A Proud Spirit
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Wisdom
Good morning, Thank you for all being here this morning. Well today is a New Year. I year of new possibilities and a fresh start in many ways. We will be returning to James chapter 4 today and we will continue where we left off before the Advent season. As Advent causes us to focus on Christ. To slow down and regroup on who Jesus is and why he came. The turn of a New Year does something as well. Though it isn’t a biblical event, it does cause people to reflect and look to the past and look to what is coming next year.
To get us caught up James has just communicated to the Christians in Jerusalem about pride and a humble spirit.
But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. He then lists important factors in a humble spirit.
Submit to God, Resist the Devil, Draw near to God, Cleanse hands, heart, mind. Mourn and weep when we sin.
He ends with humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
He then dives into some examples of the pride that they were dealing with.
Open with me to James
Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
Pride over the Law
Pride over the Law
Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
The word criticize my be translated as speak evil. The word that is used here means to slander.
To Slander - to charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone.
The same word in Greek is translated as defame in the next sentence and he adds anyone who judges. Judges means to form a critical opinion of some one (positive or negative) by evaluation or scrutiny.
James give a command, not a suggestion. Don’t slander another believer. Do not bring false charges the reputation of someone. Do not maliciously attack someones reputation.
A person who does this is a slanderer and judge of the law. By doing this a person becomes a judge of the law not a doer. The law in court sits between the judge and the public. Any person can come before a judge and they can be judged by the law as a law follower or a doer of the law or a law breaker.
The law is given to sit over the people and under the judge. A Judge is public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice.The law determines what is lawful behavior and unlawful behavior. The judge uses the law to pass judgments on the people under the law.
What would it look like if a person was standing in court and a person in the courtroom walked up and asked the Judge to step a side so that they could judge the person that was standing before the judge. James is saying that when a person is slandering another brother they have taken an inappropriate position of judge not doer. This is inappropriate because of the next statement.
There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
The law of the bible, the law of God, the one that governs the lives of the people. There is only one judge over it and it is not you or I.
The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son,
Each believer will sit at the judgement seat of Christ in the end.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
There are different judgments at the end for the believers and the lost. For the believers the condemnation of our sins. The sentence of judgement will have been covered by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But each person that does not have a saving faith in Jesus with stand by themselves and they will be judged according to the laws of God. They will receive the wages of sin which is death.
James was written early on on the history of the new church and Romans was written later but Paul reaffirms the teaching of James
Romans 2:1–16 (CSB)
1 Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.
2 Now we know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth.
3 Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. 6 He will repay each one according to his works: 7 eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness.
9 There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no favoritism with God. 12 For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.
14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them 16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
We will all have to deal with the law in our lifetimes. There is only one lawgiver and and judge. We must be careful that we do not find ourselves stepping beyond the authority that God has given His people. We are to be doers of the bible. After this example of people who were being proud and not humble, he goes into a section using a business example to show how the proud and the humble regard God’s Will.
Disregarding God’s Will
Disregarding God’s Will
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
James give a negative example of prideful living in regards to God’s will.
James 4:13–14 (CSB)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
Living as if God has no will for your life.
Proper Response to God’s Will
Proper Response to God’s Will
James gives the positive response.
Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
1 Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.
Boasting in Arrogance
Boasting in Arrogance
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
These people know God’s will exists but they reject it as having any value. Setting our planes before God's
Sin of Disobedience
Sin of Disobedience
So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
this person knows
God has a will and even acknowledges it as the correct thing to follow and then rejects it, Disobeys it
Conclusion
Conclusion
New Years 2023 is full of many unknowns and we will face challenges that we don’t see coming but we have a constant unchanging God and he sent his son to be with us. We will need to seek God’s will for our church. To follow the paths that he puts us on. How do we as individuals and as a church know what God’s will is for us.
Romans 12:1–3 (CSB)
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
What we will need to do is to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Not to be conformed but transformed. We must take what we learn and apply it to our lives and by doing so be transformed. James has given many ways and areas of our lives that need to be transformed and not conformed. We will have to deal with sin in our lives and repent and be forgiven.
We seek wisdom so we must ask for it from God. We want to be able to discern what is the good pleasing and perfect will of God.
We will have to watch out for things like slander that may enter the church. False assumptions that lead to false accusations. We can protect against that by just being open an honest with each other. To communicate well. To be in fellowship with one another.
“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.
Reflection
Reflection
I am going to ask the worship team to come up an play for a little while. I would ask that you spend some time reflecting on today's message. Write down your final thoughts, sit in prayer of worship and repentance, fill out a connection card if you would like to speak with me more.
Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.