What Is Your Life?

Introduction

Jesus said, take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesses. You can find these words recorded in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 12 at verse 15. If you will notice very plainly that this is a warning. It is a warning against covetousness. I have a marginal reading that tells me it’s a warning against all covetousness. Covetousness is idolatry. Idolatry that he’s speaking of specifically is greed. And here Jesus tells this story, a parable, if you will, as verse 16 says. And he tells us that a person’s life is not the main part. That is his desire for stuff and things. What he possesses, that is not a person’s main part of his life.

And in this parable, the sin of this young fool was simply not in planning, but rather leaving God out of his plans. It stands in contrast to Luke in chapter 16, verses 1 through 13, where that Jesus tells another story.

Now that young man planned.

He was condemned because he was not a faithful servant. He wasn’t a faithful steward. And so as a result of that, we began our series of lessons. If you remember on Sunday morning, we began asking the question, who is a faithful and wise servant? And so that’s what we are doing tonight. We are continuing our series of lessons in this theme, questions about God and about faith. And so tonight we’re going to raise the question very simply, what is your life? I would like to pause and I want to acknowledge my gratitude to God for the very reasons that Brother Klein mentioned in his prayer. I want to acknowledge my gratitude to God because he’s worthy because of who he is and what he has done.

And I also praise him as we have done so this evening in song. And I praise him and I praise his son Jesus Christ, who sits at his right hand and who reigns in the hearts of those who have submitted their will unto him. I offer my thanks once again to the brethren here, the church that meets you regularly at Bumby. I thank you for this wonderful fellowship that we share. I thank you for your kind and warm invitation for me to come and to worship and work with you this week. I thank you for the hospitality that’s been extended. And my dear sister Mary, your heart is wide open. And I thank you also for sharing. We appreciate you so very much and your good heart.

I appreciate all of you. The kind words of encouragement that you’ve offered to me, the way that you have received me, and the way that you’ve received my bride. And I don’t believe it’s just because I’m a preacher. It appears to me that the love that you have for the people of God is in this place. And so if you are visiting, I would suggest to you, and you’re looking for a church home, I’m telling you that the family of God meets at this place. I met Miss Sabrina earlier as we were preparing for our services this evening. And we want to welcome you, Miss Sabrina. We are glad that you are here. And we hope that even through the difficulties that you’re facing right now, we want you to know that just as we have, you can find solace in the arms of our Lord.

We’re told to cast all your cares upon him for he careth for you. And I got to tell you something else.

And I am glad that I’ve been able to witness that at this place. So good to be with you this evening. We may have others who are visiting with us, and we want you to know that you are our welcome guest. We are glad that you’re here. And so we’re going to conclude with this final lesson in this series of lessons. Questions about God and about faith. What I want to do tonight is I want to begin with another question. And that question is very simply: where are you headed? I want you to think about that. You see, because a heavenly home is of the greatest importance. You want to know how to live the Christian life. And among your other duties as a Christian and your obligations, you study through the Bible diligently.

Because you know that as a disciple of Jesus Christ, that you are a learner. You ought to be a daily Bible reader. You ought to be studying your Bibles. You ought to take advantage of the opportunities that is afforded by the local church to assemble with the saints so that you can encourage and be encouraged by your brethren. And of course, when you read and you study and you make notes and you research words and phrases and you make careful application of the principles and the facts that are learned from your study. And during the course of your study, you know what? Eventually you’re going to come to the wonderful book of James. You talk about one of the most pragmatic books in all of the Bible.

It is very practical in nature. Some have even called it the gospel of practical Christian living. And as you study through James, you note every chapter, every verse has something applicable for this day, regardless of when you’re living and its myriads of situations. And so that’s the way I’m turning. If you notice as we begin, James in chapter 4 is the text that we are going to consider tonight. But when you open up the book of James, one of the first things you see as Paul, as James rather greets the saints, I want you to notice James talks about how a Christian can profit from trials. He says, blessed. My brethren, tell it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith, it produces patience.

