Is God Trying To Tell Us Something?

James 4: 11 – 17

 

11 ¶ Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

 

1.                 We live in a land where tragedy can happen.

a.                  Human suffering

1.)   Natural, by ageing

2.)   Self inflicted, drugs, alcohol, suicide

b.                 Natures law, storms, earth quakes, forest fire.

2.                 God expects us to learn from tragedy.

a.                  Learn to heed the warning.   

b.                 Learn to change what we can.

c.                 Learn to remember.

 

I.                   LEARN THAT LIFE IS FRAGILE.

A.               James 4: 14 – 15  Life is like a vapour.

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Don’t forget to include God in your plans.  If you plan a canoe trip, don’t plan it on a hurricane weekend.  We do not have to say it every time we plan something, but have that in our mind.  If it be the Lord’s will.

B.                1 Peter 1: 24 – 25  Remember our body is temporary.

24 ¶ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

This body is just temporary.  One day our soul will leave this body.

              C.       Luke 12: 19 – 20  Remember we do not control our length of life on earth.

     17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have   

     no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull  

     down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits

    and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid                   

up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

    20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required

    of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

    I know not how long I will live.  But I know how I should live.

          D.      Prov. 27: 1  We don’t even know what tomorrow will bring.

1 ¶ Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

We need to remember how fragile life is and who is in control.  God.

II.                REMEMBER OUR DAYS TO DEAL WITH SIN ARE LIMITED.

A.               Rom. 3: 23  Paul tells us we all have sinned.

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Do we know the urgent need to deal with sin?

B.               Acts 3: 19 Peter teaches in Acts 2 and 3 that every sinner needs to repent.

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

If we learn fro our mistakes we will not willfully continue in sin.

 

               C.      Luke 13: 3 – 5  Jesus said repent or perish.

2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans    were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?  

5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Do we see the sin in others lives, but can’t see our selves?  Do we have the attitude of the world that it must have been their time?  It will be a sad day for those that perish knowing they are rebelling to God by living in sin.

III.             REMEMBER OUR TIME IS LIMITED TO SERVE GOD.

A.               Matt. 25: 14 – 15  the parable of the talents and three different servants.

14 ¶ For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

When the master returned two servants had used their talents and made more talents and the Master was pleased. 

Will we be like the one talent man that hid his talent and began to make excuse.  Our excuses will be no more excepted than was the one talent mans.

It will be to late.  Many will wish they had lived differently, but to late.

B.               James 1: 21 – 22  Christ wants servants to serve now.  Time is short.

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

               C.      John 9: 4  Jesus understood how short life was for him.

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Are you living in such a way that you are ready to meet the Lord today?

God has given us many examples to remember to obey him today.

Job 1: 20 – 22  Remember Job in all his tragedy.  Through all he suffered, he sinned not willfully.

20 ¶ Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

  The key is that Job remained faithful to God.  He learned from all his suffering to continue to always worship and obey God.

If your not a Christian today have you learned anything from suffering?  If you do not learn to obey God you will die in your sins, without hope of eternal life.  For a baby to die is tragic.

Every little baby that dies, even in abortions, will go to heaven to be with God because they are perfect, without sin, but every murder that does not repent will go to hell because they willingly disobeyed God.  Is that you today?  Willingly disobeying God?  Where do you think you will go in death? Heaven or hell?  You decide by the life you live in rejecting God who loves you and Christ who died for you.

 

Are you a Christian today but just as lost as one who never obeyed God, because you have willingly gone back into your sinful ways.  Have you not learned nothing from what you once gave up to obey Jesus Christ.  Rom. 6: 17  Paul writes he was so thankful they had obeyed Christ.

Ro 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

No mater how sinful you once were if you have repented and obeyed jesus Christ you are forgiven.  In the same way no mater how good you once were if you return to willful sin you are lost and worse off than before you knew Christ.

2 Peter 2: 20-22  Peter describes how sad and disgusting you are to God.

20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

 

In what state are you today?  A servant of the devil or a child of God?

Have you been baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins?

Are you obeying from the heart Jesus Christ according to HIS word?

Do you need to come to Christ today?  There is a lot of difference between knowing and doing.  Many know they are lost in sin and do nothing about it.

Will you come today and obey Jesus Christ before it is to late?