James 4:13-17 | Faith Works: The Book of James

Good morning, family.

Appreciate you being here.

Thank you.

I again will be one of the ones to say good morning and welcome.

We're in our series called Faith works and we'll be looking at James chapter four.

Everything we'll be looking at today is on the app.

so if you haven't downloaded that, I invite you to.

it's a really, really valuable resource and tool, that we use in this church.

So please make, make use of it before you start with this.

with this, with with the message part.

I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to be gone.

Last Sunday, Jeff did a great job, handling God's word.

it's so good to be able to to to to not have to be here, though.

I love being here.

but it's it's wonderful to be able to turn it

over, to very, very, very credible, individuals who will just keep rolling.

So thank you, Jeff.

It was a big week for you and Jeff, you and your family, your beautiful eldest

got married Friday evening.

Congratulations.

Fantastic.

it was a great time to celebrate with you guys.

I'm proud of you.

thank you and Jen for raising your daughter as well.

You guys.

Nate, any of you guys did it right, man.

Proud of you guys.

but I was gone in Denver last Sunday,

with, a group called Excel Leadership Network.

We helped, start that.

we helped run it. We fund it.

and it is it is a group of pastors,

that is primarily focused on church planting around the world.

Our goal is to spot

call out, set up fund, train, coach, high level leaders

for the work God's called them to do, specifically church planting.

as we read about in the book of acts and this group, Excel Leadership

Network, has a goal every year of planting 100 churches somewhere.

primarily those happen in the United States,

but they happen around the world as well.

in places like, Guatemala and Cuba

and Africa and, Nicaragua

and Austria all over Europe, it's a it's a great work.

We are major players in it.

It's part of what I helped do.

and I was with one of our church planters in Denver this last week.

weekend.

And it was it was a great time being with he and his team.

I also got to see my son Wyatt, which was a lot of fun to show with me

and had a great time being away.

but, so thank you for for making sure that Excel Leadership

Network continues to happen and thrive and plant churches around the world.

I want to share with you an update from,

our pastor O'Neill in Cuba years ago.

I think back in 2007, 2008, I led the first Discovery Center,

which is our are the arm of Excel Leadership network

that spots these high level leaders, and, and,

trains them and equips them and funds them and coaches them for church planting.

They're called discovery centers.

That's the entry door.

and we did our first one in Cuba.

Completely illegal under the radar.

It was fantastic.

and we have turned that ministry over in the discovery centers to pastor O'Neill

and his wife, Heidi, who do them now about three a year in Cuba.

And I want to share with you some things from O'Neill.

He just emailed, and this is what he said.

Hello, my beloved brothers.

We greet you and wish you

all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord upon you and your families.

We thank God.

It sounds like the Apostle Paul's right in one of the churches.

You know what I'm saying?

It amazes me.

One of the things,

the only thing they have to read in Cuba is the Bible,

and so they end up sounding like the Bible.

I think there's a lesson for us in that.

Okay,

this is what he says.

We have all spent difficult days.

Viruses are affecting the population of Cuba, but God has kept us standing.

There are many sick people within the church.

The most difficult thing is the lack of medicines.

Thank God we were able to get some oral rehydration salts on the black market

because there aren't any, even in the hospitals.

Everything is very difficult.

But we're trusting even more in the manifestation of Jehovah Rapha,

our healer.

We continue to preach Jesus Christ as the solution for Cuba.

The Discovery Center was very good.

Six of the couples were able to attend,

and the staff that we've trained there are here.

Back home, we prepare for the weekend services.

We're starting to receive the wives of the district pastors for fellowship

times, buying some kitchen utensils and preparing for them.

We increased the number of people to whom we brought lunch,

2 to 30, who are suffering without food in Cuba.

The government gives them ration cards.

But the ration cards, cards are enough to keep them

just at about starvation level. It's really brutal.

And at this point, the government doesn't even have food to keep them starving.

and so it's been incredible talking to O'Neill in Cuba.

He said that the churches just

rally together and beg, borrow and steal whatever food they get.

And they all make it together and have the church members

primarily in the communion people over for dinner, just serve food together.

And I asked him, I said, O'Neill, would it help if we just sent you some money?

He said, well, maybe, but we don't want it

because this is our chance, to suffer.

And it's our chance to do what they did in biblical times

and take care of each other.

it really is amazing.

