James 4:6-12 He gives more Grace! Part 2

What do the top movies, songs and Novels of all time have in common? – They are all about relationships

A) People are craving for meaningful relationships

B) Why some of the most popular movies of all time deal with that subject

1) Love story relationship / Friendship / Father Son / Mother Daughter –

2) Why there are support groups for just about everything – Looking for others who can relate to us!

C) It is one of the things that resonates with all of us Desire to have good healthy relationships

That is supposed to be one of the selling points and attractions of the Church.

A) Focus first is on the need to be in a right relationship with God

Primary relationship – why we were created

B) Reason Jesus came – Sin separated – He paid the price – bore our punishment – took our sin

1) If we turn from our sin – turn to Him – saved

C) Come into relationship with God –

And that puts us into a very unique family – the Family of God

A) Relationships in the Church – Brotherhood / Sisterhood - Unity – Connection by blood

B) That is what the Church is supposed to look like- but it doesn’t always – in fact –it often hasn’t

1) Instead filled with Strife / Fighting Divisions –

2) Breaks the heart of God our Father

C) We saw in our Study last time – James addressed the cause of that type of Disputing.

1) It comes from within – Self – My needs, wants, pleasures above everyone else’s

D) And Most of all above what God has laid out for me!

Failure to understand what God has for us and is seeking to do in us.

A)Verse 5-6 James tells us 3 important things about how God is seeking to work in our lives

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain,"The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? 6 But He gives more grace.

HS Woos us – He yearns for us – Intimacy closeness – Satisfy that longing for relationship in an intimate relationship with God

HS Warns us – He yearns Jealously – Protective of us{ Like a Father for his daughter – wants the best

A) Warns us of those things – Distract us – harm us – not the best for us. – Like an Alarm in the heart

RULES TO DATE MY DAUGHTER

The Holy Spirit supplies us: He gives more grace!

A) Thomas Manton- Grace is nothing but an introduction of the virtues of God into the soul"

B) Talking: God's power, love, kindness, strength, wisdom, might, patience, gentleness being made known to the believer:

C) And there will always be enough grace, regardless of your situation or need…ALWAYS!

Author John Blanchard, “For daily need there is daily grace; For sudden need there is sudden grace; For overwhelming need there is overwhelming grace;”

But in v.6b Criteria for receiving this grace:

God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

The word for proud literally means one who shows himself above other people.

A) We want to believe that we are pretty good people – better than most

B) Before saved – compare myself with others not as together

1) Guy doing drugs / guy who beats his wife / guys who doesn’t spend anytime with his Kids – { I am alright

C) After we are saved: look back and think – I am not what I used be –

1) Always easy to find those who remind us of what we used to be

D) That guy doesn’t have it together like I do! – really Changed

Humility starts with Honesty: I really don’t have it together – I have problems I am a work in progress

A) Yes it is true I am not what I used to be – but I am not what I should be either.

B) Too many Christians stop at the first part – Content with the fact that they are not what they USED TO BE!

1) And they are not really concerned that they are not what they should be!

C))Humility recognizes our own spiritual poverty (cf. Matt. 5:3).

1) Starting point of the Beatitudes – Blessed are the Poor in Spirit { Why theirs is the Kingdom - objective

D) Humility acknowledges our desperate need of God's help.

1) The Need to be dependent upon Him

E) God resists the Proud – Gives grace to the Humble

More and More of grace – River of Grace ….

Results of that Humble heart – #1 A Yielded heart

A) V.7 Therefore Submit to God – cease fighting & surrender your will to His control.

B) Submit is positive: it is to willingly place yourself under another out of love and respect.

1) Whenever the Bible talks about submission that is always the case – Willingly out of love – Place yourself under another

C) In the case of God – Because I so Love – so respect – Believe His love for me

1) No where else I would rather be{ Not a half to – not I know it is the smart thing

D) Biblical Picture is the Bondservant:

#2 Turning from the power of the enemy! Resist the devil and he will flee from you!

A) “Resist” is a military metaphor which means to stand against, as in combat.

B) Can’t resist until you have submitted –

Many pp want power over the enemy – but they don’t want to submit to God.

C) They want to do their own thing – but not be addicted or influenced by the enemies power – doesn’t work that way

1) Starts with submission!