And this word patience is sometimes misunderstood. It’s the idea of endurance, the idea of keeping on. And then he goes on to say that even when we face trials in this life, we can endure those trials. Blessed is the man, he says in verse 12, who endures temptation. For when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those that love him. And he talks about the kind of qualities that are needed in these kinds of trials. We need to be doers of God’s word and not hearers only, he tells us. The chapter in verse divisions were not in the original manuscript, but if you will move quickly to chapter 2, he talks about showing personal favoritism. God is not a respect of persons, and we ought not be respected of persons either.

He talks about faith without works is dead. If a person claims to have faith in God, let me tell you what, it ought to be seen in action. There ought to be fruits of repentance. Not only that, when you look at chapter 3, he talks about the difficulty of controlling the tongue. And then he talks about the wisdom of God in contrast to the wisdom of this world. And when you get to chapter 4, we are reminded of prayer’s restrictions. In chapter 4, verse 2 specifically, he says, You lust and you don’t have, you murder and you covet, and you cannot obtain. You fight in war, and yet you do not have, because you do not ask. And so as we read that, we pause. And we stop and think about how valuable it is that God has given the Christian the ability to communicate with God.

Remember what Jesus says that men ought to always pray and not faint or lose heart. And remember that importunate woman who went before this judge. And remember the point of the story? This judge finally answers, not because he’s a righteous judge, because he doesn’t want this woman to wear her out. And Jesus makes the point. He says, Shall not God answer his own who cry out to him day and night? Yes. Now I know that there’s a lot of people who treat God like a band-aid. The only time they’re interested in spiritual things, the only time they want to go to God is when they want something, when they’re hurting. I gotta tell you, God is a compassionate God. And he wants to hear from his children.

1 Peter 3 12 says, the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers, but his face is against those who do evil. Why should God answer someone who doesn’t want to obey him or do his will? Proverbs chapter 28, verse 9 says that he who turns his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination to God. But that talks about the value of prayer. And so we read the next few verses in James in chapter 4, and we are brought face to face with the reality that life’s daily activities will one day come to a screeching halt. And another question is, where are you headed? I want you to think about that as we read this text together.

1. What Is Your Life? Even a Vapor

James in chapter 4, and I want you to notice very carefully at verse 13. He says, 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 while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him he says, it is sin. Well, one of the first things that James warns us against is that God’s will needs to be considered in all of our plans.

And what James begins with in verse 13, as we consider our subject tonight is the problem of self-confidence. Look at what James says. James tells us that it’s not wrong to make plans. I mean, that’s a natural part of life. You know, plans for college, plans for a career, plans for marriage, plans for a family, plans to take a vacation, plans for retirement, plans in the church, for church growth, getting all the members involved. But I think what James is helping us to understand is we need to know the limit of our control over the future. And so, keeping with the practical nature of this epistle, the passage under consideration makes this very clear. That we make grandiose plans for the future without regard to life’s uncertainty or its end.

And so we need to be forward thinking. Remember what Jesus says? He says, take heed and beware of covetousness, because your life does not consist in the abundance of the things that you possess. Not only that, James tells us, he tells us very simply, second of all, that man has no way of knowing what is going to occur tomorrow. He basically tells us that life is short. No pun intended. But in short, regardless of how long you live, life is short because James says that life is like a vapor. And then by means of a poignant question and its accompanying statement of fact, James emphasizes the brevity of life. Can anybody answer what’s going to happen tomorrow? Is anybody in this assembly? Regardless of what your education level is or how old you is, how old you are, can anybody answer what’s going to happen tomorrow?

None of us can.

But God can. God knows. And not only that, our every plan must be made with the understanding, as James says, if the Lord wills. How much of that do we say when we speak, when we make plans? I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that, if the Lord wills. Or like some older folks used to say, if the Lord says the same, I’m going to do this or I’m going to do that. The point that James is making is that whenever we make plans, whatever plans we make, we need to be conscious of and include God in our plans. And not only that, boasting in mundane matters is sinful. And not only that, we need to do all the good we can while we can, wherever we can.

