God’s Will For Humility
Sermon Notes
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
James 4:13-17 ESV… Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
OUR PLANS REVEAL OUR PRIDE
The Bible makes it clear God hates pride… Proverbs 8:13; 16:5; 1 Peter 5:5
God opposed the king of Assyria for his pride… Isaiah 10:12
God radically humbled king Nebuchadnezzar… Daniel 4:29-33
James warns about planning for the future without considering God’s will… James 4:13-17
IF YOU WANNA HEAR GOD LAUGH TELL HIM YOUR PLANS
There is nothing wrong with planning ahead… Proverbs 21:5; 6:6-11
Very few people see their “daytimer” as a source of pride!
THE UNCERTAINTY AND BREVITY OF LIFE
James highlights that we have no idea what tomorrow holds… James 4:13-14
James also highlights the brevity of life… James 4:13-14; Job 14:1-2; Psalm 103:15-16
Only fools plan with the temporal in mind… Luke 12:16-21
The “people” we assume will be around tomorrow, might not be!
IF THE LORD WILLS
James tells us the right attitude we should have regarding “God’s will”… James 4:15
History = His Story!
We are living in God’s world… Not the other way around!
Jesus perfectly molded perfect submission… John 6:38
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
How can the way we plan reveal the pride in our heart!
Why does God hate pride so much?
What can we learn from the Parable of the Rich Fool?
How did Jesus model perfect submission to the Father’s will?