Scripture: James 4:14
Title: “What Is Life?”
Introduction: Ask anyone you meet to give you a definition of LIFE, and no two people will give you the same answer.
Even in this congregation, the answers would be as varied as the flowers of the field.
We each have our own interpretation of life, but the non-believer thinks of life as an accident, while the believer acknowledges life as a sacred trust from God.
If you had listened to the Hippie generation in the sixties, you would
have heard a song with lyrics that described life as “what you do
while you’re waiting to die”.
An early Eighteenth Century philosopher penned it this way…… “Life is an unpleasant interlude of nothingness”.
Most of us would at least agree that these two quotes are sad comments on life, and we might even counter them with our own rebuttal that would go something like this:
“Life is like a mountain railroad, With an engineer that’s brave; We must make the run successful, From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; Never falter, never quail, Keep your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail.”
In our biblical text, James does not give a definition of life, but
rather, he expresses its brevity as that of a vapor that appears and then,
just as quickly, vanishes! How true! Why? In comparison to ETERNITY life is as a vapor.
Life Is Short.
James 4:14 says that life is like a vapor.
1. Place a tea kettle of water on the stove and as it heats to the boiling point the water turns to steam, but that steam doesn’t fill the kitchen; it disappears about a foot above the kettle
2. God’s Word tells us that our lives are like a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes.
3. Life is short, and the older I get...the shorter it seems!
4. James warns us of making future plans and leaving the Lord out of them; of making plans without realizing that we may not be around to complete them!
In Job 7:6 he states that his days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.
1. If you have ever seen an old-fashioned loom in operation you know how fast the shuttle moves back and forth across the loom.
2. Job said that was how fast his days were passing.
3. We may know of someone who has lived a long and full life, perhaps 90- 100 years; but that is the exception!
4. Ps. 90:10, "The days of our years are threescore and ten..."
5. Life is short! A fourteen year-old boy and his friends were sniffing Scotch- guard from and aerosol can and died!
6. Washington, DC is America’s murder capital, with 487 homicides in 1991 and 1992 began with four murders in the first four hours! Life is short!
IN RESPONSE TO THE MESSAGE TITLE, “What Is Your Life?”
I. LIFE IS A GIFT FROM GOD.
a. (Gen. 2:7) “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
b. (John 1:4) “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
c. We know that God gave His Son into the world as a GIFT, therefore that makes LIFE a GIFT from God.
d. (Gen. 20:18 “For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.” (God had not allowed the women to become pregnant because the enemy had taken Abraham’s wife).
e. Isn’t is sad to see someone take a WONDERFUL GIFT and mistreat it and waste it?
II. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?
a. What are you USING your life for? What are you doing with your THREE SCORE and TEN? (Ps. 90:10) “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (KJV) “Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone.” (NTL)
b. Are you HAPPY?
c. Do you have PEACE?
d. Are you ENJOYING your LIFE?
e. What are the MOST IMPORTANT things in your LIFE? (Lk. 12:34) “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
f. What are your PLANS for the FUTURE? (Do you have any?)
g. Where is GOD in your PRIORITY LIST?
h. Is your FAMILY a HAPPY place to be?
III. ABUNDANT LIFE. (John 10:10)
a. (John 10:10) “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”)
b. Satan has succeeded in convincing too many people that life is made up of things. (Lk. 12:15) “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (NLT) “Beware! Don’t be greedy for what you don’t have. Real life is not measured by how much we own.”
c. This ABUNDANT LIFE begins the moment we are SAVED!
d. This ABUNDANT LIFE is for EVERY BELIEVER.
e. (I Jn.2:27) “He anoints us so that we have no need for anyone to instruct us.” * His guidance is perfect.
f. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." (Rom 8:16)
g. “We are given the power, the right and the privilege to be called sons of God.” (Jn. 1:12)
h. “Our citizenship is in heaven." We now belong to the heavenly family with their connections. (Phil 3:20) (I’ve got GOOD CONNECTIONS in HIGH PLACES, INFLUENCIAL PLACES!)
i. ”If children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ." Beneficiaries of His promises (Rom.8: 17)
j. “If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away, all things become new. (2Cor 5:17)
k. “But now being made free from sin we become servants to God." (Rom. 8:16)
l. “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood to display great deeds and virtue." (I Pet. 2:9)
m. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through Christ.” (Rom. 5:1)
n. “We have an advocate (defense lawyer) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (I John 2:1) (Somebody to TALK TO!)
CONCLUSION: Wasted years, wasted years, Oh, how foolish, as I walk on in darkness and fear, Turn around, Turn around, God is CALLING, He’s calling you from a life of Wasted Years!
What are you WAITING for? God is CALLING!
Life is BRIEF! (As a Vapor!)
Life is UNCERTAIN! (For you know not what shall be TOMORROW!)
Include God! (“For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”) James 4:15
Even Jesus said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)
We have a “Window of Opportunity” this morning, let’s use it!
