The Gospel of James

Book of James Church New Hope Baptist Church Date 30 June 2024

Bible Reading: James 3:13 - 4:12 Scripture Ref: James 4:7-12

Title: The Gospel of James

Introduction

Good morning. I praise and thank God for His faithfulness, mercy, and grace. I also thank God for each of you here this morning, for the fellowship we have in Christ, and for the spirit of unity in worshiping God today.

May God give us hearts of understanding as He ministers His word to us.

Welcome back to our series in James.

Please turn your Bibles to James 3:13 – 4:12. Place your favorite bookmark there, and let’s all stand and read this passage together.

Prayer

Most Gracious and Merciful Father,

We offer you our praise and worship this morning. Please be gracious in accepting them, for there is none other we can offer.

Father, we bow before you, asking for mercy and forgiveness for the sins we have committed against you. Please forgive our sins, wash and purify our hearts so we may be ready to receive your word and be restored to your fellowship.

Father, we acknowledge our corruption and our tendency to turn away from you and your word. Please shape and fashion us, planting your words deep within us so we may remain unmovable on the foundation you have laid.

Grant us the grace to study your word, joy in our worship, and wisdom and hearts of understanding so that your words may be clear, and our path illuminated by the brightness of your word.

Please be with us and hold our hands as we worship.

We pray and ask all these things in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The Gospel of James

Create a Propositional Statement

I want us to grasp from God’s word this morning the weight and seriousness of our sin before a holy God. My prayer is that God will be merciful and gracious, speaking to each of you today, revealing that your pride is what separates you from Him. You need Him to remove pride and arrogance from your heart and replace them with a heart that is willing to submit and be humble. Because only through humility, God will graciously exalt you.

Unlike my usual approach of presenting three bullet points, I have none this morning. Initially, I planned to cover verses 7-12, but instead, I feel compelled to dwell and focus on verses 7-10, as they present to us the glorious gospel and God's call to salvation.

So first, I want to draw your attention to these verses from James 3:13 to 4:12 and note how this passage shows James’s gospel presentation to the Jewish Christians. He showed them 2 sources of wisdom from chapter 3:13-18. Then he rebuked them of their sin from chapter 4:1-4. And then from chapter 4:5-10, he showed them the glory of God’s grace.

You might wonder why James is witnessing to the church scattered abroad outside Jerusalem. We see a recurring theme of them being hearers of God’s word but not doers, professing faith without works, being double-minded, and having duplicitous tongues. These are symptoms of spiritual immaturity, worldliness, or, worse, they are still spiritually dead in their sin.

Beloved, please take note that no church is immune to professing or fake Christians. Therefore, as a church, we should be vigilant and discerning about the authenticity of individuals' faith, and not assume that everyone who claims to be a Christian - truly is.

Even Christ warns His church of false teachers as wolves in sheep's clothing. He uses illustrations such as sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46), and wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30), and the scripture tells us that He will cast away professing Christians who call Him Lord and do mighty things in His name. But He never knew them. The eternal God never knew them. (Matthew 7:21-23)

So, what does a pastor do when he sees these issues in a church congregation? He witnesses to them, explaining their sinful state and the grace of God according to the Scriptures.

What do we do as a church to ensure that everyone among us is truly saved? We rebuke, correct, and edify one another. We continue to share the gospel with each other. We uphold and intercede for one another in prayer.

So, don’t hastily dismiss a gospel presentation. Don’t be deceived by relying solely on what you’ve done—whether you've raised your hand, walked the aisle, repeated a sinner’s prayer, or been baptized. Make sure your salvation is genuine based on what Scripture says, not on what you’ve done. Your faith should not rely on your works; rather, your salvation is by God’s grace, enabling you to do all those things.

That’s why James rebukes the Jewish Christians for drawing from their lusts. We learned from chapter 1, verses 14 and 15, that sin is the result of lust. James 1:14–15

14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Contrary to the order of salvation, we see in these verses, the order of death: Man is tempted, then drawn away when he is enticed by his own lust. Lust is the manifestation of sin. And sin is the cause of death.

