JAMES 4:13-17Dance the Night Away

JAMESKey Verse: But be doers of the word,

and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves- James 1:22 (NKJ)

JAMES Review- Anyone who speaks against

his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it- vs. 11b

Christians had placed themselves in the position of God by speaking against and judging fellow believers

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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"- vs. 13

JAMESBusiness Plan:

1- Departure Time 2- Target City 3- Schedule 4- Business to Engage In 5- "Make Money!"

What’s wrong with this picture?

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Is it wrong to have goals?

JAMESThe primary motivation for

Christians is not human goals but God-given purpose

“We were created for eternity. And if we forget it, we invest in the wrong direction”- Henry Blackaby

“People are what their desires are”- Thomas Manton

JAMESWhy, 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- vs. 14

 What’s missing is the humility to understand my own finite knowledge and just how little control I actually have

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And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods…”

JAMESAnd I'll say to myself, "You have

plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.“’ "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God“- Luke 12:16-21

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“Worldly people think to enjoy their pleasures before they obtain them. People usually feed themselves with the pleasure of their hopes.” Godly people entertain themselves with the pleasure of God’s bliss- Manton

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Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that"- vs. 15

Danger Ahead- “Lord willing” can sound really spiritual

Live so close to God that my plans reflect his purposes for me

Submit any and all plans to God (“we will” becomes “we may”)

Resist the urge to announce my cleverness to the world

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As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil- vs. 16

Lit. “You are boasting in your arrogant pretentions”

Alazoneia- proud confidence in one’s own cleverness or knowledge

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Why is it evil?

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Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins- vs. 17

Sin of omission

What is the good I ought to do?

Takeaways:

What are my current plans?

What are my motivations?

Do they reflect God’s purposes or my goals and personal desires?

Am I willing to honestly ask God if this is his will for me and change my plans if need be?

Am I living in light of eternity or living like this life won’t end?