SERMON OUTLINE:
• Faith in the future is uncertain (vs 13).
• Our view of the future is blind (vs 14)
• Trusting God with the future is wisdom (vs 15)
• Boasting about the future is arrogant (vs 16)
• Doing good in the present is required (vs 17)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• A man was given the job of painting the white lines down the middle of the motorway;
• On his first day, he painted 6 miles;
• The next day he only painted 3 miles;
• And the following day less than a mile.
• When the foreman asked the man why he kept painting less and less each day,
• He replied, "I can't go any faster;
• Because each day I keep getting farther and farther away from the paint can."
• TRANSITION: As daft as that story is;
• It is a good reminder that all of us need to learn to plan ahead!
• Quote: “Remember, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark”
Ill:
• Michael Gerard Tyson is an American former professional boxer;
• Who competed from 1985 to 2005.
• He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion;
• And holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title,
• (at 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old).
• Boxer Mike Tyson once said,
• “Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the mouth.”
• TRANSITION:
• It’s amazing how easily our plans are derailed.
• If you’ve ever planned a trip, a family get together,
• Or the launch of a business plan, or , a church event;
• You know to expect the unexpected.
• Because sometimes life punches us in the mouth!”
• The apostle James reminds us in these few verses;
• That often in life our plans may go astray;
• But God has an ultimate plan for our lives, and his plans are never derailed.
(1). Faith in the future is uncertain (vs 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.’”
Notice that nothing the people plan to do in this verse is apparently wrong.
• They hope to:
• Move to a certain city.
• Spend a year there.
• Buy and sell.
• Make a profit.
• It all sounds nice and innocent enough,
• But… James addresses the attitude with which these people make their plans.
• Because the problem is with their attitude and not their actions.
Ill:
• On the 18th April 2017
• Prime Minister Theresa May called for a snap general election on 8th June.
• She said Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership;
• Following the EU referendum.
• TRANSITION: It all looked like a certainty;
• She was ahead in the polls and the opposition was weak and unelectable.
• Yet, we know she was to quote Iron Mike Tyson; “Punched min the mouth”
• She won the election but seems to have lost her credibility.
• All the political commentators and analysts;
• Are talking about ‘when’ she will go and not ‘if!’
• To use a modern expression:
• “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
• TRANSITION: Today if James was writing he might also say:
• “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
• And that saying is not just for Theresa May;
• But for everyone!
Now in verses 13-14:
• It would maybe that James was primarily addressing Christian businessmen,
• Wealthy merchants who were part of this particular assembly.
• They were successful and good at trading;
• But they were causing a problem in the Church,
• Because 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 (if you are 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 addresses the folly of living with that attitude;
• The foolishness of living life without seeking God’s will;
There are two things we can say for sure about the future:
• FIRST: Only God knows what’s going to happen.
• SECOND: We don’t
Quote: Charles Spurgeon:
• Spurgeon was the great eighteenth century Baptist Preacher & author;
• He said this concerning this verse:
“Is it so, O man, that thy life is self-governed? Is there not, after all, One greater than thyself? Is there not a higher power that can speed thee or stop thee? If thou dost not know this, thou hast not yet learned the first letter of the alphabet of wisdom.”
(2). Our view of the future is blind (vs 14)
“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:
• A newspaper publisher sent an email to a noted astronomer,
• It Read:
• “NEEDED URGENT:
• FIVE HUNDRED WORDS ON WHETHER THERE IS LIFE ON MARS.”
• The astronomer dutifully replied:
• “NOBODY KNOWS – and wrote those two words 250 times!”
The apostle 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 man’s 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!
• TRANSITION: 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.
• Life is not only uncertain;
• But life is also brief!
• “…What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”
ill:
• Former president of the USA 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;
• But to an eternal God;
• Human life spans are very short.
Ill:
• Francis Chan rope illustration.
