True Faith that Works: The Three Works of Christ Driven Neighbor Loving Humility

“They that know God will be humble. And they that know themselves cannot be proud.”John Flavel

The puritan John Flavel once said, “They that know God will be humble. And they that know themselves cannot be proud.”

As I study the letter of James, I cannot agree more with Flavel. James has helped me know God and see myself as I truly am.

I told one pastor friend of mine that studying James has been like standing in front of a full body mirror naked. Its humiliating to stand and preach every Sunday being this vulnerable. He exposes all of my deeply rooted sins just like a mirror exposes the shame of my nakedness.

Over the last several weeks, James 1-4 has peeled back the layers to get to the center of of what is ailing our hearts to cause so much discord in the church. This morning the center besetting sin in the hearts of James’ readers and us is self-centered arrogance. A quick walk back through James should reveal an arrogant trend in each of us.

When trials comes into our life we are quick to assume God is against us or has abandon us. If we bring ourselves to pray, we are prone to pray with a doubleminded heart, asking God for wisdom but not really believing he will respond well toward us (James 1:1-8). This is arrogance. Its as if we know the mind and motives of God, and worse yet, we assume he is not for us.

We have a tendency to boast in worldly things. And when sin gets the best of us, we are even inclined to blame God as of he is tempting us to do evil (James 1:9-15). This is not only arrogance, but blasphemy.

We are slow to realize that every good and perfect gift comes to us from God, the best gift being his Son and the hope of eternal life (James 1:16-18).

In our arrogance we are quick to be angry at God and others and we say ridiculous things to each other thinking our anger will accomplish God’s righteousness (James 1:19-21). This is arrogance. James clearly tells us that mans anger cannot accomplish God’s righteousness.

Even our piety is riddled with arrogance. There are those of us in the church who insists that our faith is enough without works, and there are those of us who insists that our works matter more than our faith (James 1:22-27; 2:18-26).

We show partiality to those whom we can benefit from and disregard those who demand too much from us (James 2:1-8). We use our words hypocritically to bless our God while we curse our brothers and sisters (James 3:1-12). We embrace the wisdom of the world thinking we are wise and shun God’s wisdom that is peace-loving, gentle, compliant, and full of mercy (James 3:13-18).

Our arrogance leads to spiritual infidelity toward God. It disorders our desires so that instead of loving God with all of our mind, heart, soul, and strength, and loving our neighbor as our self, we don’t acknowledge God in most of our life and then we fight and war with each other. If we do acknowledge God, we treat him like a vending machine by praying self-centered prayers (James 4:1-10). The deep rooted sin behind all of the issues James is confronting in his letter in the church is prideful self-centered arrogance.

You somewhat pick this up by James’ repeated call for humility.

James 1:21 HCSB

Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you.

James 3:13 (HCSB)

Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness(meekness, humility).

James 4:6 ESV

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:9 ESV

Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

James 4:10 ESV

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

James continues the theme of arrogance in James 4:11-5:6. In our arrogance we tend to speak evil toward one another (James 4:11-12), we make grandiose plans for the future without much thought of God’s sovereignty (James 4:13-15), and we hoard our wealth without much thought of God’s eternal kingdom (James 5:1-6).

My desire for you is for your heart to embrace Christ loving humility so that your life will be marked by a greater faithfulness to God your father and a deeper love for your neighbor so that we will flourish in the church, community, and home. In short, I want you to better know God so that you will be humble. And to better know yourself so that you will not be proud.

This morning, through the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit, my prayer is God will inspire you to rid your heart of arrogance and to,

Humble yourselves by speaking kindness, submitting to God’s sovereignty, and seeking to be generous and just with your wealth.

Humble yourselves by speaking charity to one another(James 4:11-12)

You don’t have to walk down the road of a conversation very far to find the influence of arrogance. It shows up in our assumptions about people and it likely comes across as mean spirited. That might be why James begins this section by continuing his concern with how we use our words.

James begins with an imperative,’

James 4:11 (ESV)

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.

Some translations may say, “do not slander one another.” The short phrase also can mean verbal attacks such as backbiting, gossip, mocking, spreading rumors, maligning, and so on. The one who speaks evil seeks to destroy someones reputation. When the tongue is used this way it is incredibly divisive in the church.

God’s people have always wrestled with speaking evil against one another. God warned them in the Exodus

Exodus 23:1 (ESV)

“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.

As they lived in the Promise Land, God commanded them in his law:

Leviticus 19:16 (ESV)

You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

James says their slander is a form of unjust judgement.

James 4:11–12 (ESV)

...The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

What James is not speaking of is discerning judgment that admonishes a brother. There is a difference between admonishment and judgement. Admonishment is the loving act of confronting sin in a brother or sisters life with the goal of restoration. That is the idea of what Paul wrote in

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

and what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said

Hebrews 3:13 (ESV)

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

What James means when he says “do not judge” is to bring inaccurate accusations against another believer, slander. It is to be maliciously critical of each other. This kind of slanderous speech involves standing in judgment over the other person.

