LETTING GO OF SELF – PART II James 4:7-10

Letting Go Of Self  Just a few weeks ago, in our study of James, we looked at James 4:1-6  James speaks in depth here about the problem of selfishness  In that lesson on selfishness, we looked at the problems that it can cause for us in our lives

Letting Go Of Self  Selfishness…  Causes strife (v. 1)  Causes self-reliance (v. 2)  Causes hindered prayers (v. 3)  Causes enmity with God (v. 4)  Causes pride (v. 6)  Costs us grace (v. 6)

Letting Go Of Self  We pointed out that letting go of self begins by understanding the issues that selfishness can cause in our lives  If we don’t see a problem we will never move to fix it  So perhaps you are ready to let go of selfishness in your life

Letting Go Of Self  So what do we do?  What is the process we must undergo to let go of self  James didn’t just diagnose the problem…he also gave us the solution!  Here is what we must do to let go of self…

Letting Go Of Self  1. Submit to God (v. 7)  We live in a world that does not like to submit to anyone or anything  Kids do not submit to parents, teachers, or authority figures  Adults do not submit to governing authority, bosses, or anyone else

Letting Go Of Self  1. Submit to God (v. 7)  Submit means to obey or be under subjection to  Submitting to God doesn’t mean we only obey the things we agree with or like  It means putting ourselves under His complete rule and authority (Matt. 28:18; Col. 3:17)

Letting Go Of Self  1. Submit to God (v. 7)  It is an everyday action; we do not obey Him on Sundays and submit to the world the rest of the week  That means putting away the things of the world that try and drag us under submission (I John 2:15)  Romans 6:12-13, 16-18

Letting Go Of Self  2. Resist the devil (v. 7)  Too often we give into Satan and the lies he tells us  Resist means to set one’s self against; to withstand or oppose  Can we really say we are resisting him when we allow him to enter our thoughts?

Letting Go Of Self  2. Resist the devil (v. 7)  This commandment comes with a promise  If you resist Satan, he will flee from you  Satan is actually a coward; he runs from those who are brave enough to take a stand against him  Ephesians 6:10-18

Letting Go Of Self  3. Draw near to God (v.8)  Another way to let go of self is to draw near to God  This also helps us when we are resisting Satan  How can we draw near to God?

Letting Go Of Self  3. Draw near to God (v.8)  Bible study, prayer, fellowship with other Christians, immersing ourselves in good  Here is another commandment with promise or a positive result  God knows we seek Him, and makes Himself available (I Chron. 28:9)

Letting Go Of Self  4. Cleanse your hands (v.8)  This is a reference to the Old Testament and the Levitical worship and Jewish Christianity  It is figurative, such as in I Timothy 2:8  It represents a clean life that has been lived before God (Is. 1:15-17)

Letting Go Of Self  5. Purify your hearts (v.8)  Purifying the heart is not just getting rid of the action of sin (clean hands)  Purifying the heart (mind) is getting rid of even the thoughts of sin in our minds  Cleansing our hands doesn’t mean our conscience is pure (Matt. 27:24)

Letting Go Of Self  5. Purify your hearts (v.8)  The Pharisees thought that the ceremonial washing of hands was good enough to cleanse them  Jesus said otherwise in Matthew 15:19-20  We must purify our hearts if we want our hands to stay clean

Letting Go Of Self  6. Mourn for your sins (v.9)  To do this we must be aware of the sin in our life (I Jn. 1:8-10)  Paul said godly sorrow will produce repentance (II Cor. 7:10)  Jesus said blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matt. 5:4)

Letting Go Of Self  7. Humble yourself (v.10)  Humility is a great quality, yet one that is not often found in man  Peter said we should be clothed with humility (I Pet. 5:5)  One that is lifted up in pride can come no higher, but God exalts the humble

Letting Go Of Self  7. Humble yourself (v.10)  Jesus illustrated this perfectly in Luke 14:7-11  Humility before God is a beautiful and wonderful thing  May we have the attitude of humility that the publican had found in Luke 18:13-14