• Francis Chan : https://youtu.be/jF_x8dsvb_4
• Alternative graphics: https://youtu.be/LwMkJVqGZxo
Text version:
• Years ago I saw Francis Chan use an excellent illustration.
• He pulled out a long rope to represent the timeline of our existence for eternity.
• A small end of the rope was coloured red.
• This part represented the length of our life.
• The rest of the rope was white.
• This part represented our existence for eternity.
• The rope stretched across the entire stage.
• Chan then made an excellent point that so many of us are just living for this little red part.
• Pleasure and comfort consume our life in the here and now.
• How ridiculous is this?
• We worry so much about this one little part.
• But the choices we make affect all eternity. We only get one chance.
• So many people sacrifice eternity just for the here and now.
• We forfeit eternity for a little pleasure, a little sin.
• The smallest part of our existence consumes us,
• And we fail to see the perspective of eternity.
• At the end of this short life, we will all stand before God in judgment.
• And all that will matter is whether or not we followed Jesus.
• TRANSITION: To us, life seems long and we measure it in years;
• But to an eternal God;
• Human life spans are very short.
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”.
(3). Trusting God with the future is wisdom (vs 15)
“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’2
• It is not wrong to plan.
• James is not trying to banish godly planning from our lives,
• But he does want to remove self-sufficient, self-important planning from our lives;
• The sort of planning;
• That keeps God for Sunday but looks on Monday to Saturday as mine.
In this verse James is reminding his readers that:
• God is sovereign:
• And every Christians life is in his hands and not their own.
Ill:
• One of the hardest jobs in the Church is giving out notices;
• Because if we are honest nobody really listens, we tend to put our minds in nuteral.
• I love this list of actual Church notice bloopers:
• Remember in prayer;
• The many who are sick of our church and community.
• Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
• Please use the back door
• Weight watchers group will meet Friday at 7.00pm.
• Please use large double door at the side entrance.
• For those of you who have children and don't know it,
• we have a nursery down stairs.
• This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward;
• and lay an egg on the altar.
• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?"
• Come early and listen to our choir practice.
• Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.
• The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water";
• The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
• TRANSITION: In many Churches I speak at;
• (and it used to happen and probably still does in our own one here);
• After the notices were publicly given,
• The person giving them would say: “These are all in the will of the Lord”
• Some Churches use verbal short hand and say “D.V.”
• “D.V.” refers to the Latin phrase, “Deo Volente” and means, “God willing.”"
Now while I have no problem with those words being said:
• James is emphasising much more than words;
• "If the Lord will" should not just be a statement on a Christian's lips:
• It should be the constant attitude of his or her 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 here and not a command.
• So it is not about actual words but rather about our attitude to living.
Note: two things about saying these words:
(1ST). 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”.
Now having said that it is Biblical expression to use:
• 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
• So this was not a coined formula that frequently flowed from their lips;
• Instead it was the constant attitude of their hearts.
• And both the apostle Paul’s heart & Dr Luke’s hearts were surrendered to the Lord;
• And they knew their times were in God’s hands.
(2). IT IS BENEFICIAL.
• 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.
(4). Boasting about the future is arrogant (vs 16).
“As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.”
• James doesn’t hide the truth from these Christian 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 they 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.
Ill:
• Elizabeth Elliot along with her husband Jim;
• Were Missionaries to the Waorani (or Waodani) of eastern Ecuador.
• Jim Elliott and four other missionaries were speared to death buy this tribe;
• Yet, Elizabeth Elliot later spent two years as a missionary among the tribe,
• She tells in one of her books the story 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.”
• TRANSITION: Human boasting is wrong;
• For it gives man and not God the glory.
(5). Doing good in the present is required (vs 17).
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
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 FROM THESE BERSES ARE TYPICALLY JAMES:
• It is not philosophical, but practical;
• It is not general, but personal;
• It is not negative, but positive;
• It is not casual, but urgent
“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.”
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=74DNDDQ88NxJ2Ov7VGwDCzXeja8JHm2f
