We’ve Spent Several Days:
- LOOKING at James 4:1-10, 10 verses.
- Learning how to use GODcha.
- Becoming familiar with some of the different skills to help us correctly see what God says and means.
Today
We want to Wrap it up!
- Review all we have LEARNED.
- LIVE it out! Apply it to our lives.
Open GODcha to the Book of James.
NOTE:
If you don’t have GODcha Get It >
Or, you can use your hardbound Bibles and follow along.
You can print off this post and put in a Notebook!
Do You Remember Why James Wrote This Letter?
1. To command believers, those of the faith, to be doers of the Word of God, not just hearers,
2. Explaining that faith without works is dead, useless, because it cannot save you.
3. Thus, hoping to turn a sinner from the error of his ways so his soul will be saved from death.
Before We Begin, Let’s Pray
Oh Lord, as we come to Your Word today to bring everything together, please show us our hearts, and see if there be anything that would hinder us from hearing You. May we confess and repent, and move on to hear what You are saying. Grant us understanding and help us walk away in such a way that we will live in the light of these mighty Truths. Thank you!
We LOOKED at James 4:1-10
We have been letting GODcha take us directly to God’s Word, teaching us how to use certain skills to see what God has to say about ‘how to humbly submit to God’.
So now, let’s take all that God has taught us and connect the dots to bring it all together.
To refresh your mind and put everything into CONTEXT what will you do?
Read God’s Word
Read Chapter 1, 2, 3 and Chapter 4:1-10 to remember the CONTEXT.
Are you amazed at how much of James letter God has cemented in your memory as a result of reading and re-reading.
Don’t you have a lot of it memorized, and you didn’t even try to memorize it?
Oh, so amazing!
Review the CONTEXT 
Context Rules Interpretation
Context Tutorial>We see CONTEXT thus far is all about genuine saving faith, and how our faith can be seen in how we respond to:
Trials;
Temptations;
The Word of God;
To Those in Need – Fulfilling the Royal Law, Not Showing Partiality.
True Genuine Faith is Seen:
In our speech and righteous works reflecting God’s wisdom.
In our separation from the world, reflecting that we are not an enemy of God!
Now what?
READ
Yes,
Read James 4:1-10 once again with a questioning mindset.
You can never get enough of God’s Word.
Go to GODcha
LEARN Questions
Let’s Check Out GODcha’s
#12 and #13
LEARN Questions
Ch 4,#12. Consider context: Ch 3, the 2 wisdoms.
As you look at this next test of faith, what are the 3 conflicts when one is a friend of the world, CR? (v1-5)
Ch 4, #13. As you see God gives greater grace, what is grace (don’t assume, look it up)?
Who does God give grace to?
What do you see God commands the enemy of God, who is a proud, double minded, sinner, to do, CR? (v6-10)
Try to Answer on your own.
And then we will Answer together.
Keep in mind James’ purpose in writing this letter.
To Answer, Let’s Sum Up
What We Discovered
Sum It Up!
We LEARN:
The 3 Conflicts are:
Conflicts With Others
Conflicts Within
Conflicts with God
God is Opposed to the Proud, but Gives Grace to the Humble.
God’s Grace is:
GREATER!
God’s Unmerited Favor
God’s Power that is sufficient for any thing!
The divine influence that is reflected in the heart.
We LEARN:
To Tap Into God’s Grace – Be Humble
How to Be Humble:
1st – Submit to God
2 – Resist the Devil
3 – Draw Near to God
4 – Cleanse Your Hands – sinners
5 – Purify Your Hearts – double-minded
6 – Be Miserable
7 – Mourn and Weep
8 – Turn Laughter to Mourning
9 – Turn Joy to Gloom
10 – Humble Yourselves Before the Lord!
The Result:
God will draw near to you and exalt you!
Oh, you did fantastic! Once again, do you realize
Nobody told you what the text says or means?
Nobody told you what to believe or think.
You didn’t guess or come up with speculations to answer the questions.
You LOOKED straight at what God said, discovering what He means.
