Pride & The Brevity of Life - James 4:13-17
a man well when James continuing to his is you guys know that we served in China for about eight years as missionaries. And one of the things that was the most probably one of the most stressful things of living in a foreign country. Maybe just anywhere is travel traveling even you can think of going to the airport here in America. This is stress to it does a distressed you and travel was always stressful for us where to travel from from our city to RR capital city, and I probably mentioned this before it is a couple hours away if everything went well, but whenever we were traveling somewhere and we knew you were going to have to catch a flight we would add a couple extra hours on that we didn't need because we never knew what would happen on our way from our city to the capital city to get to the airport and we would rent typically we rent a private car so we get a taxi. He would take us up there, but you just never knew it was going to happen every time there's just something new to feel like we probably gone through everything that can happen and then something you would happen. We there was a time where we got a flat tire when we were on our way there. There's another time when we were going to Ethiopia before we had kids and we rented we just had it two seats in advance with their other people and they were late to pick us up and then when they picked us up and we have a flat tire that has to have to go repaired before we even leave the city and we're like cuz we had to get you a flight to another city. And then the Ethiopian there's a lot riding on it as we were going to do things for adoption for Anthony in Ethiopian one-time. Probably more than one time the driver that's supposed to pick us up what didn't get up early and we have to leave, you know, like maybe 4 in the morning in I'd call him any bug twice.
Other Taxi to take us traffic jams and also to avoid the toll sometimes they would go out on these crazy country roads just avoid the toll road which made added us to just never knew. We were always at the mercy we make really well made plans, but we always knew that we had to just put it up to the Lord in the end. It was an anxious time for me to take me to a whole day or two ahead of time. I just kind of on we're going to travel mode and she's kind of gearing up for whatever was going to happen, but we can make plans. In all sorts of ways what our plans are just that their plans. They're not what will be and when we realize that we walked her as we walk through this passage. We recognize that that we are not in control that he is our God is in control is an idol in our heart. When we lose control of our plan great anger fear and anxiety just can well up within us. But we need to acknowledge the truth that our Lord is in control and we need to recognize that he is a guys we looked at last week day is a guide of great. Grace. It gives a Greater Grace to us and he's the father of all Mercies in the God of all comfort and we can rest in him and we're call the submit our will and our pride down in our humble ourselves before our God today in this passage normally have several points, but they may just have one point. It's right there. That's it. That's our point is we look at this. We see that were called that set aside our pride and rest upon our Sovereign God. Let's begin versus 13. If you haven't grab your bible yet or one around you encourage you to do that and open it up to James chapter 4. verse 13 James begins and he says 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. Together this language say hey, we're going to go to this place where to set up shop and we're going to do some business in order to make a profit and this language do it in real familiar to the people that time does dime that for Commerce was growing and there a lot of merchants that would go and they would do business in the Jews would take part of that. They would take part in that business and they would engage in the ass would have been a common understanding they would have their ears would have perked up their messes. Yes. I know this scenario. I've been part of my brother's been part of it. I've been thinking about it and we understand it to we know those have gone to start a business or maybe we've done that are self are left and moved to another city for nothing other job. In order to make a profit. This is language that they would have been familiar with a scenario. That was really clear to them. Let me look at this statement that question might come to your mind you like. Whoa. What's the big deal? What's wrong with what they're saying? I think we have to dig a little bit at it to see what's going on with James is getting a tattoo before we begin we need to look and see what what is he not saying what it what is James not trying to say and what what is he trying to say and what is not trying to say ladies not saying that we we we can't make a profit that making a profit is wrong that setting up a business is wrong. He's not saying that he's not saying that moving for a job opportunity is wrong. He's also he's not saying that we should plan ahead. He's not saying that we shouldn't save for retirement. He's not saying that we shouldn't have insurance and life insurance. None of these things cuz we see in God's word that When we are called to be good stewards over time or strength of our finances and even the Bible even encourages to work hard with her hands and make a living. So they think they're not condenser. What is James addressing if he's not addressing that what's the heart attitude of the one who is saying it and if you look down 2 verse 16 We see what that attitude is. He says as it is you boast in your arrogance. There's this attitude of arrogance is this making plans in pursuit of wow apart from the humble submission before our God was James you were here last week in chapter 4, he address that we are called to Humble ourselves before God in which to those who seek Him and draw near to God and hear there's this competing attitude of heart one of arrogance.
