James 4:7-10 – Rejoice Now – Cry Later or Cry Now – Rejoice Later
(Seven Rules for Personal Revival)
James 4:7-10 – 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, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
YOUR PART
GOD’S PART
Submit to God – Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
He will direct your paths.
Resist the devil – James 4:7 – Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you
The devil must go in the name of Jesus.
Draw near to God – James 4:8 – Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands – James 4:8 – Cleanse your hands
He will bless the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 28:12
Purify your hearts – Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
He will cleanse and restore – Psalm 51:17 – The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.
Lament, mourn, weep – James 4:9 – Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 1 Corinthians 4:17
Humble yourself – 1 Peter 5:6 – Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
He will exalt you – in His time.
THEREFORE…
James 1:21-22 – Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
THEN…
2 Chronicles 7:14 – If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Hebrews 4:11-16 – Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
What a privilege to enter into the very presence of God. To bring our petitions, our cares, worries, concerns to him. What a comfort to know that he understands our weaknesses because he experienced them also, but without giving in to them. We enter that rest via the veil – the flesh/body of Christ.
Sin is the greatest hindrance to prayer. Sin separates us from Christ. Sin is defeated through the blood of Jesus. Being set free from sin through his blood allows us to enter into his presence.
The throne of grace is that special place where we can become one with our Lord. After confession of sins – sins of omission (things we should have done but did not) and commission (things we should not have done but did) we can enjoy fulness of joy, peace of mind. We can have satisfaction knowing that our relationship with the Lord is one that cannot be compared to any other relationship we might have experienced.
His grace is enough to satisfy your soul, to make you whole and complete. His grace is the soothing ointment from above that will meet all your cares and needs.
James 5:13-18 – Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Be specific in your request.
Cheerful – sing songs and praise to the Lord.
Sick – call for the elders of the church to pray.
Anoint with oil in the name of the Lord.
Confess your trespasses, sins, faults to one another.
The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is a great story of God’s power. It is amazing. Yet James tells us that Elijah was just like us with the same faults and weaknesses. But as the story shows us, Elijah had a relationship with God that gave him the faith he needed to call down fire from heaven. The story is told in 1 Kings 18.
The story of Ellijah (1 Kings 19) after this great victory illustrates to us that he truly was like us. After this great victory, he ran in fear of the queen, Jezebel. God had to once again assure him that he was with him and that he would be victorious.
What is true of biology is also true of faith: If it is not growing, it’s probably dead. If someone tells you, “I believe there is a God in heaven,” you can be sure that person is one of the following:
a Christian
a user of some devotional guide
an individual who attends church, or
none of the above.
Pick an answer and then let us look at a scripture in chapter 2.
James 2:19 – You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
Do you tremble at the awesome power and presence of God when you are out of line according to the Scriptures? Do you fall under conviction at the reading of certain verses of the Bible when you know you don’t measure up?
James speaks out strongly against a “faith of God” that merely professes with the lips without practicing with the life. You might summarize his book this way: “If you believe as you should, why do you behave as you shouldn’t?” We might say, “Your actions speak louder than words”, or “put your money where your mouth is.” True faith is more than words or even profession. It is a vital walk that shows God has truly invaded your life. If you have truly been changed, your life will demonstrate that change and it will show that change as it “breathes” in unmistakable ways. And that raises a timely question….
Since you trusted Christ as your Savior, how has your lifestyle changed in the troublesome areas of some of the following categories?
prejudice
profanity
gossip
argumentative
giving to God in time, talent and finances
planning for the future
accepting unpleasant circumstances
What is that one area that, with God’s help, you will move from being a hearer to a doer of God’s Word?
James 1:22 – But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves
Taking both of these scriptures into account, what is James trying to tell us? I believe that he is trying to say “If you call yourself a Christian or a child of God, then you ought to act like it. You ought to speak like it. You ought to think like it. You ought to dress like it.”
Does the Bible not say?
Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Question: James 2:19 states that demons tremble in the presence of Jesus. They did when He walked the face of this earth and they do when you invoke His mighty Name in prayer. Did you know that when you are living an overcoming, consistent Christian life, you have the power to use the Name of Jesus in prayer and temptation must go? Many who call themselves Christian, live shallow, inconsistent lives of continually falling into sins they seemingly have no control over. The truth and answer to this dilemma is simply that they fail to obtain victory because they do not know the privilege of using the King of Glory’s Holy Name when they go to prayer. Prayer is answered when you go to the Father in the Name of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit within you begins to His work.
Just as a human body that fails to breathe is labeled a “dead body,” so too a faith that fails to “breathe” is labeled a “dead faith.” And the breath of faith in the Christian life is good works: demonstrating concern for the poor, controlling the tongue, exhibiting a spirit of humility, building up others. If you think you have faith but there is no living demonstration of that faith in your life, James has news for you: Your faith is worthless. True faith and good works cannot be divorced, for your life is the laboratory in which your faith is shown to be real.
