Title: “Get Off His Throne” Part 2

Text: James 4:13-17

FCF: We often struggle accepting that God is Sovereign over all.

Prop: Because mankind believing they are in control is evil, we must sincerely believe that God is Sovereign over all.

Scripture Intro: LSB

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to James chapter 4.

After taking a break for Easter last week, I am happy to get back to the book of James. We are entering the home stretch here. After today we will only have one more chapter to go before we close out this hard hitting letter.

James began chapter 4 identifying where quarrels and fights came from and how to remedy them. But he did not only speak of fights with other believers but fights with God too. The solution to all of this is for them to turn from sin and submit to God.

The last time we were in James, we only looked at two verses which served as a transition. He connected quarreling and evil speaking to the problem of not being submitted to God. His point was that God alone is the lawgiver and judge of His law. Therefore, as believers we do not have the right to speak with malicious intent about one another, nor do we have the right to assign punitive action toward other believers.

At the heart of this James reveals yet another lack that their trials are serving to root out of their lives. A lack of proper deference to God. God alone is the lawgiver and judge. Therefore, when they try to maliciously speak evil of others and judge one another – they are sitting on HIS throne.

As the title indicates, today, James will continue with a different expression of this lack.

I am reading today from the Legacy Standard bible starting in verse 13 of chapter 4. You can follow in the pew bible on page 1363 or in whatever version you prefer.

Transition:

Have you ever heard your kid say something that every other parent thought was innocent, but because you are their parent, you knew it wasn’t? How did you do that? Because you can read between the lines. You know them well enough that you know what is being said with the words not spoken. James knows his audience. And he knows that they have got some learning to do regarding one specific topic.

I.) God controls all things and man controls nothing, we must sincerely believe true doctrine. (13-15)

a. [Slide 2] 13 – Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

i. The only command in this paragraph is stated immediately.

ii. Come. The kind of person who is to obey the command is defined later.

iii. This violates a guideline of homiletical construction.

iv. I was taught in sermon crafting that if you have the application of a passage that commands the reader to think differently – then you have misidentified it as the application. It is actually the truth statement of the passage.

v. The application must be an action. Something you must do.

vi. I’ve been preaching to you for almost 7 years. And I can tell you that that guideline has never been wrong.

vii. Until today.