Living Out Our Faith Submissively - James 4 Paragraph 2 Review
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Introduction
Introduction
We have concluded another section of the James 4. Each section is essentially a paragraph. Section one or paragraph one was James 4:1-6
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
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.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
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.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
We finished it. We have also completed our journey through the second section which was James 4:7-10
7 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.
So this evening we are going to wrap section two with a review and, next week, as the Lords wills, we will move on to section 3 (paragraph 3).
Let us recap what we have learned.
VERSE 7
VERSE 7
Two Key Instructions
Two Key Instructions
Submit to God
Submit to God
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
The word “submit” comes from a Greek compound word. A compound word is one compromised to two or more other words. This particular word comes from two Greek words.
The first is “hupo” which means “under.” The second is “tasso” which means “to arrange.” When combined, they mean “to arrange under or to rank under.”
It is primarily a military term. As we know, with all military, there is a hierarchy of command. Our great United States Army has enlisted soldiers who answer to non-commissioned officers. Non-commissioned officers rank under and submit to commissioned officers. Commissioned officers rank under those given field commands such as Majors and Colonels who answer to Generals. At the top of the command structure sits the General of the Army. Even then, the General of the Army answers to the Command in Chief, the President of the United States. Each soldier as part of our great military understands the term “submit.” They are taught the importance of following commands from those under whom they serve. Thus, the Holy Spirit establishes a couple of principles by instructing us to “submit.”
The first principle is that Jesus Christ, who is God, is the Supreme Commander to whom all of us as “soldiers of the cross” must recognize and submit to His authority.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Since the Lord is our Captain and our prince, our simple job as his soldiers is to “submit.” We are to arrange ourselves under His command. When He speaks, we listen and obey. We are to place ourselves completely under His care, power, and strength. We must yield to His will, commands, instructions, laws, behavior, and word. There is to be a total surrender of our heart, soul, and mind (our entire being) to Him. If you want to overcome the temptations of the flesh, the world, and Satan, you must do exactly has He, the Lord Jesus Christ, commands. Commands which, by the way, are written and spelled out for us in His Word. We hold them in our hands and stand without excuse in obedience to them. Here, in this verse, the Holy Spirit (God Himself) is saying “submit” to me, and He will utilize His power and strength to help you face the great spiritual enemies of this life. In fact, as the Captain of our salvation, He has a battle plan that comes complete with a great arsenal and the mightiest power in the Universe. He is a force that wrecks anyone who would stand in His way. This is the strong Captain that we serve. Therefore, we must simply “submit” to Him.
Here is another principle that comes with the word “submit.”
Submission begins and continues with obedience to His Word.
This means that when temptation strikes in any form, we must immediately focus our minds on Him and His Word. It is impressive how quickly temptation can arise. It seemingly appears out of thin air, happening so quick. For this reason, each believer must rely upon God’s battle plan. Reading, studying, and memorizing Scripture is essential in overcoming the enemy. We must commit to memory as much as possible of every detail of the battle plan. It is a battle plan that knows you as a soldier of the cross and the enemy you face. However, if you simply toss the battle plan aside, only occasionally picking up and perusing it, you will fall quickly in battle. A good soldier is a prepared soldier. We must prepare by knowing God’s Word. However, a great soldier knows the battle plan and commits to executing it without flaw. This is where obedience is critical. Knowing God’s Word is only effective when we DO God’s Word. Living it daily provides training for those moments when the enemy ambushes you with spiritual temptation. If we read, study, memorize, and obey God’s Word submissively, we are in a far better position to handle the lusts from within. Then when those moments come, our submission to Him creates an avenue for Him to work in and through us so that we might overcome the enemy.
Resist the Devil
Resist the Devil
The word “resist” comes from another Greek compound word. In fact, we often use the prefix “anti” in many of our English compound words. For example, we have the word “anti-American” or “anti-christian.” We hear them a lot today. The word “anti” means “against.” Thus, to be anti-American is to stand against what makes America great.
The word “resist” has the Greek word for “anti” in its construction. The other word compounded with “anti” is “histemi.” It simply means “to cause to stand.” Thus, the word “resist” has the idea of standing again, opposing, or, as translated, “resisting.”
With that in mind, we are instructed not only to submit to God but also to resist the Devil. Just as much as we are to yield to God, we are stand against God’s enemy, Satan.