You Discovered Truth for Yourself!
Oh, aren’t you excited?
Do you hunger for more? I so pray you do!
Engage With God
LISTEN…
#12. How do I view the world? What do I love?
a. Am I a friend of the world, thus an enemy of God? If so:
b. Am I in conflict (at home, work, school) with those who are friend’s of God?
c. Am I in conflict within? What pleasures are waging war within me?
d. What am I asking for? What are my motives?
e. Am I an adulteress, an enemy of God, in hostility (conflict) with God?
f. Am I so foolish to think Scripture speaks to no purpose, thus rejecting God’s grace?
Respond to God as the Spirit speaks to your heart! LIVE it out!
LISTEN…
#13. Am I proud or humble?
Have I applied God’s wisdom to receive His grace? Am I (a sinner) willing to humble myself before the Lord and:
a. Submit to God?
b. Resist the devil?
c. Draw near to God?
d. Cleanse my hands and purify my heart?
e. Weep over my sin?
How do I continue to apply God’s wisdom to live humbly by these commands?
Respond to God as the Spirit speaks to your heart! LIVE it out!
Oh my goodness, have you had eyes to see and ears to hear?
Chapter 4:1-10 is a Wrap!
Oh, I pray you have engaged with God in a very special way as you LISTENED to Him speak to you personally.
What is the condition of your heart?
One of the tests that proves the reality of our faith is if we are willing to submit to God.
Can you and I pass the test?
Meditate on all He has taught you, for it pleases Him. Be glad in Him, (Psalm 104:34).
- What have you learned about yourself?
- Is there some action God is requiring of you?
- Do you need to confess and repent?
Now, NOTE and SAVE What God Has Taught You!
You’ll want to put this Review in your Notes.
Enter the personal things God has touched you with.
Turn What We LEARNED into Prayer
OH LOVING FATHER GOD, AND OUR GLORIOUS LORD JESUS CHRIST, we bless You and Praise You, and continue to thank you for all You are revealing to us in Your Word through James. Thank you Holy Spirit for leading and guiding us into these marvelous Truths about conflict, the danger of loving the world, and how we can be humble to receive Your grace. Oh Father, thank you for Your reproof and correction. Father, may every single one of us look at ourselves, today and determine if we are humble, for we see that is the mark of one with true genuine faith.
Oh Father, we don’t want to be Your enemy. We don’t want to be separated from You. We don’t want a faith that doesn’t work, or be trapped in the world and it’s wisdom. We don’t want to be proud, double-minded sinners. We want to receive Your righteousness for our sin. If we feel far away from You Father God, if we feel far away in conflict with others, we need to go back and look inside and see what pleasure, what desire is waging war within. What is it that is separating us from You, that is leading us astray?
We are so grateful that you have grace for each one of us who is willing to bow low in Your very presence. Help us to be sensitive to You, Holy Spirit, and be willing to receive Your Word and obey the 10 commands that James has given us. Move us to submit to You Father, surrender our lives to You this day. And as we do, may we understand we are taking a stand, a stand against the devil and all he stands for, and that we will no longer follow him. May our love for You be stronger than anything, so that our longing will be to draw near to You, to be in Your presence, to know You, and hear You. Thank you that when we draw near to You, You will draw near to us Lord God! May we truly see You in Your holiness, and compare ourselves to You, thus, be miserable and broken over our sin, mourning and weeping, confessing and repenting over the things we have said, done and caused. We confess our sins to You, and know that You will cleanse us, and raise us to newness of life, making us right with You! Oh Father, may we all bow low before You because You Father God are holy. May our aim in this life, now be to live for You, to honor You and glorify You in all we say and do! Thank you for hearing our cry to You. In Christ’s name we pray! Amen!
I am so proud of you, for you are doing the one thing that is necessary, learning to sit at the feet of Jesus, in His presence, listening to what He has to say to you personally through His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit! I thank God you have been willing!
Rest and worship the Lord!
Next: In a couple of days we will LOOK @ James Chapter 4:11-12.
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