Reading: James chapter 4 verses 13-17
Ill:
A golfer nervously approached the first tee,
• It was a hazardous hole with a green surrounded by water,
• And he debated if he should use his new golf ball or an old one.
• Deciding that the hole was too treacherous,
• He pulled out an old ball and placed it on the tee.
• Just then he heard a voice from above say loudly:
• “USE THE NEW BALL!”
• Frightened, he replaced the old ball with the new one and approached the tee.
• Now the voice from above shouted: “TAKE A PRACTICE SWING!”
• With this, the golfer stepped backward and took a swing.
• Feeling more confident,
• He approached the tee when the voice again rang out:
• “USE THE OLD BALL!”
Most of us will never hear an audible voice:
• Telling us God’s will for our lives;
• But in his word are many principles that are there to help us find that will and obey it!
• Last week you will have noted that James began chapter 4 talking about war with God,
• And he ends chapter 4 talking about the will of God.
• These two themes are very much related;
• When a Christian is out of the will of God, they often end up warring against God.
Ill:
• Sadly the Bible is littered with examples;
• Of those who were out of the will of God and by their actions warred against him!
• e.g. Lot moved into Sodom and brought trouble to his family.
• e.g. David committed adultery and brought trouble to his family and his kingdom.
• e.g. Jonah disobeyed God & almost sent a shipload of heathen sailors into a watery grave.
• In each case, there was a wrong attitude toward the will of God.
As Christians we believe that God has a plan for our lives:
• More than that;
• As Christians we should believe that it is a plan worth trusting and adhering too.
• After all He is a God of wisdom; A God who knows the future;
• He also knows you and me – surely then he knows what is best for us!
• And don’t forget that he is a God of love,
• He desires the very best for His children. He is trustworthy!
Yet despite those two assurances:
• That God is all wise and all loving:
• Sadly too many Christians don’t really trust God,
• The evidence that they do not trust him;
• Is seen demonstrated by the fact they resist his will.
• Scared that they will miss out on things or experiences or………..
• Ill: “I want to live a little first”.
• Some Christians view the will of God as bitter medicine they must take,
• They know it will do them good, but it won’t be a pleasant experience.
I believe for the Christian:
• That the safest place in the world, the most beneficial place to be;
• Is in the will of God.
Quote:
• Peter Marshall:
• “You are leaving port under sealed orders and in a troubled period.
• You cannot know whither you are going or what you are to do.
• You cannot know whither you are going or what you are to do.
• But why not take the Pilot on boar;
• Who knows the nature of your sealed orders from the outset,
• And who will shape your entire voyage accordingly?
• He knows the shoals and the sandbanks, the rocks and the reefs,
• He will steer you safely into that celestial harbour
• Where your anchor will be cast for eternity.
• Let His almighty nail-pierced hands hold the wheel,
• And you will be safe.
In this section of his letter, James pointed out three attitudes toward the will of God.
• Two of them are wrong and are to be shunned;
• One is correct and should be embraced.
(1). Ignoring God's Will (verses 13-14, 16)
13”Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." 14How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone.
16Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil”.
ill:
• Walter Knight told of an old Scottish woman who went from home to home ;
• Across the countryside selling thread, buttons, and shoestrings.
• When she came to an unmarked crossroad,
• She would toss a stick into the air &go in the direction the stick pointed when it landed.
• One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times.
• “Why do you toss the stick more than once?” someone asked her.
• She replied
• “Because, it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right.”
• She then dutifully kept throwing the stick into the air;
• Until it pointed the way she wanted to go!
That might be an extreme example of ignoring what you suppose to be God’s will:
• But James in this letter reminds us that we can ignore God’s will.
• And we can also deceive ourselves by trying to make God’s will match ours.
• In verses 13-14:
• It would appear that James was addressing Christian businessmen,
• Wealthy merchants who fellowshipped in this particular Church.
• The verses read like they were successful, good at trading;
• But they were causing a problem.
• They were discussing their business deals;
• And boasting about their plans to succeed and make plenty of money.
