Post by Shepherd on Nov 15, 2008 11:04:29 GMT -6
66 GOD’S WILL ABOUT THE FUTURE
JAMES 4:15...FOR THAT YE OUGHT TO SAY, IF THE LORD WILL, WE SHALL LIVE, AND DO THIS, OR THAT.
The text applies with very peculiar force when our friends and fellow workers are passing away from us. They have appeared among us in such buoyant health that we have scarcely thought it possible that they would be struck down all in a moment.
I. COUNTING ON THE FUTURE IS FOLLY.
The fact of frail, feeble man so proudly ordering his own life and forgetting God seems to the apostle James so preposterous that he scarcely deems it worth while to argue the point; he only says, go to now.
Let us first look at the form of this folly, and notice what it was that these people said when they were counting on the future. “They said, we will go, we will continue, we will buy, we will sell, we will get gain.” This is foolish. It is so, o man, that your life is self-governed. Is there not, after all, one greater than your self.
Notice that these people, while they thought everything was at their disposal, used everything for worldly objects. They said, “we will buy; then we will carry our goods to another market at a little distance; we will sell at a profit; and so we will get gain.”
All that these men of old spoke of doing was to be done entirely in their own strength. They said, “we will, we will”—they had no thought of asking the Divine blessing, not entreating the help of the most high.
Without seeking counsel of God, they should go forward in proud disdain, or in complete forgetfulness of “the arrow that fly’s by day, and the pestilence that walks in the darkness,” until they are suddenly overwhelmed in eternal ruin.
“We will go into such a city,” how did they know they would ever get there? “We will buy and sell, and get gain.” They had also the foolish idea that they were immortal, “all men count all men mortal but themselves.” without any saving clause, they said, “we will continue a year.”
Let us speak a little on the folly itself. It is a great folly to build hopes on that which may never come. It is unwise to count your chickens before they are hatched. It is madness to risk everything on the unsubstantial future. How do we know what will be on the morrow?
Besides, the folly is seen in the frailty of our lives, and brevity of them. “Life is even as a vapor.” They seem to be magnificence itself when the sun points them with heavenly colors; in a little while they are all gone, and the whole panorama of the sunset has disappeared, “such is our life.”
II. IGNORANCE OF THE FUTURE IS MATTER OF FACT.
YE KNOW NOT WHAT SHALL BE ON THE MORROW.
Whether it will come to us laden with sickness or health, prosperity or adversity, we cannot tell. Tomorrow may mark the end of our life; possibly even the end of the age. In a moment we are gone–gone like the moth; you put your finger upon it, and it is crushed. Man is as nothing; he is but a dream.
III. RECOGNITION OF GOD WITH REGARD TO THE FUTURE IS TRUE WISDOM.
I do not think that we need always, in every letter and in every handbill, put IF THE LORD WILL; Yet I wish that we oftener used these words. GOD’S WILLING or lending me life. He says, “I observe, Lord, that I can scarcely hold my hand from encircling these words in a parenthesis, as if they were not essential to the sentence, but may as well be left out as put in.”
We should recognize God in the affairs of the future, because, first, there is a Divine will which governs all things. But while many of God’s purposes are hidden from us, there is a revealed will which we must not violate. I say now, “I will do this or that,” But certain other things may occur which will render it improper for me to do so.
In addition to this, there is a providential will of God which we should always consult. When you come where two roads meet, in your perplexity pull up, kneel down, and lift your hearts to heaven, asking your Father the way. Saying “ all my plans must wait till the Lord sets before me an open door. If God permit, I will do this; but if the Lord will, I will stop, and do nothing. My strength shall be to sit still, unless the Master wishes me to go forward.”
There is yet another sense I would give to this expression; there is a royal will which we would seek to fulfil. That will is that the Lord’s people should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.
IV. BOASTING ABOUT THE FUTURE ARE EVIL.
One man says about a certain matter, “I will do it, I have made up my mind,” and he thinks, “you cannot turn me; I am a man who, when he has once put his foot down, is not to be shifted from his place.”
Then he laughs, and prides himself upon the strength of his will; but his boasting is sheer arrogance. Yet he rejoices in it; and the word of God is true of such a one; all such rejoicing is evil.
Another man says, “I shall do it, the thing is certain”; and when a difficultly is suggested, he answers, “Tut, do not tell me about my proposing and God’s disposing; I will propose, and I will also dispose; I do not see any difficulty, I shall carry it out, I tell you. I shall succeed.”
I hear the third man say, “I can do it; I feel quite competent.” To him the message is the same–his boasting is evil. Though he thinks to himself, “Whatever comes in my way, I am always ready for it,” he is greatly mistaken, and errs grievously.
V. THE USING OF THE PRESENT IS OUR DUTY.
THEREFORE TO HIM THAT KNOW TO DO GOOD, AND DOES IT NOT, TO HIM IT IS SIN.
In the first place, it is sinful to defer obedience to the gospel. All the commands of God to the character to whom they are given come as a present demand, obey them now. In the next place, it is sinful to neglect the common duties of life, under the idea that we shall do something more by and by. If we could all be quiet enough to hear that clock tick, we should hear, “ Now; now; now; ” the clock therein resembles the call of God in the daily duties of the hour TO HIM THAT KNOW TO DO GOOD, AND DOES IT NOT, TO HIM IT IS SIN, even though he may dream of how he will, in years to come, make up for his present neglect.
Then it is sinful to postpone purposes of service. A Christian man always to live–have everything in order. Finish up your work every night; nay, finish up every minute.
If there is any brother here into whose mind God has put something fresh, something good, I pray him to translate it into action at once. Don’t wait.