So this is mine set. Omar said that the guy that's just sort of an add-on to the plans of their day. And then I'm going to pursue hard after a new business out of a career or savings or status. I'm okay if guy comes along just kind of joins me, but it's kind of this afterthought. I've gone. In seeking after one's own as we see at the end of chapter 3 of James of one's own selfish ambition. Just a different mindset. This attitude can creep into our hearts. And another attitude is we looked at last week in the beginning of chapter 4 in the context of there's this friendship with the world and hostility toward God that you're becoming
A friend of the world more than you are seeking after God is for your own pleasure. Not the glory of God that you're seeking after these things and we seen that the result of these sings is fighting of disunity of War of murder when we have these attitudes within her heart.
So there's this. It's mine said maybe just a tad on that God has more like a Genie in a Bottle. A good luck charm to take with him.
This passage again. It slows from what we seen in this chapter in chapter 4. This attitude that I've called to be humble and submissive and not a friend of the world and then so be doing an enemy of God. Also the language of this verse you might find it a little familiar from the Old Testament the story that you're probably familiar with. About the the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. I think of that we're all of mankind speaking all the same language and they all come together and they growing power and strength in unity and they begin to push out forget about God and they say let us make bricks. Let us build the city at our and make a name for ourselves in the language of a boasting and pride to make a name for oneself apart from that of God and His glory we see a similar thing in the language here. Let us do this and that and make a profit. Proverbs 27:1 it says this it says do not boast about tomorrow for you. Do not know what a day may bring.
Set the boasting about seeing about her needs to come opportunity to come and not a humbling of oneself before God as we saw in chapter 4 verse 10, and he also think of has been James has been speaking about humility even in at the end of chapter 3.
spoke about wisdom 12 wisdom was in that there's a meekness that comes from two true wisdom and then going back even farther and James and chapter 1. If you remember verse 21 verse that I've gone back to whole bunch of times as we go through this and we will continue to resist he says that were called to receive with meekness verse 21 of chapter one receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul sister the opposite of boasting in our plans with humility and embracing the gospel with meekness with humility. understanding who we are understanding and who our God is there's a contentment is me understand who he is and who we are and find great. Hope in that and then James continues. Let us know what our lives are what our lives. Like how are we to think of things in our day-to-day Life as we make plans and think about our future and think about submitting to the Lord. He says verse 14 yet. You do not know what tomorrow will bring this music. You don't know what tomorrow will bring up our knowledge or wisdom. He said it's a limited know. It's interesting to hear now James. He doesn't say you don't know what will happen next year or next month or next week, but he says you don't even know you don't even know. What tomorrow is going to bring let alone next week next month cuz you don't even know what tomorrow is going to bring in as we know that we know that that a phone call could just change everything.
Next week during spring break for here in Loveland. It's spring break. We're have plans to go a few days to go to Grand Junction. But the way that I 70s been with avalanches and things were like, well, I don't know we got plans we got reservations and we're all excited. But we know it could just change in a moment. I don't I don't know what tomorrow will bring cuz we need to be reminded. Everfi Night Nurse and we need to rest on the infinite knowledge of our God. We're not in control when you say it when I tell you hate you are not in control of things and some anxiety May well up in your heart. But actually the reality that we're not in control is actually this really good thing because our wisdom or knowledge our intelligence our strength. Our foresight is limited. It's finite it's broken. By our sin in our limitations, but God is not just think back to your life. I'm the older you get the more you begin to see this at how you're so thankful that God is in control and that you were not so many situations that we try though to be in control even have technology to help us meet in better control and for me whenever I go up to Denver, I'm even if I know exactly where I'm going. I put it in Google Maps because Google Maps tells me all of the traffic and it's great because it'll take me on Frontage Road or whatever to avoid traffic but a few weeks back with my in-laws were here. We were going up early early early to the airport. I think we left at 3:45 a.m. Just to get there to make sure we got them there and I had Google on am I going to give it was snowing a little bit and we got in Denver and I'll send Google didn't catch up with the traffic and we were to stand still and nothing was moving. So I had to ask her about 45 minutes. I like working to be late. Turning going the wrong way and I-25 out a exit ramp and we got out. We got him to the airport, but you can plan ahead but our limit even Google's a limit it it's it's knowledge of Forsyth. It's it's limited its limit in Psalm 103 15 as for man, his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field for the wind passes over it and it is gone. And it's plates knows it no more but the steadfast love of the Lord is from Everlasting to Everlasting on those who fear Him and his righteousness to children's children and to those who keep his Covenant and remember to do his Commandments. The Lord has established his his has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all Psalm 90:12 says to teach us to number our days and that would be good. We need to teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Proverbs 16:9 the heart of a man plans his way but the Lord establishes his step now, there's one to memorize that is one to memorize we plan our way but it's the Lord that establishes our stuff and we need to give that to the Lord and not assume and pretend we can plan and such a way and make our own profit on our own and our own future on her own.