There are a couple of thoughts here.
First, we can only stand against Satan when submitting to God.
In other words, it is entirely insane to resist the Devil on your own. You will never cause Satan to flee or retreat by standing alone and fighting without God’s help. This is our biggest problem. We try to do so many things our way. When it comes to resisting temptation, your way will not work. It never does. The only way it works is when we have first arranged ourselves under God’s control and power. To follow that up, refusing to obey God’s commands is a sure-fire way to fall into temptation.
Second, resisting the Devil means not entertaining the things He offers, even for a moment.
Think back to the Garden of Eden. Do you remember Satan’s conversation with Eve? It all started when she entertained his thoughts about God in her mind. Things might have turned out differently had she resisted as God is commanding us. However, she didn’t. Instead, she did not submit to God, and she did not resist the Devil. In the end, she and Adam yielded to the temptation breaking God’s command. Satan painted her a picture that she could not resist. It was a picture in which she became like God, only it was a false reality.
Here is the thing. The moment you turn your ear to temptation considering the possibilities of what it offers, you have already started down the road towards sin. For this reason, resisting the Devil is equally important as our submission to God. We must do both. We must begin with compliance to Him and continue with our resistance to temptations.
VERSE 8
VERSE 8
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Run Towards God
Run Towards God
The significant part of this first command is that He lovingly comes toward us as we move toward Him. The words “draw nigh” simply mean just that. It is when we take proactive steps in God’s direction by drawing near Him. Obviously, if we move in His direction, we are closing the gap between Him and us.
The freedom of a believer to approach the Sovereign Majesty of the Universe is a beautiful and incredible privilege. Stop and consider it for just a moment. The Creator and Lord of all things who is Elohim, Jehovah, the Almighty God, the Most High, is ready to receive us at a moment’s notice. We can approach Him by taking Him all our cares, concerns, and problems. The door to His presence is always wide open.
Now, think about this. God’s door is not just wide open; He strongly urges and encourages us to come to Him. He desires us to run to Him for His help and comfort. He, the Holy Spirit, God, is saying to us, “Draw nigh to me.”
This is very important to the subject at hand. Remember, the first few verses of this chapter addressed our problem in overcoming our flesh and its lusts. We cannot do it. The urges to sin and fulfill our lusts are powerful. It is the reason why we need God. God knows and understands this. So, He lovingly has made it so we can “boldly” come before His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find His help in our times of need.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Looking back to our text this evening.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
The phrase “draw nigh” is a strong imperative or requirement. As soon as temptation strikes, run to God. Draw nigh to Him. Temptations are often sudden and quite fierce. The flesh is weak. However, our God is mighty and strong. Therefore, we must run to Him in those moments.
Again, what are we to do.
Submit to God. Resist the Devil. Draw nigh to God.
Drawing nigh to God is somewhat different than submitting to Him. It means we are to get as close as possible to God. We get right up next to Him, initiating conversation with Him as we share our struggles. How do we do this?
We Run to God Through Scripture
We Run to God Through Scripture
This is where reading, studying, meditating, and memorizing Scripture are so vitally important. Consider some of these verses.
9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.
52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; And have comforted myself.
93 I will never forget thy precepts: For with them thou hast quickened me.
105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart.
In addition to God’s Word,
We Run to God Through Prayer
We Run to God Through Prayer
As I already mentioned, the God of the Universe leaves His door open for His children and urges them to take advantage of it. We are to ask God for strength and power, mercy and grace.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Our encouragement then is to focus on God and God alone. Run to Him for your protection. In doing so, God promises that He “will draw nigh to you.”
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all thy works.
We must consider two important conditions required as we come into His presence.
Look again at our verse.
His Presence Demands We Do Two Very Important Things
His Presence Demands We Do Two Very Important Things
Yes, He invites us to come near Him; however, in doing so, we must do these two things.
Cleanse Your Hands
Cleanse Your Hands
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
The word “cleanse” means to make clean. In the Bible, it is related to cleansing physical stains and dirt or any form of disease such as leprosy. However, in a moral sense, it relates to cleansing the defilement of sin. It is sometimes translated into English as “cleanse” or “purge.”
