e e how we stop countries from blowing each other out e e e e e [Music] well good morning everybody and uh welcome belong to B for Baptist uh it's wonderful to see you all again and uh it's just a great privilege to uh come together and and worship Our God lift up his name and uh praise the Lord together um so we've been working through uh this series in James and we'll be continuing to do that to today um which is a letter to all Christians throughout the world and it's a letter about being wholehearted and in our belief and really to uh encourage us to uh live out the gospel so we'll be uh reading some more verses from James a little later and Joe will be bringing the message from that uh We've also got Junior church and cron today and uh they'll be going out a little later as well um so uh as I Was preparing this this week I decided that I'd actually read all the way through Psalm 119 it's something I don't normally do because uh I skip over it because it's got so many verses in it um but I was quite interested to discover that when you actually read through it it actually reads like a series of prayers and um and as I was reading through it I thought wow these are this prayer is really quite appropriate for today so this reading comes from um Psalm 119 and we read it like a prayer teach me Lord the way of your decrees that I may follow it to the end give me understanding so that I may keep your law and Obey it with all my heart direct me in the path of your commands for there I find Delight turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain turn my eyes away from worthless things preserve my life according to your word fulfill your promise to your servants so that you may be feared take away the disgrace I dread for your laws are good how I long for your precepts in your righteousness preserve my life well shall we stand together and uh sing some songs of praise let's start with holy holy holy holy holy holy Lord God almightyy early in the morning Our Song shall rise to the Holy Holy Hool merciful and mighty God in three persons Blessed [Music] Trinity holy holy holy Saints adore thee casting down golden crowns around the glossy seaer and S falling down before who was and is and more shall be holy holy holy though the darkness Lo the I on sinful and thy Glory may not see holy th Are Holy there is one beside me perfect in power love and [Music] Pur holy holy holy Lord God almightyy all thy Work shall praise thy name in Earth and Sky and see holy holy holy mer and mighty [Music] God bless and trity [Music] in bless and Lord God we uh join with the angels and all creation in uh singing praises to you this morning we thank you Lord for your for your faithfulness and for the provision of all that we need Lord help us to um be thankful for what we have and not seek things that are beyond your will Lord bless our time this morning morning that we might draw closer to you and that your glory be revealed to us through Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior amen [Music] [Applause] I'll your name our God I set your is out the Your Glory all you so we bless your name oh God your will be red by children Yet to Come All generation sing of Wonders you have done your strong and mighty are always near oh God most high your name will be great is the great to beis Great is the How great is the Lord and great to be [Music] pra your gracious hand provides for RO to live and Brea your Mery runs to find the hel and the weak when we call out to you you hear our C and all need your gracious [Music] hand How great is our Lord and greatly to be pra How great is the Lord God how great is the Lord and great to be [Music] PR forever with there and creation will rejoice when works of wicked men you finally destroyed your power will Proclaim till Christ desend and you will R [Music] forever How great is the GL and great to be praised How great is the Lord How great is the Lord and great to be [Applause] [Music] PR and great to be praised [Music] please have a seat and uh those that have be collecting the offering can they come forward now and um take up the offering money goes towards supporting what we do here at bord Baptist um but we also support missionaries overseas and scripture Union more closer to home I'm going to hand over to ran now who's going to bring us the notices hi good morning everyone when I say everyone I can include everyone so I don't know to every anyway we have our worship service this morning we're going to continue with Joe in terms of the Book of James wholehearted um we're going to focus if you don't have a Bible uh there's a cupboard there you can grab one there uh we're going to focus on James 4: 13 uh to 17 uh with that in mind I just want to add up our midweek Bible study it's not in our notes is this week so if you look at it it's it's a bit of a mess but uh it's it's going strong and uh I have to say it's it's the midweek Bible study is really speaking to me it's lot it's like we hear the fury here on Sunday and then on on Wednesday we we get a bit more of application and it's been really heart heating personally for me in my walk as well so I want to encourage if you have the ability and you have the time please come on the midweek um apologies um we start at 7 and we have this agreement we will not go later than 8:30 so it's not that late in the night so please come out for that uh there's