And apparently I’m having some problems with the overhead, but stay with the text in the book of James in chapter 4. I want you to think about this this series of lessons is about questions. There is a book by Mr. Leroy Brownlow. I’m sure that many of you are familiar with him. And he wrote a book, and the title of this book is Some of the Greatest Questions in the New Testament. And I want you to notice, in answering the question, what is your life? Mr. Leroy Brownlow suggested seven answers. Now we know the number seven is oftentimes used figuratively of completeness. But think about these in light of the scripture. First of all, he says, life is a gift, and it must be used to glorify God.

Let me tell you what that means. In Matthew in chapter 5, verse 16, the Bible says, Let your light so shine that men may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. You know what he’s saying? You know what Jesus is telling us? He’s telling us that we have influence. And while we live on this earth, we need to live our lives in such a way that we are salt and we are light. We need to influence the world. Because Jesus Christ has touched our heart, we need to touch the hearts and the lives of other people by the way we live. Not only that, he says that life is a preparation and like a dressing room. It is where man dresses in preparation for the judgment.

In other words, we need to be forward thinking. We need to live our lives knowing what lies ahead. Remember 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10. The Bible says, every last one of us must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and we are going to have to answer for the things we have done in the body. John chapter 5, verse 28.

Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. How often do we stop and think about the judgment? It’s a certainty. In living our lives. And not only that, he says that life is a period of building, and we must build wisely and on a firm foundation. And that’s exactly what Jesus says as he closed the Sermon on the Mount. Remember in the book of Matthew, in chapter 7, at verses 24. Jesus says, whoever hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man that built his house upon the rock. And I’m going to tell you what, folks, sooner or later the storms of life are going to come.

And if we are not standing on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, we are not going to withstand the storms. He says, life is conflict or war, and there is no neutral ground in this great battle. Jesus says, no man can serve two masters. The apostle Paul says, put on the whole armor of God that you might be able to stand. As we live each day, are we aware of the constant fact that we are at war? I’m not talking about the Middle East. I’m talking about this war, sin against righteousness and truth and everything that is good. That Satan walks about like a rolling lion, seeking whom he may devour. And folks, he wants us. He wants our children. He wants our grandchildren. He wants anybody that he can.

And we need to be constantly aware of that as we live our lives. He says, life is a multiplicity of choices, and the decisions we make when faced with these choices decides our eternal destiny. That reminds me of something that was said long time ago. Remember by Joshua, who actually brought the people into the promised land? And some folks have those words in their houses. And I hope that they live by those words. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. That ought to be in our minds and on the frontness of our heads every single day. When we leave our houses, it ought to be in our automobiles when we drive. When we come home, we ought to see those words. As for me and my house, the choices that I make are going to be based upon my relationship with God.

Mr. Brownlow says that life is something that must be lived one day at a time. You know what I’m reminded of? That Sermon on the Mount again. Remember in Matthew in chapter 6, Jesus says three times. He says, Don’t worry. Don’t worry about your life. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t worry about food and clothing. That’s what the world does. But he says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. You know what? You know what people are like when they worry? They’re people who have what Jesus says is a little faith. Why do you worry, oh ye of little faith? You know what a little faith is? A little faith is a kind of people who doubt God.

They don’t trust God. And I know that that’s one of the greatest challenges that we have is learning how to trust God.

Learning how to walk by faith and not by sight. We’ve talked in these series of lessons that God is the faithful God. We cannot know faithfulness unless it were for God Himself. God can be trusted. God can be dependent upon. Does not God take care of the birds? Doesn’t he take care of the flowers? Will God not take care of you and you and me, his children? Will he not take care of us? The answer is yes. But we’ve got to learn to trust him. Then finally, Mr. Brownlow says that life is a vapor. And what that tells me is when I look on the stove and that teapot is steaming, and that vapor goes up. You see it now, and then you see it no more.