• Now it is not wrong to be involved in running a successful business;
• Nor is it wrong to make a good profit (not exploiting workers etc).
• But notice in these verses:
• There is no evidence that they sought the will of God or prayed about their decisions.
• They measured success in life;
• By how many times they got their own way and accomplished what they had planned.
• So James presents in these verses;
• Four arguments that, revealed the foolishness of ignoring the will of God.
• Or living without seeking God’s will;
• As these wealthy merchants seemed to be doing.
(1). The complexity of life (verse 13).
13”Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."”
Ill:
• An old woodsman gives this advice about catching a porcupine:
• “Watch for the slapping tail as you dash in and drop a large washtub over him.
• The washtub will give you something to sit on;
• While you ponder your next move.”
• Sometimes there are no easy solutions
• Life is complicated!
Ill:
• Life is made up of buying, selling, getting gain, losing, going here, going there.
• Made up of people and places, activities and goals, days and years;
• And each of us must make many crucial decisions day after day.
• One thing life isn’t and that is simplistic!
• Sometimes like the man pondering how to move a trapped porcupine;
• There are no easy solutions! Life is complicated!
When a person is in the will of God:
• Obviously means you have Jesus Christ as your Saviour,
• And you live day by day with him as your Lord.
• Only then will life start to make sense.
• As he shows us our priorities in life.
• As he shows us that which is worth pursing;
• As he shows us that which is harmful to us and needs avoiding.
• Life might baffle us as Christians;
• But it doesn’t baffle God, so keep on trusting him!
Ill:
• Gladys Aylward was born in London in 1904:
• She was a house maid in England.
• But she wanted to be a missionary; she wanted to go and help out Mrs. Jeannie Lawson;
• Who was a 73 year old woman missionary in China.
Gladys Aylward faced a major problem:
• She was rejected by a mission agency as "not qualified",
• So decided she would go on her own.
• Having saving every shilling earned;
• At the age of 30,
• Gladys Aylward left from Liverpool station in London;
• For the long train ride across Europe and Russia.
• All this took place in the pre-WWII era,
• It's a cracking true adventure story and a great testimony of one woman’s faith.
• They made a film; The Inn of Seventh Happiness starring Ingrid Bergman
• An actress who looked nothing like Gladys Aylward at all!
Gladys Aylward had a problem with her looks:
• She didn’t like what God had given her.
• As a child she had two great sorrows.
• One, that while all her friends had beautiful golden hair, hers was black.
• The other, that while her friends were still growing, she had stopped.
• She was about four feet ten inches tall.
• But when at last she reached the country to which God had called her to be a missionary,
• She stood on the wharf in Shanghai;
• And looked around at the people to whom He had called her.
• “Every single one of them” she said, “had black hair.
• And every one of them had stopped growing when I did.”
• She was able to look to God and exclaim,
• “Lord God, You know what You’re doing!”
(2). The uncertainty of life (verse 14a).
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”
Ill:
A newspaper publisher sent an email to a noted astronomer:
• NEEDED URGENT:
• FIVE HUNDRED WORDS ON WHETHER THERE IS LIFE ON MARS.
• The astronomer dutifully replied:
• NOBODY KNOWS—250 times.
James tells us in this verse that life is uncertain:
• This idea is not new to him;
• In fact it is based on Proverbs chapter 27 verse l:
"Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth."
These wealthy businessmen James is talking about:
• Had forgotten or were ignorant of this fact;
• They were making plans for a whole year; when they could not even see ahead into one day!
• Just listen to how confident they were:
• "We will go. We will stay a year. We will buy and sell and make a profit."
Ill:
• Their attitude reminds us of the farmer in the parable of Jesus;
• We read about him in Luke chapter 12 verses 16-21.
• The man had a bumper crop; his barns were too small;
• So he decided to build bigger barns and have greater security for the future.
He says to himself (verse 19):
"'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years; take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry'".
• Everything in this mans garden is rosy;
• And he boasts about the future.