D) Eph 6 Be strong in the Lord …. Power … might – stand

#3 Pursuing of Intimacy with God: V.8a “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

A) The more we experience of God’s grace –the closer we want to be to Him

B) Grace is a license – not so – Those who are forgiven much love much.

C) Great promise for those who Draw near – Draw near to God and He might…. – or maybe someday

1) No, it says He will draw near to you!

D)”Blessed are those who Hunger and thirst for Righteousness because they will be filled.” Matt 5:6

– Satisfied by God!

#4 A right attitude about sin! True Repentance!

V.8 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.

A) Hands speaks of our outward actions / Heart speaks of our inward attitudes

B) Both are involved in true repentance! – Actions change – there is a turning from the sin –

But not just wanting to have a good appearance

the attitude of the heart – changes as well

A) Purity of heart – being real about my sin

B) See my short falls / see my flesh – sorrow

Don’t sweep under the carpet – don’t make excuses

C) Way of pride is to make excuses – rationalize our sin / Blame others, make excuses

D) The person who has been humbled by the grace of God – says – Lord – I blew it – don’t have it together

1) Sorrow and mourning over sin!

B) Blessed are they that mourn – why – they shall be comforted Matthew 5:4

C) Broken and contrite heart – God will not turn away from – Comforts – showers in grace – not condemnation

1) Condemnation is from the enemy – pushes you away

Beautiful Promise:

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Peter after Rez – Fishing / Pulls the net

Only when a man realizes his own ignorance will he ask God’s guidance.

A) Only when a man realizes his own poverty in the things that matter will he pray for the riches of God’s grace.

B) Only when a man realizes his weakness in necessary things will he come to draw upon God’s strength.

1) Only when a man mourns over his own sin will he realize his need of a Saviour and of God’s forgiveness. Really repent

#5 Humble heart causes me to see others differently!

V.11Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

The word James uses for to speak evil = speak harshly of or, to slander

A) To gossip – to verbally assault someone behind their back.

B) James says to do so is to make myself the Judge of the Law of God.

C) It is a breach of the royal law that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

Obviously a man cannot love his neighbour as himself and speak slanderous evil about him.

A) Now, if a man breaks a law knowingly, he is setting himself above the law.

B) That is to say, he has made himself a judge of the law.

1) Vigilantism – the law is not taking care of the Problem so I will.

C) James is making the same idea here: God is not taking care of the problem – so I will I am going to let everyone here Know what a jerk – he is -

D) But a man’s duty is not to judge the law, but to obey it.

We applaud Vigilantism in the Movies: Eastwood Bronson – careers taking the law into their own hands

But there is no place for that in the Church!

A) It is an infringement of the prerogative of God.

B) To slander our neighbour is, in fact, to pass judgment upon him.

We are not to Judge – we can inspect fruit – we can judge actions – that was a wrong way to handle it!

A) But not motive – who here really knows another mans heart

B) Only God He is the Law Giver – He can save and destroy – Only God knows the heart!

C) When we start guessing about pp’s motives and having discussions about why they did something

1) We make ourselves out to be God

D) All that is / is our Pride!

In my younger days I was really critical and opinionated

A) Really Pride – I judged my leaders – work in the Church- armchair QB –

B) That all Changed when I became the person who suddenly had the target on my back – all my decisions being scrutinized –

1) Motives being called into question –

E) It is a good remedy for ridicule – Judgment – You become the one being Judged

I find it interesting that James uses the term brother or brethren 3 times in these two verses.

A) Think he is trying to tell us something? I do !

B) You are family – He wants us to appreciate the beauty the wonder of this thing called the body of Christ What we are craving / Longing for!

This thing called the Body of Christ – is made up of people Just like you.

A) Pp who are hurting / Pp who are flawed / pp w/ regrets / pp who have done stupid things

B) SINNERS ! missed the mark !

C) But at the same time:

PP who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ

PP who have been filled by the Spirit of the Living God

PP Adopted into the family of God

PP we are going to spend eternity with

Pp like myself who are in need of more Grace!

C) When My heart is humble I discover – I am no better than you – We are all in the same boat – Sinners in need of more grace

D) Instead of putting you down – judging you, my heart is to shower you with much Grace!

Micah 6:8

“He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justly, To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?”