The Problem Of Pride | James 4:13-17

Opening Remarks:

Glad to be here

Fun to see some familiar faces

It’s a blessing to see so many young people here.

Also thankful for the members of Calvary here tonight. We appreciate your hospitality this week.

We all want this to be a great week. The primary determining factor about whether or not this is a great week is in the way you treat this time right now.

As fun as it’s going to be, this will be a great week if you take God’s Word seriously.

We’re going to be in the book of James tonight. Read James 4:13-17.

I’m going to be dealing with a problem that everyone deals with - PRIDE.

And you might think, “I don’t have a problem with pride,” but everybody has a problem with pride. Pride is the original sin that got Satan kicked out Heaven and got Adam and Eve removed from the garden of Eden. And whether or not we want to admit it, pride is our problem. PRAY

Introduction: Have you ever had a really embarrassing moment?

How many of you can think of a moment in your life that was so embarrassing that you still get embarrassed right now when you think about it?

I’ve had too many to count in my life.

Illustration: Wrong bathroom in Red Robin.

That story is a lot like pride. Pride is one of those things that’s easy to see in others, but it’s not as easy to spot in ourselves.

The problem is, we all have a problem with pride.

Think of the nicest, most approachable, kindest, humblest person you know, and you know what their biggest problem is? Pride.

For most of us, our primary concern at any point on any day is, “ME.”

From the time we’re born, we’re only really concerned about ourselves.

Brand new babies don’t think about anyone else. They only think, “ME.”

And we spend our whole lives trying to overcome our problem of pride.

James 4 is about pride. These folks were having major problems. They were fighting, they were living to please themselves. James’ solution is simple: He tells them that God gives grace to the humble.

In other words, pride was their problem.

Sometimes we view pride as a positive thing. “I’m proud of my team. I’m proud of this accomplishment. It’s the Olympics, I’m proud of Team USA.”

But anytime pride is mentioned in Scripture, it refers to an unhealthy elevated view of oneself.

You probably know people with unhealthy and undeserved elevated view of self.

A guy that thinks he’s all that and isn’t.

A girl that is full of herself for no reason.

The reason this is relatable is because pride is at the root of every human heart.

These folks James was writing to had elevated themselves above each other. In essence, they had removed God from His place in their lives and replaced Him with themselves.

They were acting like God. They were judging each to the point that James wrote in vs. 12, “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”

James was saying, “There’s only one God, and you’re not Him.”

They had such an elevated view of self that they had forgotten about God. They’d left God out of their lives.

So James essentially asks this question , “What About God?”

That’s the question I want us to ask tonight. “What about God?”

We’re really good at the question, “What about me?”

For most young people, their primary thought in any given situation at any time of day is “What about me?”

If we could throw up thought bubbles for every person in this room (be thankful we can’t), the question we might see the most is, “What about me?”

What about where I want to sit on the bus?

What about where I want to eat?

What about how I look tonight?

What about me, me, me?

Young person, admit it or not, we are proud by nature. But James is trying to pivot their focus from “What about me?” to, “What About God?”

One way for a young person to grow up and mature and be like Jesus Christ is pivot from “What About Me?” to “What About God?”

What HE wants for your life.

What HE wants you to do today.

How HE wants you to dress.

How HE wants you to speak.

What HE wants you to watch.

It’s amazing that Christian young people can live their lives forgetting about the ONE that matters the most.

Have you ever forgotten one more important detail?

Illustration: Two girls in college that went to watch the sunrise on the beach…In California

They missed one very important detail - the sun rises from the East, not the West. So they wasted a trip to the beach because they missed the most important detail.

But I wonder how many young people in this room are doing the same thing spiritually. You’re wasting your years because you have left God out of your daily life.

The elevation of self is the very definition of pride.

The reason you’re not getting along with your parents at home is not because of them. It’s because of pride.

The reason you have tension with someone in your youth group, maybe even tonight, is not because they’re such a bad person, it’s because of pride.

The reason you and your youth pastor or youth pastor’s wife are butting heads is because of your pride.

When we live asking, “What About Me?” it causes all kinds of problems.

James gives these proud readers a wake up call. Sometimes we just need a wake up call.

Illustration: I remember going out to lunch with my Youth Pastor and talking to him about my future and plans I was considering and he said, “All you need to worry about is following God today. And then do it again tomorrow. And He’ll eventually show you what to do.” Good advice.