We think of that wisdom that's from above that James talked about at the end of chapter 3. How does it begin? How does our wisdom begin is out of the scriptures talk about wisdom. Again. It's a fear of the Lord humble understanding of who he is and who we are. So there's no room for arrogance and selfish ambition, which ultimately ends in emptiness a how hollowness. I still longing for something greater. We try to rest and enjoy your call. Be humble. The lack of our knowledge were finite. And then there's a second thing in chapter. I am sorry in verse 14 that he tells us about our life. He says what is your life for? You are a Mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes again. This might cause a little bit of panic this morning. But it's true. I life is a Mist they got in your car and your car fogs up in the windows are fogging up. What are you do you put on the defrost and just disappears? And then that's our life is just a mist.
Just think if if Nike if they decided to make a t-shirt that said on the front of thing about that this week is a t-shirt that says you are a Mist. I just don't think that would go right on the back. It says you will vanish quickly. So just do it. I don't know. You're awesome. You can do it.
but often we plan is if we're the center of all human history or at least of our immediate history our family or whatever it might be but this is where we're a mist. Tonight we think that God's plans somehow they hinge upon us. Leaving even as a pastor soon as I can think the kingdom of God somehow hinges upon me and what happens here at Derby Hill butt. That's not the case.
Not even in summer and Christian culture. We have some of this. There's some books even on our Christian bookstores that promote this kind of idea. one of those that was highlighted this week because the author came out with a new book this week young lady named Rachel Hollis two books girl wash your face and girl stop apologizing very popular books and find him in any Christian bookstore, unfortunately, But her first book in the first chapter that says you are meant to be the hero of your own story you and only you are altimate Lee responsible for who you become and how happy you are. you know if that's the truth of where the hero of her own story not only is there at the store going to be pretty pathetic in all reality, but
Why would we need Jesus?
If my ultimate happiness address on me, not only is that going to leave me with great despair because it's not going to happen. Why would I need Jesus? We're missed we need much grace. We need much grace. The light of Eternity. Our life is brief and temporal gain temporal game should be should never be our greatest. Endeavor should never be whoever greatest pursue its temporal. I should never be our greatest. Hope it should never be our greatest joints and should never be our greatest security our job and our money. It's not it's not salvation. It's not where salvation rests. The James continues is instead. You ought to say if the Lord Wills you will live and do this or do that. He says that we have this is different attitude and we should be those who say if it's God's will then we will do this will do that. No, I don't think James is point is that whenever we say anything that we're going to do like today? I think we're going to go eat at wherever today if it's the Lord Wills are I'm going to go get a drink of water right now. It's the Lord will do. No. I don't think we have to add that to everything or we can train maybe if you have an echo dot at home Alexa she can hear if you have a decorative statement of doing something she can pipe up if it's the Lord's will I don't think that's what if we were repeat that after whatever we say, it'll go well with us and if we don't repeat it, then it's not going to go with us. That's not the point is I added you to the heart. I think we do need to say a time if the Lord wills and because it needs to be so in a hard that it does come out but it's the idea that it's a heart of submission completely to the will of God not seeking our own plans and salvation. but for his glory to wear that always and can only seek to set our lives before God recognizing that he is our life. We talked last week about Colossians 3 1 through 4 and in that we see that If we are true children of God and true followers of him we've died in our life is now hidden with Christ in God and he is he is our life. So we said our plans. We said our life at the feet of Jesus who is so much more capable than we are of a filling what needs to happen.
Recalled to deny yourself and take up our cross in rest and wrasse are Wills in the hands of God. Seek him and his wife and his Direction and there's just no place for boasting about our plans and and future game. And when we do rest in him, and we do Place her hand and our will and our plans in his hand. There's a rest the pressure is off.
