WHAT'S THE PLAN!?
Notes
Transcript
Five minute Timer- Rocks?
Intro: When plans go wrong
Saturday plans for Selah
What’s the Plan Phil?!
jumping on the hood of a car rolling backwards down a hill
A pastor and his wife met with a young married couple who were planning their future.
They had considered many details.
They had decided when to finish school and when to change jobs.
They planned the year and month to have their first child.
Afterwards, the pastor and his wife laughed to themselves about the conversation.
They knew the value of planning.
They also knew that life interrupts our plans.
So we need to plan with the right attitudes toward God.
Today, we are looking at attitudes that enable us to live in a right relationship with God.
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Attitude that reflects right relationship with God
A. Be humble: Plan ahead, but depend on God for every step
A. Be humble: Plan ahead, but depend on God for every step
James rebukes the proud.
He warns those who say,
"I can plan my future without God's help."
Planning is wise.
As we look at Creation, we are thankful for all the planning God did.
He planned for the sun to light the day,
and the moon and stars to light the night.
He planned for all the parts of the human body to be in the right place and to work together.
In every direction, we see how God planned.
Wise believers are like God- they plan ahead.
They do not worry about tomorrow
But they plan for it, depending on God.
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’
“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Part of Tomorrows reading
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you,
nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you;
not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
Wise believers are like God- they plan ahead.
They do not worry about tomorrow
But they plan for it, depending on God.
In contrast, when the foolish plan,
they do not invite God to the meeting.
Our passage today ridicules those with too much self confidence.
the author laughs at those who plan a year ahead, without trusting in God.
James says, "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes"
"Your life is a puff of smoke" (James 4:14, Phillips Version).
As the Psalmist said,
Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.
Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.
“And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’
“So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
James closes this paragraph with something like:
"Now you know the truth, go do it!"
"Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins"
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
James mentions two types of sin in his letter so far:
Sins of commission
Errors we commit,
such as blaming God for temptations,
boasting,
cursing,
lusting,
quarreling,
slandering,
and grumbling).
Sins of omission
Good deeds we omit,
such as neglecting the orphans and widows,
or planning without depending on God
KNOWING AND DOING MUST BE MARRIED
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
The book of James emphasizes faith and action.
What we know is that good, biblical faith requires us to practice good deeds.
But Good deeds themselves are not the path to God, nor can they save us,
Good deeds are a reflection of a relationship with God
You can always pick out the band kids in high school. They walk different.
So let us live the humility that the Bible teaches.
Life is short and uncertain.
The wise plan with a calendar and a Bible side by side.
Second Attitude that reflects a right relationship with God: love for others
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.
Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
Second Attitude that reflects a right relationship with God: love for others
B. Be righteous: Love your neighbor as yourself
B. Be righteous: Love your neighbor as yourself
We are looking at attitudes that enable us to live in a right relationship with God.
The first attitude was:
Be humble-plan ahead, but depend on God for every step.
The second attitude is about honesty.
The root of honesty is love.
Either love for God
or a love for others
Note that the same words (Come Now) "Now listen" introduce two paragraphs in James (James 4:13-17; 5:1-6).
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
Both paragraphs are about businessmen.
The businessmen of both paragraphs wanted profit.
But James is friendlier to the businessmen in James 4:13- 17.
who make plans without God
He has hope for these merchants.
He encourages them to practice doing the right thing.
They seem to be sincere believers who need a reminder.
In contrast, the rich businessmen of James 5:1-6 are unbelievers.
James shows no hope of deliverance for these
rich,
corrupt,
selfish,
stingy land owners.'
Being rich is not wrong.
The Bible commends many rich people of the old covenant,
such as Job,
Abraham,
and King David.
And examples of righteous rich people of the New Testament include
Nicodemus,
Joseph of Arimathea,
Philemon,
and probably Phoebe (Rom. 16:1).
But James 5:1-6 warns rich believers about four sins:
1. First sin: They "hoarded wealth in the last days"
1. First sin: They "hoarded wealth in the last days"
Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
These greedy rich people had more than they needed.
Yet they refused to share with the poor.
Instead, they squeezed their riches in a tight fist, and cried:
"Mine, mine, mine."
Paul commands the rich not to be proud,
and not to trust in wealth,
which is uncertain.
They should put their hope in God,
do good deeds,
and be generous-willing to share.
In this way, they would be laying up treasure in heaven and embracing eternal life (1 Tim. 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
In contrast, James looks ahead and sees the wasted wealth of the rich.
