Ways to Deal with the Future
James 4:13-17
Introduction
Mankind has always demonstrated an almost unquenchable desire to know the future. Psychics in this country rake in millions of dollars annually because people want to know what the future holds. Probably every major newspaper in this country runs a daily horoscope for its readers.
Even Christians are fascinated by a desire to know what the future holds. Dwight Pentecost, a long time professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, is held by man to be a premier scholar on biblical prophecy. He stated that when he spoke on some subject other than prophecy the attendance at his meetings was greatly diminished. He related that he had made a study of the New Testament of every reference to the second coming of Christ. In his study he stated, “I was struck anew with the fact that almost without exception, when the second coming of Christ is mentioned in the New Testament, it is followed by an exhortation to godliness and holy living.”
That is exactly the point that James is making, knowing the future is not near as important as being prepared for the future.
Perhaps one of the most prevalent sins of our modern day is simply leaving God out of our lives. When one talks, plans, and even implements those plans with a total disregard for the will of God, regardless of what they may say they believe, they are out of line. The test of what one believes is not found in what one says, but in how one lives. Many people today profess to believe in God, but nevertheless continue to live as if there were not.
We discovered last week that it is a wonderful thing to live in uncommon grace. But there is a tendency to live with the benefits of God’s grace, yet not acknowledge it. It is all to easy to get to the point as a Christian that you start living as if God does not matter. Now of course we would never say that in words, yet we live like it from time to time. We can get so use to the grace of God that we take it for granted. Some have suggested that the steps are that we:
• Experience Grace
• Become Accustomed to Grace
• Expect Grace
• Finally, we think we deserve Grace.
The attitudes that James addresses in this passage are not so very different from the attitudes of today, when people live in total disregard for the wishes of an all knowing and all powerful God. In this passage we see both right and wrong ways to deal with the future.
I. The Wrong Way to Deal with the Future
• Three common mistakes in dealing with the future
Mistake #1: Planning without God (v. 13)
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
• What is under consideration here is not open defiance of God, but of an utter disregard for God.
• This is an attitude of arrogant self-sufficiency.
• It is possible for one to acknowledge God’s existence with their mouth and yet live their daily life in such as fashion as to deny in a practical way all that they say.
• James rebukes this arrogant self sufficiency by saying, “come now,” today we would say, “Oh, come on now.”
• It is a please for us to re-exam ourselves and it expresses disapproval of this way of thinking.
Mistake #2: Presuming to Know the Future (v. 14)
“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
• I began this sermon by talking about how people have become so fascinated with knowing the future and even using psychics.
• One of the most famous of America’s psychics was Jeane Dixon.
• In the late 90’s Dixon announced plans to join the 1-900 telephone network with her own Psychic Network unfortunately she did not foresee her own imminent death.
• She passed away un-expectantly after making that news.
• The key word to understanding verse 14 is the word, “know.”
• The Greek word conveys the idea of “knowing for sure or being absolutely certain.”
• Since it si impossible, even for the supposed psychics of today to know what the future holds, their decision making is highly presumptuous.
• The futility of their attitude is shown by exposing the assumptions of which it rest.
1. There is a failure to comprehend the purpose of life
• “For what is your life?” With that question James seeks to lead us by answering it to a proper attitude toward life.
• Implicit in our Scripture lesson is James’ answer: Life is a gift.
• The way we look at life makes all the difference in the world.
Alfred Adler told a story of an intriguing encounter that took place in the main train station of inner Austria, back in the early 1930’s. A well dressed businessman got off the train and was walking through the lobby, when an alcoholic beggar stopped him and asked for just enough money for one more meal. The businessman said he usually did not respond to such requests, but he would this time on one condition. He said, “Tell me, how has an intelligent-looking person, as you appear to be, allowed yourself to get into these straights?” With that the beggar turned red in the face with anger and responded, “Listen, if this had happened to you what has happened to me, you wouldn’t be asking that question. You would be exactly where I am…I am one of several children. My mother died when I was young. My father was an abusive and very cruel man. The state finally took my brothers and my sisters and me away form him and put us into an orphanage. During World War I a battle raged around the orphanage, the building caught fire, and I had to flee into the night. I have never seen any of my family since. In don’t know whether they are alive or they are dead. It’s been that way all my life. Every time I get on my feet something knocks me down. If you had this had happened to you what’s happened tome, you would be standing n these very shoes.” The businessman said, “It’s interesting that you should say that, because as you tell your story, it does, in fact, parallel my own.” Shocked that their stories were so closely related, they began to talk more fully. As you probably have anticipated by now, they discovered that they were in fact brothers, separated years before and now, mysteriously, their lives had intersected.
