Keeping God at the Center of Your Life Vs Yourself

Our Lead Pastor, Whit George, continues week eleven of our teaching series, Hearers & Doers: A Study in the Book of James. The heart of Christianity isn’t self-help, it’s surrender.

In James 4:11-17, we’re confronted with two commands: don’t speak evil of others, and don’t speak presumptuously about tomorrow, but beneath those instructions lies a deeper truth: Real wisdom begins with humility, and humility begins when God takes the center. 

In this message, Pastor Whit explores the following Scriptures:

JAMES 4:11-17 ESV 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against 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 only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 

JAMES 3:13 ESV 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 

ROMANS 12:3 ESV 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

PROVERBS 1:7 ESV 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

ROMANS 1:18-22 ESV 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 

MATTHEW 6:9-12 ESV 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

MATTHEW 6:14-15 ESV 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

JAMES 1:19-20 ESV 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man... 

PSALM 107:23-24 ESV 23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24 they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. 25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;