Accept Responsibility - Matthew 7:1-5, James 4:1-4 and 6-12 - May 13, 2007

Sunday School Lesson – Accept Responsibility – May 13, 2007

Our scripture is Matthew 7:1-5, James 4:1-4 and 6-12.

This is lesson two (2) in our series. We are dealing with our nature, the flesh, as a Christian. We all begin life as a human. Some come to CHRIST early in life and avoid some very bad natures developing within them and becoming strongholds in their lives. Others get very caught up in the things of the world and struggle, sometimes a lifetime to break free of the strongholds they have allowed into their lives.

Both are born-again brothers and sisters in CHRIST but battle within with a variety of issues or natures. This is why we must confess to the LORD all the issues in our lives with which we wrestle. When we do not confess to GOD what is going on within us, it is our attempt to hide it from GOD. This, in turn, allows the thing hidden to grow stronger. Our flesh nature wants to rule our lives and knows we are not revealing a certain issue or thing to GOD. Since Satan cannot know our thoughts, I think it is through our flesh nature that Satan knows our weakness. This is all he needs to wreak havoc in our lives.

Satan cannot know our thoughts. When some unwanted nature raises its head in my life, I rebuke it out loud so Satan will know that I have confessed it to my JESUS.

We might say, “Well, we are GOD’S children and HE already knows what we are thinking, so why do we have to confess it. When we confess to GOD what we are thinking, it shows that we want to expose the issue(s) and we seek GOD’S help in dealing with it or them. If we cannot deal with them with the LORD’S help, we need to pray and seek professional help. The LORD provides gifted Christians to council us with the issue(s) in your life.

There are many addictions, cravings and desires we as humans and born-again Christians have to deal with – guilt of previous wrong doings, abortion, drugs, sex, pornography, alcohol, lying, cheating, stealing, taking advantage of others, gambling, spending money foolishly, accumulating things, bad tempers, abuse, etc. Life can get very complicated because of our past indulgences. Satan likes nothing more than to discourage, defeat and destroy all humans; non-believers and especially Christians.

Satan is the enemy of GOD. GOD has already defeated Satan through JESUS but the war rages on within every human. The hope of all mankind is JESUS. First of all, Satan does not want any human to accept JESUS as their SAVIOR. So he does all he can to prevent a person from accepting CHRIST as their SAVIOR. If he loses that battle and the person becomes a Christian, Satan wants to defeat and destroy him or her. Satan wants them to compromise their testimony. He wants to neutralize them into feeling that they are so bad and unclean that even GOD does not want them. BUT GUESS WHAT??? If you have CHRIST as your SAVIOR, then you are GOD’S CHILD AND THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE!!!

So do not allow the imaginings of the mind to take hold but as soon as they become a thought confess it and wash the mind with the cleansing of GOD’S Word. Scripture memory and quoting scripture is the way to wash the mind, when unwelcome thoughts enter our minds.

Psalm 119:11 (KJV)

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

GOD’S Word washes our minds with HIS detergent to help get the filth out of our minds. We must dwell upon HIS Word and the fact that CHRIST cleanses us with HIS shed blood and CHRIST in us is our strength.

KNOW THIS, no matter what you have done as a born-again Christian, you are a child of GOD and that will never change.

A key scripture is 1 John1:9:
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Christians part is to confess their sins and repent, then GOD, through CHRIST, forgives, cleanses and restores. Do Not let un-confessed sin shackle you and keep you from experiencing the joy of the LORD in your lives.

Our lesson today is divided into three (3) spiritual topics for any Christian to consider:

Evaluate Yourself.

Recognize Conflict’s Source.

Submit to GOD.

Let’s read Matthew 7:1-5: (Evaluate Yourself)

1 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For with the judgment you use,[1] Lit you judge you will be judged, and with the measure you use,[2] Lit you measure it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Be careful how you judge others. It is hard for most of us to see ourselves as others see us. The wrongs we do or our children and grandchildren do, do not seem as bad as what others do.

James is telling us to critically examine our lives and deal with the huge log in our own eye before we try to remove a small piece of sawdust out of our brother’s eye.

When we look critically and objectively at our own lives and know ourselves, it often causes us to be more empathetic with others. We realize, except for the grace of GOD, there we go.

This is not meaning we are to be overly tolerant of the things others do but to be more understanding of some of the things that people do. We are to hate the sin but love the sinner. When we understand, we are in a better position to help them with their problem. The Bible tells us that when the blind try to help the blind, both fall into the ditch. So we need to make sure we see clearly before we try to help others. And to help others, we must first know ourselves.

Let’s read James 4:1-4: (Recognize Conflict’s Source)

1 What is the source of the wars and the fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you?[1] Lit war in your members 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure. 4 Adulteresses![2] Other mss read Adulterers and adulteresses Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

This scripture gets to the heart of our flesh nature. Most every human has cravings and desires. How we satisfy those cravings and desires usually dictates our lifestyle. When these words were written, the culture of that day was such that murder was common. Brute force was used to settle things. You took what you wanted.

James is saying there is a better way. Ask GOD to grant you the things you desire. The shift is from take into your own hands to get what you want, to ask GOD. This shifts the focus from self to GOD and what HE desires for our lives. When our will is in line with GOD’S will then whatever we ask, we receive.