1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Just as working outside in the dirt cause you to be dirty. Sin causes contamination. Sinners sin, and sin contaminates. God is holy and can have nothing to with sin. Therefore, we are required to be holy even as He is holy. Thus, our hands must be cleansed of sin before we approach Him drawing near Him. God will not respond to a believer who has not repented sin and asked for His forgiveness.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
I find it interesting that God speaks of our hands. Our hands and the use of our hands indicate what others see. It is the outside of us. Our hands are part of this physical body. Consequently, the sense is that we need to clean up our act. Stop acting like the world and according to the desires of our flesh. Instead, be obedient to God outwardly.
However, it goes deeper than that. Outward actions are the result of our hearts. This thought brings us to the following statement.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Purify Your Heart
Purify Your Heart
Here we have a different word than the word “cleanse.” This word, “purify,” is used in a more ceremonial sense.
55 And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
In the OT, God provided Israel a way in which they could return to cleanness or purity. Each purification required a cleansing agent such as water, blood, or fire. We find an example of this in Numbers 31:23
23 Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
Water was the most common purifying agent. It often is used in the Scripture to symbolize cleansing. God’s people used water for daily cleansing such as washing their clothes and bathing. It was also used in certain situations that created physical uncleanness in a person. Animal blood from animal sacrifices was used for spiritual things such as cleansing the altar of sacrifice and in the holy place.
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
When we come to the New Testament, we see water and blood associated with purification. In our text, we are instructed to clean our hands and purify our hearts. We use water to wash our hands. However, it takes something far different to purify our hearts. We need something spiritual that is way beyond our capabilities. It is only the blood sacrifice of Christ that can genuinely purity our hearts. His blood cleanses us from sin.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Note again our text.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
As sinners, we need cleansing. Again, I submit to you the idea of water. In the New Testament, water is often associated with God’s Word.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
However, for the heart, we read, “purify your hearts, YE DOUBLE MINDED.” Belief in the finished work of Christ purifies the soul. It is the only way. But why the term “double-minded?” It is a term of loyalty. We must not be divided in our commitment to Christ.
Remember the context. The first section of this chapter dealt with the flesh. In that conversation, the Holy Spirit noted how friendship with the world is enmity with God. Anyone who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God. Now, we see the Holy Spirit demanding purification of the heart concerning loyalty. In other words, you cannot be divided between God and the world. Remember what Christ taught us in Matthew 6:24
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
And did He not stay that we must-
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
I also recall Him saying-
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
There is no place for divided loyalty in a believer’s life. God always demands total allegiance or nothing. Double-minded people seek to follow God only when it is convenient. All other times, they live for what the world offers them. Such people cannot draw near to God. Their hearts are not pure. In fact, such people are the ones who create confusion. Others see their life and are confused by their loyalties. Others then question their salvation and belief in God as their personal Savior. There is a real possibility that they have not truly experienced purification of the heart by the blood of Christ.
What then is the answer? Every person, especially those who claim to be followers of Christ, must purify their heart, turning it completely and totally over to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the only heart God accepts and allows to draw near to Him.
In the end, it all boils down to this. Draw near to God, and, in turn, God will draw near to you. However, the only way to get close to God is to have clean hands and a pure heart. Such purification comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ. He willingly sacrificed Himself so we could be pure before God. His blood is the purifying element.
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Those who choose to submit to God’s authority and resist the Devil by placing their faith in Christ’s blood as the purifying element of their sin are those who can Draw near to God. That is the bottom line. I hope you have done that. If not, I encourage you to repent of your sin, turn away from its lifestyle, and draw near to God by accepting the finished work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do, God will draw near to you.
VERSE 9
VERSE 9
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Take Sin Seriously!
Take Sin Seriously!
Our relationship with God and the effects of sin upon that relationship should never be a laughing matter or taken jovially. Instead, we must have a sincerely repentant state of mind.
There is to be a sober earnestness in dealing with sin’s reality.
A repentant person is honest, deep, and thorough in seeking God’s forgiveness. We see this in the Holy Spirit’s use of these three words.
See Sin as Painful
See Sin as Painful
He tells us to “be afflicted.” The word “afflicted” is fascinating in Greek. It is a compound word. The root word is a word that means “a hard substance, a callus.” It is combined with a Greek prefix, “to bear, undergo.” Thus, the word itself means to bear or become a hard substance or callus.
