March 1st

JAMES 4:7-11                       

Ten terse commands beginning with a dominant command to SUBMIT and ending with a summary command to humble one's self.

James wants to so fire the souls of his people that they will swim triumphantly in the river of grace.

The 10 aorist imperative verbs in James 4:7-10 clearly signify that James is issuing an urgent call to repent from their unGodly behaviors described in the preceding passages. And so like a commanding general, James issues a series of curt military like commands which call for incisive action. The command to submit is a basic requirement which must precede obedience to the subsequent commands. Proud hearers won't submit and surely won' t.

HUMILITY:  total dependency upon the LORD and not your flesh strength!!!! 

The ? may come:  Does an humble person know that he is humble and that knowing not become pride?????  I believe that an humble person must know because beautiful dependency cannot occur without the individual realizing that he MUST be dependent upon the LORD and make a conscious choice to do so!!!

Submission is looking at the humble, self-emptying example of Jesus and daily choosing to follow in his steps (1Pe 2:21-note)...

NOT MY WILL
BUT THINE
BE DONE-- Jesus (Lk 22:42)

Submission is a matter of the will. James commands the reader to make a conscious, volitional choice to submit their imperfect will to God's perfect will. This is be our daily experience, for daily our natural (flesh) tendency is to rebel against the people and circumstances God uses in our life to facilitate our submission. We need to come to the point that when God's "submission tests" come, we say "I don't understand why You are allowing this, but I choose to bow and submit my will to Yours dear Father."

Lord, what thou wilt, where thou wilt, and when thou wilt.

no "self help" program here; this is a "God-help me" program! (James)

Thought provoking ?:  Does James speak powerfully and practically to both the saved and the unsaved.

Submit therefore - Why "therefore"? Because only the humble receive the grace of God (Jas 4:6-note). Drop your pride, your arrogance and your haughtiness. To be a partaker of God's grace we must daily choose to submit, to surrender our will, our desires, to God's will, which is good and acceptable and perfect. Only the person those who choose humility…total dependence upon HIM, the humble man or woman will willingly surrender his or her rights to God. Pride ever fights against this sweet surrender! This rebellious usurper the FLESH (still resident even in those who are born will fight against God's will until the day we die! That is why Paul instructed Timothy to fight rto make this you continual practice! Why? Because the world, the flesh and the devil will continually oppose our walk of grace in Christ and try to provoke us to pride, crying out "You have rights"!) the good fight of faith (1Ti 6:12, 1:18, 19, Imitate Paul's example - 2Ti 4:7-note, 1Co 4:16, 11:1, 1Th 1:6-note, He 6:12-note, He 13:7-note, 3Jn 1:11) 

Submit - Notice that this verb is placed at the beginning of this clause for emphasis. Get under and listen up! Come under God's authority. Our willingness to yield our "rights" is a reflection of the genuine humility James had just advocated in Jas 4:6. The proud heart refuses to bow that it might truly hear God. A willingness to submit reflects an attitude of humility. Proud people by definition are elevated above others and do not submit. Don't start quoting Jas 4:7 beginning with "Resist the devil"! James' point is that unless we are submitted to God, we will not have the power to resist the devil. If you want to know practically what submission looks like, then review Jas 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, to see what submission does NOT look like. If you are engaged in any of these activities, then you can be assured you are not submitting to God's authority. To submit to God is to reject compromise with the world (1Jn 2:15, 16, 17, Jas 4:4-note, Mt 6:24-note), which lies in the control of the Evil One (1Jn 5:19).

The heart of pride is self-sufficiency. A phenomenal pride thinks that we can get along without God. Humility, on the other hand, recognizes the need to depend on God. Humility empties self of self-sufficient independence from God. Humility places self under God so that He can dispose of us as He pleases. (James 4:7 4:7b 4:7c)

An humble walk looks like, a walk that is summarized in his last command in Jas 4:10.

In other words, the Bible, as so often, not only tells us what is true but also how to respond to what is true. The truth is a superabundant supply of grace (Jas 4:6); the response is an obedient walk with God, itemized in Jas 4:7, 8, 9. James begins his description of the humble walk with God by commanding active allegiance (Jas 4:7a) Christians must have no doubt in their minds whose side they are on; and by their lives they must leave no doubt in the minds of others that they are God’s enlisted subordinates and the devil’s unyielding opponents.)

Submission to God is the fabric (the attitude) that should be woven into every area of our life, every day of our life.

