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5 Most Urgent Matters of

Life!James 4:13-17

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James 4:13-1713 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

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Introduction• Many things in life that are important, are not

urgent to us• Many things that are urgent, are not important

• Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "I have found that the most urgent things in life are rarely important and that the most important things in life are rarely urgent."

• In this lesson, we will discuss 5 urgent matters that are vitally important!

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#1 - Life Is Brief• James 4:14 - “Whereas you do not know what will

happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away”

• Psalms 90:10, 12 - “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”

• Ecclesiastes 9:2 - “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart”

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#2 - Death Is Certain• Hebrews 9:27 - “And as it is appointed unto

men once to die, but after this the judgment”

• Ecclesiastes 9:2 - “Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets”o 1 Corinthians 15:20-23o Romans 5:13-19

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#3 - Judgment is Sure• Jesus said there would be a final judgment

o Matthew 25:31-33

• All will be judged by a righteous Judgeo John 5: 28-29; 2 Timothy 4:8; Acts 17:30-21

• We will be judged according to our deedso Romans 2:5-10; 1 Peter 4:17-18

• The judgment will be finalo 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

• This is the reasons for Solomon’s statement…o “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear

God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

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#4 - Eternity is Long• Eternity is a hard concept to grasp

o We see an end to all things

• Eternity defined aso 1) “infinite time; duration without beginning or endo 2) “eternal existence, especially as contrasted with mortal lifeo 3) “the timeless state into which the soul passes at a person’s death

• Dictionary.com

• We are on a time clocko Psalms 90:10, 12

• God is eternalo 2 Peter 3:8; Psalms 90:4

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#5 - Preparation is Needed

• Heaven a prepared place for a prepared peopleo John 14:1-6

• Will not get there by accident• Saved by God’s Grace, Mercy and Love

o Ephesians 2:4-10

• This faith is an obedient faitho Hebrews 5:8-9

• This faith is a faith with works ordained by Godo James 2:14-26o Ephesians 2:10

• These works are “good works”o 2 Timothy 3:16

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Conclusion5 Urgent Matters of Life…• Life is brief• Death is Certain• Judgment is Sure• Eternity is Long• Preparation is Needed

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Amos 4:12-1312 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!"13 For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth-The LORD God of hosts is His name.• (NKJV)