not a lot of announcements uh the one thing I see is the ladies Retreat uh it's about four weeks to go I think today is the last day if the ladies if you want to go just to contact Sue uh just in that regard I don't know if Sue is here this morning no okay so just be aware of that uh today is the last day for that as well uh I don't think I want to share anything else I think everything is in the notices um me and Rea were driving yesterday and um well as couples Drive normally in a car you discuss a lot of things and um she reference a verse which I uh forgot and it is really a profound verse it really impacted me and I I meditated on it yesterday because it impacted me so much it's a it's a famous one out of Micah 6:8 and um what it was is just about what is really important uh in our walk with Christ and um uh I just want to go on actually from verse six just to put the context in what the question is um the prophet asked with what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high God shall I come before him with burnt offerings with calves a year old and then verse eight and this is what have impacted me he has showed you man what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly to love Mercy to walk humbly with your God my biggest desire is I want to be like Enoch I want to walk with God and this is the invitation to humbly walk with God but look at the two other things to do justly to love mercy and that is what we as a church is about to do what is right and to love Mercy to love people around us even whatever situation they are in and um I love this church for that reason is because we do care for our community we do care for one another we look out for one another and let's with that in mind come and pray as a church together before God Heavenly Father uh we want to lift up our church before you this morning Father we are not big we are not many but Lord we have this one thing that we desire to walk with you we desire to do justly to do what is right Lord before you to to love Mercy Lord above everything else Lord to have mercy not only for ourselves but for those people around us and Lord I want to pray for our church Lord that through the working of your spirit you would draw us closer to you Lord for the through the worship this morning Lord that we would reach your throne that we would touch your throne Lord I want to pray Lord that you would speak to us this morning I want to pray and ask father that through Joe the preaching of your your word Lord that you would open up our hearts give us understanding Lord how to serve you how to walk with you how to be close to you Lord because if we look around this world father we see a lot of people um who are aiss who's living in their sinful Lives who are struggling who does not have a light nor the understanding who does not want to think about the future but one day we will stand before you you to give an account for every single thing we have done angle every single word we have spoken and I want to pray Lord with that Lord that we would be humble that we would humble ourself before you not only before you but before one another Lord that we would esteem one another better than ourself Lord heavenly father I want to pray Lord for our government I want to pray Lord for Australia uh this is a a lucky country but heavenly father if this country is without you and that's not luck at all Lord that is a disaster and father we want to pray Lord for the Salvation of Souls and we want to pray Lord for those around us those who are closest to us our family members first Lord we want to pray Lord for our church uh family as well we want to pray Lord for our community and per and the broader world that we have an influence in Via our people what we support in Peru as well as in the Congo we want to lift up our missionaries before you father as well and heavenly father I want to pray for those who struggle this morning via maybe sickness maybe via what's happened in the world and the impact the world has on them I want to pray Lord for your salvation for your light for your healing to come through Lord and touch these people I want to pray Lord for us as a church that we will be accommodating those who seek you I want to pray Lord that you give us a Heart Lord to love to love the unlovable Heavenly Father what does it help if we win the world but we lose our very souls or what will we give in return for our souls so I want to lift up our prayers I want to lift up our music I want to lift up the the the the Bible reading this morning and the sermon to you Lord that you would bless this bless us Lord with your presence I pray this in the wonderful name the name above all name Jesus Christ amen thanks ran um so as we move towards uh opening God's word um let's focus our minds um in singing these next few songs uh hosana I see the king of glory we haven't sung it for a little while um but we sing hosana We singing uh thank you Lord God for saving us and also um Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus as we open his word and we um focus in on what um uh we're going to learn today so let's stand together and uh start with uh hosana I see the king of glory [Music] I see the king of glory Glory coming on the cloud with the sh [Music] sh I see his love and [Music] Mer washing all all the people [Music] Theos the [Music] highest [Music] hosana hosana in the