Let’s read James 4:6-12: (Submit to GOD)

6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.[4] Pr 3:34 7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. 11 Don’t criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge[5] Other mss omit and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

GOD has a way of getting our attention when we get too big for our britches. GOD wants HS children to come under HIS rule and authority. HE wants us to choose to resist the Devil and draw near to HIM.

All Christians are under GOD’S grace. Grace is unmerited favor. We do not earn grace. Grace is a free gift for being GOD’S child. GOD knows that we, as human and Christians, will not always do what we are supposed to do. HE cuts us slack with grace. But HE does not want us to become arrogant. Grace is not a do what you want anytime you want to. It is when we are trying to be obedient to GOD and serve HIM and we blow it.

When we think more highly of ourselves than we ought, we think we can do anything we want. We think we are beyond the correction of GOD in our lives and act as if we are GOD.

When we have this attitude, GOD will resist us. When GOD resists us, it gets our attention and it is time for a spiritual checkup.

There is a scripture we need to be aware of and use as prompted by the HOLY SPIRIT:
Psalm 139:23-24:
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive[9] Or idolatrous way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.
So what is the cure when we find ourselves in the situation that GOD is resisting us?

Submit to GOD – Completely place your trust in GOD and do not rely upon your own understanding.

Resist the Devil – GOD tells us when we resist the Devil, he will flee. Quote scripture when you resist the Devil. CHRIST used scripture to defeat Satan when HE was tempted in the dessert.

Draw near to GOD – This is a term used when a priest was going to the temple to perform his duty. GOD is in us as Christians but even though HE is in us, we still have to recognize and acknowledge HIM. HE never overrides our right to choose. When we draw near GOD, we recognize and acknowledge that HE is the source of our strength. When HE stands along beside us, who or what can stand against us? WOW!!!

Cleanse – Refers to confessing our sins to GOD. Confessing is agreeing with GOD that we have missed the mark. JESUS is the only source for any of us being cleansed whiter than snow.

Double minded – Gives the idea of a bifurcated life style, hanging onto the world with one hand and onto GOD with the other hand. When you are double-minded, you feel compromised because you cannot serve two (2) masters and do the things that you know are not pleasing to GOD. Yet you are not confident enough in GOD or trust HIM enough to rely upon HIM to guide and direct your life.

Miserable, mourn, weep – This ties back to once we confess our sins we need to repent of those sins. We are not to be flippant about confessing our wrong doings. GOD takes our attitude very seriously. HIS desire for us is to fully represent HIM to others in the world.

Let me share with you something the LORD revealed to me while studying for this lesson.

Family Traits:

When a baby is born, what is one of the first things many of us do and say? We look at the baby and try to figure out which parent or grandparent the baby looks like. We often say, “Oh, he or she looks just like their mother or father.” Even as the baby grows, we continue to look for family characteristics and often say or hear; they are a chip off the old block. This could refer to how the child looks or acts or both. The parents are very proud when they hear or see favorable family characteristics and traits displayed in their children.

Have you ever thought about our GOD, our FATHER, looking down from heaven and looking at us and calling over JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT along with all the heavenly hosts and looking at (Insert Your Name) and asking them, “Who do you think he or she looks like? Are they looking more like MY Precious SON JESUS, WHO IS THE SPITTING IMAGE OF HIS FATHER? Or are they looking like their old self or the world?

GOD wants us to grow and mature into the image of HIS SON. It pleases GOD when we look more like JESUS as we grow and mature in HIM. Who do you think you look like? Are you growing and maturing into the image of JESUS?

Romans 8:29:
29 For those He foreknew[18] From eternity God knew His people and entered into a personal relationship with them He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

Humble yourself – James tells us to humble ourselves. When we humble ourselves, GOD will exalt us. When we allow our self or the flesh to direct and control our lives, we can become self sufficient and even arrogant. When we realize that we are completely dependent upon the LORD for every beat of our heart, every breath of air, even the number of hairs on our head, for every aspect of our lives, we stand in awe of HIS care for us throughout our lives.

James then tells us not to criticize or judge others. There is but one judge and that is JESUS. GOD gave the authority to judge to JESUS. WHO better to judge, than the ONE WHO lived upon earth as 100% human and yet 100% divine? THE ONE WHO overcame the world and lived a sinless life as a human. Yet HE was tempted in all ways like we are but remained sinless. We are but weary travelers upon the road of life. Except for the grace of GOD, many of us would find ourselves in the same state as the most wretched person or circumstance of which we know.

Every Christian comes to salvation by way of the cross and confesses his or her sins and receives forgiveness. Our sin, in essence, is poured into CHRIST and HIS righteousness is poured into us. We are born into GOD’S family and at that moment we receive GOD’S grace, eternal life and filled with the HOLY SPIRIT. We are transformed into a new creation. GOD calls us HIS child and JESUS calls us HIS brother or sister.

Do you want to be a friend and child of GOD? Then ask JESUS to forgive you of your sins and to come into you life right now. May the flood gates of HIS presence in your life over whelm you as you receive HIM.