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James 4:13-17 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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James chapter 4, verse 13. We're picking right up where we left off last week.
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As I prepared for the sermon this week, a song came to mind, a song that I listened to a lot in high school.
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In 1978, Billy Joel, the piano man, published one of his famous songs called My Life.
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So you can already hear the teenage angst.
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This song came to mind because it's a song in which the narrator is obsessed with himself.
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It's his life, and he will live it however he wants.
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Just a few lyrics from this song.
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He says, you can speak your mind, but not on my time.
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He says, they will tell you you can't sleep alone in a strange place,
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and they'll tell you you can't sleep with somebody else.
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Oh, but sooner or later, you'll sleep in your own space.
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Either way, it's okay.
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You wake up with yourself.
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And the chorus of the song is this.
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I don't need you to worry for me because I'm all right.
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I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home.
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I don't care what you say anymore.
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This is my life.
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Go ahead with your own life.
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Leave me alone.
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So this song relates to our text in that here we have a singer who is describing his hatred for any kind of authority whatsoever.
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He never mentions God, parents, government, elders, or anything like that,
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but it's clear he wants to be free of any and all authority,
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to just do what he wants to do to live his life.
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And I doubt this song is super widely known today,
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but the spirit of this song, right,
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the message, the teaching of this song is all pervasive.
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It's everywhere.
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In fact, Billy Joel didn't come up with this idea, right?
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It's just him describing any other sinner's heart.
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Frank Sinatra had a song as well called My Life or My Way in which he basically said more or less the same thing.
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He says, I don't care how any of you feel, I did it my way.
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A more current song that embodies these values,
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these values of self-love, self-autonomy, self-sufficiency,
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which you should really not listen to,
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is DNA by Kendrick Lamar.
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And I only know about that from when I was younger and caught up in things of the world.
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But let's just say it's so bad I wouldn't even dare quote it here.
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But the point is there is a whole host of songs from generation to generation that teach this lesson.
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More songs than we could possibly cover today if we wanted to.
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And they all teach this.
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You are the God of your life.
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Now go out and take what you want, when you want it, and how you want it,
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and give no regard to everybody else because they're just in your way.
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So this is what we will see in our text today.
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James is addressing believers in this text who are caught up in this worldly thinking.
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Believers who forget that they serve a sovereign Lord
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who demands their total devotion in singular worship.
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And we're going to see James' prescription for this problem,
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which on the surface seems simple,
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but I think he's making a much more pervasive comment
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on what the Christian life ought to look like.
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So let's read our text together, picking up in verse 13, chapter 4 of James.
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James writes,
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Come now, you who say,
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today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town
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and spend a year there and trade and make a profit.
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And he just stops and he says,
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Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.
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What is your life?
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For you are a mist that appears for little time and then vanishes.
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Instead, you ought to say,
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If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.
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As it is, you boast in your arrogance.
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All such boasting is evil.
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So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it,
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for him it is sin.
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So I want to start by just noting five assumptions of these men
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that James addresses in verse 13.
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Five assumptions of these men.
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So again, they say,
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Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town
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and spend a year there and trade and make a profit.
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So the first assumption is that these men assume when they will go.
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They assume today or tomorrow we will go.
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So try to think with me of all the reasons why that might not work out.
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Maybe the horses escape.
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Maybe the roads are bandit infested.
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Maybe the weather would not permit them.
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If you played the computer game Oregon Trail,
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maybe dysentery strikes and wins again.
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Then the very fact that they say today or tomorrow
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suggests they don't even really know when they will try to leave.
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So this is James' way of mocking them.
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You don't even know.
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And you know that you don't know.
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The second assumption is that these men assume where they will go.
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They assume they will go into such and such a town.
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They have a plan.
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They have a charted course.
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They desire to go from point A to point B.
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What's to stop them?
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And again, think of the possibilities with me.
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Maybe they get lost on the road.
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Maybe they get kidnapped on the road.
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I think of Joseph who never intended to go to Egypt,
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and yet that's where he ended up.