And that’s how life is.

But there’s value in that, Moses says. He looks up above and he says, Lord, teach us to number our days so we could gain a horn of wisdom. And as Brother Bob introduced this lesson, he’s talking about looking forward. He’s talking about understanding why we’re here. What we’re supposed to be doing while we’re here. This short period of time we’re here. And so the question again. And that is where you’re headed. Because our earthly sojourn undertaken in this life’s little day will swiftly draw to an end. And you know, we can say, like Job said, recorded in Job chapter 7, verse 6, my days are swifter than a weevil’s shuttle. And then in chapter 14, verses 1 and 2. We’re familiar with that. Man that is born of woman is of a few days and full of trouble.

He cometh forth like a flower, and he is cut down. He fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not. And this is what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 89, verse 47. He says, Oh, remember how short my time is. For what vanity hast thou created all the children of men. So I think that means that we need to view our lives as a collection of individual days. The days are made up of hours and minutes and finally seconds. And you know what? There’s going to be a time in our lives in which only five seconds remain. You ever think about that? Will you know when to begin the five-second countdown? Extremely unlikely. Indeed. We have no lease on life. We have no promise of future days.

No future promise of hours or even minutes, let alone seconds. So we need to use them and not squander them.

I’m reminded of Hezekiah. Remember when he was told they was going to die. Maybe you’ve met some folks who’ve come face to face with death. You may be here. You may have come face to face with death. And I think it may be a good thing that we learn to trust God because we don’t know when we’re going to die. If we knew that we were going to die, I tell you what, folks, we would be probably locked up in our cells, in our houses when the day finally came. But Hezekiah said, recorded in the book of Isaiah, chapter 38, my dwelling is removed and is carried away from me as a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up like a weaver my life. He will cut me off from the loom from day even to night.

Will thou make an end of me? And what that tells me is that our hand, our lives are in the hand of God. And we need to learn how to live our lives so that we are ready all the time. Because we don’t know when our lives gonna come to an end. Death is approaching each of us. And chairs that yesterday were full of mirth and song may be empty and quiet before the week even ends. And we say this not to be morbid, but rather to encourage people with a proper view towards where all of us are headed. We are headed towards eternity. And so we need to have a proper view of life’s brevity and a proper view of life’s uncertainty. And the heart that recognizes this truth, I believe, is wise and is going to handle life far differently than the soul who carelessly gulps down each day like a pig in a trough.

2. Constantly Recognize My Dependence Upon God

Not even giving thought to the Creator. Not even giving thought to what pleases him. And as a result of our study and what James tells us, I think there are certain things that we’re going to do with our lives. And so let’s make application from this. First of all, because my life is like a vapor, I will constantly recognize my dependence upon God every single day. You know why? Because I need guidance. And you are no different. Jeremiah said, Oh Lord, I know, I know that the way of man is not in man the direct steps. There is a way that seemeth right, but the the the way that way is the way of death. I need guidance, I need comfort, I need hope for tomorrow and eternity.

Guidance and comfort and real hope are only found in God. And it is our gracious God who holded our soul in life and suffered not our feet to be moved, said the Psalmist in Psalm 66, verses eight and nine. And remember what the apostle Paul said at Athens, because it is in him we live and move and have our very being.

Do we need guidance in this world of political turmoil? You better believe it. Do we need guidance in this world of violence? You better believe it. Do we need guidance in this world of immorality and ungodliness? You better believe it. And that’s what helps to change our worldview. My dependence upon God. That God is in control. Regardless of who the government is, regardless of where you live, regardless of what you’re facing in life. And I think we need to remember Romans chapter 8, verse 28. And we know. We know that all things can work together for good for those that love the Lord, those who are the called according to his purpose. Let these passages serve as a bone for your hearts. 2 Corinthians 5, 1.