• But if you know the parable, then you know it has a sting in the tail!
• God responded to this man by saying (verse 20):
• "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you"
• As far as I am aware this is the only time Jesus ever called anyone a fool!
Life is uncertain to us, but not uncertain to God
• Only when we are in His will can we be confident of tomorrow,
• For we know that He is leading us.
(3). The brevity of life (verse 14b).
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”
ill:
• Former president Calvin Coolidge was known as a man of few words.
• Once, at a White House dinner, a woman approached Coolidge and said,
• “Mr. President, I have a bet with a friend that I can get you to say at least three words.” Coolidge looked at her and said, “You lose.”
Brevity and brevity of life is one of the repeated themes of the Bible.
• To us, life seems long and we measure it in years;
• But in comparison to eternity, life is but a vapour.
• James may well have borrowed this thought from the O.T. (Book of Job).
• Where you find many pictures of the brevity of life.
Quotes:
• "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle" (Job chapter 7 verse 6).
• "As a cloud is vanishes and is gone" (Job chapter 7 verse 9).
• "Our days on earth are but a shadow" (Job chapter 8 verse 9).
• "Now my days are swifter than a runner" (Job chapter 9 verse 25).
• "They skim past like boats of papyrus, Like eagles swooping down on its prey”
• Job chapter 9 verse 26.
• Perhaps the most well known quote:
• Job chapter 14 verse 1-2.
• "Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
• He springs up like a flower, and is withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure"
To us, life seems long and we measure it in years;
• Joke: “I can’t believe I’ve reached 32 years of age already!”
• We count our years at each birthday (or someone else usually does!)
• But God tells us to number our days (Psalm 90 verse 12).
• After all, we live a day at a time,
• And those days seem to rush by quickly the older we grow.
• Ill: Photos for Kathy school.
• Scary how fast the last five years have gone!
Quote:
“Since life is so brief, we cannot afford merely to "spend our lives";
And we certainly do not want to "waste our lives."
So wise is the person who invests their lives in those things that are eternal”.
(4). The frailty of man (verse 16).
“As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil".
James doesn’t hide thee truth from these business men:
• They were not just successful but very successful;
• And along with their prosperity came pride and self-sufficiency.
• These merchants relied on their own insights;
• And now boasted about their accomplishments.
Quote J.B. Phillips:
“As it is, you get a certain pride in yourself planning your future with such confidence.
That sort of pride is all wrong”.
• Human boasting is wrong;
• For it gives man and not God the glory.
Quote: Thomas a Kempis.
"Man proposes but God disposes,"
Ill:
Elizabeth Elliot who for many years was a missionary in Ecuador:
• She tells of two adventurers who stopped by one day to see her,
• They were all loaded with equipment for the rain forest east of the Andes.
• They sought no advice,
• Just a few phrases to converse with the Indians.
• She writes: “Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me;
• Confident and, we think, well-informed and well equipped.
• But has it occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff,
• Something is missing?”
• She suggests that we often ask God for too little.
• “We know what we need—a yes or no answer, please, to a simple question.
• Or perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way.
• “What we really ought to have is the Guide himself.
• Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things,
• But infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way.”
(b). Disobeying God's Will (verse 17)
“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.”
“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it”
Note the word “Anyone”:
• James is no longer speaking directly to the businessmen;
• But to every reader of this letter.
James is talking about the sin of neglect (omission):
• Commission is when we actively commit certain sins.
• Omission is when we neglect or choose not to do what we know is right.
• These businessmen were guilty of neglecting, forgetting, ignoring God.
• And James wants to make sure his readers do not make the same mistake.
Example 1:
• Classic example is the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke chapter 10).
• Where the priest and the Levite omitted to help the wounded Samaritan.
Example 2:
• The story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus (Luke chapter 16);
• Rich man omitted to give him any food, clothing, shelter or help (dogs were better off).
Example 3:
• There are also Jesus’ stinging words in Matthew chapter 25 verses 40-46;
• Where he tells us that when we neglect to;
• Feed the hungry, entertain the stranger, clothe the poor, visit the sick and the prisoner.