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Or Jonah who gets dragged by a great fish
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to the very last place he wanted to go, Nineveh.
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Maybe they turn back due to weariness or their desires change.
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Okay, so the third assumption is that these men assume
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how long they will remain in that city, right?
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They assume they will spend a year there.
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And you might think, well, surely they're in control
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of where they'll stay, right, for how long.
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Once they're there, surely they can guarantee that.
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What's to move them?
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But again, let's put on our thinking caps.
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Maybe a natural disaster forces them to move on.
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Maybe they hate it in that city, right?
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They thought they'd love it, but they get there.
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Ah, I don't like this. Let's go.
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Maybe their wives want them home early.
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Sorry, boys.
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Right?
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And the fourth assumption is that these men assume
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what they will do.
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They assume they will trade.
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So this is maybe a little easier for us all
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to imagine the innumerable possibilities
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to why they might not be able to trade.
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Right?
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Maybe someone else is already trading the same goods
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for a far better price.
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So the competition's too great.
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They're just not going to cut it.
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Maybe the political climate is not tolerant
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towards their business or their ethnicity or whatever.
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Right?
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Maybe there's some sort of prejudice
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that's keeping them from trading
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in that particular city.
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And the fifth assumption
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is that they will assume what the outcome will be.
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They assume we will profit.
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So one final time, let's consider some possibilities.
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Maybe the economy crashes.
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Maybe wars break out.
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Maybe something crazy and unimaginable happens
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like taxes getting hiked excessively
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to stop cow farting.
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Right?
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And those taxes bury whatever profit they had.
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And now perhaps me saying maybe so much
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is getting annoying and old,
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but it is by design.
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I want you all to feel the depth
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and the width and the breadth
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of the absurd presumptions
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on the part of these men.
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I want you all to hear and feel that.
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And I'm confident
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we could spend the rest of today
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thinking of the innumerable variables
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that could change their plans.
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So many unknowns,
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so much fickleness,
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and so much frailty.
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So these men lack
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any sense of reality.
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They speak as though they are all-knowing,
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as if they are all-powerful
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and can make what happened, happen.
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Whatever they want to happen.
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In other words,
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they talk as if they are sovereign.
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It's my life.
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I'll do it my way.
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It's in my DNA.
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So now you know what inspired those three songs.
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But there are two realities
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which James gives us
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that should humble these men.
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Two realities that should humble
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these men.
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And they're found in verse 14.
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James writes that,
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You do not know
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what tomorrow will bring.
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What is your life?
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For you are a mist
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that appears for a little while
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and then vanishes.
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So the first reality
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that should humble these men
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is that humans are not all-knowing.
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This idea was at the heart
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of our text last week,
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so I'll be brief here.
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But as shown in verse 13,
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James is now explicitly stating
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with the authority of God
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that we do not know
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what tomorrow will bring.
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We are not God
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that we should know
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or could know these things.
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We are not prophets or apostles
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with a divine insight of any kind
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so as to speak with authority
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on what tomorrow will bring.
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And even the smartest people
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among us
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in fields like
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meteorology,
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economics,
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or politics
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have a lifetime record
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of being wrong.
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They predict things
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and they're wrong.
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And again,
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if you want a fuller
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biblical teaching
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on this idea,
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go ahead and check out
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last week's.
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But in one sentence,
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we are not all-knowing
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and that should humble us.
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Okay?
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The second reality
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that should humble these men
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is that life is fleeting.
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So the first reality,
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we are not all-knowing.
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The second reality
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is that life is fleeting.
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I'm fairly confident
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that this text of scripture
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inspired one of
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William Shakespeare's
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famous lines from Macbeth,
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although it has a nihilistic twist
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to his character.
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But Macbeth says,
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tomorrow and tomorrow
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and tomorrow
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creeps in this petty pace
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from day to day
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to the last syllable
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of recorded time.
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All our yesterdays
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have lighted fools
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the way to dusty death.
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So he's reflecting
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that everybody will die.
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And then he says,
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out, out, brief candle.
