The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work! (Chapter 4:13-17)

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Welcome Back! Let’s continue our journey through “The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!”

The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work! (Chapter 4:13-17)

This week we will continue our reading of verses 13-17 in completion of chapter 4 as we consider Man’s Boasting or God’s Will…

If we look into the life of a true “believer” we will assume them to be a “Christian” of whom is committed to living by the “will” of God. In fact, Jesus Christ said throughout His earthly ministry that the “one” who “does” the “will” of “My Father” is also My “brother,” “sister”, “father” and “mother”:

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother – Matthew 12:46-50

What Jesus was “teaching” here is those who are spiritually related to Him will be demonstrated by a deep “desire” to “do” His “will” alone. The true “Christian” accepts the “Lordship” of Jesus Christ over all of their life. Now, this doesn't mean “we” always ”do” His “will” perfectly, but the desire is there none the less – The perfect will of God!

The psalmist also said this concerning the “will” of “God” for life:

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness – Psalm 143:10

It's as if the psalmist is saying he wants to “do” God’s “will” but is not sure how to “do” it. And he “delights” in God’s “will” but needs the Lord to “teach” him specifically in “living” by and “obeying” Him through it. Therefore, the foundation of “our” relationship to Jesus Christ is ”doing“ the “will” of God in this “life” by becoming more like Him – For His glory!

Here again, James provides another potent point in this excellent epistle addressing yet another test of true “living faith” in Jesus Christ. In this poignant passage James will address the wicked “boasting” through the “mouth” of man. AGAIN… It is one thing to say you want God’s “will” to “rule” over your “life” of “faith” in Him. However, it is another thing all together to – Prove it through sound speech!

Man’s Boasting or God’s Will: Which One?

Constant disregard FOR and disinterest IN the “will” of God is the surest evidence for the presence of “pride” in the “heart” of the phony professor of “faith” in God. And this very fascinating passage is built around the illustration of a certain “foolish” Jewish businessman who “believes” he can “live” his own life without the Lord. And we get more great insight into this matter of how we approach – The perfect will of God!

Man’s Boasting

James therefore begins this poignant passage in very practical terms using an excellent example for “us” to seriously consider:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away – James 4:13-14

THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: There are some people who flatly ignore God's “will” in their lives and they “live” as if God wasn't even around! And we meet them here as introduced by James in the form of this Jewish businessman. The “Come now” that James begins with here is a familiar Old Testament prophetic style of rebuttal and in the Greek means “let me have your ear in this manner” by speaking to “you who say” will do “such and such” in the present tense and habitual sense. That's pretty confident talk and is the typical non-contingency self-designed planning in which is quite typical of lost “sinful” man desiring to be his own self-governing god. Therefore, we have here a typical “unbelieving” businessman involved in trade of some sort but totally ignores God – There's no place for God in his planning!

We must also consider the parable of the “Rich Fool” in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus addresses “saving” the “soul” and “laying up” true “treasure” of God:

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God – Luke 12:20-21

QUIZZING QUESTIONS: In and of itself, is a proper approach to “planning” a “sinful” or ethically wrong activity? Is there something immoral about saying “Today or tomorrow” we’ll “go to such and such a city” and “spend a year there” to “buy and sell” and “make a profit” of sorts? To be honest, every businessman would want to say this! In and of itself there's nothing immoral or unethical mentioned here. No Spiritual principles are violated in these verses by anything that is said here – So far, so good! HOWEVER…

The real “sin” being committed is what is NOT said here and that's the implication James addresses. Although “wise” and careful “planning” is indeed essential and is expected by God, the “theological” problem here is there is no mention of God anywhere in this “rich” man’s endeavors! This is a “living” of one’s own “life” as if there was no God and encompasses the “foolishness” of ignoring the “will” of God and His Sovereignty over “all things” of which is the “sin” of presumption. Therefore, James says “life” is but a very brief “vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” like smoke! There are some people who “believe” God exists and there are even some people who claim to be “Christians” but do not include God in their “plans” for life – Practical willful self-atheism!

And if we go back to the oldest book in Scripture and most likely the first one written, we find Job describing his “days” on earth:

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope…  As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down to the grave does not come up  – Job 7:6 & 9

In other words, our existence is largely “spent without hope” in pertaining to “life” and “death” being very brief and “swift” like a “cloud” that “disappears” across the sky and “vanishes” in an instant – This life is temporary and passing!

