WEBVTT 00:00:04.959 --> 00:00:06.080 Good morning. 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:11.199 This morning we will be in James chapter four. 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:15.519 But before we turn there, let me pray for us one more time. 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:23.760 Father, we gather this morning for one reason only. 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:26.559 And that is to worship you. 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:30.239 Lord, you are our God. 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:32.640 You are on your throne. 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:34.240 You are sovereign. 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:35.359 You are love. 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:36.399 You are mercy. 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:37.439 You are just. 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:39.280 You are holy. 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:49.280 And Lord, around this room are people who were once lost, enslaved to sin. 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:52.240 Living in darkness. 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:56.079 And yet you, Lord, have found us. 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:01.359 You, Lord, have supernaturally saved us, Lord. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:02.399 You've cleaned us up. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:04.640 You've brought us into your family. 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:09.760 And you've given us an inheritance that will never spoil or fade. 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:14.319 And so, Lord, we look to you this morning and we say thank you. 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:17.439 Lord, I pray for this church. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:28.959 I pray, Lord, that we would continue to grow in maturity, that our faith would increase, that our love for one another would increase, that our love may abound for one another. 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.640 And Lord, we pray for the other churches in Knox County. 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:38.560 We pray, Lord, for the churches that are faithful, that are sharing the gospel. 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:44.879 Lord, we pray that you would continue to provide and that you would continue to build them up. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:51.760 And Lord, for the churches in our area that are just false and spreading heresy and leading people astray. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:54.400 Lord, we pray that you would shut those down. 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:56.319 We pray that that would stop. 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:02.159 So Lord, as we open your word this morning, I pray that you would encourage our hearts. 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:08.319 Help us, Lord, to hear your word and not just to be listeners, but to be doers of it. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:10.560 I pray this in Jesus' name. 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:11.520 Amen. 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:14.960 Well, good morning. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:18.639 For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jimmy Alexander. 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:20.560 I am one of the pastors here. 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:24.479 And this morning we will be in James chapter 4. 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:29.759 And today we will be looking at verses 13 through 17. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:34.960 James chapter 4, verses 13 through 17. 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:44.159 And today's message is all about the sin of planning and profiting apart from God. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:52.080 Now before I dive into this text, I would like to remind us of the context. 00:02:52.479 --> 00:03:02.719 So James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote this letter to Jewish believers who were undergoing awful persecution. 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:08.080 They were forced to leave Jerusalem and start a new life in foreign regions. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:15.759 That's why he says in James chapter 1, verse 1, it is written to Jewish believers who are scattered abroad. 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:24.719 And so these Christians, they were discouraged, they were weary, and they were facing some very significant changes in their life. 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:30.800 And so James writes a letter to encourage them in their faith. 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:36.560 So anytime we face hardships in life, we need encouragement. 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:43.360 In the valleys, we need someone telling us, hey, keep living for Jesus. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:45.039 Keep pressing forward. 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:46.960 Keep doing what's right. 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:54.719 And so when times get tough, we can either lay down and give up, or we can rise and overcome. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:05.039 And that is what James wants for these believers and for us, that we would press into Jesus all the more when we face tribulations. 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:11.039 And so he writes this letter to remind them of what a living faith looks like. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:15.840 So in chapter one, he tells us to rejoice in our trials. 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:22.800 He tells us to ask God for wisdom, to persevere, to take care of orphans and widows. 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:30.480 In chapter two, he tells us to not play favorites, don't show discrimination, and to live out our faith in good works. 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:38.079 And then in chapter three, he tells us to control our tongues, to seek after godly wisdom. 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:48.000 And then here in chapter four, he tells us to stop fighting in the church and to be humble and to stop being so judgmental towards other believers. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:54.240 And what James is doing here is he's showing us what a living faith looks like. 00:04:54.720 --> 00:05:01.199 This letter isn't just a list of moral ethics, it's not a to-do list of random proverbs. 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:07.680 This is a letter that spells out for us what a true faith in Jesus Christ looks like. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:14.720 And so if you want to know what a true faith, what active faith looks like, read James and you will see it. 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:29.680 So today we arrive at the end of chapter four, where James directs his attention towards arrogant Christians who are making plans and seeking profit apart from the providence of God. 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.480 And this is a message that we Americans need to hear. 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:43.759 And if you are type A, or if you own a business, or if you have the heart of an entrepreneur, you will feel this message this morning. 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:53.519 But in all honesty, this is a message that we all can relate to, because we all have a tendency to pursue things apart from God. 00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:59.040 So James begins his argument if we look at verse 13. 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:11.360 He says, Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow, we will go into such and such a place and spend a year there and trade and make profit. 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:16.879 So at first glance, we might read this scripture and say, What's the big deal? 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:20.879 Most Jews at this time would trade to make money. 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.120 It was a very common profession. 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:26.800 And to profit well, you would need to know where the hot spots were. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.240 It looks like Corinth has a lot of tourists. 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:32.959 Let's go there and make some money. 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:39.279 But notice in this statement that there is no mention of God in their decision making. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.759 There's no hint of reliance upon his provision. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:47.040 There's no consideration of God's will. 00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:54.000 No mention of prayer or fasting or seeking an open door or talking to wise counsel. 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:54.879 Nothing. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:07:02.879 And so they have the whole thing figured out in detail, even down to the profits from the year's trade. 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:10.879 And so this language here, it reflects two things: self-assurance and self-confidence. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:18.160 They assume that this plan and its success is entirely in their control. 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:24.959 No thought is given to their dependence upon God and the uncertainty of life. 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:34.480 And so what we have here are people who are making plans and seeking profit apart from the providence of God. 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:39.920 They are guilty of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:44.319 They're not looking at God saying, Lord, what's your will here? 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:50.720 No, they're looking at themselves saying, we will go here and we will make money. 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:54.399 And they say that arrogantly and with certainty. 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:58.399 And so what we have here is three main principles. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:05.120 First, God does not want his children making plans without him in mind. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:11.680 God wants to be included in our decision making and in our planning. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:18.000 Secondly, God does not want us relying in our own human ability. 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:26.560 He wants us to realize that our success and our profit and our security ultimately comes from Him. 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:30.879 Not our abilities, not our talents, not our intellect. 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:37.200 And third, God does not want us to speak about the future with certainty. 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:39.200 Only God can do that. 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:45.039 And as Americans, we are horrible about this. 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:49.360 We live in the land of the free, and thank God for that. 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:55.519 We've fought hard for independence, and the American dream is it's a wonderful thing. 00:08:55.679 --> 00:09:05.279 We have endless opportunities to be autonomous, to work hard, to build for ourselves a very comfortable and wealthy life. 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:07.039 It's a great thing. 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:21.440 But if we are not careful, this luxury and this attitude, it can subtly create in us an unhealthy form of independence, self-confidence, and pride. 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:32.559 And then the next thing you know, like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, we are walking around our house saying things like, Look at what I did. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:43.679 I worked hard, I made money for this family, I put food on the table, I created a successful business and a successful career. 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:47.840 I'm so talented, I'm so smart and strategic. 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:54.320 I put in the blood, sweat, and tears, and by the work of my hands, I have made this happen. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:55.919 I deserve this. 00:09:56.399 --> 00:10:02.879 And then we go further and we plan out our lives as if we are in total control. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:08.159 For most Americans, every minute of our day is scheduled. 