There may come a time in your life when you wonder why you are not growing in your faith. Or you might wonder why you do not ever have the opportunity to lead others to Christ. When you ask yourself these kinds of questions, you may be able to answer them with another question: “Have I asked God to help me in this area?”
Understand that this passage does not advocate that you “demand” things from God as though He were some “cosmic butler” prepared to answer your every beck and call. Yet it is equally wrong to fail to ask Him to help meet your needs. God wants to bless your life and spiritually strengthen you. God wants to bless you because you are His child. Unfortunately, many of us fail to receive all of what God has for us because we do not pray.
Take a moment to look at your own spiritual progress. Do you want to have a better understanding of the Bible? Are you looking for some Christian friends? Do you want the Lord to show you what your spiritual gifts and talents are? God wants to bless you, but He may be just waiting for your invitation to do so.
While you do not need to change your lifestyle before you come to Christ, once you do come to Christ, your lifestyle should show tangible changes. If it does not, then one could doubt whether Christ has really come into your life. The way you live, act, think, should reflect what you believe.
Luke 3:8 – Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…
James brings out another important reason for backing up our faith with our actions in the following passage.
James 3:13-17 – Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
When people see that we genuinely care about them as individuals, then they will be much more open to hearing about what motivates us. Can people see Jesus in the way you live? If not, it is time to move Jesus into the “driver’s seat” of your life.
James 1:12-14 – Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
Endure temptation – You will be blessed
Do not give into Satan – You will be blessed
Do not give into temptation – You will be blessed
Live a holy, Godly life – You will be blessed
Temptations are like a Lay’s potato chip bag…you can’t eat just one! Temptations are like a snowball rolling down a hill…it grows and grows and grows more and more when we let it have its way! Temptations are like a bag of chocolates when you skipped lunch because you have just gone on a diet! Temptations are near impossible to resists…but we are able to resist through the strength which God has given us.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 John 5:12 – He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
He came to give us life
1 John 1:1-2 – That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
He came to fill us with joy
1 John 1:4 – And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
He was there “from the beginning
John 1:1-2, 14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Disciples saw His miracles! They were witnesses! They knew!
2 Peter 1:16 – For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
He is real
Luke 24:39 – Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
He came to do away with our sin, to forgive us, to set us free, to bring us joy, to free us from bondage, to heal our bodies and much-much more.
But the main point was to forgive our sins
1 John 3:5 – And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
We are responsible for our sins – Not like Flip Wilson who said, “The devil made me do it.”
1 John 3:8 – He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Matthew 13:38-40 – The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
He came to this earth for one purpose – to die on Calvary. By His death we know love because He gave His life for us, we should give our lives for one another following His example
1 John 3:16 – By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
He died for the ungodly – that’s you – that’s me
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
1 John 3:16 – By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
He was the propitiation (mercy seat), the one and only, the total and final ultimate sacrifice
1 John 4:9-10 – In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Disciples saw, and testified to what He has done for us
1 John 4:14 – And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
Jesus is our only source!
1 John 5:12 – He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Fad diets are the rage of the land. Fitness centers all across our country are the in place to be. Exercise and workout programs abound and yet we eat, eat, eat and our waistlines keep on telling us we need to change. We simply cannot, for the most part, stop the continued trend of stuffing our face.
Here is a sample of one diet crazed day:
Breakfast
One cup of coffee – black
One piece of whole wheat toast – dry – no butter, no jelly
½ grapefruit without sweetener
Lunch
Two small raw carrots
One glass of iced tea without sugar
One water cress sandwich on bran toast – no mayonnaise or other spread, you know just bland disgusting stuff to fill the vast expanse of our targeted area.
Afternoon snack – 2:00 PM
One Oreo cookie
Approximately 30 minutes later
The rest of the bag of Oreo cookies
One extra-large helping of rocky road ice cream with an over-sized helping of marshmallow sauce added
Washed down by a large vanilla milkshake
Two slices of cold left-over pizza
A helping of cherry cheesecake
Two Babe Ruth candy bars
Followed by a large Pepsi
Oh, the sin of that one lonely Oreo cookie!
That is sometimes a close example of our spiritual life also. In 2 Samuel 11 we find the story of King David’s great slip from godly living. In that story, David looks out from his castle onto the roof of a distant building where he sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing and desire takes hold of his heart. David goes on to commit adultery after that one look, then on to plotting the murder of Bathsheba’s husband. All that after one momentary glance, but a glance that consumed him and became his mortal downfall.