It's New Testament stuff.

and so he said, we increase the number of people to 30.

That that we're giving food to who are suffering without food.

All the glory to God for allowing us to serve him in this way

in these times in our nation.

We always appreciate your support as we face obstacles

and opposition of all kinds.

A big hug to all.

We bless and love you, O'Neill and Heidi.

incredible servants of God.

who know what it is to suffer well, And are doing or doing kingdom work.

Here's some pictures of them.

This is just of some of the ladies who are gathering whatever food they can

and making it and putting it together that they can share

with people in their church and in their community.

the humans are very, very proud people.

They're very educated, very industrious, very strong.

but they have great need.

And so these are just some of the the men here are going on

behalf of their families to get food that's being provided.

so they can, can just continue living.

just dear, dear,

sweet people, and I want you to know that they pray for us all the time.

this is a church that we helped build in Cuba.

This is O'Neill's church, and and he's in the front row.

I think that's his daughter leading.

we helped build that, so. Thank you.

It is.

It's so interesting in Cuba with all the stuff

that they have going on, all the difficulties.

you cannot keep them from public worship,

even if you try, because they do,

and they find reasons to

go, not reasons not to go.

It's just amazing,

the joy and and vitality that they have when they gather to worship every week.

And this is the Discovery Center.

Those are some of the, the, the, the couples who were there.

fulfilling God's call in the life to plant churches around the island.

Just amazing people.

And I love them.

Thank you for through this church your support of what God's

doing around the world and in Cuba.

Father, thank you, for this opportunity you have given us to be together.

We don't take it lightly, and we don't take it for granted.

Well, sometimes we take it for granted.

We should, We thank you for the chance to be together.

It's an honor and a privilege to be with you and with each other.

God, thank you for what you're doing in Cuba.

Thank you for O'Neal and Heidi.

thank you for their church. Thank you for their ministry.

Thank you for calling high level people, high level leaders in that little island

nation, to serve your kingdom and to plant churches.

Thank you for their willingness to suffer as well.

father, I ask that you watch over on that.

You continue your hand upon them.

I thank you that you love.

That you love not just us, but you love the Cuban people.

That you love the people on that island

that you sent your son to die for them, that they might know you.

father, we join O'Neal and Heidi in their prayers

that Cuba would come to Christ.

that use us.

However you see fit to help make that happen.

May your kingdom come and your will be done.

Not just here in the Ranchos, not just in Riverstone,

not just in our community, not just in United States, God, but in Cuba as well.

We love you. We trust you.

Continue using us for your good name's sake.

In your name I pray. Amen. Amen.

Hey, James, chapter four, verse 13 through 17,

the last half of this chapter is what we're going to look at today.

Again, the scriptures on the outline will be on the screen behind me.

I just want to read it for you. And then we'll unpack it.

All right.

This is what the Bible says. Now listen.

Listen.

Pay attention. All right.

You who say today or tomorrow will go to this city or that,

spend a year there, carry on business, make some money.

This passage is written

for all of you hyper planners.

How many of you are planning people

you like your plans.

You got your agendas.

You got your schedules.

You know what you have planned.

What's going to happen?

This and this and this and this.

You see it clearly and nothing better get in your way.

How many of you are planners?

James says, listen, you hyper planners.

You people who thrive on control of your agenda

and your schedule and everybody else's in your wake.

Listen,

you say,

hey, you know what we're going to do?

I got the plan.

I got the function. I got the agenda.

This is what we're going to do.

You don't even know

what's going to happen tomorrow.

All you planners.

What is your life?

You're a mist

that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead of all your planning and planning and hyper control,

you ought to say,

if it's the Lord's will, we'll live.

If it's the Lord's will I wake up tomorrow?

That's what he's saying.

If it's the Lord's will, I'ma finish off this day.

If it's the Lord's will, I'll do this or that.

As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes

and all your plans and agendas and schedules.

All such boasting as if you have control.

That's evil.

If anyone then knows the good

they ought to do and doesn't do it.

What is it?

It's in.

From the beginning of our lives.

We seek one thing in all areas.

And that one thing that we seek in all areas is success.

Whether we talk about school,

career, marriage, retirement.

The goal at the end of the day

is that I will be

successful.

I'm gonna get it done.

I succeed. I carry this out.

