THE MOST DANGEROUS WORD IN THE BIBLE
James 4:13-14
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: ONE-LINE QUIPS
1. What do you call a cow with a twitch? Beef Jerky.
2. Did you hear the rumor going around about butter? Never mind, I shouldn’t spread it.
3. I stayed up the whole night trying to figure out where the sun was, then it dawned on me.
4. What did the tie say to the hat? “You go ahead & I’ll hang around.”
5. The fitness trainer asked me what kind of squat I’m accustomed to doing. I said, “Diddly.”
6. What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk.
7. How does NASA organize a party? They planet.
B. THESIS
1. The question is, “What is the most dangerous word in the Bible?” When people are asked this question, some think it’s ‘hate,’ others ‘hell,’ others fear, or revenge, or death. But it’s a less dangerous looking and a less-dangerous-sounding word than any of these.
2. Indeed, what’s dangerous about this word is that it hides and disguises its threat and menace. What is the most dangerous word? It’s a word that has closed the door of success to many a dreamer and condemns many to failure, poverty, and defeat. It’s a word that paralyzes action and leaves duties undone.
3. What is this word? It’s the word “TOMORROW!”
C. TEXT
1. James 4:13-14, “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.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”
2. When we examine the way people excuse themselves when they use the word “tomorrow,” we find 3 APPLICATIONS OF THIS WORD “TOMORROW” THAT LEAD TO SIN: First, as Procrastination; Second, as Uncertainty/ fear; and Third, as Ignoring future judgment.
3. Let’s look first at how people postpone actions to tomorrow because they procrastinate.
I. PROCRASTINATION
A. NEGLIGENCE CAUSES DEFEAT
1. We’ve all heard about General George Washington leading his troops across the frigid Delaware River in winter, but maybe you didn’t know a curious coincident that gave him the victory that day.
2. Colonel Rahl, commander of the British troops in Trenton, New Jersey, was playing cards when a courier brought an urgent message stating that Washington was crossing the Delaware River.
3. Rahl put the letter in his pocket and didn't bother to read it until his card game was finished. Then, realizing the seriousness of the situation, he tried to rally his men to meet the coming attack, but it was too late.
4. His procrastination caused many of his men to be killed, and the rest of the regimen to be captured. Only a few minutes delay cost him his life, his honor, and the liberty of his soldiers.
5. Earth's history is filled with the wrecks of half-finished plans and unexecuted resolutions. ‘Tomorrow’ is the excuse of the lazy, and the refuge of the incompetent!
6. As someone said, “Procrastination is my sin, It brings me nothing but sorrow, I know that I should stop it, In fact, I will…TOMORROW!”
B. WHAT PROCRASTINATION GETS YOU
1. ILLUS.
a. A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn in the road. The former who lived nearby came to investigate. "Hey, Willis," he called out, "forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us. Then I'll help you get the wagon up."
b. "That's mighty nice of you," Willis answered, "But I don't think Pa would like me to." "Aw, come on, son!" the farmer insisted. "Well, okay," the boy finally agreed. "But Pa won't like it."
c. After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. "I feel a lot better now, but I just know Pa is going to be real upset." "Don't be foolish!" exclaimed the neighbor. "By the way, where is he?" "Under the wagon.".
2. What’s the favorite day to start a diet? Tomorrow! Moses asked Pharaoh “When do you want God to remove these pesky frogs?” Pharaoh’s answered, “Tomorrow!”
3. ‘Tomorrow’ is the chief tool of Satan to get people to disobey God. It can shut Heaven’s gates and condemn souls to outer darkness! And worse, it keeps people from surrendering to Christ!
II. UNCERTAINTY/FEAR
A. AVOIDANCE NEVER WORKS
1. I heard about a woman who was so upset that she was turning forty that she got on an airplane, flew out over the Pacific Ocean, and crossed the International Date Line, where as you may know, the calendar changes -- just so that she would not actually be anywhere on the day she turned forty.
2. Now isn’t that ridiculous? It didn’t change anything, did it? She was just as old on that side of the date line as she was on this one, and when she came down to earth, she was forty years old plus one day. It didn’t settle anything, did it? Nice try, but no cigar.
3. You know, maybe I’ll try that when I get to be forty years old. Some people are laughing, “Pastor, you have a CHILD that’s probably forty!” So I guess I can’t pretend to be forty any more.
4. My 3 ½ year-old granddaughter informed me that she wasn’t a baby anymore. Her little brother, not yet two, is still a baby, she says. When we’re young we want to be older, so we can do the things children cannot do. OR we want to graduate from school so we won’t have to do all that homework.
