Grace—That Stuff’s Amazing!!!!

Grace—That Stuff’s Amazing!!!! So Throw Out Your Pride and Have Some!!!

 

Jas 4:6-8 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

What a Powerful passage of scripture. He giveth more grace. The truths found in this passage are a proof to the “amazing”ness of God’s grace. No matter what lot we find ourselves filling in life—God giveth more Grace. When we are being attacked by the devil with trials of temptation from all sides—God giveth more grace. When we are being tested with a trial by fire, a thorn in the flesh, Praise God His grace is sufficient—God giveth more grace.

Let’s examine what this passage is really saying:

God gives more and more grace and strength to help us to say no to our evil desires. But He reminds us who He gives this strength to and who He keeps it from. God resists (keeps a distance from) the proud but gives grace to the humble. Stop thinking you are so great and submit yourself to God. (Listen to Him. Obey His Word. Stop sinning! God wants only what is best for you.) Fight off and resist the Devil (your hidden enemy who hates you and wants nothing more than to destroy your relationship with God and others through your sin), and this hateful, proud enemy called the Devil will flee from you. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. (We can be just as close to God as we want to be!) How? Those of you who are living in sin (you sinners—v.8), clean up your life, get rid of everything that makes it easy for you to sin, whether it is ungodly associates or unfiltered Internet access; and you double-minded hypocrites (fakes, phonies, pretending that everything is fine between you and God while you are secretly living in sin—v.8), purify your hearts by asking for God’s undeserved forgiveness.

In other words you can stay in your pride, and try your hardest to win against the Devil on your own. But you will lose. The Devil has had thousands of years worth of experience in ruining lives. I’m pretty sure he’s gotten the hang of it by now. You cannot beat the devil on your own. So throw out your pride and have some grace (that stuff’s amazing!). Matthew Henry says “The proud resist God: in their understanding they resist the truths of God; in their will they resist the laws of God; in their passions they resist the providence of God; therefore, no wonder that God resists the proud. How wretched the state of those who make God their enemy! God will give more grace to the humble, because they see their need of it, they pray for it, are thankful for it, and such shall have it.” So what is your choice in this battle against the Devil. Stay in your pride and be defeated by your sin? Or humble yourself, admit your weakness, and experience God’s amazingly awesome grace.

Two really awesome quotes on Pride—that nasty stuff I hate, yet so often times I have too much of it.

“Pride is so natural to fallen man that it springs up in his heart like weeds in a watered garden, or rushes by a flowing brook. It is an all pervading sin, and smothers all things like dust in the roads, or flour in the mill. Its very touch is evil. You may hunt down this fox, and think you have destroyed it, and lo! Your very exultation is pride. None have more pride than those who dream that they have none. Pride is a sin with a thousand lives; it seems impossible to kill it.” –C.H. Spurgeon

“Pride was the sin that turned Satan, a blessed angel, into a cursed devil. Satan knows better than anyone the damning power of pride. Is it any wonder, then, that he so often uses it to poison the saints? His design is made easier in that man’s heart shows a natural fondness for it. Pride, like liquor, is intoxicating. A swallow or two usually leaves a man worthless to God.” –William Gurnall (17^th century Puritan writer)