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:12.080 Vacations are booked years in advance. 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:13.600 Everything is mapped out. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:18.000 We have a one-year plan, we have a five-year plan for our lives. 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:23.120 And then we talk about these things as if we're so sure of it. 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:29.600 Yep, next year I'm gonna go to school, then the year after that, I'm gonna get married, and then we're gonna get a dog. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:40.639 And then the year after that, we will try for kids, and then when I turn 30, I'd like to try to start my own business, and then at age 60, I'm going to retire. 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:43.919 And listen, not all this stuff is bad. 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:45.600 It's good to plan ahead. 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:52.720 Proverbs 21:5 tells us that the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:55.279 And so don't misunderstand what I'm saying. 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:59.200 James is not condemning planners and calendars. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:17.440 Okay, we should plan, we should prepare, we should work hard and make money, but it's not okay to do these things without a reliance on God in seeking his approval, his guidance, direction, and provision in all of it. 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:24.320 And so the problem isn't planning, it is planning as if the future lies in our hands. 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:26.480 The problem is not profit. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:34.480 It's seeking profit as if we were the ultimate source of our own security and success. 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:47.279 Yes, we're commanded to plan and work hard and steward the time and the money and the resources that God gives us, but all of it comes from Him, not us. 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:54.960 He is the provider, He is the sustainer, He is the divine orchestrator of our lives. 00:11:55.279 --> 00:12:03.200 And so we must never forget that the only reason I can preach today is because God gave me the breath. 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:09.279 The only reason I can move today is because God gave me the ability to do so. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:13.039 God was the one who allowed me to get this job. 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:17.759 God was the one who determined my wages to the very penny. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:20.960 God was the one who provided for my family. 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:26.799 He, not me, is responsible for every good gift that I have. 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:31.200 And so we should all be able to say, I am what I am because of him. 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:34.320 I can do what I can do because of him. 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:37.840 I have what I have because of him. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.519 And so sin has so blinded us from this. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:45.600 We think we're so strong when we're really so weak. 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:50.960 We think we deserve what we have, but in reality we should be sizzling in hell. 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:56.159 Then we make plans and we seek profit without ever giving a thought to God. 00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:56.799 Why? 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.600 Because we're so full of ourselves. 00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:02.320 And this is nothing new under the sun. 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:06.879 Israel, in the Old Testament, they struggled with this. 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:11.840 They refused to listen to God's plans and they established their own. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:22.720 I don't know if you remember, but in the wilderness when God gave them manna to eat, he told them, he said, Take just enough for today, and I'll provide for you tomorrow. 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:24.639 And what did they do? 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:30.720 They said, Nah, we'd rather trust ourselves, and they stuffed their pockets full of manna. 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:36.559 In Exodus 23, 11, God told the Israelites to let the land rest. 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.799 Every seventh year, don't grow any crops. 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:42.240 And what did they do? 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:46.159 They said, Yeah, God, that requires way too much faith. 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:49.120 We're going to trust in ourselves instead. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:50.639 They just couldn't. 00:13:50.879 --> 00:14:01.440 And so they sidestepped God's will, they made their own plans, they trusted in their own strength and ability, and they neglected to include God. 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:03.919 And it didn't work out for them very well. 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:07.360 And as a result, they suffered greatly. 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:13.679 Now, someone might say, well, you know, I've done things apart from God, and it turned out to be successful. 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:15.200 What's the big deal? 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:20.720 Well, biblical success is not measured by money or abundance. 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:24.320 Okay, Judas profited greatly from betraying Jesus. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:30.639 Balaam in numbers, he profited greatly by trying to curse Israel. 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:37.519 Just because you make profit doesn't mean that it was God's will or that you have God's blessing. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:40.159 That's an important principle to understand. 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:45.279 But you see, God is not interested in what you can do. 