Confident Distruction

James 4:13–5:6 ESV

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. 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Main Idea - Don’t boast in things like making money, because it will consume and destroy you.

Transformational Intent -

Bottom Line -

Big Question - Is it bad to have money?

Read Text

James 4:13-5:6

Introduction

Why aren’t we nudists?

Why do we feel weird being naked?

Why did adam and eve?

Genesis 3:10 ESV

10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Being naked means we are vulnerable

when you are naked you exposed to the elements

Only be naked in front of a few people

doctors

parents

spouse

Tension

Big Question - Is it wrong to be wealthy?

Can you have wealth and be obedient to God’s plan?

Mark 10:25 ESV

25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Truth

Two sections

Last part of chapter 4

chapter 5

4 - Christian merchants

to correct

5 - non christian rich

To condemn and help christians see what ultimately happens to them so we wouldn’t want the things they have.

Vs 13 -

James is correcting Christian merchants

Who would that be today?

Today = Christian - Middle class

Is James saying that we cannot make a prophet? or strategically plan?

Luke 14:28–30 ESV

28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

So what is he correcting?

Look at verse 16

Vs 16 -

English Standard Version Chapter 4

16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

What is a boast?

A boast is what you find confidence in.

All of us have stuff in our lives that we ...

The problem isn’t making money or planning.

Problem is saying I’m good because I can make money.

Vs 14 -

Read the text!

English Standard Version Chapter 4

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.

God is sovereign you aren’t.

God is eternal you aren’t.

Your ability to do anything will not change the history when anything is said and done!

Vs 15 -

Instead of finding confidence in our plans we need to find confidence in God’s plans.

Vs 1 - 6

James 5:1–6 ESV

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

What is the picture James paints of the person who boasts in wealth?

before we move on to our next point I want you to watch this video

Video

In case you missed it this guy has a dissolving bathing suit

Video

Bottom Line

Confidence in the world is like confidence in a dissolving swim suit

Confidence - Naked and looking stupid.

Don’t boast in things like making money, because it will consume and destroy you.

In the end you will be caught naked

What this gets down to is how we see the world.

finite - scarcity - taking care of myself?

abundance - generosity - loving my neighbor as my self?

Video [Bible Project]

BIG question - Is it wrong to be wealthy?

No - Party

Confidence in the world is like confidence in a dissolving swim suit

If we find confidence in money we are temporarily clothing ourselves.

Money will give us a pseudo security to lul us into our own destruction

Why live generously?

Because of the Gospel!

Christ became poor for us to make us rich in Him.

Jesus goes to the cross naked so that he could clothe us

Luke 12:32–34 ESV

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.