The Redemption of Vanishing Mist
Notes
Transcript
Announcements
Announcements
Good Morning / Welcome to Bowman
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Evening Service: Movie Night
Final: Please Take a Few Moments to Greet One Another
Catechism
Catechism
QUESTION 4: WHAT IS THE WORD OF GOD? Answer: The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, being given by divine inspiration, are the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
Affirmation of Faith
Affirmation of Faith
HEIDELBERG 52
Q. How does Christ's return "to judge the living and the dead" comfort you?
A. In all distress and persecution, with uplifted head I confidently await the very judge who has already offered himself to the judgment of God in my place and removed the whole curse from me. Christ will cast all his enemies and mine into everlasting condemnation, but will take me and all his chosen ones to himself into the joy and glory of heaven.
Pastoral Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Message
Message
Our text today is from James chapter four, and we’ll be looking at verses thirteen through seventeen.
What we are about to hear is the spoken word of God to his people. The words were penned by a man, but the mind that controlled the pen was under the instruction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.
The relevance and importance of these words apply to us, today, just as much as they applied to the original readers.
This kind of power can only be supernatural, “for the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword.”
And we’ve already experienced this supernatural power, because it has occurred all morning.
And it will continue, now, with God speaking to his people.
Hear the word of the Lord for us, this new morning:
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.
Prayer
Prayer
Our Father and our God, we praise you and worship you this morning. As we continue to sit before you, we thank you that you have chosen to dwell with us. You have ushered us into your presence, where there is fullness of joy. As the old hymn says it, we “bring forth the royal diadem, and crown you Lord of all.” You are our Lord, and we ask that you would crack open our hearts and minds to hear your word. Please help us to understand what you say to us, today, and help us to respond in faith with action. We ask this in your Son’s name, Amen.
Sermon
Sermon
Introduction
Introduction
My sermon is titled, “The Redemption of Vanishing Mist,” because at the center of this text is a picture. The picture is of a mist that appears for a short time, and then vanishes. This metaphor of us as a vanishing mist is what’s called the focal point in art. Pastor Mike led men’s fellowship through a book on the parable of the prodigal son. The cover of the book was one of Rembrandt’s most popular works, which shows the prodigal son returning home; his clothes are ragged, his hair has fallen out, and he’s on his knees. The painting draws your eye straight to the prodigal son because the dry, bone-like colors of the prodigal son stand out against the darker background. Our eyes are drawn to this focal point, and when we see the son, we then see the Father who is embracing him.
This text is a lot like that painting. At the center of this text is a stark, bone-like statement about exactly who and what we are. Like the son in Rembrandt’s painting, we are not portrayed in glowing and glamorous terms—we are a vanishing mist.
10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
I’d say the psalmist is being generous with even seventy years. We know with painful realism that seventy years is not granted to everybody. And God does not provide us guarantees in this manner. He teaches us to trust and obey, and to leave those matters to his capable hands. After all, what can any of us do to change tomorrow? Can any of us truly change even the next second? No, we “are a mist, that appears for a short time and then vanishes.”
And, like mist, we are not as forceful and solid as we may think we are.
The morning dew that hangs over Bowman during the spring does not summon itself out of nowhere. That mist is fashioned by the many servants of God, who are all obeying his command.
By God’s will alone, the atmosphere is held together.
By God’s will alone, water rains from heaven.
By God’s will alone, that water is subject to evaporation, and returns upwards once more.
Do we see these countless servants of God, over which we have really zero control or influence, going about their tasks faithfully and consistently? Seeing them—those mindless, soulless creatures—hasten to obey God’s word should stop us in our tracks.
As the mist of spring is fashioned by God, so humanity is fashioned—yet, with greater purpose and in his very own image. The mist cannot disobey and dishonor God, yet we can. The sun rises in perfect obedience and cannot sin against God, yet we can. Though all creation groans to be remade and freed from the curse, the stars did not sin against God. We did.
We are the ones who, like sheep, can wander and go astray.
We are the ones who forget how very finite and creaturely we are.
We are the ones who can boast about tomorrow, as if we had any control over it.
This is the problem our text presents, that we take too much for granted. We can assume things about God, ourselves, and everything in between, that aren’t true. And when this happens, we begin to say things and make decisions in life that vanishing mist really has no business saying or doing.
And so we need grace and wisdom—we need redemption.
12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
What we will work through today is the reality check that we, mist clouds, require, and the glorious and far-better reality that is, because of Christ.
Exposition
Exposition
The text begins with a command for our attention: “Wake up, pay close attention. I’m talking to you,” James says.
James 4:13–14 (ESV)
13 … 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…
If there was any question as to who exactly is being spoken to, it is now answered. It’s addressed to everyone who says they will go and do things in the future. So, he’s talking about all of us. It’s impossible to go about life not talking about the future. Weeks ago, I told Mark that I would preach today. And only a few days ago, Matthew told me that he would do announcements this morning. Did either of us know for a fact that these things would actually happen? No, we didn’t. These are only two examples of countless others—every day we’re talking about what our intentions for tomorrow are. At each and every point, the most we are making are not guarantees, but educated guesses.
