SERIES: The Book of James
TEXT: James 4:1-12
MESSAGE: “Grace in Humble Submission”

1) Introduction to the Conflict

1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. — James 4:1-3

Wickedness of the Heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked — Jeremiah 17:9

Hofstede (1980) considered individualism to be a focus on rights above duties, a concern for oneself and immediate family, an emphasis on personal autonomy and self-fulfillment, and the basing of one’s identity on one’s personal accomplishments. — Geert Hofstede (1980) on individualism

“I have often wondered that persons who make boast of professing the Christian religion—namely love, joy, peace, temperance, and charity to all men—should quarrel with such rancorous animosity and display daily towards one another such bitter hatred, that this, rather than the virtues which they profess, is the readiest criteria of their faith.” — The 17th century Dutch-Jewish philosopher Benedict de Spinoza

We do not deny that there is such a thing as moral conflict in non-Christian people, but we assert that it is fiercer in Christians because they possess two natures—flesh and Spirit—in irreconcilable antagonism. — John Stott

2) Friendship with the World

4 You adulterous [adulteresses] people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? — James 4:4-5

7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. — Romans 8:7-8

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. — 1 John 2:15-17

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:5-11

Pride is that ugly part of your heart that causes you to be more concerned about yourself and your own reputation than you are about Christ and His. — Sam Storms

3) The Causes of Pride and Spiritual Arrogance

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? — James 4:11-12

Marks of Spiritual Pride & Spiritual Humility:

• Spiritual pride makes you more aware of others faults than your own. Spiritual humility makes you far more aware of your own faults than those of others.
• Pride leads you, when you speak of others faults, to speak in contempt of that other person. Humility means that when you do speak of other people’s faults you do so with grief and mercy.
• Pride leads you to quickly separate from people you criticize or people who criticize you. You are either cold to them or you avoid them. Spiritual humility means that you stick with people in difficult relationships. You don’t give up on them.
• A proud person is dogmatic and sure about every point of belief. Proud people cannot distinguish between major and minor points of belief because everything the proud person believes is “major.”
• A proud person either loves to confront because they love winning or they refuse to confront because they are afraid of losing. A humble person confronts necessarily (when it is necessary).
• A proud person is often unhappy and sorry for themselves. This is because:
  • They are so sure they know how life ought to go.
  • They are sure they deserve a good life. A humble person says “I deserve to be cast off, but only by God’s grace am I living…I don’t know what is best for me.”

4) Call to Humility and Repentance

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. — James 4:7-10

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. — 1 Peter 1:22

All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. — 1 John 3:3

Moses was not courageous and bold in spite of being humble; Moses was courageous and bold because he WAS humble! — Tim Keller

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” — Luke 18:14

5) Grace and the Exchanged Life

“But he gives us more grace… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” — James 4:6, 10

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. — 1 John 3:16

“Don’t you see in heaven everybody loses their independence everybody is joyfully serving and saying thank you and getting happier and happier and happier and in Hell everybody says I don’t ask for anything don’t ask anything of me it’s the loneliest part of the universe” creating community and Shalom. — Tim Keller