How many of you have calluses on your hands? How did they get there? They are a product of continual use of the hands usually as you labor over time. Calluses form from repeated pressure on certain spots of the skin like your hands. Over time and much use, the skin grows into a harder, often raised bump. The word “afflicted” has the idea of enduring hardship. However, along with that hardship comes the misery of the hardship.
For instance, if you have tender hands and you go outside, pick up a shovel, and begin to dig for long hours in hard soil, what will develop on those tender hands? Most likely, you will develop a blister. If you keep using the shovel, enduring the pain of the blister, eventually, those blisters open up, and you will experience even more pain. However, if we survive the pain, we know that the skin eventually grows thicker and hardens. Soon, there is no more pain as calluses develop.
In much the same way, any time we sin, it should bring pain. Our failure to obey God should cause such great mental anguish that we lament and weep openly about it. Additionally, we should never forget the pain of sin. Each time we fail, it should cause us to suffer. Note Paul’s reaction to sin Romans 7:24
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
The word “wretched” is the same form of the Greek word listed in our text as “afflicted.” Paul understood the gravity of sin and how it disrupted his fellowship with God. As we learn in James, sin causes us to be enmity with God. So profound was the weight of that thought that it caused Paul great mental anguish resulting in him crying out, “O WRETCHED man that I am!.” This is the same attitude we must-have when it comes to sin and our failure to obey the Lord. Never should we view sin with a half-hearted attitude.
See Sin as Personal Grief
See Sin as Personal Grief
The second word in our text is the word “mourn.” It would seem at first glance that “mourn” and “weep” are identical. Indeed, they are synonyms. However, each carries a slightly different emphasis.
The word “mourn” means to mourn or lament.
It is often used in conjunction with such things as lamenting over the death of a loved one. One example would be Mark 16:10
10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
This is a reference to Mary Magdalene after Christ’s resurrection. Those who “mourned and wept” were those who had not yet received the news that He was alive. They were still openly lamenting His death. How quickly, though, did their lament turn to joy! The word “mourn” in our text emphasizes the outward manifestation of grief. Thus, we are to openly mourn sin and its effects on our lives. We must lament. There should be external manifestations of your own personal grief over how sin interrupts your walk with the Lord.
The word “weep” is synonymous. It also has the idea of openly demonstrating the personal grief coming from within. However, the emphasis is on tears.
A person who weeps not only laments with outwards cries, but they are shedding a fountain of tears. Thus, as believers, we are to take sin so serious that it drives to weep (shed physical tears).
As I was studying, my mind kept going back to King David. David committed a great sin in his adultery with Bathsheba. Initially, David ignored his sin. God used the prophet Nathan to confront David about the sin he committed. If you recall the story, Nathan told David about a wealthy man with flocks and herds. This same man stole from another man who owned one simple ewe lamb so that he might feed a traveling stranger. The story made David angry that a rich man would steal from a simple shepherd. Note David’s reaction and Nathan’s reply.
5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
Note David’s reaction.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
If you want to see David’s heart as result of God confronting his sin, look no further than Psalm 51.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.
We must reach a point in our spiritual growth where any sin is painful, resulting in personal grief. Does this not sound like a man who understood the pain of sin and was personally grieved over it? According to our text, is this not the same attitude that God instructs us to have?
The rest of the verse is a further elaboration. It is not a time for laughing or joking around.
In times of spiritual failure, we must be serious, melancholy, sorrowful, and ready to restore our relationship with God.
The fact remains that we are in a tremendous spiritual battle that rages within and without. Our job is to be disciplined, seeking to control our fleshly desires for the comforts and joys of this life. When temptation arises, we must learn to focus our attention on the things of God and not our own. As one Bible commentator noted:
Hebrews-James (King James Version) B. The Way to Overcome Temptation, 4:7–10
we must immediately drop whatever we are doing—immediately stop the laughter and the comforts or joy of the moment—and focus upon getting near God. Our hearts must mourn and weep under the heaviness of the temptation and its attack, mourn and weep before God, asking and begging for strength and deliverance, ask and beg lest we disappoint and cut the heart of Christ.
Look again at our verse.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
You will note the word “heaviness.” It has the idea of melancholy, which is a feeling of thoughtful sadness. Sin is serious. We must take it as so. To do anything other than that does not help in overcoming sinful desires.