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Life's but a walking shadow,
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a poor player
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that struts and frets
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his hour upon the stage
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and then is heard no more.
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So you can see
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he's reflecting
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on the ignorance of man
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and their foolish pursuits
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in the light of the fact
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that they all die.
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At some point,
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in some way,
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in every case,
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everyone dies.
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So whereas Shakespeare
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thinks of life
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as a fleeting candle
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that's snuffed
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in a moment,
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James compares it
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to a mist
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that appears
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for a little while
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and then vanishes.
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Dr. John MacArthur
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draws this picture
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out for us well
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in his commentary.
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He says,
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life is as transitory
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as a puff of smoke
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from a fire,
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the steam that rises
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from a cup of coffee
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or one's breath,
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briefly visible
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to plan and live it out
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without consideration
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of God's will.
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Or better,
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consider the words
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of the psalmist
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in Psalm 78,
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verse 39.
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He writes,
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thus he remembered
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that they were but flesh,
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that they were but human.
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A wind that passes
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and does not return.
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And so think of that,
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a wind that's passed you by.
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How long does that last?
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Not very long.
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In fact,
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the Bible never talks
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about life being long,
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but it always expresses
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how quick it is,
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how fleeting it is,
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how it's over
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in a moment.
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And every moment we live
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is a moment
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closer to this
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sudden conclusion.
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And sadly,
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we're all too familiar
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with this reality,
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so I won't belabor
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on this point longer,
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but I do want to ask,
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why would James cite
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this specifically?
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Why would knowing
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we're going to die
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change the way
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we use our time
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and make our plans
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and live our lives?
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What is James
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implying here?
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And I think it's easy
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to assume that James
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has judgment in mind.
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He's reminding
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his Jewish Christian audience
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that when they die,
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they will be judged
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by God
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for the way
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they live their life.
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Luke 12,
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16 through 20
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records Jesus' parable
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that he gave
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in response to someone
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asking about splitting
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his brother's inheritance.
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It says,
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And he told them
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a parable,
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saying,
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The land of a rich man
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produced plentifully.
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And he thought to himself,
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What shall I do,
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for I have nowhere
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to store my crops?
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And he said,
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I will do this.
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I will tear down
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my barns
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and build larger ones,
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and there I will store
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all my grains
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and my goods.
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And I will say to my soul,
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So,
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you have ample goods
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laid up for many years.
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Relax,
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eat,
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drink,
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be merry.
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But God said to him,
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Fool,
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this night your soul
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is required of you
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and the things you have prepared,
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whose will they be?
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So while Jesus
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is making a point
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about the extremely low value
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of earthly success
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and possessions,
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James is making a point
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about not living
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as practical atheists,
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as if we aren't called
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to live for God
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and his will.
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But for both,
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the undergirding argument
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is that you will be judged
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by God
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with condemnation
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if this is the way
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of your life.
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Okay,
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so our first application
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is another
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implicit call
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to humility.
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And on the one hand,
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I hate using
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this application
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again,
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because,
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you know,
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I want my sermons
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to be fly
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and on the top 100
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billboard
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if such a thing exists.
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But this is the,
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on the much larger hand,
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though,
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I want to be faithful
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to the text,
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faithful to what James
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is saying.
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And he's hitting this point
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again and again
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to be humble.
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And I think it speaks
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so much to how arrogant
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we really can be.
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And if you're sitting there
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thinking,
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well,
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this isn't really me,
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like,
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I've got that one down.
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This is probably for you.
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Okay?
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And that's why James
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says it over and over
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and over again
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or implies it over
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and over and over again.
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So why should we be humble?
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Well,
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there are plenty of reasons.
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The two reasons
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in this text,
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as I've already said,
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because we are not
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all-knowing
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and we will die.
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We will face
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judgment.
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So we have to be vigilant.
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We have to be on guard
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with our hearts
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so as to not
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give way
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to sin.
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And in a moment,
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I will share more
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on what this humility
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specifically looks like
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in this text.
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We'll see it in verse 15.