highest [Music] I see aeration rising up to take their place with selfless fa with selfless [Music] fa I see a near rival stiring as we pray and S we're on our KN we're on our hosana hosan hosana in the highest hosana hosana [Music] in the [Music] highest kill my heart and make it clean open up my eyes to the things see show me how to love like you have me take my heart for what praise Lord everything I am for your kingom as I walk from the ET [Music] hosana hosana hosana in the [Music] highest hos hosana hosana in the high hosana [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the [Music] highest [Music] hosana in the [Music] highest hosana in the [Music] highest in the high [Music] yes Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus look full in his wonderful and the things of Earth will gr strange in the light of his glory and [Music] turn your eyes to the [Music] hill where Justice and mercy and pra the Son of God gave his life for us and our measur was Jesus to you we lift our Jesus our glory and our PR we adore you behold you our savior ever true oh Jesus we turn our eyes to you [Music] turn your eyes to the and see Christ The Lion away what a glorious T here are [Music] is for we carry his life in our way Jesus to you we lift [Music] our Jesus of glory and of [Music] PR we adore you behold you our you're ever true oh Jesus we turn our eyes to [Music] you turn your R to the heav th King will return for his own every need he will bow every Tong Will shout Oh Glory to Jesus Jesus do you we lift our [Music] heart Jesus the glory and of we adore you behold you I'll take ever to oh Jesus we turn our [Music] eyes Jesus we live [Music] all Jesus the glory and we adore you all you our savior ever oh Jesus we turn our eyes to [Music] you oh Jesus we turn our eyes [Music] Lord Jesus as uh we come to hear from you uh we turn our eyes upon you gr us ears to hear our hearts of Flesh and have Minds attuned to your way of thinking we ask you to bless Joe and Lord our Junior Church teachers as they preach the gospel in this place may we see your glory and may lives be changed in your name we pray amen so Junior church and PR you can make your way out now might need some umbrell it started raining out there and uh those of you that have your um Bibles with you this morning uh open them to James 4 and we're reading verses 13 to1 17 now listen you who say today or tomorrow we will go to this or that City spend a year there carry on business and make money why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow what is your life you are a Mist that appears for a little while then vanishes instead you ought to say if it is the Lord's will we will live and do this or that as it is you boast in your arrogant schemes all such boasting is evil if anyone then knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it it is sin for them thank you Jo thank you thank you and I mean I got to take a little bit of a moment to compose myself because that last song really got me um oh you guys played it and sang it so well um but actually that's has always been one of my favorite songs even from childhood the Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus look full in his wonderful face at just at the Simplicity of it all the promise that the things of Earth the world that gets us down and and knocks us to the ground just we grow strangely dim as we keep looking to Jesus Christ it is a beautiful simple powerful song and um I was just taking it back there sometimes you are it's like oh how easily do I forget that how easily do I take my eyes off of Jesus and really I I think this whole series we've been in the the Book of James a letter to the church as we've said already this morning called whole heart and the the whole series has James been just telling us to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ keep our hearts towards Jesus Christ and I don't know if you guys remember as we've gone through the book there's been so many things uh that he's uh shown us about ourselves how we how we quickly stray away from Jesus and yet even from the beginning he says take joy even in your suffering see that God is The Giver of good gifts love one another because there is a law of love as he's talked about our desires and our Temptations and our needs as we've looked at how our words betray what's inside of us and as we look to wisdom and care for each other the whole time James has been ringing loud and clear Turn Your Eyes On Jesus hasn't he and as we get to the end of the letter we have three weeks left in our series I hope that might get well I think we have we're planning for three weeks left we're getting to the point where James is now asking us a hard question in light of everything we've learned in light of that message of turning Our Eyes Upon Jesus really he's asking us how are we going in actually doing that what's our strategy what's our strategy to keep coming to Christ to to H to keep having undivided Hearts to keep having a whole heart towards God what's our strategy do we have one we all know the famous quote from um uh oh I've lost his name you want to just pop her up there on almost there almost there yeah it's in my notes right here I'm going to find it Benjamin Franklin that's why we all know the famous quote from Benjamin Franklin if you fail to plan you are planning to fail the thing is so easily we think that