This is what James writes to us. This is the word of the Lord. Go to now ye that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil. Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Amen. May God bless this reading from his word.

What a strange concept time is. Time. Time is as simple as the ticking of a clock. And yet it is so profound as to leave the greatest philosophers and scientists struggling to explain or describe it. Time always appears to move in one direction. And yet scripture tells us it can stand still And even once, in the days of Isaiah, went backward. God created time. It was he who called the morning and the evening the first day. And think about this. That was even before the sun, moon, and stars existed. We number the days of our lives. We count our years. We measure their passing as we grow up and then as we grow old.

The wise man in scripture tells us in the Ecclesiastes chapter three, he says this, To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. a time to mourn and a time to dance a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing a time to get and a time to lose a time to keep and a time to cast away a time to rend and a time to sew a time to keep silence and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

And we are bound by the rules of time and we succumb to the appointments of time, to the appointed seasons of our lives. Sometimes we think we have plenty of time. Sometimes we feel like we're running out of time. Time is more precious than gold. We speak about saving time and spending time and stealing time. and how we resent wasting time. Nevertheless, we are limited and we are constrained and we are bound by time.

And this is what James is telling us here in these verses. Time will always be our limiting factor. circumstances intrude and interfere beyond our ability to manage them. Why then, says James, why then do we boast of what is beyond our control? We are always subject to outside forces. We are never certain about what a day will hold.

The morning may start out ordinary, and before the afternoon, things have changed so radically that our whole lives, the rest of our life, will never be the same again. This is how it is, and it is how it will be. until time as we know it is no more and we enter into the eternal realm. James is telling us that there is no ground here on earth in time for self-confidence and pride. On the contrary, the knowledge of these things, such awareness of them, as James here sets before us, as scripture reveals to us, ought to make us humble. James begins these verses that we've read together with a short exclamation. Maybe it's an exhortation. He says, go to now. Go to now. Go to now. Actually, He uses this form of words two times in this little book.

Here in the verse that we read, verse 13, and also in the first verse of chapter five, which we're going to come to next week, God willing. Interestingly, the only other time that that little phrase go to now is used at least in our authorized version, is in Ecclesiastes, where we were reading all those verses about the different times and seasons. So maybe James was familiar with those verses, and they were in his mind as he was writing these things to the church in his epistle.

I think his little phrase, go to now, carries the sense not only of drawing attention to James's words, but of mocking those who run on in their own strength and in their own foolishness. There's sarcasm in James's words. Like we might say, okay, get on with it then, do it your way. Like we might say that to someone who won't take advice or someone who won't receive instruction, who thinks that they know best and they know better and they can do it all themselves.

The foolishness of the people to whom James is writing, the foolishness of these people consists in their making their plans and mapping out their lives without factoring the Lord into their thinking. And James is warning the Lord's people. He's warning the church not to copy these foolish fellows, but think properly.

And again, think humbly about who we are and who God is. Now we now know, having come to the end of chapter four, we now know James has been calling for humility on the part of God's people throughout this chapter. He has shown us that we can do nothing without the Lord. He has shown us how we constantly require fresh supplies of God's goodness, fresh supplies of divine grace, just to get us through the day. And we have been assured by James that these supplies will be forthcoming, that the Lord will not leave us alone and will not leave us comfortless. The Apostle's encouragement has been to the humble, to the blessed meek, to the poor in spirit. He has encouraged us, comforted us with this promise.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. You know, we can interpret that little phrase, in the sight of the Lord, in two ways. We can interpret that phrase as meaning, humble yourselves before the Lord, that is, in the Lord's sight. Humble yourselves in the Lord's sight, and he shall lift you up. Or we could interpret it like this, humble yourselves with a view. of the Lord.

Humble yourselves by looking at the Lord in faith, by seeing the nature of God, the character of God, understanding how God has revealed himself in this world, in his scriptures. Humble yourselves when you look at the Lord with a look of faith and he shall lift you up. The fool says in his heart, there is no God. These fools that James is speaking about in verse 13, they boast their power, they promote their plans, and never once give thought to the Lord Jesus Christ.

They act like they're immortal. We're going to go on for a year or two, we'll do this or we'll do that. They act like they're immortal, they act like they're invincible, they act like they are omniscient. that they know everything that's going to happen and this is what they will do. Bereft of faith and in the absence of God in their thinking, in the absence of God from their minds, they consider themselves God. They have replaced the one true God with a view of their own self-worth and their own ability.

