Arrogance

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Revelation 1:5-6
• Hymn — We Come to You (#288)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Heidelberg Catechism — Lord's Day 40 (Questions 105–107)
• Psalm — Psalm 79b (#79b)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — What God Ordains Is Right (#231)
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: The Dangers of Arrogance

Scripture: James 4:13-17

I. Arrogance Toward Profit

A. The historical and commercial context of James's audience

1. Jewish Christians were heavily active in trade cities throughout the Mediterranean world
2. The bustling market culture mirrors modern affluent Western society

B. James does not condemn wealth or industry, but the arrogant craving for profit

1. The misquoted saying: it is not "money is the root of all evil" but 1 Timothy 6:10 — "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil"
2. The craving manifests in idolizing the wealthy, living vicariously through them, fantasizing about luxury, and even pretending to be rich

C. Heavenly-mindedness produces earthly good

1. C.S. Lewis: Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought most of the next
2. The Reformers promoted hard work and profit-making so that more could be given to the poor and the church
3. The goal is godly success — being salt and light in a fallen world, not earthly-minded to the point of heavenly uselessness

II. Arrogance Toward Time

A. Life is a mist — a puff of smoke dissipated by the wind or sun (James 4:14)

1. This theme runs throughout Old Testament wisdom literature
2. Job 7:7-9: "Remember that my life is a breath… as the cloud fades and vanishes"
3. Psalm 39:4-6: David acknowledges the fleeting measure of his days in a posture of humility

B. Both Job and David speak of life's brevity from a position of humility, not arrogance

1. The challenge is calling successful, comfortable people to see their lives the same way
2. The answer is found in James 4:15: "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that"
3. Both life itself and the ability to act are conditioned by the sovereign will of God

C. The contrast between the arrogant and the humble perspective on time

1. The arrogant think yearly (James 4:13) — assuming tomorrow and next year are guaranteed
2. The humble think daily — each day is a gift from God
3. Matthew 6:34: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself"
4. Matthew 6:11: Jesus teaches the disciples to pray for daily bread — a daily, dependent perspective
5. Humble success comes by recognizing that every breath and every action is conditioned by God's sovereign will, producing gratitude in success and praise even in failure

III. Arrogance Toward Obedience

A. The hidden will vs. the revealed will of God

1. Anxiety arises when we fixate on what God has not revealed (Deuteronomy 29:29)
2. Our duty is to obey the revealed will of God — the rule of life and faith in Scripture

B. Sins of omission defined (James 4:17)

1. Sins of commission: doing what God forbids
2. Sins of omission: failing to do what God commands
3. James may be reminding his readers of what they already know, or declaring that ignorance is no longer an excuse now that he has spoken

C. Sins of omission are sneaky and often excused by forgetfulness

1. Blatant transgression strikes the conscience more immediately
2. Forgetfulness is commonly used as a legitimate excuse — but forgetfulness is not the same as ignorance
3. We are responsible to know, remember, and hold close the will of God

D. Matthew 25 — Christ's judgment on the wicked centers on sins of omission

1. The refrain is not "when you committed murder or adultery" but "when you did not feed, clothe, or care"
2. Their response: "When did we not do that?" — Christ's answer: "Exactly. You did nothing."
3. Like the parable of the man who buried his one talent — not a violent man, but called to account for doing nothing

E. The ten commandments are not merely sins of commission

1. The Pharisees made this mistake — adding extra-biblical laws to ensure the negative commands were kept, while ignoring the positive obligations
2. The strong Hebrew negative before eight of the ten commandments implies a positive obligation on the other side
3. Jesus exposes this: Matthew 9:13 — "Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice"
4. Examples of the positive duty embedded in each negative command:
   • Don't commit adultery → love the wife of your youth
   • Don't steal → give abundantly
   • Don't covet → be content and praise God for daily bread
   • Don't murder → love people, care for people, embrace life

F. Pharisaism — a purely "do not" religion — leads directly to arrogance

1. If righteousness is defined only by what I do not do, then no one can tell me what I ought to do
2. Self-constructed standards produce self-righteousness and arrogance
3. Christianity is not a list of things not to do — it is denying the flesh and positively putting on Christ in love for God and neighbor
4. Christ himself — equal with God — dined with tax collectors and sinners, befriended fishermen, and committed not one sin of omission; he loved his own all the way to death
5. We are called to the same: love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself