Live Under The Lord's Leadership

Lonnie Brooks

Discipleship • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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Introduction

Its good to see you all this morning .

I can assure you that it is better to be here today than any place else, Why? This is home. This is where family gathers, we are the body of Christ and we are called to gather and worship Him.

He is worthy of our praise and worship my friends. Paul said it well , we looked at this Wednesday night

Romans 11:36 ESV

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

To Him be glory forever.... He is worthy of our praise, our adoration and our worship.

And so we are in the right place today… His house as His people worshipping Jesus.

And today I want to share with you a message I believe the Devil doesn’t want you to hear… I believe that because I feel like he has fought me tooth and toenail through the message.

I want you to think about what Jesus said in . The devil, he comes to kill, steal and destroy. And if this is the work of Satan, we must be on our guard my friends. We must be our guard so we do not stumble or fall.

How did you do this week? In living for Jesus, how did you do?

Did you reflect Him to others and were you becoming more like Jesus in the process.

So this morning lets go to the book of James, chapter 4 and lets examine verses 4-7

James 4:4–7 ESV

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Why did I ask that?

Well we are supposed to be growing in Christ daily, so daily we are supposed to become more like him in every way.

Now we know that James here is the head of the church at Jerusalem, we see this from the new Testament writings from Acts and other books as well. James is also the half brother of Jesus. He begins to follow after the crucifixion of Jesus.

So here is my title today, Don’t Listen to the Devil....

I think of my walk with Jesus like being in a state of Metamorphosis… We were one thing and we are becoming something else.

would say is a very practical champion of the faith in the days that followed the resurrection. He is blunt and to the point, and I like that about James.

Now in theology we call it Sanctification. It is the transformation of the person become more “saint like” yet in essence we are becoming more like Jesus.

So let me share this passage with you, I hope it will bless your life today and give you some strength to follow in the days to come.

And as you walk through

So here is my first thought today.....

1. Abandon the World...

Do you ever stop and say, I don’t get it, I don’t understand what is happening around me, us in our world?

I think I do almost daily. I go from one news story to the next, from one event in a persons life to the next and I say… I do not get it.

Do you ever feel that way, especially when you see people you love chasing after all the wrong things....

We shouldn’t be surprised my friends, no not at all.

But we shouldn’t be surprised my friends, no not at all.

Why? Its the world, It’s who the world is....

Now lets tie some meaning to this… when I say the world I am not talking about this sphere, of dirt, rock, sea, ice, sand these things that we know as ole planet earth … these things are not bad in themselves.

What I am talking about is the actions of the inhabitants of this world, what people desire, what they chase after.... what they love, what they are willing to do to get it. Their beliefs, morals and desires.

Humanity will do anything to get what they desire in this world. Its proven from the beginning of this world

Let me share a small list with you...

What is humanity willing to do to have its way for wealth, relationships, a lofty seat in a company.... the list can literally go on and on

Humanity will do anything to get what they desire in this world. Let me share a small list with you...

Cain was jealous of Able… killed him.

The Lord saw the heart of man was evil

Lot’s wife mourned leaving a wicked city and looked back...

Jacob deceived his Father and stole the blessings

brothers almost killed Joseph and did sell him into Slavery. Reuben, tried to get him away...

I have just showed you 5 instances in the first book of the Bible of the world and its ways, mankind is wicked and chase after the desires of their heart. Their ways typify the world.

Now if you go back to verse 4 listen to what God says

James 4:4 ESV

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

What is James plea… ? Abandon the world.

Why? We cannot love both, we cannot desire both, Why can’t we have our cake and eat it too....

You have heard that expression before, its an old proverb that means you cannot have what you desire and something else as well, you cannot have two imcompatible things. You cannot have God and this world.

Why?

God calls us to a singular relationship. Him or the world.

Do you not remember that God declares that He is a jealous God. Exodus 20:5

In verse 4 James call those who desire both an adulterous people: Why?

Because they are unfaithful.

You see much like the Old Testament, when believers were putting their faith and trust into Jesus as Savior and Lord, like the OT, Jesus is calling for them to have no other god’s before him. No other people, passions, hobbies… noting. And when we live like Jesus is second, well He is...

And two often we reveal that truth in our hearts, we make Him second place...

So the call for us is to abandon the world and the passions, desires and temptations that pull us away from Jesus.

Let me ask you a question, does anything out there (world) have your attention?

Does anything out there entice you, pull at you and make it hard to cope.

Years ago I chewed tobacco,

Years ago I chewed tobacco, and I loved it. It was better than cake.

Supper was over and you could go sit down and put a little tobacco in your mouth and chew… it was pleasing. And then I quit....

Now this shows you how long ago it was..... used to the tobacco was right out in the isle of the store.

I would walk by the isle where the tobacco was and I could taste it and my mouth was water up, it was ready.

It was tough, it was hard to break that addiction.... But I did manage to break it

Friends pay attention....love for the world is a hard addiction to break, but you must and your can!