Verse 10
Verse 10
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Pride is a Dangerous Choice
Pride is a Dangerous Choice
The issue is pride. Pride is all about lifting ourselves above others. We fill our hearts with pride even to the point that we think and know better than God. It was pride that filled the heart of Satan. Satan used pride in his appeal to Eve as encouraged her to disobey God.
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Did you see the appeal to pride there? He suggested that she would be as “gods” knowing good and evil. It was an appeal to be like or better than God himself. From there, she easily succumbed to Satan’s advances giving into her own pride.
Now, God is saying to us the following. If you want to overcome the flesh, you must make yourself lower than me. In fact, you must make yourself the lowest of all people. In your own mind, you must become as nothing.
Go back with to the Luke 18:14 and note its context. I think there is valuable lesson there for us to learn concerning pride and humility.
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Note the attitude of the Pharisee. He was full of pride. As such, his trust was completely in himself. There is not mention of him humbling himself before God or even asking God to help overcome his pride. Instead, his focus is how grateful he is that he is not like others. In his own mind, he is a legend. He is bigger and better than others. If you look closely, you will note that five times he used the person pronoun “I.” Just this week as I was teaching in VBS, I reminded the kids that that word “sin” begins with a “s” and end with the letter “n.” What is the middle letter? It is the letter “I.” The moment we begin focusing on ourselves we place ourselves in a position to sin. O, by the way, the word “pride” also has the letter “I” in the middle as well. This Pharisee was a prideful and sinful man.
There is one other thing to note about this Pharisee. He compared himself with other men. Note he said, “I am not as other me are…even as this publican.” We place ourselves in great danger when we begin to compare ourselves with others.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
The parallel passage to this in 2 Corinthians reads.
12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
Pride lifts us up. It says we are quite capable of standing on our own. Additionally, it leads us to think we are better than others which is a dangerous place.
The Bible is filled with warnings against pride.
18 Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.
4 An high look, and a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Instead of lifting up ourselves up and comparing ourselves with others, Christ taught that we must humble ourselves and focus on judging ourselves in light of His Word.
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Humility is the Divinely Recommended Choice
Humility is the Divinely Recommended Choice
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Remember it is a choice we make. God allows us to make such a decision.
We can give in to pride which will always lead us to sin. Sin wrecks relationships. It will even ruin a believer’s relationship with God.
Remember the words of James 4:4
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.
Humility on the other hand is an effective weapon in overcoming the flesh.
If we will choose to low ourselves in submission and obedience of God and His Word, God will work in us and through us assisting us in battle against the flesh. He will help us not just in our battle with the flesh, but also in our fight with Satan and this world. God is able.
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
You might recall that I mentioned that Greek word for “humble” is also often translated “abased.” Abase has the idea of mortifying (putting to death) ourselves.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Thus, we are to live in complete obedience to God. As we do, it is the Holy Spirit that mortifies (puts to death) the deeds of the body (the lusts of the flesh). So, it always comes back to this one simple action. We must put aside our wants, needs, and desires by totally making obedience to God’s Word the priority of our lives each day. That is how we “humble ourselves.” It is us making the choice to lower who we are and what we want so that God is lifted up and honored in all that we say or do.
Go back to the story of the Pharisee and the publican. Note now the publican.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
There are three basic things this man knew and understood.
He was a sinner.
He was in need of mercy
He knew God was the only answer.
Everyday, we must know, understand, and live with the knowledge that we are indeed sinners. Sinners saved by grace, praise God, but still living with a sinful flesh. Thus, each day, we need mercy. I am glad that God is merciful.
22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Now, let me bring this full circle. The final step of instruction in this section is we must “humble ourselves” before God’s face. God knows and sees all things. He knows the struggles we face each day and each moment of each day. More than any person including ourselves, He understands the difficulties of our fight with the flesh. He wants to help and is more than capable of helping us. However, He is also looking to see if we are sincere in our efforts to fight the flesh. Thus, He is looking see if we are willing to:
Submit to Him,
Resist Satan’s Advances,
Draw Near to Him,
Clean up our act,
Be serious through affliction, mourning, and weeping about sin, and
Humble ourselves in His sight.
If He sees such a believer, there are number of dominoes that will fall.
Satan flees.
God draws near.
God lifts us up.