WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.099 I'm glad to be back with you again, and you know, singing these songs, I was just thinking about it, and I'm so glad Ben raised kind of the backstory to It Is Well With My Soul. 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:21.019 You know, it's sometimes easy to sing these words here on Sunday morning, but they're dangerous words to sing, because it's a lot harder to live them out day by day. 00:00:21.740 --> 00:00:29.179 Especially when we're in the seasons when it's not peace like a river, but it's sorrows, like sea billows roll. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:41.100 And so, it's so good to remember that there are Christians that have walked before us that by God's grace and by His Holy Spirit have actually been able to still find joy in the Lord, even in hard things. 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:51.840 I'm sure Horatio shed many tears in those days, even when he was writing that song, and yet there was a joy that was underneath and through it all. 00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:56.320 And in some ways that connects really well to what we're going to be looking at this morning. 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:00.480 We're going to be looking at James chapter 4, verses 13 to 17. 00:01:02.340 --> 00:01:07.280 And, you know, I don't know about you, but as I was singing those words, part of my heart was just praying and saying, 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:10.460 God, help me to just faithfully live those words out. 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:16.780 Help me to faithfully run the race all the way to the end, still following you. 00:01:17.039 --> 00:01:24.340 Help me to still say It Is Well With My Soul tomorrow or next week or the month after when sea billows roll. 00:01:24.340 --> 00:01:26.060 I can't do that on my own. 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:28.380 I need your grace and your strength. 00:01:28.939 --> 00:01:33.079 I want to live well for you, and I desperately need your help. 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:38.939 And I think all of us this morning, as we think about our life, we want to live life well, right? 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:41.300 We want to live life well. 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:46.859 We want to get to the end of our lives and look back and say there was meaning, there was purpose there. 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:48.760 I ran the race well. 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:50.240 It wasn't a waste. 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:54.919 We don't want to get to the end and feel like we're just a failure, right? 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.339 And so we want to run this race well. 00:01:58.419 --> 00:02:00.519 We want to follow God. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:05.079 And yet, sometimes we're left wondering, how do I do this well? 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:07.319 How do I live life well? 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:12.560 How do I live a good story, so to speak, that's worth maybe reading at the end? 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:22.219 That maybe my neighbors or my family could read and be proud of and say, God was at work in your story, right? 00:02:22.219 --> 00:02:22.919 We want that. 00:02:23.239 --> 00:02:24.419 We desperately want that. 00:02:24.459 --> 00:02:27.359 And we desperately need His help to do that. 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:31.740 And I'm thinking of probably this morning there are a variety of people here. 00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:35.780 Some of you are younger and you're starting out on the adventure of life. 00:02:36.040 --> 00:02:38.940 And there's so much promise and potential ahead of you. 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:41.080 You're just getting ready to head off to college. 00:02:41.200 --> 00:02:42.180 You're finishing up high school. 00:02:42.380 --> 00:02:44.620 You just finished college and starting your job. 00:02:44.660 --> 00:02:47.740 And there's so much excitement and potential ahead of you. 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:49.780 And you're excited about it. 00:02:49.780 --> 00:02:53.500 And maybe some of you this morning are maybe somewhere in the middle of the story. 00:02:54.219 --> 00:02:57.860 And you're kind of now just wondering, am I just stuck in the monotony? 00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:00.479 Because I had all this excitement at the beginning. 00:03:00.780 --> 00:03:05.280 And now it seems like it's just driven by Monday to Friday, 8 to 5. 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:08.960 And I get to the end of every week and just wonder, what did I do with my week? 00:03:10.259 --> 00:03:13.340 Or maybe some of you here this morning are towards the end of the story. 00:03:14.460 --> 00:03:17.039 And maybe you have a lot of joys as you look back on it. 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:18.599 But maybe there's also a lot of sorrow. 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:23.140 And you're wondering, was my story worth it? 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:31.139 To every single person here this morning, God has a word for us this morning from the book of James. 00:03:31.219 --> 00:03:35.439 And he says, I want to help you know how to live well for me. 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:42.099 In this crazy life, when the sea billows roll or not, I want to help you to live well for me. 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:48.620 And God speaking through James is going to give us two keys that are simple, they're clear. 00:03:48.620 --> 00:03:53.280 Clear, sometimes hard to use, but clear to help us live well. 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:56.840 To live out a good story. 00:03:57.920 --> 00:04:00.900 And so let me pray and ask that God would help us to hear. 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:05.360 And also to act on what we hear this morning. 00:04:05.780 --> 00:04:05.980 Amen. 00:04:05.980 --> 00:04:06.080 Amen. 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:07.159 Let me pray. 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:21.860 Father, this morning we are so grateful that we come here not to prove something, not to earn something, but to receive. 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:28.120 You are the God who defines ourself as the giver of all good gifts. 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:31.780 The one who gave us the most precious gift. 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:34.420 Jesus Christ, your only son. 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:37.639 A substitute. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.120 One who died in our place. 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:42.600 So we could even gather here this morning. 00:04:42.840 --> 00:04:46.220 So we could know that we don't need to fear our banishment from God. 00:04:46.699 --> 00:04:55.160 So we can have hope that by your Holy Spirit, which you've given to us as another gift, we can follow you all the way to the end. 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:59.620 And so this morning I pray that your word would help us. 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:02.600 That you would help us to listen to these two keys. 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:04.840 And then to put them into action. 00:05:05.620 --> 00:05:08.300 So that we might live well for you. 00:05:09.180 --> 00:05:10.680 For your glory and our good. 00:05:11.200 --> 00:05:11.400 Amen. 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:17.660 Let me read James 4, verse 13 to 17. 00:05:18.460 --> 00:05:22.240 James is writing this letter to a church that is going through hard things. 00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:28.660 And he's also writing to give them just practical advice of what it means to live well in this world. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:31.540 So we pick up in chapter 4, verse 13. 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:40.780 Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:43.939 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:45.760 What is your life? 00:05:47.020 --> 00:05:52.080 For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:59.480 Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:02.120 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:04.540 All such boasting is evil. 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:10.580 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:12.040 This is God's word. 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:15.520 So here James introduces us to this first key. 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:19.360 And he starts out introducing us to kind of this generic type of person. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:20.160 Right? 00:06:20.220 --> 00:06:24.640 In verse 13, you have basically a normal business person. 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:29.939 You know, they're going to go to a town and do business and make a profit. 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:34.060 And when you first hear that, you think, well, there's nothing wrong with that. 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:36.620 There's nothing wrong with working and making a profit. 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:40.439 But James is going to pick up on something that's underlying this person. 00:06:40.579 --> 00:06:43.500 It's this attitude that's underlying their behavior. 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:46.379 And you can almost call it the it's all about me attitude. 00:06:46.379 --> 00:06:49.240 I'm going to go here tomorrow. 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:50.819 I'm going to go do this. 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:52.519 I'm going to see this profit. 00:06:52.699 --> 00:06:53.639 I'm going to do this. 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:55.519 It's all I, I, I. 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:56.759 It's all about me. 00:06:56.839 --> 00:06:57.980 They're the captain of their own fate. 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:00.000 They're living for their own profit. 00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:03.240 And it sounds like they're trying to control their future and plan it all. 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:04.439 I'm going to plan my future. 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:07.319 I'm going to make my plan and work my plan. 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:08.100 Right? 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:14.980 And on one hand, you read that and you think, well, on one hand, that just feels like our default a lot of times. 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:18.700 Right? I mean, just by nature, we tend to just default to that way of living. 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:22.160 You know, we're very kind of self-focused people by default. 00:07:22.640 --> 00:07:24.900 You get up in the morning, you think, what do I want for breakfast? 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:26.620 What do I want to do today? 00:07:26.780 --> 00:07:28.020 What do I want to do with my life? 00:07:28.080 --> 00:07:29.480 What am I going to do next? 00:07:29.960 --> 00:07:33.840 And just by default, without even trying, we just start thinking that way. 00:07:34.640 --> 00:07:40.379 And we also have this default of thinking that we actually complain about what's going to happen in our day, and it will mostly happen. 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:41.140 Right? 00:07:41.939 --> 00:07:44.100 But James, right away, doesn't waste any words. 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:46.100 He's not a word waster, James. 00:07:46.180 --> 00:07:47.480 It's very concise. 00:07:47.900 --> 00:07:48.820 He says, wait a minute. 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:53.540 That attitude is foolish and it's arrogant. 00:07:54.300 --> 00:08:00.720 It's foolish, he says, because in verse 14, he says, yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:06.900 You don't know tomorrow, never mind next week or the next month or the next year. 00:08:06.899 --> 00:08:11.859 So, if you're thinking you're going to go here for a year and make profit, you don't know that. 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:13.779 You're foolish. 00:08:13.979 --> 00:08:21.000 You fail to consider the fact that there's a big piece of the equation you're missing, and that's that you don't know the future. 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:23.039 It's not in your hands. 00:08:23.359 --> 00:08:25.079 You can't foresee it, right? 00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:30.339 And so, maybe you're thinking, okay, tomorrow I'm going to mow the grass. 00:08:30.859 --> 00:08:34.519 The weatherman, after all, told me only 30% chance of rain, so that's always right. 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:42.279 And yet, you wake up in the morning, it's pouring rain, and now all your plans for that day, all that work you want to do outside are gone. 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:43.399 Frustration. 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:45.939 Or maybe it's something more serious. 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:53.340 Like, you're going along, you're thinking you're only a couple years from retirement, and all of a sudden, one day, your boss calls you into the office and says, 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:55.659 oh, by the way, we're downsizing. 00:08:56.379 --> 00:08:57.120 Here's your pink slip. 00:08:57.939 --> 00:08:58.860 You didn't see it coming. 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:00.319 You don't know. 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:04.640 You don't know what tomorrow brings, never mind next year. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:11.820 So, James says, if you think you can just plan out your future, and you can just work your future, and it's all about you, wait a minute, slow down. 00:09:12.460 --> 00:09:15.640 You don't even know what tomorrow brings. 00:09:16.300 --> 00:09:20.220 But not only that, he says in verse 14, he says, what is your life? 00:09:21.040 --> 00:09:25.100 For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:31.800 So, he's saying, not only do you not know the future, you don't even know how much of the future you'll have. 00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:39.040 Not only do you not know the future, you don't even know how much of the future you will have. 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:40.519 Life is short. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:42.139 It's a breath. 00:09:42.420 --> 00:09:43.120 It's a mist. 00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:43.620 It's gone. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:46.019 You've all seen that, right? 00:09:46.019 --> 00:09:52.159 Maybe you're driving early in the morning on a trip or to work, and there's that mist hanging over the road. 00:09:52.659 --> 00:09:53.799 Twenty minutes later, it's all gone. 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:55.120 Like that. 00:09:55.799 --> 00:09:57.620 And James says, that's what your life is like. 00:09:58.120 --> 00:09:58.600 A mist. 00:09:58.899 --> 00:09:59.600 It's here. 00:09:59.939 --> 00:10:00.579 It's gone. 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:05.960 And so, if you think you can just plan out your whole life, you don't know what tomorrow's going to bring. 00:10:06.079 --> 00:10:08.240 You don't even know if you'll have a tomorrow. 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:11.799 And so, he paints this picture of our lives as a mist. 00:10:12.719 --> 00:10:16.259 And so, imagine with me that there was a certain patch of mist out on Highway 50. 00:10:16.740 --> 00:10:18.379 We'll call this patch of mist misty. 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:19.379 Very creative, I know. 00:10:19.899 --> 00:10:22.219 And misty decides, you know what? 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:25.959 I think today I'm going to mosey on over to the Grand Canyon and see the sights. 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:28.159 That'd be pretty foolish, right? 00:10:28.199 --> 00:10:31.899 Because misty isn't going to last long enough to make it to the Grand Canyon. 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:37.740 And misty has no control over the conditions that even allow for existence. 00:10:39.019 --> 00:10:41.719 And James says, but that's what you're like, too. 00:10:42.599 --> 00:10:43.479 You're like a mist. 00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:47.099 Here and gone. 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:55.439 So, why do you think you can plan out and control your whole life when it could be gone like that? 00:10:56.359 --> 00:11:04.500 Because we tend to, by default, assume that we know the future, that we can control it, that we can plan it out, that we can shape it the way we want. 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:08.320 You know, if I was to ask most of you, how long do you think you'll live? 00:11:08.820 --> 00:11:11.480 Most people would say, well, probably at least into my 60s. 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:14.080 That's the average, somewhere in the 60s. 00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:15.600 But you don't know that. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:19.460 Or if I was to ask you, will you make it to the end of today? 00:11:19.920 --> 00:11:23.159 Most of us would, by default, assume, well, of course I'll make it to the end of today. 