This Life is a Mist

James - This Life is a Mist

We are going to be finishing up our series called, “James - A Faith That Works”.

Today we are going to read the last few verses of James 4 which means we won’t jump into chapter 5 in this series.

The part in chapter 5 that I would focus on actually goes right along with my next series which is on prayer.

My next series that I will be starting next week is based on a new book by Craig Groeschel called, “Dangerous Prayers”.

We are going to spend 3 to 4 weeks talking about some very dangerous prayers that we should all be praying!

But this morning we are going to be reading from James 4:13-17.

James 4:13-17 NIV “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

So James is talking to business people.

Many think that he is talking to wealthy business people

And what James is doing is calling them out on their arrogance.

You might say, how is what they are doing arrogant?

I mean this was how business was done back then.

Many times you would travel to different cities, stay there for a year and make good money and then travel to the next town.

So how was this arrogant or prideful?

Because he says your attitude should be, “if it’s the Lord’s will”.

These men have the attitude of I don’t need God in my plans.

I’m doing so well I’m going to just keep doing business as usual because it’s working and basically I don’t need God’s help.

But the verse that really stands out to me is verse 14.

James 4:14 “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Some of your versions might say your life is a “vapor”.

And when I read that it reminds me of how short life is.

I mean we think that if we live to be 80 or 90 years old we lived a LONG time.

But the reason why James says this life is a mist is because compared to eternity it’s nothing.

So I have a water bottle here just to show you what a mist looks like.

Look how quickly this mist disappears.

This mist compared to living 80 years on earth is still NOTHING compared to our time on earth and eternity.

And what James is saying is that this life is too short to try to live life YOUR way!

The ONLY way to live is by following the will of God in your life.

Because this is the KEY!

The way you live your life during this mist, determines HOW you spend eternity.

But the problem is we don’t live with an eternal perspective.

We are just consumed with the here and now.

What’s going to make me happy now?

What can fulfill me now?

Instead of saying, what do I need to do to make sure I am walking in the will of God for my life?

What decisions do I need to make that will keep me on that path that leads to everlasting life with Jesus and will also impact the eternity of other people?

Because again it’s not just about WHERE I spend eternity but HOW!

Because the truth of the matter is even as a believer you will stand before God and be judged.

Many Christians think that because I’m saved I don’t have to stand before God judge, but that’s not the case.

2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what we have done whether good or bad”

Now I’ll have to save the details of what that looks for a different sermon but the fact is even as a believer, WHAT you do on this earth determines HOW you spend eternity in heaven.

There are rewards for us in heaven.

And the rewards range from ruling and reigning with Christ to having everything we’ve done burned up and we are saved as through fire.

So James is saying how you live here on earth not only determines the destination of where we will spend eternity but also how.

Think about if I were to say that how you live your life the next 24 hours will determine how you spend the next 1,000 years here on earth.

What kind of house you live in, the car you drive, how much money you make.

How many of you know you would live the next 24 hours with purpose because you would want to make sure those next 1,000 years were the best they could be.

Yet that’s NOTHING compared to eternity.

James is pleading with us to live our lives with purpose!

With an eternal mindset.

And that purpose is to fulfill God’s will in your life.

People might say, well that sounds like a works theology.

Like I have to work and do things for God to love me and give me rewards.

Think about a parent

There is nothing my kids can do to make me love them more than I do.

There is nothing my kids can do to make me love them less.

However, THEY have the power to determine how PLEASED I am with them.

And as a parent I reward my kids for doing certain things.

Like we do a sticker chart with my kids.

If they do their chores or something extra that we ask them to do, they can put a sticker on their chart

When they get a certain amount of stickers they get a prize or a couple bucks.

I’m rooting for my kids to get stickers because I love to give them rewards.

It pleases me!

But if they ignore it and don’t do anything, I still love them, but I’m probably not to pleased with them.

It’s the same with God

You can’t do anything to make God love you more or less.

But you can control how pleased He is with you.

Look back in 2 Corinthians 5 at what Paul said before verse 10

2 Corinthians 5:8-9 “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

First off Paul is talking about believers here.

Because where it says, to be absent from the body and be present with the Lord, is something only believers will experience.

If you are not a believer we know that you are eternally separated from God.

So he’s talking about believers.

And then he says, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

He says not just pleasing but WELL pleasing!

Why do we AIM to be well pleasing?

Go back to the next verse that we read a little bit ago.

2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what we have done whether good or bad”

How you live as a believer matters for eternity.

James isn’t the only one who talks about this.

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

Does that not sound familiar to James.

He says be careful how you live your life.

Make sure you are living wise.

Which we talked about, the wisdom we live by is the wisdom that comes from God.

Then he says, “making the most of every opportunity,”

Take advantage of the opportunities we have to reach people for the Lord.

Don’t waste this life!!

BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL!!

How many of you have seen some of the evil in these days going on right now??

We are witnessing one evil act after another.

From the killing of innocent unborn babies

To the murder of a man at the hands of another man sworn to protect the people.

To the destruction of people's livelihoods and businesses from looters and rioters.

It’s all evil!

And as believers we are called to bring the LIGHT of Jesus into our worlds.

We are the ones who should always stand up against sin and wrongdoing.

I know right now with everything going on we all have thoughts and opinions on the matter.

People may be wondering where we stand on this issue

Or what should our response be.

And to be honest I don’t have all the answers to that.

But what I do know is this…

Racism is WRONG

Police Brutality is WRONG

Hate is WRONG

Looting and destroying other people’s property is WRONG

And we as Christians must stand for what is RIGHT

Stand up against injustice

Bring LOVE where there is HATE

And ultimately just love PEOPLE!

Because the Bible says that every human on this planet is made in the image of God and I honor that!

We may be of different color but we are one race!

The HUMAN RACE!

And we are to LOVE EVERYONE!

We need to stop showing prejudice to certain people groups because of the mistakes of a few.

I get angry when I hear stories of black people getting mistreated and looked down on because someone thinks they're a criminal because they're black.

NOT ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE CRIMINALS!

But I also get angry when I hear people talk about how corrupt and terrible police are because of the actions of a few bad cops!

NOT ALL POLICE ARE BAD!

Story of Black Pastor in GR

If this whole country could just turn their eyes to God and see people the way that God sees them, we wouldn’t have a lot of these problems.

Jesus said that the greatest command is to LOVE GOD, and LOVE PEOPLE!

I’m not seeing a lot of love right now.

James and Paul are telling us that life is too short to just sit back and do nothing with our lives or to waste it showing hate towards others.

Live your life to the fullest for the kingdom of God.

Make sure you are living a life that is impacting the people around you in a Godly way.

MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY

Make the most of your opportunity with your kids.

How are you raising them up?

Are you showing them what it looks like to live a Godly life.

Are you encouraging them and challenging them to keep their eyes on Jesus.

Because you only have a certain time to do that before they’re out of the house and taking the lessons you taught them with them.

Are you making the most of your opportunities at your job?

To show your co-workers what a follower of Christ really looks like.

Are you bold in your faith and making an effort to reach them for Jesus because you so desperately want to see them in heaven with you?

Church we only have ONE life to live.

And what we do in this ONE life determines our eternity.

Take advantage of the time you have.

Because like James said, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

We’re not guaranteed tomorrow.

So make the most of your life now.

Don’t wait!

Don’t think that when I’m older I’ll get my life right.

When I get married and start a family, then I’ll do what God wants me to do.

TAKE ADVANTAGE NOW!

Altar call