On Judgment Day, James sees corroded bags of gold and silver, and costly clothes eaten by moths.
This greed was even more foolish because it was "in the last days"!
Imagine such foolishness in the final hour,
just before the Judge comes.
If you knew a bomb was going to take down your house in five minutes, what would you grab.
Most people prioritize the things that cannot be replaced:
Pets,
family photos (before faceboook),
maybe important documents
Fools grab things that really don’t matter
The blender
your pillow
Lamp
James warns that the corrosion of the silver and gold will testify against the rich,
and eat their flesh "like fire."
What a waste of resources that could have made many friends and blessed many people.
These selfish rich people remind us of the rich fool in the parable of Jesus.
He died with his barns full,
planning to build bigger barns.
He suddenly went into eternity to face a God who was angry with him
(Luke 12:15-21 Blessed are the rich who share with those in need. But woe unto those who hoard their wealth.
Luke 12:15–16(NASB95)
Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.
It is possible to be poor in this world,
yet rich in the next world (James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
It is also possible to be rich in this world, but poor in the next
(1 Tim. 6:17
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
As we are generous with others, God meets our needs and theirs (2 Cor. 9:6-11
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
as it is written,
“He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever.”
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
Hatty Green was one of the greatest misers.
When she died in 1916, she left a fortune of over $100 million.
But she was so stingy that she ate her food cold to avoid the cost of heating the water.
She did not use her money to help other people or even meet her own needs.
Instead, she hoarded it.
If we have a relationship with the Creator,
then the things that pass away should have no hold
because we have connections
It’s not what you know, or what you have
It’s Who you know, and what He has
2. Second sin: They cheated those who worked for them
2. Second sin: They cheated those who worked for them
(James 5:4
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
The rich were cheating many of the believers to whom James wrote.
It is easy for powerful rich people to cheat the poor.
In some nations, corrupt rich employers require poor workers to sign false statements.
These rich people pay half of the wages workers worked,
but force him to sign a statement that he has received full wages.
Other rich bosses recruit poor workers,
and then do not pay them at all.
The poor cannot prove they were cheated,
and they have no lawyer to defend them.
But we can be sure there is a righteous Judge,
the Lord Almighty,
who hears and records the cries of cheated harvesters.
And no one will bribe the Heavenly Judge.
Justice may not come in this life,
but it will come when Jesus returns.
Blessed are those who are honest and pay their debts.
Woe unto those who cheat others.
3. Third sin: They spent too much on themselves
3. Third sin: They spent too much on themselves
James 5:5
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
They flew too high.
They were like Solomon who said,
All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.
James compares them to a calf that fattened itself for slaughter.
Even when money is plentiful, there are limits on what we should spend on ourselves.
The rich can live in a big house without living in a castle.
They can eat well, without eating like royalty.
They can wear nice clothes, without dressing like kings and As
Paul says,
"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (Phil. 4:5
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
If you acquired a large sum of money, what would you do with it?
what should you do with it?
"Blessed are those who love their neighbors as they love themselves. Woe unto those who feed every desire of the flesh."
God's will is that those who gather much do not keep too much,
so that those who gather little do not have too little
(2 Cor. 8:15
as it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
Paul cites this principle,
referring to the manna the children of Israel gathered
(Exod. 16:18
When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat.
When those who gather much share,
then the weak, the old, and the poor do not suffer.
4. Fourth sin: They condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing them
4. Fourth sin: They condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing them
(James 5:6
You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
James 5:6 reflects the hate that some rich people had for Christians.
It reminds us of Saul of Tarsus, before he met Jesus.
He hated followers of Christ,
breathing murder against both men and women who loved the Savior (Acts 9:1
Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
He put some in prison,
forced others to blaspheme,
and approved the stoning of just men such as Stephen
As Satan hated Jesus, he hates followers of Jesus.
And as believers reflect the love of God,
unbelievers reflect the hate of Satan.
These rich people were like Cain,
who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him?
Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous"
For some,
hoarding riches,
stealing from the poor,
and living in luxury is not enough.
No matter how much they have,
steal,
or spend,
they feel troubled by the presence of righteous people.
So great is their hate
that they must murder those who shine on their darkness and evil.
1 John 3:13
Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.
None of the apostles were rich,
but history records that they were all martyred.
Today, unbelievers murder about 160,000 believers each year for their faith in Christ.
There is a new Christian martyr about every five minutes.
Since the time Cain killed Abel,
the unrighteous have hated and murdered the righteous.
