This week, I spent some time looking at my calendar. And as I looked at my plans for the upcoming weeks and months, I wondered to myself, how many of these will actually take place? I quickly deleted some of my appointments that I already know are not going to happen. And I wonder what future things will take place. My family had a vacation planned, actually with relatives. We had been planning for about three years, a reunion together. And obviously, that is not going to happen. We were supposed to leave a week from tomorrow, and we're a little disappointed that our plans for the future are not going to take place. Our church certainly has been preparing different events. We have programs, we have had plans, and certainly there have been a lot of effort and hard work put into some of those plans that who knows which of those will actually come about or not. And no doubt you have experienced traumatic changes in your own life in the last week or two. If you're a student, then you're now studying from home. Maybe you're working from home. Maybe you're not working at all. The present situation provides some reasons for us to be disappointed and even worried. But there's a passage that I've been thinking on for nearly every day these last two weeks. The Lord has used the coronavirus to awaken me to focus my attention on some truths from God's word. And I pray that when life returns to normal, that my heart and mind will not return to normal. Because these are truths that I need to remember at all times. These truths are found in your Bible in the fourth chapter of James. So let's go to James chapter four. We'll be studying verses 13 to 17 this morning. Let's read it. Come now you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit. Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? Is it even a vapor that appears for a little time and vanishes away? Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. The tone of this passage is a rebuke. In verse 13, James is addressing what some people say. Later in verse 15, he says, instead, you ought to say. So what are these people saying that is deserving of the rebuke? Well, let's look more carefully at what they say. In verse 13, there are four verbs in the future tense. Today or tomorrow, we will go to such and such a city. And we will spend a year there. And we will buy and sell. And we will make a profit. What are these people saying? Well, they are making plans for the future. They know the departure and the destination and the duration of their trip. They know what they're going to accomplish and how they're going to accomplish it. Everything is planned out. In their minds, it is certain. It will happen. They are just sure of it. Now, is James criticizing planning here? Is he forbidding calendars and schedules? Is he maligning business trips and capitalistic ventures? Well, verse 14 explains the problem with the plans that they have. whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. James confronts the fact that is true for each and every one of us. We don't know the future. These people had planned a whole year in advance, and yet James reminds them, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. This morning, I want to state three truths about life from this passage. Now, you already know these truths. There is very little in this sermon that you will learn for the first time. But these are reminders that we must not ignore or forget. These truths must be the foundation for all of our plans. The first truth is this. Life is uncertain. Life is uncertain. The problem in all these plans is that they fail to recognize the fragility of life. We can plan for something a year in advance, but we must acknowledge that we don't even know what will happen in the next minute. The phone call could ring. We could hear something on the other end of the phone that would suddenly turn our lives upside down. We don't know. We don't know what will happen today or tomorrow. And that often ignored truth is now suddenly understood by almost every person on the planet. Each day, government leaders are holding press conferences, and they're announcing new restrictions and guidelines. They're giving updates to their citizens. And reporters are asking questions like, are things getting better or worse? How long will these restrictions be in place? When will things be back to normal? How is this going to affect the economy? And as you listen to the politicians answer, one thing is clear. They have no idea. Politicians are used to saying, when I'm elected, I will do this. Or when I'm elected, things are going to change. Vote for me, and your life will be different. But there is an unusual humility in our society right now as we acknowledge that we simply do not know the future. You don't know. I don't know. The experts don't know. A society that has put its faith in science and reason and technology has discovered that all of our sophisticated knowledge cannot even tell us what will happen tomorrow. Life is uncertain. The self-sufficient philosophy of our society can be summarized by a poem written by William Ernest Henley. It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. Interestingly enough, Henley fell off a railway carriage and died a few months later at the age of 53. I assume that was not his plan for life. You see, life is uncertain. We can pretend that we know the future. We can even try to act like we can determine the future. But we should be reminded of what the Bible affirms. You do not know what will happen tomorrow. Proverbs 27 verse 1 puts it this way. Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Verse 14 reminds us that life is uncertain. And there's another important truth about life in this verse. James says, whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Now you may say, well, I know the future. I know that the sun will set at 7.52 tonight. And I also know that the sun will rise the next morning at 7.27. Well, that may be true. But you have no guarantee that you will be around to see that sun rise tomorrow. What about your life? What assurance do you have? James makes a second point about life. Not only is life uncertain, but secondly, life is brief. Life is brief. James uses a fitting illustration to describe the brevity of life. It is a vapor. The word means mist or smoke. It pictures the evening dew on the ground, but in hot, dry Palestine, the moisture on the ground doesn't last long once the sun rises. It appears just briefly and then vanishes away. James makes a similar point about people who are living for riches. In chapter 1, verse 10, he says, for no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass. Its flower falls and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Now right now the ground in Edmonton is covered in snow. No leaves are on the trees. But it won't be long before we will start to see green again. Flowers will bloom. The grass will begin to grow. Leaves will be on the trees, but we all know that it won't last for long. A few months will go by and then the flowers and grass wither. The leaves turn colors and fall to the ground. There's a season. And ladies and gentlemen, our life is but a season. It is very brief. Psalm 39 verse 5 states, indeed, you have made my days as hand breaths, very short distance, and my age is as nothing before you. Certainly every man is at his best state, and even that is but a vapor. Moses in Psalm 90 says, the days of our lives are 70 years, and by reason of strength, they are 80. Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow, for it will soon cut off, and we fly away. The people addressed by James were so confident in their plans to conduct business and make a profit. They were so certain of their skills and labors. Their plans were set. But what will happen to all of your profit and accumulated possessions when your life is over? Jesus once told a story about a certain farmer who had a bumper crop one harvest. And so he thought to himself, well, what should I do? He says, I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and I'll build larger ones. And then I can store all of my fruit there. And then I'll be able to say to my soul, you have goods laid up for many years, take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But then God spoke and said to that man, you fool, tonight your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be that you have provided? Why was this man a fool? Because he worked hard? Because he was successful? Because he had wealth? No, he was a fool because that was all he had. After telling that story, Jesus says, so is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. You see, my friend, life is brief. You have such a short time on earth. What if you went to the doctor for a checkup? And as you were there, the doctor said, do you ever experience pain? And you said, well, sometimes in my chest I have some pain. And so the doctor says, well, let's schedule you for a scan. So the scan happens, and the results come back, and the doctor says he wants to meet with you. And so as he meets with you, he says, I have some bad news. You have five days to live. Five days. Now what value would a minute, an hour, and a day take on knowing there are only five days? But let's say maybe the prognosis is better. Instead you have five weeks. Or maybe instead, five months? What about even five years? If you knew you had only five years left, still, you would know that the end was coming, and you would value the time that you have been given. What if you know that you will die in 50 years? Now that may seem like a long time for most of us. But the truth is, whether five years or 50 years, we are all mortal. The time of death will eventually come to each and every one of us. So, life will end. Five days, 50 years, and whatever time it is, it won't seem long enough. After reminding us of life's brevity, Moses gives this instruction in Psalm 90. So teach us to number our days. Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. What is wisdom? It is making wise choices with the time that we have. And that all begins by recognizing that life is uncertain and brief. With these two truths that we've just seen, it can kind of be discouraging. Life's tough and then you die. How should we respond to these uncertainties, to the brevity of life? Should we consign ourselves to victims of fate? Are the circumstances of life determined by luck or chance? Que sala sala? Whatever will be, will be? Let's go to verse 15 to see the proper response. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. You see, the problem with what is being said in verse 13 is their self-confidence. We will go to such and such a city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell. We will make a profit. And God was completely out of the picture. It almost seems like this passage is especially written to those living in the 21st century in our Western culture. Our society leaves God out of everything, intentionally. And we need to wake up. What effect has this philosophy of self autonomy had on us? How often do God's people make plans without God in the picture? How often do we live the same way that unbelievers do. Instead of planning and strategizing on your own, we ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. And that brings us to a third important truth about life. Life has purpose. Yes, life is uncertain. Yes, life is brief, but life is not pointless. Life has purpose. Every human life has a purpose determined by our Creator. You may have seen the abbreviation DV. Sometimes a Christian will write a letter or a note, maybe even an email, and after expressing a wish or a plan, will write the letters DV. Maybe something like, I'll see you soon, DV. Now what does DV stand for? Well, there is a Latin phrase, Deo Volente, which means God willing. The Apostle Paul used this phrase in writing to the Corinthians. He said, I will come to you shortly if the Lord wills. In Ephesus, before leaving for Jerusalem, Paul said, I will return again to you God willing. Now Paul doesn't always insert this phrase whenever he writes of his plans. More important than verbally giving this phrase is the heart. Trusting God with your plans and seeking to follow his will. God willing could become an empty Christian cliche. Although we probably err more on the side of using it too little. rather than using it too often. What we need to acknowledge in all of our planning is that God has a plan and purpose for your life. Although James could have used the general term God, instead he uses Lord. Lord refers to an owner, a master, a ruler, And this is the whole point of the passage. You and I are not in charge. God is. He is the king of kings. He is the lord of lords. He is the sovereign ruler over every molecule in the entire universe. Life is uncertain, but only from our perspective. The Lord isn't uncertain about anything. He knows the future. He holds the future. Yes, human life is brief. We are mortal. But God He's eternal. He has no beginning and no end. He stands outside of time and space. And yet God has intervened to graciously give us eternal life so that we can live with Him and worship Him forever. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, yet he shall live. And whosoever lives and believes in me will never die. John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. You see, God sent his son to save us from sin and from the judgment that immediately follows death. Jesus went to the cross to die in our place. He took the punishment that we deserve. And on the third day, he conquered sin and death with a resurrection from the tomb. Jesus is alive and all who believe in him will be given the gift of everlasting life. Human death for the Christian is simply the entry to everlasting life. So life has purpose and the reason it has purpose is because of God's will. Remove God and there is no purpose to life. How can a person know meaning in life if there is no higher authority? If I am the captain of my fate, if I am the master of my soul, then there is absolutely no absolute meaning. I'm left to myself to determine my own purpose and how can I ever be assured of what that purpose is and if I have attained it? Now that is depressing. Drifting through life not knowing its purpose. But verse 16 tells us that this attitude of personal independence and self-sovereignty is not only foolish and depressing, it is evil. But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. The word evil refers to something or someone who is morally worthless or wicked. Several times in the New Testament, this very word refers to Satan himself. He is the evil one. When we make plans apart from God, we are really boasting in ourselves. We are worshiping our own desires instead of God's will. And this is actually Satan's will. It is the plan of the evil one. And that's what Adam and Eve did. In the Garden of Eden, God gave his clear will for them. You may freely eat of every tree in the garden. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat it, for in the day you do, you will surely die." God's will was clearly given. So what did Adam and Eve do? They decided to do things their own way. They wanted to be the master of their faith and the captain of their souls. They wanted pleasure and wisdom apart from God, their creator. They said, not your will, but my will be done. And on that day, they followed the evil one. And that has been the problem of mankind ever since. In verse 16, there is the word arrogance. You boast in your arrogance, James says. And it's interesting that this word only occurs one other time in the entire New Testament scriptures. 1st John 2.15 Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. That's the word, pride. The pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. What is pride of life? It is boasting in yourself. It is arrogantly living for the things of this world. It is ignoring God in your plans. And that is what worldliness is. It is living for the creation instead of the creator. It is living for the gifts of God while ignoring the giver of those gifts. And John then adds, and the world is passing away. and the less of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever. How foolish to invest in something that is just passing away. Like our fragile lives, this world is uncertain and brief. This world is temporary. But he who does the will of God abides forever. So making plans without God may seem rather innocuous. So what's the big deal? But according to James 4.16, it is evil. It is idolatry, worship of self instead of God. And verse 17 applies a general axiom to this specific situation. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. You see, it is not only sin to violate the will of God by disobeying his commands. Sure, murder and adultery and theft and bearing false witness are sins. but it is also a sin to live independently of God. It is a sin to trust in yourself. It is a sin to boast in your arrogance. Ignoring the sovereignty of God will either cause fear and worry on the one hand, or pride and arrogance on the other. God's children, however, must walk by faith every day. We understand that life is uncertain and brief, but we must trust our all-knowing, all-powerful, eternal God. And we know that He determines if we live and do this or that. He has a will for our lives. And that will is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. And that purpose is not changed by pandemics or economic collapse or socio-political upheaval. Our God and His purposes are unchanging. So trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. If the Lord wills, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. Let's bow for prayer and then we will close by singing, Rejoice, the Lord is King. Our Father in heaven, We pray that your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We acknowledge that we are weak, but you are strong. We are ignorant, yet you are omniscient. We are mortal, and you are eternal. And so we repent of our arrogant boastings, and we declare our complete dependence on you. Thank you for saving us and opening our eyes to the purpose that you have for us, that help us to rest in your sovereign control in the days ahead. Now may the God of peace who brought us up and brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Rejoice, the Lord is King, your Lord and King! I'll never walk without your heart, without your voice rejoicing in my singing. Lift up your voice, rejoice, I hear your voice. ♪ You cannot fail ♪ He rules over earth and heaven ♪ The keys of death and hell ♪ Are to our Jesus there ♪ Lift up your heart ♪ Lift up your voice ♪ Rejoice, Lord, in my sing ♪ Rejoice, Lord, rejoice Rejoice in glorious hope, for Christ the Judge shall come and take his servants up to their eternal home. Lift up your heart, lift up your voice, rejoice again, I say.