We shall read from James chapter 4 for our text this evening. James chapter 4, and to begin to read the Word of God from verse 13 to the end of the chapter. So James chapter four at verse 13. Go to now ye that say, today or tomorrow 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. Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Amen. And may the Lord be pleased to bless his word to us this evening. Well, we want to look at that section we've just read from James chapter four. from verses 13 to 17. And the title I'd like to give to our meditation is Deadly Self-Confidence. deadly self-confidence. Last Wednesday, we looked at the verses before, from four to 12, and we looked at a number of things under the heading of humble yourselves before God. And this chapter here is warning about one or two things, principally worldliness. Principally worldliness, and one of the highlights of worldliness is that brethren are arguing amongst themselves and they're making pronouncements and judgments about each other. Verse 11, for instance, speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother and judges his brother speaketh evil of the law and judges the law. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. We might not always associate worldliness with that kind of behavior, but worldliness in many ways is rooted in pride, and here is a brother who's judging another brother. And of course when it talks about judging here, it's really ill-judging. It's not judging correctly, because as Christians we are to judge. The Sermon on the Mount, for instance, Jesus tells us, words to this effect, that we're to watch out for the false prophet. And how are we to know the false prophet? Well, we've obviously got to use the judgment that God has given to us. We don't dispense with these things when we become Christians. We are to use our judgment correctly, and that's how we will know a false prophet. it will be when we observe their teachings or their actions. And if it's not consistent with the word of God, then we know that that is a false prophet. So when it's talking about judging here, it's not making right judgments, something the Christian must do at all times, a right judgment. But he's giving another example here of worldliness in the verses that we're going to look at. And the example is that people are making plans, and in their plans, they have no reference to God whatsoever. No reference to God. He's not in the equation. He's completely out of it. Now, We are to understand here that God is not in any sense against commercial activity and of people getting on in the world. That is not what is taught here. He's not against anyone who's out to make a living, someone who sees an opportunity and grasps that opportunity that providence has laid before them in order that they might provide for themselves and for their families and maybe for others who are employees. There's nothing in the Bible against that kind of activity. Joseph, for instance, was one who did plan ahead. But obviously, when he made any provision, it was in the light of God and his word. And this is what was missing here. We have here, for instance, verse 13, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain. What we have here is a picture of, and we need to remind ourselves of this continually, This is of professing Christians. That's who James is writing to. He is not writing to rank unbelievers, those who are totally immersed in the world without any care or thought about God. No, he is addressing professing Christians. And he wants to, at the beginning, he wants to awaken them. You see that words there at the beginning, go to now. And it's used again in chapter five, verse one there, go to now. It's the only time that it's used in the Bible, go to now. He's calling them to attention. He's telling them to wake up and look at their behavior. And their behavior is they're gathering around as a group of merchants. and they're planning to go to Antioch, they're planning to go to Damascus, they're planning to go to Alexandria, these great places of trade, and there would be markets there, and there would be a market for whatever produce they had or whatever items they were selling. They were going to gather their items, they were going to gather their staff together, they would have their camels all laid on, All provisions would be taken with them. They would make their journey to Damascus. They would sell whatever they came to sell. And they would buy there in Damascus. And they would leave Damascus and they would go somewhere else. Alexandria or wherever in Egypt. And there they would do exactly the same thing. They would sell what they have and buy more things. And go to another country and sell what they had just bought. And they were going to do all this And at the end of it, everything was going to be hunky-dory, everything was going to be profitable, and they hadn't got a care in the world. And this is what he's speaking about and highlighting there. And he wants to drive home a number of lessons to them. in order that not that they would stop that kind of activity because as we've said there's nothing wrong with it they've got to make a living and that's one way of making a living but they must always bow before god they must recognize him they must recognize his providence they must recognize a number of things and that's one or two things that i'd like to First of all, what are