Slanderous judgment, unfortunately, happens all too often in the church, and it happens in subtle conversations.

It’s like the time two believers were talking about a mutual friend in the church. One was very critical. The other said, “I am surprised to hear you say that. It was my impression that he had done many nice things for church.” Replied the other, “Yes, but he has not done anything lately.”

James says this kind of speech is unloving and it violates the royal law, the gospel (James 2:8). Furthermore, in verse 12, James says you violate God’s character when you judge. There is only one law-giver and judge. That is God alone. Only God judges rightly. Only he can look at the evidence to condemn or to save with justice.

It was also likely that some of James’ readers were questioning the faith of other believers in the church with a bitter and selfish spirit. James says, you are out of your lane. We are not to condemn people to hell. James asks, “Who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12).

Jesus had the opportunity to be critical of one of his disciples. He warned Peter that Satan sought to sift him and that Peter would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowd. Peter adamantly insisted he would remain faithful.

Peter does in fact deny Jesus three times. After Jesus’ resurrection, he appears to Peter on a beach. If it were me, Peter would have some explaining to do, and I would tell him to get lost. And yet, Jesus had every right to judge Peter and he had every right to deny Peter just as Peter denied him. Instead, Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” And then he says to Peter, “Feed my sheep.” And he says, “Follow me.” Jesus spoke charity to Peter when Peter deserved his condemnation.

Jesus did not come to speak evil to the world, but to speak life through the truth. Jesus says,

John 14:6 (ESV)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

And while you were a sinner in rebellion against his royal law, he came and said,

John 5:24 (ESV)

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

We live in a culture and time when the people have lost the ability to speak with charity, especially when they disagree with each other. The church has an opportunity to speak charity in a world so filled with hate. Humble yourselves before he Lord. Be charitable with your words toward your brothers and your sisters and your neighbors, even if they deserve your condemnation.

Humble yourselves by submitting daily to God’s good sovereignty (James 4:13-17)

In the same way our arrogance speaks from our wrongful assumptions about people, it also speaks to how we view God’s sovereignty in our daily lives.

James uses a realistic hypothetical situation to expose how we leave God out of our plans.

In verse 13, James turns our attention to the market place. This is the sphere of the community where we live out our vocation. Its the realm God uses to pay your bills, provide food on your table, and even some leisure. None of these things are sinful. James is not rebuking capitalism He is not criticizing you for making a profit in a business deal, or saving for retirement, or taking out life insurance. What he is getting after is the arrogant, wordly, and self-confident attitude you take to pursue these goals.

In verse 14, James reveals the reality of your situation.

James 4:14 (ESV)

yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

The arrogance is this: somehow you are convinced that you are the captain of your destiny. You are a self-made man. You determine the course of your future. You believe this because you have been told this all of your life by your parents, your T.V. and you school teachers to be a self-made man or woman. It is in your American D.N.A to put your confidence in yourself and no one else, and James says you need a reality check. How in the world can you plan tomorrow with such confidence when your life is but a mist, a vapor, smoke on the water? You and I are a flower quickly fading, a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind; here today and gone tomorrow.

The CDC says that 1,027 people die per day in America. That means that someone went to bed last night and did not wake up this morning. They made plans for today and God disrupted those plans. That means that 1,027 people who woke up this morning will perish into eternity before the day is over. All of them made plans.

This week I found out that an old friend of mine passed away. He was a groomsman in my wedding. He was 43 years old. He had a beautiful wife with three beautiful children. He had plans to raise his children and grow old with his wife. Death is the one reality in life that does not discriminate between race, age, or gender. God had other plans.

The Bible warns us to not live in such arrogance.

Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

To put so much confidence in yourself as if you are the captain of your destiny is not only arrogant, but James says is evil (James 4:16). Its evil because it denies the truth that God alone is the captain of your destiny.

James says,

James 4:15 (ESV)

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Recognize God’s sovereignty in your daily life. Instead of presuming you have so much control in your life, humbly recognize that God has ordained every day of your life.

Psalm 139:15–16 (HCSB)

My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.

Furthermore, God sustains everyday of your life. The Lord Jesus teaches your to pray.

Matthew 6:11 (ESV)

Give us this day our daily bread,

When you say with faith, “If the Lord wills, or Lord willing,” you are believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth God is sovereign over all my days, my hours, my minutes, and my seconds until he brings me home.

No one on earth trusted in the sovereignty of of our Father more than Jesus. Jesus told his disciples

John 6:38 (ESV)

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

What was the will of the Father?

It was God’s sovereign will to crush the Son for the iniquities of his elect (Isaiah 53:10). It was the sovereign will of the Father to deliver up his son to a lawless people who would crucify him, and it was God’s sovereign will to raise him from the dead(Acts 2:23-24). Jesus knew his Father’s will and joyfully obeyed him, even from an early age. When he was gone from his family for three days he was found in the temple being about his Father’s will. When he was anointed at his baptism and driven into the wilderness for forty days without food and water to be tempted by Satan, he was about his Father’s will. And when his hour had come and he will in the Garden of Gethsemane praying, he said not my will, but your will be done (Matthew 26:39). And Peter says that Jesus,

1 Peter 2:23 (ESV)

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

Jesus humbled himself under the sovereignty of God, even when the sovereignty of God led him to die a criminal’s death that he did not deserve. But thank God he said, “Lord, willing!” And thank God the Father’s sovereignty is good for us. For just as Jesus was appointed to die, so it was God’s sovereign will that he be raised from the dead to save sinners like you and I!

Take great measures to delight yourself in the will of God (Psalm 40:8). Pray that Jesus’ Spirit that live sin you will teach you and lead you in God’s will (Psalm 140:10). Pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will be done in your life (Matthew 6:10). Let the word of God so richly dwell in your hearts that your minds are transformed and can discern the will of God (Romans 12:2). Equip yourselves with every good thing that is pleasing to Jesus and his will for you (Hebrews 13:21). Finally, brothers and sisters, submit your life daily to his will and say with Jesus, “not my will, but your will be done.”

What might be the hardest part of that pray is submitting your wealth to God’s will. Americans are the wealthiest people in the world. We have a tendency to white knuckle our possessions, like many of the rich Jame’s is speaking too. In verses 5:1-6, he says,

Humble yourselves by seeking to be generous and just with your wealth (James 5:1-6)

James call the rich to humble themselves before its too late in verse 1. They need to humble themselves for several reasons.

First, the selfishly hoarded their wealth. They lacked generosity with the church and community, especially among the poor (James 4:1-2. Second, the unjustly defrauded their workers. The rich landowners were hoarding their wealth. In James day, a worker would receive his pay at the end of the work day. For many poor workers, the money they earned that day would help by food for the night and the following morning. Greed motivated some landowners to withhold the pay for weeks, or even not paying them at all (James 4:3-4). Thirdly, they lived a self-indulgent lifestyle and they oppress the righteous (James 4:5-6). In short, the rich were arrogantly unjust and selfish with their wealth, and James says in verse 4, that the cries of the exploited poor were reaching the ears of God.

The Lord of Host is an Old Testament reference to God as a warrior (1 Chron 11:4-9; Is 2:12). The actions of the rich toward the poor have put them at war with God. In verse 5, the day of the Lord is a judgement day. Their indulgence in this life at the expense of the poor has fattened their heart like a sheep or a calf to be slaughtered.

Jesus warns us to not allow our hearts to be so concerned with the wealth of the world. To his disciples, Jesus said to them Luke 12:15-20

Luke 12:15–20 (ESV)

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,

and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’

And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

James reminds his readers that all of you wealth will rot and be destroyed. Moreover, you can take nothing with you when you die. Jesus says to you,

Matthew 16:25–26 (ESV)

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

When I look out in the congregation, I am pleased to say that I suspect no one in this church to be exploiting the poor for personal gain. I have never seen or heard of anyone of you neglect anyone who comes to us for help. However, what I have noticed over the last seven years is a steady decline in our tithing. Some of you might be quick to say that the tithe has declined because people have left our church. You would be right in part, and I would say a small part. The truth of the matter is tithing among active members has fallen off more than those who have left. The reality is, something is getting in the way of our tithing. Is it possible that you are more concerned about building your own kingdom more than God’s kingdom? is it possible that you have plans for your wealth, but God has other plans for your wealth?

Jesus was both just and generous with his wealth. He chose humility over his prosperity. Paul remind us

2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Jesus left his heavenly kingdom to become poor like us, so that his death and resurrection would secure and eternal inheritance for us. He did not white knuckle his kingdom and his position as King. Instead he did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a humble servant (Philippians 2:6-10).

Jesus became poor so you can have his prosperity. Trust God’s sovereign goodness for your life. Let go of your love for money and comfort. Be generous and just with your wealth. Allow God to use your wealth to serve his kingdom and build greater eternal rewards for you in heaven. Allow His Spirit to move you with compassion for those in need in the same way Jesus was moved with compassion for your need.

Yes, the letter of James reveals my arrogance. He reveals it in my unkind words, my grandiose Godless plans, and the way I hoard my wealth. It is convicting on so many levels.

As I read James in light of the New Testament, however, I am reminded of what John Newton said many years ago on his death bed.

“Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” John Newton

James forces me to the cross, where my great sin meets an even greater Savior. My Savior speaks truth and life when I deserve his condemnation. He surrendered his life to the sovereign will of God, even when it led him to the cross for my great sin. He gave up his prosperity in heaven to become poor for my sake so I can have his righteousness and receive an inheritance. My God John Flavel was right,

“They that know Christ will be humble. And they that know themselves cannot be proud.”John Flavel

May all of us at FBCL know Christ, and may James help us better know ourselves. May God grant us the grace to humble ourselves in Christ driven neighbor loving humility that speaks with charity, submits to God’s good sovereignty, and is generous and just with our wealth. Amen