Seeking the Lord's Will

Seeking the Lord's Will | James 4:13-17 Good morning and welcome. Today, we continue in the letter of James. We'll be in chapter 4, verses 13-17 today. When Natalie and I first met, I was an up-and-coming manager in the hospitality world, with visions of becoming a General Manager by the time I was 30 years old. But, as you know, things change. One of those times things changed was well before I met Natalie. In 2004, the morning I was in the Emergency Room, my manager received a phone call from a Director of Sales that wanted to offer me a position and negotiate the start date. Instead, I went on a seven-week medical leave and returned to a version of my old position. Another time my plans changed was in 2009 when we left the Los Angeles area for Tucson. While the path was still the same, we left due to the recession, and never dreamed about moving to Tucson. In fact, I think Natalie literally said, "where?" when I told where I was going for a couple of months. Another time that changed was in 2017, when I realized my calling for full time ministry. Of course, the pandemic in 2020 cut my hospitality career a couple of years shorter than I planned. In the end, where do I stand? Here, before you. This is where the Lord wanted me all along. In our short passage this morning, James is going to give us some wisdom on the topic of planning. Join me as I read James 4:13-17: 13 COME NOW, YOU WHO SAY, "TODAY OR TOMORROW WE WILL GO INTO SUCH AND SUCH A TOWN AND SPEND A YEAR THERE AND TRADE AND MAKE A PROFIT"- 14 YET YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? FOR YOU ARE A MIST THAT APPEARS FOR A LITTLE TIME AND THEN VANISHES. 15 INSTEAD YOU OUGHT TO SAY, "IF THE LORD WILLS, WE WILL LIVE AND DO THIS OR THAT." 16 AS IT IS, YOU BOAST IN YOUR ARROGANCE. ALL SUCH BOASTING IS EVIL. 17 SO WHOEVER KNOWS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND FAILS TO DO IT, FOR HIM IT IS SIN. Let's begin with our main idea, which should give us a good idea of this passage's direction. A wise disciple seeks the Lord's will in all their steps. Now, before we dig deeper into our main idea, I think it's important to provide a little background here. In the early church, trade was an essential part of their economy and livelihood. It was not abnormal for traveling merchants. Many of the surrounding areas, such as Tyre, Sidon, Caesarea, Crete, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and Rome, were all involved in this trade market. So, James here wasn't counseling the believers not to participate in labor or not to participate in trade or in commerce. The issue was their motive and focus. Another thing to consider is that this section may be an illustration, rather than a literal situation, of the application from our previous section on worldliness and the selfish pursuits that worldliness results in. To help paint that picture this morning, we're going to discuss a plan and a path. In verses 13-14 and verse 16, we see ... A DANGEROUS PLAN (vv. 13-14, 16) This plan is dangerous for two reasons: * God is missing from the plan o Part of the issue we see in verse 13 is they were presumptuous. Look carefully at what they presumed: * They presumed they were in control of when they would do something * They presumed they were in control of their movements * They presumed they were in control of their destinations * They presumed they were in control of their time * They presumed they were in control of what they were to do * Then finally, they presumed they were in control of their success. o The two lessons we can take from this come in verse 14. o First lesson is that we don't know what tomorrow brings. * This is a reminder that only God knows what our future brings. He is the One who has written our story. So, who are we to presume what is coming next? o James also reminds us that our lives are short. It is like a vapor, a mist, he says, one that quickly goes away. o Because we are only here for a short period of time, we have one chance until eternity. So where should our focus be? I'm going to let Francis Chan answer that question with a great illustration, take a look at this video: [Francis Chan Video] o Chan said it very well, our short lives cannot be characterized about what we do, where we've been, or what we have. Rather, it must be focused on eternity, the rest of that rope. o Don't get me wrong, or even misinterpret what the Scriptures say about planning. We know that ... * We must labor to provide for our families as Paul stated in 1 Timothy 5:8 BUT IF ANYONE DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR HIS RELATIVES, AND ESPECIALLY FOR MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD, HE HAS DENIED THE FAITH AND IS WORSE THAN AN UNBELIEVER. * We also know that we must save for our futures and the futures of our children as we see in Proverbs 13:22: A GOOD MAN LEAVES AN INHERITANCE TO HIS CHILDREN'S CHILDREN, BUT THE SINNER'S WEALTH IS LAID UP FOR THE RIGHTEOUS. * But James reminds us, this must be done with the Lord, not apart from Him. Because, doing so, presumes that we can do it on our own. James, in verse 16 concludes with our next point, that ... * They were boasting in their pride o This verse ties this section directly to verses 8-10 that we looked at last week. * There, James focused on the antidote to worldliness, which was characterized by repentance and required a humble heart before the Lord. o Have you noticed that James continues to come back to pride? o There are many dangers to pride: * God doesn't get the credit * God's gifts to us aren't recognized * God's not being depended on * We're serving self, instead of God or others o James also says that this is evil. We saw this last week too. We determined that anything apart from God - worldliness - is enmity with God, and therefore not good. o The Apostle John reminds us 1 John 1:5: THIS IS THE MESSAGE WE HAVE HEARD FROM HIM AND PROCLAIM TO YOU, THAT GOD IS LIGHT, AND IN HIM IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL. * As you know, darkness is associated with evil throughout the Scriptures. o This set of verses is a warning against those who ignore God and instead focuses on self. Next, let's discuss ... THE RIGHT PATH (vv. 15, 17) This path is characterized by two things: * We trust the will of the Lord o Verse 15 reminds us that we are to speak confidently as we seek the will of the Lord. * We've