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:25.860 But James says, you don't know that. 00:11:26.659 --> 00:11:28.500 You don't know you'll make it into tomorrow. 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:30.960 You don't know. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:45.160 And so, you're foolish if you're thinking that you can just assume this control over your future, this, assume this ability, this power to shape the future in your image, in your way. 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:53.100 And the thing is, the reason why we think this is because a lot of the times, the future does play out the way we want it to. 00:11:53.740 --> 00:12:01.620 There's enough times where it works out just like we want that it can give us the illusion that it will always work out the way we want. 00:12:01.839 --> 00:12:07.059 There's just enough times we get it right that we think we'll always get it right. 00:12:07.059 --> 00:12:16.959 And James here right away, he doesn't, he's not trying to be mean, but he wants to burst that illusion, burst that bubble, and say, this is not reality. 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:20.159 That's not how it works. 00:12:20.699 --> 00:12:22.059 You're a fool if you think that. 00:12:22.359 --> 00:12:30.259 But not only are you a fool, he says, but in verse 16, he says, as it is, you boast in your arrogance. 00:12:31.119 --> 00:12:33.239 All such boasting is evil. 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:37.639 Not only is it foolish, he's saying, but it's arrogant. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.799 It's evil to claim to have that kind of ability and control. 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:43.159 And here's why. 00:12:44.060 --> 00:12:50.379 Because the only person that knows the future, the only person who shapes and controls the future is God. 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:58.919 And so when you think, I can shape and control the future, James is saying, what you don't realize is you're trying to be God. 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:00.680 And you're not. 00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:02.639 And that's arrogance. 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:05.720 You don't get to pretend to be God. 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:09.860 I mean, I don't get to stand up here and pretend to be the President of the United States of America because I'm not, right? 00:13:09.960 --> 00:13:11.919 That would be arrogant of me to just assume that. 00:13:12.299 --> 00:13:16.360 And James is saying it's arrogant if you claim to be God. 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:20.720 Now, I'm sure you're not going around verbally telling people, hey, by the way, I'm God. 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:21.360 Did you know that? 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:22.940 You're probably not doing that, right? 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:31.220 But James is saying it's so easy to just drift into this thinking that practically we act as if we're our own God. 00:13:31.560 --> 00:13:35.260 That practically we're controlling our own future, our own destiny. 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:38.080 And James is saying it's not how it works. 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:47.139 We're tempted to think that we get to write the story of our life and we get to write it the way that we want it to turn out. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:48.680 Right? 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.339 We're going to write our own stories. 00:13:51.419 --> 00:13:52.579 I saw this quote on the Internet. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:53.779 I was looking up the idea of story. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:55.699 And it said, your life is a story. 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:56.819 Make it a bestseller. 00:13:57.500 --> 00:13:58.239 It's all about you. 00:13:58.359 --> 00:14:01.419 You write your story and you make it turn out the way you want. 00:14:01.419 --> 00:14:04.579 And James says that's not how life works. 00:14:06.339 --> 00:14:09.039 We can't write our own stories. 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:12.719 We can't have them turn out always the way we want. 00:14:14.599 --> 00:14:16.839 But you might say, why can't I? 00:14:16.959 --> 00:14:18.339 Isn't it my life? 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:22.000 Shouldn't I get to run my life? 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:22.959 After all, it's mine. 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:25.240 And so James is going to tell us something in verse 15. 00:14:26.599 --> 00:14:29.639 He says, instead, you ought to say if the Lord wills, we will live. 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:34.600 He said, if the Lord wills, we will live. 00:14:35.819 --> 00:14:42.439 I think what he's saying is he's saying, look, even your living is a gift from God. 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:46.439 Even your very life isn't really yours. 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:48.319 It's a gift God gave you. 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:50.639 It's His life that He gave to you. 00:14:51.199 --> 00:14:52.179 It's not yours. 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:54.740 That's why you don't get to decide how it turns out all the time. 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:56.340 Because it's not yours. 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:58.860 It's the life He's giving to you. 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:01.100 It's only if God wills. 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:03.340 Only if He gives it to you that you have it. 00:15:04.100 --> 00:15:06.860 So that's why He has the right to write our story. 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:10.199 So if you think about it, has anyone here read Lord of the Rings? 00:15:11.819 --> 00:15:12.100 Okay. 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:13.740 Everyone should go home and read it. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:14.360 It's a great book. 00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:17.100 But anyways, maybe you won't go home and read it. 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:18.120 But it's a great story. 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:19.879 It's an epic story. 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:22.039 And it was written by a guy named J.R.R. Tolkien. 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:30.580 Now, if I don't like the ending of the story, I just can't change the ending, send it to a book publisher and say, print this version instead. 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:31.279 I think it's better. 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:33.340 Because it's not my story, right? 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:34.720 It belongs to Tolkien. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:36.539 He's the one that wrote it. 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:37.399 It's his story. 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:38.539 I can't change it. 00:15:38.539 --> 00:15:48.339 Or similarly, imagine that the villain in the story, a guy named Sauron, in the middle of the story decides, you know, I don't like how this story ends with me losing. 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:49.659 I'm going to change the story. 00:15:49.819 --> 00:15:50.819 I'm going to win instead. 00:15:51.319 --> 00:15:52.519 It wouldn't work, would it? 00:15:52.779 --> 00:15:54.039 Because he's not the author. 00:15:54.439 --> 00:15:56.379 He's just a character in the story. 00:15:56.379 --> 00:15:59.219 He can't decide how the story turns out. 00:15:59.939 --> 00:16:00.799 He's just a character. 00:16:01.599 --> 00:16:02.599 He makes his choices. 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:03.319 They matter. 00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:07.000 But at the end of the day, the ending will be what Tolkien wants it to be. 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:09.420 And Sauron can't change it. 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:14.320 And the same way, James is reminding us here, wait a minute. 00:16:14.940 --> 00:16:17.360 You're not the writer of the story of life. 00:16:18.300 --> 00:16:20.120 You're not the main author. 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:24.340 There's only one main author of the story of life. 00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:25.620 And it's God. 00:16:27.300 --> 00:16:32.060 Psalm 139, verse 16, says that before we were even born, 00:16:32.059 --> 00:16:36.079 every one of our days were written down in God's book of life. 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:37.879 He's the writer. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:41.539 He's the one that's writing the whole story. 