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But I want to skip
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that verse for now
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and save it
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until the end
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because I think
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in that verse
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we're going to find
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the main thrust
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of this whole thing.
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That is where
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we will find
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the all-pervasive
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but subtle comment
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of James
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which I alluded to
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earlier.
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So before we get there,
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I want to jump
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to verse 16
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where we will see
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the heart
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of these sinners
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and the heart
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of these men.
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So James 4, 16,
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he says,
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As it is,
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you boast
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in your arrogance.
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All such boasting
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is evil.
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So James makes it clear
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what is going on
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in their hearts.
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They are arrogant
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and they are committing
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evil or sin.
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They make their plans
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without any
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acknowledgement of God
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because they think
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they don't need God.
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You might call
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their sin
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the sin
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of self-sufficiency.
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I think a large part
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of our culture
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would tend to view
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self-sufficiency
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as a virtue.
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This idea
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that I danced
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around with earlier
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with the secular music,
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being able,
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competent,
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powerful,
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knowledgeable
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to do any
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and all things
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for your own self,
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for your own substance,
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for your own will.
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And I struggle
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with this sin
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all the time,
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personally,
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when it's at its worst,
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I tend not to pray.
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And why would I?
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In those moments,
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I'm acting as though
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I don't need God,
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so why would I ask
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him for anything?
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Which is,
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of course,
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evil.
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And it's the opposite
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of humility.
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Another consequence
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of this slippery slope
16:58
of sin
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is that it leads
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to this false boasting.
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It sounds something
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like this for all of us.
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Hey, everyone,
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look at this thing
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I built.
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Look at this money
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I made.
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Look at the sermon
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I preached.
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Look at the homeless man
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that I was so kind to.
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It's this attitude
17:16
of sounding the trumpet
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before ourselves
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to whether the work
17:20
is innately evil
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or made evil
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by our prideful motive.
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It's an invitation
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to worship,
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but not an invitation
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to worship God,
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an invitation to worship
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me,
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myself,
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and I.
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But to be clear,
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there's nothing wrong
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with boasting.
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Boasting in our arrogance,
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boasting in the world,
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boasting in things
17:47
like that
17:48
is evil,
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of course,
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but we are
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called
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to boast.
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So this is our
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second application.
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Boast
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only
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in the Lord.
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Jeremiah 9,
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23-24 says,
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Thus says the Lord,
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Let not the wise man
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boast in his wisdom,
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let not the mighty man
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boast in his might,
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let not the rich man
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boast in his riches,
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but let him who boasts
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boast in this,
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that he understands
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and knows me,
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that I am the Lord
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who practices
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steadfast love,
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justice,
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and righteousness
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in the earth.
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For in these things
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I delight,
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declares the Lord.
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So like James,
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God told Jeremiah
18:31
that man should
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put off this
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self-sufficient attitude
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and put on this
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humble adoration
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of God,
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that if we were
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to ever boast,
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we should boast
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only in the Lord,
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as Paul summarily
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says in 2 Corinthians
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10,
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17.
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And praise God
18:49
that he delights
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in love,
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justice,
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and righteousness.
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This is why
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we have the gospel,
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because God
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loved us
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even while we were
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yet sinners
18:59
and sent his son
19:00
to die for us
19:01
in Romans 5, 8.
19:04
Because God
19:05
justifies the ungodly
19:07
which results
19:07
in Christ's righteousness
19:09
imputed to us.
19:11
Paul says in Romans
19:12
4, 5,
19:13
and to the one
19:14
who does not work
19:15
but believes in him
19:17
who justifies
19:17
the ungodly,
19:20
his faith
19:20
is counted
19:21
as righteousness.
19:22
So anytime
19:24
the Bible
19:24
gives us
19:25
a verb
19:26
or an action
19:27
related to salvation,
19:29
God is the subject.
19:31
In other words,
19:31
he does everything
19:33
on our behalf
19:33
and despite ourselves.
19:37
Romans 8, 29-30
19:39
outlines
19:40
this entire process
19:41
of salvation.
