Walking Down Victory Lane III James 4
Walking Down Victory Lane III James 4:6-8 EBC 3/09/08
Many times we’re amazed at a believer’s response to adversity and their confidence in God’s promises. In a nut shell we “call this having the grace of God” on your life. In these verses of James, he gives us a formula for how we can have God’s grace on our lives. God gives us some positives and negatives, a don’t and some do’s.
Don’t – Be Proud- Explain Proud/Pride. If your cup is full of yourself, you won’t get any grace. That’s the reason many Christians have very few victories in their lives and there always seems to be something eating at them.
Do- Be Humble- Explain humility
V.6- Giveth- Present indicative- a continuous action.
How can we have God’s grace on our lives?
Two weeks ago-
1- Submit to God
A. Submit- to put oneself under. We must bring ourselves in rank and file under God. Submitting is surrendering my will which leads to obedience. The concept of submission is doing God’s will from the heart no matter what the cost. In submitting we are taking what is important o God and making it important to us.
Last week-
2- Resist the devil-
A. Resist- anti- against, histemi- stand. Resist means to stand against.
1. One secret of standing against the devil is to remain combat ready. Have you applied the armour of God.
2. Eph. 6:13
3. 1 Peter 5:8- Satan out to destroy you.
I. Draw Near to God – in intimate fellowship and communion
A. This is the third thing we need to do if we want the grace of God on our lives.
B. The farther we drive Satan from us the closer God will be to us.
1. We can’t hold to God with one hand and hold to Satan with the other.
a. Matt. 6:24- can’t serve God and mammon
2. Spiros Zodihates- It is not sufficient to get rid of the devil; it is necessary to get hold of God, to keep in close communion with Him in order that the devil may never be successful in his attacks against us. That is why James says “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you”. We can almost reach out and touch the invisible God. What a challenge. Ill. Night on Stony Point Road.
C. Ill- question by minister
D. It is because of the provision made by Christ (sinful man can’t approach a holy God except thru the drawing of the Holy Spirit) and the ministry of the Holy Spirit that we can draw near to God.
1. What a wonderful privilege that God wants us to draw near to Him. Man is unique in that he can walk and talk with God. You will find that once you have had that close communion with God you are lost without it.
a. Psa. 27:7,8-
b. Psa. 63:1,2-
c. Psa. 42:1,2-
How do we draw near? KJV Commentary- The tense of Draw nigh implores the listeners to complete a single, definite act. Cleanse has to do with my actions- Purify has to do with my thoughts.