00:16:41.819 --> 00:16:44.779 And so not only are we not the author of our story, 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:47.099 we're not even the main character of the story. 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:51.459 We're minor characters in the story. 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:55.559 And it's so easy for us to think the story is all about us 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:57.359 and that we get to decide how it turns out. 00:16:57.599 --> 00:16:59.599 And James wants to say, that's not how it works. 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:02.519 That's not how it works. 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:04.759 There's someone else writing the story. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.440 It's the Lord who's writing the story. 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:12.640 He's the main author. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:17.480 And I think if we stop and think over our lives, 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:20.079 whether you're a teenager or older, 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:23.360 you've probably experienced those days 00:17:23.360 --> 00:17:25.720 where life doesn't turn out the way you want, right? 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:29.740 Those hopes turned into disappointments. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:32.360 The joys turned into hardship and sorrow. 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:38.860 And one of the reasons why I think God plans that out to happen 00:17:38.860 --> 00:17:43.900 is because he wants us to learn we're not the writer of the story. 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:47.039 He, too, is trying to sometimes burst our little bubble 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:48.259 and say, wait a minute. 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:50.640 You're not the writer. 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:52.019 I am. 00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:55.279 It's not always going to turn out the way you want. 00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:56.859 It's going to turn out the way I want. 00:17:58.140 --> 00:17:59.819 And I want you to trust me in that. 00:18:01.579 --> 00:18:03.900 I'm the one writing the story, not you. 00:18:04.779 --> 00:18:07.420 And that's why James really says, verse 15, he says, 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:09.480 instead you ought to say, 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:12.279 if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. 00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:13.440 James is saying, look, 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:17.279 if God really is the one writing the story, 00:18:18.120 --> 00:18:22.580 then what we need to do is rest and trust 00:18:22.580 --> 00:18:24.360 in the storytelling God. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.500 Don't try to just keep fighting him 00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:28.640 and writing your own story. 00:18:29.620 --> 00:18:31.779 Trust the storytelling God. 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:36.019 Trust that what God will write is what will happen 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:40.500 and that in the end, it will be seen to be good. 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:45.480 If the Lord wills, we'll live and do this or that. 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:48.380 And I don't think James is saying here, you know, 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:50.140 this is some stock phrase you use, you know, 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:52.200 like always throw this out just to make sure 00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:53.420 you're not proud, you know, like, 00:18:53.859 --> 00:18:56.220 Keith, see you next week, if the Lord wills. 00:18:56.900 --> 00:18:58.259 You guys want to meet at the park later? 00:18:58.519 --> 00:18:59.599 If the Lord wills. 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:00.940 It's not that kind of thing. 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:02.200 It's not some stock phrase. 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:05.359 It's this mindset that has embraced the fact 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:07.099 that God is the storyteller, 00:19:07.099 --> 00:19:10.539 that God is the one who's going to write the story 00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:14.079 and that even if I'm going to make my plans, 00:19:14.899 --> 00:19:16.879 I'm going to maybe make them in pencil, 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:18.439 knowing that God might change them. 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:21.539 And then I'm going to trust him with the edits he makes 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:24.519 because he probably knows more than I do. 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:27.799 It's the kind of attitude that says, 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:29.779 I'm going to be wise. 00:19:29.879 --> 00:19:31.119 I'm going to try to think things through. 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:32.599 But at the end of the day, 00:19:33.459 --> 00:19:34.619 what God will allow to happen, 00:19:34.679 --> 00:19:35.419 I'm going to trust, 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:38.099 is better for my overall good 00:19:38.099 --> 00:19:40.599 than what I had planned out. 00:19:42.159 --> 00:19:43.739 It's an attitude of trust. 00:19:44.539 --> 00:19:47.199 It's an attitude of giving up ultimate control, 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.679 even as you're still faithful with your daily choices. 00:19:52.479 --> 00:19:54.579 So how do you know if you've got this kind of attitude, 00:19:54.719 --> 00:19:55.979 if you have this first key, 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:57.399 this trusting the storyteller? 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:00.000 Well, I think the key to knowing if you have that key 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:01.920 is how do you respond 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:03.859 when life doesn't turn out the way you want? 00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:06.299 When the story of your life 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:08.200 doesn't turn out the way you wanted it written, 00:20:08.980 --> 00:20:12.759 is your response anger, frustration, 00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:15.339 and you stay there in that. 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:17.980 If that's the case, it's a good indication 00:20:17.980 --> 00:20:21.700 you're not trusting God to write the story. 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:24.740 One of my favorite authors, Andy Wilson, 00:20:24.859 --> 00:20:25.380 has this quote. 00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:25.819 He says, 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:28.339 when life doesn't turn out the way you want, 00:20:28.339 --> 00:20:30.599 there are only two responses at the end of the day. 00:20:31.699 --> 00:20:32.759 The Lord gives, 00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:34.279 the Lord takes away, 00:20:34.399 --> 00:20:35.619 blessed be the name of the Lord, 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:38.740 or curse God and die. 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:42.099 There's only two basic responses at the end of the day. 00:20:43.679 --> 00:20:44.859 Blessed be the name of the Lord, 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:47.519 or curse God and die. 00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:50.419 And I don't say that tritely. 00:20:50.959 --> 00:20:52.079 I know that's hard. 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:55.480 It's hard to trust God and bless Him 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:56.039 when things are hard. 00:20:56.099 --> 00:20:57.159 I'm not throwing out that tritely. 00:20:58.619 --> 00:20:59.960 But it is that clear. 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:02.299 There really are only two options. 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:05.379 There's a variety of sub-options under each one. 00:21:05.419 --> 00:21:06.240 But at the end of the day, 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:09.240 we either are trying to run our own lives 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:11.339 and frustrated when God doesn't run it our way, 00:21:11.740 --> 00:21:14.059 or we're trying to be faithful 00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:16.799 and trusting Him with the way He writes our story. 