The Book of James Chapter 4:13-17
James 4: [13] Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and
continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: [14] Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is
your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little
time, and then vanisheth away. [15] For that ye ought to say, If the
Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. [16] But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is
evil. [17] Therefore to him that
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is
sin.
We make plans everyday and many times we should.
We plan retirement, vacation, wedding or other activities
Paul planned a mission trip to Spain and would stop in
Rome on the way
Rom 15:24 Whensoever I take
my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my
journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat
filled with your company
God makes plans and when God makes a plan it will come to
pass
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to
give you an expected end.
He who fails to plan, plans to fail!
The
Bible encourages good planning Prov
20:18 Every purpose is established by counsel:
Prov
27:12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth
himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
We need to be wise in the way we plan, we need to
try to foresee things and plan accordingly
Yet there is a kind of planning that is a sin and is
condemned in the scripture
The plans that dishonor the
LORD, nor do they take the LORD into account
1) An Attitude Not to Take Vs 13,14a
A. Self Sufficiency
A
business man had made astute plans, he knew where he was going & and how to
get there
This man thinks he doesn’t need God. He has an arrogant
attitude
“Go to
now”- means now look here!
Implies disapproval and conveys urgency
He
planned on a period -Today or tomorrow (his management schedule)
He planned a place -Such
a city (his maps spread)
He planned a procedure -Buy
& Sell (his
market-share)
He planned a profit -Get
Gain (his motive
stated)- to get rich
Prov 23:4 labor
not to be rich
Dt 8:18 It is he that giveth thee power to get wealth
Vs 16
But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such
boasting is evil
Lk 12:16-21
[16] And he spake
a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth
plentifully:
[17] And he thought within himself,
saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
[18] And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build
greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
[19] And I will say to my soul,
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years;
take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
[20] But God said unto him, Thou
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those
things be, which thou hast provided?
[21] So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
The following poem is a theological mess.
Time
Poem- Invictus by an atheist William
Henley
Out
of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
What
wrong thinking.
From graduation to the grave, today’s kids think they have
it all mapped out
But
don’t leave God out of your plans.
2) An Assumption Not to Make
A. Failure to Comprehend the
Complexities of Life vs14a
Things are not always simple
Most of my plans did not happen,
in fact many times just the opposite happened
Look and your life did not turn out like you planned
(your kids, business, success)
Many get angry and bitter toward God. They are churning
at heart in resentment
*1967 Senate Subcommittee testified on their study about
time in the future
They thought gadgetry would be so advanced by 1985 men
would work 22 hrs a week and retire at 38
B. Failure to
Comprehend the Uncertainties of Life vs14a
We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We cant
predict the next day
Prov 27:1 Boast not thyself of
tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring
forth
Who predicted 9-11? The Tsunami?
Hurricane Katrina?
* My friends wife died of a
heart attack at 35 yrs of age sitting at her desk
C. Failure to Comprehend the Brevity of
Life vs 14b
Life is a vapor. It is here and gone. Time is swiftly
passing and is like a shadow
Like a breath on a frosty morning
Running the steamer on my suit. I saw the vapor and then it disappeared
David
said 1 Sam 20:3 there is but a step
between me and death.
“My
heart beats like a drum marching to the grave”
Every
year millions die by disease, disaster, or decay
When
as a child, I laughed and wept,
Time
crept
When
as a youth, I dreamt and talked,
Time
walked.
When
I became a full-grown man,
Time
ran
When
older still I daily grew,
Time
flew
Soon
I shall find on travelling on-
Time gone.
O
Christ, wilt Thou have saved me then?
Amen.
Job
said Job 7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, 7 O remember that my life is wind:
David
said Ps 102:3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
4 My heart is
smitten, and withered like grass
Death is no respecter of persons, or time. Death could
come at any time
We are not guaranteed tomorrow or further today
Don’t
wait to tell folks you love them, hug your wife and love on your family
3) Acknowledgement Not to Forsake Vs 15
Ye ought to say If
the LORD will, we shall live, and do this, or that
We must submit to the sovereignty of God in our life
Many old world Christian writings end with D.V. Deo Volente – “Lord Willing”
Matt
10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your
Father. 30 But
the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear
ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
There
is an average of 147,000 hairs on the head
Birds
of the air and hairs from the head cannot fall without God acknowledging it
God
is completely sovereign in every detail of our life
There
is nothing left to chance, no such thing as luck
There
are no accidents only acts of providence
Isaiah
wrote of the coming invasion of Assyria, please note the detail to which God is
in control
Is
5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none
shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor
the latchet of their shoes be broken:
You
think your future is in the hands of someone whose decision determines your
success or failure
Prov
21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as
the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he
will.
We are not at the mercy of man BUT we
are at the mercy of God
At
17, George Washington was going to join the British Royal Navy and his mom said
ok.
With
his things onboard the frigate, there came a rider who told him he could not go
His
mother would not sign the consent form
George
Washington could have fought for the British instead of leading the American
Army
BUT
GOD!!! God moved on his mothers heart
Ex 34:23,24 Thrice in
the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of
Israel. 24 For I will cast out the nations before thee,
and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the
year.
Three
days all the men should assemble before the LORD leaving the nation vulnerable
BUT
GOD is watching and it is GOD that keeps us safe!
Prov
21:31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle:
but safety is of the LORD.
4) An Application Not to Mistake Vs 17
Vs 17 Therefore to him that knoweth
to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
We
should make plans, but make them in humility
We
should not be fatalistic – we are responsible to plan & do the right thing
BUT plan in humility
1 Chr 17:1-4 David wanted to build the house of the LORD,
but God would not let him do so.
1 Chr 19:13 let the LORD do that which is good in his
sight