19:42
And notice,
19:43
God is the subject,
19:45
the church
19:45
is the recipient,
19:46
the church
19:47
does nothing,
19:48
God does everything.
19:50
Paul writes,
19:51
for those whom
19:51
God foreknew,
19:53
he also predestined
19:54
to be conformed
19:55
to the image
19:56
of his son
19:57
in order that
19:58
he might be
19:58
the firstborn
19:59
among many brothers.
20:01
And those whom
20:02
God predestined,
20:03
he also called.
20:04
And those who
20:05
he called,
20:06
he also justified.
20:07
And those who
20:08
he justified,
20:09
he also glorified.
20:12
So this is our God
20:14
who does all
20:15
these things.
20:16
So naturally,
20:18
and of course,
20:19
we should boast
20:20
in him.
20:20
What else is there
20:22
to boast about?
20:25
Every other kind
20:26
of boasting
20:27
is evil.
20:28
So we boast
20:28
in the Lord
20:29
and the Lord alone.
20:32
Now James gives us
20:33
a warning
20:33
in verse 17
20:34
and I have to confess
20:35
it seems somewhat
20:36
broad and unrelated
20:38
at first glance
20:39
but I think it connects
20:40
in two ways.
20:42
So just to discuss
20:43
the first one for now,
20:44
we have a warning
20:45
and I think it's
20:46
an implied call
20:47
to repentance.
20:49
Right?
20:49
Verse 17,
20:50
he says,
20:51
so whoever knows
20:52
the right thing
20:53
to do
20:53
and fails to do it,
20:55
for him
20:56
it is sin.
20:58
So James is saying,
20:59
hey, you know
21:00
this thing is wrong
21:01
so change the way
21:02
you live your life.
21:04
Repent.
21:05
Turn around.
21:06
Go the other way.
21:08
He's recognizing
21:09
that everyone
21:10
deep down
21:11
knows
21:11
they are violating
21:12
God's law
21:13
and some of you
21:14
have heard this
21:15
called natural law
21:16
or the law
21:16
of the conscience.
21:18
Whatever you want
21:18
to call it,
21:19
James is saying,
21:20
I know that
21:20
even though you live
21:22
as if you were
21:23
autonomous and
21:24
self-sufficient,
21:25
that you do in fact
21:27
know there is a God
21:28
whom you are trying
21:29
to run from.
21:29
That deep down
21:30
you are suppressing
21:31
this truth.
21:33
So stop pretending.
21:37
Right?
21:37
So we have another
21:38
application from last week
21:39
again.
21:40
Our third application
21:41
is to repent.
21:44
If you've been living
21:44
lately the way
21:45
these assuming men
21:47
have from the
21:47
beginning of our text,
21:49
it's time to wake up.
21:50
Right?
21:51
To recognize,
21:51
I have been living
21:52
as though God
21:53
were not real.
21:54
I have been living
21:55
as though I will not
21:56
answer to him.
21:57
I've been living
21:58
as though it's my world
21:59
for me to inhabit
22:00
the way I want.
22:03
Right?
22:03
If that's been you,
22:04
if that's been your
22:05
plans lately,
22:06
if that's been your
22:06
dreams lately,
22:07
that's sin
22:09
and you need
22:10
to repent.
22:13
I love the hymn
22:14
entitled
22:15
When I Survey
22:16
the Wondrous Cross.
22:17
It ends with this line,
22:19
Love so amazing,
22:20
so divine,
22:22
demands my soul,
22:23
my life,
22:24
and my all.
22:26
So that's hitting
22:26
that wholeness idea
22:27
that we've talked about
22:28
in the weeks prior
22:29
with James,
22:29
that we're no longer
22:30
here to live for ourselves
22:32
as Christ followers,
22:33
but we are here
22:34
to live for him
22:35
and him alone.
22:37
And so this leads us
22:40
to the all-pervasive
22:42
comment that our text
22:43
is built around
22:44
in verse 15.
