Humility Before God

Lesson Text: James 4: 1-10, 13-17

Related Scriptures: Isaiah 57: 13-21 ; Luke 1 2:13-21; 14:7-11; 18:9-14; I Peter 5:5-7

 

TIME: about A.D. 45                            PLACE: from Jerusalem

 

GOLDEN TEXT God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6).

 

Introduction

Proper attitudes are very important for the Christian walk. Previously James emphasized the importance of faith (1:6) and actions (vs. 22). Genuine faith expresses itself in works (2:17) and in the proper use of the tongue (3:2). But what is the relationship between our faith and our attitudes?

Too often people who profess Christian faith are guilty of having bad attitudes. A Christian waitress often served people coming from church, yet their attitude often was not Christlike.

Do your attitudes point others to the Savior, or do they cause people to question the reality of your faith?

 

 LESSON OUTLINE .

1. Shun The World—Jas. 4:1-6

2. Submit To God—Jas. 4:7-10

3. Seek God's Will—Jas. 4:13-17

 

Exposition: Verse by Verse

SHUN THE WORLD

JAS. 4:1 From whence come wars and fighting’s among you? they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace. Where fore he saith, God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble.

 

Wars And Fighting’s (Jas. 4:1-2

 The reference to "wars and fightings" should not be understood i the sense of literal combat. Rather James had in mind those conflicts that sometimes arise among believers. Sadly, some churches are notorious for their "wars and fightings." This discredits the cause of Christ before the world and makes it more difficult to evangelize the lost.

Since this follows James's words about the tongue, it is likely that the weapons of these fights were not physical but rather the harmful words of individuals within the church. Most churches don't get into physical fights with one another, but gossip, belittle, or backstab one another.

{The origin of these conflicts, said James, is the "lusts that war in your members" (vs. 1 )} Q1 The word translated "lusts" is elsewhere rendered "pleasures" (cf. Luke 4; Titus 3:3). Indeed, it is the desire to please and promote self that often leads to conflict. When believers have conflicting desires and refuse to relinquish those desires, it often results in fights.

of course, those Christians were not literally killing one another, but they may have been exhibiting murderous attitudes. First John 3:15 says, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." This is like Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:21.

There are proper and improper ways of obtaining anything. James told his audience that they lack simply because they did not ask. Those things that are most important in life can be given only by God (Jas. 1:17). Indeed, we must ask God for even our daily bread. For all needs, God's people must ask Him to supply whatever is necessary (Matt. 6:8-11, 33-34; 7:7-11).

 

Asking Amiss (Jas. 4:3).

Even when they did ask God for things, James's Bible Expositor and Illuminator readers did not always receive what they wanted. {They asked to spend it on their own desires. Not all requests that are brought before God's throne are acceptable. God is eager to answer prayer, but it must be "according to his will" (l John 5:14). If we ask for something that would not work for God's glory and our joy, He will not give it to us (John 14:13. 16:24)}Q2)

While we cannot always know God's will in every situation, we can discern from the Scriptures the kinds of requests that are always acceptable in His sight.

God has promised to meet our needs (Matt. 6:8, 25-34). While' we are encouraged to pray in every situation (Phil. 4:6-7), a bigger paycheck, fewer hours, and more benefits are often not truly needs. They may or may not be for our spiritual best, and God has not promised to always give these things. This does not mean He does not hear us.

The word translated "amiss" comes from a word that means "wickedly" or "evilly," and could be translated "with wrong motives." Regarding any prayer, we must always examine our motives. This is true even regarding petitions that we might otherwise think are acceptable to God.

Asking amiss has its roots in selfish praying, to fulfill our own desires. Do we pray to please ourselves or to please God and others? We all have personal needs, and those are certainly acceptable prayers. The problem is when we think only about ourselves . Prayers should be offered in view of God's larger plan for our lives and His purposes in the world.

 

Friendship With The World (Jas. 4:4).

{James was probably not addressing actual "adulterers and adulteresses" when he condemned those who loved the world. More likely, James was using adultery as a symbol for spiritual unfaithfulness, for it is connected with "the friendship of the world" (Jas.4:4)}Q3  Similarly, the Hebrew prophets saw Israel’s apostasy from the true God as spiritual infidelity (cf. Jer. 3:8-9; Hos. 1:2; 4:12; 9:1).

Christians are to live holy lives. {Being friendly with the world puts us in a position of being enemies to God.}Q4

Most modern Christians do not realize how friendly we are with the world. Too often we enjoy the same entertainment and care about the same things as unbelievers. In some cases that poses no problem, but in other cases it has the potential of damaging our Christian witness or adversely influencing us to become more like the world and less like Christ. of course, more followers of Christ understand that certain activities are wrong, but while we avoid wrong activities, we must also avoid wrong attitudes, for such attitudes reveal that we are friends with the world!