Nathan the prophet came and told David a little story about a rich man taking a poor man’s only lamb and David became enraged. Nathan responded, “You are the man.” David owned up to his being responsible and did the right thing. He confessed his sin, made things right. But like us, the memory of past sin sometimes lasts forever. In fact, even knowing our sins are forgiven, the thought of failure burns a scar on our memory that often pains us and wears us down. And Satan makes sure that you remember.
Galatians, chapter 5, has something to say about the lust of the flesh and enumerates several, eighteen to be exact, although this is not an all-inclusive list of sins that separate us from God. At the close of this brief passage it states, “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:21. That is a warning. But at the beginning of that passage is the hope for all of us in verse 16 where it simply tells us to “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Now, back to the Oreo cookies. Did you know that there are on the market more than a dozen different kinds of Oreo cookies? Of course, there is the original kind of chocolate with white crème filling….you know the kind we who are over the hill grew up on back in the dark ages. They were the kind all the guys in junior high used to get the entire chocolate cookie all over their teeth and then smile real big at the girls and try to gross them out. Oh, for the good old days. Now there is the same chocolate kind with double stuff filling, chocolate crème, golden crème, sugar free, spring yellow crème, reduced fat, peanut butter crème, and on and on.
You know, there was a time when the demarcation of right and wrong was a whole lot simpler than today. Like the one choice of Oreo cookies we had back when some of us grew up. Now the young people are confronted with so much more that appeals to their generation. If one type does not appeal to you, another will. Satan’s variety pack is up and running. We did not have the internet or MTV or Victoria’s Secret commercials bombarding us a generation ago.
It’s all out there…words we only saw scrawled on bathroom walls a generation or two ago are the regular language of kids in kindergarten. Sin is there and it is dangerous. It blasts at us from all directions.
But thank God, we are not alone in our battle to overcome temptation.
Hebrews 4:15 – For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
And when we blow it – when we eat that one Oreo cookie – we have someone to turn to.
1 John 2:1 – My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 3:1 – Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Your position in Christ covers your sin, your failure, your weakness, your frality.
John 1:6-13 – There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
There is no better position in life than to be God’s child. He does not have grandchildren or stepchildren. Wow! A child of God! What does that entail?
We have been given a new family. No longer part of that family of anger, exasperation, irritation, and crossness.
Ephesians 2:1-3 – And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
We now belong to the household of God. We have a family who will love us and encourage us. While there is much that is imperfect in today’s church (because it is made up of imperfect people), it is the church family that is there in times of difficulty. It is in the church family that we find community.
Ephesians 2:11-13 – Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
We have rights and privileges as part of the new family.
The joy of knowing our sins are forgiven and we have peace with God.
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
2. We have, through Jesus, power to overcome the tempations and attacks of Satan.
James 4:7 – Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you
.We have the Word of God.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 – For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe.
We have the Holy Spirit, Christ in us.
Acts 2:38 – Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We have the privilege of being used of God to bless others.
1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Two years ago I painted a scene of the three crosses on Calvary with the city of Jersualem in the distance. My church has made bookmarks with this painting. Several have offered to buy it, but for right now it hangs in my living room where my wife and I enjoy it.
The three crosses were empty the day after Jesus was crucified and I see the bright sun shining on the crosses reminding us that Jesus is the light of the world.
1 John 2:1-2 – My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
John indicates a follower of Jesus should not sin. However, he uses that word “if” again to indicate we may sin and points us to Jesus as our help when we do.
But what is sin?
Throughout the history of the church there have been, and still are, lists of what is sin. Different words have been used.
Transgression
Disobedience
Missing the mark
Overstepping the law
Rebellion
Not meeting God’s standard
Sin, whatever it is, is a serious issue.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hebrews 9:22 – And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission for sins.
Thankfully Jesus made a way for us to find forgiveness. How do we do that? Through repentance. Repentance is more than saying “I’m sorry.” It includes:
Confession of sin
Forsaking of sin
Turning to God.
Psalm 38:18 – For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.
Luke 18:13 – And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Luke 15:21 – And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
As we turn from sin and to God, we accept by faith His forgiveness.
Know that faith works
Agree that fasith works
Agree that “it’s for me”
What is faith? It includes both intellectual agreement and trust. Intellectual agreement is believing something to be true. Trust is actually relying on the fact that the something is true. Often a chair has been used to illustrate this. Intellectual agreement is recognizing that a chair is a chair and agreeing that it is designed to support a person who sits on it. Trust is actually sitting in the chair.
Job 19:25 – I know that my Redeemer lives.
There are, just like sin, many different words used to describe this redemption by Jesus Christ.
Propitiation – God’s demand that punishment for sin be satisfied
Adoption – made a part of the family of God
Redemption – price paid as a ransom
Justification – declared righteous with God because of shed blood of Jesus
Reconciliation – restored to fellowship with God
Substitution – we deserved death, but Christ died for us
Sacrifice (mediator) – one who gives what is necessary to bring God and man together.
Biblical Truths 