22:46
And this is the second
22:47
way that verse 17
22:48
is tied to James'
22:49
thoughts here.
22:50
So this is the big
22:51
sentence of today,
22:52
right?
22:52
The heart of this text
22:54
is that James wants us
22:56
to live life
22:57
in such a way
22:59
that we are constantly
23:00
reminded of our
23:02
servitude to God.
23:04
So I'll restate that.
23:05
The heart of this text
23:07
is that James wants us
23:08
to live life
23:09
in such a way
23:11
that we are constantly
23:12
reminded of our
23:13
servitude to God.
23:16
So this is the final
23:17
section for today,
23:19
what the Christian life
23:20
ought to look like,
23:21
what it should look like.
23:24
So verse 15,
23:25
James says,
23:26
instead you ought to say,
23:28
if the Lord wills,
23:30
we will live
23:31
and do this
23:32
or that.
23:33
So James says instead,
23:36
so he's contrasting
23:37
this statement
23:38
with the assuming
23:39
statements of the
23:40
arrogant men
23:41
in verse 13.
23:42
He's reminding them
23:43
that because God
23:44
is sovereign
23:45
and worthy of all
23:46
worship and praise,
23:47
his will alone
23:49
will and should
23:50
be accomplished.
23:53
God deserves this
23:54
and not only does
23:54
he deserve it,
23:55
but he will make it
23:56
happen.
23:57
Paul says in
23:58
Philippians 2,
23:59
9 through 11,
24:00
therefore God
24:01
has highly exalted
24:03
Christ and bestowed
24:04
on him the name
24:05
that is above
24:06
every name,
24:07
so that at the name
24:07
of Jesus every knee
24:09
should bow in heaven
24:10
and on earth
24:11
and under the earth
24:12
and every tongue
24:13
confess that Jesus
24:14
Christ is Lord
24:15
to the glory of God
24:17
the Father.
24:20
God's will not only
24:21
ought to be done,
24:22
but it will be done.
24:25
And to clarify,
24:26
James is not saying
24:27
we cannot make plans.
24:29
It's biblical to plan,
24:31
to save,
24:31
to invest,
24:32
to work,
24:33
to provide for your family,
24:34
to make wise decisions.
24:37
He's merely speaking
24:38
against this gainful,
24:40
arrogant,
24:41
boastful planning
24:42
that neglects
24:43
consideration of God
24:45
and his will
24:45
and his character.
24:47
I just want to leave
24:48
that as a clarification.
24:50
So how is this
24:51
an all-pervasive comment
24:52
then?
24:53
What do I mean by that?
24:55
I've been circling it
24:56
for a while now.
24:56
Well, I don't think
24:59
James' main intent here
25:00
is to say God is sovereign.
25:02
I think he says that here.
25:03
I think he's said it elsewhere.
25:04
He's made it clear.
25:05
It's important
25:06
and directly related
25:08
to what James is saying.
25:10
I also don't think
25:11
he is merely saying
25:12
include this statement
25:13
in your life, right?
25:14
This idea that we should
25:15
just throw around
25:16
if the Lord wills
25:17
to sound Christian,
25:19
pious, or holy.
25:21
Although I also think
25:22
he does want us
25:23
to say that more regularly.
25:25
But I think James
25:28
is talking more specifically
25:29
about a healthy church culture,
25:32
right?
25:33
And this is just
25:33
one specific thing
25:35
he's tapping on
25:36
to hit that larger picture, right?
25:39
He's writing to the church.
25:41
He's telling everyone
25:42
in that church
25:43
to speak this way.
25:46
So there are other ways
25:46
to communicate
25:47
if the Lord wills.
25:48
It's not so much
25:49
about the exact words,
25:51
although that's a wonderful
25:52
way to say it.
25:53
But he wants them all
25:55
to speak to one another
25:56
with such language.
25:59
And I think it's significant
26:00
that in verse 15
26:01
he says,
26:02
you ought to say
26:03
rather than you ought
26:05
to think, believe, or know.
