Word of Salvation – Vol. 19 No.28 – April 1973
The Greater Grace
Sermon by Rev. P. J. Berghouse on James 4: 6-10
Scripture readings: Gen.37:1-11; James 4
Psalter Hymnal (New): 287:1,2; 164:1,2,3 (Sum. of Law); 164:5,6 (Law);
139:1,3 (Sermon); 480:2,3,4 (Conf.); 124:5,6 (Off.); 310 (Dox.)
Beloved of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Who of the boys and girls here does not know the story of Joseph? Jacob loved Joseph more than his other children. He showed this by giving Joseph ‘preferential treatment’.
That means that Joseph was treated as if he was in a higher position than his brothers. HE was the one who received a ‘coat of many colours’ from his father. You can imagine how jealous his brothers became. At first they hoped to get such a nice coat too.
When they realised that this would not happen, and Joseph started to annoy them with his dreams, they decided it was time to do something about it themselves…! They tried “to get their own back” as we would call it. They wanted to be EQUAL with their brother, and the only way they could think this possible, was by dragging Joseph DOWN to their level in a most miserable way. THIS is what is meant by that word ENVY in verse 11: “…and they ENVIED him.”
Now, in chapter 4:5 James uses that SAME word – though unfortunately this idea is lost in many, more recent translations.
But James was not writing to Joseph’s brothers. The people to whom this letter was addressed were CHRISTIANS who were living scattered throughout the Roman world of that day. They lived in small groups, or sometimes even on their own! For this reason, there was a very real danger that they would allow themselves to be influenced by the UNCHRISTIAN way of thinking, as it was found among their neighbours.
Even unknowingly and unwillingly perhaps, they would give in to the attitudes of the unbelievers. In the case of some, this had gone so far, that they had developed a ‘friendship with the ungodly world’. James addressed these people as ‘adulteresses’, showing their unfaithfulness to Jesus Christ, who is the Bridegroom of His people, the Church.
“UNFAITHFULNESS to God”… Giving in to one’s own desires, rather than to live in harmony with the Creator… Is THIS not an apt description of human nature?
Man wants ‘to get his own’ – even if it means going in against God. Man WANTS to be higher than others: Or at least he wants to be equal!!
Now, if you want to be equal with someone, there are two ways in which you can achieve this:
ONE: You can improve yourself, till you reach the level of the other person.
OR: You can DEGRADE the other till he is dragged down to YOUR level.
THAT is what ‘envy’ does!
Perhaps someone will want to ask: “Is it then wrong, if you try to IMPROVE yourself?” We must realise, that improvement is BASIC to human nature. Indeed, when God created this world, He made it so, that there would be growth and development. Even of Jesus we read that ‘He continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom. (Luke 2:40).
And in the original command to ‘subdue the earth’ we find the implication that man must WORK at his development. THE great question of course is: HOW is man doing this ???
The UNBELIEVER takes his starting point in the theory of the *Survival-of-the-Fittest’ and so he feels that man must FIGHT in order to survive; and Struggle in order to improve his lot.
ENVY therefore often plays a necessary role in the life pattern of the unbeliever.
But look at what the BIBLE says in James 4:6 “but HE (that is God) gives greater or ‘more’ Grace. No matter how man struggles to make some (miserable) gain….. the GRACE of God carries him much further!! So much so, that in verse 10 we read: “HE shall exalt you.”
James portrays the life of the Christian, who is living between God and Satan, and through this, THE WORD speaks to us about..
“THE GREATER GRACE.”
We see:
I. God resists the proud.
II. The Christian must resist Satan.
III. The Christian must draw near to God.
IV. God will exalt the Christian.
I. GOD RESISTS THE PROUD
When we think of how Joseph was treated by his brothers, we tend to look down on these men who allowed their envy to go so far as to sell their own blood brother and to deceive their father… “The horrible creatures!” Yes, indeed… “Horrible Creature” – that’s MAN! Ever since the Fall: man has been giving in to Satan’s suggestions. SATAN wants man to exalt himself…! “Be like God.” he whispers. “Why should you recognize HIS authority?”
“Why should Joseph’s brothers accept his stupid dreams?”
“Who does HE think he is?”
“Why should we have less human rights than our brothers?”
Come on, let us exalt OURSELVES and ‘get rid of the so and so.”
Oops….! Here goes another ‘Joseph’ into the pit!!
But behold now their latter end! Before the brothers could hear the relieving words: “It is I, your brother Joseph…!” being spoken in Pharaoh’s Palace, they had to experience some very HUMILIATING moments. Their PRIDE had to be broken BEFORE they could find themselves, eating in Egypt’s Royal court.
