James 4:13-17 Life is
Full of Surprises
Read Verses
Now,
we must not take what James says here as meaning that we shouldn’t plan -
Life involves Planning!
Small business
owner:
you need a Business Plan
Lose weight or get in shape
….. Exercise Plan
Parent: Kids college retirement …. Financial plan
Pilot……….. Flight
Plan
Home Builder …………………. Floor Plan
Coach …………………………….. Game Plan
Teacher …………………………. Lesson Plan
Traveler …………………………. Travel Plan
Life
involves planning – infact there are pp today who get paid to help others plan!
A) Remember the kid in High
School that you never wanted to share an idea with - because they would over plan everything
B)Well now a lot of those
kids are still over planning and they’re getting overpaid to do it.
1) We need Planners
C) Wedding planners / City
Planners / Corporate planners / Financial planners / Project planners
D) Planning is important – I
want you to note that the Bible doesn’t put down planning.
Jesus
talked about the man building a home and his need to plan it out and count the
cost to make sure he could complete it.
A) Jesus also talked about
the wise General going into battle – having a plan
B) God put together a very
specific plan for the building of the Tabernacle & the Temple in the OT.
C) There is a strategic plan
in how the solar system has been put together /
1) As well as how the Human
body is put together
God
is into planning! – So don’t think that James here is trying to knock planning.
A) No, the issue that James
is dealing with here is an attitude of the heart that approaches life
independently from God!
B) Note 5 things today in
the verses before us
#1 The Problem illustrated.
V.13
#2 What is at the heart of
this kind of planning. V.16
#3 The Foolishness of Making
such plans V.14
#4 The Right way to plan.
V.15
#5 A final warning. V.17
#1 The Problem illustrated.
V.13
Come
now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city,
spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";
Many
of the Jews, in the ancient world were traders. A) They were businessmen then as they are
now and they were very successful.
B) As towns
sprung up in the ancient world – the trade routes grew connecting commununities
1)Those trade routes became a focal pt of Business.
C) A
strategizing businessman would set out to do his trade in a hot spot where he
could succeed and lay out his plans.
1)That is what James is describing here- those Businessmen in the
fellowship making their Strategic Business plans
Now
in and of itself, is that kind of planning sinful?
A) Is there something
ethically wrong with planning like that?
B) Is there something
immoral about saying we're going to go over here we're going to stay there,
we're going to do this, we're going to make money?
1)
I think every Smart businessman would say that.
C) I don't think in itself
there's anything immoral about it, anything unethical about it.
1)
In fact, any businessman worth his salt ought to have some kind of plan.
You
see, the issue here is not in what is said, the issue here is in what is not
said. That's the implication.
A)
what is not said reveals the problem
because there's no mention of God in
this plan.
B) There is no thought for
God. This is the man who runs his own life,
1)
this is the woman who runs her own life, foolishly ignoring God and showing
utter disrespect for His sovereignty.
C) That is the Problem with
this plan!
#2
What is at the heart of this kind of planning. V.16
“But
now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
A) James says at the heart
of the Problem is pride!
B) This is not atheism
pretending that God doesn’t exist – this is selftheism
– Pretending I am God
C) This is a continuation of
what we have been talking about the last few weeks
1) God resist the Proud –
gives grace to the humble
D) It is a heart of pride
that makes plans independently of God.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a military genius, but his pride led to his
downfall.
He was about to invade Russia, but a friend tried to dissuade him.
When it became apparent that Napoleon would not be budged, the friend shared
the familiar proverb, “Man proposes, God
disposes.”
Napoleon angrily snapped
back, “I dispose as well
as propose.”
A Christian upon hearing
this remark said,
“I marked that
down as the turning point of Bonaparte’s fortunes. God will not suffer a
creature with impunity to usurp His prerogative.” Sure enough, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia
was the beginning of his downfall
It is basically
an attitude that says I don’t need to consult God – I have this figured out.
1) I have a wonderful Plan
for my life!
#3 The
Foolishness of Making such plans V.14
“whereas you do not know
what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that
appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
James tells us two things
about life here:
1st
Life is full of surprises – You don’t know what is
going to happen tomorrow!
We
are living the reality of that right now!
A) The last thing that I
ever imagined happening to my Dad – was a stroke – Strong – golf – active
always on the go – worker
B)
Learned: Life can change just like that!
C) Making plans – moving
along – Your company decides to down size and you are out of a Job!
I was thinking about how
complex life is and I read this, interesting analogy:
A) suppose you take ten
pennies and mark them from one to ten... put them in your pocket
B)
shake it around for a while, mix them up. Now try to draw them out in
sequence from one through ten, Putting each coin back in your pocket after each
draw.
C)
So You draw out "one" you put it back, draw out "two" put
it back, draw out "three"...your chance of drawing out number one is
one in ten.
Your chance of
drawing number one and two in succession is one in a hundred.
Your chance of drawing
number one, two, and three in succession is one in a thousand.
Your chance of
drawing one, two, three, four in succession is one in ten thousand, and so on.
Now your chance of drawing number one through
ten in succession would reach the unbelievable figure of one chance in ten
billion.
Here
is the Pt. if you can't deal with ten
pennies in your pocket, how are you going to control everything in your
environment? You can't.
A) Infinite complexities
that are far out beyond your ability and my ability to control.
B) And yet there are some
people in the world who imagine foolishly that they are in charge.
C) That type of approach to
life ignores a very vital principle
1)
What your ignoring is not just the existence of God's will but the benefit of
it.
D)
It is a confident and comforting thing to believe in a sovereign God who knows
perfectly and with unerring accuracy every factor in the universe
E)
A God who is controlling every
factor to His own purposes & wants
to make you a part of those purposes.
