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Overcoming Worldliness with Godliness
James 4:7-10
As we grow and mature in the Lord, we may find it easier to deal with specific temptations, but we all face a continual battle with the flesh.
It always seeks a different course than the spirit.
It desires one thing: to please the lusts it possesses.
As I considered the struggles of the flesh, I thought of how good it would be if we didn’t have to deal with that continual battle.
However, we must face reality; as long as we live in this sin cursed world, in a body that faces the same curse, we will struggle with the desires of the flesh.
Paul says it best in Rom.7:18-19
This struggle will be with us as long as we live, but we can overcome the struggles we face.
Temptation will always be present, but we can learn to overcome the desires of the flesh and avoid submitting to the temptation.
Opportunities to sin will continue to be presented, but we do not have to willfully engage in that sin.
As sure as the sun rises in the morning, each of us will face new struggles, but we can find victory in the Lord.
James dealt boldly with the struggles of the flesh in the opening verses of this chapter, but he did not leave us without a course of action.
In our text this evening I want us to discover the strategy for overcoming the struggles we face so we can Draw Closer to God in 2023.
Let’s take a few moments to examine these verses and the responses they reveal concerning: Overcoming Worldliness with Godliness
I.
The Obedience of the Believer
(7) Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
There are two commands given in this verse: submit and resist.
These are actually imperatives that the Lord expects those who belong to Him to follow.
These are military terms which every believer should be familiar with and live according to.
We are blessed to serve the Captain of the Lord’s host and we have an obligation to follow His command and live according to His will.
Romans 12:1
Let’s take a moment to look at these two commands in detail.
The first involves:
A. Our Resignation
(7a) – Submit yourselves therefore to God.
This is something that, on the surface, looks simple enough.
We all know we submitted ourselves unto the Lord at the moment we were saved.
We yielded our lives to His will as we were born again.
But, it seems with time we fail to fully submit our lives unto the Lord.
This is a word that deals with rank.
It has the idea of “arranging ourselves under the authority of the Lord Himself.”
History has never recorded a successful campaign without proper leadership.
Those armies who were successful in battle had good commanders in charge and obedient soldiers who followed their orders.
If we are to be successful in this struggle with the flesh, we must submit ourselves to the authority of the Lord.
This involves every aspect of our lives.
All of our being must be in complete submission to the Lord and His will.
You might argue that you surrendered your heart to Christ when you were saved.
You do, in fact, have a relationship with the Lord, but is it a relationship of submission, or is it merely a relationship of salvation?
Many know Christ as their Savior, but they have never gotten to the place that He is the Lord of their lives.
James used the word to describe a willing, conscious submission to God’s authority as sovereign ruler of the universe.
A truly humble person will give his allegiance to God, obey His commands, and follow His leadership
God expects us to submit to His will and allow Him to be the Master and Lord of our lives.
This will never happen as long as there are areas in your life that you are unwilling to submit to God.
Many have no problem with church attendance.
They have no problem living for the Lord here, but out in the world is a different story.
Many are willing to abandon most aspects of the old life, but refuse to let go of others.
They have drawn the line and are willing to go no further for the Lord.
We must submit ourselves, actually line up under the authority of God, seeing Him as our Lord and Master.
What does Paul say, Romans 12:1
B. Our Resistance
(7b) – Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
How many times have we heard the question asked as to how we are to deal with the attack of Satan?
How do we overcome his advance and his subtle tactics?
Here we find the answer to this much asked question, Resist him!
This means to “stand against him, oppose him in every situation.”
There is no room for compromise in any area.
We cannot submit to anything the devil brings before us.
He is a master of deception.
He knows how to appeal to our flesh.
He knows the areas we are weak.
He has been in the business of deceiving and destroying lives since man was created.
He knows how to get to the heart and desires of men.
If we are to overcome, we must resist his advance.
We must stand firmly against him and oppose him on every front.
There is no place for us to let out guard down or grow complacent.
Those who are arrogant enough to believe that it could never happen to them are prime targets for his attack.
They are venerable because of their self-confidence.
David was a man after God’s own heart and he succumbed to the attack of the enemy.
You say, Pastor that right and we should do that, but how?
I am so glad you asked.
The truth is we can’t resist Satan and overcome him within ourselves.
The things that he presents are appealing to the flesh.
Honestly he is much more powerful then we are when we stand alone.
Jude tells us that, Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee
We must have the power of God working in us if we are to be victorious.
Romans 6:13
I.
The Obedience of the Believer (7)
II.
The Objective of the Believer
(8)Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
We have considered the Christian’s obedience, but we also need to consider the believer’s objective.
How should we carry ourselves if we hope to overcome the struggles of the flesh?
How do we ensure that we are prepared and conditioned for the battles that we must face?
The answer to our preparation and conditioning is found in this verse.
Notice:
A. Our Relationship
(8a) – Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
What a promise for those who battle the flesh.
If we will but draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to us!
We are only asked to make the first step.
Take the first action, seeking the Lord and he will be faithful to draw nigh to us.
Isn’t that an amazing thought?
All we have to do is step out in faith toward the Lord and we are promised that He will always move in our direction.
Often we wonder why our lives are so dry and cold spiritually.
We wonder why we can’t feel the Lord as we once did.
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