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:49.759 He already knows that apart from him, you can do nothing. 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:57.039 And so what he is interested in is your dependence, your faith, and your utter trust in him. 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:03.440 When will we learn that God is most interested in our fellowship with him? 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:13.279 Sometimes people will go up to Jay, my three-year-old, and they'll ask him, hey, do you want to come over for a play date? 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:15.840 Do you want to come over to our house and play? 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:17.440 Do you want to hang out? 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:21.279 And what he does is he never gives them an answer. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:24.240 What he does is he looks back at mom or dad. 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:28.879 And he looks back at us and he has this look on, Mom, am I allowed? 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:30.960 Can I have permission? 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:34.000 What do you think, Dad? 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:35.279 What do you think, mom? 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:38.240 He doesn't give an answer. 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:42.320 And in the same way, this is what God wants from us. 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:47.519 Okay, God wants us to rely on him in everything. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:51.679 He wants us to, he wants to be the one that leads us. 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:58.399 That was his original design in Genesis 1, when he created us, before sin entered the world. 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:02.879 We were never meant to be the captain of our lives. 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:08.000 Look at the tragedy around the world, all the pain, all the heartache, all the sorrow. 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:18.399 It's because we have rejected God's lordship, his kingship over our lives, and we have attempted to play the role as sovereign. 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:24.960 But as a Christian, we've given up that right to rule. 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:29.200 A Christian is not someone who adds God to their life. 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:34.080 A Christian is someone who gives up their life for the sake of Christ. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:39.519 A Christian is someone who says, God, not my will, but yours be done. 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:46.080 And so we are people who have thrown up the white flag and we've said, Jesus, take the wheel. 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.799 You can thank Carrie Underwood for that one. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:17:00.399 And so James, he exposes this human tendency to be self-reliant and arrogant and to strengthen his argument further. 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:04.720 He reminds us of the uncertainty and the shortness of this life. 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:06.240 Look at verse 14. 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:11.039 He says, Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:13.359 What is your life? 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:19.039 For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:24.400 So here we are reminded of the uncertainty of life. 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:28.240 You don't even know if you will be alive tomorrow, says James. 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:34.079 And yet you talk like a fortune teller, as if you have the future all figured out. 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:38.960 We live and we speak and we act as if we're going to be here forever. 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:43.920 And we forget that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:46.640 We don't know what tomorrow might bring. 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:54.000 The economy could crash, we could get into a horrible accident, World War III could start, Jesus could return. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:57.200 Plans are subject to change. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:04.640 And therefore, we are foolishly arrogant to speak about tomorrow with certainty. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:09.200 You know, in a moment, our lives could dramatically change. 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:10.319 I've seen it. 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:21.279 We are all one diagnosis away, one tragedy away, one event away from living a totally different life than we ever imagined. 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:25.759 Our future plans, our dreams, and our hopes could change in a moment. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.000 I have a really good Christian friend who is older. 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:33.759 He's in his late 60s, and he's retiring. 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:38.640 And him and his wife had this beach house down in Florida. 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:44.400 That was their plan to go down there, and there's a ministry down there that they really enjoy. 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:55.680 And the week they both retired, he was diagnosed with cancer, and his wife was diagnosed with, I think it was MS or something like that. 00:18:56.960 --> 00:18:58.559 And he was totally shattered. 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:01.839 And this is a strong, mature Christian man. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:10.480 And I was talking to him a few weeks ago, and he said, Jimmy, I just couldn't imagine. 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:19.759 He was just struggling, and really he was he was sharing with me how he idolized this future that he had painted for himself. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:25.119 And as Christians, our hope should never be in this world. 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:29.839 Because if it is, I promise, you will be let down. 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:33.839 You will be crushed and frustrated and discouraged. 