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:20.460 So when you've got that day planned out 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:22.839 and it doesn't turn out the way you want, 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.480 does that lead to anger towards your family 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:28.220 because you're frustrated 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:29.319 about how the day didn't turn out? 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:33.440 When you don't get that promotion 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:35.619 or someone breaks up with you, 00:21:36.159 --> 00:21:37.480 do you wallow there 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:39.119 and stay there for a long time, 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:40.559 that bitterness and frustration? 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:42.519 Or is there sadness, 00:21:43.099 --> 00:21:44.500 but then a turn towards trusting? 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:48.180 Or what about when you really have 00:21:48.180 --> 00:21:49.779 just a couple of household chores 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:50.559 you want to get done 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:51.859 while the kids are napping 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:54.480 and they don't nap the way you want 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:55.880 and you have no time 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:57.460 and anything done that you want? 00:21:58.700 --> 00:21:59.680 How do you respond? 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.640 Is there just this wallowing in anger 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:03.180 and frustration, 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:04.140 or is there, okay, 00:22:05.059 --> 00:22:05.900 how do I be faithful 00:22:05.900 --> 00:22:07.700 now that God's written the story differently 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:08.559 than I wanted? 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:10.440 So then what I had planned for the day, 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:11.339 okay God, 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:12.440 but help me be faithful 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:14.740 with how you have written out this day. 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:16.539 So again, 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:17.700 it's not that we don't plan. 00:22:18.140 --> 00:22:19.160 It's not that we don't think. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:21.120 It's not that we don't seek to be faithful, 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:23.019 but it's that we have that flexibility 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:24.380 and that trust in God. 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:26.480 That is key number one. 00:22:27.360 --> 00:22:30.200 It's trusting the storyteller 00:22:30.200 --> 00:22:32.559 and the storyteller is not you. 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:33.720 It's God. 00:22:34.860 --> 00:22:36.039 And it's trusting Him 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:37.580 because of what we sang about. 00:22:38.580 --> 00:22:40.840 We sang about God and His character. 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:44.220 I believe everything that you say you are. 00:22:44.579 --> 00:22:46.000 I believe I have seen 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:47.839 your unchanging heart. 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:51.220 And it's because we know the storyteller. 00:22:51.659 --> 00:22:53.159 It's because we know who God is 00:22:53.159 --> 00:22:54.019 and how good He is 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:55.539 that we can trust Him 00:22:55.539 --> 00:22:57.379 even when things don't turn out 00:22:57.379 --> 00:22:59.639 the way we thought they were going to turn out. 00:23:00.339 --> 00:23:01.459 That is the key. 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:03.039 Number one, 00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:04.679 trust the storyteller. 00:23:05.299 --> 00:23:06.339 You want to live well for God 00:23:06.339 --> 00:23:07.319 all the way to the end? 00:23:07.899 --> 00:23:09.279 Trust the storyteller. 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:10.279 Trust the storyteller. 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:12.279 Especially when the story isn't turning out 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:13.720 the way you want. 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:16.399 But now we need to look at a second key. 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:19.039 We don't just want to trust the storyteller. 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:21.180 We need to then be faithful 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:22.700 and obey the storyteller. 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:27.000 Because if we trust God to write the story, 00:23:27.859 --> 00:23:29.299 then we still need to ask the question, 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:31.879 well then how do we live faithfully our part? 00:23:32.119 --> 00:23:33.200 If God's the writer 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:35.799 and He's writing us in as characters 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:36.640 into this story, 00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:38.759 how do I faithfully live out 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:40.059 as that minor character 00:23:40.059 --> 00:23:41.600 that God has written me to be? 00:23:42.180 --> 00:23:43.420 How do I obey Him 00:23:43.420 --> 00:23:44.340 and walk faithfully? 00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:47.799 And I know that a lot of times in my life, 00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:48.580 growing up, 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:49.860 I always thought the answer 00:23:49.860 --> 00:23:51.220 would be somehow very mystical. 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:51.840 You know, like, 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:52.700 I would pray 00:23:52.700 --> 00:23:54.180 and somehow it would show up in the clouds. 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:55.440 So that's what I hoped for anyways. 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:55.980 You know, it's like, 00:23:56.140 --> 00:23:57.460 you just want to wake up in the morning 00:23:57.460 --> 00:23:59.680 and for God to just make it so clear. 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:00.740 You know, like, 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:01.900 could it be in the clouds 00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:04.940 or maybe like I pour like my alphabet cereal 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:05.819 and like the letters, 00:24:05.980 --> 00:24:06.880 you know, form something. 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:07.940 You know what I'm talking about? 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:08.880 Has anybody ever wished that? 00:24:09.360 --> 00:24:10.319 You know, be honest. 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:11.440 You've wished that at some point. 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:12.960 You're wrestling with this hard thing 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:14.980 and you just want this really clear answer. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:17.160 And we think it's going to be all mystical. 00:24:17.340 --> 00:24:18.980 And sometimes God does work 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:20.360 in those supernatural ways. 00:24:21.079 --> 00:24:22.079 But most of the time, 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:24.259 He actually speaks a lot clearer 00:24:24.259 --> 00:24:25.920 than even we think. 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:28.160 And this is what James is getting at 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:28.880 in verse 17. 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:29.360 He says, look, 00:24:30.120 --> 00:24:30.980 here's what it means 00:24:30.980 --> 00:24:32.039 to live well for God. 00:24:32.840 --> 00:24:34.580 Whoever knows the right thing to do 00:24:34.580 --> 00:24:35.600 and fails to do it, 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:37.180 for him it is sin. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:39.420 Or in other words, 00:24:39.840 --> 00:24:40.820 go and do the thing 00:24:40.820 --> 00:24:41.680 you know you're supposed to do. 00:24:42.680 --> 00:24:43.840 That's what James is saying. 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:44.940 Now, obviously, 00:24:45.120 --> 00:24:46.259 James is presupposing 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:47.620 that you probably know 00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:48.880 what the right thing is to do 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:49.380 because otherwise 00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:50.400 you can't go do it. 00:24:51.120 --> 00:24:52.060 So if you think about it, 00:24:52.560 --> 00:24:53.640 if you're going to faithfully 00:24:53.640 --> 00:24:55.200 live out your character role, 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:56.420 you need a script. 