Have a great day.
Shepherd
JAMES 4:15...FOR THAT YE OUGHT TO SAY, IF THE LORD WILL, WE SHALL LIVE, AND DO THIS, OR THAT.
The text applies with very peculiar force when our friends and fellow workers are passing away from us. They have appeared among us in such buoyant health that we have scarcely thought it possible that they would be struck down all in a moment.
I. COUNTING ON THE FUTURE IS FOLLY.
The fact of frail, feeble man so proudly ordering his own life and forgetting God seems to the apostle James so preposterous that he scarcely deems it worth while to argue the point; he only says, go to now.
Let us first look at the form of this folly, and notice what it was that these people said when they were counting on the future. “They said, we will go, we will continue, we will buy, we will sell, we will get gain.” This is foolish. It is so, o man, that your life is self-governed. Is there not, after all, one greater than your self.
Notice that these people, while they thought everything was at their disposal, used everything for worldly objects. They said, “we will buy; then we will carry our goods to another market at a little distance; we will sell at a profit; and so we will get gain.”
All that these men of old spoke of doing was to be done entirely in their own strength. They said, “we will, we will”—they had no thought of asking the Divine blessing, not entreating the help of the most high.
Without seeking counsel of God, they should go forward in proud disdain, or in complete forgetfulness of “the arrow that fly’s by day, and the pestilence that walks in the darkness,” until they are suddenly overwhelmed in eternal ruin.
“We will go into such a city,” how did they know they would ever get there? “We will buy and sell, and get gain.” They had also the foolish idea that they were immortal, “all men count all men mortal but themselves.” without any saving clause, they said, “we will continue a year.”
Let us speak a little on the folly itself. It is a great folly to build hopes on that which may never come. It is unwise to count your chickens before they are hatched. It is madness to risk everything on the unsubstantial future. How do we know what will be on the morrow?
Besides, the folly is seen in the frailty of our lives, and brevity of them. “Life is even as a vapor.” They seem to be magnificence itself when the sun points them with heavenly colors; in a little while they are all gone, and the whole panorama of the sunset has disappeared, “such is our life.”
II. IGNORANCE OF THE FUTURE IS MATTER OF FACT.
YE KNOW NOT WHAT SHALL BE ON THE MORROW.
Whether it will come to us laden with sickness or health, prosperity or adversity, we cannot tell. Tomorrow may mark the end of our life; possibly even the end of the age. In a moment we are gone–gone like the moth; you put your finger upon it, and it is crushed. Man is as nothing; he is but a dream.
III. RECOGNITION OF GOD WITH REGARD TO THE FUTURE IS TRUE WISDOM.
I do not think that we need always, in every letter and in every handbill, put IF THE LORD WILL; Yet I wish that we oftener used these words. GOD’S WILLING or lending me life. He says, “I observe, Lord, that I can scarcely hold my hand from encircling these words in a parenthesis, as if they were not essential to the sentence, but may as well be left out as put in.”
We should recognize God in the affairs of the future, because, first, there is a Divine will which governs all things. But while many of God’s purposes are hidden from us, there is a revealed will which we must not violate. I say now, “I will do this or that,” But certain other things may occur which will render it improper for me to do so.
In addition to this, there is a providential will of God which we should always consult. When you come where two roads meet, in your perplexity pull up, kneel down, and lift your hearts to heaven, asking your Father the way. Saying “ all my plans must wait till the Lord sets before me an open door. If God permit, I will do this; but if the Lord will, I will stop, and do nothing. My strength shall be to sit still, unless the Master wishes me to go forward.”
There is yet another sense I would give to this expression; there is a royal will which we would seek to fulfil. That will is that the Lord’s people should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.
IV. BOASTING ABOUT THE FUTURE ARE EVIL.
One man says about a certain matter, “I will do it, I have made up my mind,” and he thinks, “you cannot turn me; I am a man who, when he has once put his foot down, is not to be shifted from his place.”
Then he laughs, and prides himself upon the strength of his will; but his boasting is sheer arrogance. Yet he rejoices in it; and the word of God is true of such a one; all such rejoicing is evil.
Another man says, “I shall do it, the thing is certain”; and when a difficultly is suggested, he answers, “Tut, do not tell me about my proposing and God’s disposing; I will propose, and I will also dispose; I do not see any difficulty, I shall carry it out, I tell you. I shall succeed.”
I hear the third man say, “I can do it; I feel quite competent.” To him the message is the same–his boasting is evil. Though he thinks to himself, “Whatever comes in my way, I am always ready for it,” he is greatly mistaken, and errs grievously.
V. THE USING OF THE PRESENT IS OUR DUTY.
THEREFORE TO HIM THAT KNOW TO DO GOOD, AND DOES IT NOT, TO HIM IT IS SIN.
In the first place, it is sinful to defer obedience to the gospel. All the commands of God to the character to whom they are given come as a present demand, obey them now. In the next place, it is sinful to neglect the common duties of life, under the idea that we shall do something more by and by. If we could all be quiet enough to hear that clock tick, we should hear, “ Now; now; now; ” the clock therein resembles the call of God in the daily duties of the hour TO HIM THAT KNOW TO DO GOOD, AND DOES IT NOT, TO HIM IT IS SIN, even though he may dream of how he will, in years to come, make up for his present neglect.
Then it is sinful to postpone purposes of service. A Christian man always to live–have everything in order. Finish up your work every night; nay, finish up every minute.
If there is any brother here into whose mind God has put something fresh, something good, I pray him to translate it into action at once. Don’t wait.
Have a great day.
Shepherd