He loves us as we said he loves us not a future version of you, but he loves us now and we can rest in him our identity and our success is in his hand and not in our we don't have to be our own hero. We have one Jesus Christ. Proverbs 19:21 says many are the plans in a man's heart. What is the Lord's purpose that prevails? Did Isaiah 46 is a chapter where the dresses at the very beginning the gods of other nations and how they're nothing there just idles or nothing and then God says remember the former things of old for I am God and there is no other I am God and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done saying my counsel show stand and I will accomplish all my purposes calling a bird of prey from the East the man of my counsel from afar I have spoken and I'll bring it to pass. I will I purposed and I will do it God's plan is set and secure and ours ours is not we are called to submit to him, but we can find rest in the sky. So what should we do? Then? We should pray. We should pray for wisdom James talks about as we hit trial tribulation. We need to pray for wisdom in it that applies at all times or call the pray for wisdom. We need to seek Him for Direction.
Using all that we do and all that we strive after for his glory and that's where we're going to find great. Joy and not just a fleeting Joy. Call the draw near to God is James says in this chapter in chapter 4 to draw near to God that he might draw near to us and give us this great. Grace. Created for relationship with God and our Savior Jesus Christ and him we find Grace and peace and joy and meaning in this life for all eternity. We do draw near to him will find that our longings are met in him.
And they're not found in a perishable. Well R6S or status that can be removed in an instant. I'm sure you guys are aware of that the tornadoes from last week of Alabama just came in and just swipe out. I'm sure when they that morning when they woke and when they take you out today, I can just lose everything including probably members of my family, but just an instant of things were gone.
I can't stand and rest on those things. This life is a mess, but we can't stand on the Solid Ground of our relationship with our God and Jesus Christ. Who's the savior? He came and died in our place and rose again Victorious we can stand on his word. Supports and gives us hope and strength even in those Dark Nights of the Soul. Are those valleys of death?
And I've seen it as I've walked with others who walk through dark valleys and seen them even and struggle when things have been just ripped away that they find Hope. and I just great wrestling is suffering and sorrow
but still hope even recently had someone tell me that they didn't even know that a person could experience so much sorrow that is even capable to intercept sorrow and yet a person is continuing to stand in their relationship with Jesus Christ and have hope
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as it is you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. all such boasting is evil you boast in your boasting boast in your pride this flies in the face of what we've seen about what is true wisdom and what were called to serve humility in this wisdom of the world again at the end of chapter 3 This flies in the face of this thing and it's the wisdom of the world that says Earthly and spiritual it's demonic and it leads to disorder to Des Unity to every evil practice.
And it doesn't align with the wisdom that is from God, which is pure Peaceable open to reason full of Mercy. full of good fruit impartial sincere and here thinking this is a practical application of how the wisdom of of our God should affect the way we even make our plans not in both seeing private and submission to our God who is able to hold their plans and Sable the director life. 2 question for our own family our own life or own agenda might be does our planning calendar. Does it reflect that? Our life belongs to Christ are more of that of a practical atheist where he can't even see God in that picture of our calendars and their days. I think part of our struggle in our culture right now is that we're just we live saturated and busied and over scheduled lives. Play God is just kind of added on. When we came back from from China at a pastor friend tell me he said it felt like one of the new Idols of our hard-won of that new status symbols in American culture are used to be always. Well now part of it is just busy if you're busy and active you. Are you more busy than me and I'm more busy than you are my kids involved in more activities in your kids and and we push that through Facebook cuz you see your friends out there their they're like their kids are doing ballet. They're doing my training. They're doing under underwater basket weaving. They're doing all this in your like can I get my kids involved in that we do that we get so busy and we invested all these things for kids, but are we investing it in their eternity and then their soul
Jesus should be the set fit in any fit into my busy schedule this week. Shouldn't be that way.
And these are the things that we pursue that they they don't offer life and truth and hope and peace are fleeting. We should invest in the things that give us life and true. Hope and true. Peace and it's hard we get some so hurry to put on the brakes. Address for the one that struggles coming back to America. Our life was just so simple in China and we came back or just crazy. How do we put on the brakes? That we might not make Jesus just an add-on to our family.
Do we not waste our high life was just a few read activity of I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that and make a profit here lift up my kid here that are however might be when we slow down enough, even we were encouraged recently last couple weeks to as a family to to come up with some family values of your family and let your kids know what those values are in a live out even scheduleyourlife out on the family values in we put these three together that's love respect and Grace and we're going to be talking about love her. She's loved a store called the love and respect or call the Revere and have reverence for God to respect him and respect others fact your teachers at one another and & Grace been given much grace willing to pour out Grayson.
Seek the Lord's will and our family three plan. 417 so whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him. It is sin.
