James has accused his readers of murdering. He has called them adulterers. If they are of a mind to be slow to anger they are still reading. And so are we. We are the bride of Christ and the Holy Spirit gets jealous. Let’s learn about how we can work on the relationship.
WHAT MAKES HUMILITY SUCH AN IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE CHRISTIAN?
A. To whom is God gracious? V. 6
1. Is God gracious to non-Christians? In what sense are resistors proud? Prov. 16:5
2. Why is God opposed to proud people?
3. Does God give more grace to Christians?
4. What qualifies Christians to receive more grace than non-Christians?
5. Does a proud Christian receive God’s grace?
Conclusion - God gives more grace to the…
B. What is a humble person like?
1. How important is humility?
a. Can a person be a Christian and not be humble? Matt. 18:3-4
b. Can a person be justified (totally sinless) before God without humility? Luke 18:14
c. Can you really know Christ if you do not know what it is to be humble? Phil. 2:3
2. What did Jesus say about the poor in spirit? Matt. 5:3
d. Does everyone have spiritual needs?
e. Does everyone recognize it?
f. What events cause us to realize we that have spiritual needs?
g. Can a Christian help a someone get their spiritual needs met? When is a good time to help?
3. How can we tell that we have submitted to God?
a. Who other than God has a will that we could submit to?
(1) Can we a good case for a situation where we have a right to something?
(2) Does giving up our right to something due us demonstrate humility? How’s that?
(3) Our will vs. His will. Do you struggle with this?
a. We must first make sure we know His will. What is it?
b. Who or what does the Bible say we are to submit to? (wife to husband, to one another, younger to the older, the Christian to government of man)
c. What is the difference between submission and resistance?
d. When we say we can’t do the thing we are clearly told to do, what are we really saying? (Does “I can’t” mean that in Christ as a new creature I am deficient in some way? - Phil. 4:13)
e. What has to happen to “self” so that we can really love God and others?
f. What keeps us as a church from submitting to what we call the “Great Commission”?
4. How can we tell if we are resisting the Devil? V. 7
a. Is it possible to resist God and the Devil at the same time?
b. Is submission to God resistance to the Devil?
c. Is it possible that the church has reached a certain comfort level with the world to where we adopt its values and look just like it?
Here are some examples taken from a 1997
OmniPoll survey:
Donated any money to a non-profit organization in the past month:
47% Christians 48% Non-Christians
Have been divorced:
27% Christians 23% Non-Christians
Volunteered time to help at a non-profit organization in past week:
29% Christians 27% Non-Christians
Bought a lottery ticket in the past week:
23% Christians 27% Non-Christians
Gave money to a homeless person or poor person in the past year:
24% Christians 34% Non-Christians
d. How do we get rid of the Devil? (Bind him, cast him out, tell him to leave in prayer)
5. How do we draw near to God?
a. Is being close to God mean just talking about it?
(1) Just how are we to draw near? Matthew 15:8
(2) What did Jesus call the people who only said they loved God?
b. What can we do to reestablish closeness to God?
c. Practical steps?
· reading God’s Word on a daily basis
· to be in prayer
· to have fellowship with other believers
· to serve others
· to tell the gospel to others
d. Does drawing near to God start with a desire to know him better? Make God #1
e. If we are really dependent on God, we won’t let Him get too far away!
6. What’s it like when God draws near to us? Luke 15:20
7. Why is washing our hands, cleansing our hearts and being single-minded important? V. 8
a. What does he mean by “wash your hands”? Isaiah 1:16
b. How do we purify our hearts? Psalm 24:4 (Idol - what we look to as the solution)
c. Can we be a friend of the world and a friend of God? (wanting both makes us…)
8. Is James saying in verse 9 that we aren’t supposed to have fun?
a. What did Jesus say? Matt. 5:4
b. What has the Christian go to mourn, grieve, and wail about?
1. "Remorse for our sin is not a sullen preoccupation with our failures, but a heart felt sorrow for disobedience." -- D. Webster
2. What did Jesus mourn over? Luke 19:41
3. What did Paul grieve over? Rom. 9:2-3
c. What’s wrong with laughter and joy?
9. Why should we humble ourselves according to verse 10?
a. Why not just lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps? Why be humble and bother God?
b. What did Jesus say? Matt. 23:12
(1) Do we need to make sure our place in God’s kingdom is secure?
(2) What is the secure place in the kingdom of God? Luke 14:7-11
Conclusion
· To whom does God give more grace
· God opposes resistors and gives grace to the…
· Humility is when we deserve something but we are willing to…
· Humility is important because…
· Humility is demonstrated by…
· If you need God’s grace then be…
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase;
To added affliction He addeth his mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of his infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again !
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of his infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth, and giveth again. !