Pride and Humility

Sermon Text: James 4:1-10

Intro

Hook: Pride comes before the fall: There are four elements to the “watch-this” fail:

The Proclamation: “I saw this online," or "Watch this!"

The Pride: Attempting a stunt with no prior experience.

The Mishap: Gravity, slippery surfaces, or poor physics.

The Result: A perfectly caught, hilarious moment of total disaster.

Context: Tonight, we take a break from the book of Acts. Throughout the previous year we have had two other leaders share their favorite passages with us, and now it is my turn to share with you one of mine. James 4:1-10

In the letter of James, the brother of Jesus, he shares with us some heavenly wisdom about Christian living. As part of the Christian life, we need to know how to deal with pride, that stubborn sin that crops up in all of our lives at certain times. It is a dangerous and deadly sin, and the passage says that God opposes the one who is proud. On the other hand, there is a desirable characteristic that a lot fewer people have: humility. This trait marks lowliness and dependence within an individual upon someone else, especially God. Which characteristic marks our lives? And how should we respond to God's opposition to pride and grace to the humble?

Thesis: There are two heart postures a person can have before God. One is dangerous while the other is blessed. Choose today whom you will serve. You can either love God or love the world. No one exists in between these two loves. You will love the one and hate the other.

Pride is dangerous. Humility is blessed. Humble yourself.

Body

The Danger of Pride

Assertion: God opposes the proud.

Evidence: James 4:1-6

Commentary

Who are the proud?

Inwardly and outwardly evil.

Passions within, evil without.

Quarreling, fighting, proud passions, murder (in the heart- akin to Jesus’ sermon on the mount), speaking evil against others, bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, partiality, love of money.

You adulteresses!

This is not just a silly “Watch this” fail. James calls out his audience. He says that they have committed adultery. Throughout the Bible, God shows that he has a relationship with his people, he has a covenant, a marriage with the people of Israel, calling them his betrothed even. In the New Testament, the church is called the bride of Christ. So God uses the term adultery throughout the bible to describe when his people have turned away from him to other gods.

So in this case, James is calling his readers adulterers/esses. This means that they have turned to other gods by their actions. They were bitter toward one another, selfish, partial, and greedy. And when your life is marked by these things, it shows that you are idolizing those things.

Those who love the world. Friendship with the world:

Lust of the eyes and flesh, pride of life.

Demas. 2 Timothy 4:10 (Demas, in love with this present world)

Max, the man who first discipled me.

God opposes them.

V4-5. God does not share his throne. For believers, God must be the sole God in their lives. “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Or think you that vainly the Scripture says to envy yearns the spirit which was made to dwell in you, but He gives great grace. (J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 830.)

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. KJV Jas 4:5-6.

The natural man is bent on doing evil.

The opposition of God is the worst kind of opposition.

You may have enemies. Even great enemies. But there is no enemy like God. And if you are proud, he is your enemy.

The Blessing of Humility

Assertion: God gives grace to the humble.

Evidence: James 4:6-10

Commentary

Humble yourselves.

Submit yourselves to God.

God says certain things: Obey him.

Resist the devil (is humility).

Stand firm against the devil. He wants your soul, he wants your obedience, he longs to make you his slave. But James says, “Resist him.” We resist him by submitting to God. We don’t believe the devil’s lies. We turn to Scripture over his lies.

Draw near to God.

Prayer, reading his word, meeting with the church (when there comes a day when you will have the choice to come or not to church)

Cleanse your hands, purify your hearts, be wretched, mourn, weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning, let your joy be turned to gloom, humble yourselves before the Lord.

In the season they were in, they needed to repent. This was the way.

God graces them.

Although the natural man is bent on doing evil, God gives a greater grace. This strong desire within each man and woman can be overcome by God’s grace. If they humble themselves, God will be gracious to them. If they give up, that is, a heart posture that is devoid of merit, unto God and trust in Him, then God is favorable to them.

The devil will flee. (freedom from satanic/demonic slavery)

God draws near to us.

God exalts us.

The place where the proud wanted to be is where God brings the humble.

Conclusion

Restate

Review

Reflect / Apply