James 4:1317

1
James 413-17

• Dance the Night Away

2
James

• Key Verse But be doers of the word, and not
  hearers only, deceiving yourselves- James 122
  (NKJ)

3
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

4
James

• 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

5
James

• Business Plan
• 1- Departure Time
• 2- Target City
• 3- Schedule
• 4- Business to Engage In
• 5- "Make Money!"
• Whats wrong with this picture?

6
James

• Is it wrong to have goals?

7
James

• The 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

8
James

• 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- vs.
  14
•  
• Whats missing is the humility to understand my
  own finite knowledge and just how little control
  I actually have

9
James

• 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

10
James

• And 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 1216-21

11
James

• 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 Gods bliss- Manton

12
James

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

13

• 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

14
James

• 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 ones own
  cleverness or knowledge

15
James

• Why is it evil?

16
James

• 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?

17

• Takeaways
• What are my current plans?
• What are my motivations?
• Do they reflect Gods 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 wont end?