In chapter 4, verses 2 and 3, James explains the results of their lust. They commit murder when they lust and cannot have. They fight and quarrel when they are envious and cannot obtain. They do not have because they do not ask. And when they do ask, they do not receive because they ask with the wrong motives, seeking to fulfill only their lusts. Notice that James puts the responsibility and accountability squarely on them.

This is James showing them through the scripture their sinful nature, he is exposing their sin and their absolute depravity.

Beloved, do you see your sinful self - revealed in these verses? Do you recognize that you are utterly hopeless and helpless, dead in your sin?

I want you to also take note that James 4:2-3 is in great contrast to James 3:18.

James 3:18

18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Whereas in James 4:2-3, the fruit of unrighteousness is sown in murder, fights, quarrels, and envy of them that lust. This is not just a description of wisdom that is not from above; it reflects man’s natural state outside of God’s grace and salvation. This is your natural state if you have not yet been born again from above.

Because of this lust, James calls them adulterers in verse 4. They are adulterers because they have aligned and committed themselves as friends of the sinful world, making them enemies of God.

Their motive is lust. Their thoughts are filled with bitter jealousy and selfish ambitions. Their words reflect wisdom that is not from above. And their actions demonstrate friendship with the world.

Sin can arise from motives, thoughts, words, or actions. This is the devastating impact of sin on a person because sin corrupts, confines, and consumes a person, and sin brings death. In sin, you are totally depraved.

James made sure that he is clear and that they understood that they are drawing from their lust, and he emphasises that in their depravity, they are God’s enemy, they are under the just judgement and wrath of God.

**Loved ones, I want to be as clear as James that you also understand that without receiving Christ as your personal Saviour, being totally depraved, you are unable to obey or please God. You are as James puts it, an adulterer and your friendship with the world means you are the enemy of God. I want to impress that weight on your heart. Being God’s enemy means that when you die, which is an appointment made by God, you will be judged. And as God’s enemy, you will face His wrath.

I want to highlight our depravity before God to help us appreciate the grandeur of His grace. In our depravity, we are dead in sin. But look at chapter 4, verse 6. In this verse, we see the hope we find in God’s grace.

James 4:6

6 But (God) he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

**God's grace surpasses the depth, breadth, height, and every measure of your total depravity in sin. Despite your sinful nature, your unbelief, and your worldliness, God nevertheless gives greater grace. The grace He gives freely, sacrificially, continuously, and abundantly surpasses your corruption, confinement, and consumption of lust that leads you to sin.

That’s why James says God's mercy triumphs over His own judgment. He graciously gives you what you do not deserve or earn, which is the righteousness of Christ.

But God does not give this immeasurable grace to His proud and hostile enemies. God opposes the proud and is against those who lift and exalt themselves. His grace is only given to the humble.

In the following verses, James explains what humility is. God’s sovereign call and command require a response from man in meekness.

What are they?

1 point

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. Cleanseyour 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.”

You will notice in our handout the ten words in bold, underlined letters with Roman numerals in them. These represent ten imperative verbs, clear commands from God directed at those who are spiritually immature, worldly, and, more importantly, those who have not yet repented of their sin and received Christ as their Savior.

These ten words are the “genesis” of salvation. They mark the beginning of your new life when you come to know Christ as your Savior.

These ten words are also the “revelation” of your salvation. They are what a new creature in Christ naturally displaysin their life.

Do you want to know if you are truly saved in Christ and if your salvation is genuine? James lists ten actions that occur in your salvation and continue to manifest in your life during your sanctification.

Just as you don't consciously think to breathe and your heart pumps blood throughout your body naturally, these ten actions become second nature for you as a born-again believer.

** Loved ones, God does not want you to be deceived. He graciously sends trials to test your faith internally and pastors and faithful brethren to exhort, edify, rebuke, and correct you when your life doesn’t reflect the faith you claim to have externally. And yet, we complain of our tests and trials to God. We reject and dislike the admonition of a pastor or faithful brethren. These are God’s good and perfect gifts. Loved ones, receive them with humility.

Look at James 5:19-20

James 5:19–20

19Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him (turn him back to the truth);

20Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

This is the very heart and purpose of every pastor to turn you back when you strayed from the truth because he wants to save your souls from death. And likewise, this is the encouragement to the pastor who faithfully shepherds the flock of God.