James says: “God resists the proud”. (And this is by no means the only place in the Bible where these words are spoken). “To RESIST” is a very picturesque word. It means, to bring out all available forces in order to defeat an attacker.
The word makes you think of the olden days, when an enemy would come and storm the walls of a city. In order to resist such an attack, it could be necessary for EVERY available person in such a city to take up the bow and arrows, and the sword, and the spear, and anything else that could be used in defence of the city. ALL the available resources had to be brought out in order TO RESIST the attackers, and save the city.
SO, James says, God RESISTS the proud.
“The PROUD” are those who want to stand out’; the people who try to raise themselves above others… the assuming… the arrogant. Here it particularly refers to all those who want to give the impression that they do not need God.
We also find this, for instance, when a Christian lives as if God has little to do with certain routine things in life. And are there not MANY Christians today, who have only a very vague idea about the relationship between their faith in Jesus Christ and the fact that two and two makes four? Well, IS there ONE area in your life, or one aspect of your life, of which you must admit that there it makes little or no difference that you “with body and soul, both in life and death, are not your own, but belong to your faithful Saviour Jesus Christ”?
Furthermore there may be times that we think or act as if we can serve God and Satan at the same time. To mention but a few general areas of life, such as Education, Politics, Industry, etc. Is it not showing up our human pride, when we act as if WE are so much stronger than the Christians of the first century? THEY were warned, NOT to befriend the godless world around them. See verse 4. Is OUR Christianity so mature that we can mix a bit of human reasoning with God’s Revelation because “WE know things better nowadays”?
The Word of God says:
II. THE CHRISTIAN MUST RESIST THE DEVIL vs.7
Notice that the same word ‘RESIST’ is used here as in verse 6. It is implied that the Christian IS under attack: And this comes from no-one less than the Devil himself. The “DEVIL” is the one who arrogantly claims for himself, the world, AND the honour, that belong to GOD.
In everything the Devil aims at destroying man by separating him from God. Therefore he sometimes is called ‘the Destroyer’ and other times ‘the Adversary’. He is man’s greatest ‘spoilsport’ who always tries to put a spanner in the works.
Now I wonder if the boys and girls here can guess what Joseph’s brothers would answer if you asked them, who THEIR spoilsport was? THEY surely must have thought that it was Joseph!
But according to the BIBLE, it was not Joseph at all.
It was their own heart?
So, when WE are told to RESIST that old spoilsport, the Devil, we must ask ourselves the question: “WHO ELSE IS our spoilsport?” WHO really stands in the way of your ‘exaltation’????? The Bible says: No one else but your own heart..!!
In drawing near to God, we are our own worst enemy! Look at the word James uses at the end of verse 8: double-minded …! He says we are as it were ‘split-personalities’. On the one hand there is our born-again-nature, which – by faith – wants to please God. At the same time, there is the ever-tugging-sinful-nature, which is trying to PERVERT, to ruin, all the beautiful things which God gave to man at Creation.
James is talking about something that many Christians experience: Satan still has a stronghold in their life. And he uses it to attack from within. The trouble is that in most cases we do not quite know what to do about it. Verse 7 insists that we must ‘come out IN FORCE’ against the Devil as he makes his attacks upon our Life-with-God. And notice how a great promise is immediately added: “and he will flee from you.” This means that the ‘double-mindedness’ will begin to fade. As the Devil flees from the Christian, he will more and more experience the ‘control’ of Christ over and in his life.
Perhaps we can put it like this: The double-minded Christian is a person who KNOWS Christ. He or she may well be a confessing member of a Reformed Church… Jesus plays a certain part in his or her life, BUT… the problem is that that life is still to a great extent controlled by personal wishes and desires. THAT is where the confusion comes from. THAT is the reason why you sometimes can feel so utterly ‘mixed-up’.
Let us therefore listen to the solution which the BIBLE gives: “Resist the Devil, and
III. DRAW NEAR TO GOD
Rather than having Jesus as just a certain aspect of one’s life, or as a kind of ‘title’ – like Christian – or Jesus people – or be it as a ‘Saviour-in-time-of-trouble’ – while we manage quite well without Him when we are NOT in trouble.- Rather than regarding Jesus as an optional extra’ for those who fancy to have Him…! The BIBLE says: You must draw NEAR to GOD. Or, in verse 7: You must SUBMIT yourself to GOD.
That is: not HE in a corner of YOUR life,
but YOU, all of you, placed under HIM.
You must allow HIM to cover every aspect of your life.
In the verses 8 & 9 James states some of the things implied in ‘drawing near to God’. You see, the Devil KNOWS that the easiest way to lead man astray, is by appealing to the wounded pride of that person:
Says he: “Why should you not assert yourself?”
