God Resists the Proud...

James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

What does it mean to be proud?

SN: To think you’re better off without God, you can do better than God, you don’t need God.

I. Original sin in the garden

II. When Cain killed Abel

III. The Pharisees when Jesus came to earth

What are ways pride can show itself?

I. Neglecting prayer

a. Jesus is recorded nine separate times as going off and praying in isolation.

II. Neglecting reading the Bible.

a. Bread of God, not for occasion only. Breakfast illustration

III. Neglecting church

a. Do not neglect meeting together, as some do! Very dangerous spiritually, going out in woods by yourself at night

God Resists the Proud.

I. We are all like sheep who have fallen into a deep hole.

a. Spiritual sickness, sin.

II. Jesus reaches out for us.

III. Holy Spirit convicts us to take His hand.

IV. God will not save those who will not take Christ’s hand.

a. Blasphemy of Holy Spirit is unforgiveable sin, because it resists God’s grace.

b. Resisting Holy Spirit is damnation.

V. However, if we listen to the Holy Spirit, and put faith in Jesus Christ to save us, we will be saved from the deep hole.

The Parable of the Rich Man

I. There was a rich man who came to Jesus one day.

II. His first question was, “What good thing must I do to have eternal life?”

a. His first problem was that he assumed he had to do good things, pride relying on himself instead of God.

III. Jesus reprimands Him, saying none is good except God alone.

IV. Jesus then tells Him to sell all he has, and come follow Him.

V. Rich man doesn’t listen, goes away unhappy.

VI. Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

a. Jesus likens heaven to a narrow road. Many fall of the narrow path, go to the broad way of destruction.

b. It is only when you strip off everything you are relying on, and rely on Jesus Christ to save you, that you will be saved.

c. Humbling yourself before the Lord is realizing your need for Him.

d. Eucharist illustration.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”