we're just going to naturally come to Jesus the truth is we don't do that our autopilot takes us away from God and so we're going to be looking at the idea of how are we planning to succeed but it's not just having a plan it's making sure that strategy is actually a helpful and efficient strategy isn't it I I think a really good example of having a strategy but a bad one actually comes from the brand Kodak does anybody here remember the brand Kodak all right yes yes Kodak was uh huge in the film industry um I mean they were top of their game in the I mean I remember as a kid in the the 80s 70s 80s they were dominating uh like film uh they were a billion multi-billion dollar organization and they were super synonymous with your cameras at the time so if you guys remember before digital you had to have this little film little cylinder that you had to put in the camera take your pictures when it was done you had to go to the uh uh place and get it um get them developed for you they were dominating in fact um they even had things like a Kodak moment that was a that was a saying have a Cod moment and it went beyond just film right they were synonymous with with memories and heart a Kodak moment was taking a picture that was worth cherishing that was worth saving as a Kodak moment and yet in 2012 this huge mega brand Kodak filed for bankruptcy and they did come back in 2013 but as a fraction of the Empire that they were many many many many people looked into what happened how did this Mega colossal company go down so quick and some people surmised that it was because you know success had gotten to their head you know they weren't aware of the rise uh of of digital the digital Technologies coming the problem is that's not actually strictly true see one of their Engineers that Kodak had actually actually invented in the 70s in 1975 the first ever digital camera they had the first ever digital camera and it was more than that uh they extensively did Research into the market to see what was going to be the rise in technology for the future and they had on strong strong Authority that it was indeed going to be a digital age they had extensive research proving to them that no in the next 10 Years film is going to pass away so the digital age will rise and you would think here they are with this kind of knowledge and this kind of Technology surely surely they had everything they needed to be successful the problem is they didn't strategize well they went to their engineer and said oh and this is their quote Oh that's cute don't tell anybody and instead of preparing for a a move towards the digital age they prepared for how the digital age could help improve their film all right so instead of going with the times they thought oh maybe we'll use that to actually just pour back into what we already know what's already safe and so they strategized to the easier and more familiar option and they turned out to be one of the biggest strategy flops in all time like I said 2012 came around and they filed for bankruptcy it was an ineffective unhelpful strategy that cost them so so much a strategy did not provide them what they were hoping for it is in our passage today James is going to warn us the same thing he's going to show us that so often we as Christians can make the same mistake as Kodak we know where the future is going we have everything we really need to be successful and yet so often we turn our strategy around our old way of life without God what do I mean well look with me at James 4 we're going to start at verse 11 brothers and sisters do not slander one another anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it when you judge the law you're not keeping it but sitting in judgment on it note that James is is tell uh talking to Christians and again he's talking to Christians about their words do not slander one another time and time again James is saying pay attention to what you say attention to your words because it tells you what's going on inside of you saw this back in chapter 3 it slandering here he's saying stop slandering slander is when we make false damaging statements about other people right it's a words that are designed to tear people down to destroy them we destroy their character we destroy their reputation it's words that try to destroy their their worth and in a way we looked at this a couple weeks ago we looked at the dangers of of speaking down to one another uh being in opposition and James reminded us that was akin to murder because we are trying to tear them down but notice here James doesn't go into detail about how or why slandering is wrong on the basis of slandering alone instead he wants us to go back to uh to see what is slandering actually doing what's it actually producing within us what's actually going on what's the deeper problem at play because the reality is slandering those words that action is a fruit of a deeper and more Insidious sin that is rooted deep in our hearts and it is the sin of Pride and it is so so subtle look how James look look at what he says brothers and sisters do not slander one another anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them here's the problem he says look at how he continues it speaks against the law and judges the law and when we're judging the law we're not keeping it we're sitting on judgment against it see the reality is we want to uh we want to