And so what happens is that our world view becomes this.

That God then becomes an accessory that we add to our plans,

and we want to add God to what we have planned

so that we become

successful.

Whether it's our school, our job,

our employment, our marriage, our retirement.

We want to add God to what we plan so that we are successful.

And if something

and we believe that it is God's job, then

to grant

our requests and make our dreams come true.

That's what we believe.

Whether we verbalize it or not,

we believe

because our goal from the beginning is success.

And we want to add God to our plan so that we will succeed.

We thereby believe that is God's job

to fulfill my goals and my plans.

And if our plans get off track,

either from unforeseen circumstances

or more likely, from sinful choices,

we beg him to fix our problem

and we promise that will be better next time.

Right.

Okay,

so I can see this is too difficult for you to understand.

So I'm going to do the whole thing over again and hope you can keep up.

Do you understand what I'm saying? Yes.

James four focuses

on this.

It's arrogant to make plans without acknowledging God's sovereignty.

First in our lives.

James reminds us,

you and I cannot be certain of what tomorrow will bring,

and it is arrogant to assume

that we have sole control over our plans

and that our plans will come to fruition just because we made them.

It's very arrogant.

And James warns us against planning

with the assumption we have control over what we've planned.

I was reminded on on Friday

of Proverbs 16 nine and they didn't put it on the screen.

I was just thinking about it.

And Proverbs 16 nine, I want to read it for you.

Proverbs 16 nine says this

in his heart a man plans his course.

In other words,

all you hyper planners,

you have your plan for your life, for your future,

for your kids.

But the Lord determines his steps.

You might make your plans,

but you are not

the only master of your own ship.

Thoughtful planning is biblical.

Let me be very clear about that.

But James 413 through 17 chastises us

for our foolishness of our self-centered plans,

over which we have no ultimate and final control.

And so what James says is this.

He says, set aside your own plans and submit them first

to God's will and sovereignty and kingdom.

So this is where most of us miss the boat.

We have plans.

I have a plan for my career.

I have a plan for my school.

I have a plan for my family. I have a plan.

But rarely do we start with my plan with father.

According to your will. According to your kingdom.

We start with our plan.

And because we start with our plan,

we are at the center of our will.

And when we are at the center of our will,

the Bible calls that sin

because it is a life apart

from the sovereignty and submission to God.

And James says, all such

planning is foolishness.

At the end of the day.

We are not the ones who are in control.

Let me just ask this.

How many? Think back to 2019.

How many of your lives, how many of you?

How many have gone

exactly as you had planned five years ago?

Not anybody.

No, not at all.

What have there been unforeseen

turns that happened within the last five years?

Yeah. What was the biggest one?

Covid?

Yeah.

Let me just ask, is it possible?

Is there a possibility that there may be unforeseen turns in your future?

Yeah.

Possibly. Yes.

So why is it then,

that we get so bent out of shape

when what we have planned

does not come to fruition?

Because there's something in us that believes

I ought to be in control, and God ought to help

my plans come true.

And James, as James says, I want you to know.

Notice how foolish that is.

The Bible reminds us. And so on.

in in Psalm 2039 says this, show

me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days.

Let me know. Watch this.

How fleeting my life is.

You have made my days a mere habit.

The span of my years is nothing.

Before you.

Everyone is but a breath.

Even those who seem like they got everything

all planned.

Surely

everyone goes around like a mere phantom.

In vain.

They rush about heaping up wealth.

All their plans and planning and schemes

without knowing

who's going to get everything they work for when they die.

It's foolish

to make our plans in the absence of the submission

to God on the front end.

Chapter four of James

from the first verse to the end, chapter four is all

about one singular problem.

And the problem that James four addresses is yours and my problem.

And the problem is this we think it's all about me.

That's the problems.

James four addresses.

The other problem was we think it's all about us.

And so when we look at our schooling, we think our schooling is all about me.

We look at our career. We think our career is all about me.

We look at our finances.

Our finances is all about me.

We look at God.

We think God ought to be all about me.

Even our prayers.

James says at the beginning of chapter four, he says, you pray

you don't get what you want because you ask what.

On role motives, because you think you're praying

and your prayers are all about you.

This is the problem James addresses in chapter four

is is our problem that we think this is all about us?

And James says, ultimately, it's not about you at all.

It's about Christ and His kingdom.