"The 'friendship of the world' is the love of that world; of the maxims which govern it, the principles which reign there, the ends that are sought, the amusements and gratifications which characterize it as distinguished from the church of God" (Barnes, Barnes' Notes on the New Testament, Baker). When we are friends with the world, we are indistinguishable from it.

 

Grace To The Humble (Jas. 4:5-6).

{In verse 5, we face two difficulties. First, the underlying Greek sentence structure could be translated various ways in English. Second, there seems to be no place in the Old Testament where we can find the statement quoted here.Q5

Concerning the translation, the word "spirit" could refer either to the human spirit or to the Holy Spirit. As in verse 2, the word translated "lusteth" can mean any strong desire. The verse thus could be translated, "He yearns jealously over the spirit He has made to dwell in us." Or it could be rendered, "The Spirit He has made to dwell in us jealously desires us."

 Since there seems to be no passage in the Old Testament that makes this statement, we might assume that James was either paraphrasing or giving the general sense of one or several Old Testament passages (cf. Gen. 6:3; Num. 11 :29), or we might consider that he was anticipating the quote from Proverbs 3:34 cited in James 4:6.

In whatever way we understand James 4:5, it is clear that God gives greater grace to the humble. Verse 6 is a quotation from Proverbs 3:34: "Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly." As mere human beings, we must humble ourselves before the Almighty, for He opposes the proud (Prov. 1 6:5, 1 8:12).

Conversely, God gives grace and help to the humble. God is quick to give his help to those who ask for it. But if we are proud and do not ask for His help because we think we do not need it, we may find that He does not give it.

 

SUBMIT TO GOD

7 Submit yourselves therefore t God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, an weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 

Resist The Devil (Jas. 4:7-8).

 Humbling ourselves before the Lord is critical. One way we show our submission to God is to resist the devil and the temptations he brings our way. Earlier, James emphasized our own culpability in allowing temptation to lead us into sin (1 : 13-15). Now he stressed the active role we must play in resisting the one who is behind many of our enticements to sin (l Pet. 5:8-9).

Far too many Christians fail to realize that we are in a spiritual war with Satan (Eph. 6:10-17). He uses anything he can that might weaken our faith or cause us to yield to temptation. For some, the temptation might be drugs or alcohol. For others, it might be an obsession with something that is good in moderation. For others, it might be discouragement when facing illness or trouble. There is no lack of weaponry in Satan's arsenal to be used against us, and his temptations often come when we are most vulnerable.

{But the good news is that if we actively resist Satan, he will flee from us.}Q6 When Christ resisted him in the wilderness, the devil "departed from him for a season" (Luke 4:13). As happened with Jesus, Satan will surely return. If, however, we have been successful in resisting Satan, we will be stronger the next time he comes. Like Jesus, we must draw upon the resources of God's Word to ward off the fiery darts Satan hurls against us (Eph. 6:16). One day, God will finally and fully crush Satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20).

As we resist the devil, we must simultaneously draw near to God (Jas. 4:8). As we get closer to Him, He will get closer to us. As Paul told the Athenians, He is "not far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27). Any one of us can reach out to God at any time.

To draw near to God requires that we be cleansed of evil deeds and evil hearts (cf. I John 1:9). True worship can be accomplished only when we are right with God and right with one another (cf. Matt. 5:23-24; I John 4:19-21).

 

 Humble Yourselves (Jas. 4:9-10).

Humility before the Lord can be expressed variously. {Here James stressed the importance of genuine repentance, seen in weeping and mourning over one's sins (cf. Matt. 5:4). James was not promoting feel-good religion that only stress the positive aspects of following Christ. Nor was he promoting endless remorse and self-abasement over the same sins again. Rather, he instructed us to let our laughter be turned into mourning and our joy into heaviness, or gloom (cf. Luke 6:25). True sorrow over sin leads to repentance (II Cor. 7:9), which leads to forgiveness and a clear conscience.}Q7

The promise is clear: those who humble themselves in God's sight will be lifted up. First, they will be lifted up from the depths of sin and despair. When God forgives our sins, He fully forgives it. He does not bring it up against us in the future. Ultimately, Christians will also be lifted up to glory in the coming age.

 

SEEK GOD'S WILL

13 Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

5 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

 

The Sin of Presumption (Jas.4:13-14).

{Humans tend to trust themselves regarding the future. We may have big plans for a particular business venture, confident that we will be able to "buy and sell and get gain." The future, however, is not in our hands. Our plans may come to nothing. There are always things we could not have known or predicted.