be the judges it's that that heart of Pride that says I know better I am better as you ask the question what is slandering really why do we do it why do we feel the need to tear people down do you remember what God said in James 3:1 can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring my brothers and sisters can a fig tree bear olives or a grape vine bear figs neither can a Salt Spring produce freshh water is reminding us that our words are coming out of they come out of something they have a source why is that still going on in our hearts says James if we're claiming to be Christian he goes on um if you remember in James chapter 2 he says listen my dear brothers and sisters has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom he promised those who love him if you really keep the Royal law found in scripture love your neighbor as yourself you are doing right see James's big problem is saying You' have forgotten who you are and you are going against the law that God has given see it is God who's given our brothers and sisters their worth it's him he stated it he declared it each one of us made in the image of God and it is this law of love like look at verse eight again if you really keep the Royal law found in scripture love your neighbor as yourself people ask Jesus how would you sum up the law and he was said say listen oh Israel the Lord your God is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength and you shall love your neighbor as yourself this is the outpouring of the law it's it's aligning with what God has said to be true and good but when we judge the law we actually saying to God you're wrong what do you mean they're full of worth and value what are you talking about and we want to judge it I've made this illustration before but I think it is a really good one do you guys remember uh a few weeks back or a month ago or whatever when the tonen highway um when it met Tomas they they were doing some constructions trying to fit little divot fix the little divots and they made it like 60 kilometers an hour and everybody hated me it was on like all of the social everybody was like 60 I ain't going 60 and I got to tell you I felt the same kind of like what is this like there wasn't anybody actually working there the divots actually seemed a little bit of fun to me a little roller coaster going over them I didn't see the danger I didn't see why we had to go 60 and I judg that law oh my goodness I judged the law and I thought to myself this is ridiculous this is ridiculous this law is for people who don't know how to drive this isn't keeping anybody safe look look I'm I'm saying I'm going over the law right I'm saying that whoever made this law knows nothing I know better and then my action of speeding I like I'm going to go 80 because honestly if I go a 100 or whatever and I get binged that's way too much of a ticket you know even though I want to judge it right the reality is I know what a cop's going to pull up to me and what am I going to say well uh I think the law is dumb they don't care all right but here's the thing my action of speeding came from that inner attitude that this law was terrible it came from that judgment right that's what James is saying here these words and our attitudes that come out when we speak against people comes out from an inner attitude of Pride that says I know better than God I know better than God clearly when he said love your neighbor he didn't mean Martin over there I'm picking on you Martin Everybody picks on Don it's actually really hard to pick on Martin Ron no I'm kidding no no no when when somebody slights us right then we don't want to love them the problem is we make terrible terrible judges because we don't see what God sees and in fact this is what James actually warns us uh look at verse uh 12 see there's actually only one lawgiver and judge the one who is able to save and Destroy but you judger who are you to judge your neighbor what gives you the right see every time we come to a question every time a question is asked us in the in the in the Bible we need to stop I've said this before I'm going to keep saying this we need to stop and really consider what that is honest reflective reading is a good reading of the Bible so we come to this and we think who are we to judge our neighbor on one level this is pitting us us against the Lord all right do you really think you're better judged than than God really because we don't get the whole picture do we and this is what God Said to Samuel back in the Old Testament he told Samuel to go and and find a king and anoint a king that he was going to show him and Samuel of course went and he found like the most rugged and handsome and tallest Chad you could find and the Lord said to Samuel no no do not consider his appearance or his height for I have rejected him see the Lord does not look at the things people look at people look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart the Lord sees what we cannot see the Lord knows what we do not know but we we so quickly make flash and Rapid judgment calls person walked by me without saying hi even though I said hello can you believe that nerve and we make a judgment call how rude is she and notice that judgment call is now based on her Worth or or her character she is rude that's who she is maybe she's just having a bad day maybe she didn't just notice you and