God’s Will

Now, let’s think about this “saying” from the OTHER perspective… What James says is being ignored by the “you who say” crowd is not just the existence of God's “will” but the benefit of God’s “will” in “life” as well! Therefore, James continues with a corrective statement beginning with “Instead” concerning this type of “sinful” and GODLESS expectation:

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” – James 4:15

Even as “Christians” we too can fall into this “sin” of presumption! Although it is not characteristic of our “new nature” to disregard or push the “will of God” aside, it does happen from time to time. However, there is a perfect “will” that God has for every dimension of “our” lives and it's not mysterious! Therefore, James says “If the Lord wills…” and since God does indeed have a “will” for “us” – He'll let us know it if we seek to know it!

Then notice again how James speaks of this particular “sin” of the “tongue” here:

But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil – James 4:16

The word "boast" here means to be loud-mouthed or to speak loudly. It had to do with either “rejoicing” in God’s accomplishments OR a “boasting” in the “flesh” about one’s own accomplishments. Obviously, in this context the “you” here was an “arrogance” of a bragging “heart” meaning "you are boasting in your arrogant bragging" and it is absolutely “evil” in nature – Stop it!

HISTORICAL HINTS: The word that is translated "boasting" here is also a word that originally referred to the idea of wandering about and was used of people who mounted a platform in a public place to do particularly one thing: sell their goofy goods! This is the original snake oil salesman saying: “Step right up folks, have I got the cure for you!” It resembles the old quackery approach of attracting crowds in where the many crooked charlatans and fraudulent fakes were duping unsuspecting people to buy their poky products… They were "boasting" with their “lies” but – They could NOT accomplish what they claimed!

James then closes this very important chapter with a truism and axiom:

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin – James 4:17

Here is the person who “believes” in God, possesses a “knowledge” about God and even “knows” God has His “will” for life. But this person doesn’t “do” it at all! Most of the time we find this wonderful verse reduced to the idea only of “sins” of omission in not “doing” what you know you ought to “do” in life. However, implied here in not doing what you know you ought to do is the fact that you went ahead and did what you ought not to do in the first place! Rarely can we isolate a “sin” of omission from a “sin” of commission. Why? Because if “we” didn't “do” what should have been done then “we” surely did what ought not to have been done. Right? Therefore, James is addressing a “wicked” attitude towards the “will” of God that essentially says: “I know what You want” However – I'm NOT going to DO it!

POINTS TO PONDER: Can we “know” God's “will” at all? YES! Most importantly, the Apostle Paul gave us this “truth” about the “will” of “God our Savior”:

…who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time – 1 Timothy 2:4-6

Therefore, God's “will” is that people be “saved” from their “sin” and that's God's “will” for YOU and ME! And if you haven't come to Jesus Christ to “receive” eternal “salvation” through Him, you have not “done” God's “will” for your life. You are being “disobedient” and are “living” in stark opposition and rebellion to what the Bible says is God's “will” for His own. And that's why the Holy Spirit also said through the Apostle Paul in his farewell address found in his first epistle to the Corinthian “fellowship”:

If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! – 1 Corinthians 16:22

The word “accursed” means they were devoted to damning destruction and cursed by God. Why? Because they didn't “do” God's “will” by giving their “life” over to Jesus Christ and embrace Him as the Son of God, the One who “died” and “rose from the grave” for their “justification” through God’s “forgiveness” of their “sin.” And that is God's “will” for your life too – That you be saved!

REAL REFLECTIONS: Beloved, are you “living” out God's “will” for your life? Are you “saved” through Him? Are you “Spirit-controlled” by Him? Are you being “sanctified” in Him? Have you “submitted” your life fully to Jesus Christ? And are you willing to “suffer” for the “cause” of Him through true Biblical “faith” no matter what the price? – That's the will of God for you!

In closing:

The “will” of God is held in highest regard throughout the “Scriptures” and perhaps it is said no better than by the Apostle John in his first epistle:

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever – 1 John 2:17

In other words, the true “believer” possessing “eternal life” is “he” who “does” the “will” of God. It is the characteristic of true “saving faith” in “salvation” through a right relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Therefore, “we” desire to “obey” the “will” of God – Please help us Lord Jesus!

And who is our greatest example? It was Jesus Christ Himself saying:

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work – John 4:34

 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me – John 5:30

In other words, when the “believer” beholds the perfect model of Jesus Christ, we see the essence of a right “relationship” to God bound up in “obedience” to Him. And although my “obedience” to Him is very imperfect, it is nonetheless characteristic of my “love” for Him as His “child” bearing His nature and that I have a deep desire to do His “will” in my life. On the other hand, if there is no desire in my “heart” to “do” the “will” of God, that is the mark of a “rebellious” person who has not been “transformed” by the power of Jesus Christ – One who does not know or love God!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

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Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

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