all heard it, I'm sure - especially if you've been in the church awhile. * "see you next week, Lord willing!" * James wasn't speaking to an empty saying, rather he was reminding us to have an attitude of dependence on the Lord, understanding that He direct our ways. o This passage is also a lesson in God's sovereignty and in the doctrine of providence. * God's sovereignty, as John Piper put it, can be defined as God's, "right and power to do all that He decides to do" * Piper also defined providence this way, "absolutely everything that needs to be done to bring about his purposes, God sees to it that it happens" o Have you ever experienced something that just doesn't seem to make any since, but years down the line, you recognize God's hand? * I love the example of my parents. My Mother, a Baptist from Georgia and my Father, a Catholic from just outside East LA, somehow ended up in the same Army training course at Ft. Huachuca in 1980. If I remember the story correctly, my mother wasn't supposed to be at that training, but she ended up staying behind because she was sick. * Or one that I've shared before, my car accident in 2004 led me to Manhattan Beach, CA where I met my wife shortly thereafter, instead of a position and career path and hour and a half's commute away. * Regardless of what we do, or want to do, God remains in control. o So, this idea of "will" here is just that, God allowing something to occur, for His purpose. o We should always be seeking His will * How can we do this? * Know who you are in Christ. Ephesians 1 is a great staring point. We don't have time to go through the full chapter, but here are five things it says we are in Christ: o A saint o Blessed o Chosen by God o Accepted by God o Redeemed and forgiven of our sins * Know that God's timing is always right * Romans 5:6 tells us: FOR WHILE WE WERE STILL WEAK, AT THE RIGHT TIME CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY * 2 Peter 3:9 tells us: THE LORD IS NOT SLOW TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE AS SOME COUNT SLOWNESS, BUT IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, NOT WISHING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD REACH REPENTANCE o Next ... * We do what is right o Verse 17, James reminds us that if we know what is right, and refuse to do it, it is sin. The word "so" in the ESV can also be translated "therefore" making its direct connection to verse 16. o What is right? * In context, what we've been reading in his letter, but more broadly the Word of God. o In Luke 10, we read the story of the Good Samaritan. Most of you, I'm sure are familiar with this story, so I'll only provide a quick word. In short, a man was beaten, robbed, and left on the side of the road dead. A priest walked down that road and passed him on the other side. Then, a Levite saw him, and passed him on the other side. Then a Samaritan (an enemy of the Jews) showed compassion, bandaged him up and put him up at the Holiday Inn for some comfort and care. * The sin here was the fact that the priest and Levite knew what they should have done, but instead they did not act on that. o This is what James is discussing here. So, this morning, we've seen ... A wise disciple seeks the Lord's will in all their steps. So, HOW DO WE SEEK THE LORD'S WILL? Join me as we review a familiar passage. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to: 5 TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. 6 IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE STRAIGHT YOUR PATHS. This is not that different than what James was writing in this passage this morning. We seek the Lord's will by ... * Trusting that the Lord knows what He's doing o We have to recognize that God knows what's best for us. o We also must recognize that God's ways are not like our ways. Look at what the Lord said to Isaiah: 8 FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS, DECLARES THE LORD. 9 FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS. (Isaiah 55:8-9) o Maybe you've been laid off of before, or maybe you've taken a job that was miserable or not what you expected it to be. Maybe it added stress to you and your family. * You may ask yourself: Why do we get put into these situations? What is the purpose of this? * In those moments, you seek the Lord, trust that this is part of the process, even if it doesn't make since to us. Next, by ... * Acknowledging that we are not in charge o This has been one of those most encouraging truths in my faith journey. I'd be lying if I told you that I've employed this in every situation, but I distinctly remember employing this back in 2013 when we were having issues with our home, my job and Gabrielle's pregnancy. The old me would've lost it, but because of this truth, I was able to trust God in the process, knowing that He was in charge of the outcome. o Take a look at these unexpected words from King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:35 ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH ARE ACCOUNTED AS NOTHING, HE DOES ACCORDING TO HIS WILL AMONG THE HOST OF HEAVEN AND AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH; AND NONE CAN STAY HIS HAND OR SAY TO HIM, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" o Even Nebuchadnezzar understood that nothing happens that God doesn't allow or know about, just as we saw earlier. Finally, we seek the Lord's will by ... * Having the mind of Christ o Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 2:16 FOR WHO HAS UNDERSTOOD THE MIND OF THE LORD SO AS TO INSTRUCT HIM?" BUT WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST. o One resource stated that, "Having the mind of Christ means we understand God's plan in the world-to bring glory to Himself, restore creation to its original splendor, and provide salvation for sinners. It means we identify with Christ's purpose "to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). It means we share Jesus' perspective of humility and obedience (Philippians 2:5-8), compassion (Matthew 9:36), and prayerful dependence on God (Luke 5:16). This is not easy, particularly if we try to do this on our own. Maybe you need a prayer partner. An accountability partner, or maybe you need to repent because you've fallen into this sin. Trust me, you wouldn't be alone. But today is the day that we must wholly surrender to the Lord who knows best. Will you do that today? Let's pray. 2