we so quickly just get so like bees in our Bonnet we got to go tell somebody ah can you believe that Mary over there man she was so rude to me this morning how dare she you know if I was her and on and on and on and you see how quickly that goes into slander and we just want to complain to people we we probably don't even mean to think that we're actually slandering her but it happens so easily it's why gossip and slander go so well together it's terrible right oh can you believe so and so oh man can and then we make a judgment call oh if I was them I wouldn't do oh they shouldn't be doing that oh can you believe then and on and on as I said we make Split Second judgment calls on people without knowing uh Charles swindall he's an American Pastor a preacher and he had a story how he listened to a sermon and and how this lesson hit him in a really strong way he was younger and um somebody had come to his church or I think it was his church and and was preaching and by the end of that he was like man this guy is the worst preacher I ever heard and so he went out to the back in the foyer and he was just kind of complaining and ripping into this guy to his friends and he was like why is this guy even preaching why is he here this guy should not be he didn't get the text right his tone was terrible and on and on he goes and he's just laying into it when one of his other friends come up and said and said Charles Chuck what are you doing you got to stop you got to stop saying these things you you don't know what's going on see just a couple hours before that guy had to preach he just heard news that something terrible happened to his daughter I think she got into a car accident or or something like that and two weeks before that his wife was diagnosed with cancer but he still had to get up there and he still had to Faithfully preach and Charles was like man that hit him hard gutted had no idea he was like how quickly he judged a person how quickly how quickly he was slandering that person to other people without knowing the Horrors that were in that man's life see we want to be judges but we make terrible terrible judges we just don't have the full picture but secondly I think James here is also getting us to reconsider who we are it's not just compare comparing why we shouldn't be the judge but it's reconsidering who we are to God there's only one lawgiver and judge the one who's able to save and Destroy but you who are you who are you to judge see if we know that God is the one who knows everything and he sees our hearts and James has constantly told us even just last week how time and time again we will betray God time and time again we oppose him and he's saying that same God who knows our hearts who has every right to destroy us he chose to save us as we saw last week he still gives us Grace what did he do for us did he slander us no and we saw last week he raises us up up he raises us up to be his son or his daughter Prince or princess of the high King see understanding who you are is in Christ is Central and fundamental to the Book of James and it is Central and fundamental to this passage because it begs the question if that is true and that is who I am in light of this incredible lawgiver and judge why do I still need to slander you might be wondering uh Joe I thought this was about strategy H what's going on here I thought we started about strategy I I don't see anything about strategy in here well the reality is slandering is a strategy slandering is a plan what is the plan it's trying to get to fulfill some sort of need in our life some sort of desire in our life often it's there to make us feel better about ourselves or maybe it's for justice or whatever but slandering is a tactic that I need to go and as I say this I will fulfill that need that need to feel important but how's it going for you says James that's a terrible strategy you already are important how could you be any more important to the Lord you have what you need it's like Kodak goodness we have the Lord he's right there with us and he gives us an infinite worth the question is when we feel the lack will we stop and consider what God has already done we got the camera we got the plan but am I using them am I going to the Lord and saying W I feel a bit slighted by that person but you know what God here's what you say is true about me and you allow God go to fulfill the need of Justice or selfworth in your life we're always strategizing this is the thing Pride it's so subtle we don't even realize we're doing it sometimes and sometimes pride is so subtle it's not even obvious in sins like slander right slander can be a pretty obvious you can get called out like Charles swall did sometimes we just revolve around revolve life around it and we're not even aware and this really is what he's going to drive into this next part look with me at verse 13 and 14 now listen says James you who say again notice that word say look at your words now listen you who say today or tomorrow we will go into this or that City we're going to spend a year there carry on business and make money why you don't even know what will happen tomorrow what is your life you are a Mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes see it's people here who are boasting saying that I got a plan I'm going to make a plan it's a great plan sometime could be tomorrow could be today this is what