James says to us, don't do that. Don't be a fool. In these closing verses of chapter four, he warns the church against arrogance and presumptuousness. And he gives us a very suitable application to remind us of our limits and to remind us of the all-encompassing power of God.

Now sadly, when I say this of myself, sadly it is a common sin to take God for granted. It is a common sin to take Him for granted when we make our plans. I dare say we are all guilty of it. And by employing this example in verse 13, let me just read it again.

By employing this example, go to now ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain. By employing this example, James is not condemning travel or business. He's criticizing plans being made and outcomes being anticipated without consulting God and without taking his will into consideration. And the apostle condemns those who promise themselves riches and profit and success as if it were in their power. And he urges us, he urges the Lord's people, he urges the elect to acknowledge the uncertainty of circumstances and the frailty of human life. Not to ignore the providence of God, not to ignore his rule over his world.

Solomon. the wisest man who ever lived. He was the archetypal polymath. Polymath is someone who knows something about everything. And he was the one. He was the man. He excelled in art. Think of all the psalms that he wrote, and the proverbs that he did, and the songs that he composed. He excelled in art, in science, in philosophy and religion, in business, in politics and governance, in military strategy, in economics, and in every form of learning. Such a man was Solomon. Yet Solomon, for all his wisdom, confessed that men could never know the end from the beginning. and he wondered at the vanity of human pride.

You and I, we speak of God's sovereignty and rightly so. Our God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is sovereign in all things, from creation and providence to salvation. It is a truth with full scriptural warrant and authority that God's will, not man's will, God's will prevails in all matters.

He does his good pleasure. He does what he desires in this world, at all times, in all places. He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand. Daniel knew that in the Old Testament.

You cannot believe the Bible and deny God's sovereignty. You cannot with integrity believe God, believe that he is sovereign, and at the same time contend for man's free will. The sovereign purpose of God extends to all things created and all things experienced, whether in heaven or in earth. And I was struck a little earlier today in the context of this subject that we are thinking about, James's verses here, when I was reading some verses in Ecclesiastes. I've read a few things in Ecclesiastes today. But in chapter 3, verse 11, it says this, speaking about God, he hath made everything beautiful in his time.

Also he hath set the world in their hearts so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. How dare we presume to know better than God? The world is in our heart. We are constrained. We have a boundary set in us. Our understanding is no greater, can never be any greater than the physical world. Let us extend it, the physical universe in which we live. We are constrained and confined by these physical things. God has placed the world in our heart. so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Our intellect is limited. It is fallen. It is corrupt. Our mindset and our motives are sinful and natural. Consequently, we fail to take the Lord into consideration. And it is evil thinking. if the Lord's will is not sought first. And it is evil thinking if we do not acknowledge God's dominion in every situation. James asks, what is your life? You know, I think it's a great kindness of James to ask us this question.

What is your life? He asks you. He asks the church. He asks you and he asks me. What is your life? And he makes each one of us, I hope, in some small way today, and if not today, then in the days that lie ahead this week, address this question and think about it. He makes each one of us stand still and give thought and make answer to this question. What is your life?

We get so busy, we get so engrossed in this world with its pressures and its demands and how rarely we stop to ask, what is my life? The reality is that none of us can boast another day of life in this world or even another hour. Our existence on this earth is tenuous and short.

James compares it to a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. Like steam that rises from a kettle or a man's breath on a frosty day. It's there and it's gone. Actually, once we get to the end of our service and we're thinking about our final hymn, Isaac Watts has some beautiful pictures of that temporariness of our life as well. So do take note of that when we get there. But that's what James likens it to, a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. It would be well, says James, for the Lord's people to reflect upon the fragility of life and the essential providence of God in all that we do.

If the Lord doesn't provide for us, we've got nothing. The plans that we make, the intentions, all of these things must take the Lord into account. Our plans must be founded in divine wisdom, what God has revealed to us of himself, of ourselves. And we must seek God's help and his strength and his enabling to carry out all that we do. Let that be. the daily reality, let that be a thought that prevails in our mind and pervades all that we do. The nature of our fragile lives and our lack of strength and power ought to provoke humility in us before God.