While theoretically realizing that no one knows the future, we may still assume that we can control our own lives.}Q8 This was the mistake made by the man in Jesus' parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21). The rich man's plans quickly evaporated when his life ended without warning.

Our lives, says James, are like a vapor, seen briefly; then they are gone. People think they have plenty of time to meet their goals. As they age, they discover that life moves quickly. Much has been left undone, and time is running out. Life is short, and we do not control our lives. Would that more discover this truth sooner!

 

 Submission To The Lord's Will (Jas. 4:15-16).

{Since we do not know what is ahead, it is wise to put everything into God's hands and trust Him with the future. While not many use the expression "Lord willing," as previously, we would do well to revive that practice. To use such language reminds us that everything is contingent upon God's will (cf. Acts 1 8:21; I Cor. 4:19).

Whether we voice the actual words, we need to acknowledge that God's divine purposes are being worked Out. Whatever happens, the Sovereign Lord is in control.}Q9 This does not mean that we should take a nonchalant, whatever-will-be-will-be attitude toward life. In this very chapter we are encouraged to pray (Jas. 42), to submit to God (vs. 7), to resist the devil, to purify our hearts (vs. 8), and to do good (vs. 17).

 Since God is in control of the world, not us, any tendency to presumptuously boast about the future is evil. 

 

 Sins of Omission (Jas. 4:17). 

 {Failing to do good is comparable to actively disobeying God's commands. True, "sin is the transgression of the law" (l John 3:4), but to fail to do what is right is also sin in God's sight. It is a sin of omission.Q10

 

QUESTIONS

1 . Where do "wars and fightings" (Jas. ) come from?

2. What are some reasons for prayers going unanswered?

3. When James spoke of adultery, what did he likely mean (vs. 4)?

4. What is the result of becoming too friendly with the world?

5. What are some of the problems in attempting to understand verse 5?

6. What happens when we resist the devil?

7. What did James call upon his readers to do to express sorrow for sin?

8. What is a potential danger in making plans for the future?

9. How should Christian’s approach God's will and the future?

10. What is meant by a sin of omission Give some examples.

 

Preparing to Teach the Lesson

In this week's lesson, we explore the concept of humility and God's blessing. As Christians, we are called to be a humble people. The world more readily responds to the gospel when it is wrapped in humility. Humility makes us more credible in society.

 

TODAYS AIM

Facts: to show that humility is important.

Principle: to teach that God blesses humble people.

Application: to urge students to humble themselves before God.

 

INTRODUCING THE LESSON

Wes was a lay leader at church and loved to help the pastor in his duties, but what stood out was not his involvement in church but his attitude about it. He had a humble spirit in everything he did. Both at work and at church, everyone knew Wes for his unassuming and humble attitude. God truly blessed Wes as a result. Like Wes, we are called to be embodiments of humility as Jesus was on this earth. We too can receive His blessing.

 

DEVELOPING THE LESSON

1. Evil desires cause quarrels (Jas. 4:1-3).

 James here put his finger on the root of our quarreling. It is our drive to fulfill our selfish desires. We live in a "give me" world where self is the center. Our desires conflict with those of others, and there is conflict. The word "lusts" conveys the sensual and selfish nature of these desires.

When we lust and do not get what we want, we fight to get it. We want it at all costs. When we fight, we do not receive. James pointed out that there is a better way. We can ask God for what we need as long as we ask with right motives in mind. God looks within us, at our motives. When our motives are pure and we ask for good things, we will often receive generous blessings from God. He may not always give us what we want, but when this happens it is because He has a better plan for us. Though God blesses people who do not deserve it (cf. Rom. 5:8) often to receive God's bounty, we must ask with selflessness. It calls for humility.

 

2. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (Jas. 4:4-6).

James addressed his readers as "adulters." With that strong word, James was indicating that they had formed a relationship with the world that was contrary to what they had been called to as children of God. They had betrayed their relationship with God and formed an alliance with the world.

James was very clear when he said that they could not be loyal to both worlds. They could not be friends of God and the world at the same time. They had to choose one or the other.

The meaning of verse 5 is rather ambiguous, but the context seems to indicate that God's Spirit longs for us to be faithful to the very end. Verse 6 backs this up, for it says that God provides strength for us to follow Him and stand against our evil desires. He stands firm against those who are proud, those who put themselves first—and shows favor to those who are humble. Humility is an important emphasis in James's letter. Humility before God puts one on the side of God instead of the world.

 

3. Plea for humility (Jas. 4:7-10).

 James followed up his arguments with a plea for humble submission to God. Since we are powerless in ourselves to do what is right, we are to submit ourselves completely to God. We have changed sides. We are no longer with the world. We are to stand firm against Satan, and he will run away from us. We must stay close to God if we are to win that battle. Encourage the class members to see that this battle is real and that Satan is real, but that he is a defeated foe in the eyes of our Lord, who works with us. James called his readers to wash themselves clean and to turn to God with repentant hearts. He called for sorrow and grief, a sign of spiritual brokenness. Repentant hearts pave the way for humility and bring God's blessing.

