If the Lord Wills

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If the Lord Wills

• Real Life James Series 21
• James 413-17

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WHAT DOES REAL FAITH LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE?
RECAP OVERVIEW

• 12-18 1 TEST of Real Faith
• Counts it all joy amidst various trials.
• Seeks wisdom through prayer.
• 119-226 2 MARKS of Real Faith
• 119-27 Acts on the Word
• pure undefiled religion
• 21-13 Shows no partiality
• changed values
• 214-26 Produces works of faith
• living faith

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WHAT DOES REAL FAITH LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE?
RECAP OVERVIEW

• 31-412 3 EFFECTS of Real Faith
• 31-12 Tames the tongue.
• 313-18 Seeks wisdom from above.
• 41-12 Cures the root causes of dissension.
• 413-512 4 PERSPECTIVES of Real Faith
• 413-17 Perspective about life/planning
• 51-6 Perspective about wealth/justice
• 57-12 Perspective about trials/suffering
• 513-20 5 HEALING RESTORATION of Real Faith

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WHAT DOES REAL FAITH LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE?
RECAP OVERVIEW

• 31-412 3 EFFECTS of Real Faith
• 31-12 Tames the tongue.
• 313-18 Seeks wisdom from above.
• 41-12 Cures the root causes of dissension.
• 413-512 4 PERSPECTIVES of Real Faith
• 413-17 Perspective about life/planning TODAY
• 51-6 Perspective about wealth/justice
• 57-12 Perspective about trials/suffering
• 513-20 5 HEALING RESTORATION of Real Faith

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RIGHT PERSPECTIVE ABOUT LIFE/PLANNING

• Is James against planning for future in general?
• The plans of the diligent lead surely to
  abundance,
• but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
• Proverbs 215
• No. James point is about having a right
  perspective in planningi.e., HOW we plan for
  the future.
• In todays text (413-17), our focus question is
• What should be our perspective in planning for
  the future?

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WHAT SHOULD BE OUR PERSPECTIVE IN PLANNING FOR
THE FUTURE?

• 1) We must have a right perspective about LIFE.
• 13Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we
  will
• go into such and such a town and spend a year
  there and
• trade and make a profit" 14yet you do not know
  what
• tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you
  are a mist
• that appears for a little time and then
  vanishes.  (vs.13-14)
•  
• Life is unpredictablei.e., we dont/cant know
  the future.
• Life is shorti.e., our life is a mist that
  lasts briefly.
• Life is fragilei.e., our life is vulnerable and
  cant escape death nor the time of death.

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• 15And he said to them, "Take care, and be
• on your guard against all covetousness, for ones
  life
• does not consist in the abundance of his
  possessions." 
• 16And he told them a parable, saying, "The land
  of a rich
• man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to
  himself, 
• 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my
  
• crops? 18And he said, 'I will do this I will
  tear down
• my barns and build larger ones, and there I will
  store
• all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my
  soul,
• Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many
  years
• relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20But God said to
  him, 
• 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you,
  and the
• things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
• Luke 1215-20
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•  

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WHAT SHOULD BE OUR PERSPECTIVE IN PLANNING FOR
THE FUTURE?

• 1) We must have a right perspective about LIFE.
• 13Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we
  will
• go into such and such a town and spend a year
  there and
• trade and make a profit" 14yet you do not know
  what
• tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you
  are a mist
• that appears for a little time and then
  vanishes.  (vs.13-14)
•  
• Life is unpredictablei.e., we dont/cant know
  the future.
• Life is shorti.e., our life is a mist that
  lasts briefly.
• Life is fragilei.e., our life is vulnerable and
  cant escape death nor the time of death.
• Therefore, having a right perspective about life
  involves our realization and acceptable of the
  brevity and frailty of our own life and future.

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WHAT SHOULD BE OUR PERSPECTIVE IN PLANNING FOR
THE FUTURE?

• 2) We must have a right perspective about GOD.
• 15Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills,
  we will
• live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast
  in
• your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 
  (vs.15-16) 
• God is sovereign over our livesi.e., God is the
  ONE who gives and sustains life to all of us.
• God is sovereign in HIS plan, timing, and
  poweri.e., HIS timing and plan is perfect.
• God is sovereign in HIS providence and guidance
  for us.

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• Do not boast about tomorrow,    for you do not
  know what a day may bring.
• Proverbs 271
• 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer
  period,
• he declined. 21But on taking leave of them he
  said,
• "I will return to you if God wills," and he set
  sail from Ephesus.
• Acts 1820-21
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•  

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WHAT SHOULD BE OUR PERSPECTIVE IN PLANNING FOR
THE FUTURE?

• 2) We must have a right perspective about GOD.
• 15Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills,
  we will
• live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast
  in
• your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 
  (vs.15-16) 
• God is sovereign over our livesi.e., God is the
  ONE who gives and sustains life to all of us.
• God is sovereign in HIS plan, timing, and
  poweri.e., HIS timing and plan is perfect.
• God is sovereign in HIS providence and guidance
  for us.
• Therefore, having a right perspective about God
  involves our acknowledgment and trust in Gods
  sovereign will for us D.V. Deo Volente
  (Latin)if God (the Lord) wills.

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WHAT SHOULD BE OUR PERSPECTIVE IN PLANNING FOR
THE FUTURE?

• 3) We must have a right perspective about DOING
  THE RIGHT THING.
• So whoever knows the right thing to do
• and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (v.17)
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• Doing the right thing is Gods will for us.
• Gods timing for the right thing to do is NOW.
• To delay or avoid doing Gods will is a sin.

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• Jesus said to them, 
• "If you were blind, you would have no guilt 
• but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt
  remains.
• John 941
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• For it would have been better for them
• never to have known the way of righteousness
• than after knowing it to turn back from the holy
• commandment delivered to them.
• 2 Peter 221
• It ain't those parts of the Bible that
• I can't understand that bother me,
• it is the parts that I do understand.
• Mark Twain

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WHAT SHOULD BE OUR PERSPECTIVE IN PLANNING FOR
THE FUTURE?

• 3) We must have a right perspective about DOING
  THE RIGHT THING.
• So whoever knows the right thing to do
• and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (v.17)
•  
• Doing the right thing is Gods will for us.
• Gods timing for the right thing to do is NOW.
• To delay or avoid doing Gods will is a sin.
• Therefore, having a right perspective in doing
  the right thing involves our humble submission
  and urgent obedience to Gods will revealed to us
  through Scripture and the leading of the Spirit.

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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE

• Realize and embrace THE TRUTHS ABOUT YOUR LIFE.
• Realize that life is unpredictable.
• Embrace that your life is short and fragile.
• Acknowledge and trust IN THE TRUTHS ABOUT GOD.
• Acknowledge that God is sovereign in HIS will,
  plan, time and power.
• Trust that God is absolutely good in HIS deep
  love and providential grace for you.
• Do what you know AS THE RIGHT THING TO DO WITHOUT
  DELAY.
• Dont put it off to tomorrow.
• Do it with urgency and wholeheartedness.

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