"Humble Submission"

Scripture: James 4:4-12

In case you hadn’t heard any news recently, Pope Francis is paying our country a visit! While we were on vacation in D.C. last week, we even saw his entourage of vehicles when they passed us after his speech to the joint session of Congress. We heard a couple of his speeches on TV, and even though I’m not an advocate for the papacy, the one thing that struck me was how different his approach to life is when compared to that of our nation. Over and over, it seemed that his call was for us to return to our founding principles, instead of remaining fixed on our current direction. He didn’t directly address some of our most trying issues, but instead, spoke to what the Church should be about. He spoke of the vital importance of protecting the right of religious freedom for all, and he called the Church to be vigilant in faith. He even spoke of unity of voice in striving for protection of the dignity and rights of all people.

It is almost as though he read our text for today before he arrived in the U.S.

Read James 4:4-5

James tells us that there is only one “friendship”, one wisdom, that can have any meaning for us, and it isn’t the one that so many seek in the world. Note that he doesn’t say that there is only one allegiance that we should submit to. Romans 13:1-7 tells us that God has not only established his authority over earth, but that he has created secular authority for our well-being, too. The point being that if we rebel against governmental authority, it’s the equivalent of rebelling against God!
Authority is one issue, but friendship and wisdom is a completely different matter. This is about where, and with whom, we find comfort; it’s about where we look for truth; it’s about claiming and following the standards that govern the way we live our life. Friendship implies agreement, or a common vision, whether it is with the Lord, or with the ways of earth, and we have to decide which one holds the most importance for us.
And let no one say that they didn’t know the right choice! James writes that the Lord has placed his Spirit in each of us, and that this Spirit “envies intensely”! Isn’t that an interesting phrase – especially since Galatians 5:19-21 (v. 20) says that one of the acts of a sinful nature is envy!
So what do you think the Spirit envies, and why isn’t this a false way? The Spirit of God strongly desires our friendship, which is what “envies intensely” is referring to, especially when we choose to seek friendship with the world! Even the 10 Commandments tells us that “the Lord your God is a jealous God”. (Exodus 20:1-17, v. 5) This isn’t the envy or jealousy that the world hands out – it is God’s overwhelming desire that we might live our life in his way, the way that is life, and not in the way that is death. This desire is so strong in God that he sent his Son to earth to not only win our salvation, but to create an unmistakable and unerring way to the throne of God.
That is how “intensely” God desires our “friendship”.

Read James 4:6-10

Have you ever known someone who was actually proud of their salvation? They may even have bragged that Jesus died for them! In Psalm 10:4, we read that pride keeps us from even seeking God’s grace, and that when we are proud, it takes up all the room in our lives and that there is no place left for the Lord. And Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
James tells us that the opposite of pride is humility. Pride tears down, humility builds up. Pride is the way that trips us up, humility enables God to lift us up. Pride draws us near to Satan, while humility leads us ever closer to God. Pride is the mantle worn by the people of the world, while humility must be the choice of God’s people.

In verse 8, James uses the term “double-minded”. The implication is that even those who profess Jesus Christ as their savior can fall into the trap of pride! “Double-mindedness” says that we are of two minds - specifically that we are in one mind that calls out to the Lord, while simultaneously attempting to live in another desire that seeks the glory of earth.
And this brings us back to God’s jealousy! The truth is that duplicity doesn’t work - we can’t have it both ways! That is why the Lord is “jealous” for our faithfulness – either we are all in for him, or we aren’t his at all.

Read James 4:11-12

These two verses almost seem out of place – that James has inserted some unrelated thought into his discussion of submission to friendship with the Lord. But as we think about it, this may actually be a continuation of his discussion on pride.
So, what is slander? Isn’t it more than just lying about another person? Isn’t it more than judging another person for who they are or what they do? Slander is actually more about elevating the slanderer than it is about tearing down the victim! And that act of promoting yourself to the determent of someone else is nothing less than “pride”!
And there isn’t much difference between slander and gossip, either! There are several passages in Proverbs about gossip, but consider one of them - Proverbs 20:19 - ”A gossip betrays a confidence.” Every time we spread a story that we have heard, with the intention of showing just how much we know, and just how wrong another person may be, we have gossiped. Slander comes into play when we add a few juicy, but false, tidbits to the story, just to make it sound a little better!

And pride is the driving force behind it all. Is it any wonder that scripture tells us over and over that a humble heart is the only means available to us if we wish to receive the Lord’s grace!

Henri Nouwen, the noted Christian theologian and author wrote:
Trees that grow tall have deep roots. Great height without great depth is dangerous. The great leaders of this world, like St. Francis, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., were all people who could live with public notoriety, influence, and power in a humble way because of their deep spiritual rootedness.

Without deep roots we easily let others determine who we are. But as we cling to our popularity, we may lose our true sense of self. Our clinging to the opinion of others reveals how superficial we are. We have little to stand on. We have to be kept alive by adulation and praise. Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it.

—Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey (Harper Collins, 1997).

James is talking about our depth of faith. Pope Francis was talking about the depth of our faith. Jesus was all about depth of faith. It is only when our faith is shallow that pride has a chance of worming its way into our lives, destroying every chance of having a meaningful relationship with Almighty God.

How is your relationship with Jesus? Can you honestly say that you and the Lord are good friends? Of course, as soon as you speak these words, you may have just thrown your “humility” right out the window, so the best approach might be to keep the thought to yourself!

But consider the question, just the same. Are you the best of friends with the Greatest friend you will ever have?