they to recognize? Well, it's implied here they have to recognize who has blessed them, who has given them the opportunity to seek to undertake all that they seek to take on. The Bible makes this clear. It is God. It is God who gives wealth and opportunity to every individual he sees fit. There are some in our world today who are extremely rich. We could think of one or two, I don't want to name them, but you will know them just as well as I do. They are extremely rich, and they do not know what to do with their money. They have so much money, and they cannot possibly spend it. And they're looking for ways how they can spend it. Who has given them that wealth? It is God. Why has he given them that wealth? Well, that's a matter for debate, but we're inclined to believe that he has given them that money in order that they might use it profitably, in order that they might use it to glorify God. Now, many of them may well not do it. We don't know. It's not our business to judge these things, but what we want to state clearly, and what James wants to tell these people there, it is God who has given them this ability, it is God who has blessed them, and therefore they are to recognize this. In Deuteronomy, When Moses was reading the law for the second time before the children of Israel went into the promised land, he was reminding them of all the blessings that God had lavished upon them. And he says in chapter 8, verses 16 to 18, this is what he says, reminding the people of God who had blessed them, who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee to do thee good at thy latter end. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand have gotten me this wealth. But Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth. It is God who has given them power, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Now, what was true for the Israelites is true for every single one of us here this evening and others who do not recognize and will not acknowledge God, yet God is the one who gives wealth, who gives opportunity. And these men here, these merchants, they are to remember that and they are to recognize it. It is God who has blessed you. And further, also under this heading, surely he's asking them by implication, you're planning a trip, good and well. Do you know that the trip will be successful? You don't know that. You're planning a trip, you've got the maps out, you've got the dates all worked out, you know where you're going to be in a certain time, you have provision there to take you from A to B and then you get fresh provisions, you've worked it all out, but do you know that your trip is going to be successful? Do you know you're going to sell your produce? Do you know you will be able to buy fresh items for sale? Do you know you're going to have health? What if sickness comes upon you? You may be fit and well at the moment, and the sun may be shining, and life looks good, and you have all your faculties, but these things can change in a moment's notice, and you must understand this and recognize it. What about the weather? The weather could change. They've planned for suitable weather to make this journey. Well, no matter where you are in the world, the weather changes, and you might well face inclement weather. What about your safety? Some of these ancient routes They were well-known, well-known to the merchants, but they were also well-known to robbers. And how do you know that you'll not be robbed? And all your produce and all the money you have could well be taken from you. You might suffer violence even, death through violence. You don't know all these things. Ultimately, you don't know if you'll live or you will die. You don't know. That's what he wishes to impress upon them. And therefore, they are to realize that they depend upon the grace of God for every moment of every day of their lives. And when they make any plans, whether it's for a day, for a week, or for a month, they are to recognize that the grace of God is necessary for them and that they are recipients of that grace of God. And we might say that's common grace, not common in the sense that it's all people experience it to some degree. They are to recognize that. Well, secondly, surely, they are to recognize you don't know the future. It's closely related to what we said, but you don't know the future. Look at them here. Today or tomorrow, they're going to do this and that, and they're going to do these things for a year. How foolish people can be. We all know, or we should know, and we should bear it in mind that we can't tell what's going to happen an hour or two from tonight. We can't tell about tomorrow. It amazes me when people talk about climate change global warming. I'm not going to go off on a tangent here, but you hear the same things as I do, and they're telling us that terrible times and terrible circumstances are ahead of us in 30 years or 40 years or 50 years time. Now, I'm not going to go into these things, but they make weather forecasts for tomorrow. And very often, they're not right. Yet, they seem to think that they can predict what's going to happen many decades ahead. Friends, we are to live one day at a time. we are to recognize that the future we don't know, we're not meant to know. Oh, no, oh, we realize there are many things in the Bible to encourage us. We know, for instance, of the ultimate success of the Lord Jesus Christ and the cause of Christ. We know it because it's in the word of God, but the details we don't know and we're not meant to know. But what we do know is to encourage us to continue and to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and to believe upon Him to the ultimate end. But we don't know the future. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Never mind in a year's time. Even with all our planning, all of these things can change at a moment's notice. He tells them something else, thirdly, from verse 14. For what is your life? What is your life? Now, the philosophers, they can't tell us. They can't tell us this. The Bible tells us what our lives are. And it doesn't, in any sense, make us to be something great. It tells us quite clearly here, it is even a vapor. It's like a vapor that disappears. The illustration of the kettle boiling and the steam coming out of the spout is a good illustration. We've all seen it. You switch on your kettle, it boils, For a minute or so, it boils, kettle switches off, and steam comes out to the spout. Steam rises, and then it disappears, not to be seen. That's your life. That's how the Bible sees your life. It is, if we can use this expression, it is sandwiched between two eternities. Eternity past and eternity future. And your life is in the middle. It's like a vapor. It rises for a short period, it's seen, and then it's gone. That's what it is. And that's a very sobering thought to many people. It would be a sobering thought to these commercial entrepreneurs who were looking at their bank balance and seeking to make improvements. That's your life. You're doing all this, and in a moment's notice, it's gone. Gone. The Bible actually does describe the suddenness and the quickness of our lives. Psalm 102, for instance, verse three, part of it says, my days are consumed like smoke. Again, very similar to what James says here, a vapor. Smoke goes up, disappears, gone. Job has quite a lot to say about the brevity of life. Job compares life to the swiftness of a weaver's shuttle. Now, there'll be some in the congregation who will be much more familiar with the illustration than I am, but it's very, very quick, the weaver's shuttle. Job likens your life, the brevity to that, or the uncertainty of the wind. Wind is very uncertain. Blows here, blows there. We cannot control it. So it is, our passing. Like a vanishing cloud is another way he describes it. Or the speed of a king's messenger on a horse. When a king's messenger was on a horse, he had an urgent message to deliver. And wherever he was going, he didn't hang about. In relative terms, he was off, he was speeding, he was breaking the speed limit if at all possible because he was a messenger from the king and he was on an important errand. Or the swiftness of an eagle dropping out of the sky to snatch its prey. What a sight it is to see the eagle with his eyesight, sees his prey, and when he sees his prey, he descends. In a moment's notice, and the prey is snatched up, knows nothing about it, before it's far too late. Or the speed of merchants, ships, rushing perishable goods to the home port. That's what it was like in ancient times. When they were trading, they would have perishable items. They didn't want to hang about on the sea. They weren't out for a cruise. They were there to go from one port to another to get the perishable items there on sale so that they might be sold before they perished. And therefore, it was all done quickly, as quickly as possible under the circumstances. And again, he likens the brevity of life to the long levity of a cut flower. and a cut flower doesn't stay like that for long at all. Or a fleeting shadow is another way that he describes the brevity of life. Well, this is what James wants to impress upon these people. What is your life? It is even a vapor that appeared for a little time and then vanishes away, but it vanishes into eternity. It doesn't cease to exist as many people would like to tell us today. We are eternal, not because of anything in ourselves, but because God has created us to be eternal. And although it vanishes away, it vanishes from the scene of time and we can no longer see it, yet it's in eternity where we are. What should be our attitude then? Well, here's what someone has said about an individual recognizing the brevity of life and so much to do in it. He worked as if he would live forever. He lived as if he would die tomorrow. He worked as if he would live forever. He lived as if he would die tomorrow. That's why we read from Psalm 90. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. because it is nothing but worldliness to live in this world and not to give any cognizance to the fact that we depend upon God for everything. For our very lives, we depend upon him. And we need to be taught because we don't naturally grasp this ourselves. I'm trying to think of that quote, and I think I've got it correct. All men know that all men are mortal, but they themselves. And that's something I have to ask myself. And that's something that you have to ask yourself also. All men know that all men are mortal. I'm bringing nothing new to you tonight. There's no novelty here. There's nothing that will tickle your fancy here. I'm telling you things that you know, and you've experienced it. You've seen others come and go. And you've been as shocked on some occasions. Shocked, people younger than you, people that you've grown up with, they've gone, they've