James Get Serious About Being a Friend of God

 

James

Get Serious About Being a Friend of God

Many of James’ readers and many of us are proud

We are living as friends with the world and friends with God

We reveal our pride when we think that is ok

God opposes those unsubmitted, uncommitted or proud people

But He gives grace to the humble Bride

James 4:7-10 tells us what we must do as the submitted Bride of Christ

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Resist the evil temptations for worldly pleasures

Come near to God and He will come near to you.

Do you need a lift in life?

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Get serious about being a friend of God

 

 

 

Get Serious About Being a Friend of God

 

If you are engaged to Christ…

 

If you are the Bride of Christ…

 

You can’t be friends with the world

or else you will be an enemy of God.

James 4:4

 

That is strong wording.

 

James sees many believers as being in

an adulteress relationship with Christ.

 

James warns us…

 

"God opposes the proud

but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:6

James in the context of marriage

follows up this verse with…

 

Submit yourselves, then, to God.

James 4:7

 

Ephesians 5:23-24 says…

 

For the husband is the head of the wife

as Christ is the head of the church,

his body, of which he is the Savior.

Now as the church submits to Christ,

so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

 

The husband, Christ is the head of the wife. 

 

And the wife of Christ should

submit to Him in everything.

 

God opposes the proud.

 

Many of James’ readers and many of us are proud.

 

We are living as friends with

the world and friends with God.

 

We reveal our pride when we think that is ok.

 

God opposes those unsubmitted,

uncommitted or proud people.

 

But He gives grace to the humble Bride.

 

Verses 7-10 tells us what we must

do as the submitted Bride of Christ…

 

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

Resist the evil temptations for worldly pleasures.

 

Come near to God and He will come near to you.

 

If you find yourself not in the presence

of the Lord, do the following…

 

Wash your hands, you sinners

 

What are we doing (deeds, works,

accomplishments) that makes our hands dirty?

 

And purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

 

One of the best lessons I learned as a

teenager was I can become emotionally

attached to two women at the same time.

 

So I cannot allow myself to be in a position

where my heart would be attracted to another.

 

Grieve, mourn and wail.

Change your laughter to mourning

and your joy to gloom.

 

You can only “grieve” when you

realize how much you are missing.

 

We will not realize what we are

missing without drawing near to God.

 

It may not be right, but it is true…

 

 “Out of sight out of mind.”

 

 Humble yourselves before the Lord,

and he will lift you up.

 

Humble yourself, this is submission

to Christ your Bridegroom.

 

Let Christ lead your life.

 

Our salvation is based in a marriage convent relationship.

 

We are not saved because we do not want to go to hell…

 

We are saved from hell because

we see how much Jesus loves us.

 

So we confess Jesus as Lord,

the One we belong to because we

are convinced we are bought

with the greatest price of love.

 

Our confession, our words

are all about Him.

 

There is nothing else the lover

of God wants to talk about…

  

That if you confess with your mouth,

"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God

raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,

and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Romans 10:8-10

 

Do you need a lift in life?

 

Humble yourselves before the Lord,

and He will lift you up.

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

James 4:7-10 NIV

 

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.