Facing the New Year

Where Will it Take Us?

James 4:13-15

13 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:

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. (KJV)

This text points out several things: the arrogance of human planning, the temporary nature of life, and the issue of God's will concerning our future.

But before we explore this text, we must remind ourselves of the nature of this letter and the things that James has been saying to them up to this point. We need to notice that this entire letter is written to people who have professed faith in Jesus Christ but who have become preoccupied with this world and the things of it. Very early into the letter, the writer urges his readers:

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (KJV)

The nature of pure religion is explained in terms which relate to love for this world system.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (KJV)

There was a real tendency among these people to respect people with money and think little of those who had none.

James 2:2-6

2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

6 But ye have despised the poor.... (KJV)

This sort of religion always has a problem distinguishing between religion that is real and that which is form and word only.

James 2:14-17

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (KJV)

In chapter three, James admonishes these people concerning their language, how they speak to each other

James 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. (KJV)

And chapter four begins with the sternest admonitions yet.

James 4:1-4

1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (NAS)

The warning here, then, is to watch closely so as not to be a friend of the world this year. We must make sure that we live the faith we profess, that we do not ignore the poor in favor of the rich, and that we do not allow our natural desires (envy, strife, and lust) control our relationships with others.

I. The Foolishness of Human Planning

A. Planning for natural things only

13 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:

The words 'go to' mean 'come now' or 'listen to me,' indicating that James believes that these people are not thinking correctly and need to be admonished. The words they say and the text which follows indicate to us that this is a group of people who are thinking and acting only in the natural realm. The issues of spirituality and faithfulness to God are not in the front of their minds. The words which introduce the sentence tell us that James believes this to be a foolish approach to planning for the next year.

B. Planning without considering the offense which it might bring to God.

When we plan on the basis of our own desires and wants without considering the need that we have for God's help to accomplish our plans, we offend the Lord our God.

Lev 22:31-33

31 "Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD.

32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy

33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD." (NIV)

It is offensive to the Lord when we do not acknowledge Him. Making plans for the New Year without a serious consideration of the will and commands of God is just that sort of offense.

C. Planning as if it is actually within our power to bring our plans to pass.

God actually mocks men who behave and speak as if they are in control instead of Him.

Job 38:1-5

1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? (KJV)

Job 38:12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; (KJV)

Job 38:16-17

16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? (KJV)

Job 38:34-37

34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?

36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven, (KJV)

II. The Temporary Nature of life.

James reminds us that our lives are incredibly short, meaning that we must make as much as possible of the time that we have. There is no time to waste. No one has a year that can be safely spent on themselves thinking that they will serve God next year.

Life is a vapor which appears only for a short time and then vanishes away. David spent more time reflecting on this truth than any other writer of the OT.

1 Chr 29:15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. (KJV)

Ps 39:4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. (KJV)

Ps 102:11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. (KJV)

Solomon made application of this truth in words that, no doubt, affected James as he wrote.

Prov 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (KJV)

If man's life is brief and uncertain, then planning without regard to our complete dependence upon God is both foolish and offensive. Temporary things must be planned around those that are permanent. For example, what person who dislikes the landscaping around his house has the house moved to make the yard look better? No, he changes the yard because it is transient, temporary and the house is much more permanent.

Therefore, to plan our spiritual lives around the natural life is a wrong approach. The spiritual is permanent, everlasting and the judgment is fixed. The rules by which we will be judged have been given and they will not change either. The only thing that will change is our natural life. Common sense, therefore, mandates that we plan the natural around the spiritual and not the reverse.

III. The Issue of God's Will Concerning Our Future.

The statement that James makes concerning the way we ought to handle planning for the future really takes us in two directions, "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that..."

First, it requires an acknowledgment that God is in control of the future and we are not. We are taught to acknowledge the sovereignty of God over all of our fortunes of life. If the Lord wills, we will live and prosper. If He does not, then all our plans will crash and burn. But still all is in His hands.

What benefits do we gain from such an approach?

1. First of all, it settles our hearts and quiets our minds.

All does not depend upon us and we know it. This gives us a balanced perspective when things beyond our control spoil our plans and goals. We learn not to rage against those things that happen to us and we learn not to fall into deep depressions when circumstances force us into situations that we would not have chosen.

2. Secondly, it helps us to keep a perspective concerning that which is eternal and that which is temporal.

When we acknowledge on a continuing basis that we and our plans are temporal and that our spirit and the will of God is eternal, our mind continually distinguishes between the two. When that happens, our perspective shifts from a preoccupation with our circumstances to a balanced view of life.

3. Finally, this perspective helps us to formulate our priorities in a godly fashion.

If there is a distinction between temporal and eternal and the eternal is more important, then we are forced to conclude that eternal things are more important.

There is a second perspective, I believe, that we must note in the words of James and it comes from the different ways that the word 'if' is used.

James instructs us that we ought to say 'If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.' Sometimes we use the word 'if' to speak of possibilities as in 'if it doesn't rain tomorrow, we will have a picnic.' The use of the word tells us that if it does rain, the picnic is off.

But sometimes we use the word to express something definite. When we are wanting to assure someone that we will definitely do a thing, we might say 'if the sun comes up tomorrow, I will do it.' In such cases we use 'if' in the same way that we might use the word 'as.'

It is not clear from the statement itself as to which way James is intending to use the word, but the context is one in which the revealed will of God has been pressed in upon these people and they have been urged to live the profession of faith that they have made. I believe that it is perfectly reasonable to consider this text as if it said, 'we will live and do this or that as God has willed.'

Notice how this chapter began. We have already looked at part of it.

James 4:7-12

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

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.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (KJV)

It is obvious that James is not attempting simply to change the way we speak about the future but also the way that we behave in regard to it. He us urging us to look toward the future as those who have submitted themselves and their wills to the revealed will of God.

That which James describes here is the only reasonable and godly way to face the future. And his recommendations follow a very specific pattern.

1. Submit your self to God - yield without question to the Lawgiver and His Law.

2. Resist the devil - position your self mentally and spiritually in opposition to all that the devil promotes. Resist firmly, following the example of Jesus, all of the temptations that he would bring to you.

3. Draw near to God - the only way to draw near to Him is to take a position of submission to Him and resistance to the devil. But drawing near to God is a deliberate event initiated by the believer which includes repentance, worship, and praise.

3b. And He will draw near. God is never far from the worshiping saint. He only reveals Himself in communion when the saint is deliberating striving to draw near to Him.

4. Cleanse your hands - put away from you anything that is in your possession that is displeasing to Him.

5. Purify your hearts - drive away from your self every attitude which is in resistance to a full submission to God.

6. Be afflicted and mourn and weep. This only comes when the full weight of sin and failure is realized in an honest fashion in the heart.

7. Humble your self in the sight of the Lord.

This is the only way that God is approached. He is the One Who is in charge of this coming year. All of your plans, if they are to have any eternal and spiritual benefit, must be framed in the context of His will.

What will you do?