s back-up a few verses for context and read: James 4:4-10 (NKJV) i 1. I ve summarized our passage today (Vs 7-10) with these words: 1) Submit, 2) Resist, 3) Draw Near, 4)Cleanse, 5) Lament, and 6) Humble yourselves. James 4:7a 7 Therefore submit to God. 1. The word submit means to order yourself under; to subordinate yourself under other s control. a) It s to give up or surrender your will and follow another. It carries the idea of obeying another. b) It was a military term in Paul s day used of a soldier under the authority of their commander. c) Those in the military learn this right away in boot camp or officer candidate school (OCS). i) You cannot show up to Boot Camp or OCS with your own plans, ideas, or agenda. ii) You have to fully surrender your will and follow with precision the orders given by the drill
instructors. d) If you haven t served in the military then let me give you another example i) How many of you have been sick and you went to the doctor? (1) Did you pick up your prescription and take it and follow the doctor s instructions just like the he/she said? You submitted yourself to that doctor ii) Have you submitted yourself fully to God? 2. The Greek word for submit, ὑποτάσσω - hupotasso, is also used in Roman 13:1 where we are told to be subject to the governing authorities. a) It s used in Ephesians 5:24 to describe the church s submission to Christ, when addressing husbands and wives (also see Eph 5:22). b) And it s used in Titus 2:9 to describe a servant s submission to his master. c) In each instance it represents a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden. (Enhanced Strong s Lexicon) 3. I have really been seeking God and trying to understand what it means to truly submit to God. a) It s possible to be doing stuff that looks good to others, but it s not fully what God wants for us. b) When we don t fully submit to God it affects others. c) For me I think pride, self-reliance, and pushing past problems too quickly are some of the matters I am working through. d) I too need to resubmit myself to God and seek His will, guidance and direction on how to i) Love my wife well, ii) Lead my family well, iii) And to shepherd the flock well. e) I am sharing so you can be truly praying for us. i) Also so we can grow together as the body of Christ. f) If the pastor needs to do this, what about you? Where are you at? g) Have you been relying on yourself, your abilities, your ideas, your own strength in making your decisions? h) Will you join me in taking time to really reflect on what it means and looks like to submit to God? Page 2 of 6
James 4:7b Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 1. Resist means to take your stand against. a) This reminds me of Ephesians 6:10ff which describes our gospel armor that we are to put on daily, so we may stand against the wiles of the devil. b) Paul continues to use military imagery & for good reason, we are engaged in a very real spiritual warfare. 2. This statement also reveals that the devil should not be your buddy or companion. a) 1 John 3:8 9 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. b) If you are willfully and repeatedly sinning, you are playing host to the devil. You are inviting him in to dine and stay with you. i) But he s the awkward & rude house guest that breaks all the rules and doesn t ever want to leave. ii) Be careful what you open yourself up to. James 4:8a 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 1. This would be a foreign concept to the ordinary Jew, they could not draw near to God. a) Drawing near to God was something only the High Priest could do, and that only once a year, on behalf of the nation of Israel. 2. This is an extraordinary thing God has granted to us, free access to God Himself, moreover He bids us to draw near. a) In John 10:9 Jesus said, I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. b) Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. c) Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. d) Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 3. We can draw near to God by a) Seeking first the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33). b) Through personal devotion time: In reading His word and spending time in prayer. Page 3 of 6
i) Psalm 88:13 But to You I have cried out, O LORD, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. (1) Psalm 119:147 I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word. ii) Concerning your Devos: Regularly read portions of the Psalms and Proverbs. (1) Memorize Verses and write them on notes to be reminded of them. (2) Repeat God s truths back to yourself. c) By asking God for direction before making decisions. i) Let s pray Psalm 25:4 5 4 Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. d) By worshiping in song and through the expression of our body. i) 1 Corinthians 6:19 20 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? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God s. e) John Piper states, This drawing near is not a physical act. It's not building a tower of Babel, by your achievements, to get to heaven. It's not necessarily going to a church building. Or walking to an altar at the front. It is an invisible act of the heart. You can do it while standing absolutely still, or while lying in a hospital bed, or while sitting in a pew listening to a sermon. Drawing near is not moving from one place to another. It is a directing of the heart into the presence of God who is as distant as the holy of holies in heaven, and yet as near as the door of faith. He is commanding us to come. To approach him. To draw near to him. f) Some may say or think, Well I ve tried drawing near to God but He wasn t anywhere to be found, seen, or heard. i) Maybe it s because you really haven t submitted to God yet. ii) Or maybe it s because you need to follow the rest of what Verse 8 says James 4:8b Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 1. As we draw near to God, the sin in our lives will be exposed to light and truth. a) To be double-minded is think you can walk in sin and continue to walk with God. i) Yet the scripture are clear you cannot do both nor can you have two masters (Luke 16:13). b) The proper response is not to hide that sin, but to confess it and repent of it. Page 4 of 6
2. To Cleanse has the idea of washing. The priest would do this before they entered the Temple for worship. a) The hands represent external behavior, that which others can see. b) If you have been sinning outwardly then you should most certainly cleanse yourself of these things and it s good for others to see you have turned away from those things. i) Other should see, not so that you look self-righteous, but so that it serves as part of your testimony. ii) I ve heard some say, I don t drink anymore I was an alcoholic and I don t touch it anymore. iii) Others seek out those they ve wrongs and hurt to express regret and to ask for forgiveness. 3. To purify your hearts is to confesses and turn away from those things that only you and God know about. a) This is to confess sins you commit inwardly, though no one would ever know. b) Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. James 4:9 gloom. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to 1. Remember that in verse 4 James called those walking in sin adulterers and adulteresses. a) James is teaching us how we are supposed to respond to sin in our lives. b) Lamenting, mourning, and weeping is the response of someone who recognizes the seriousness of sin. c) James 4:9 (NLT) 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. d) J. Vernon McGee declares, You are not to treat sin lightly, my friend; you are to mourn over your sins. The problem today is that Christians are not mourning over their sins. 2. Our culture wants to normalize sin; our culture promotes being accepting of sin. a) James words here are to help us regain a proper perspective on sin. b) Proverbs 6:16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: c) Let s grieve over what grieves God. James 4:10 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 1. The word Humble means to make oneself low. a) This is counter to what our culture teaches, that we should have self-confidence, that we are smart and good and can do anything if we set our heart to it. Page 5 of 6
b) We lift ourselves up and exalt ourselves far too often. 2. This final command sums up all the previous actions points a) Submit to God, b) Resist the Devil, c) Draw Near to God, d) Cleanse your hands, e) Purify your hearts, f) Lament your sin g) And finally, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. i) If you can t or won t do any of the first 5 you certainly won t be able to do this 6 th command. 3. To Humble yourselves before the Lord is to be able to both say and accept that you can t live the Christian life without God s help, power, and strength. a) It s cultivating a life that is completely surrendered to and dependent upon God in all ways. 4. When we truly embrace and walk in these six things, James declares, and [God] will lift you up. a) Submission leads to strength. b) Resisting (the devil) keeps you safe. c) Drawing near in the place we are supposed to be. d) Cleansing and lamenting is the right response to sin. e) Humbling ourselves puts us in the place where God can lift us up. Conclusion: What s the big take away from this passage? 1. So let s Submit, Resist, Draw Near, Cleanse, Lament, and Humble ourselves. 2. This is the message we need to be reminded of and it s the message those around us needs to hear. Invitation: Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. i All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. Page 6 of 6