Title: Living a life of FAITH not presumption
The Associated Press ran the story of Andre-Francois Raffray. Thirty years ago, at the age of 47, he worked out a real estate deal with Jeanne Calment, age 90. He would pay her $500 each month until her death, in order to secure ownership of her appartment in Arles, France. This is a common practice in France, benefiting both buyers and seniors on a fixed income.
Unfortunately for Raffray, Jeanne Calment has become the world’s oldest living person. Still alive at 120, she outlived Raffray, who died in December 1995, at the age of 77. He paid $184,000 for an apartment he never lived in. According to the contract, Raffray’s survivors must continue payment until Mrs. Calment dies.
Mr. Raffray thought he was looking into the future and making a shrewd investment. But the fact his he could not imagine what the future had in store for him.
On the same token neither can you know what the future has in store for your life.
Granted there are those things that are certain -- that never change
God
The certainty of death
The judgment
And of course -- tax time
But from day to day we have no idea what is going to happen
Thankfully Jesus sets us free not to worry about the future holds
Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
He assures us that he will be with us always even to the end of the age to help us through each day by his amazing grace.
Interestingly’ the scripture tells us that there existed a problem in the early church that still exists today
I have dubbed that problem "living life with an attitude of presumption"
James 4 warns us against having the attitude of those who presume to know what the future holds.
Read James 4:13-17 with me
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? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. [15] Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." [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.
An attitude of presumption is illustrated by an example here in James. Not that this example alone is necessarily the action he is condemning,
but it is the spirit of this kind of thinking or attitude in the believer James attempts to reprove.
It was common in Middle Eastern culture and among the Jews for a man to attempt to make his fortune by being a merchant.
¤ He would save up a large amount of money
¤ Purchase some good in the place he lived that he felt he could sell at a profit in a far off place.
¤ Take a long journey to that far off city and spend a year selling those goods making a large profit.
¤ Then upon his return he would purchase some fine good that he could sell in his home city.
¤ Then once returned, having sold all his goods, he would be wealthy an able to retire or buy and sell again.
At least that was his thinking.
Unfortunately, the more common occurrence
That could not be foreseen
Was that the merchant purchased a bunch of goods from his own city and ended up stuck with them spending the rest of his life trying to sell them in a little shop in his hometown.
Because we do not know what the future holds.
An attitude of presumption is
1. Evil in its boasting
2. And sin in its doing
We cannot afford to live with an attitude of presumption about tomorrow.
We cannot afford to make large plans expecting them to be fulfilled
We cannot be like the farmer of Luke 12 who SAYS TO HIMSELF
Luke 12:19-20
"You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ’
[20] "But God said to him, ’You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
You don’t know what the future holds
Yet each of is facing the future
So how are we going to deal with it?
When I worked at Evangel College in Springfield MO. I worked with a man and every night I would say goodnight Rich , see you tomorrow, and every time he would respond
LORD WILLING, SEE YOU TOMORROW.
He was confessing with his mouth a way of life, an attitude of the heart, by which we must face the future with
SIMPLY STATED
LORD BY YOUR WILL, WE SHALL LIVE.
______________Prayer________________
This morning I want to share just two things
1. I want to talk about the marks of an attitude of presumption
2. I want to focus on FAITH the opposite of an attitude of presumption
1. "Living life with an attitude of presumption"
Is first of all living according to a worldly pattern.
In other words,
The world is Fed by information,
They live by statistics
and make decisions based on probabilities
We have our doctors to help us live longer
Our remedies
Contingency plans
precautions
We have calculated the chances
Because that’s the kind of world we live in
Following this pattern we think we know what the future holds, but we do not!
SECONDLY a life of presumption is a life lived in denial the providence of God
It is a spirit and attitude that says God is not really in charge of all things.
By excluding HIS intervention and HIS inspiration in directing our path
We walk not by faith but by sight alone.
THIRDLY, Presumption takes things for granted and says "O we will always have tomorrow.
Consider Paul and his visit to Felix the govenor of Judea
Acts 24:25
As Paul discoursed on 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."
Is attitude was ---put it off till tomorrow --
FINALLY Presumption is one way that we place ourselves and our decision-making processes in control ahead of God’s Lordship in our life.
The opposite of an attitude of Presumption is FAITH
Trusting in God and being able to say
I will live according to your will each day
Christians I know want to live and walk in faith, yet presumption sneaks in because according to James
THEY ARE NOT HONEST ABOUT WHO THEY ARE.
They have built up a world of self importance
James asks
Vs. 14 "What is your life?"
He says, "It is a vapor"
What he means is that in the scheme of all things your life as an individual is equal to a mist that appears early in the morning and then is gone when the sun comes up
Or like a match that once snuffed out smokes for a moment but is gone.
This is true for all of us.
Let’s be honest with ourselves about who we are and why we are here.
The Word of God is a mirror displaying the reality of our existence
In the scheme of all things
Our life is here today and gone tomorrow.
All our plans depend upon the continuance of our existence , but that is a frail and uncertain thing.
We cannot build our hope in this life, we Must build our hope in HIM.
I got to thinking about history.
Throughout history there were certain individuals whose life made such an impact during their moment in history that they will never be forgotten.
Abraham
Moses
Paul
their lives would have been nothing had they not
Lived honestly
A. In other words they knew the precious value of their life
B. They knew that their only hope was God
C. They knew that their words made a difference
D. They understood their emotions
E. They knew how to treat others
F. They knew how to respond when treated poorly
G. They considered justice, mercy and faith to be of greatest importance.
H. They put others before themselves
I. They put Gods will before all things
J. And they did not revel in self importance though they may have struggled with
K. They knew that how they lived when no one was watching was important
L. And they knew that God would forgive them if they messed up
M. They understood their liberty
N. They took risks
Consider Abraham
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
Mosos
Hebrews 11:26
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
Paul
Philippians 3:12-15
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
[15] All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
What about you
Are you going to go through life with an attitude of presumption
Trustiing in the things of this life
Placing value on this life
Which is here today and gone tomorrow
Or will you face this life honestly
Put your trust in Jesus
And be counted with those who say
LORD BY YOUR WILL, I SHALL LIVE
Conclusion:
There are those here today
When you look to the future
Your saying "everyhtings going to be OK" or atleast that is your presumption
There is only one way to face the future.
Rest on those things that are certain
Trust in Jesus who says don’t worry about today
And put every future moment in His hands
And like Abraham walk forward in faith that he who called you is faithful
Make your plans, but submit them into his hands for approval
Be honest about our life
When we are in control its all used up and gone
But when we can say with Jesus Lord Not my will but thine"
Then and then only will we able to live honestly, and walk humbly before our God.
