Achieving Maturity
Through Stewardship
James 4.13-17
1. God gives us our existence in world.
2. We must exercise good stewardship of our life.
3. Everything from our physical resources to our relationships are blessings.
a. Even the opportunities we have to teach the Gospel to sinners.
4. If we don’t the consciences are severe and irreversible.
a. If successful: We enjoy a prosperous, peaceful life while living and gain a home in Heaven.
b. If we f Fail, suffer miserably while living and gain a home in hell.
1. Planning and use our time.
2. Obtaining and use of our money.
1.
Plans for college, jobs
2.
Plans for marriage, family
3.
Plans for vacation, retirement
1.
Paul often made plans in regard to his travels
2.
In fact, making plans (or setting goals) is a key to success in any
venture we undertake in life.
E. But we must
take care how we plan.
F.
Also,
we see immature stewards in regard to wealth and money:
1.
Money
solves all problems
2.
Rolling
in dough
3.
Lottery
G. God does not condemn the rich for
being rich.
1.
Job,
Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Barnabas, Philemon, Lydia
1.
"And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man
was very productive. 17 "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What
shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' 18 "Then he said,
'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and
there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul,
"Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease,
eat, drink and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This
very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'
21 "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God.""
B.
To ignore God’s will is foolish in four
ways (13-15)
a.
James 4:13-15, NAS95 "13 Come now, you who say, "Today or
tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage
in business and make a profit." 14 Yet you do not know what your life will
be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then
vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will
live and also do this or that.""
1.
Because life is complex (13)
a.
There are the complexities of time (today, tomorrow, when?)
b.
There are the complexities of activities (buy, sell?)
c.
So many decisions to make, so many mistakes might be made
d.
If it's possible to know God's will on any matter, that would increase
the likelihood that our decisions and plans will be correct
2.
Because life is uncertain (14a)
a.
No one has a guarantee of tomorrow.
1)
Whether there will even be one.
2)
Or what will happen.
b.
Only God can bring about what He wills for the future without fail.
c.
Since this is true, we should certainly desire to make plans that are
in keeping with "His" plans!
3.
Because life is frail (14b)
a.
It is like a "vapor": Psalm 39.5-6, 11
1)
Psalm 39:5-6 Behold, you have
made my days a few handbreadths, and my
lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah [6] Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing
they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
2)
Psalm 39:11 When you discipline a man
with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him;
surely all mankind is a mere breath!
Selah
3)
b.
How substantial is a "vapor" or "shadow"?
c.
How quickly we can succumb to sickness or an accident illustrates our
frailty
d.
It is foolish, then, to think "we" have the strength within
ourselves to "make" our plans happen
1)
Remember James 1:10,11
2)
James 1:10-11 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of
the grass he will pass away. [11] For
the sun rises with it’s scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls,
and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of
his pursuits.
4.
Because life is brief (14c)
a.
"Appears for a little time"
b.
Job observed this - Job 9:25-26; 14:1
1. Job 9:25,26, NAS95 "Now my days are swifter than a runner; They
flee away, they see no good. 26 "They slip by like reed boats, Like an
eagle that swoops on its prey."
2.
Job 14:1, NAS95 "1 "Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived
and full of turmoil."
c.
Since life is so short, it is important we do God's will and not our
own -
1.
1 John 2:17 "The
world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God
lives forever."
C.
To plan according to our will is boastful
arrogance (16a)
1.
"But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is
evil."
2.
To plan without considering God's will is to set us up above God
Himself!
3.
How could one be more arrogant than that?
D.
To plan according to our will is sin
(16-17)
1.
James 16-17, "But as
it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to
one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin."
2.
It is sin because it involves arrogance and boasting which is evil – 16
3.
It is sin because we who are Christians know better – 17
a.
We know what is good: to plan with God's Will in mind
b.
To do otherwise is to sin!
A.
Submit our will and our plans to God. (15)
1.
"Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live
and also do this or that.""
2.
We can make our plans, but we should make them contingent to God's
approval - "if the Lord wills"
3.
This is what Paul did
a.
"God willing" Acts 18:21
1)
"But taking leave of them and saying, "I will return to you
again if God wills," he set sail from Ephesus."
b.
"if the Lord permits" 1 Corinthians 16:7
1)
"For I do not wish to see you now just in passing; for I hope to
remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits."
4.
Saying "if the Lord wills" assumes our faith in two things:
a.
That God does have a will for us (even in mundane matters)
b.
That God can intervene (via providence) to carry out His will
c.
Proverbs 16:3, NAS95 "3 Commit your works to the LORD And your
plans will be established."
1.
If we really want our plans to succeed, then we will seek first to
discern God's will, and plan accordingly.
2.
To a great degree, this is possible, for God wants us to:
a.
Understand His Will -
1.
Ephesians 5:17"So then
do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
b.
Be filled with His Will -
1.
Colossians 1:9"For this
reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you
and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all
spiritual wisdom and understanding,"
c.
Prove His Will -
1)
Romans 12:2"And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and
acceptable and perfect."
3.
Of course, this relates especially to His revealed will.
a.
Which pertains to matters right and wrong; found in the pages of the
Bible
b.
When we know God's "revealed" will (from our study of the
Bible), then we can act or plan accordingly
c.
Until then, the right way to plan is to show our submission to God by
leaving our plans subject to His will
d.
