Title: Pride and Presumption 

Text: James 4:11-16

Date: 7-25-04.am

Thesis Statement: James has just addressed the issue of drawing near to God and being humble before God. Verses 11 - 16 come out of that context and in are antithetical or all together different in character than what James instructed, pride and presumption are just the opposite of walking humbly with God. Our pride and presumption put us at odds with Him rather than drawing us near to him.

James 4:11-15

11     Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge {of it.}

12     There is {only} one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

13     Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."

14     Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are {just} a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

15     Instead, {you ought} to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that."

16     But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. (NAS)

James addresses the issue of the critical self-righteous hypocritical judgement of others. He introduces us to that subject in verse 11 where he writes to the church about slandering brothers and sisters in Christ. The dictionary defines slander as a false and malicious spoken statement that damages a person’s self-esteem or reputation. The two key words in that definition are false which of course means not truthful and malicious which means they are spoken intentionally to cause harm to the person they are spoken about.

I mention again James letter was originally sent to Jewish Christians who have been scattered throughout Palestine. Many Jewish believers continued to faithfully observe Jewish rituals as part of their worship and what is apparently happening within the fellowship is some of those who are continuing in these practices are criticizing and putting down others who are not as being less mature, less spiritual and less devout in their belief and their walk of faith. Paul, like James also had to deal with this issue from time to time among the churches.

We wouldn’t think something like that would be a problem in the church today, particularly a local church. We would like to think Christians would find that kind of behavior unthinkable and reprehensible but we find it happening all too often in the church. Sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes out of spite and many times out of pride.

I know I’m preaching to the choir on this. But we need to hear it and be aware of it so we don’t allow it to happen. James was not only addressing the issue for those early believers he is also warning us about the danger of a hypocritical, self-righteous judgmentalism towards others, especially other Christians that manifests itself through the spoken word. Sometimes it might manifest itself in a very subtle way other times it is more obvious.

Perhaps the greatest example of this kind of thing is recorded for us in Luke’s Gospel, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican or tax-collector.

You are probably familiar with it but turn to Luke chapter 18 and lets read it.

A more modern day parable might be the pastor and the layman.

This kind of slander is to belittle others and put others down so that you, at least in your own estimation, are lifted up.

Keep in mind the Bible isn’t saying to us that we don’t make any kind of judgement towards others in regard to sin. That’s sometimes the common misconception that not to judge means we don’t take a stand against sin, after all who are you to judge me and call me a sinner. Nothing could b further from the truth. Paul admonished Timothy to reprove rebuke and correct, all of those activities involve judgement – judgement that certain actions are wrong and those committing those actions are doing wrong and need to be corrected.

Listen to the last two verses of the book of James. James wrote in 5:19-20:

19     My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one

 turns him back,

20     let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins. (NAS)

James certainly implies in these two verses we have an obligation to make judgements as to right and wrong of certain actions and that judgement applies to the individuals who are committing them. We certainly told to make judgement towards those who haven’t trusted Christ that they are lost and eternally separated from Christ and headed for hell without faith in Christ alone. That kind of judgement however is not intended to belittle anyone nor is it meant to judge anyone’s worthiness but to restore relationships. We are judging the actions of individuals not the person themselves.

In contrast to judgement of conduct which seeks to restore, the critical judgementalism James refers seeks only to tear down.

I personally believe a modern day example of this kind of judgementalism in seen the activities of Pastor Fred Phelps from Kansas. Pastor Phelps condemns homosexuals rather than homosexuality and it does it in the most unflattering way which turns homosexuals away from Christ rather than drawing them to Him. And Pastor Phelps also exhibits this same same spirit towards those in the church who disagree with his point of view. And that’s exactly the kind of thing James is talking about. Condemning sinners rather than sin. Jesus condemned sin, He died for sinners.

James says when you practice that kind of judgement you are setting yourselves above the law. What is the law James refers to? It is the law of love. When Jesus was asked to sum up the law He said it’s basically this: to love God with every ounce of your being and to love your neighbor as yourself. James referred to it as the Royal law in verse 8 of chapter 2. Hypocritical, malious, Judgementalism violates the law of love. It tears down rather than builds up. Judgementalism, James says, places a person above the law, and makes them a judge of the law.

In one of his daily devotionals this week Dr Adrian Rodgers talking about love says: love is the greatest virtue. First Corinthians 13:13 tells us that love goes even beyond faith and hope. Love is the greatest command. Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matthew 22:37). Love is the greatest testimony. The way you love God and show love to others is the greatest evidence of God in your life. Nothing can motivate a a brother or sister in Christ to be reconciled nor lost sinner to come to Christ like the heartfelt love of Jesus Christ manifested in and through the lives of other believers.

We as Christians are all in the same boat. We’re sinners saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, but we’re sinners none the less. None of us is perfect or completely mature. The only standard by which we can judge or be judged is the perfection is Jesus Christ and when we stand next to him we understand we all fall pitifully short. Jesus alone has absolute authority as the Righteous Judge, He is the only perfect person to have ever walked this earth and He is God. So James asks the rhetorical question, who in the world are you to judge you neighbor?

Again we’re not talking about judging in the sense of whether person is in need of salvation or the Savior or that a fellow Christian may be in need of being restored from a broken fellowship. In light of what we have read previously from James’ letter and those concluding verses It’s seems clear that is referring to self-righteous condemnatory judgement.

Why would anyone use hypocritical judgement towards others? Spite, revenge, yes but the biggest cause is Pride. I’m glad I’m not like other men, the pharisee said. Sometimes Christians become prideful and we judge others based on our righteousness rather than the righteousness of God,

as if we have somehow arrived at the pinnacle of faith.

Consider the ending of parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. Jesus said in verse 14 "I tell you, this man (referring to the tax collector) went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." (NAS)

We want to correct brothers and sisters who have gone astray we don’t want to condemn them. We want to bring sinners to the Savior not condemn them.

It’s easier to the faults and sins of others and condemn them. I’m glad I’m not like other Christians. But the Bible warns us in 1 Cor 10:12 to take heed when we judge someone according to our righteousness lest we also fall.

We’re all sinners. The difference is some of us have placed our faith in Jesus Christ and received His salvation. We don’t want to condemn others we want them to know the Savior, we want them to know His love and His forgiveness just as we do. We want their lives to be changed by His power, because our sins have been forgiven and our lives have been changed.

In Matt 10, Jesus sent the disciples out into the world and He said, “. . . freely you have received freely give.” (10:8) We have received the free gift of salvation by grace through faith. We don’t want to condemn and put down others especially those who haven’t received God’s free gift we want them to know and receive it as well. We want them to know the Savior and fellowship with Him, to know the joy of salvation. Our hymn of commitment this morning says, “go in my name and because you believe others will know that I live.” Will you answer His call? His call to receive Him and then share Him.