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Introduction
Tonight, we are moving into the second section or paragraph of chapter 4. The first section highlights a daunting spiritual problem in each believer’s life.
Our problem is the flesh and its desire [“lust”] for sinful pleasures.
Our ability to overcome this problem is related to our relationship with God.
We ended our study with verse 6,which says:
The believer who is too pigheaded to follow God’s instructions insisting they do it their own way, will not overcome the flesh for two primary reasons.
They are simply unable to do so, and because of their pride, God will resist them by not helping them.
However, for the humble believer, knowing they need God’s help, He gives grace upon grace.
In other words, God stands ready to assist them, having already provided each believer with a certain amount of grace at their disposal.
As they do it His way, He gives more grace in the time of need.
Now we move into this next section.
This section is all about instructions.
How do we humble ourselves?
What necessary steps must be taken to experience God’s abundant grace?
What aspects of God’s grace will we experience as we take these steps?
The answers to these questions and more are given to us in the following 4 verses.
Let’s read them, and then we will focus solely on verse 7.
In these verses, we find a list of instructions for overcoming temptations that emanate from self, Satan, and sinful men around us.
The first two instructions come to us in verse 7, which says:
Everything in this verse is directed at personal instruction to every believer.
You will note the use of personal pronouns.
In fact, the understood subject of each sentence in this verse is the personal pronoun “you.”
You submit.
You resist.
You are to submit yourself to God.
You are to resist the Devil.
So there are two essential instructions here.
Obeying these instructions is key to overcoming one of the three great enemies we face.
The three enemies are self, the sphere of humanity (the world), and Satan.
Following these instructions leads to the satisfying reward of seeing Satan flee from you.
We will get to that more in just a few moments.
However, we must understand and implement the first two commands before enjoying the promised reward.
Two Key Instructions
Submit to God
Our first instruction is quite explicit.
The Holy Spirit tells us:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
The word “submit” comes from a Greek compound word.
A compound word is one compromised to two or more other words.
This particular word comes from two Greek words.
The first is “hupo” which means “under.”
The second is “tasso” which means “to arrange.”
When combined, they mean “to arrange under or to rank under.”
It is primarily a military term.
As we know, with all military, there is a hierarchy of command.
Our great United States Army has enlisted soldiers who answer to non-commissioned officers.
Non-commissioned officers rank under and submit to commissioned officers.
Commissioned officers rank under those given field commands such as Majors and Colonels who answer to Generals.
At the top of the command structure sits the General of the Army.
Even then, the General of the Army answers to the Command in Chief, the President of the United States.
Each soldier as part of our great military understands the term “submit.”
They are taught the importance of following commands from those under whom they serve.
Thus, the Holy Spirit establishes a couple of principles by instructing us to “submit.”
The first principle is that Jesus Christ, who is God, is the Supreme Commander to whom all of us as “soldiers of the cross” must recognize and submit to His authority.
Since the Lord is our Captain and our prince, our simple job as his soldiers is to “submit.”
We are to arrange ourselves under His command.
When He speaks, we listen and obey.
We are to place ourselves completely under His care, power, and strength.
We must yield to His will, commands, instructions, laws, behavior, and word.
There is to be a total surrender of our heart, soul, and mind (our entire being) to Him.
If you want to overcome the temptations of the flesh, the world, and Satan, you must do exactly has He, the Lord Jesus Christ, commands.
Commands which, by the way, are written and spelled out for us in His Word.
We hold them in our hands and stand without excuse in obedience to them.
Here, in this verse, the Holy Spirit (God Himself) is saying “submit” to me, and He will utilize His power and strength to help you face the great spiritual enemies of this life.
In fact, as the Captain of our salvation, He has a battle plan that comes complete with a great arsenal and the mightiest power in the Universe.
He is a force that wrecks anyone who would stand in His way.
This is the strong Captain that we serve.
Therefore, we must simply “submit” to Him.
Here is another principle that comes with the word “submit.”
Submission begins and continues with obedience to His Word.
This means that when temptation strikes in any form, we must immediately focus our minds on Him and His Word.
It is impressive how quickly temptation can arise.
It seemingly appears out of thin air, happening so quick.
For this reason, each believer must rely upon God’s battle plan.
Reading, studying, and memorizing Scripture is essential in overcoming the enemy.
We must commit to memory as much as possible of every detail of the battle plan.
It is a battle plan that knows you as a soldier of the cross and the enemy you face.
However, if you simply toss the battle plan aside, only occasionally picking up and perusing it, you will fall quickly in battle.
A good soldier is a prepared soldier.
We must prepare by knowing God’s Word.
However, a great soldier knows the battle plan and commits to executing it without flaw.
This is where obedience is critical.
Knowing God’s Word is only effective when we DO God’s Word.
Living it daily provides training for those moments when the enemy ambushes you with spiritual temptation.
If we read, study, memorize, and obey God’s Word submissively, we are in a far better position to handle the lusts from within.
Then when those moments come, our submission to Him creates an avenue for Him to work in and through us so that we might overcome the enemy.
The best illustration of this is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Now, grant it, He had an advantage over us.
He is the Word of God.
He is God Himself.
However, He, as the Great Commander, gave us an efficient example of submission and its rewards.His example is found in Luke 4. Most of us already know the story as the great Temptation of Christ by Satan.
However, let’s look at it for just a few minutes so that we may see His example.
Did you see how Christ handled these temptations from Satan?
What was the weapon of choice here in defeating Satan?
Was it not the Word of God? Christ impeccably illustrated how our submission to God and His Word rebuts any temptation the Devil throws at us.
There is a kids’ Bible song we often used in Vacation Bible School.
when I was an assistant pastor.
It goes like this:
Read Your Bible
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