00:24:57.080 --> 00:24:58.340 You need a script that tells you 00:24:58.340 --> 00:24:59.240 here's how you're supposed 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.140 to act in this scene. 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:02.180 And God gave us that. 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:03.340 It's called the Bible. 00:25:04.220 --> 00:25:05.360 This is where He spoke. 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:07.080 It's not rocket science. 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:07.940 It's not mystical. 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:09.460 He put it right here 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:10.080 in this book. 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:11.120 He said, look, 00:25:11.400 --> 00:25:12.759 I've already spoken to you. 00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:13.440 I've already told you 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:13.720 what to do. 00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:14.440 It's this whole book. 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:15.259 Read it. 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:16.660 There's lots of things in there. 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:19.120 And rather than worrying about 00:25:19.120 --> 00:25:20.700 the future 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:22.160 and trying to plan it all out, 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:23.120 you don't know that. 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:23.980 Don't worry about that. 00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:25.880 You just focus on doing 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:27.320 what I've told you to do. 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:30.000 Moses says the same thing 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:30.980 to the people of Israel 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:33.120 back in Deuteronomy 29, 29. 00:25:34.100 --> 00:25:35.460 He's talking to the people of Israel. 00:25:35.580 --> 00:25:36.200 They're about to go 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:37.200 into the promised land. 00:25:37.580 --> 00:25:38.960 The old generation's died off. 00:25:39.040 --> 00:25:39.900 The young generation's 00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:40.480 about to come in. 00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:41.019 He says, look, 00:25:41.600 --> 00:25:42.800 the secret things 00:25:42.800 --> 00:25:43.820 belong to the Lord, 00:25:44.820 --> 00:25:46.700 but the things He has revealed 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:47.880 belong to us 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:49.340 and to our children 00:25:49.339 --> 00:25:51.379 that we might walk in them. 00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:53.319 The secret things 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:54.099 belong to the Lord. 00:25:54.899 --> 00:25:55.939 You don't know 00:25:55.939 --> 00:25:57.079 what's going to happen tomorrow. 00:25:57.240 --> 00:25:58.019 That belongs to the Lord. 00:25:58.139 --> 00:25:59.639 Don't worry about that. 00:26:00.619 --> 00:26:01.779 You just be faithful 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:04.359 to walk or obey. 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:05.419 It's a picture of walking. 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:07.240 Obey what He's clearly 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:08.699 told you to do. 00:26:09.419 --> 00:26:10.220 That's what God's done 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:11.259 all the way through this Bible. 00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:12.899 Even if you're just to skim 00:26:12.899 --> 00:26:13.819 the letter of James, 00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:14.879 here are some things 00:26:14.879 --> 00:26:15.819 that God has told you 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:16.500 clearly to do. 00:26:17.259 --> 00:26:18.140 He's told you 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:19.759 to trust Him 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:20.740 in the midst of trials. 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:22.200 That when you feel 00:26:22.200 --> 00:26:22.779 like you don't have 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:23.980 the wisdom to get through trials, 00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:25.099 to ask Him for wisdom. 00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:28.200 He said, endure trials. 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:29.799 He said, care for the widow 00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:30.599 and the orphan. 00:26:31.099 --> 00:26:32.819 He said, be quick to listen, 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:34.160 slow to speak, 00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:35.440 slow to anger. 00:26:35.700 --> 00:26:37.440 He said, don't show favoritism. 00:26:37.859 --> 00:26:39.339 He said, bridle your tongue. 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:41.019 If we just stop there, 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:42.460 just with that very short list, 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:43.680 just from the book of James, 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:45.099 the first three chapters, 00:26:45.099 --> 00:26:47.539 that's a lot of things 00:26:47.539 --> 00:26:49.599 that we now know 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:50.459 the right thing to do. 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.319 So what does living for God 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:53.179 faithfully look like? 00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:54.699 Don't worry about tomorrow. 00:26:55.459 --> 00:26:57.719 Today, play your role faithfully. 00:26:59.019 --> 00:27:00.019 Do those things today. 00:27:00.919 --> 00:27:03.839 Today, when you're with your family 00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:05.240 at lunch or with friends 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:05.980 or when you're with 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:06.599 interacting with people 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:07.259 after church, 00:27:07.799 --> 00:27:08.579 be quick to listen, 00:27:09.459 --> 00:27:10.219 slow to speak, 00:27:10.939 --> 00:27:11.599 slow to anger. 00:27:12.119 --> 00:27:12.980 When you're in the middle 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:14.159 of conflict with someone, 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:14.840 a co-worker, 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:15.900 marriage, 00:27:16.540 --> 00:27:17.380 be quick to listen, 00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:18.980 slow to speak, 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:20.300 slow to anger. 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:22.480 When you see a widow 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:23.320 or orphan in need, 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:24.519 care for them. 00:27:25.800 --> 00:27:26.519 Bridal your tongue. 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:28.300 When you go through trial, 00:27:28.660 --> 00:27:29.980 trust God in the midst of it. 00:27:30.540 --> 00:27:31.600 That's what it looks like 00:27:31.600 --> 00:27:33.480 to live for God faithfully. 00:27:35.580 --> 00:27:36.900 So what would it look like 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:38.380 if those things permeated 00:27:38.380 --> 00:27:39.640 our life more and more 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:41.120 on a daily basis? 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:43.039 What if you were known 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:43.799 in your neighborhood, 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:45.219 in your workplace, 00:27:45.639 --> 00:27:46.579 amongst your friends, 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:47.959 as the person 00:27:47.959 --> 00:27:49.699 who is quick to listen 00:27:49.699 --> 00:27:51.159 and slow to speak 00:27:51.159 --> 00:27:52.079 and slow to be angry? 00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:55.379 Imagine how that would honor God 00:27:55.379 --> 00:27:56.399 and imagine how 00:27:56.399 --> 00:27:58.339 at the end of your life, 00:27:59.179 --> 00:28:00.279 if all people could say 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:00.939 about you was, 00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:02.659 they were quick to listen, 00:28:03.479 --> 00:28:04.359 slow to speak, 00:28:04.439 --> 00:28:05.219 and slow to anger. 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:07.119 That would be a life well lived. 00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:10.079 And what I love about this vision 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:10.919 that James has given us, 00:28:10.959 --> 00:28:12.259 that God has really given us, 00:28:12.399 --> 00:28:14.099 is that living for God 00:28:14.099 --> 00:28:16.339 is a lot of ordinary, 00:28:17.199 --> 00:28:19.479 mundane, daily choices. 00:28:20.979 --> 00:28:22.719 And that means that every one of us 00:28:22.719 --> 00:28:23.519 can live for God. 00:28:24.019 --> 00:28:25.379 You don't need to be a superhero. 00:28:25.659 --> 00:28:27.019 You don't need to be a super Christian. 00:28:27.299 --> 00:28:28.500 You don't need to be a missionary. 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:32.399 Every one of us can live well for God 00:28:32.399 --> 00:28:34.319 by living in all these faithful, 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:37.079 small ways every single day. 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:38.879 And what I also love about that 00:28:38.879 --> 00:28:39.519 is that means that 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:40.919 the ordinary matters. 00:28:43.579 --> 00:28:45.779 Moms, loving your kids 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:47.980 when you're tired from lack of sleep 00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:49.960 and they're throwing another fit 00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:52.339 and being slow to speak 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:53.419 and slow to anger, 00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:56.679 that honors God. 00:28:56.779 --> 00:28:57.500 That has meaning. 00:28:57.740 --> 00:28:58.819 It's not just mundane. 00:28:59.000 --> 00:28:59.819 It's not pointless. 00:29:00.339 --> 00:29:01.339 It honors God. 00:29:01.700 --> 00:29:02.819 When you go to work, 00:29:02.879 --> 00:29:03.439 and as Paul says, 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:05.059 you don't grumble or complain, 00:29:05.840 --> 00:29:06.539 even if you're not 00:29:06.539 --> 00:29:07.860 the most amazing worker, 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:08.820 if you just go to work, 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.220 work hard, 00:29:09.299 --> 00:29:10.600 and don't grumble or complain, 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:12.180 even if no one notices, 00:29:12.700 --> 00:29:13.519 God sees, 00:29:13.580 --> 00:29:14.200 and he says, 00:29:14.740 --> 00:29:15.220 well done. 00:29:15.840 --> 00:29:17.360 You're living well. 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:19.160 Do you see how all of a sudden, 00:29:19.600 --> 00:29:20.580 every day, 00:29:21.240 --> 00:29:22.519 it can now be filled with meaning. 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:25.019 Every day can be filled with purpose. 00:29:25.539 --> 00:29:26.100 Every day, 00:29:26.180 --> 00:29:27.480 you can be living out 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:29.320 the role that God has given you 00:29:29.320 --> 00:29:30.279 faithfully. 00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:30.360 Faithfully. 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:33.940 And so, 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:35.299 that's the second key. 00:29:36.320 --> 00:29:37.799 The first key is trusting God 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:38.860 to write the story, 00:29:39.380 --> 00:29:40.620 to trust him to write it out 00:29:40.620 --> 00:29:41.019 how you want, 00:29:41.080 --> 00:29:42.320 but the second key is now, 00:29:42.840 --> 00:29:44.259 now that you've trusted God 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:45.759 with writing the future, 00:29:46.299 --> 00:29:48.200 now that you're gonna just trust him 00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:48.680 with that, 00:29:49.019 --> 00:29:50.080 and you're not gonna get all bent 00:29:50.080 --> 00:29:50.940 out of shape about it, 00:29:51.120 --> 00:29:52.519 it frees up your mind 00:29:52.519 --> 00:29:53.299 and your heart 00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:55.279 to be focused on the second key, 00:29:55.900 --> 00:29:57.799 faithfully obeying him daily. 00:29:57.799 --> 00:30:00.059 So often, 00:30:00.159 --> 00:30:01.339 we spend all kinds of time 00:30:01.339 --> 00:30:01.879 worried, 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:03.919 thinking about the future, 00:30:04.659 --> 00:30:07.000 when 95% of our energy 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:08.099 should be spent on doing 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:09.319 the things he's clearly 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:10.339 told us to do, 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:12.079 and then the future 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:13.319 will be written 00:30:13.319 --> 00:30:14.399 just the way he wants, 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:15.460 whether we're worried 00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:16.619 about it or not. 00:30:17.740 --> 00:30:19.079 Don't overcomplicate 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:20.519 living well for God. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:22.119 It's trusting him 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:24.059 and then obeying him 00:30:24.059 --> 00:30:25.519 in all the small, 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:26.339 daily things. 00:30:26.339 --> 00:30:30.139 I hope you see that 00:30:30.139 --> 00:30:31.639 what I love about this 00:30:31.639 --> 00:30:32.419 pass from James 00:30:32.419 --> 00:30:33.159 is that it makes 00:30:33.159 --> 00:30:34.539 living well for God clear. 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:36.519 Now it's hard, right? 00:30:36.839 --> 00:30:38.439 It's hard to trust God. 00:30:38.779 --> 00:30:40.819 It's hard to obey all the time, 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.419 but it's clear. 00:30:43.319 --> 00:30:44.779 It's clear the path 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:45.679 we have to walk on, 00:30:45.899 --> 00:30:46.919 and it might be a long one 00:30:46.919 --> 00:30:47.559 and a hard one 00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:49.559 up lots of steep slopes 00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:51.039 and around crazy curves, 00:30:51.399 --> 00:30:52.379 but it's there, 00:30:52.899 --> 00:30:53.980 and God's calling us 00:30:53.980 --> 00:30:54.939 to walk it. 00:30:54.940 --> 00:30:56.519 But I just want to finish 00:30:56.519 --> 00:30:57.539 with a final encouragement. 00:30:57.740 --> 00:30:58.620 If you are going 00:30:58.620 --> 00:31:00.620 to use these two keys, 00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:02.220 we need to remember 00:31:02.220 --> 00:31:05.320 who the storytelling God is 00:31:05.320 --> 00:31:06.460 and the story he's telling. 00:31:06.820 --> 00:31:07.519 Because if you want 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:09.080 to trust God, 00:31:09.340 --> 00:31:10.240 it's going to be hard 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:10.740 if you don't know 00:31:10.740 --> 00:31:11.259 who he is. 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:13.059 That's why it's so important 00:31:13.059 --> 00:31:13.720 we sing songs 00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:14.460 we did this morning. 00:31:14.660 --> 00:31:15.779 Because when we sing 00:31:15.779 --> 00:31:16.960 those songs, 00:31:17.120 --> 00:31:17.920 we're reminded 00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:18.860 that God is good. 00:31:18.859 --> 00:31:20.879 And that the story 00:31:20.879 --> 00:31:21.539 he's writing 00:31:21.539 --> 00:31:22.259 is how, 00:31:22.619 --> 00:31:23.199 even though we all 00:31:23.199 --> 00:31:23.959 deserve judgment, 00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:25.399 he's writing a story 00:31:25.399 --> 00:31:26.879 in which he sent his son 00:31:26.879 --> 00:31:30.059 to save undeserved people 00:31:30.059 --> 00:31:30.779 like us. 00:31:31.179 --> 00:31:32.139 That's the story 00:31:32.139 --> 00:31:32.759 he's writing. 00:31:33.459 --> 00:31:34.019 I don't know 00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:35.000 how your little story 00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:35.699 is going to fit into 00:31:35.699 --> 00:31:36.919 that story at every point. 00:31:37.419 --> 00:31:37.939 I don't know 00:31:37.939 --> 00:31:38.899 if your little story 00:31:38.899 --> 00:31:39.959 from the human perspective 00:31:39.959 --> 00:31:41.559 will always turn out well. 00:31:42.339 --> 00:31:43.240 But when it's part 00:31:43.240 --> 00:31:44.359 of this bigger story, 00:31:44.699 --> 00:31:45.699 you can trust 00:31:45.699 --> 00:31:46.959 the God who's writing 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:48.220 your little story. 