And James has some advice to us. He tells the church, instead of boastfully declaring that we shall do this or that, ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live and do this and that. This approach to decision making, if not the express words, ought to be our mind and it ought to regulate our aims and our attitudes and our ambitions. It is the custom of natural men to boast of their supposed ability and self-sufficiency and it is unbecoming a child of God to follow that example. That's what James is telling us. Now let me just go back for a moment and say this. What do I mean, what did I mean when I said this approach, if not these express words? Well, here's what I'm saying to you.

I'm not suggesting that we all begin saying, if the Lord will, at the end of every sentence that contains a future tense. We don't have to say, if the Lord will, after every expression of what we plan to do. There is a time to say, God willing. There's a time to say it out loud. There's a time to say it into our own hearts. And there's a time to refrain from saying it. It isn't the words, but the attitude that matters. It is a distinguishing feature of the church that we formulate our plans, that we couch our hopes and our fears and our aspirations in light of our weakness and in light of God's dominion. That's all James is saying here. Let's take it a step higher.

What were the Lord's directions to his disciples when they said to him, Lord, teach us how to pray? What were the Lord's directions to his disciples for concluding their prayers to God? It was this. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen. And this is what James is speaking about. And this is the attitude that ought to prevail in our thinking. This is the attitude that ought to condition our approach to the decisions of life and towards the Lord. What is our life? It is short. It is fleeting. It is confusing. It is filled with trouble.

But when we live our life resting in the shadow of our God, when we live walking in the light of his counsel, trusting in his mercy, dwelling on his promises, believing his word, we shall discover a peace that passes understanding, a contentment that he who loved us in Christ at the first, loves us as he loves his son our head. We shall learn from experience that he who rules and overrules in all the affairs of our life is, to quote Samuel Medley, too wise to be mistaken and too good to be unkind.

But as I mentioned in the little note yesterday, the little introduction, James has another strand of truth here for God's elect and for the encouragement and comfort of the church. Our great provider, who gives grace to the humble, who lifts up his people, who fixes our feet on the solid rock that is Christ. This great provider has put in place a future so glorious, so wonderful, so fulfilling, so satisfying for those that he loves, that the apostle Paul tells us, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." These things about which Paul speaks are gospel blessings and heavenly promises won by Christ on the cross. They are conveyed to the elect by God's grace. They are received by the elect in faith.

So that whenever we think of traveling to another city or to another country, a better and brighter prospect opens up in our mind's eye. a heavenly hope, above and beyond anything which can be discovered or imagined on earth. My, there are a few beautiful places in this world, there are a few wonderful places that we could go, but nothing compares to what the Lord has prepared for His church in glory.

For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Hebrews 13 verse 14. Yes indeed, our life here is but a vapour. But already we are citizens of that better country. We are sons of its king. We are princes and priests. We are heirs of its riches. And we need not worry about travelling to a strange city for a year or two to buy and sell and make gain. we are never losers with the Lord. We are winners and all things are ours and we are Christ's. We are being called home to glory and our Lord daily provides for all our needs in this world as we make our journey upward. And here the true nature of our great provider can be seen and should be acknowledged by his people.

Weak and feeble as we are in this world, humble and lowly in the opinion of the men and women of this world and of ourselves, Christ has redeemed his church with his own precious blood and he has elevated us to a status of joint heirs with him. That is how precious we are.

We are his own body, united to him as his bride. He has laid down his life for ours. And shall not the Father, who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, with him also freely give us all things? Our plans and proposals, our worries and concerns, our every need is in his care and keeping. This is covenant grace in action. We serve at God's expense.

And for Christ's sake, the Father shall give us all things. Should we live a decade more, and some of us won't, or if we live only one day more, we are safe in his hands. and he will supply all our needs. How much simpler our life would be if we had more faith in God's daily provision and clearer views of the treasure Christ has laid up for us in heaven.

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14, verses one to three.

Revelation 3.14 says this.

These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. Brothers and sisters, what is your life? What is your experience? What is your testimony? Has not the Lord proved himself faithful hitherto? Shall his ways change now? It has been well said that we know not what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. James asks you, and he asks me, what is your life? And he tells us it is but a vapour.

Yes, but it is precious to the Lord. For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 7 verse 6. Feeble as we feel, weak as we are, we are strong in the Lord. And when our thoughts and desires, when our aims and ambitions, when our hopes and our fears are laid down in subjection to His will, we shall be happier by degrees as we make our way home. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us today. Amen.