5. When we get older, we begin to dread tomorrow, because tomorrow we’ll have to get up and go to work. When we get really old, we worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow might bring sickness, arthritis, and weakness. Tomorrow might even bring death.
B. ILLUS. ON TRUST: There Are Bridges All the Way
1. A young girl, unaccustomed to traveling, was taking a train ride through the country, and it happened that her train had to cross a river and several bodies of water.
2. The water, seen in advance, always awakened doubts and fears in the child. She didn’t understand how it could safely be crossed. As they drew near the river, however, a bridge appeared -- furnishing a way over. Two or three times the experience was repeated, and finally the child relaxed.
3. “Somebody has put bridges for us all the way!” she said in trusting content. That is life. We fear so many evils, so many troubles look dark ahead, but as we advance we find that there’s a way through them. God has built bridges for us all the way!
4. So the solution to uncertainty and fear is to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” Prov. 3:5-6.
III. IGNORING FUTURE JUDGMENT
A. TRYING TO HIDE FROM JUDGMENT?
1. In the Book of Acts 24:22-25, a man of immense power and prestige was presented with the Gospel by the Apostle Paul. His name was Felix.
2. The Bible says, “As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the JUDGMENT TO COME, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” Felix said he’d consider the Gospel ...TOMORROW; But his tomorrow never came.
3. 34% of Americans don’t believe in HELL, even though Jesus Christ said more about Hell than He did about Heaven. People avoid bad news; they stop their ears so they won’t have to listen.
4. I’ve told the story about the atheist who wanted to see the great preacher, George Whitefield, but he didn’t want to hear him preach. He got to the pasture early and climbed up a tree. When Whitefield began to preach, the atheist put his fingers in his ears. But God sent a horsefly to land on his nose and bite it. When the atheist pulled his finger out of his ear to swat the fly, he heard Whitefield say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear...” He kept listening and was saved.
5. But running from God will never work, as Jonah found out. God is just as present at the bottom of the sea, and in the whale’s belly, as He is in Heaven. David said, “Where can I flee from the Lord’s presence?” Ps. 139:7, and ended up saying something like, “You can’t escape! God’s everywhere!”
6. Someone said, “There are 2 things you can’t escape from: death and taxes.” Another is judgment. Heb. 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” As certain as death is, so is judgment. Rom. 14:10 says, “For we SHALL all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
B. CONFESSION SAVES US FROM JUDGMENT
1. Paul said in 1 Tim. 5:24, “Some men's sins are open beforehand (having been confessed), going before to judgment; and some men, they follow after.” If we go ahead and repent of our sins, God can forgive them and we won’t have to face them at the Great White Throne Judgment. During our earthly life, we’ve been given “space to repent” – a brief time to accept God’s mercy through the shed blood of Christ.
2. But repentance is required; “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” Prov. 28:13.
3. The old Apostle John said, “IF WE CONFESS our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1 Jn. 1:9. Thinking we can escape accountability is foolish.
4. “Even At 94-Years of Age, Your Sins Will Find You Out.” On a quiet street in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 94-year-old Friedrich Berger was arrested for crimes he committed as a guard in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II (75 years before!) He probably imagined that he had gotten away with it, but the long arm of justice finally closed on him, and he spent the remainder of his days in prison. So will it be for all who don’t repent & confess their sins.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Mount St. Helen’s eruption in 1980 is the most famous contiguous eruption in US history. An earthquake triggered severe activity on March 27, 1980. Many different government efforts were made to evacuate the mountain and the region around it. It was 53 days until the anticipated explosion took place.
2. Harry R. Truman (1896-1980), who lived at Spirit Lake under the shadow of the mountain, was begged by friends, family, and law enforcement to evacuate. He vowed he not leave, and besides, he said, "the mountain will never hurt me."
3. It erupted on May 18, 1980. The blast destroyed more than 100 square miles of forest, 61 people, and an estimated 24,000 wild animals were killed.
4. Truman died the day of the blast because he would not listen to the pleas of people who loved him. It is God who speaks to you to listen to His words of warning.
B. THE CALL
1. A man was in court. He knew what the Law said his sentence for a crime should be. The judge said, “You will get justice in my court.” He answered, Your Honor, I am not here to ask for justice, I’m here to ask for mercy!” That’s what we all need to ask for.
2. How many would like to appeal to God tonight for His mercy on your life? Slip up your hands.
3. How many have a different petition? Let’s all stand and seek the face of God, for He is merciful and gracious! PRAYER
[This message contains some thoughts of Jim Kilson, Steve Kinnard, Joseph Smith, and Clarence Macartney]