What’s the problem with this? We can’t live a life with no plans or goals.
The problem is not with the plan, but with the planner. Think again about the scenario that James gives: what is it’s goal, who’s running it, and why? Well, the goal is to do business for a year, it’s run by man, and its sole purpose is to make a profit. Again, I say, the problem is not with the plan but with the planner. With no reference to God, the person devises a plan to serve themselves. This is like being given a million-dollar grant to build a church, and then building a bookstore, instead. Is there anything wrong with bookstores? No. Was there anything wrong with deviating from the donor’s intention? Yes.
There is everything wrong with deviating from God’s intention for our lives. And every time we deviate from God’s intention, we are either forgetting or ignoring how very finite and creaturely we are.
James 4:14 (ESV)
14 … What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
This has always been our problem. We forget that we are like dust and mist, here one day and gone the next. How different would our lives be if we kept heaven’s perspective at all times? How would our conversations, relationships, free time, careers, investments, hopes, dreams, and fears, be different if we saw them for what they are? For what they are is as fleeting as the mist who experiences them. Our hopes and dreams can be even more fleeting than our own lives.
Given how fast our life goes by, does it not make the most sense to lean wholly and completely on God? To ask it another way, does it make any sense to go about our lives leaning on anything else? Can statistics and predictions give eternal life? Can the alluring promise of greener grass over there—in that new job, new church, or new stuff—make us truly happy? No, none of these can give eternal life or happiness, because all of them are as wisps of vapor in the air.
This is the reality check that we need. Any plan that is not made under and for God is a faulty plan. Any endeavor under the sun that we take for the City of Man, and not the City of God, is a futile endeavor. Because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Who does? God, and him alone. Now, any plan that flows from a confident faith in God, and is a plan that obeys him, is a plan that can never fail. Even if a plan appeared to fail on the outside; if the person went about their business in faith, trusting God with the outcome, did they actually fail, in an ultimate sense? This realization should thrill us, that, with God, we cannot really fail at life.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
This is where James leads us in understanding the fix for the planner’s problem. Any plan for the future ought to begin with, “If the Lord wills it.” Every believer should long for this to be instinctual to them. You and I should long for this to be our first thought with anything we do. “Lord, does this please you?” “Father, I want to do this in your name.” “Jesus, would you give me the strength to get this done?” “If the Lord wills it, we will do it.”
We need to review this example like we did the last one. We notice that this example is shorter, and that is likely just to keep the pace of the letter going. However, the more we understand how not-in-control of the world we are, the less likely we will be to make foolish plans. The more we come to trust the leading of the Good Shepherd, the simpler and wiser our plans become. “If the Lord wills it, we will move to such and such a town and start a business.” “If the Lord wills it, we will establish that business, and seek to serve our community—being salt and light. And, Lord willing, that service will cause unbelievers to take notice, and give thanks to our Father who is heaven.”
I ask, which approach brings more peace of mind, more confidence, and more honor to the Lord?
Before we move on to the last two verses, I would be failing if I did not draw your attention to three, certain words. Look at verse 15 again,
James 4:15 (ESV)
15 … “If the Lord wills, [we will live] and do this or that.”
If the Lord wills it, “we will live.” I just have stop here. This very moment, the Lord is willing that we would continue living. It is the kind intention of our God that our hearts continue pumping, and our lungs continue contracting. It is the will of the Lord to continue regulating the physical laws of the universe so that the sound waves from my voice can reach your ear drum. Do we think any of these things are automatic? Are they simply things that just are? God forbid we ever assume these things as a given.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Praise God—praise God that he cares for such thin clouds of mist, like you and I!
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.
When we see the goodness of God in caring for us, we will understand what James means when he explains that we are evil boasters. If someone were to protest at being called this, I humbly suggest that they answer only one question: “what were you intending to do with your life before you were saved?” If anyone is in Christ, then they are aware of what their intentions were before he saved them. This room is filled with glorious testimonies of people whose plans were redeemed from death unto life. The only answer to that question is to waste it. It doesn’t matter what it looked like on the outside; if Christ was not the treasure and end-goal of your life, then it was being wasted.
Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles Chapter 4
But James roused the stupidity of those who disregarded God’s providence, and claimed for themselves a whole year, though they had not a single moment in their own power; the gain which was afar off they promised to themselves, though they had no possession of that which was before their feet.
To be given life and breath by a holy God, and then spend them on our own passions is a deep arrogance.
For God to bless us with comfort, wealth, and talents, only to be gambled away in the City of Man is the deepest of arrogances.
For the unbeliever, this is only ever what the goal of their life is. The unsaved are like skeletons lying on the bottom of the ocean. There is no light, no warmth, and no hope. A skeleton doesn’t know it’s dead, and so cannot know to even attempt swimming anywhere. There is no natural course other than to slowly decay, being dissolved and crushed by the weight of the water of hell for eternity.
