A Christianity That Works

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 15 June 1, 2008

Part 12 “How To Face The Future”

We're going to look at James 4:13-17 today and see what James has to say about How to Face Your Future. We all want to know what's going to happen next. It's amazing how people try all kinds of different things to try to forecast the future: tea leaves, fortune cookies, astrology, palm reading. We attend conferences and seminars on planning and goal setting.

James in this passage talks about how to face the future. He says there are three mistakes that are commonly made that we should be aware of.

He illustrates the first mistake with a typical conversation between a couple of businessmen. In verse 13 we drop into their conversation. “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.” What's wrong with this?

People make plans every day. These are just a couple of entrepreneurs, go-getters. There is detail in the business plan; they have it all planned out. When…..today or tomorrow. Where…..this or that city. How long…..we'll spend a year there. What…..we'll carry on business. Why…..make money. What's wrong with this? The Bible doesn't condemn making a legitimate profit. The Bible talks a lot about planning too. What's wrong here?

James says the first common mistake we make is…..
1. PLANNING WITHOUT GOD
There's not a single mention of God in this entire business plan. He knew what he wanted, he knew how to get there, but he didn't check it out with God first. The Bible talks about planning. “No man goes out and builds a house without first considering how much it's going to cost.” And the book of Proverbs says over and over again that if I don't plan I'm a fool. So James is not talking about what this guy did, it was what he forgot to do! It's great to have dreams and goals - as long as you include God!

All business is God's business if you're a believer. Don't plan without God.

What’s the solution? 1. Include God in your goal setting.
Verse 15 “Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.”

Right in the middle of the word LIFE is the word IF. Life really is pretty if-fy.
I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, you don't either.
Christians for hundreds of years used to write the initials D.V. at the end of their letters. They'd sign their name and then write D.V. This stood for the Latin phrase “Deo Valente” meaning “Lord willing”. James says that ought to be our response to life. It's OK to plan but include God.

Proverbs 16:1 “We may make our plans, but God has the last word.”
Proverbs 16:9 “We should make plans - counting on God to direct us.”

Stop praying, “God bless what I'm doing”.
Instead pray, “God, help me to do what
You're blessing.”

God is doing a lot of fantastic things in the world. I just want to be in on them. Help me to do what You're blessing. I don't want my plans, I want Your plans in my life.

The second mistake is…..
2. PRESUMING ABOUT TOMORROW
Taking it for granted, assuming I'm going to live forever. I've got the rest of my life.

Verses 14-16 “Why you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.”

There are a couple reasons we shouldn't presume about the future.

First, Life is unpredictable! “You don't even know”. None of us know what's going to happen tonight, much less next year. You can't count on tomorrow. We shouldn't let this frighten us, nor should we worry about it. Let it cause you to trust God more. Let it cause you to be more dependent on God.

Secondly, Life is brief! “You are a mist". “Mist” in Greek is “atmos” where we get “atmosphere”. Your life is like fog; it rolls in, in the morning but it burns off by noon. Who knows how long we're going to live? None of us do.

How does the Bible describe your life? It uses phrases like a leaf, grass, shadow, cloud, puff of smoke, vapor. I don't know how long I'm going to live. Life is short. It goes so fast from hot wheels to wheelchairs.

Don't take tomorrow for granted. Isaiah 56:12 “Come, each one cries, ...Let us drink our fill! And tomorrow will be like today, or even better!”

Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

We love to announce our plans, to make our goals and declare them. God says it's great to have goals, but check in with Me first.

What's the solution? 2. Live one day at a time, that's how God says to face the future.

Matthew 6:34 “So don't be anxious about tomorrow - God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.”

The future could be overwhelming but fortunately it comes in bite-size pieces, a 24-hour segment at a time. Plan for the future but, but live now.

Life is what happens to us while we're planning something else.

Today is the Good Old Days you're going to talk about in 15 years. Enjoy now. Make the most of now.

The present time, that's all I have. That's all I have to give to this world, not next hour or next month but right now.

“I don't know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.” That's what counts. David said in Psalm 35:15 “Lord, my days are in your hands.”
Include God in your planning and make the most of today.

A third common mistake is…..
3. PUTTING OFF DOING GOOD.
“Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins” verse 17. James is talking about procrastination. “I'm intending to do it.” Ever met somebody who is always “aiming to do it.”

We love to put off. James says that's a trap. How do you define sin? We think of evil activities: murder, adultery, cheating and stealing. Those are sins of commission. But there's another kind of sin - sins of omission. “To him who knows to do good and doesn't do it, it's sin.”

I can do nothing and still sin, because there are things I ought to be doing. Christianity is far more than simply avoiding evil. If all that the Christian life was, was a bunch of “don'ts” - don't do this, don't do that, then everybody who is dead would qualify as a Christian, because they don't do anything.

God says you don't have any guarantee of tomorrow, none at all. The solution is “do it now”.

Proverbs 3:27-28 “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, `Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow' - when you now have it with you.”

If somebody comes to you and asks you a favor, don't say “tomorrow - later”. Don't procrastinate. If you can do it now, do it now.

You can do one of three things with your life: spend it, waste it or invest it. The best use of life is to invest it on something that is going to outlast it. Where I spend my time now may determine where I’ll spend eternity.

Invest your life in things that will last - make it count.
It doesn't matter how long you live if you're not doing anything with your life.

Am I making my life count or frittering it away on non-essentials, things that aren't going to count. God says, “Make your life count - do it now!”

Jesus told a story about talents. The master gave one talent to one man, five to another and ten to another. He left and came back years later. Two guys had doubled their money. The third man had taken his gold, buried it in the ground and did nothing with it. The master said, “At least you could have put it in a passbook account and got interest on it!” He said, “You wicked servant!” Why? What had he done? Nothing. Doing nothing with your life is bad. Make your life count.

Jesus told a story that illustrates what James is teaching in this passage of Scripture. He tells the story about a man who is very successful in life but he made a very foolish decision. He made the same mistakes that James talks about - all three mistakes. He planned without God. He presumed about tomorrow. He put off doing good.

Luke 12:16 “Jesus told them a parable, the ground of a certain rich man produced good crop [literally, abundant crop] and 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'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. And there I will store all my grain and my goods and I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink, be merry,” but God said to him ‘You fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get all that you have prepared for yourself.”

This guy has ‘I’ problems - all he can see is himself. Doing ‘my’ thing for ‘me’. God says, “How dumb!” You don't know how long you're going to live.
Don't get morbid about it. Don't worry about it. The fact is, none of us have any certainty how long we're going to be here. Just consider that in your planning and do three things:
1. Plan with God
2. Don't presume on tomorrow
3. Don’t put off doing good.

You're not here by accident. You weren't made and created just to breathe and take up space, get up in the morning, go to work, come home and watch TV, go to bed, retire and die. There is more to life.
It starts when you give your life to Jesus. He becomes the manager of your life and He will direct you. Start by getting in tune with the Lord and establishing that relationship with Him.

If you only had a week left, how would you spend it? What would you do with your husband, wife, children? God says, live each day and each week as if it were your last. ….Ed Brouwer, D.V.