We talked about that last night. For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. I need that kind of guidance. I need that kind of reminder. And don’t you know when you come to the assembly of the saints, you will get constant reminders about forward thinking. As we say tonight, I’m pressing on. We’re going to higher ground, folks. And we’re going to escape the corruption that’s in this world through lust. Because God has given us everything that we need. 2 Timothy and chapter 1, verse 12. The Apostle Paul says, For which cause I suffer also these things, and yet I’m not ashamed. For I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep or to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.

And what about what John said in 1 John in chapter 3? Remember? Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been made manifest what we shall be. But we know that if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And then Psalm 56, verse 9, then shall mine enemies turn back in the day that I call. This I know that God is for me. And then in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 9. Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful creator. And so being dependent upon God. Learning to trust God.

That’s the guidance that all of us need. And so we make our plans with this principle in mind. That if the Lord wills, I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that. I’m going to keep God in my plans. And as I’ve read and as I’ve studied and as I’ve meditated on the word of God, I remember those passages that can help me in my life. You may be like me. Do you struggle sometimes with things coming into your mind that ought not be there? Look at Proverbs in chapter 16 at verse 3. Commit your ways to the Lord and your thoughts will be established. You make up your mind where you’re headed, what your direction is, who you’re serving, who you’re trusting, who you’re dependent upon.

3. Thankful for Each and Every One of God’s Blessings

And I tell you what, that will keep your thoughts in the right place. You go to the book of Philippians in chapter 4, and we’re told in pastures like that what specifically we ought to think about. But the point that I’m trying to make, folks, if we understand that life is a vapor, we are going to constantly recognize my dependence upon God. Second of all, when we understand that life is a vapor, we are going to be thankful for each and every one of God’s blessings. I think we’re living in a time in which people are ungrateful. When I look in the book of Romans in chapter 1, I read about people that God gave up on. And you know the reason why these people turned away from God?

You know what was the first sign? It was because they were ungrateful. And this simple command in Colossians 3 15. And be ye thankful. You know what? That is so often neglected. James 1 16 and 17. Be not deceived. Why do you think James preferences with that? Be not deceived. My beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift, it cometh from above. It cometh down from the father of lights with whom there is no valueness, neither shadow turning. Why would James preference that with don’t be deceived? Well, because, like the Jews, they thought that if you had things, if you were rich, that God was blessing you, and if you didn’t, that God was cursing you. And people today, you know what they think? They think that because I have this stuff, that I’m okay.

That’s the very essence of humanism. We don’t really need God. What do we need God for? I have all this stuff. And if I get in trouble, I can figure out how to get out of trouble. But the fact of the matter is, when we stand before judgment, our possessions will not help us at all. Because when we die, they stay here. So I need to express my gratitude to God for the blessings that he has provided. You know, a lack of gratitude goes hand in hand, I think, with worldliness and apostasy. Maybe you saw the movie Shanando. Actor Jimmy. Jimmy Stewart played Charlie Anderson, the grizzled and irreligious old former and the widower. If you saw that movie, his prayer before a meal might well express the lack of proper gratitude.

Listen to what he said. Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it. We harvested it. We we cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be here eating it if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dogbone hard for every crumb and morsel. But we thank you just the same anyway. Lord, for the food we’re about to eat. Amen. Ah, irreligious. What a failure to recognize the blessings that God gives us. And so you say, well, when should I say thanks? Well, let me see. How many times you eat? Well, I know some folks get up for a midnight stack, but I eat at least three meals a day. So that’s at least three times, right? We’re told to pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5.18 tells me, in everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Have you ever prayed to God and asked God for something and God answered your prayer? What do you do? You say thanks. And sometimes we fail to say thanks. Have you ever said thanks after a meal? I know I have. Thanks for the cook. Thanks for the food we’ve just eaten that was so delicious. And yet we know, Father, that every good and perfect gift come from you. Men, are we like that man over in Proverbs 31? Who praise our wives and thank our wives and thank God for our wives? Her children rise up and call her, bless her husband also, and he praises her. Men, I’m saying we are the ones who ought to lead in thanksgiving. Thank God for our wives. Thank God for our children.