26:08
And don't get me wrong,
26:09
we do need to know,
26:10
believe, and think
26:11
in this way
26:12
if the Lord wills, right?
26:14
We should think
26:15
in those terms.
26:16
That God's will
26:17
should be done.
26:18
That God is sovereign.
26:19
That God should have
26:21
his way.
26:23
But James has made clear
26:25
throughout his epistle
26:26
already this idea.
26:27
So I think he's saying
26:28
something more pervasive
26:30
and it is church culture.
26:33
And to be clear,
26:33
I'm not talking about
26:34
a church brand
26:35
or a marketing strategy
26:37
or anything like that.
26:39
So what kind of culture
26:40
am I talking about?
26:42
I'm talking about
26:43
the kind of culture
26:44
where we are constantly
26:45
reminding each other
26:46
of who God is.
26:48
What he has done
26:50
and what he is doing.
26:51
The kind of culture
26:53
that loves God
26:54
and loves neighbor.
26:56
And the kind of culture
26:58
that daily reinforces
27:00
the truth
27:01
that we are God's servants.
27:04
Because we need reminders.
27:06
Because we forget our place.
27:08
Because we can easily
27:09
lose sight of God
27:11
in our life
27:12
apart from our participation
27:13
in the body of Christ.
27:17
And this is especially important
27:19
when we are surrounded
27:21
by a secular culture
27:22
singing songs
27:23
that teach
27:23
the complete opposite.
27:26
Songs like the ones
27:27
I shared at the beginning.
27:28
How easy it is
27:29
for us to get swept up
27:31
in that line of thinking.
27:33
And it's not just in songs.
27:34
It's in movies, books,
27:36
politics,
27:37
advertisement,
27:38
education,
27:39
video games,
27:40
you name it,
27:40
it's there.
27:41
And so how do you combat
27:45
that worldly pervasive culture,
27:46
that pervasive worldly thinking
27:48
that idolizes self?
27:52
I know this,
27:53
you don't appeal to it
27:54
like so many so-called churches
27:56
are doing.
27:57
Rather you create
27:58
your own pervasive culture,
28:00
a resilient church culture
28:02
if you will.
28:02
And there are
28:03
two wonderful things
28:05
about this pervasive
28:06
resilient church culture
28:08
that I'm describing.
28:09
And I think James
28:10
is touching on.
28:11
One,
28:12
the church is the will
28:13
of our sovereign God
28:15
and Christ will build
28:16
his church.
28:18
He says in Matthew 16, 18,
28:19
Jesus says,
28:21
And I tell you,
28:21
you are Peter
28:22
and on this rock
28:24
I will build my church.
28:26
It's emphatic.
28:26
It will happen.
28:27
There's no question about it.
28:29
And he adds,
28:30
And the gates of hell
28:31
shall not prevail
28:32
against it.
28:34
Or in Philippians 1, 6,
28:36
Paul says,
28:37
And I am sure of this,
28:37
that God who began
28:39
a good work in you
28:40
will bring it to completion
28:42
at the day of Jesus Christ.
28:45
The salvation,
28:46
the sanctification,
28:46
it's all being realized.
28:49
It will happen.
28:50
It's emphatic.
28:51
The church body
28:52
will be built
28:52
and the body
28:53
will be sanctified.
28:56
So when I'm talking
28:57
about church culture,
28:59
I'm talking about
28:59
that sanctification
29:01
being lived out
29:02
by the members
29:02
of the church.
29:03
And the second thing
29:06
is that the work
29:07
is already done.
29:09
We just need to live it out
29:10
and realize it.
29:12
It is done
29:12
because of the cross
29:14
of Christ.
29:15
John 19, 30,
29:17
just before Christ
29:18
dies on the cross,
29:20
after bearing the wrath
29:21
of God
29:21
on behalf of the church,
29:22
Christ said,
29:24
It is finished.
29:26
Not fully realized,
29:28
but finished nonetheless.
29:29
It is only
29:30
a matter of time.