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:37.039 In extreme cases, you will be mad at God. 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:41.839 So instead of looking at the future saying, What do I want? 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:50.960 We should be looking at the days ahead with our eyes fixed on God, saying, Lord of the universe, what do you want from my life? 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:58.799 Because his plan is far better than what we could ever imagine or muster up ourselves. 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:00.880 And life is unpredictable. 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:05.440 And even more than that, it's also very short and fragile. 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.599 James illustrates this point by pointing to a vapor. 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:15.039 He says, This is your life in the grand scheme of eternity. 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:22.000 Your life is like a little puff of smoke that you see for just a quick moment, and then it evaporates. 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:33.440 I was at the bank the other day, and there was this guy in front of me, and he hit one of those vapes, and there was this puff of smoke right in the middle of a bank that just went up. 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:46.079 And like for a moment it was like I couldn't see, it was crazy, but it was like three seconds later, this giant puff of smoke gone, just totally evaporated within a matter of moments. 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.400 That is your life, says James. 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:54.720 You may be young and healthy this morning, but you could easily be a corpse by sundown. 00:20:54.880 --> 00:21:00.559 And you might be thinking, well, Jimmy, that's kind of morbid, and I don't want to think about those things. 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:07.759 But if you ignore these things, you will not live your life properly in light of eternity. 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:12.799 And just in case you didn't know, the average lifespan is 77 years old. 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:18.000 And George Shaw once said, the statistics on death are quite impressive. 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:21.200 I don't know if you knew this, but one out of one people die. 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:34.880 And if we truly understood this concept and we learned, as the psalmist says, to number our days, then we wouldn't be so confident in our own plans and our own ability. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:40.559 We wouldn't take for granted each day, and we wouldn't be idolizing our future. 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:55.200 So, church, as you live your life, as you make plans, as you go about your day and schedule your week, keep in mind that your life is uncertain and it is short. 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:59.599 And allow this reality to kill the idea that you are somehow in. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:03.200 In control of the future and the outcome. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:12.240 Because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters isn't your career or how much money you made or how great of a reputation you made in this world. 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:20.640 What matters most is this with the allotted time that God gave you, did you live your life for Jesus? 00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:24.720 Now someone might say, Jimmy, this sounds great. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:26.000 I agree. 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:30.559 But what is the correct way to make plans and to do business? 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:34.880 Well, James shows us what that looks like in verse 15. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:45.119 He says, Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:49.680 So here we are given the solution to the problem. 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:59.839 Instead of making prideful plans and speaking like a fortune teller, what we should be doing instead is saying, if the Lord wills. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:03.759 Now, let me explain what this doesn't mean. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:15.039 Okay, this statement is not some magical mantra that we tag at the beginning of a sentence to twist God's arm so that we can get our way. 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:22.880 Okay, I remember I had a high school friend who texted a girl that he had a crush on in school. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:27.599 And so he texts her, and in his text he says, Hey, text me back. 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:29.359 This is uh this is Dave. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:34.799 And he he texts her, and then he says, If this is the Lord's will, she'll text me back. 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:36.960 And I said, Well, of course she will. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:38.960 You just told her to text you back. 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:45.519 Where I had a friend once who already had his mind made up on a college that he was pursuing. 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:56.640 And he went and visited that college and he came back and he said, You know, if it's God's will that I'm supposed to go to that college, they will follow up with me through an email or they'll call me. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:59.359 And I'm like, dude, that's their job. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:01.680 I was like, of course they're gonna follow up. 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:03.119 That's what they do. 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:14.720 And so the early Christians, they did not regard this phrase, if the Lord wills, as some ritual of piety that would validate plans already made. 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:18.640 We should avoid using this phrase in such a manner. 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:23.920 That is superstition, that is divine manipulation, and God is not happy about that. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:26.640 So, what does this statement mean? 