Let’s go through the list of elements, the ingredients of what God requires of men to heed and respond to His effectual calling.

1. God’s first imperative command to salvation is at the beginning of verse 7 of chapter 4.

“7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.”

Be subject, therefore, to God, or submit yourselves to God. The word "submit" is a military term meaning to fall in rank. This is a passive verb, indicating that it is done voluntarily. You willingly lower yourself in submission under the authority and leadership of God. Humility is the root of righteousness, and without humility, without the act of submission to God, without committing yourself to His sovereign rule and authority, and following Him at any cost, there is no salvation. Submission is a key ingredient of salvation. Submission is the action, and James directs us to whom we should submit: to God. There is no such thing as putting your faith in Christ without submitting to Him as your Lord; the two go hand in hand. Furthermore, there is relief, comfort, and assurance when you eagerly place yourself under the Lordship of Christ. Why? This is why James added the word “therefore.”

James says,

“7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.”

By not submitting to God, you are serving and submitting to your lust, your envy, and your pride. Consequently, you are submitting and serving your master, sin.

You are corrupted, confined, and consumed by your own servitude to lust. This is your sinful natural state. You are utterly depraved and enslaved by sin. Your master is sin.

But God has redeemed you from that tyrant master. He has set you free with the law of liberty. God’s grace is greater than your depravity and He is greater than your master sin.

Furthermore, God opposes the proud as James says in verse 6. His judgment and wrath are upon those who will not submit.

**Brethren, God doesn’t want you to be deceived. If you have not submitted to God and are still wallowing in the pit of sin, remember that God’s grace is greater. He calls you to repent of your sin, turn to Christ, submit to Him, and receive Him as your Savior to escape His judgment and wrath.

2. God’s second imperative command to salvation is found in the middle of verse 7.

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Just as God resists or is opposed to the proud, He calls you to resist and stand against the devil. We learned last time the imagery used here of God being clothed in full body armour and ready to war and oppose the proud. Just as God has His whole armour on, Paul commands the Ephesian believers to put on the whole armour of God.

Ephesians 6:11

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Gear up and put your armour on. Stand in ready for sin approach through deceit and darkness.

By definition, submission to God as your Master and Lord means standing opposed to any other ruler, master, or lord. To submit to God is to stand against sin.

As I mentioned in my previous message, there is no concept of neutral acts with God. Every motive, thought, word, or action we take and do is either for God or against Him. That’s why being double-minded and having duplicitous tongues should trouble us; it should convict us and drive us to our knees to beg God for mercy.

Loved ones, God doesn’t want you to be deceived. If you are still entertaining sin and not resisting or opposing the devil, God calls you to repent. Turn away from the devil, resist him, and run to the Savior.

The devil is the accuser and slanderer. He is the father of lies. If you are not resisting the temptation of the devil, you are buying into his deception.

Turn to John 8:44 John 8:44

44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Without submitting to God, you are submitting yourself to the devil. And if God is not your Father, John says you do the lusts of your father, the devil.

Remember, God’s grace is greater than the devil. Resist the devil by submitting to God, and the devil will flee from you.

3. God’s third imperative command to salvation is found in the beginning of

James 4:8

“8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”

I want you to pay close attention to this. The devil’s motive is to cause you to sin so that death may be upon you. But this imperative command from God to draw near to Him is special. Think of this. God’s holiness prevents you from drawing near to Him. But God’s grace commands you to draw near to Him?

**God calls you to a true, intimate relationship and fellowship with Him.

The false gods of this world will not call you to commune and fellowship with them. Their promise is that if you do more good than evil, then maybe, just maybe, you will be worthy of being granted salvation or entry into paradise. It is a reward not of themselves but to satisfy the lust of men. Loved ones, praise God that He is not like that. Instead, He calls and desires a true relationship with you. When Christ finished His work on the cross, He ascended, returned to the Father, and sat at His right hand. Why? Because He continues to work on your salvation as He intercedes and mediates for you. There is none like Him.

