Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
We are right back.
Self Dependency fails to Recognize Life’s Frailty
Here is a truth that many of us try to ignore.
None us are guaranteed tomorrow.
Many people have convinced themselves they will themselves into tomorrow.
Yet, when death comes, we quickly realize that tomorrow is not certain.
There are two reasons why tomorrow uncertain.
We are not Omniscient
There is not a single person here this evening who can tell me what you will be doing at this time tomorrow.
You may have plans for what you think you will be doing.
And, it is quite possible you will succeed in your plans.
However, what we think we will be doing and what we actually will do is totally in God’s hands.
Consider this.
Tomorrow may bring...
an accident
disease
a broken relationship
bad news
good news
death
financial gain or loss
war
We just don’t know.
In fact, we have no idea what will happen in the next hour, day, week, or month.
That is our problem.
We tend forget or even ignore the fact we are not omniscient.
It is pride and arrogance on our part to even think we could know that will happen in the future.
It is utter foolishness.
Here is the second reason tomorrow is uncertain.
We are Finite Beings
Look again at verse 14.
Our life on earth is brief compared to eternity.
The Holy Spirit adequately compares our life to a vapor.
It is here and then, just like that, it is gone.
Every person born into this world soon realizes they will one day.
Life is fickle.
It is not just finite, but it can change in a moment.
Your life as you know it right could end in an instant.
All it takes is...
A tire blowing out
An oncoming car to cross into your lane
A physical emergency happen
We just never known when our time on earth is done.
In fact, none of us know how it will end.
Yet, with great certainty, we all know it will end one day.
It will end in death or with the sound of a trumpet, but it will end.
Life is uncertain.
Thus, any person, especially a believer, who attempts to life life without God is a fool.
Self Dependency Fails to Acknowledge God’s Will
As we noted in our last message from James 3:13, we often leave God out of our plan’s.
However, once again, the Holy Spirit reminds that, as believers, we are to live our lives according His will and not ours.
Do you remember how the Lord taught us to pray in Matthew 6?
It is often referred as the Lord’s Prayer.
It is, however, our Model Prayer given by the Lord.
There are six different parts to this prayer.
They are as follows.
Worship - verse 9
Witness - verse 10a
Will - verse 10b
Provision - verse 11
Pardon - verse 12
Protection - verse 13
As you see, one of the important things we are taught to pray is to allow God’s will be done on earth.
There is no mention of our will.
On the other hand, we see repeatedly in Scripture instruction to follow God’s will and nothing else.
This verse is a prayer to know God’s will.
I already know my own.
It must be aside.
I must know His will and follow Him.
In this verse, we see a Divine relationship between God the Father and those who do His will.
Christ, as we know, was the perfect example of doing the Father’s will.
By the way, in that last verse, the context was Christ in the garden of Gethsemane just before His death.
Who was there with Him? His disciples were there.
What were they doing?
They were doing their own will as the caught up on their sleep instead of watching and praying as instructed.
Here we find that living each day to do God’s will leads a person to greater spiritual knowledge.
Again, the focus of this verse is simply doing the will of God.
However, note that it is “doing the will of God from the heart” opposed to doing things for men’s approval.
These verses are only a handful of verses that direct us to put God’s will first in our lives.
We are to set aside our will for His.
Unfortunately, we often go about living life as we want and not as God desires.
Yet, for us as His followers, that is not the way life God wants us to live our lives.
He desires that we acknowledge Him and place our complete trust on Him depending on Him for all things.
Now, look again at our text.
There are two things we must depend for which we must depend upon God.
We must depend upon Him for life itself.
James 4:15 (KJV 1900)
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Our next breath depends totally upon Him whether we acknowledge it or not.
We just read how short life is compared to eternity.
We are frail.
Everyday and every moment we draw a breath of air must become a moment we remember and thank the Lord for the life He has given us.
However, it must be more than that.
It must be a reminder to us that His gracious gift of life is further opportunity to live for Him and not for ourselves.
Thus, everything we do in life should meet His approval.
Everything in life from our wealth, our protection, our security, our housing, our fulfillment, our joy, our welfare, and our provision is to meet His approval.
This is something that I realized as I am reading through the Old Testament Law.
God gave precise instruction about everything related to life for the Israelite.
In doing so, God was teaching them to live their lives according to His will.
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