29:33
So what then
29:35
does it look like
29:36
to live out
29:37
this church culture,
29:38
to live among one another
29:39
as brothers and sisters
29:41
in Christ?
29:43
And a lot could be said here,
29:45
but I'll close
29:46
with this final application
29:47
as a good starting point.
29:51
To blow up James' words
29:52
to the larger picture
29:53
that I think he intended,
29:55
our final application,
29:57
is to use our interactions
29:59
in such a way
30:00
to remind each other
30:02
of God and his word.
30:03
Paul says
30:05
in 1 Thessalonians 5, 11,
30:07
Therefore,
30:08
encourage one another
30:09
and build one another up
30:10
just as you are doing.
30:14
He also says
30:14
in Ephesians 5, 19,
30:16
Address one another
30:18
in psalms and hymns
30:19
and spiritual songs,
30:21
singing and making melody
30:22
to the Lord
30:23
with all your heart.
30:26
Again, there's that
30:26
totality language.
30:28
So whether we are singing,
30:31
talking,
30:31
playing a game,
30:32
or whatever,
30:34
let's do so
30:35
in a spirit of love
30:36
with a motive
30:37
to build one another up
30:39
for the glory of God.
30:43
And I have to confess,
30:44
I'm not the greatest
30:46
at encouraging people.
30:48
It's not my strength.
30:50
Some of you are like me.
30:52
I feel weird giving
30:53
and receiving
30:54
encouragements
30:55
or compliments,
30:56
things of that nature.
30:59
In fact,
30:59
I remember calling
31:01
Nathan in Louisville,
31:02
letting him know
31:02
that I was moving back down.
31:04
And I made a great talk,
31:05
caught up, you know.
31:07
And at the end,
31:08
he said,
31:08
All right, man,
31:08
that sounds great.
31:09
I love you, brother.
31:12
And it felt like
31:12
a ten-second pause.
31:14
It was probably only three,
31:15
but I just was taken
31:16
off guard by that
31:17
because I just don't
31:17
really say that to people
31:18
other than like my wife,
31:20
my parents, you know.
31:21
It's just kind of weird to me.
31:23
And then I finally said,
31:25
Okay, man,
31:26
we'll see ya.
31:29
And I took a shower.
31:32
But it shouldn't be
31:37
that weird for me to say.
31:40
It shouldn't be weird.
31:41
It shouldn't be uncomfortable.
31:42
It shouldn't be unnatural.
31:44
I thank God
31:45
that I don't have to greet
31:46
anyone with a holy kiss,
31:47
as Paul said.
31:49
But it shouldn't be that weird.
31:52
It should be normal.
31:54
It should feel as natural
31:56
as praising God
31:57
or praying,
31:58
eating food,
31:59
drinking water.
32:00
It should feel normal.
32:04
And don't get me wrong,
32:05
I do love all of you.
32:09
I know I've
32:11
neglected the importance
32:13
of saying these kind of things
32:15
regularly.
32:17
for all manner of foolish
32:20
and petty
32:20
reasons.
32:24
And I'll tell you,
32:25
I think sometimes
32:26
my personal excuse is,
32:28
well, you just don't know that.
32:31
It's easy for me to think,
32:33
I play in the band,
32:34
I preach,
32:35
I've helped you all over the years
32:36
with different things.
32:37
I've done all this stuff.
32:39
So surely they know
32:41
that I love them.
32:46
And it's true,
32:47
nothing says,
32:48
I love you more
32:49
than action,
32:50
but it is false
32:51
to think
32:52
as I have.
32:55
And not verbalizing
32:56
these kind of things
32:57
is insignificant
32:59
because I'm so prone
33:00
to think.
33:04
And so don't fall
33:05
into that snare
33:06
as I have.
33:10
And so let's talk
33:11
to one another
33:12
in such a way
33:14
that sets us apart
33:15
from the world,
33:17
in such a way
33:18
that is loving,
33:19
in such a way
33:20
that sets our minds
33:21
on our sovereign
33:22
creator God
33:24
and his word.
33:27
To that end,
33:28
let's pray.