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:37.839 It means that when we make plans or when we seek profit, we are looking to God and we're saying, Lord, I'm relying on you to provide. 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:48.240 I'm leaning on you to show me the way, and I'm trusting that you will direct my steps and show me clearly if I should be doing this or not. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:55.519 And what this expresses is someone who is ultimately concerned with what God wants. 00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:59.759 They're not interested in doing things without Him. 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:04.480 They don't want to waste their life away doing things that are outside of His will. 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:13.599 So as they make plans, as they go about their day, as they live, they say, God, I just want to do what you want me to do. 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:19.599 This is someone who realizes that they are under God's sovereign rule. 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:26.000 And even more than that, they want to be under his sovereign rule. 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:29.359 And so this is what biblical planning looks like. 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:31.039 And don't mishear me. 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:38.480 I'm not saying that we have to fast for a week and you gotta pray for 10 hours every time you have a decision to make in life. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:40.720 Okay, that's that's missing the whole point. 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:54.079 What James is trying to teach us here is an overall lifestyle where we are looking to God in all things and trusting Him to provide for us and lead us and show us the next step. 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:57.920 And so we are no longer steering the ship of our lives. 00:25:58.079 --> 00:26:00.240 We are no longer on the throne. 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:03.759 We are no longer autonomous dictators. 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:07.519 We are children of God, looking to our Father God. 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:10.799 And we're saying, What would you have me do? 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:18.160 And so I wish I could say that James ends this whole argument on a positive note, but he doesn't. 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:26.400 He circles back around to the folly of this, and he ends with a rebuke in verses 16 and 17. 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:33.920 He says, As it is, you boast in your arrogance, and all such boasting is evil. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:40.640 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:46.799 So James defines this whole issue as boasting in arrogance. 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:50.720 Notice he doesn't say, hey, you're getting a little ahead of the Lord, slow down. 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:52.079 He doesn't say that. 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:56.720 He doesn't say, hey, you just forgot to include God as you are making your plans. 00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:58.240 Let's try and rephrase this. 00:26:58.400 --> 00:26:59.759 He doesn't say that. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:03.039 No, he says, when you do this, here's the verdict. 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:05.599 You are boasting in your arrogance. 00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:07.920 That's the crime committed here. 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:11.759 You are acting as the divine orchestrator. 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:16.400 You are micromanaging your life as if you are in control. 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:22.960 You are so sure of yourself, so confident in your plans, so certain of the outcome. 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:26.160 How arrogant are you all-knowing? 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:27.839 Are you omniscient? 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:31.279 Did you create a time machine and travel to the future? 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:35.119 How prideful of us to boast like this. 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:46.240 And this reminds me of the parable in Luke 12 about the rich guy who stored up for himself crops in his barns, and then he made bigger barns to store up more crops. 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:54.160 He was so certain of his security and his wealth, so certain that he was going to live for decades further. 00:27:54.319 --> 00:28:01.279 And then God says to him, You fool, today I'm going to take your life. 00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:03.039 Now what do you have? 00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:08.000 And just in case we are tempted to think, ah, this isn't a big deal. 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:13.440 It's okay to have a little self-confidence and put some hope in our future plans. 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:18.559 James clarifies and he says, all such boasting is evil. 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:20.720 There's nothing good about it. 00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:24.559 It's not neutral or an accident, it's not semi-bad. 00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:25.839 It is evil. 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:29.920 It is anti-God and it is anti-gospel. 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:35.519 And James concludes his argument with a short biblical principle to drive this thing home. 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:41.839 He says, if you know what to do and you don't do it, you sin. 00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:49.039 And so you cannot take refuge in the plea that you have not done anything positively wrong. 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:58.400 Well, I didn't commit adultery, I didn't fornicate, I didn't get drunk, I'm not doing anything bad, I'm just making business deals, I'm just trying to make some money. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:08.160 But as Scripture says and makes it abundantly clear, sins of omission are as real and as serious as sins of commission. 