So
not only is it foolish to order your life, ignoring the will of God from the
viewpoint that you can't control it
A) But it is foolish to try to
live that way because you're cancelling out the very thing which can give your
life meaning, and that is the work of God in your behalf.
James
also reminds us that Life is also Short
A) Your life is vapor –
appears for a little while and then it vanishes away.
B) NLT-
Morning fog – Foggy by the beach in the morning – burns off, beautiful
sunny day
C) Job declared Job 7:7 – My
life is but a breath –
1) Everyone take a deep
breath – There goes your life
D) Obvious comparison to
eternity! – Life is short
E) One person: It is like a
Sparkler on the 4th of July – burning bright one minute – out the
next
F) The Brevity of life is no
respector of persons – Young and old
{ Heath Ledger
28
LK
12 Jesus told the story of the farmer who had a bumper crop; bigger barns…… You fool, tonight your life is required of you and you are
not rich toward God
In Constantinople of old, when an
eastern monarch was crowned as emperor, the royal mason would bring before him
slabs of marble on his coronation day.
The emperor himself would select from
the marble slabs his own tombstone. "The ancients thought it wise for him
to remember his funeral at the time of his elevation, for his life would not
last forever"
Life is
short – Make it count!
What
if we had such a practice at high school or college graduation?
A) It might bring a sense of reality to
life that the future is uncertain for it belongs to the Lord alone to unfold
it. DON’T HAVE FOREVER! Make it count
B) So the point that James
is making is this: it is foolish and prideful to plan our lives without
consulting God Because:
1) Life is full of
surprises. You never know what is going
to happen to upset your plans
C) And life is short – You
might think – I have ten years and in reality you only have 1 more day!
#4 The right
way to Plan: V.15
“Instead you ought to say,"If the
Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."
A) If the Lord wills is not
a trite formula but an attitude of the heart that says:
I know that
God is sovereign and I want to be submitted to Him!
B)
Interestingly, the expression “If it is the Lord’s will” appears nowhere in the
Old Testament, but it is used several times in the New Testament.
C)
Paul promised the Ephesians, “I will come back if it is God’s will” (Acts
18:21).
D) To the Corinthians he said, “But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing”
(1 Corinthians 4:19; cf. Romans 1:10; 1 Corinthians 16:7; Philippians 2:19, 24;
E) It was an attitude that
said: I have this desire – this is what I am praying about –
1)
I will wait for God to either Give me the green light or – to change my
direction.
LIFE ON THE ALTAR!
Romans 12:1-2
“I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will
of God.”
A) The safest and best place
that we can ever be as a person is in the center of God’s will. Why ?
Psalm
33:11 “The
counsel of the Lord stands forever; the Plans of His heart to all generations.”
B) This reminds us that “The
will of God comes from the heart of God,”
1)
I don’t need to be afraid of God’s will for me!
D)
Jesus said John 4:34 “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to
finish His work”
Being
in the center of God’s will doesn’t mean that you will never be surprised by
life.
A) It simply means that you
are not going to be devastated by that surprise
B) My Dad – has had a few
moments this week – broke down crying { Not like my dad – not a Crying – laugh
movies
1) Then I am crying –
Worried – that he was getting depressed and discouraged
C) Found out from one of the
therapist – That is normal – they lose control of their emotions
D)Friday we had a good talk
– My dad was like – No I am not depressed – I know that God has a plan in all
this
1) I have no idea – might
even seem stupid
We
believe all things do work together for Good to them that Love God and are
called according to his purpose.
A) Note that He doesn’t say
all things are going to be good
B) When my attitude and
approach to life is God I know that you are Sovereign – but also Know that you
care – I want to be led by you !
When
I am living in that mentality not only am I not devastated by a surprise –
might get knocked down put I don’t stay down
A) But also if my life is
shortened – others can take comfort in knowing – I was doing what God wanted me
to do.
B) Jim
Elliot 28 Ed
McCully,28 Roger Youderian, 32 Pete
Fleming, 29 Nate Saint 33
1) All Killed in Ecuador trying to share the gospel
with Indian tribes
C) All
young – all lives cut – short – but everyone who knew them – knew they were
doing exactly what God wanted them to do
Jim Elliot – No man is a fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what
he cannot lose! ….
Kieth Green – He could have
done so much more – Maybe true
But He did what God intended
him to do!
Life
is about the Journey!
A) Abe / Moses / Joshua /
Apostles / Paul – unfolding plan
B) Submitted seeking – God
led one step at a time !
#5 A Final
Warning! V.17
“Therefore,
to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
A) At first glance v.17
seems out of place – but it isn’t the word therefore connects it to what was
just said
B) Immediate
context is this: James has just told us how to make godly plans
1) If we fail to apply that
– the Point is clear we are sinning.
C) Of course, this verse applies to all areas of the Christian life
pertaining to what are called “sins of omission.”
D) We tend to look at sin as wrong things we do
1) James says it is also a sin to not do what we know is right.
E) We can fool ourselves in thinking
– well I am not doing anything wrong –
1) But in reality – it is just as wrong to not be doing what we know is
right
God has clearly
marked things in His word that are His will. –
A) When we ignore those things – even though we are not breaking a 10
commandment it is still sin
B) And when God moves on your heart – Conviction
Ignore – Sin –
All of which simply reminds us – We need
a savior
A) See at the top of God’s list on His will – that we would be saved.
1 Timothy 2:4
“God desires all
men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
That is the starting point!
Where are you at today? Life submitted to God
A) Confident in his love – His plan
B) Yielded heart