Then he followed it up with “Besides, you’re not really good at anything and you don’t have any special talents. So don’t worry about following your dreams. Just follow God.”

Dream Crushed. That’s what Youth Pastors are for, by the way. “Crushing dreams one teen at a time.” That was my ministry mission statement when I was a youth pastor.

What my Youth Pastor was trying to do was help me with my pride. He knew if I made my life all about me, my life would be wasted.

So how do we know if we have a Spirit Before God?

I. You live your life without considering God.

Vs. 13 – These businessmen were living as if they were in control of their lives.

They were making all kinds of plans. The problem is they were doing it all without God.

Too many teenagers live their lives without considering God.

Your making life plans without asking, “What About God?”

You wake up and spend most days never asking, “What About God?”

You go weeks on end without considering God.

It’s tough to say this, but many Christians live their lives as if there’s no God.

Like practical atheists.

Psalm 10:4, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”

We say, “I’m no atheist.” But if it never crosses your mind to say, “What about God?” you might as well be.

If you live your days with no effort to walk with God, how is that different than atheism?

If you never consider God when you make your plans, you’re just like these guys James is talking about.

If you’ve decided what you’re doing with your life after High School and you haven’t considered God, how is that different than atheism?

Some of you never consider God at all:

In the words you speak

In the texts you send

In the music you listen

In the movies you watch

In the things you like on Social Media

In the way that you talk about other people in your youth group

It never dawns on you, “What would think about this?”

And if you do that day by day, days without God turn into years without God.

Have you considered God in your plans?

You say, “I’m doing this after high school. I’m going to this college. I’m going to have this career.”

I’m not saying it’s wrong. But What About God?

“I’m joining the military. My mind’s made up. I’ve wanted to do it since I was a kid.” We need Christians in the military. But What about God?

You have a dream. You have plans. There’s something you love that you don’t want to let go of. I get that. But What about God?

You might say, “I have no desire to go into ministry.” I’m not saying it’s God’s will for everyone to go to Bible College or into ministry, but have considered what He wants.

Here’s how you can know you have a spirit of pride: I. You live life without considering God.

II. You assume you have more time than you do – Vs. 14

James calls life a “Vapor.”

I drink coffee. When coffee is hot you can see a little steam coming out of it. Vapor. By the way, stop spending all your money at Starbucks.

Illustration: One of our teen girls likes to buy a Trenta Pink Drink. I was thinking, “You had a choice between paying off a semester of college or buying that drink, and you went with the drink?”

The steam that rises from a cup of Coffee, it’s gone in a second. Your life is a vapor. It’s like that steam.

When we live without considering God, we forget that life is short.

Our pride convinces us we have more time than we really do. But you could be standing before God this time tomorrow. Are you ready for that?

But here’s what a “Vapor” means.

Life is fragile: You don’t know what tomorrow holds.

Young people think they’re invincible. But everything you’re so sure of could fall apart tomorrow.

I’ve buried multiple young people in my ministry life. Young people much younger than me who woke up that day thinking they had forever.

We lost three young men from our youth group in Stillwater in one year alone.

Motorcycle accident…Covid…Cancer

James says, “Life is so fragile, you must live for something that matters while you have time.”

The reason you need to ask, “What About God” is because if you don’t, you end up wasting your life. life isn’t long.

Consider God in your daily plans.

Consider God in your relationships.

Consider God in your friendships.

Consider God in what you do with your life.

Consider God in how passionately you tell people about Jesus.

Because life is fragile and the only thing you get to take into eternity is what you do for God.

Life is short: There’s no guarantee.

You might have 80 years, or you might have 1 year.

What would you live for if you knew you only had 6 months to live?

Invest in something that matters for God while you can.

Be faithful to your local church.

Give to missions. Go on Missions trip.

Tell people about Jesus. You don’t know how long you have to invest, so start.

Psalm 90:10, 12 We could live 70, maybe 80 years, but we don’t know. So the Psalmist wrote, “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Number your days because you only live wisely as long as you have perspective.

Make every day count. Over half of 2024 is gone. What have you done for God? Time flies, and it gets worse the older you get.

One day you will stand before God and answer for your life. Death is the furthest thing from your mind, but I one thing I know is, “Nothing is sure.”

What would you have to present to God if you died today? No one escapes that appointment.

A spirit of pride

Will cause you to make plans without considering God

Will cause you to think you have more time than you do

III. Will prevent you from pleasing God – Vs. 15-17

You can’t please God and be proud at the same time.

Illustration: They say girls are good at multitasking and guys can only do one thing at a time. I like to think that guys simply choose to do one thing really well.

If you have a proud heart before God, you cannot please God.

You can’t please God and have a proud spirit toward your parents.

You can’t please God and have a bad attitude toward your youth pastor and youth pastor’s wife.

You can’t please God and treat teens in your youth group like you’re better than them.

You can’t please God and be a know it all.

You can’t please God if you’re defensive anytime your youth pastor or parents correct you.

The problems you have with other people are because of pride.

The reason you haven’t responded all summer at camp or Youth Conference or anything is because of pride.

Some of you aren’t saved.

Life is fragile.

Life is short.

Death is certain.

Pride will keep you in your seat. And pride will keep you out of Heaven.

Maybe you’re saved, but you need to get some things right and pride won’t let you.

You have a secret sin and you don’t want it to come out.

You know God is calling you but you don’t want to submit.

You’ve wronged someone and need to make it right, but pride wont’ let you.

Prov. 16:5 – “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”

James says, “Ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live and do this, or that.”

In other words, the only way to live a life that pleases God is to have humility.

The only way to live in God’s will is to ask yourself “What About God?” at every decision point.

Teenager, when’s the last time you came to a point of decision and instead of saying, “What About Me?”, you looked up and said, “What About God?”

How many days of this year have you lived without considering God?

How many messages have you sat through without asking, “What about God?

How many hours have you wasted playing games endlessly scrolling on your phone without thinking, “What about God?”

The progression is clear:

Daily decisions…

Long-term decisions…

Life-defining decisions.

What you consider to be small matters of pride today will determine how you stand before Christ at the end.

Illustration: Man in our church used to fly helicopters as part of a search and rescue unit. Two seats in a helicopter. Pilot sits on the right. At times the pilot will allow the less experienced co-pilot to fly for a bit. When that happens the pilot says, “You have the controls.” Then the Co-pilot says, “I have the controls.”

Questions:

Who is better at his job? The Pilot

More experience? The Pilot

Most trusted? The Pilot

Imagine:

You’re flying and the Pilot gives you control for a while. You have practically no experience, but the weather is clear and there are no dangers. Suddenly a storm comes up and the wind whips up and the lightning is flashing and the rain is beating so hard you can’t see.

Two Options:

1) Keep the controls and risk crashing.

Or, 2) “Pilot, you have the controls.”

How many of you think the best idea is to give control to the experienced Pilot?

Here’s what happens with teenagers. You say, “I have the controls.” But you have no idea how to land the helicopter.

You have no idea how to fly through a storm.

You have no idea what to do in an emergency, but you still have the controls.

This is what happens when we live our lives thinking “What About Me?” We have no way of successfully navigating our lives without God’s help.

When you stop asking “What About God?”…

You will miss where He’s trying to land you.

You will not escape the storms only He can get you through.

You will crash trying to fight Him for control.

Prov. 18:16 “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride only has bad consequences:

It will send an unsaved teenager to hell.

Some of you are holding on to the controls right now.

It’s time to say, “Father, you have the controls. I need to be saved.”

Pride will guarantee that a Christian teenager will live a wasted life.

You are holding so tightly to your plans, but the Pilot is so much better.

It’s time to say, “God, you have the controls.”

You have the controls:

Friends – You have the controls

Movies – You have the controls

After I graduate – You have the controls

Ministry – You have the controls

Music – You have the controls

“What about God?” ANSWER “You have the controls.”

It’s time to stop asking “What about me?” and start asking, “What about God?”

“What About Me?” only brings heartache.

Ask Adam and Eve.

Ask King Saul.

Ask David on the rooftop.

Ask Judas.

“What About God?” leads to incredible blessings

Ask Joseph.

Ask Daniel.

Ask Jesus.

Ask your Youth Pastor or your Pastor.

Ask your Youth Director’s wife.

In your pride, some of you will miss the most important things of life:

Salvation. Surrender. A life that matters.

But if you daily ask “What About God?” you get to enjoy the best things in life.

God’s plans. A life that matters. Pleasing God.