If you have resolved to let Jesus live right here (heart) and He will help you overcome!

Let me ask you an important question....

What is it in your life that keeps you pulled close to the world.

Can you release it and thus release the world from your life.

Do it! You must if you desire to make Jesus first.... Abandon the World.

Now let move into my next thought, and it is really a combination thought, but we will try to separate them a bit...

And now my second thought today.... and it is tied very close to my

2. Submit Your Life to God....

When I think about this thought, there is a word here that is difficult for man, do you see it?

There is a word here we do not like, submission.

The word is....... Submit or submission. We don’t like it very much...

Do you realize why today?

It is hard for the natural man ( our fleshly, carnal ) man to let go… it has a understanding of giving up, of stopping. or we cannot do it ourselves. We don’t like that do we.

Gee, we don’t like asking for help, we don’t like failure or weakness… nothing of the sort.

t like asking for help, we don’t like failure or weakness… nothing of the sort.

Why?

We are proud. just be honest, we are a proud people.

But if God is going to be Lord in your life and have control in your life we must admit that we cannot live this life, we cannot make our way through this life without Him.

This is KEY.... we have to admit we are not able.

so lets look back at our passage

James 4:5–7 ESV

5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So with this passage there is a question that begs to be asked.

What does God desire from you?

The answer is You! He desires that we would seek to draw close to Him, worship and live in fellowship with Him.

Remember the KEY We have to admit we need Him.

How do I know this to be true.

Look at verse 5 again

James 4:5 ESV

5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

We talked about that a bit already, but we will consider it a bit more.

Jealously.... not do not think of jealously with natural terms, when we, humanity experiences jealously we express it sinfully we hate, anger, evil actions...

Have you ever seen a fight that came out of a jealous boyfriend or girlfriend, oh man it can be harsh.... it can be deadly.

That is not God or of God.

Jealously when spoken of God, I believe is this… He has intense desire for us, a longing for a passionate, loving, relationship with us. he wants us, the creation of His hands, to admit and look back to him.. I need you. and so we run to Him

I believe God longs to walk with and bless His people, But we cannot if we are not willing to live submissively to him, we cannot give us the gifts He desires if we are a part from Him

He has made us like Him, in His image and given us a soul, and he longs to have all of us, Mind, Body, Soul.

Do you remember the call of the greatest commandment. We are called to Love Him with all that is in Us.... Mind, Body and Soul

And to those who are willing to submit, well look at verses 6 and 7

James 4:6–7 ESV

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Those willing to submit, those willing to forget their notion that we are anything a part from God… He takes the humble person then and extends more grace.

You see God opposes the proud, those who have chosen to praise this world and the methods of this world.

But those who submit and are humble … he gives more grace, more favor, more of himself to each day.

How does this happen.... Submit yourself to God.

In the gospel of Matthew Jesus spoke of those who chased after the things of this world, worried after them and yet wondered why they could never attain them. What was the answer, forget the world, abandon it

the answer was found in Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Submit your life to God.

It begins with your confession right now, right were you are.

Lord forgive me for thinking I am able of setting my own course, my own destiny. I confess I am nothing without you, forgive me, cleanse me of my sin and teach me to walk with you, following your ways and your directions. Your ways have life.

You see submission to God brings life, and submission to God is a defense against the devil.

So the last portion of this thought is simply this...

3. Resist the Devil...

Now what do we know about the devil.

First off, He is real. he is no fairly tale, no superstitious character that has been made up. He was an angel of light, one of the grandest of God’s angels but He became proud, He sought to be like God, and instead of submitting himself under God’s rule for God had created all the angels.

Satan, Lucifer, the Devil he rebelled against God… and he has fought against God,ever since.

Jesus told us plainly this truth… the devil seeks to Kill, steal and destroy< . Do you believe that...

Then understand the devil is the one behind the worldly things that entice, that seek to subtly steal our heart away from what is right.

He calls it fun, he calls it amusement, He tells us there is just one life, life it up.

Here is a thought for you… How can the one who has no ability to give life, give us the best possible life? He cannot....

Now like the Prodigal son in , he can make our days fun for a season… oh but there is a price… always a price.

Do you remember the prodigal son… he sought his wealth, he sought his freedom, he went away and lost it all and found himself carry for the worst the world could offer a Jew… sloping the hogs..

Man.... how bad is it.

But remenber what Jesus said...

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The one who is life,

John 1:4 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The one who is the resurrection and the life

John 11:25 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

John 11:25–26 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus is the only source of life.

And with Jesus you can defeat the Devil.

Lets go back to our text....

James 4:6–7 ESV

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 ESV

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:6-7

When the devil is

The only way to resist the devil is the before mentioned step… submit yourself to God.

and then resist...

Stand against the devil and refuse to give into His call to come and follow.. Now some of you might wonder, what about this temptation? Or this one..

Friends do not worry about the temptation, listen to Paul in

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

The ball is in your court, But Jesus is there and he will help you.. what is the key. Submit to God.

