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James 4:7-10
It’s been said that /the most dangerous sin/ is whatever sin you least consider sinful.
Take the sin of pride, for example.
Most of us could easily rattle-off a list of sins we’d rank worse than pride (like murder, or adultery, or blasphemy, just to name a few).
But pride?
Who does /that/ hurt?
We may realize that God “resists the proud” (James 4:6) and finds human pride to be abominable in His sight (Pr.
16:5)… but our very definition of pride is often light years short of God’s definition.
American culture not only doesn’t see pride as a sin, they exalt it under the banner of self-esteem as the arch-virtue of society!
A few years ago, M-TV published a survey of Hollywood pop culture icons on the “Seven Deadly Sins.”
They interviewed such renowned "theologians" as Ice-T and Queen Latifah.
One of the rappers said: “Lust, a sin?
That’s what I live for!”
Another said: “Pride isn’t a sin!
We all need pride!”
But this is the counsel of the uninformed.
When any sin is viewed apart from a biblical worldview, it all becomes petty and relative.
Most people only see pride as an offensive aberration of personality… a social nuisance and nothing more.
“A proud person,” they will say, “is one who is arrogant and acts as if he’s better than others.”
It’s associated with inordinate self-esteem… an ego out-of-balance.
Of course, that’s part of what pride is, but it’s like the tip of a massive iceberg.
These definitions of pride are not incorrect – they’re just incomplete.
There’s so much more beneath the surface.
In James 4, verse 7-10 the emphasis is on breaking pride’s grip on the sinful soul.
These words were apparently addressed to the /unbelievers/ within the Jewish church – he refers to them as “sinners” – they were the ones who didn’t pass the tests of faith in the first three chapters.
So these commands are primarily warnings to unbelievers within the visible church who are too proud to confess their need for repentance.
But James offers them hope with his warning.
In honor of God and His Word, let’s stand for the reading of these verses.
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse /your/ hands, /you/ sinners; and purify /your/ hearts, /you/ double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep!
Let your laughter be turned to mourning and /your/ joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
[NKJV]
[Prayer] In these four verses, there are 10 verbs – all in the imperative mood.
So these verbs are all commands.
This morning, I’m going to give you these 10 commands in six expositional propositions that help all sinners subdue pride to honor Christ.
The first part of verse 7 says: “Therefore submit to God.” Here’s the first point…
*I.
Pride is subdued when sinners submit to God *(7a).
The “therefore” is part of the original Greek text.
If you have a word-for-word translation like the NASB or NKJV, you’ll have a “therefore” in the text.
The NIV has the word “then”.
But both of these words are “connecting words” to link the solution in vv.
7-10 with the problem stated in verse 6, namely, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Since that is true, therefore… submit to God.
The word “submit” is a military term.
It has the literal meaning “to rank under”.
Since this verb is in the passive voice, it suggests that our submission here is not forced, but voluntary.
The command here is to willingly and joyfully submit to God.
This is something we should /want/ to do, especially when we realize the hellish consequences of pride.
The proud are resisted by God – meaning, they are /opposed by Him/ and are the objects of His inevitable wrath.
The word “resists” or “is opposed to” are also military terms.
They describe a full army ready for battle.
James indicates that God is in full battle array against the proud; they are already in His scope and His aim is perfect.
The only thing preventing the execution of His wrath against these proud religious sinners is His patient mercy.
God is so patient and so merciful.
But their judgment does not sleep forever.
Soon enough, His merciful patience will yield to His just and holy wrath.
It is only the mere pleasure of God that keeps defiant sinners alive at this very moment.
We must submit to God!
Not as hostile captives, taken against our will; but as dearly-loved adopted children.
Submission is one of the strongest antidotes for pride.
The second half of verse 7 refers to the brutal master of unbelievers.
It says: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” That’s the second command.
*II.
Pride is subdued when sinners resist the devil* (7b).
To submit to God as your new Master is to resist your former master, the devil.
So these first two commands work in tandem.
Submit to God, resist the devil.
It’s like one fluid motion.
To resist literally means “to stand against”.
It has the same basic force as to what God does with the proud – He resists them, He opposes them.
Now God is saying through James, you do the same with the devil and his temptations.
For believers, this is a matter of spiritual life and death!
Resisting the devil is not a trivial matter.
This has to do with your private thought life and your personal morality in light of your obedience to God’s Word.
Resisting the devil does /not/ mean you bypass the dessert cart at a nice restaurant as if Satan’s main agenda is to get you to violate the terms of your diet.
Such thinking only trivializes the enemy.
The critical issue is not how big your waste size is – it’s how big your understanding of God is!
Where God is seen as small, sin is viewed as trivial; where sin is trivial, Satan has been given carte-blanch in that individual’s life.
Therefore, resisting the devil is spiritually directed and morally demonstrated.
After resisting the devil, the Bible says “he will flee from you”.
How does this work?
Jesus resisted the devil in the wilderness temptations.
He opposed the lies of the enemy using Scripture.
The Word of God assaults every lie that Satan poses.
Jesus could have said anything to defeat the devil, but He used the already written Word of God – all from Deuteronomy.
Jesus resisted the devil by quoting the Bible in order to show His followers how to use His resources!
The Bible is just as powerful in our lives, because the power that defeats the enemy is not ours, but God’s.
Memorizing Scripture and knowing key verses is like being constantly armed for every spiritual assault.
Memorize Scripture.
If there was a better way to resist the devil, wouldn’t Jesus have used another method?
He had every means at His disposal and every knowledge of His foe.
He used the Word of God! Memorize Scripture.
Sometimes just speaking Scripture out loud during times of temptation can have a dramatic effect.
Quoting Scripture out loud asserts God’s authority over every temptation, every enemy, and every weakness.
In the face of such resistance, “he will flee from you”.
No wonder the Word of God is called the “Sword of the Spirit”; it is an awesome weapon in the heart of a Christian.
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