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Introduction
Well tonight, we dive right back into our study of James.
Remember that this entire book deals with us as believers.
It is teaching us to live out our faith.
One of the key verses is found in chapter 2 and verses 17 and 18.
Recently, I have focused in my own life my responsibility of obedience.
Our job is to obey and let God do the rest.
It is the focus of this entire book.
Live out your faith by complete obedience and God will do the rest.
A fact noted in every chapter of this wonderful book.
I just read the verses from James 2.
Listen to the words of James 3.
Now, in James 4, the Holy Spirit taught us about the source of our disobedience.
He then gave us instruction on how to live obediently.
By the way, obedience comes through submission.
Thus, we are to live out our faith SUBMISSIVELY.
The Holy Spirit follows this by showing us example of how to live out our faith submissively and publically in our dealing with others and the Lord.
Last week, we were in verses 11 and 12.
We live out faith by not slandering fellow believers.
The command was straightforward.
The Holy Spirit directed us to “Speak not evil one of another.”
Thus, any time we slander or even judge fellow believers we sin.
Sin is any disobedience to God’s commands, instructions, and directives.
Slandering and/or judging fellow believers places us in a dangerous place.
There is only one Lawgiver.
The Lawgiver is God Himself and He did not abdicate this authority to any other person outside the Godhead.
To slander and judge fellow believers assumes His sole position as the great Lawgiver and Judge of men.
Now, in our text tonight, the Holy Spirit moves into another significant topic for us as believers.
It is the topic of self-dependency.
Look at our text.
Here is short side note.
We may not get through each of these verses this evening.
I plan to work through each one individually so that means we may not finish.
That is okay though!
We will pick up where we left off when we come back together.
Now as we get into our text this evening we are going to find underlying theme.
That theme is self-sufficiency or self-dependency.
Here in American culture the idea of self-sufficiency is promoted greatly.
It is, as they say, the American way.
Yet, in God’s eyes, it is a terrible sin.
We will learn more about that as we get to verse 17.
What is wrong with being self-sufficient or dependent?
First of all, consider what Scripture says about us as men and women.
I read all those verses for one simple reason.
We know it is true.
There is not a person sitting here tonight that if they are completely honest with themselves not these verses are true.
We are frail, corrupted, and sinful from our mother’s wombs.
Even you consider our physical makeup, we have to admit our limitations.
All of us are subject to disease (COVID confirmed that), accidents, heart issues, and, eventually, death at any moment.
However, the amazing thing is that despite these many moral and physical shortcomings we do our best to ignore God and live each day as if we are in control.
It is the very essence of humanism.
The humanist teaches that men are in control of their lives determining their own destiny.
However, when you truly open your heart to the teachings of Scripture, you will find that such a boast is utter foolishness.
We are here because God deemed us here.
He created us.
Additionally, when you consider the magnitude of Who God is, you learn quickly just how frail we are and just how short a life we live on earth.
We are nothing in the light of a God Who is Omniscient (all-knowing) and Omnipotent (all-powerful).
For the true believer, self-sufficiency or dependency is completely unreasonable and totally illogical.
Unfortunately, many believers chose to live their life by depending upon themselves.
Why is that?
What is root problem here?
Remember James 4:1
For this reason, we are often tempted to live depending ourselves instead of God.
This temptation then is the heart of our text.
Note verse 13 and the first principle for this evening.
Self Dependency leaves God Out of the Picture
By examining that verse, can anyone tell me which word is the subject of this verse?
The subject is the personal plural pronoun “we.”
You could read this verse this way.
James 4:13 (KJV 1900)
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and (we will) continue there a year, and (we will) buy and sell, and (we will) get gain:
Another way is this.
James 4:13 (KJV 1900)
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow I [we] will go into such a city, and [I will] continue there a year, and [I will] buy and sell, and [I will] get gain:
No matter how you read it or look at it, who is at the center of all the activity?
It is us, you, or me.
Who is missing?
Is not God missing from the picture?
In other words, what we see here is a believer who is making all kinds of plans as he/she depends upon themselves leaving God out of the picture.
Let me state that there is absolutely nothing wrong with making plans.
In fact, our God is very much a planner.
He planned everything from creation to eternity future.
We are studying 1 Corinthians on Sunday mornings and throughout our entire study we have found God’s plans for the local church.
We are made in God’s image.
He expects us to plan and prepare for the future.
In fact, every person is encouraged to plan and prepare for eternity now and not to wait.
Thus, we are to be diligent taking time to plan.
One of our biggest problems is our lack of planning.
You know the saying that says, “Having no plan is a plan to fail.”
Nothing is more true in relation to living our lives for Christ each day.
How many times do we not plan to live for Him each day?
It isn’t that we don’t want to live for Him, we just do not take the time to plan to live for Him.
What often happens?
We fail to live for Him because we didn’t plan to live for Him.
In our text, the Holy Spirit is not talking about planning before we act.
Instead, He is talking about making plans that do not include God.
Look again at the verse.
What are the plans noted here?
Go to the city.
Live there a year.
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