I'm going to do I'm going to go out there I'm going to buy low I'm going to sell High I'm going to go to this college or this University I'm GNA find this person that I'm going to marry and get this kind of job and I'm going to save up and buy oh that house over there on the hill or I'm going to have this many kids and on and on and on and we plan and the reality is look n none of those things are wrong not a single one of those things is wrong it's not even wrong to plan for those things the issue is that we plan so arrogantly and we have no idea what's going to happen life is complex life is uncertain why here's the question that we need to ponder and stop why do you do this why do you boast in this way you do not even know what will happen tomorrow can anybody tell me what will happen tomorrow can anybody tell me what will happen like an hour from now you don't know I'm going to keep you here forever life is complex Aaron people are un like you can't you can't tell what they're going to do you might have a plan it might all be going well and then somebody comes in there and changes their mind who here PL for Co who here knew there would be a worldwide Global disr simpons The Simpsons they did and they didn't do anything about it come on what is this crowd today now here's the idea we we just think we've got it but we don't know life is complex it is uncertain and it is so short I still remember Ron getting up here cutting down the ties and everybody's having a panic stop cutting life is short but why are we boasting about this what do we want here's a question let's go back there why right why are you doing this this is a question we need to ponder even with the shortness of life and the uncertainty and the complexities why do we have a need to want to plan and to to make sure it's the best life where does that come from to see what what's going on here now we're learning to stop and think where does that come from that desire doesn't it come from a desire to matter do it come from a desire to make an impact to to be a part of something bigger in our life maybe we're not here thinking that you know I'm going to be the biggest thing in the world but maybe for our family that that something we do we're going to leave behind some sort of Legacy what we're going to do is going to impact or encourage or Inspire the Next Generation or or our kids or whatever and how good are those motives how good is that I want to be part of something bigger I want to I want to I want to inspire people those are good feelings but the strategy the strategy is where it goes wrong because we think we can do it without God look at what James says see instead you ought to hear your words say if it is the Lord's will we will live and do this or that notice James isn't even saying stop planning notice he isn't saying you fools why are you going to UNI why you wanting to buy a house doesn't say that at all what he says is what you should be doing is bringing the Lord into it why because unlike us the Lord knows the future he's The Sovereign God and look what he says in Jeremiah 29:11 we all know this verse for I know the plans I have for you and when he says no it's not like I'm making these plans and I'm hoping they work no When God says no he's like I know they're going to happen they will happen I know exactly how they're happen and their plans declares the Lord to prosper you not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future God has a plan for you and it is a good plan doesn't always feel like it and go back to James chapter 1 doesn't always feel like it but even those negative things in our life God is using for good for your joy to perfect you and he's bringing you in to his plan The Sovereign Lord cares about little old biford he cares about us here to stop to come down to us to actually say hey I want you to be part of this bigger thing here's the thing when we submit our plans to the Lord that's when we make an impact see here's the thing we are finite creatures we will live we will die things that we make crumble things that we do will be forgotten you know the Olympics here everybody's buying for the gold me me uh medal but can anybody remember like three Olympics ago who was winning or what maybe some of you who got silver who got bronze who competed we forget it's temporary it's temporary Glory temporary impact but when the Lord is in it because he is an eternal being when he's in it he has an eternal quality that makes an eternal impact to raise people to life from the death to bring them to be with him forever whoa what an impact you want to make an impact bag you want to feel important bring your plans to the Lord says James bring your plans to God it's hard though this is what we normally end up doing as it is says James in verse 16 you boast in your arrogant schemes all such boasting is evil it bypasses God and it puts you in his role to judge somebody or to boast and say I'm going to make such a big splash I know this I can do this I don't need God and it's just planning it wow Pride is very very subtle and he ends with if anyone then knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it it is a sin for them if we know that God is good and we know that he will provide for us and it will be a good provision and that he gives us our worth and he brings us into his plan and and we ought to just humbly submit before