And when we make our plans as if our plans are all about us,

that's really arrogant,

because we don't even know if we were going to wake up tomorrow.

And he calls us to a very deep and profound submission

to the authority and the sovereignty of the hand of God

over our lives and over everything

we have planned.

Just just for a moment, just consider,

as James teaches us, listen, you who say,

who make your plans, who have your agendas,

who have your schedules right today or tomorrow will go to this

or that city and spend a year there, carry on business and make some money.

He. Do you

see what he's saying about this hypothetical person who makes these plans,

all these plans are this person's plans.

Let me just ask question.

Where is God?

Where is God's kingdom in this plan?

Okay.

Let me ask you again. Maybe you'll understand what I'm saying.

Where is God in His kingdom?

In this plan?

Okay.

Let me ask it again, because maybe you'll understand what I'm saying.

Answer me now.

Where is God in his kingdom?

In these plans?

Nowhere.

And yet this is how the vast

majority of us of you plan.

We don't start with God.

Your kingdom.

If you'll just allow me to fulfill your kingdom, your desire.

This is what I'd like to do.

Most of us plan just like this.

I'll tell you what I'm going to do today. Tomorrow? I got it all planned out.

Right.

And God and his kingdom is nowhere in them.

And James says that's really arrogant.

James.

Even earlier, like I said, this is the reason why our prayers aren't answers.

Because our prayers are all about us.

We think we have God to our plans and our agenda,

and it's his job to make it happen.

The idea is this pray and plan,

but our praying and planning goes like this.

Father, according to your desires and according to your kingdom.

My plan is to dot, dot, dot,

but not my will.

I want yours to override mine.

God, I want your plans to override my plans.

God, I want your desires to override my desires.

If you have a different plan for my life, for my kids, for my money,

for my retirement, that's fine.

You understand?

Do you see the difference?

James, for

reminds us.

And Jeff talked about this last week.

Submit to God.

Resist the devil and he'll flee from you.

So just following that instructions.

Submit to God.

Resist the devil. He'll free flee from you.

We apply that to our planning.

And it looks like this.

I submit my plans to God and my evil, selfish desires for my plans.

Flees.

But most of us don't submit our plans and agenda to God first.

We just plan and instead of agenda.

And it becomes selfish

and James and start to submit it to God first.

Then make your plans

because all that selfishness wants you've submitted to God first.

All that selfishness will flee because it's evil.

James says

we should never assume tomorrow is going to be like today.

Right?

Right.

We know that,

but we all assume it is.

James says we can't assume

that just because we made plans, they're all going to come to fruition

because we know it's probably not.

But we know we haven't submitted to God first,

because when they don't come to fruition, we get really, really, really upset

and we think something's wrong.

And that's the warning sign.

We haven't submitted to God and his agenda.

See, if we submitted a God to his agenda,

we would be okay when he changes course.

Right?

Right.

And even if there's a little X, we still say God. Who?

But I trust you.

I'm going to be okay.

That's not usually how we respond

when plans change, is it

especially important ones?

Now it's important to note

this is not a prohibition against planning.

The problem is that planning.

The problem is

when we make plans with the assumption we have complete control over our plan.

And that is God's job to make sure our plans happen.

He says you don't even know what tomorrow's going to bring.

There's going to be a lot of unexpected turns and twists.

How many times have we made plans about some area of our life,

only to have it be derailed by something that was invisible at the time?

We made our plans,

right?

Right.

I mean, you make your work plans

for your career, and all of a sudden, those plans are gone.

You made plans for your finances.

All of a sudden, those plans are gone.

You make plans for your relationships also, and those things are gone.

Now, let me just say, parents,

how many of us have had plans for our kids?

And if they would just let us plan out their life, everything would be fine.

How has that gone for you?

James wants.

He was just looking.

It's so arrogant

to make plans

without first submitting them to God.

Because who are you anyway?

He, in essence uses.

Who do you think you are?

And he says in verse 14,

but you don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow, what your life.

How are you?

You're a mist that appears

for a little while and then vanishes.

That's kind of depressing,

right?

Right.

James, he says, look,

I want you to accept on the front end

your own own mortality.

I want you to accept your lack of control.

I want you to acknowledge the shortness

and brevity and frailty of your life.

Understand who you are and understand

who God is.