TAKE MY LIFE

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.-- Francis Havergal
(YouTube - Chris Tomlin - Take My Life)

There must be subjection to God’s will—the whole man to the whole law of God. To submit to God is to give ourselves up to be governed by His will and pleasure; our thoughts, our counsels, our affections, our actions must be guided according to the strict rules of the Word. Usually the work of conversion stops here; we are loath to resign ourselves to God’s will. Some of God’s commands, such as those which are inward, are contrary to our affections; others, such as those which enforce external duties, are contrary to our interests. But we must “take [Christ’s] yoke” (Matthew 11:29). A main thing to be looked at in our first supplication to God is this: are we willing to give ourselves up to his will without reservation? Can I subject everything, without any hesitation or reluctance, to the obedience of Christ (2Corinthians 10:5)?

It implies a humble approach to God. Submit yourselves, then, to God; that is, lay aside your pride and stubbornness, humbly acknowledging your sins. It is handing ourselves over to the disposal of God’s providence. “The Lord’s will be done” (Acts 21:14) is a truly Christian way of speaking. Discontent is clearly rebellion; we want our will done, and not God’s. When we complain, God and we contend; his will must be done to us as well as by us.

Thus you see there is a threefold submission: our worldly hearts to his holiness, our proud hearts to his mercy, our stormy minds to his sovereignty, that we may be obedient, humble, patient...

Submission must be performed...

1.  Sincerely. To do it sincerely is indeed to do a duty as duty, to do what is commanded because it is commanded.

Freely. Subjection is best when it is willing. If the beast came to the altar struggling and unwilling, men never offered it to their gods but counted it unlucky. Certainly the true God looks most of all for a ready mind: “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands” (Ps 119:60)—without doubting, disputing, or consulting with flesh and blood.

Faithfully. To the Lord’s glory, not our own ends. The Christian life must be for God (Gal 2:19), according to God’s will, for God’s glory. Our hardest task is to subject our ends to God’s ends, as well as our ways to God’s will.

A lack of submission is no new or rare fault in mankind. Ever since the Fall it has been the root of all sin. From the moment when our mother Eve stretched out her hand to pluck the forbidden fruit and her husband joined her in setting up the human will against the Divine, the sons of men have universally been guilty of a lack of conformity to the will of God. They choose their own way and will not submit their wills. They think their own thoughts and will not submit their understanding. They love earthly things and will not submit their affections. Man wants to be his own law and his own master. This is abominable, since we are not our own makers, for, “it is He that has made us and not we ourselves.” The Lord should have supremacy over us, for our existence depends on His will...

To submit to God is to find rest! The rule of God is so beneficial that He ought readily to be obeyed. He never commands us to do that which, in the long run, can be injurious to us, nor does He forbid us anything which can be to our real advantage. Our God is so kind, so wise, so full of loving forethought, that it is always be to our best interest to follow His lead. Even if we could be left to choose our own way and were under no bonds of duty, it would be wise and prudent to choose the way of the Lord, for it is the path of pleasantness and safety.

Common sense teaches that rebellion against Omnipotence is both insanity and blasphemy. The Lord’s purpose must stand and His pleasure must be done! His power will assuredly crush all opposition and it is idle to raise it. Wisdom as well as righteousness call upon him to submit to God.

Submission to God is the salvation which we preach, not a mere deliverance from eternal burning, but deliverance from present rebellion, deliverance from the sin which is the fuel of those unquenchable flames. There must be conformity to the eternal Laws of the universe and according to these God must be first and man must bow to Him—nothing can be right till this is done. Submit is a command which in every case must be obeyed!

 “only believe and you shall be saved,” has sometimes been altogether mistaken by those who have heard it. Scriptural word BELIEVE means TRUST IN, RELY ON AND CLING TO!!!!  Cases occur in which persons go on living light, frivolous, giddy, and even wicked lives—and yet they claim that they believe in Jesus Christ.

"Therefore" is to be found in the previous verse,—"He resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God."

SPIRITUAL WARFARE 101

Expositor's Greek Testament observes that...

It is not a question of subjection either to God or the devil, but rather one of the choice between self-will and God's will; it is the proud spirit that has to be curbed.

Whatever you do, never resist God and submit to the devil. Those who have erred in this respect know full well what a tragic and costly mistake was theirs. Our Lord was the greatest example of submission to the Father's will (Mt. 26:39), and in the hour when Satan attacked Him He was able to resist the foe so that the devil fled from Him (Mt. 4:11). The devil is powerful, but if we resist him, according to the Scripture, he will be put to flight.