• When we neglect to what is right we are guilty of the sin of omission!
Notice what James actually writes:
• James addresses the person who ‘knows’ the good he must do.
• He is not talking to people who commit sin in ignorance.
• For you and me who have read the third and fourth chapters of this letter;
• We should know what is right, and when we fail to put them into practice we sin!
• When we neglect to worship, to pray, to witness, to give, to help we sin.
• But if we are in the will of God, we will want to worship, pray, witness, give, help.
Ill:
He was going to be all that a mortal could be - tomorrow.
No-one would be kinder or braver than he - tomorrow.
A friend who was troubled and weary, he knew,
Who'd be glad of a lift - and he needed it too;
On him he would call and see what he could do - tomorrow.
Each morning he'd stack up the letters he'd write - tomorrow.
And think of the folk he would fill with delight - tomorrow.
It was too bad indeed, he was busy today,
And hadn't a moment to stop on his way;
More time he would have to give others he'd say - tomorrow.
The greatest of mortals this man would have been - tomorrow.
The world would have known him, had he ever seen - tomorrow.
But the fact is, he died, and he faded from view,
And all that was left when his living was through,
Was a mountain of things he intended to do - tomorrow!
THE LESSON IS
• Not philosophical, but practical;
• Not general, but personal;
• Not negative, but positive;
• Not casual, but urgent
“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.”
(c). Obeying God's Will (verse 15)
“What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."
“Instead, make it a habit to say,
"If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."
• In their business these wealthy merchants mentioned in verse 13;
• May have neglected, forgotten about involving God in their daily activities.
James says in this verse each Christian ought to place him first;
• James is reminding his readers that God is sovereign:
• The Christians life is in his hands!
• "If the Lord will" is not just a statement on a Christian's lips:
• It is the constant attitude of his heart.
• We do not have to add "If the Lord will" to every statement about the future.
• It is a principle we are being given not a command.
(1). It is biblical:
Ill:
• In the book of Acts we have the example of the Apostle Paul;
• Who on a number of occasions used this expression;
• Acts chapter18 verse 21; When he left Ephesus he said;
• “I will come back if it’s the Lord’s will”,
• He told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 19:
• “I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing”,
• In 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 7 he promised the Christians at Corinth;
• He would spend some time with them “If the Lord permits”.
In saying that it is Biblical to use this expression:
• Let me point out that there are many times e.g. in the book of Acts;
• Where you would expect the Apostle Paul, or Dr Luke to use the expression & they don’t
• This was not a coined formula that frequently flowed from their lips;
• Instead it was the constant attitude of their hearts.
• And both Paul’s heart & Dr Luke’s were surrendered to the Lord;
• And they knew his times were in God’s hands.
(2). It is beneficial.
• That may be an obvious thing to say;
• But many Christians believe it in theory but not in practice!
Quote:
• C. H. Spurgeon:
• “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty.
• Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials,
• They believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions,
• That sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all.
• There is nothing for which the children ought to more earnestly contend to;
• Than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—
• The Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands
• The Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne...
• For it is God upon the Throne whom we trust.”
When God is central in our lives we know that:
• The will of God is not a chain that shackled us;
• Rather, it is a key that opened doors and set us free.
• We do not know what the future holds;
• But we do know who holds the future! A sovereign loving God.
• So we will not act interpedently, by ignoring or forgetting him;
• But rather we will commit all things into his care as we seek his will.
Quote: W. F. Lloyd made the issue both personal and positive in the words of his hymn:
My times are in Thy hand,
My God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul I leave
Entirely to Thy care.
My times are in Thy hand,
Whatever there may be,
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.
My times are in Thy hand
Why should I doubt or fear?
A Father's hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.
My times are in Thy hand,
Jesus the crucified;
The Hand my cruel sins had pierced
Is now my guard and guide.
My times are in Thy hand;
I'll always trust in Thee,
And after death at Thy right hand
I shall for ever be.
