INTRO.- Today or tomorrow. Well, what about today and tomorrow? What are you going to do today? And tomorrow?
Hopefully, on the Lord’s Day you will always make it priority to worship the Lord with the Lord’s people wherever they assemble. And personally speaking, I think many Christians really miss on some great worship services by not attending while they are on vacation. Many Christians just skip church entirely when they are on vacation. They skip giving and they skip worship, but they are the losers.
I have attended some very good worship services by attending while on vacation.
ILL.- Twice I ran the Grandma’s marathon in Duluth, MN, and both times I attended a different church. One was an Evangelical Free Church (which I knew little about) and they had communion every Sunday just like we do and it was a very good service. Another time was 1990, I attended a service at a General Baptist Church and I remember that service as being outstanding even though we didn’t observe the Lord’s Supper. I was greeted warmly, made to feel at home, and the worship service was great with a great sermon. I WAS BLESSED.
I think any time you go to church, seeking the Lord in a church that preaches Christ you will be blessed in some form!
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”
These two scriptures should tell the story about our lives when it comes to Sunday or the Lord’s Day.
Today and tomorrow. What are you going to do tomorrow? Here is what we should do every day. What we all should do.
Col. 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Christianity is or should be a 24/7 relationship. We should live it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And every day should be a day in which we seek to bring glory to God in some way.
We are here for Him! We were created for His glory. God gives us life, breath, every good and perfect gift, and the grand prize of eternal life with no pain, no sorrow, no sin, no shame, etc. Is it then asking too much to live for His glory in this life?
PROP.- James gives us the proper perspective for life.
1- Don’t be quick to make plans in life
2- Recognize how quickly life disappears
3- Seek the Lord’s will in all things
4- Acknowledge the sin of doing nothing
I. DON’T BE QUICK TO MAKE PLANS IN LIFE
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.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
Are you planner? Most folks are to some extent. Although there are some people who take off on a driving vacation and only have a general idea or direction of where they are going. Are you like that? I prefer to plan where I’m going. I don’t like sudden surprises and particularly when they are not good surprises.
Regardless of whether we are vacation planners or not, we need to be planners in life. We need to plan the direction in which we are heading in life.
Today and tomorrow we will go here or there, get in some kind of business and make some money. IS THAT HOW YOU PLANNED YOUR WORK LIFE? It’s doubtful. I’m sure you had more specific plans in life for making a life and making a living.
ILL.- I left Ozark Christian College in 1969 without finishing and getting a degree. Why? Because I was eager to preach or get involved in a preaching ministry. I felt the urgency of doing the Lord’s work so I left and moved to Iowa for my first so-called full time ministry. It was a small church of about 50 people in a small town of about 500 people. WOW! Was that an education!
I made $75 a week and lived in an old church parsonage which was next door to the church house.
I did not enter the ministry to make money. I entered the ministry to concentrate on serving the Lord anyway I could.What about you? There is nothing wrong with making plans to get an education and try to get a decent job in order to make a living or a life. The problem is when we zero in on only making a living or making money. Making money is a major goal in life and many people have done that in life.
ILL.- My mother’s old boyfriend, Ralph Lee, did that in life. He often worked seven days a week in order to make money and he did. When he died he was worth well over a million dollars but he didn’t know the Lord. His wife was deceased, as was both of his daughters, so all of his money went to his grandchildren.
Even if we get a good education and make a decent wage in life there is one thing we must not do. What’s that? Leave the Lord out of the picture of our lives! James: Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
What is your life? It’s something that God wants to be a big part of! As someone wrote: “God doesn’t want shares of your life, He wants controlling interest.”
As you make any plans in life, (work, vacation, etc.) please include the Lord or what you think is His will. And, of course, His basic will is revealed in scripture. If what you plan to do contradicts scripture then you are also in conflict with God and that’s not good! Include the Lord, seek the Lord in all you do in life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
II. RECOGNIZE HOW QUICKLY LIFE DISAPPEARS
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
From I Samuel 16 we read these words when Samuel anointed David. 1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” 12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
Did you notice the description of young David? Glowing with health, fine appearance, and handsome features.
Do you remember those days? At least, we were at one time “glowing with health.” What could you do back then that you can’t do now? MANY THINGS. Many things that required physical ability and/or strength or perhaps endurance. We could go and go and go like the Energize bunny all day long!
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Have you noticed how quickly things vanish? My hair. My health. My body. My vim and vigor.
II Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
We are vanishing. We are fading away. We are wasting away physically speaking.
ILL.- Some time back I was having a terribly bad sore throat. That went on for a week or so and finally let it up, but then it came back. I went to the ear, nose and throat doctor this time. The Dr. said, “As you age your vocal chords start to bow outward.” In other words, he was saying, “They don’t work like they once did!”
And I thought, “THANK YOU VERY MUCH!” It simply meant that they were not as good as they once were. But nothing is as good as it once was. But we can grow stronger in spirit or spiritually. Thank God for that!
Not only does the body began to age, waste away, bag and sag, lose its zip and zeal, life also goes away quickly. As we all know, you don’t have to be old to die. The young die too. It seems like we all die far too quickly.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We all must recognize how quickly life disappears and prepare for death! Someone wrote: “He who provides for this life, but takes no care for eternity, is wise for a moment, but a fool forever.”
III. SEEK THE LORD’S WILL IN ALL THINGS
15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” You know the old saying, “Lord willing, and the creek don’t rise.."
Many people couldn’t care less what the Lord wills. They are far more concerned about the creek and various other creeks in their lives.
ILL.- When I was about 18 years old I was interested in cars and girls. Oh, I had to work too, because I needed the money to buy the car and keep it up and chase girls.
All I’m suggesting is that everyone has a priority list in life and that list changes from time to time. Hopefully, as we get older we begin to realize what life is really all about and make our priorities more in tune with the Lord’s will. His will is always right and best.
Colossians 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
ILL.- C. S. Lewis wrote: "If you read history you will find out that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next."
Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
Psalm 34:10 “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
It should be obvious that the smart thing to do in life is to seek the Lord! We must seek to know Him and seek to do His will in life!
IV. ACKNOWLEDGE THE SIN OF DOING NOTHING
16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Boasting is evil. Why is it evil? Because if we did something good we are not the author of it, God is! He created us and created the good in us. We should never take the credit that belongs to God. That’s the same as stealing from God.
Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence,
but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. It’s called the sin of doing nothing. It’s called the sin of omission, because we omit the good we should do in life.
ILL.- He Simply Did Nothing At All
He made no mistakes, took no wrong road,
He never fumbled the ball;
He never went down ‘neath the weight of a load;
He simply did - nothing at all.
He lost no hard fight in defense of the right,
Never bled with his back to the wall;
He never felt faint in his climb to the light;
He simply did - nothing at all.
So death came nigh, for life slipped by,
And he feared the judgment hall;
When they asked him why, he said, with a sigh;
“I simply did - nothing at all.”
Oh! God will pardon your blunder, my friend,
And regard with pity your fall;
But the one big sin that surely mean hell
Is to simply do - nothing at all.
I wouldn’t say that doing nothing will cause some people to go to hell, but it’s certainly not the way to win friends and influence God’s favor on a person’s life!
ILL.- Howard Butt Jr: Too many churchgoers tend to regard sermon-listening as an end in itself, so much so that sermon-listening may actually be one of America’s greatest sins. Why? Because we’re supposed to be doers of the Word and not hearers only! James 1:22.
CONCLUSION-----------
Today or tomorrow you’ll do what? Whatever you do, do this!
I Cor. 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
This is the best thing you’ll do in life and the most correct thing you’ll do!
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church, AR
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