Resist the devil - This is the other side of the basic demand to submit. Submit first. Then resist. Don't run. Resist! There is no middle ground, no neutrality. Wholehearted submission to God is only possible as they resist God's archenemy. Stand against him decisively and definitively (aorist imperative). Take your stand against the devil. Fear the Lord and you won't fear the devil! Stand against the adversary in the strength provided by your submission to Christ.

STAND FIRM!  RESIST!

In the great section on spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-18, it is notable that three times Paul emphasizes that we are to stand firm (Ep 6:11-note, Ep 6:13-note, Ep 6:14-note)...

11 Put on (aorist imperative - Do this now. Don't hesitate or procrastinate! This is war and the foe is invisible!) the full armor of God, that you may be able (dunamai - = be continually empowered) to stand firm against the schemes (methodeia) of the devil.
12 For our struggle (pale) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up (aorist imperative - Do this now. Don't hesitate or procrastinate!) the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist (anthistemi) in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm (aorist imperative - Do this now. Don't hesitate or procrastinate!) therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Resist (is literally to stand or set against. Literally, to stand against; to withstand; hence, to act in opposition, or to oppose. A dam or mound resists a current of water passively, by standing unmoved and interrupting its progress. An army resists the progress of an enemy actively, by encountering and defeating it.

Resist (like all 10 of the commands in James 4:7-10) is in the aorist imperative, which calls for a military like obedience. The active voice describes the subject making a volitional choice to resist.

The aorist imperative commands the readers (verb is in plural) to resist effectively! Don't put this off. Don't delay. It even conveys a sense of urgency! The active voice means that we must make the choice of our will to resist.

Resist means to defend oneself against the devil not to attack him. On the other hand to cower before the devil is to invite sure defeat. Clothed with the garment of a righteous lifestyle (Col 3:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14-notes) and strengthened in the inner man by the Spirit (Eph 3:16-note) ensures effective resistance to diabolical attacks and procures his promised flight.

a. Negatively. We must not fear him; the devil has no power to force us, but only the skill to persuade us. Distrustful fear gives him the advantage. We are to “resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1Pe 5:9-note). And again, we must not “give the devil a foothold” (Eph 4:27-note). Anger may make way for malice; and when the first thoughts of sin do not grieve us, the actual practice of them is not far off.

b. Positively. We must demonstrate our resistance…A rebuke “Get behind me, Satan”  Whisper the name of Jesus…don’t need to yell, but need to speak out loud…Satan cannot read your thoughts…do NOT think that he has the attributes of God…This is not a Power Struggle…this is a Truth encounter…encounter the enemy with God’s Truth.  The enemy does NOT have jurisdiction over you!!!!

Satan is a foiled adversary; Christ has overcome him already. All that is required for victory is a strong “No.” Do not give him any further reply. To resist him, not to yield to him, is the only way to be rid of him.

Christ has foiled the enemy, and he has put weapons into your hands so that you may foil him. He trod on this old serpent when his heel was struck on the cross (see Ge 3:15). Now he wants you to set your feet on his neck; “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Ro 16:20-note). You need not doubt his help; though Satan is an “accuser,” Christ is an “advocate.” The Spirit of God strengthens us against the suggestions of the evil spirit, and the good angels wait on us (Heb 1:14-note), just as much as the bad angels molest us. Do not fear being deserted; Satan is in God’s hands.

He will flee - While this is a promised conditioned on the humble believer's submission to God, the very statement itself teaches that our mighty enemy (and his henchmen demons) can be successfully resisted.:14, 15-note)

He will flee - The future tense can speak of certainty. When we submit to God and resist our archrival, then he must immediately flee! This is a golden promise believers should commit to memory so that they are always prepared for spiritual battle. But remember that this promise is conditional and must be preceded by our willing submission to God! Only then can we "claim the promise" beloved! And in the context of James 4 we see that humility manifest by submission is not weakness but in fact is our strength to live the supernatural, Christian life!

THOUGHTS TO THINK ON:  *Our THINKING (the thought we allow to not be taken captive that settles into our THINKING) determines our behavior.  *the battleground is the MIND!  The enemy shoots "fiery darts" (thoughts)...we must take captive!  We can not discuss with the enemy quietly inside...he canNot read our thoughts!  Must speak outloud...Not a loud yelling debate...this is a Truth struggle...remind him of to WHOM you belong!