Especially when our children are living right and trying to do right. And we ought to communicate those things to them and help them to know you’re on the right track, son. You’re on the right track, daughter. That’s a part of discipline. A lot of times we think discipline is negative. There is corrective discipline, but positive discipline is reassuring someone that they’re doing the right thing. And we can do that by thanking God. Leading prayers in our homes. Thanking God for our wives. Thanking God for our husbands. Thanking God for our children. And oh, if God blesses us that we might see our children’s children, thank God. Thank God when somebody obeys the gospel.

Thank God that he would use us to help somebody else to lead them to Jesus Christ. There’s so many things that we can offer thanksgiving for, but sometimes we take God for granted and the blessings he provides.

4. I Must Be About My Father’s Business

But failing to realize life’s revercy goes hand in hand with being an ingrate. Third, because my life is a vapor, I must be about my father’s business. You know what brief lives mean? Urgency. We need to recognize that we need to stop putting things off. We need to recognize that now is the time when we can work because there’s going to come a time when we cannot work anymore. We’ve talked about the fact that the Lord Himself says, I must do the work to the Father while I’m on this earth. His brief short life of three years in his ministry, 33 years. But look at how much he accomplished. Now ask ourselves a question. Are we working? I tell you the least that we can do.

You know what the least that we can do? Pray to God, find one soul that we can teach the gospel to. Think about that. Think about if every member here at Bumby taught somebody the gospel. Think about how much the church would grow. Even more than that, think about how God would be glorified. Do we know what our father’s business is? Think about the widows. Think about the widowers. Think about people who are less fortunate than we are. Part of the judgment is going to be based, Matthew chapter 25, on our response to those who are less fortunate than we are. Inasmuch as you’ve done this to the least of these, my brethren, you’ve done it unto me. You see, because our work is vast, and we only have a short time.

5. I Must Live Righteously and Godly

And then number four, because life is a vapor, I must live righteously and godly. What is your life? Let me tell you what Peter said. I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims that you abstain from fleshly lust which war against the soul. You know what a stranger is? Somebody who’s strange. They’re different. And that’s what we are. We’re strange. One translation says, I beseech you as pilgrims. What are pilgrims? They’re just traveling through. One translation says, I beseech you as aliens. Or what are aliens? Aliens are people from another place. Remember, E.T., ET want to go home. Folks, we want to go home. And so we need to live righteously, godly, because there are things that are trying to attract us away from God. In the book of Titus in chapter 2, the Apostle Paul write, for the grace of God which brings salvation has appealed unto all men.

And it teaches us. What’s it teaches, Paul, to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, and that we should live righteously and godly in this present age. Looking for and hastening to the coming of our Lord.

Where are we headed? Well, if we want to live with Him who is righteous, if we want to live with God Himself, we must dedicate our lives to holiness and righteousness. Because life is a vapor. And pilgrims live apart from the world. They’re in the world, but they’re not of the world. We remain unspotted from the world. Once we come up out of that watery grave of baptism. May I say something, folks? While there’s much ado made about homosexuality and righteously so, let me tell you what, folks, there is a sexual obsession that is evident throughout our society from the youngest to the oldest. God does not smile or wink at sexual immorality. Let marriage be held in honor among all. And the wedding bed is undefiled.

And I’ll tell you something else. And while we’re talking about fornication, we need to discuss the media. I want you to recall Acts in chapter 19 and 19, where those people with those books and things that they use in pursuit of evil, they burned them to a sum that was very large. And you know what that tells me? Maybe the media. Maybe the television, the books, the magazines, the internet, the subscriptions. Maybe they need to be canceled or cut off. And maybe we need to spend more time in what the word of God says so that our minds can be cured.