That is, until the light of heaven shines down on them. When the gospel is preached, and the gift of faith is sown into their hearts, their spiritual skeleton takes on a new body, and is brought rushing to the surface. They are a new creation, and have been saved from the pit by the grace of our good God. Their plans are completely, utterly, and irreversibly changed for eternity. This is something worth boasting about.
14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
And this is also something worth planning the rest of our lives for — because that is a plan that can be guaranteed.
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Our life was never truly ours, but loaned to us by Almighty God. Before the Fall, when our first parents walked with God unstained by sin, each moment of every plan was yielded to God in complete submission. We can do nothing to save ourselves, or get into heaven. But those who follow Jesus, who has done all that is needed to be saved, will find a life better than anything else. See, “losing” this life, as Jesus described it, is about giving every ounce of it back to him. Every meal, every dollar, and every breath are to be “lost” to our desires and preferences, and "found” in giving them back to the Savior.
We sing these words from time to time,
“With every breath, I long to follow Jesus
For he has said that he will bring me home
And day by day I know he will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne”
If someone were to ask me what my life plan is—what I want to do with my life—this is what I should say! And I pray the Lord helps us to make this our life’s mission, to “long to follow Jesus.”
In a moment of raw introspection, if we were to examine ourselves, what kingdom would we see being pursued in our motivations and plans?
If all the stuff and movement and passions of our life were a painting, what is the focal point?
It needs to be the kingdom of God and his righteousness, only then will the rest follow. For a mist that vanishes after a short time, there is no thing more important than to seek the kingdom of God. This must be the focal point of our life. When people look at our life, we should expect that their eyes will not be drawn to us and our capabilities and our ambitions, but to the person we are longing to follow.
When outsiders listen to even our speech, they should detect that our first and only commitment is to obeying the Lord’s will. “If the Lords wills, we will live and do this or that.” More importantly, in our heart of hearts, we must mean it when we say it. Remember the skeleton: if Jesus was sufficient to raise you from the dead and seat you in the heavenly places, is he not also sufficient to guide and protect you as king and shepherd? If so, and he most certainly is, then we know the only reasonable and proper thing for our souls is to yield every ounce of our life to his will.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The last verse of our text,
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
This line is referring to everything we’ve covered while going through James—from the first verses of chapter one to the text today. This letter is concerned with Christians doing their duty before Christ, and to take kingdom of Christ seriously. See, unbelievers and believers share something in common. They both possess an innate knowledge of God, that he exists, and that he created us. Not only this, but that, as Romans 1 explains, we should honor him as God and give thanks. What does honoring God look like other than submitting and yielding our life to his will? In this sense, everyone knows the right thing to do. Everyone knows the law of God, because it is written on our hearts and we are made in his image. But all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. For the person who rejects Jesus, their sin condemns them and gives them exactly what they wanted—their way, not God’s. Unless they are saved, they will never do the right thing—up to the moment of their death, and then for eternity.
But for those of us who have clung to Christ and still inhabit these old world bodies, we aren’t out of the woods yet. Danger and temptation still stalks our soul like a hungry lion. Everyday, we face temptations to sin—by commission (doing) and omission (not doing). To steal someone’s money is as much of a sin as it is to hold onto it in greed. Likewise, to live a Christian-istic life centered on our terms and passions, instead of God’s, is as repugnant to him as the pagan-down-the-road’s.
God is a jealous God, and he demands that he be the fountain-head for every desire and plan in your life. He demands this, and warns us that we sin against him when we exchange the Lord of glory for something else.
15 Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 On account of this, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
So, what possible hope is there for us, vanishing mists? How can we redeem the time, and understand what the will of the Lord is?
Bowman, you should know the next few words: “Look to Jesus.”
We aren’t sufficient for this, that’s the whole point. Do not take one step out of this building without grasping that you cannot create or add anything to your life that God has not already given.
If you are frustrated with the course of your life, and are dissatisfied with your circumstances, I say to you, “Look to Jesus, whose course on earth was nothing but service and whose last breath was given making your salvation possible.”
If you are being crushed by your sins, I say, “Look to Jesus, who crushed the serpent’s head and cancelled all your guilt.”
If you are considering a massive change in your life, whatever that may be, ask yourself, “Have I been talking with the Lord about this, fully and completely?”
And finally, when we do speak with him about our plans for the future, are our requests centered around what we will get or how he might be glorified?
And if these things sting, or begin to cramp us and make us uncomfortable, here are those words, “Look to Jesus.”
When we look to Jesus, and see what he did on the cross and what he’s now doing on his throne, we will know what the will of the Lord is. We will know how to redeem the time that we have on earth. And as we are carried along by the providence of God, others will be able to gaze at the painting of your life, and its focal point will be obvious.
Jesus paid it all on the cross, crushed the serpent’s head, and now rules all the heavens and the earth from his throne. Whatever plans we make in life are to be pointed that direction—towards Jesus and his kingdom. This is the focal paint of the painting. This is a life that is spent well; and this is the redemption of the vanishing mist.
Benediction
Benediction
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you, have a great Lord’s Day.”