After sin,

we were not intended to live forever on this planet,

and because of sin, these bodies

are not intended to last forever.

The Apostle Paul talks about our physical bodies as a tent,

and that tent wears down and wears out.

Leave a tent outside of the elements year after year.

Pretty soon that tent is not going to be able to stand.

That's our bodies.

And James says, understand who you are.

The brevity of life. The frailty of life.

Who are you to make your plans?

And the point is this.

Because our lives are suffer because life is so precious.

The point is not to preserve our life

at all costs because it's a missed event.

That's not the point.

The point is to live with the understanding

that we cannot assume we have tomorrow.

Now, what does it mean to live without responsibility?

And it doesn't mean then to live, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow night.

That's not what it means.

It doesn't mean don't plan and don't have strategy.

And don't seek wise counsel.

Those are all biblical things.

But it does mean,

because life is so fleeting.

Take every moment you have this day because you don't know

if you'll have tomorrow to submit to God

and His Kingdom and his sovereignty.

Don't fight and plan against it.

For in verse 15 he says,

instead you, Oddisee,

if it's the Lord's will,

we'll live.

If it's the Lord's will.

I'm going to do this thing that I planned.

But it starts with our plan.

No. It starts with.

You know that, noble Lord willing.

That's not just a slogan.

It's just not something we say.

That whole idea.

Well, Lord willing, that's how Paul lived and planned and prayed.

Just notice the Apostle Paul,

one of the ones that kind of is lifted up as, hey, this guy did pretty well.

Like, pay attention to how he lived, right?

And in fact, he told people, follow me as I follow Christ.

And so let's just follow the Apostle Paul.

Look how he said.

But as he left, he promised, I will come back if what

if is the Lord's will?

Look at what he said.

And I pray that now, at least by what?

By God's will a way may open for me to come back to you.

For I do not want to see you now, and make only a passing visit.

I hope to spend some time with you if what

if the Lord permits,

and I'm confident in what?

In the Lord that I myself.

I'm not confident in my plans.

I'm not confident in my agenda.

I'm confident that the Lord might allow me to come see you.

And what,

God forbid, he will do so.

Do you see the difference in how Paul plans and how we plan

everything that Paul planned?

If the Lord provides, if the Lord grants, if the Lord says yes,

if the Lord.

If this is what he, then absolutely.

But his plans are always submissive,

right?

To God's agenda.

First.

And this is why Paul could pivot

and move without freaking out when his plans changed.

Jesus was the

same throughout his whole life.

Completely open to the will and discretion of his father.

Sometimes, instead of studying

the footsteps of Jesus, study the interruption of Jesus.

His plans, quote unquote, changed a lot.

God in her father interrupted him

even on his last days.

Notice his prayer going a little further in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My father.

If it's possible, I have a different plan.

God, if it's possible,

my schedule is different than yours.

If it's possible.

Yeah.

It's not my plan.

But what?

As you will.

Submissive to God's control.

Submissive to God's plan.

It's not just a phrase.

It's a constant way.

The person who's being mentored by Jesus thinks and views the world.

And when we

understand that everything comes to us, either at the permission or the hand

and power of God, we can say with calmness,

if it's the Lord's will.

But notice how deep this runs.

This isn't just if it's the Lord's will for me to get a new car, I'll get a car.

This is about my very life.

If it's the Lord's will.

I'll make it through this day.

If it's the Lord's will, I'll wake up tomorrow.

You see how deep this runs?

Do you see how.

How profound this submission is, even for your very breath?

If it's the Lord's will.

Do you want proof?

You don't have control over your own life?

Try to make your own heart beat when your heart says it's not going to.

If it's the Lord's will.

If it's the Lord's will, I'll do this or that.

Yeah, I have plans.

I have no idea.

I'll do everything I can.

And if it's the Lord's will.

And when we can get to that point, we begin to approach life

with so much appreciation.

And so much joy.

Because we know that what's coming to us is by the hand and sovereignty of God

who loves us.

The point

is this to realize that our life is not under our sole control.

I mean, think for a moment, you, Bible students, how much how profoundly

God wrecked Joseph's life to get Joseph

in the center of his will.

You who are Bible students and those of you who are starting to read

in the book of Genesis,

the last half of that entire book is about the life of Joseph.