6. We Are Going to Assemble With the Saints

Is anybody thinking about life’s brevity or uncertainty when they are engaged in those things? Unlikely. Sometimes we just get too comfortable in this world. I’ll tell you something else. When young people from supposedly Christian homes are picking out prom dresses or tuxedos. We’re told to love not the world. Christians don’t sanction, condone, endorse, support, participate in or even attend dances. Period. Lascivious activity and James chapter 4, verse 14, are incompatible. We need to look at that word lasciviousness. You know what? It’s a big word, but I got to tell you what, it spells trouble. And I’ll tell you something else. Dancing feet really are not concerned with righteousness and godliness. They’re not concerned about the judgment day. They’re not concerned about what lies ahead. And then last but not least, when we realize that life is like a vapor, we are going to assemble with the saints.

And I know there are some people who said, there he goes again. And I know this. Because we wonder how many folks professing to be Christians would forsake the assemblies of the saints if they knew that they had just one week left to live. You and I know that the pews would be full. Every preacher, every elder has endured this telling question from a corner of heart. People say, Do I have to attend every service? You know, you can say, well, if you don’t want to go to heaven, no, you don’t have to. But when we get to heaven, that’s what exactly what we’re going to be doing. We’re going to be assembling together so we can worship God. And so Christians don’t view the assembly as a doldrum.

Conclusion

Assembly with the saints is no burden, but rather it is a special privilege that is granted to the child of God. And so I think a study of James especially, this pragmatic book, chapter 5, James goes on to say that the right kind of faith is a kind of faith that is patient and the kind of faith that endures and get this. He says, it’s the kind of faith that prays and trusts God. I think Psalms 90 is a beautiful commentary on what this text in James chapter 4 tells us. You might write down in your margin, Psalm 90. Let me read just a few verses as I close this lesson. Moses writes, For all our days are passed away in thy wrath. We bring our years to an end as a sigh.

The days of our years are three score years and ten, or even by reason of strength, four score years, yet is their pride but labor and sorrow, for it is soon gone, and we fly away. Who knoweth, who knoweth the power of thine anger and thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee. So teach us to number our days that we may get us a heart of wisdom. So what is your life? In short, I’ll tell you what it is. It’s unpredictable, it’s fragile, it’s challenging, it’s an opportunity, it’s a proving ground, but it’s brief in duration. Somebody has said, life is a schoolhouse, the Bible is the textbook, and the Lord is the teacher. We are wiser servants of God because I believe of this passage in the book of James.

We know better. We know where we’re headed, Christians. We dare not let a day pass without reflecting on the principles that life is like a vapor, that our lives do not consist in the abundance of things we have. And so with our final thought, we pray, O God, we thank thee for this day. We thank thee for the opportunities that come our way. And if it is thy will that we see another day, may we use it to thy glory. Keep before our eyes the brevity and the uncertainty of life, so we will use our days wisely. Last but not least, boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Proverbs chapter 27, verse 1. Only you can answer what is your life.

But you can answer that question properly with relationship that you have with the Lord. If you’re a child of God, your life right here is lived in preparation for eternity. If you’re not a child of God, you’re living a life that is without hope and without God. But it doesn’t have to continue that way. You see, because God offers salvation. God wants all men to be saved. The apostle Paul wrote in one of his epistles, today is the day of salvation. If you’ve been thinking about obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ, if you’ve been thinking about coming to the Lord in simple faith and repentance, don’t put off another day. That day may never come.

But it would be sad to end the life knowing what you could have done, and you failed to do it. And so therefore, I use the last verse of what James says in James 4, verse 17. Him that knoweth to do good and do it not, to him it is sin. You know you need guidance. You know you need the Lord. Come to Him. Turn from sin and turn to Jesus Christ as your Savior. Confess Him. Be willing to change your life. Be buried with Him in the waters of baptism. And if you haven’t been living your life in preparation for eternity, then this day, think about it. Think seriously about it. Where are you headed? So you can be prepared to meet the Lord in judgment.

A song has been selected to encourage you. Would you come? While together we stand and sing. God is unprofessional.