“Why should you not be at least as important as anyone else?”
“You stand up for your own rights!”
“Express your feelings; You are YOU, Aren’t you?”!
This is the slogan of our day!
As well as a basic thought for many educators’
We must realise of course, that SELF EXPRESSION is one of the many beautiful things which God gave to man at Creation. It IS a gift of God! Therefore we are encouraged to use it to HONOUR God. For instance to show Him our gratitude, or our love for Him.
But what, if our feelings run counter to the honour of God??? James uses the word ‘SINNERS’, indicating that time and again, we MISS the God-given purpose of our life.
When that happens, our ‘HANDS’ become filthy with guilt – like the hands of Joseph’s brothers were covered with blood and mud as they tried to cover up their sin by smudging Joseph’s coat, so that it did look as if he was eaten by the wild beasts, Therefore, our hands need cleansing. Also, our ‘HEARTS’ need purifying because whosoever maintains a double standard in his life, finds that in fact he is being defiled.
All this means according to verse 9 that we must endure severe hardship. To crucify our Old Nature causes us much pain and sufferings. Drawing near to GOD, means that God’s penetrating Light shows up more and more what a shocking hurt we have caused to our Father’s Loving heart, by the way we allowed the Devil to ruin our God-given life.
When God’s children are still courting Satan by their life full of ENVY, they cause grief to God. As the Christian realises this, he begins to ‘MOURN’.
Also the ‘LAUGHTER’ and the ‘JOY’ we tried to bring into our sinful lives, now stand out as futile attempts to cover up our sin. How often do we try to ‘laugh off’ our guilt by some cheap, superficial wise-crack, as if it isn’t all that serious. James bids us to let THIS kind of laughter and joy be turned into mourning and heaviness; for there is far better awaiting us through the Greater Grace given by God.
As we draw near to God, it begins to dawn on us that all WE tried to do was to make OUR life better and brighter, so that WE could feel “equal to others”. THIS is shameful in the sight of God. Because in that way we do not acknowledge what GOD does – how HE works in our lives. For…
IV. GOD WILL EXALT THE HUMBLE CHRISTIAN
Verse 6 says that the ‘Greater Grace’ is given to the humble. That is, NOT to those who want to exalt themselves,
but to those who want to magnify the Name of God,
is given Grace upon Grace.
The ‘HUMBLE YOURSELVES’ in verse 10 goes hand in hand with the ‘be subject’ of verse 7. And it is in direct opposition to the ‘proud’ person, who exalts himself, and whom God resists.
The picture that is painted for us here shows us that GOD is the one who works in our life? Wherever we are double-minded, HE brings out all the available forces (if need be) to counteract our willingness to give in to the Devil. To escape the full force of His ‘resistance’ we are advised to ‘submit’ ourselves willingly in a full and unconditional surrender “IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD”.
Think again of Joseph and his brothers; but now at the end of that story: When Joseph is second to the Pharaoh himself…
His brothers, forced by the circumstances
which GOD had ordained,
humble themselves before this Egyptian Lord —
Joseph.
Here we find a perfect blend of God’s irresistible Grace working through circumstances. AND OUR responsibility to acknowledge this Grace, by our humble submission.
Also notice how James now uses the word ‘LORD’, whereas before he used the word ‘GOD…! When you draw near to the Almighty God… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you come into His Holy Presence ONLY through The Lord Jesus Christ!
or pay for
And is being in HIS presence not enough to humble any person?
Faced with HIS CROSS all our efforts to cover up our sins ourselves,
become utterly ridiculous.
Faced with HIS RESURRECTION even the slightest effort on our part,
to exalt ourselves stands out as puny and trivial.
HOW on earth can we add anything to the all- sufficient work of Christ himself?
But the Bible says, that when some-one humbles himself
‘in the presence of the Lord’ then HE will EXALT him.
HE will lift you up, that is, ‘Give you a prominent place’!
HE will make you ‘bigger than you ever dreamed to be.
People dream of being bigger, or at least equal with other people.
But who could ever think of being made to sit with Jesus in Heavenly Places??
Who could ever imagine that this frail body of ours
would be considered worthy of being “the Temple of the Holy Spirit’?
Yet these very things are spoken of whosoever believes the Word of God to be true, humbling himself in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There where man’s works fail so hopelessly,
GOD’s work stands out more marvellously!
Or should we turn this around?…
Where GOD’s work begins to dawn on us,
there man’s futility becomes more obvious.
When the Christian beholds his Glorification in Christ, he can but humbly submit himself to God.
THIS is that undeserved favour,
that GREATER GRACE
of which James writes to the Christian,
who lives ‘between God and Satan’.
Amen.