Notice also that opposing the devil and drawing near to God mirror each other and illustrate two sides of the same coin. The imperative command to stand against the devil and the imperative command to draw near to God come with the promises of the devil fleeing from you and God drawing near to you. Isn't it amazing that God’s work is complete and whole?

This command for us to act and move towards God is a practical response, similar to being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath when controlling our tongues. Just as we are commanded to pursue holiness in our conversations, we are also to forsake our pride and pursue the presence of God and His holiness.

Loved ones, God doesn’t want you to be deceived. The Jewish Christians boasted of their faith without works. They gave empty blessings to their own brethren only to fulfill the lust of their flesh.

Look at Isaiah 29:13-14:

13Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, And with their lips do honour me, But have removed their heart far from me, And their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

14Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, Even a marvellous work and a wonder: For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Don’t be deceived, brethren. To draw close to God means forsaking everything else, including false professions with words. Turn away and repent from lying lips and set your heart on God. Turn and draw near to Him, and God will draw near to you. The more we immerse ourselves in the presence of God, the more we see the foolishness of our pride and the glory of His purity and holiness.

4 God’s fourth imperative command to salvation is found in the middle of verse 8.

“Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;”

This command reinforces God’s imperative command to draw near to Him. His holiness prevents us from drawing near on our own, and the only way for us to be with Him is through the righteousness of Christ.

Let’s look at the original foreshadowing of this action in: Exodus 30:18–21

18Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

19For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

20When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord:

21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

Does the action of washing hands and feet bring about salvation? Of course not! Our unclean hands, representing our sin, prevent us from approaching the Holy God. Through faith and new birth, believers are given by God the ability to resist sin, temptation, and the devil. However, we have no power or authority to cleanse ourselves spiritually, let alone through the act of washing with water. We need more than water; we need the blood of Christ.

1 John 1:7–9

7But 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.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God’s command to clean your hands because you are a sinner is an act of submission to Him. We are unable to do it ourselves, but praise God He is willing and able. He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How? By the shedding of His precious blood on the cross. He bled and died to pay for your sin.

Loved ones, God doesn’t want you to be deceived. If you continue living in sin and disregard daily repentance, daily confessions, and daily pleading with God for His mercy, have you truly submitted to Him and received Christ as your Savior in the first place?

Repent and humble yourself before God. Cleanse yourself by submitting to the work of Christ on the cross. No matter how many times you perform good deeds, even washing your hands and feet with water, God’s word declares that all our works are as filthy rags.

Only the blood of Christ, shed for the remission of sins, can cleanse and purify you from all unrighteousness.

5 God’s fifth imperative command to salvation is found in the end of verse 8. Please look at your Bibles. “and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

Take note of the parallel between cleansing your hands and purifying your hearts, as well as James's address to them as sinners and double-minded.

Purifying the heart adds another layer to the cleansing of the hands. The hands manifest our actions, but the heart is where the motives lie.

Turn to Matthew 15:16-20 Matthew 15:16–20

16And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

17Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

God’s call to humility involves not just our actions but our motives as well. The sinner doesn’t just respond outwardly but also from within. Before sin is manifested in our hands, it’s already been conceived in the heart. Sin begins in the heart. Sin can arise from our motives, thoughts, words, or actions. Therefore, for our sin to be completely removed, God works to save us both from the actions of our hands and from the motives of our hearts. Isn’t God amazing?

Purification of the heart involves keeping what is holy, holy and removing what is not holy. Purity means being untainted, unblemished, and unmixed.

So, not only do our hands need to be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, but our hearts also need to be solely devoted to purely pursuing God’s holiness.

Loved ones, God doesn’t want you to be deceived. You are to purify your hearts in submission to the salvation God calls you to. Your salvation ought not to be tainted, blemished, or mixed with your own self-righteousness and corrupted judgment. Repent, lay aside sin and dross, and submit yourself completely and wholly under the sovereignty of God.

An interesting observation before we move on: how did James address the Jewish Christians? He called them "brethren." But here in verse 8, he calls them "sinners" and "double-minded." Why? To call them from their error and sin. James doesn’t assume all of them are saved. He is calling those who profess to be Christians but have dead faith to repentance and the salvation of their souls.