You consider how much God wrecked Joseph's life, wrecked his plans, wrecked

his agenda, wrecked his hopes to get him in the center of God's will for him.

What makes you think he

won't do the same with us?

Realize now, sometimes our plans get wrecked.

Not because God's doing it.

Let's be honest.

Sometimes our plans get wrecked because our own stupid party

and sin, right?

Sometimes it's our fault.

And in those times, it's not that God's doing it to us.

God just says, look, you want to play with fire.

I'll let you go ahead and get burned.

How's that feel?

Right. Right.

And so let's just be honest about that.

But we have to realize that when we start our plans with ourself,

it's really self-centered and arrogant.

And God has the final say.

And so we have to start with God.

Your will, your plan.

I mean, it's just look at verse 16.

As it is,

you boast in your arrogant schemes.

All that boasting is evil.

It's just so arrogant.

Now, if

if I were to ask you, what's your plan for your life?

You could probably tell me, right?

What do you plan for your future?

You got plans in future?

Guess what? They don't matter.

What we ought to say is what's God's plan for my future?

You got plans for your money, right?

Your plans don't matter.

Well, I say, what's God's plan for my money?

Right?

Jeff, how come nobody really rich

a couple over here about.

Because we don't want God

messing up our plans.

We got plans for our retirement, right?

Hopefully one day.

Doesn't matter what your plans are.

James says no.

God has plans for my retirement.

What are God's plans?

That's what we got.

Plans for our family, right?

When I ask God, what's your plan?

What's your plan for my future?

What's your plan for?

I mean, Jesus told a parable about this very thing.

He told me that he told us for this ground of a certain rich man

yielded an abundant harvest, and all his investments were going up unto the right.

And he thought to himself, man, what am I going to do now?

I have succeeded, I won at life.

I got no place to store everything I have.

I gotta go to euros, mini storage.

I gotta build a couple barns.

I got to get a detached.

Like I, I one.

This is what I'll do.

I'll tear down my barns.

I'll build bigger ones so I can keep all this.

All my toys.

And I'll say, you did it, buddy. I

got myself on the back.

Sit back. Retire.

Take it easy.

Enjoy the good life. Eat.

Drink and be merry.

Then that's all like American retirement dream.

You fool!

If that has been your plan,

one of the few places in Scripture

where God calls that person a fool.

So foolish.

Don't you know this very night.

Your soul and mine.

Then who's going to get your stuff?

Here's the struck.

In light of all this.

If you know the good you ought to do.

And don't do it.

It's sin.

Here's what he's saying.

Their sins of commission and their sins of omission.

We know what the commission ones are.

All the fun stuff.

Now let's get.

There.

Sons of omission.

And here's what he's saying.

We need to do right today

because we're not guaranteed a tomorrow to do right.

And we need to live righteously today

because we're not guaranteed a tomorrow in order to get right

with God.

See that good thing

that you're thinking about doing,

saying, providing

that area of your life that you think now, I know

at some point that needs to get right with God.

Today's the day

because you're not guaranteed tomorrow.

And God's plan, an agenda for you

is to do that today.

So he

when the circumstances of life ruin your plans,

it's our opportunity to reframe our perspective.

Let me just tell you how this looked.

Four years ago,

something stepped into our world that ruined all of our plans.

Covid,

and we had a great opportunity

to realize the orchestration of James four in our lives.

Because when Covid hit, all of us had a plan for our life.

All of us had a plan for our school.

All of us had a plan for our sports.

All of us had a plan for our business. All of us had a plan.

And we

quickly realized that we were not in control anymore.

And the church had the opportunity to say, okay, Lord,

if this is how you're allowing things

to be orchestrated.

I trust you.

Right.

And instead.

We absolutely pitched a fit.

At all of our plans

that were ruined and stolen from us.

Right.

Is this just.

Is this too personal?

I mean, how many of us.

When when plans are just wrecked, turned to the realization

of the beauty and faithfulness of God's Word

and the realization that he alone is sovereign

and his sovereignty is motivated somehow by his love,

somehow.

Now, listen, we're getting ready to go into a crazy election cycle.

It's already started.

And I guarantee you,

people have plans of what should happen during this election cycle.

And I'm

telling you, somebody plans are going to get wrecked, right?

I mean, we hope it's the other guys, but it's just like somebody

plans are going to get wrecked.

And it's our opportunity

to realize and to recognize and to submit

to the sovereignty of God.