When we prostrate ourselves before the almighty God, He will lift us up and give us honor. often this does not happen quickly (cf. Acts 7:29-30), but the process begins when we repent and are humble before God.

 

4. The dangers of self-confidence (Jas. 4:13-17).

When we depend on ourselves too much without looking up to God for all we need, disaster awaits us. It shows God that we lack humility and have become proud.

In describing the uncertainty of tomorrow, James emphasized that only the proud person arrogantly plans out things without regard for God. It is not wrong to plan (cf. Luke 14:28-33), but James reminds us that we do not know what tomorrow will bring, for we live in a sinful world of uncertainty. Our neatly laid out plans do not always come to pass. James compared Our lives to a mist, or fog, that is here now but quickly gone. Life is fleeting and impermanent, and we cannot count on tomorrow.

We need to trust God in all our planning and seek Him to show us what to do each day.

Encourage the class members to pray each day for the time they have before them. This will show their total dependence on Him.

When we lay out our plans without thinking of God, we become boastful,  the opposite of being humble. God seeks humble people. James closed this section by stating that it is sin when we know to do good and do not follow through with right actions. This links up what we learned earlier about faith and works. We show our faith by what we do in true humility.

 

 ILLUSTRATING THE LESSON

 God is looking for humble people to use them for His work. He promises to give them grace and lift them up.

GOD USES HUMBLE PEOPLE GOD PROUD

 

CONCLUDING THE LESSON

In this week's lesson, we have seen that God blesses the one who relies on Him for everything. The humble look to Him for daily strength. The best plans are those that are made in consultation with the Lord of the universe, for He knows the beginning from the end. He also knows what is truly best for us.

 

ANTICIPATING THE NEXT LESSON

Next week we will begin a unit on Biblical Doing. We will look at James 1, where James urges us to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers. Reading and hearing God's Word is important, but we must also apply it. _A. Koshy Muthalaly

 

PRACTICAL POINTS

1. Fights among Christians come from selfish desires (Jas. 4:1 ).

2. God blesses those who ask selflessly (Jas. 4:2-3).

3. Christians must choose to love God or to love world; it cannot be both (Jas. 4:4-5; cf. Matt. 6:24).

4. Humble submission to God is necessary if we are to effectively resist the devil (Jas. 4:6-8).

 5. God exalts those who are humble enough to repent of sin (vss. 9-10).

6. Our plans are not something to boast about but something to submit to God's will (vss. 13-17). —Darrell W. McKay

 

RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION .

1. How can believers fight, murder, and commit adultery (Jas. 4:1-5)? How can such cycles be broken?

2. What does it look like to be a friend of the world (Jas. 4:4)?

3. What scriptural example from the  Gospels can be cited for standing up to Satan (Jas. 4:7)? What do we learn from this example about how we resist the devil?

4. What does it look like to humble ourselves before God (Jas. 4:10)?

5. Why is it so difficult to be humble? Why do we seek to exalt self through pride instead of leaving the exalting with God (Jas. 4:10; cf. Luke 14:10-11)?

6. What value is there, if any, in literally saying "Lord willing" out loud when speaking about our plans for the future (Jas. 4:13-1 5)? —Darrell W. McKay

 

 ILLUSTRATED HIGH POINTS

Giveth grace unto the humble (Jas. 4:6)

While writing a story on poverty, I consulted the pastor of a city mission.

The poverty line, it turned out, had played only a minor role in the mission's support decisions. Applicant attitude was more important than financial status. Those who came humbly, hoping to get just enough to meet their immediate crisis, were given more.

 

It is a vapour (vs. 14)

A woman's last discussion with her aging father was about trusting Jesus. He replied that he would make that decision soon, but he died unexpectedly that night.

No matter how much time we think that we have left on Earth, only God knows the future, and it is presumptuous and arrogant to assume that everything will go as we have planned. Let us not put off for tomorrow what we know we ought to do. Tomorrow may not come.

 

To him it is sin (vs. 17)

Sam often ran errands for his elderly neighbor. Over time, however, she became more difficult to please. Some referred to her as "that old crab."

She complained when Sam was a few minutes late arriving to pick up her list. When he returned with the groceries, she had more complaints. Some items were the wrong brands; some of the produce was wilted; and why did he not try to economize?

Some of us asked Sam, "why do you continue to do this for her?" Sam simply responded, "Someone has to do it, and she probably could not find anyone else. Besides, I would feel guilty if I did not." —A J. Schneider

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