Your plans are trash! (James 4:13-17)

Introduction

As we have been through James rember the theme… Faith in action

Submission to God’s will is an act that requires faith.

Have you ever been in a situation where you had no control over your circumstances.

there is an illistration here I would share with you if we were not on livestream....

James 4:13–17 KJV 1900

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.

I. (v13-14) your plans

James 4:13–14 KJV 1900

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.

I find it most intrsting that this is where we land at this point, back in Early march we had no clue we would have a global pandemic,

We all had plans that got cancelled or put on hold

High School and college students have no graduations

wedding are completly different

family reunions have been canceled

people are not able to be with loved ones in care facilities

the list goes on

To be able to say confedently

“Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” but we do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be!”

This is the deffenition of strong faith

The primary factor that leads to sin is pride, and what is pride?

Independence from God…This is the exact oppisite of sumission and fait

and this is exactly the essence of eves sin… and nearly all sin is rooted in this.

James uses the opening words “come now” to redirect…

redierect away from self and upon God

James understoond that life is hazerdous and uncertin and no day has aa guarentee upon it

but what we do know is God has complete and total control

The bottom line is we do not know the future!

our lives are like a vapor we have no idea what the future will hold, but there is one that does...

II. V 15- God’s plans

James 4:15 KJV 1900

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

This verse is where we get the expressin “Lord willing from”

the problum is we need to have true conviction in this area...

Are you trully convinced that your plans, and desires are up to the Lord

or

If he changes your plans and desires will you be frusterated or even angery with God

God is the one who controls our circumstances we have no control....just an illusion of control .

we have plans and hopes but only he controls the furture...

I don’t know about you but I like to be in control...

I like to make plans

I like to be orginized in theese plans

but we need to be ok if our plans get changed.

God tests us to show us we need him and he is in control

This whole pandemic has showed us this, we do not have control the only one that does is God

III. 16-17 Your response

James 4:16–17 KJV 1900

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.

James addresses the believers here telling them

you should...

understand that you can make plans but they can change

understand that God is in control not you

But...

you boast in arrogance

your boasting is evil

We can absolutly boast in God and bost in the word of God..

but when we boast in our ability to control our situation this boasting is evil and we are trying to play God

Personlly I think I will let God be God....

I am not verry good at it ...

He that knows what is right...

James 4:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

If you know what is right and you do not do that… you are in sin...

You have been sinning by your aregent beliefthat you like God can plan your future with the upmost confedince now you know what is right do not ignore it

sin is not just doing somthing that is wrong....

but it also is not doing somthing that you know to be right

one way we can apply this is in churches who do certin things because they are tridddition

when in fact there is a better way to make diciples which we are commanded to do!

Application

Have you placed your future in the hands of God?

do you focus on doing what is right