He’s God…And You’re Not

A doctor said to his patient, “I’ve got some bad news and some terrible news for you.” The patient asked, “What is the bad news?” The doctor responded, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but the test results came back and indicate that you only have 24 hours to live.” The stunned patient inquired, “What could be worse news than that?” The doctor answered, “I was supposed to have told you yesterday!”

All of us face uncertain futures. And it is with that thought in mind, James warns his audience about being presumptuous about life. The half-brother of Jesus gave us three keys for Godly living: (1) Submit to God by resisting the devil, (2) Draw near to God by purifying our hearts, and (3) Humble ourselves before God.

How do we humble ourselves before God? Last time, I reminded you of comedian Chevy Chase’s signature line: “Hi, I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not.” Humbling yourselves before God begins with understanding that we are not God. But it goes beyond an intellectual understanding.

We must quit pretending we are God. And in James 4:11-17, James emphasizes two specific actions we must abstain from if we are going to truly humble ourselves before God.

1. We Must Stop Judging Other People (James 4:11-12)

I remember reading that for many years, surveys showed that John 3:16 was the most popular verse in the Bible. However, that verse has been replaced by Matthew 7:1: “Do not judge, lest you be judged.” People treat this verse like a King’s X that protects them from any evaluation of their lives by other people or even by God. 

But an analysis of the words of this verse in Matthew 7:1-5 in Jesus’s sermon on the mount reveals that Jesus was not saying you are never to evaluate another person. 

There are numerous other situations in which we need to be discerning and therefore have to judge.  For example, a few verses later in Matthew 7:16, Jesus said we can judge whether someone is a false teacher by the “fruit” or results of his life. “You shall know them by their fruits.”

• Ungodly Judging Usurps God’s Authority to Pronounce Condemnation 

It is important to draw a distinction between “judging” and “discerning.” The word translated as “judge” in this passage is the word krino in Greek. It means “to pass judgment on, to sentence, or condemn.” Only God is able to pass the final verdict on a person. That is why we are never to perform that kind of judgment.

Notice that Jesus says that we are not to judge another person, that is, we are not to condemn them. We should never say someone else is beyond God’s forgiveness, like the Pharisees did in Jesus’ day. Only God makes that kind of determination.

• Ungodly Judging Usurps God’s Ability to Discern Someone’s Motivation

Why are we not to pronounce a final condemnation on people? 

Because there is only one judge capable of making righteous and correct judgments, which He will perform when He returns.

2. We Must Stop Presumptuous Planning (James 4:13-17)

James believes that an equally arrogant act to condemning others is to presume about the future.

The sin James is condemning is not planning but planning without God. The sin is forgetting God—leaving Him out of our plans. It is permissible; it is even advantageous, to make plans for our lives. But we should realize that all of our aspirations hinge on the Sovereignty of God.

James reminds us of four reasons that we should remember God in our lives.

1. The Brevity of Life (James 4:14)
2. The Uncertainty of the Future (James 4:15)
3. The Emptiness of Success (James 5:1-3)
4. Our Accountability to God (James 5:7, 9)

Regardless of all the jokes about dying and meeting Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates, the fact is that all of us face the judgment of God.  

The author of Hebrews writes, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).  

In light of this coming judgment, should we not strive to be pleasing to God in our lives? Why?

I remember reading an account of a girl who was driving with four of her closest friends. The car was going much too fast and collided with a concrete embankment, causing it to completely turn over four times.  

For the next five hours, the driver and four passengers were trapped inside the vehicle. The driver listened for those five hours to the tears and groaning of her friends as one by one they slipped into death. The driver was the only survivor of the accident, and after her rescue, she provided the authorities with this account of her friends’ deaths. “They all said the same thing before they died: ‘Oh, God! No, no, no.  Oh, God, no!’”

The central truth that James is trying to convey is that all of us face the same fate. It may not be through a car accident, and it may not be today or tomorrow. But it will happen one day. And when we find ourselves facing the Creator of the Universe, what will be our response? Will it be Oh, God, no, no, no…or will it be a moment of joyous anticipation?

Full Passage: James 4:11-5:9