Do you remember Jesus in the wilderness… 40 days he had fasted and prayed. He was weak, hungry and tired.. And when Satan came to Him… He placed himself back to the Lord each time.

let me share one example with you… the second temptation.

Luke 4:1–13 ESV

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:5–8 ESV

5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”

Luke 4:13 ESV

13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Three times this happened and finally, the devil departed. Why. His life was committed to the Father’s life, will and plan and nothing else.

Luke 4:13 ESV

13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The Holy Spirit of God is at work in you and He will do so until death visits us or Jesus comes again.

Satan is defeated..

One day hell will permanently be His home… He is trying to disrupt our lives until them.

So he accuses… us, reminds us of all our short coming and our failures. He is an accuser

confirms this...

Zechariah 3:1–2 ESV

Zech

Zechariah 3:1 ESV

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

He will try to divide our homes, pitting husband and wife against one another…

He will try to rob your peace

He will try to take your happiness..

But he cannot take you..

So what do we do.

We submit to God , resist Him, and he will flee.

Let me ask you… Do you feel like the devil has been after you.. trying to steal your joy, your peace, your marriage, your home, your children… maybe you feel like he is after You.

Submiot to God, He is the creator of heaven and earth, call upon His name, he will come and deliver you.

Walk in His ways and you will stand upright and strong.

Live under His leadership my friends...

Why? He is a liar. He will never tell you the whole truth, He will never lead you down a righteous path, He will always seek your demise.

Resist the Evil one

And why do I tell you this....???

Resist the Evil one

Now you might stop right there and say, wait a minute… I am a saved child of God, the devil has no power over me.

Our Salvation isn’t just fire insurance my friends, having Jesus isn’t just for a bad day. Our Salvation signifies we are His and we are different, becoming more like Him each day.

You are saved and the devil and still tempt you, mislead you and seek to separate you from God and all that you hold dear.

So what do we need to see today...

Ephesians 4:17–24 ESV

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22–24 ESV

22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephjesians 4:17-24

Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

I believe the devil seeks to kill, steal and destroy the lives of many… so what can we do.

Lets begin by looking at two passages from the Bible. These will remind us what is possible with the Lord’s help as we live for Him

So lets find and Zechariah 3

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

But now I want to tie it to an Old Testament passage as well.

Zechariah 3:1–6 ESV

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by. 6 And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua,

Zechariah 3:1–7 ESV

Why these two passages, well they will remind us of how we are in Christ and what the Lord plans for all those who will live for Him and not the world.

So much is said in these passages… So who are you?

So much is said in this little verse… So who are you?

Here is the first truth the devil doesn’t want you to believe....

So lets begin, do not listen to the Devil.... he is an accuser of the brethren my friends, He doesn’t want us to know these truths....

1. He is an Accuser

Truth is something wonderful my friends… Truth will set you free.. Here is the truth you need to hear today..... “We are not who we used to be....”

Amen. if you are in Christ you are a new creation. These are Paul’s words in the Holy Bible, not mine.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

We are not who we used to be....

But what do we do?

But we wrestle with our past. And the devil can use this against us if we allow him too.

We wrestle with the past no matter what it is.... it might be an addiction that we have failed to recover from, it might be simply that you have let the Lord sit in the back seat of life. You have never fully commited your ways to Him.

There are lots of things in our past.

But here is something I want to tell you … forget about your past.

Forget… what are you talking about? But Pastor I .... or I ....

Friends, it doesn’t matter anymore.

Are you in Christ… ? You see that is the big question my friends, you are either in Christ or not today. If you are in Christ, your past is covered. We are not who we used to be.

But the devil is an accuser!

Zechariah reminds of this....

Zechariah 3:1 ESV

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

Now when you look at this verse, the devil stood ready to make sure the Lord knew of Joshua’s failures...

But in this passage we simply see the Lord rebuked the devil.

Why did the Lord rebuke Satan. He doesn’t want to hear a word that could come out of the devil mouth unless its repentance. I doubt that one is coming any way soon.

You see we all have a past marked with failures, but if we have settled our accounts with the Lord, if they are covered by the blood… then they are just that … the past. The devil might accuse you, you might beat yourself up and the Lord has forgiven you.

Look at the life of Paul.... Yes he used to be Saul. But he doesn’t dwell on that fact. Why… because His life has been changed.

Let me ask you a simple question....

Has your life been changed by Jesus Christ? You have asked him to be your Lord and Savior?

And if the answer is Yes, then stop right there and hear me, You are not the same, you are not who you used to be.

Now with that being settled, What does the Devil have to accuse you?

Nothing ........ We have been forgiven.

But.... instead of living forgiven we live guilty, We remember our guilt and the devil uses that against you.

Here is the truth, If Jesus has forgiven you… why cant you?

You are not the same person.

Now here is the second reason not to listen to the Devil....

James 4:7 ESV

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Why is that so important for us to hear, to believe today? Because the Devil is an accuser

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