How To Be Humble (James 4:1-10)

Intro

Hindering of Prayers (1-3)

Hindering of Partnership (4-5)

Adulterers and Adulteresses (spiritual adultery)

Hindering of the Prideful (6)

God resisteth the proud.

In the context of the text, James is talking to saved people. It is possible for the child of God to be resisted by their heavenly Father.

Resisteth (present tense) - to range in battle against.

Lineman on the football field, lifting weights.

Proud - to be preeminent (Diotrephes is 3 John)

Despising others and/or treating them with contempt (to be vile or worthless)

(Cain was wroth against Abel)

(Saul eyed David after he killed Goliath)

Having inordinate self-esteem

Romans 7:18 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Nebuchadnezzar turned into bigfoot because of his pride (Daniel 4)

Peter denied the Lord when he said he wouldn’t.

IF WE LET PRIDE SWELL UP IN OUR HEARTS, IT WILL LEAD US INTO A BATTLE WITH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE, AND WE NEED GRACE EVERY DAY!

How do we get humble and stay humble?

Humble - to make lowly in mind, reduce arrogance and self dependence, to make meek and and submissive to God’s divine will.

Commitment (7) (Submit yourselves)

Philippians 2:5–8 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Commitment to God means getting self out of the way to get in His way!

Being humble isn’t necessarily think less of self, but thinking of self less.THINK ON WHAT HE WANTS!

Contending (Resist)

Matthew 4:8–10 “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Just as God resists the proud (you’re never more like Satan than when you’re prideful), we should be resisting the devil!

Put up a fight against wiles of the devil!

Put on the armor and get in the battle!

When we let the devil win in our lives, we’re saying that living for God isn’t worth it.

Don’t quit church! Don’t quit praying! Don’t quit on the things of God! People are looking at us! Pride says, “there’s no use in fighting. Humbleness says, “I don’t know if we’ll win, but let’s fight anyways!”

The next generation needs to see us humbly fight for our Lord!

Closeness (8) (Draw nigh)

Psalms 73, Asaph looked at the world, their prosperity, and that nothing bad was happening to them.

Psalm 73:12–16 “Behold, these are the ungodly, Who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, And chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus; Behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. When I thought to know this, It was too painful for me;”

PRIDE ISN’T NECESSARILY THINKING TOO MUCH OF YOURSELF IN YOUR WINNING, BUT ALSO IN YOUR LOSING.

LOOKING AT THE WORLD WILL MAKE YOU THINK THAT THEY HAVE IT MADE

Psalm 73:28 “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.”

It’s never wrong to get close to God! Don’t try to strattle the fence! Get close to him and it will make you think less of yourself and more of God and others!

Cleansing (8) (Cleanse your hands)

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.”

When we leave sin in our lives, it says God that we don’t really care that much about it to have fellowship with Him. God help us to get a right attitude towards sin against a thrice holy God!

Conviction (9)

Sin should have such an effect on us that it should break our hearts!

Psalm 51:14–17 “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

When we’re humble, sin will break our heart. When we have pride, we won’t even know the sin is there.

Commitment (10)

“Humble yourselves”

“LET this mind be in you”

To stay humble takes commitment. We need the mind of Christ in us all the time!