Psalm 1:1

1Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Loved ones, we need to apply this same principle. Not with pride and self-righteousness, but with love and humility, I call you to repentance and have pure hearts through the work of Christ on the cross.

6. The sixth, seventh and eighth imperative commands of God to salvation is found in the beginning of verse 9

“9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:”

This call of God to salvation is very interesting because it involves both an outward expression of lament and an inward reflection of contrition, both displaying humility.

Notice that James uses a series of verbs, each standing alone without any modifying words.

The sixth imperative command to salvation is "be afflicted," which means to be wretched and to realize one's own misery. This describes the act of being overwhelmed by sin, being astray, and separated from God. An example of this is found in Nehemiah when the Israelites wept upon hearing the law read to them.

Nehemiah 8:9

9And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lordyour God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

Upon hearing the word of God, the people wept as they realized their misery was caused by being separated from God. They saw their absolute wretchedness and sin before a holy God. The picture here is like a lost child, weeping for losing and being separated from his parents.

The seventh imperative command to salvation is "mourn," which signifies a deep grief over sin. It carries the same connotation as mourning the death of a loved one, but in this sense, it means grieving in repentance. This act of repentance involves acknowledging God's righteous judgment. Upon your submission and humility before God for salvation, you willingly agree to God’s just judgment and condemnation against you. You accept all the charges, you accept all the punishment, and you acknowledge that you deserve it as you are overcome with shame and guilt.

An example of this is 1 Samuel 7:6

6And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.

The eighth imperative command to salvation is “weep,” which is the outward display of affliction and mourning. This is a call for a public display of repentance, submission, and humility from sin and double-mindedness.

This is a rebuke and exhortation to those who aspire to become masters of the word, those who give empty blessings, and those whose faith is found only in their lips, not in their hearts or displayed by their works. It’s a rebuke to those who lust after prestige, public accolades, and recognition.

**Loved ones, God doesn’t want you to be deceived. If you are in sin and it doesn’t even bother you, if you don’t flinch, and if you are not affected by it, and moreover, you go to God with sin and pride and demand and command Him to do something for you, repent from your pride and arrogance and turn to God for salvation. Your heart could still be a heart of stone and not of flesh.

Sin should make you afflicted, make you mourn, and make you weep.

Paul was so overcome with affliction over his sin that he mourned and wept. He felt trapped and conjoined to his old dead self, crying out in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

Peter was overwhelmed with affliction over his betrayal of Christ that he wept. In Mark 14:72, it says, "And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept."

Does committing sin against God cause you to immediately reflect and think, “What have I done against my God?”

Is that how you respond to sin? Do you express your lamentations and have a contrite heart over the sin you have committed against God?

Or do you just brush it aside?

Loved ones, be serious now. Look at the end of verse 9 as we look at the ninth imperative command of God to salvation.

“let your laughter be turned to mourning, and (let) your joy (be turned)to heaviness.”

Similar to the parallel between cleansing your hands and purifying your hearts, we see another parallel here: letting your laughter turn to mourning and your joy turn to heaviness.

Is James commanding against genuine laughter or joy? No. He is calling for seriousness. We are talking about sin against God. Salvation is serious and holy, so we must treat it as serious and holy. Our self-centeredness, pride, lust, and envy cause us to be insensitive to the seriousness of God’s holiness and the depravity of our sin. We treat sin flippantly, thinking it’s not a big deal, and we readily entertain sinful motives, thoughts, words, and actions.

Are you seriously considering your sin before a Holy God?

Look at the seriousness of Jeremiah as he confesses and laments over their sin against God. Lamentations 5:1–16

1Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: Consider, and behold our reproach.

2Our inheritance is turned to strangers, Our houses to aliens.

3We are orphans and fatherless, Our mothers are as widows.

4We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold unto us.

5Our necks are under persecution: We labour, and have no rest.

6We have given the hand to the Egyptians, And to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

7Our fathers have sinned, and are not; And we have borne their iniquities.

8Servants have ruled over us: There is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.

9We gat our bread with the peril of our lives Because of the sword of the wilderness.

10Our skin was black like an oven Because of the terrible famine.

11They ravished the women in Zion, And the maids in the cities of Judah.

