James series – “The Litmus Test for life”

James 4:13-17

¹³ 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.

The first of the three carnal characteristics of presumptive pride is:

1. Self-Sufficient instead of Savior dependent – Vs 13-14

James begins by preaching to those of us who pursue plans based on self and not the Savior. Its here that we see people with plans to head to another city, start a business and make money. They had it all mapped out, Eric the entrepreneur with his to-do list in hand who like Santa Claus, has made his list and now he’s checking it twice. Demographic study of new business location—check. Market survey—check. Property location—check. Investor buy-in—check. Surveys, studies, inventories, investments, PowerPoint presentations—check, check, check. The plan was in place, all he had to do was implement it. All the business, leadership, and management books predict that he was going to make a killing, it’s a “can’t miss” proposition! Oh wait. Did Eric the entrepreneur forget anything? In the middle of all his studies, surveys and plans, Eric left out not just the most important part, but the most important person, he left out God. He forgot to seek the face of the One who created Him. He forgot to determine the will of the One who sustains him. How many times do we do that? You see not a lot has changed in the 2000 years since James first preached this message. Today we are still pridefully pursuing plans build around self instead of the Savior. So, let me ask you in all of the plans that you have laid out have you asked God what His plans are? There was nothing wrong with planning or going to a city, or on planning on staying there for a year. There was nothing wrong with planning on starting a business or even with planning on making a profit. So, what was the problem with his plans? He left God out. He thought he was going to do all that on his own. He forgot that without the Lord our plans are not just limited but that as Jesus said we will accomplish nothing. Plans that don’t pursue the heart of God are pointless. Planning for the future apart from the Father is futile. Here was a man who forgot that even if all of his business plans work, his life was limited. James describes the length of our life as nothing more than a vapor. It’s the perfect picture of our lives because from the moment a vapor appears it is in the process of evaporation. From the moment a person is born they are old enough to die. A vapor is always in the process of leaving, it is short lived like the brevity of life. As Psalm 39:5 clearly states, “You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” Since life is so short why would we waste it on the pursuit of those things that will not last. Because many of us fail to face the reality that one day we will all die. Very soon, your family will be gathered around your bed to say their goodbyes. In that moment what will matter most? I have sat with many people in their last days and have yet to have someone say I wish I had worked more, or made more money. I believe that life is best lived by starting at the end and working your way back. By sitting on your death bed and pondering what matters most and then living life pursuing those things. Many people either don’t have a plan or their plan revolves around self. We need to be intentional and proactive not passive when it comes to planning because if you don’t have a plan you will be like a boat without a rudder, at the mercy of the current. Many of you are being pulled along by the currents of this culture because you are not proactively planning. A lack of planning leads to problems but so do plans that don’t pursuing the heart of God. Because we subject ourselves to selfishness, and are driven by the winds of our desires. Our hearts become bound to greed instead of being bonded to God. We made the goal wealth and missed the worship. This was a man who was living for money instead of the Master. How does that happen? Many well-meaning Christian parents are promoting self-sufficient presumptive pride by telling their kids to study hard so they can get a good job so they can get a good house. They are teaching their kids to make the goal getting and serving self instead of glorifying God. The reason for studying and work hard should be centered around God’s glory not ours. While there are some great things about growing up in this part of the country one of the dangers is that we can become so independent that we no longer depend on Christ. Self-sufficiency can cause us to start putting our trust in our abilities instead of in the Almighty. Where we worship our talents instead of using them to worship God. This man could have been the most successful businessman on earth, but does that really matter when his limited time is up. What matters is his obedience to the will of God. As you make your plans are you considering the Master’s plan? Are you considering God’s will and subjecting your plans to it? I don’t want my future plans to be based on this vapor of life that God has given me. Yes, we need to make plans for the future, but we need to subject our plans to God’s plan for us. None of us knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. Only God does. So doesn’t it only make sense that the One who not only knows the future but holds the future is the One on whom we base our plans? When we don’t, we’re showing presumptive pride and squandering the one treasure we will never get back, time. Don’t waste your life chasing wealth, or squander it seeking to please people or running after recognition. Base your plans on God’s Will not your wants. Don’t cling to your calendar let Christ be in charge. Because when we don’t submit to God’s plans it’s not long before we try to get God to agree and approve ours. But Christ isn’t going to submit to our selfish wants. Walking according to God’s Will means letting Christ be in change, which requires us to stop trying to be in control. It means being ok with Christ closing doors or stretching your faith. Because if we don’t we will start trusting in our plans instead of trusting in God’s provision. 

James series – “The Litmus Test for life”

James 4:13-17

¹³ 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 far as James has been walking us through the 8^th test, the “pride test” we have seen the reality of selfish pride. We saw not only the symptoms and the source of selfish pride but also the solution. Now as James continues to teach us about the dangers of pride he moves from talking about Selfish pride to pointing out our Presumptive pride. Why is Presumptive pride so poisonous, because it causes us to make plans based on our wants instead of God’s Will. It gives us a faulty perspective when it comes to time, causing us to forget that we are finite and have a limited amount of life to live. It causes us to waste our time on earthly treasures instead of investing in eternal truths. It causes us to start trusting in self instead of turning to and trusting the Savior. My prayer is that my plans would not be based on Presumptive pride but on God’s Will. As we find ourselves half way through the year it’s a good time to pause and reflect. Think back with me to the beginning of the year, what were your plans for 2023? What were your hopes, dreams and aspirations? I’m not talking about the resolutions you may have made, they rarely last a month. I’m talking about real plans. Now, I want you to think about the present and your plans for this year. Were or are you planning a career change? Are you planning a major investment? Are you planning to retire? A lot has happened even in the first half of this year, some things that we expected, and some we could never have imagined. Planning for the future can be not just a good thing but a God thing. You see God has given us the ability to think and plan for a reason. He intends for us to prepare for the future. The problem comes when we begin to see our plans as the ones that matter the most, instead of pursuing God’s perfect plan. It’s not just about making plans it’s about seeking His plan. God wants you to place your trust in Him instead of placing it in your plans. God has a plan that is preeminent and perfect, a plan that is guaranteed to be fulfilled. As you look back at the plans you made last year, can you say that your plans are guaranteed to be fulfilled? The most basic definition of pride is putting ourselves in the place where only God should be. When we looked last at selfish pride we saw what happens when we elevate our selfish desires above God’s desire. Today as we look at presumptive pride we’re going to see what happens when we elevate our personal plans above God’s plan. When we stop trusting in His timing and we pridefully presume upon God by placing our worries and problems over His providence. My prayer is that instead of prideful presumptive planning we will submit our plans to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In order to do that, we’re going to look at the three carnal characteristics of presumptive pride. 

1. Self-Sufficient instead of Savior dependent

2. Self-promoting instead of Savior proclaiming

3. Sinful instead of serving

What about you is there any area in your life where you are trusting in self instead of the Savior which leads to worrying instead of worshipping?