And it's a great time to rejoice that

that sovereign God loves us so much,

so much

that he sent his Son to die

so that the curveballs that come our way won't end.

Our story.

And this is what happens when we plan

and scheme according to our plans and schemes.

We think that the curveballs have ended our story

have ended, our plans have ended, our agendas.

And when we submit to the sovereignty of God,

we realize that he loves us so much that he sent His Son

so that the curveballs that come our way don't end our story.

And because of that, we can trust him.

And because of that, we can be calm

when plans change. See?

You know,

if you're trusting God and submitting to him

when your plans change, if you're able to be calm

and not pitch a fit and not make everybody in your world crazy.

Do you understand?

So all of you control freaks

that self admitted that when I started.

Okay.

All of you.

When your plans change and when things go wrong,

you know, if you're submitting to God's sovereignty because you trust his love,

because you're not going to freak out

and you're not going to drive people in your home crazy. Oh.

Let's do it.

You got it.

Heather, you got it.

You shake your head. Yes. Okay.

So let me ask you this

is life going to get better tomorrow?

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah.

We don't know.

Yeah, yeah.

Is life going to get worse tomorrow?

We don't know.

You guys are better than the first service.

I asked the first of life going to get worse from other.

Yeah.

You said I told him.

I said you need some hope. Like you.

I told him I said to you, some of you make me not want to hang out with.

With some of you, you're just pessimistic.

We don't know.

It might get better tomorrow.

I hope it does.

God willing.

Yeah. Might get worse tomorrow.

I hope it doesn't it?

The god's going to determine that.

And so because of that,

I can trust him today.

And because of that, I can live calmly today.

Because of that.

I'm not going worry about tomorrow.

God's got tomorrow.

I'm going to live today.

Not with ambivalence towards tomorrow.

Not sure. Responsibility.

But I'm going to.

I'm going to live today. And I'm going to.

I want to be right with God today.

And I want to be right with you today.

I'll let God worry about tomorrow.

Because I know that God loves me.

And I want you to know that he loves you.

We can trust his sovereign hand

so that when plans change,

you can be all right.

We'll have our plans.

We'll have our schemes, have our agendas.

But we're first going to submit those to God given.

And that way, we know when they change.

That's how God's discretion and direction.

It's probably better

you understand?

Why don't you pray with me?

Because I have such faith in the Word of God

and its ability to address every one of us where we are. Yes.

And because I have enough knowledge of our own sin nature. Yes.

And our propensity to live life apart from him

or ahead of him.

I think that

this prayer would hit every one of us.

And I want to invite you into this.

Whether you say it in the quietness of your own heart or out

loud does not matter to me.

It doesn't matter to God.

What matters is the submission of the heart.

And I invite you.

In this way.

Just simply say God, I admit

my life is dependent upon your mercy and your grace.

And I submit my plans

and my hopes and my dreams

and my schedules to you.

And for you parents, I include you that I encourage you.

And father, I submit my kids

and their future to you.

Do with us

whatever you desire.

I will trust your hand

because I know that your hand

is motivated by your love.

Today I choose that I am yours.

My future is yours.

My plans are yours

according to your will.

Let it be done in my life.

And I will thank you in advance

for all that your grace will allow.

Father, I thank you

that we have a chance to be here with each other

and with your word.

I pray that we would submit

to the sovereignty of your hand.

We have God, we got plans, we got agendas, and we got schedules.

And we got hopes and dreams.

The father some of this

year want to submit him on the front into your will.

So according to your will be done to us.

Help us be pliable and moldable

and not freak out when they change.

Because you remain a good God.

We love you, Jesus.

In your name I pray. Amen.

Listen.

His word is good, and it's good for us to be together and to study it together.

It's it talks to us.

I pray our ears are open to hear it.

Listen, we got two more weeks in James James chapter five.

It's a great chapter.

We're going to break it up over a couple of weeks.

And so I invite you to be in that this week reading James five

and watch for opportunities where you get to celebrate the curveballs

that come your way.

Do you hear me?

Yes. Watch for times this week.

Here we get to celebrate the curveballs that come your way.

Because it's God saying, I know you had your plans.

I might have something different.

Watch for my hand in the midst of this curveball.

Right?

Right.

You're seeing Alli lead us on.

Thank you.