12Princes are hanged up by their hand: The faces of elders were not honoured.

13They took the young men to grind, And the children fell under the wood.

14The elders have ceased from the gate, The young men from their musick.

15The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning.

16The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us, that we have sinned!

Is that how you approach God in prayer? Do you cry out to God, saying, "Woe unto me, O God, I have sinned against you"? Do you continue in your pride and self-righteousness, heedless of the path leading to your own destruction?

Beloved, God doesn’t want you to be deceived. The laughter and joy we experience in this world are temporary. The pleasure of sin lasts only for a moment. But the penalty of sin is the eternal wrath of God. Why do you pursue fleeting happiness in this world when you should earnestly pursue holiness and righteousness before the eternal God?

Lament and confess your sin before God. Repent and turn away from the pride that trivializes sin. Turn away from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And turn to God with all seriousness and humility.

We finally get to the tenth imperative command of God to salvation. Have a look at your Bible in James 4:10.

James 4:10

10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

This is the conclusion of James's evangelism to the Jewish Christians and to those within the church who have not yet relinquished their pride, repented of their sin, and received Christ as their Savior, which he started in chapter 3, verse 13.

What is God’s imperative command to salvation? It is to be humble. Humility is the root of righteousness and the starting point of salvation in our response to God’s command.

Without humility, there is no salvation. The Lord's opening remark in His Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5:3:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

As James previously stated, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

You will never find a proud and self-righteous person in the kingdom of God because only God is worthy of praise. He alone possesses glory unmatched by anyone else, and He alone deserves to be lifted up.

Just as pride is associated with arrogance and described as height, humility involves lowering yourself in response to a genuine acknowledgment of your unworthiness and the depravity of your sin. It means recognizing your hopeless and helpless state. It’s lowering yourself in response to the fact that only God can exalt you.

Isaiah, upon seeing the Most High God sitting upon His throne, high and lifted up, said in

Isaiah 6:5–7

5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Isaiah saw God’s glory and majesty, and suddenly realized his sin before the holy God. He exclaimed, "Woe is me!" He recognized that he was doomed, a dead man. God’s holiness revealed his sinfulness. The more we see and understand the holiness of God, the more we realize the weight of our sinfulness.

Humility recognizes the need to submit to God, the need to oppose the devil, the need to draw closer to God, the need for clean hands and purified hearts that only God can provide, the need for affliction, mourning, and weeping over our wretchedness, sinfulness, and lostness, and the need to acknowledge the serious state of our sinful nature and the holiness of God.

Loved ones, it is God who gives His grace to you and exalts you when you are humble and meek. It is only because of God’s grace, that we are able to do all these imperative commands.

God doesn’t want you to be deceived. Why seek recognition and admiration from people when all their praises are just words that are easily forgotten, and the things they give corrupt and rust? Why trade the eternal God for fleeting compliments and rewards?

Humility doesn’t demand for the praises of men but submits to whatever pleases and glorifies God.

Loved ones, repent of your arrogance and pride. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Prayer

Most merciful and gracious Father,

We are a people filled with arrogance and pride. In our sin, we allow ourselves to be enslaved and turn away from You. We refuse to submit to Your will, preferring instead to follow the schemes of the evil one and to distance ourselves from You.

Father, our hands are stained with evil deeds, and our hearts are impure. We are sinners who have pledged no allegiance or loyalty to You. We do not feel sorrow or weep over our sin because we find satisfaction and pleasure in it.

Yet despite all this, You call us to humility. While we were still sinners, You loved us.

How can we be so foolish? How can we be so full of pride? How can we reject the love of God and trade Your eternal joy for fleeting compliments and empty praise that vanish in a day?

Father, please be gracious. We humbly beg for Your mercy and forgiveness. Convict us of our sin, Father, that we may repent of our arrogance and pride before You.

We thank You for the work of Christ on the cross for our sake. We are grateful that He willingly humbled Himself even below the angels to save us, that He might exalt us and present us before You justified and righteous.

O Father, may Your words consume us instead of our lusts. May Your words keep our hearts restless until we find peace and comfort in seeking Your forgiveness.

We praise and magnify Your holy name.

Amen.