Proverbs 16:9, NAS95 "9 The mind of man plans his way, But the
LORD directs his steps."
e. Proverbs 21:5,
NAS95 "5 the plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone
who is hasty comes surely to poverty."
1.
Are these rich
Christians who had been guilty of oppressing their brethren?
2.
Possibly, but unlikely
for several reasons.
a.
Not addressed as
"brethren" as is often done in this epistle - Ja 1:2,19; 2:1, 14;
3:1,10; 4:11
b.
There is no call to
repentance in this passage
1.
Here there is only
condemnation!
c.
The brethren are not
addressed until verse 7, in which they are told to be patient in light of what
has just been said
1.
"But you have
dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag
you into court?"
2.
This judgment upon them
appears to serve the purpose of comforting the brethren who were being
oppressed by them: James 5:7
a.
"Therefore be
patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the
precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early
and late rains."
a.
Judgment is coming upon
these rich oppressors; therefore the Christians are told to be patient
2.
But even if this
passage does not have direct reference to rich Christians, there are still
things to which we should give careful heed.
1.
So certain are these
miseries to come, that James speaks of them already occurring!
a.
Riches are corrupted
b.
Garments are moth-eaten
c.
Gold and silver are
corroded
2.
When this
"corrosion" of their riches occurs
a.
It will serve as a
witness against them (that they were guilty of the things to be mentioned
shortly)
b.
It will eat their flesh
like fire
1.
The anguish and misery
of poverty usually affects the hardest those who were once rich!
2.
Thus, when poverty
strikes, it will make them "weep and howl" as though they were on
fire!
1.
Not long after this
epistle was written, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans
2.
Many of the rich Jews
who had oppressed their Christian brethren literally "wept and
howled"
3.
What they had failed to
realize was that they had heaped up treasure "in the last days" (Ja
5:3b)
a.
Like the man in the
parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:16-21), they thought they were laying up riches
for their latter days
b.
When in fact, it was
the "last days" of the Jewish economy when they were so busy storing
up wealth!
c.
Like some today, who
store up for retirement and then die before they retire!
4.
The miseries that came
upon these rich people were terrible indeed
a.
It would certainly came
upon them when they died. Story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)!
1.
Specifically, by
withholding wages from those who had worked for them
2.
Just as some people
today get rich through dishonest schemes or unjust labor practices!
1.
They hoarded their
wealth. James 5:3
2.
They spent it on
themselves with pleasures and luxury: James 5:5
a.
"You have lived
luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your
hearts in a day of slaughter."
3.
They used the power
that comes with wealth to oppress "the just" - Ja 5:6
a.
Possibly a reference to
Christ
b.
Or the Christian whom
they also oppressed
1.
To do so at the expense
of others will bring God's wrath upon us! Deuteronomy 24:14,15
2.
It is wrong to think
that success can only come by stepping on others
3.
This might be an
appropriate place to add what we learn from Paul in 1 Timothy 6:9-10
a.
"But those who
want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful
desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is
a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from
the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
b.
It is not riches that
are wrong, but the desire to be rich that is wrought with danger!
c.
Riches are not wrong if
they are the byproduct of our endeavors, and not the goal
1)
One may desire to be a
doctor to help the sick, or a plumber because of one's skill or interest in
such matters, and receive riches as a byproduct because of the value society
might place on such services
2)
But to enter such
professions solely because one's goal is to get rich thereby, then we are
ensnared by the love of money!
3)
So how do we obtain our
wealth?
a.
If we do it honestly
and in compensation for a job well done, God is not displeased
b.
If we do it by hurting
others and by making wealth our primary object, then we are in danger of God's
wrath!
1.
To spend it on
luxurious living when others are suffering
a.
Is exactly what James
has described in this passage
b.
Is an indication of the
lack of the love of God: 1 John 3:17
1.
"But whoever has
the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against
him, how does the love of God abide in him?"
2.
According to the New
Testament, the purpose of working is not to obtain wealth for our own
gratification, but to help those less fortunate!
a.
1 Timothy 6:17, NAS95
"17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited
or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly
supplies us with all things to enjoy.
b.
Acts 20:34,35, NAS95
"34 "You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs
and to the men who were with me. 35 "In everything I showed you that by
working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of
the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to
receive.'""
1.
We live in a society
where it is quite easy to become wealthy
2.
We live in a society
where covetousness or the desire to be rich are not considered sins
3.
We live in a society
where heaping up treasures for our own gratification is considered an
inalienable right!
4.
It is easy to be
influenced by these values!
1.
Those who lay up
treasure in heaven are those who use their wealth to do good and help the poor
and less fortunate.
2.
Those who lay up
treasure on earth are actually storing up for themselves miseries and wrath!
a.
Miseries...when their
wealth fails them in their time of true need
b.
Wrath...from God in the
Day of wrath that is yet to come
1.
If we plan without considering the will of God, then we are foolish,
arrogant, and sinful!
2.
If we make our plans subject to the approval of God, then we are wise,
submissive, and righteous in God's sight!
3.
If we endeavor to plan as much as we can within the framework of God's
"revealed" will, then we increase the likelihood of success!
F.
What about your "plans" for eternity?
G.
Have you done as the Lord wills?
1. Note: Parts of the material for this outline was adapted heavily
from The Bible Exposition Commentary, Volume 2, by Warren W. Wiersbe, pages
366-370.
2. Mark A. Copeland
3.Dave Stewart