00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:49.440 Because the big story 00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:49.980 he's writing 00:31:49.980 --> 00:31:51.559 is very good. 00:31:53.340 --> 00:31:54.019 And so this morning, 00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:54.860 do you trust him? 00:31:56.940 --> 00:31:58.259 Do you trust him 00:31:58.259 --> 00:31:59.759 as the storytelling God? 00:31:59.860 --> 00:32:00.660 Have you given up 00:32:00.660 --> 00:32:02.700 control of your life 00:32:02.700 --> 00:32:04.059 to trust him 00:32:04.059 --> 00:32:05.380 to write the story? 00:32:06.279 --> 00:32:07.000 And that's not 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:08.039 a one-time decision, friends. 00:32:08.059 --> 00:32:09.660 That's a daily decision 00:32:09.660 --> 00:32:10.579 to wake up 00:32:10.579 --> 00:32:12.100 and trust the day 00:32:12.100 --> 00:32:13.720 and the next day 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:14.400 and the tomorrow 00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:14.880 and the tomorrow 00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:15.759 after that to him. 00:32:15.759 --> 00:32:18.059 And if you do that, 00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:19.019 then you're freed up 00:32:19.019 --> 00:32:19.819 to obey him. 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:21.700 I just want to encourage you. 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:23.460 You will find 00:32:23.460 --> 00:32:24.519 that along the journey 00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:25.140 of obedience, 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:26.259 there will be many, 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:28.000 many failures. 00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:30.099 You will fail 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:31.559 to do all that you know 00:32:31.559 --> 00:32:32.279 is right to do 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:33.819 and it will be sin. 00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:35.859 And yet, 00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:37.839 the story God's writing 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:38.900 is the story 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:39.940 that he sent Jesus 00:32:39.940 --> 00:32:41.319 to die 00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:43.000 precisely for people 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:43.680 who would fail 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:44.379 to live well. 00:32:44.380 --> 00:32:46.260 Jesus is the main hero 00:32:46.260 --> 00:32:47.480 because he's the only one 00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:48.380 that lived perfectly, 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:50.100 that always did 00:32:50.100 --> 00:32:50.920 the right thing 00:32:50.920 --> 00:32:52.360 and then he died 00:32:52.360 --> 00:32:52.920 for people 00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:53.680 that consistently 00:32:53.680 --> 00:32:54.620 do the wrong thing. 00:32:55.880 --> 00:32:57.120 And then he rose again, 00:32:57.880 --> 00:32:58.740 ascended into heaven 00:32:58.740 --> 00:33:00.220 and on this Pentecost Sunday, 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:01.220 we're reminded 00:33:01.220 --> 00:33:01.920 that he sent 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:03.100 his Holy Spirit 00:33:03.100 --> 00:33:04.720 to indwell us 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:05.920 so that 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:07.660 our natural tendency 00:33:07.660 --> 00:33:09.260 to just be all about me 00:33:09.260 --> 00:33:10.780 could be transformed 00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:12.359 formed by his grace, 00:33:12.940 --> 00:33:13.740 by his word, 00:33:13.879 --> 00:33:14.819 and by his spirit 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:15.879 so that maybe, 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:16.559 just maybe, 00:33:17.299 --> 00:33:18.599 we could actually live 00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:19.480 faithfully. 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:20.399 Not perfectly, 00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:21.879 but faithfully. 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:23.279 And get to the end 00:33:23.279 --> 00:33:23.819 of the race 00:33:23.819 --> 00:33:25.119 and find 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:27.139 the storytelling God 00:33:27.139 --> 00:33:28.619 awaiting us 00:33:28.619 --> 00:33:29.440 at the very end 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:30.599 of this very good story 00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:32.339 in a very good place 00:33:32.339 --> 00:33:33.480 with these words 00:33:33.480 --> 00:33:34.180 on his lips, 00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:35.519 well done, 00:33:36.279 --> 00:33:38.480 good and faithful servant. 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:40.960 enter into the rest 00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:41.839 I have written 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:42.819 for you. 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:44.500 Let me pray. 00:33:48.079 --> 00:33:48.759 Father, 00:33:49.960 --> 00:33:53.299 we all know 00:33:53.299 --> 00:33:54.559 that just by nature 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:56.799 we want stories 00:33:56.799 --> 00:33:58.400 that are easy to live in, 00:33:58.940 --> 00:34:00.880 that are comfortable for us, 00:34:01.660 --> 00:34:04.099 that only give us rest. 00:34:05.579 --> 00:34:06.099 And yet, 00:34:06.579 --> 00:34:07.799 because of our sin, 00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:09.880 we have allowed 00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:11.340 trouble to enter the world. 00:34:12.760 --> 00:34:13.900 But that didn't catch you 00:34:13.900 --> 00:34:14.659 by surprise. 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:16.159 You had that 00:34:16.159 --> 00:34:17.179 as part of the story 00:34:17.179 --> 00:34:18.519 and you had something 00:34:18.519 --> 00:34:19.740 even better in the story. 00:34:20.240 --> 00:34:21.039 Your son 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:22.320 to die 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:23.280 and rise again 00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:24.659 to defeat sin, 00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:25.659 to defeat death 00:34:25.659 --> 00:34:28.139 and offer final rest. 00:34:29.579 --> 00:34:30.460 Think of the words 00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:31.539 of Jesus who says, 00:34:32.340 --> 00:34:33.599 come now you who are weary 00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:34.440 and heavy laden 00:34:34.440 --> 00:34:36.320 and I will give you rest. 00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:38.179 My yoke is easy. 00:34:39.420 --> 00:34:39.860 Father, 00:34:40.059 --> 00:34:41.139 you've made it clear 00:34:41.139 --> 00:34:41.659 what it means 00:34:41.659 --> 00:34:42.440 to live for you well, 00:34:42.900 --> 00:34:43.980 to trust you, 00:34:44.519 --> 00:34:45.320 to obey you. 00:34:45.699 --> 00:34:46.519 And it's hard 00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:47.460 to live it on our own 00:34:47.460 --> 00:34:48.400 but we're so grateful 00:34:48.400 --> 00:34:49.539 that we're not living it 00:34:49.539 --> 00:34:50.039 on our own. 00:34:51.059 --> 00:34:52.800 We have your Holy Spirit. 00:34:52.940 --> 00:34:53.920 If we've trusted in Christ, 00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:54.960 we have your Holy Spirit 00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:55.960 living within us. 00:34:56.400 --> 00:34:57.380 We have the grace 00:34:57.380 --> 00:34:58.059 of the gospel 00:34:58.059 --> 00:34:59.119 at work in our hearts 00:34:59.119 --> 00:34:59.599 and lives 00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:00.760 and we even have 00:35:00.760 --> 00:35:01.260 one another, 00:35:01.880 --> 00:35:02.760 your church family, 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:03.619 encouraging us, 00:35:03.760 --> 00:35:04.440 spurring us on. 00:35:04.440 --> 00:35:06.099 So help us 00:35:06.099 --> 00:35:07.519 to live faithfully, 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:08.960 to trust you 00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:09.619 and obey 00:35:09.619 --> 00:35:11.740 for there is no greater way 00:35:11.740 --> 00:35:13.240 to be happy in Jesus 00:35:13.240 --> 00:35:14.579 than to trust 00:35:14.579 --> 00:35:15.440 and obey. 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:16.240 Amen. 00:35:16.240 --> 00:35:16.360 Amen. 00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:38.160 Amen. 00:35:38.160 --> 00:35:39.120 Amen. 00:35:39.240 --> 00:35:41.079 Amen.