Sco's perfectly and James. He's called us to be ones who are not just these passive. Here's right, but active abiding doers of God's word and if we're called to do something. And we don't do it. There's that sin of omission that were like, I know that's right, but I don't have time for that right now. May Our Lives not revolve around our fleeting selfish ambition see conjoined security and things apart from God but instead may we submit our Wills before him and draw near to him and humble yourself before him and not take this challenge of James passively, but be doers of it and apply it. Call the homeless set aside our pride and rest in our Sovereign God. As we look at James and even at this passage. Is that a pastor? I love listening to his sermons and and things just really encourages my heart cuz he just really speaks about Grace and the gospel well, but seems Matt Chandler and he said this about the book of James. He said James without the cross without Jesus without the gospel without Grace would be a crushing book. So you just read in there so many things to do but the thing is is that we read it Through The Eyes of the Gospel. Think of James at the very beginning the very first verse he says he's a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. The lord is master-lord. He's Jesus aware that the cat that comes from Jehovah says it's worth of Savior salvation in Christ. The anointed one the Messiah the Savior the Redeemer for the dreamer Lord, Jesus Christ that again said I was going to go back to the bunch chapter 1 verse 21 word called to receive with meekness the implanted where the gospel which is able to save our soul and last week chapter 4 verse 6 heat, but he gives more grace.
We're able to do that that were made cuz we've been talking it in DNA discipleship this week that he has anointed we have we have been a tone. I'm sorry. We've been at owned by Jesus Christ. He died in our place that we might be made right with God and were made right with him and hold of him and righteous in Christ, but then they're still the progressive sanctification that were continually made holy and him that were made perfect in Christ. And then he continues to bring us on along in that progression of becoming more and more like Christ and we can remember that as we think about these passages that they don't precious but then we seek for Christ. If continue to be the one who builds us up and strengthen Us in the ass in his strength, we grow in these things.
Finally as we think about this time of the year, we do enter a time where we're looking toward the time of Easter of Resurrection Sunday where we celebrate the death in the resurrection of Jesus Christ in this past Wednesday in the Baptist tradition. We don't celebrate Ash Wednesday, but this past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday in in Catholic and other Protestant churches will celebrate it and it's going to be a good practice. It's one of those things where we're reminded more they take cash and they put a cross on the forehead and is the time where they remember we remember our mortality that we are missed that will dust to dust but also that's not that's only a part of it but also that we are in need of redemption that were sinners in need of a savior. So there's two things that might be sad as that crosses that take the Ash and put a cross on the forehead. It's two things that are said traditionally originally was said remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return remembrance of the brevity of our life and our need for Savior and also it will say repent. And believe the gospel. Should we look at our life? And we think of this time in this time of the year of the Christian calendar reminded that a life is a Mist life is brief, and we need to recognize that we need a savior and be called to repent and believe. So this morning but we take these words. Seriously. May we examine our heart and our Pursuits of a heart may Jesus not be a mere add-on bit me. He be the one that we seek to to do all things according to his will Smitty Lord If It Be Your Will and this morning maybe you, you recognize that you do not have a relationship with Christ. You've never received the Forgiveness of Christ. You've never begin to walk with him. This would be a more night. I challenge you to not leave this place without considering the claims of Christ that he indeed the Son of God and that he can't fully God and fully man and he died on the cross for your sins that you might be forgiven that you could repent and believe that you turn from your sins and rest in him this morning. if you I moved in a heart by the holy spirit that you know, you need to trust in him. I could you to come speak with me, but I grab that in your weekly that you got as you came in the card and just a hair want to talk to you about following Christ. I challenge you to do that this morning. What spray? Your father God I pray that you will help us to not just be a passive. Here's that be those who are abiding doers of your word. What is we think about our plans of the stay in the future in for a kids movie submit them before you humbly knowing that we are not can in control and how good that is because our vision and our inside your wisdom. Our strength is limited, but yours is not would help us to rejoice in the fact that we can rest our plans in your hands in your will and we can rest in you fully and that we might know that the pressure is off because Christ has redeemed us.
Lord help us during even this time as we look toward the Easter and we think and remember again as we should do everyday been in a special way the death in the resurrection of Christ. May we be those who can really rest in you and I do pray if there are any here have not trusted in Christ Lord God open their eyes and their hearts that they might have the gift of repentance and Faith this morning who pray in Jesus name. Amen.
this morning we respond to God's word and we respond. In Declaration of inde Dar need we were reminded that we we are sinners in need of a savior movie take of the Lord's Supper. We declare that truth.