April 15, 2016
James 4:7-10
(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)
“Scat Cat!” is a phrase that some people might use – those who are not especially fond of cats! My wife is a compassionate and loving person. But she is not a lover of animals! She tolerates them! For one thing, she is allergic to animal hair and dandruff. I like to say that I am the only animal she allows in the house! I grew up on a dairy farm and we always had barn cats around to control the rodent population. We three Norton boys most often had a favorite cat among the two or three dozen that roamed the barn and fields.
Satan is a kind of cat, according to I Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” They say a lion will not roar when he is hunting his prey. He silently and stealthily stalks his target. But when he has caught and killed his prey, he will roar his victory, announcing to all his kill!
I was attacked once by an African lion! I worked for a man who kept wild animals as a hobby and for a private zoo. He specialized in large felines – lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and such. He had one African lion named Barney whom he had raised from birth as a house pet. Barney was less than a year old and weighed about 150 pounds. He was a big playful kitten! If you knelt down on one knee, Barney would run and jump with his front paws on your shoulders, nuzzling your hair and wanting to play.
One summer day with permission, I took a friend, Herm, to see the collection of animals in large cages on the lawn in front of the house. He marveled at the fifteen or so big cats on display. I then told Herm to follow me into the house, that I wanted to show him one more thing. I opened the door to the large basement family room – about 30 feet by 50 feet – and dropped to one knee. Barney saw me from across the room. He took three leaps and was on me, nuzzling and wanting to play! All I heard behind me was Herm yelling! He told me later, “I knew he had you and I was next!” It was one of Herm’s favorite stories for years!
It is no game to be pounced upon by the roaring lion, Satan! But we have authority over him according to James 4:7 through 10:
…submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to
God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and
purify your hearts, you double- minded. Lament and mourn and weep!
Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Now you cannot just resist the devil in your own power! He is much stronger than you! Before he fell into pride and sin, Satan was known as Lucifer (see Isaiah 12:14). Originally he may have been the most powerful angel God ever created! (See Ezekiel 28:11-19). But when he sinned, He lost none of his beauty or power, just his goodness! His purpose ever since is only “…to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10). He is a liar and murderer (see John 8:44), and his ultimate goal is to overthrow God and take His place! (See Isaiah 14:14; II Thessalonians 2:4).
Notice that before we resist the devil, we are to submit to God ! (verse 7). This is where verse 8 of our featured Scripture comes in. In order to draw near to God, we are to do four things:
• “Cleans your hands, you sinners….” This phrase encompasses our outward actions. We are all sinners (see Romans 3:10, 23), and we need to alter how our life is lived out! But to change our outward actions we need to…
• “…purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Jesus tell us in Matthew 12:34, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 15:19). The Lord could easily have said, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks…the feet walk, the hands move – all outward actions of life come from the heart!” And being double-minded – that is, believers too often saying they want God’s ways, but preferring their own ways – we too often go with our ways instead of His! But if we purify our hearts, our actions will show that we have truly drawn near to God !
• “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom.” Are we to have a gloomy outlook on life, and our actions express that outlook? No! But there are times to mourn and weep! Do we mourn and weep over the sin we see in our lives and in the lives of others? Do our tears flow over the lost condition of family, friends and neighbors who are not saved, who are on their way to eternal hell? Do we lament over the sins of our nation and world? Are we heart-sick when we hear of Christians being persecuted and even slaughtered by ISIS and other radical groups? I think this is what James has in mind.
• “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord….” If we are not concerned with sin and offenses against God in our own lives and in the lives of others, it is an issue of pride that stands in our way! For pride (selfishness) lies at the root of all sin! We must humbly come to God and let Him deal with us!
In doing these four things, we will be drawing near to God ! And when we are living in His presence and power, we can say, “Begone, Satan! Go from us, evil lion!” In other words, “Scat cat! ” (I do not say it in a light way). And he will flee from you!