him if we know all that but choose not to do it don't fail to come or if we fail to make that our strategy we're still sinning even if we're not purposely going out and doing something quote unquote bad the absence of giving the Lord what is due the Lord is a sin and so really James is saying there's two strategies that we all live one is the strategy of Pride and that is the old self we talked about this last week a few weeks ago see that strategy of Pride it keeps me striving to fulfill my own needs see that it's me me my own I'll do it that's terrible strategy you saw last week you're just striving and striving you're never getting to the end it's a strategy of Pride when I'm slandering when I'm planning without the Lord it's all evidences of Pride the second strategy is that of humility and it keeps me going to Jesus to fulfill that felt need or desire see it's okay to have the felt needs or desires it's okay to plan it's okay to want to feel important it's okay to want to make an impact but humility will keep you going to Jesus as your first Port of Call to ask him to fulfill that need the question is which one are we living out which one is it and how do I know if I'm on the right track because that's really the the last thing we're going to talk about here really quickly how do I know if if I want that strategy of humility I do want that man that sounds really good good there's a God who knows everything and he provide everything and that's a great one how how do I know if I'm doing that well James says first of all listen to your words stop listen to your words what are your words telling you how are they guiding you what are they saying is within if your words are are showing there's a pride in you well follow that down and say why it's the next p uh uh Point stop and consider what are your felt needs what are they that's okay be honest with yourself what do you feel is missing in your life what what would you want it's okay stop and then when you identify that thing that you want then you stop and you look and say how how am I going to get it how have I been going to get it I I want to feel loved I want to feel like I belong I mean slander and pride just or slander and planning there are just a couple things that James is doing here but I I want to feel what what and how are you going about doing that J James is saying let's stop let's consider let's take stock and then what he tells us is have you compared your strategy to that of God's have you compared what you can do do versus what God can do we're listening to our words we're stopping and considering and we're comparing what we think we can do versus what God can do and I think if we' learn to do that a lot more I we have a good strategy for Life a strategy that will keep us wholehearted for God take you a moment to think about that and I will pray father as we sit here and we think about all the ways that we strategize all the the felt needs or desires we have and think about all the ways we go about trying to achieve those needs or desires Lord we want to First and foremostly say sorry sorry that we forget you sorry that we go off on our own without even knowing it sometimes just autopilot on our old way of life and our sinful nature of Pride that says that we have to be the ones to meet these need needs and we struggle and we we strive and we just never gets us what we want we're sorry Lord but father we are so grateful that you in your patience and mercy and your grace and love even this morning have reminded us of who we are reminded us of who we are in you and what we have in you father we have everything we need to succeed it's you it's your spirit it's Jesus and you call us into an amazing relationship with you and you call us into your amazing plan what an honor father for all of us this morning reveal to us where we are leaving you out of it reveal to us in our plans or in our words where we are trying to be you where we're taking you off the throne and we think we can fulfill that show us our errors father so that we can come to the light so that we wouldn't be divided so our hearts will be whole for you pray all this in your name amen well thank you all for joining us this morning um please hang around for a cup of tea in a chat and um yeah mingle with one another let's stand and sing our final song um I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus [Music] nazarine stand in the presence of J and wonder how he could love a how wonderful and my how mother how wonderful is my S is love for me for me was in the garden he bre up my will but th he had no te SW drop of my and wonderful my song shall ever be how marvelous how wonderful is my SA his love for me he took my sins and my sorrows and he made them his very own he bore the B to C free and suffered and died alone and how marvelous how wonderful and my song shall ever be how how wonderful is my love for [Music] me and with a ransom in glory his face shall see it will be my joy to the ages to sing all the love for me sing wonderful and song shall ever be wonderful is my saor love for me how marous how wonderful and my [Applause] S how wonderful is my take for me [Music] let's pray Lord as we go into this week May we know your will for us each day may we seek your will uh your word be a lamp before our feet and a light to our path and may we have faith in your guidance in Jesus we pray amen e