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:14.880 And so the failure to do what you knew was right leaves you without excuse. 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:22.400 So as Voltaire once said, every man is guilty of all the good that he did not do. 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:31.920 And so if you know it's wrong to make plans and to seek profit apart from God, and yet you do it anyways, you are in sin. 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:39.599 We always think of sin as bad behavior, you know, drinking, smoking, cussing, adultery, and so on. 00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:48.720 But the whole essence of sin in its most basic form is this idea of living our lives apart from God. 00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:55.200 And so you could be the kindest, most moral, most productive person on earth. 00:29:55.359 --> 00:30:01.440 But if you are doing those things, even good things, apart from God, you are sinning. 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:06.079 The whole essence of sin is independence. 00:30:06.319 --> 00:30:08.400 Sin is not just bad behavior. 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:14.480 Sin is a condition, it is a realm of living a life neglecting God. 00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:20.079 And so God wants to be deeply involved in our lives. 00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:27.920 You might be thinking, well, God isn't concerned about the small details or the details of my business or my calendar. 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:29.359 Yes, he is. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:33.039 We serve a God who's interested in you. 00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:35.119 He's a jealous God. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:39.839 He isn't satisfied with having just a few areas of your heart. 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:41.440 He wants it all. 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.640 Every area, every department. 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:58.880 We serve a God who wants to fellowship with us in everything, so much so that he killed his only son to make this happen, to give us access to him. 00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:05.680 At the end of the day, the Christian life could be summed up in this way: God wants to know you. 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:15.200 We should be experiencing him, talking to him, going about our days, worshiping him, God, talking. 00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:28.880 So, Proclamation Church, as a way of conclusion, I must ask, in what ways are you being self-reliant and arrogant? 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:31.680 Maybe it's the way you talk about the future. 00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:37.839 You are more excited and certain about your future plans than you are about the return of Christ. 00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:42.400 And you're so certain about tomorrow that it will be here. 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:49.279 And you put so much hope in your planning and you've idolized something that is totally out of your control. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:56.079 Or maybe it's the way you're making plans with no regard for God. 00:31:56.319 --> 00:32:02.079 You just plug things into the schedule, you just make decisions based on your own intellect and logic. 00:32:02.319 --> 00:32:07.519 You don't run anything by God, nor do you spend time trying to hear from him. 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:13.119 And you are excluding God in your practical affairs and daily life. 00:32:13.359 --> 00:32:16.480 Forgetting that your life is no longer your own. 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:18.640 You've been bought by the blood. 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:26.400 Or maybe it's the way you're trusting in yourself, whether it's your intellect, your human strength, abilities, whatever. 00:32:26.640 --> 00:32:34.640 Whether it's a project, paying the bills, getting a promotion, starting a new business, expanding your ministry, you're thinking, I can do it. 00:32:34.880 --> 00:32:36.000 I've got this. 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:37.519 It's going to happen. 00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:39.200 This is my doing. 00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:50.799 Instead of saying, God, thank you for giving me the strength and the energy and the resources and the ability to even do any of this. 00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:55.920 Thank you for providing all this for me, even though I don't deserve it. 00:32:56.480 --> 00:33:08.240 And so, whatever form this may be manifesting itself in our lives, we have the opportunity this morning to repent and to ask God for forgiveness. 00:33:08.559 --> 00:33:19.279 And we have the opportunity to humble ourselves and start saying with a genuine, authentic heart, if the Lord wills it. 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:26.240 And may we come back to a place of dependence and reliance upon God. 00:33:26.720 --> 00:33:34.880 And may we once again relinquish control and entrust our lives into the hands of a good Father. 00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:44.160 Because God's original design for us in Genesis 1 was that He would be our ruler, as creator, as God. 00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:52.160 But sin has caused us to be our own gods, trying to be the dictators of our own lives. 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:55.119 And that's not turned out very well for us. 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:58.799 And so let us once again give that up this morning. 00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:03.920 As Christians, our trajectory in life isn't doing whatever we want to do. 00:34:04.079 --> 00:34:05.759 That's the old life of sin. 00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:10.320 A true convert isn't someone who just added God to his life. 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:16.320 They are someone who has given up their life, who has exchanged their life for Christ. 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:24.800 And so may we view our lives through the lens of Scripture, and may we leave here with this truth written on our hearts. 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:31.679 And as we go about our days, may we be looking to God saying, Lord, if you will it.