gone into eternity. And for a period of time, you have somewhat been shocked and it's awakened you and it's caused you to think about these things. That's God teaching us. He's teaching us even now, we're in the autumn season. What are we seeing? We're seeing the leaves in the ground. They're coming down, they're decaying. Another season's coming. How many more seasons have we got? So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. It's interesting just looking at that verse. So teach us to number our days. We number our days by years. Is that not so? We're 60, we're 70, we're 80, we're 90 years. But the Bible would tell us to number our lives by our days. Again, he is reinforcing to us the brevity of life and how uncertain it is and how ultimately we are to make our calling and election sure. What should be their reaction then? Well, for these professing Christians who were commercial travelers of the day, verse 15, for that ye ought to say. This is how you need to order your lives. This is how you need to preface your planning. If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. Recognizing God. This is what we intend to do. There's nothing wrong in planning. Nothing wrong in it whatsoever. It's only right that we should do these things. Sit down, soberly look. If the Lord will, we'll go to the city. We hope to make profit. Nothing wrong in making profit. We need to make profit. We need to live. We shall live and do this or that. If the Lord will, God willing. Well, one or two things maybe for ourselves to consider in the light of the brevity of life, in the light of the fact that we don't know when we shall be called, when we will enter into eternity. First, obviously, surely, let us get right with God. Let us get right with God. If we're still in our sins, then we rejoice to tell you today that this is still the day of grace. Now is the accepted time. Make your peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. But I realize I'm principally speaking to professing Christians. It's got an application for us. Of course it is. It was written first of all to professing Christians. Paul tells us, the Ephesians chapter five, verse 16, redeeming the time because the days are evil. How applicable that is to ourselves today. Redeeming the time, buying the time back. Don't waste time. Time's very precious. What we're going to do for God, we're to do it now. We're to do it with zeal. We are to do it with enthusiasm. Redeeming the time. because the days are evil. He says something very similar to the Colossians, chapter 4 and verse 5. Walk in wisdom towards them that are without, redeeming the time. Walk in wisdom towards them that are without. Is he speaking evangelistically? Is he saying that we are to redeem the time, we are to be different from the world, redeem the time, not like the world, in order that we might walk in wisdom towards them that are without, in order that our lives might be a testimony to those who are strangers to grace. We could also take a lesson from the Savior himself. Did he not say in John chapter 9, verse 4, when he was about to heal the man who had been born blind, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work." Make use of every opportunity, the time that God has given to us. Make use of it, because there'll come a time in the night when we cannot work. And whatever that night is, it will come upon us. We have opportunities now, maybe that we will not have in a year or two time, because maybe of our natural circumstances, whatever. We are to do what we can while it is day, while we have opportunity. In Israel, they couldn't walk about in the night because it was dark. They had to do all they did, especially outdoors. in the daytime while it was light. Set your house in order. The prophet Isaiah went to good king Hezekiah and said unto him, thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order for thou shall die and not live. And immediately Hezekiah began to pray and the Lord heard him. Set our houses in order, set our affairs in order, because we don't know that day when we shall be called. Be at peace with one another. Life is short. We must do all that we can, all humanly possible to restore friendships, to heal disputes, to be reconciled, because one day there'll not be that opportunity. All that we can, all that lies within our own power, let us be reconciled one to another. families, congregations, the cause of Christ, let us all seek to be united. Be at peace one with another. Well, he concludes, verse 17, for instance, he concludes, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is a sin. What's he talking about here? Well, he's talking about what he's just said. If you have taken on board what I've said about the brevity of life, if you know it and you don't do something about it, you are sinning. To him that knoweth to do good and doesn't do it, to him it is sin. I'll close with a statistic. You hear about statistics. I'm quoting this totally out of my head. It may not be accurate, but it'll be a point. A statistic might well say to us, one in 20,000 will get lung cancer. That may be a statistic. Well, here's a statistic. that is absolutely spot on. One out of one dies. One out of one dies. That's what he's saying here. And we are to bear that in mind and preface all our plans, all what we seek to do, God willing. Amen. And may the Lord be pleased to bless His word to us. Let us pray together.