• Dr. Adler used this story to raise the perplexing question, “Why is it that some humans respond so differently to the same circumstances?”
• Here were two individuals who had the same genetic background, who had much the same things happen to them, and yet, whole one had allowed those circumstances to crush him to the ground, the other had somehow used events that went against him as energy to move forward.
• Whey did these two brothers respond so differently to the same set of circumstances?
• It is how we look at life that makes all the difference in the world.
• We often run across people in life who have an attitude problem.
• We have all met young people who are doomed for a life of misery because they have developed or inherited a rotten attitude.
• We have all been around adults we do not like to be around, and if we have to be around them then we think, “I wish they would realize how much their attitude shows and how much it effects everything and everyone around them!”
• Because we realize their attitude makes their lives and the lives of everyone around them miserable.
• It is true such an attitude and negative outlook on life is a failure to comprehend that life is a gift and an opportunity.
• Modern man seems to have no real sense of accountability to god, and no awareness that life is a gift from God.
• He forgets that the Lord gave, and that the Lord can just as easily take away.
2. There is a failure to comprehend the complexity of life
• Solomon warns about the sin of presumption in Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a say my bring forth.”
• We tend to forget that we are just human beings.
• A biblical example of this type of thinking is found in the parable to the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21).
• In this parable Jesus tells of a rich man who was so wealthy that his barns were filled to overflowing.
• He said to himself, “I will put down my barns and build greater, and they will store all my crops and my goods.”
• But the Lord said, “You fool, this night your will be required of you.”
• In the parable the man is called a fool, not because he was planning for the future, but because he thought he was in control of his future.
• To fail to consider God in our plans is to pledge one’s self to ultimate disaster.
3. There is a failure to comprehend the uncertainty of life
• The merchants not only have assumed that they know what will happen tomorrow, but have assumed they will be alive tomorrow.
• Underlying this whole attitude is the assumption that our life span is guaranteed.
• People sometimes speak convincingly about the biblical “three score and ten” of Psalm90:10 as if it were some king of guarantee.
• They resume on life and they presume on health when in fact neither is guaranteed.
• James reminds us that life is like a vapor.
• Our lives are but a puff of smoke compared to eternity.
• Since life is so short, we cannot afford to “spend our lives,” and we certainly do not want to “waste our lives.”
• We must invest our lives in those things that are eternal.
Mistake #3: Delay of what should be done today (v. 17)
“Therefore, to one who know the right thing to do and odes not do it, to him it is sin.”
• What is being described here is what we call the “sin of omission.”
• Sin is not only something wrong; it is the failure to do something right.
• When you know someone who needs a word of encouragement and you withhold it.
• When you know your wrong about something yet you refuse to apologize for it.
• When you know someone needs forgiveness yet you will not give it.
• When you know someone who needs the truth yet you withhold it.
• James says when you know the right thing to do and do not do it – it is a sin!
• Knowledge of what is right and the ability to do it creates the obligation to do so.
• Their failure to have such a submissive attitude leaves them without excuse.
II. The Right Way to Deal with the Future (vv. 15-18)
• We need to acknowledge God’s will for our lives.
• “Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”
• “If it is God’s will” needs to be more than a statement from our lips, it should be an attitude of our hearts.
• James is reminding us that our dependence should be on the Lord rather than a well thought out plan.
• Christians are often guilty of not only leaving God out of their planning but of boasting about what they were going to do.
Closing
The Bible has written the word NOW in large letters throughout the Gospel message. For example in 2 Cor. 6:2, “…now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
The time for obedience is always now!!!
